Chapter 297: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (15)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 297: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (15)
A narrow corridor. The silence was brief. Soon, with a metallic click, the vent overhead burst open.
[Thud! Crash!]
Something dropped down. It was an infiltration soldier clad in a black combat suit and an electronic helmet.
“Don't move!”
Before he could even shout—
—Fwip!
Kim Su-hyeon's fingertips reacted first. An electronic blade built into her combat suit shot out and struck the soldier's helmet.
—Thwack!
Without even a scream, the soldier was slammed into the wall. Then, two more soldiers jumped out from both sides of the corridor.
“Three more!” I shouted.
Kim Su-hyeon had already lowered her body, using the recoil to kick off the wall and launch herself into the air.
—Wham!
Kim Su-hyeon's leg slammed down squarely on the soldier's shoulder. Thud!—With a heavy impact, her opponent went flying.
The opening she created. I didn't miss the chance and immediately pushed forward.
—Bang! Bang, bang!
I raised my pistol and fired in succession. Despite the direct hits, the reaction was not what I expected.
Instead of blood, black smoke scattered. The bullets didn't even lodge in the soldier's body; they seemed to be absorbed by a thin shield and evaporated.
“...Huh?”
I aimed again and turned my head.
“Su-hyeon? These aren't working!”
“It's special bulletproof fiber. The surface is coated with a thermal barrier. Conventional rounds won't work.”
She explained briefly, already charging toward the next enemy.
“Then you could have told me that sooner!”
“If you don't want to die, aim for the head, joints, or breathing vents. Take your pick.”
—Clank!
Kim Su-hyeon's blade precisely struck the joint of the soldier's waist, creating a shower of sparks with a pop!
I narrowed my eyes and aimed for the breathing unit in the gap of the helmet.
—Bang!
A direct hit this time.
The soldier staggered and fell backward, smoke leaking from his respiratory device with a short cough.
Then, without a word, Kim Su-hyeon tossed me another pistol.
“Use it.”
“Dual pistols!”
She reloaded without replying and said quietly, “This is no time to fool around. We're escaping now.”
Just then, a vibration echoed from the other end of the corridor.
—Thump… thump…
Something large and heavy was approaching.
Kim Su-hyeon pressed her back against the wall and looked at me.
“From now on… we could actually die.”
I smiled.
“Nah, we won't die.”
*
Kim Su-hyeon, aiming her gun, glanced sideways at the man.
Even in this critical situation, Jin Seo-yun was grinning from ear to ear. He looked relaxed, as if he were out for a stroll, not in a battle. Even his tone was light.
‘…I knew he was a psycho, but this is worse than I thought.’
—CRASH!
In the distance, the structure shook again, and the sound of some massive machine approaching could be heard. Warning lights bathed the walls in red, and a cacophony of mechanical noises and warning sirens began to blare.
But even in the midst of it all—
“Su-hyeon.”
Jin Seo-yun turned his head. With a smirk, he started spouting nonsense again.
“What are your bust and hip measurements?”
“…”
Kim Su-hyeon's expression froze. Even now, his eyes were tracing the lines of her chest and waist with a slimy gaze. He'd been doing it for a while.
‘…Hah.’
She inwardly took a deep breath. Fighting the urge to blow his head off, her finger twitched on the trigger.
‘My lady… may I just kill this man?’ The thought was a silent scream in her head.
“…Stop the sexual harassment. Next time, I'll really shoot.”
Her eyes were cold, and the muzzle of her gun was already aimed at his chin.
Jin Seo-yun playfully raised both hands and laughed.
“Whoa, whoa, didn't they teach you in the army not to point your gun at people? Put it away, quickly!”
Kim Su-hyeon narrowed her eyes and slowly lowered the gun. At that moment—
—KRAAANG!!
With a deafening explosion, an entire section of the wall collapsed.
Concrete fragments flew, and dust filled the air, obscuring their vision.
And from within it, the sound of heavy, oppressive footsteps echoed.
“…A Goliath?”
A massive frame. A heavy body and heavy-duty servos mounted on its joints. A turret on its shoulder, and a silver logo gleaming like steel was engraved on the center of its chest.
—[ELGROUND TECH]—
“It was a decommissioned model… I see it's still active.”
Jin Seo-yun, still looking relaxed, asked from the side, “What's a Goliath?”
At his words, Kim Su-hyeon raised her gun without a reply.
“Shut up and stay behind me.”
“Hey, isn't that a bit harsh?”
“—An unmanned combat weapon equipped with a complex AI. A heavy-class unit based on a steel exoskeleton frame.”
“So it's a dangerous weapon, then?”
“Yes. So if you don't want to die, run. To be honest, I'd prefer it if you just died.”
“Hmm, I don't think I can do that.”
At that moment, the Goliath moved.
—Whirrr…
A red sensor line blinked as it slowly turned its head.
Target acquired.
[Target detection complete. Intruder found.]
[Initiating attack sequence.]
“It's coming.”
The Goliath's cannon rotated.
And then—
—BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!!
The first volley. The entire ceiling was blown away, showering them with dust and debris.
Kim Su-hyeon threw herself aside to evade, gritting her teeth.
‘I can't win with my current equipment.’
The Goliath before her. A medium-class tactical weapon, but an old model completely retired from active service.
There was only one reason for that: it had a clear weakness.
