Chapter 348: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (66)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 348: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (66)
The moment I finished, Lisa cried out.
“Hey, what kind of thing is that to say…!”
I silently raised a hand to cover Lisa’s mouth.
“For the record, I’m not just saying this to you. It’s the same for everyone else. It’s just… I’m not exactly a normal human. So don’t bother comparing yourself. I was different from the very start.”
Oh Hyun lowered his head and pressed his lips together. Not because he felt ignored, but because he could feel the sincerity in my words.
Watching him, Lisa spoke up.
“Still, you didn’t have to put it like that… I think he was asking seriously…”
“That’s why I gave him a serious answer. Did you want to hear some lie like ‘you can do it if you try hard enough’?”
“Well… no, but…”
I sighed and said, “If you’re that desperate to get stronger, it’s not like there’s no way. I hear you’re training with the Colonel every day, right?”
Oh Hyun’s eyes lit up as he nodded.
“Yes! I even have a video of our sparring session. Should I go get it?”
“Bring it. I’ll analyze it for you.”
“Understood!”
Oh Hyun shot up from his seat and ran off with an excited look on his face to get the terminal with the video.
Honestly, I had zero interest in getting friendly with some guy and having a long conversation. But to clear the quest, I had to stay on good terms with him, and more importantly, I had to make him stronger. I’d have to make use of the guy eventually, anyway.
Just then, Lisa muttered under her breath, “Hey… thanks, anyway. Your tone is fucking awful, but you’re looking out for him in your own way.”
“The reason Oh Hyun is still weak and useless is because of you, you bitch.”
“What?”
I slowly looked Lisa over as she stared at me, her eyes wide with confusion.
Grayish hair, healthy tan skin as if kissed by the sun. Perfect proportions, and based on looks alone, definitely heroine-class. She was probably one of the heroines from the original story.
And the part I understood least after meeting Oh Hyun was why he was still so pathetically weak, why he’d become such a soft person.
And the conclusion I’d reached.
Lisa Carmen Alvarado must be Oh Hyun’s ‘awakening’ trigger.
Which means this bitch was originally supposed to die.
And not just a simple death. It had to be miserable enough for Oh Hyun to feel like he’d lost something right before his eyes, enough to send him into a panic from the sense of loss.
But the fact that she was still alive right now was proof that my intervention in this world had thrown a flag off course. In other words, I changed something, and as a result, this bitch was still alive.
The problem was what came next. This bitch was coddling Oh Hyun like a child. During training, during meals, even when running combat simulations. The moment Oh Hyun struggled with something, she was the first to run over and worry. If he got scolded, she’d comfort him. If he was praised, she’d be right there clapping for him. It was suffocating just to watch.
Lisa was poison to Oh Hyun right now. And Oh Hyun, intoxicated by that poison, had completely lost his edge. And it wasn’t just Lisa’s fault. The influence of getting close to my women probably played a part, too. He’d become a total pushover.
I couldn’t feel any sharpness from him, no fighting spirit.
“Hey… what the hell are you talking about…” Lisa shouted, her voice trembling.
“What do you mean? That bastard is the way he is because you coddle him. What’s the point of