‘The left chest heat dissipation core. That's its fatal weakness.’
Her eyes quickly scanned the Goliath's exterior.
A rotating cannon, heavy armor on its legs, slow mobility.
But its tough armor and powerful artillery were still a threat.
‘Its mobility is low, but a head-on fight is suicide.’
The Goliath's left chest.
Just beyond the slightly protruding cooling slit was an automatic vent for releasing excess heat.
It would open at that exact moment.
‘I have to aim for that split second.’
She immediately turned on her heel.
Fighting in a narrow corridor was a disadvantage.
‘First, I need to secure some space.’
Kim Su-hyeon quickly wove through the structures. She picked up speed, heading for an external connector, while the Goliath began its pursuit behind her, crushing metal as it went.
—Thump! Thump! CRASH!!
With each step, a heavy impact shook the entire floor.
It was then.
“Hmm… need a hand?”
A familiar, far-too-leisurely voice.
Kim Su-hyeon instinctively turned her head. There, on a railing, with the sunset at his back, sat a man dangling one leg.
Jin Seo-yun.
“How did you survive?”
“A secret—”
He shrugged with a smile and held out his hand.
“Give me a knife.”
“……What are you planning to do?”
Kim Su-hyeon eyed him with suspicion. But Jin Seo-yun just casually raised the corner of his mouth.
“I'm just thinking of slicing it up. In return—”
He raised his hand and made a comical gesture, as if grabbing and squeezing something. His fingertips wriggled unpleasantly.
“If I take care of that thing, let me touch your chest later.”
“……Huh?”
Silence.
Kim Su-hyeon stared at him with a look of disbelief. His eyes were serious, but his tone was half-joking, half-sincere. This man was truly insane.
‘I heard he showed some unbelievable moves at the training camp, but… he's completely nuts.’
She was fed up with his inability to be serious even in a life-threatening situation.
“Fine. If you really manage to take that thing down with just a knife, I'll do anything you want.”
Jin Seo-yun's eyes sparkled.
“Hehe, you promised. No taking it back later.”
He jumped down right then. A single knife in his hand, and that was it.
Kim Su-hyeon watched him go and muttered, “…He really is a psycho.”
Watching Jin Seo-yun throw himself down, Kim Su-hyeon was certain.
‘He's going to die.’
It was for the best, she thought. The man was useless from the start.
So—
‘Since he's going to die anyway, I might as well use him as bait.’
She immediately turned her gaze to search for an escape route.
‘That way…’
But at that moment—
—KRAAAAAANG!!
A deafening explosion shook the underground space.
Her eyes, which had turned reflexively, saw a slowly settling cloud of dust.
And in the center of it stood the Goliath.
“…Already dead?”
She was about to get annoyed that Jin Seo-yun had died without even serving as bait.
A blue light shot through the dust cloud.
The trajectory of a sharp, crescent-shaped slash cut straight through the Goliath's chest.
“…What?”
And then, the Goliath's chest armor split open belatedly, sending metal fragments flying.
The monstrous machine collapsed helplessly.
—Thud…
Beyond it, a man slowly came into view, swinging a knife in one hand.
Jin Seo-yun.
With a playful smile on his lips, he tossed out a casual remark.
“See? Easy, right?”
Seeing that, Kim Su-hyeon was speechless.
‘……What was that?’
Her gaze wavered with a complex mix of emotions.
Shock, bewilderment.
And—
‘……Do I have to keep my promise?’
At her own absurd thought, she quietly gritted her teeth.
Jin Seo-yun stood before the destroyed wreckage of the Goliath, casually twirling the knife.
"How did you just do that?"
"It's a secret."
"I'm asking seriously."
Kim Su-hyeon's gaze sharpened. The weight of her stare could be felt even through her AR goggles. Jin Seo-yun just shrugged.
"I'll tell you when we get closer."
She was silent for a moment, as if finding it hard to accept that the scene before her was real.
"The Goliath's armor can't be pierced by a normal melee weapon. The chest, in particular, is heavily armored…."
"There's nothing that can't be pierced."
Jin Seo-yun took a step closer to her.
“So, can I touch your chest?”
Kim Su-hyeon bit her lip.
“…Let's talk after we get out of here.”
Kim Su-hyeon spoke, still biting her lip. Her expression remained cold and composed, but her eyes were wavering in confusion. She glanced away, looking over the Goliath's shattered remains once more.
“With all this noise, more troops will be here soon.”
“Hmm, got it. Let's get out of here first.”
Kim Su-hyeon let out a short sigh and locked the front panel of her exoskeleton suit. But even in that brief moment, Jin Seo-yun's eyes were scanning her body.
“Seriously… I'm reporting you for sexual harassment.”
“Can't be helped when you have such a great body, Su-hyeon.”
Jin Seo-yun replied with a sly grin.
Kim Su-hyeon walked away with a blank expression. But over her shoulder, the skin just below the nape of her neck was visibly flushed.
"Did the mission fail?“
"Yes. It seems they knew we were coming from the start.“
“Does that mean there could be a traitor on the inside?”
“……It's highly likely one of the staff members supporting me.”
Her voice trailed off as she briefly lowered her gaze to the floor.
Then she gritted her teeth, softly, almost imperceptibly.
“To dare betray the Young Lady's grace….”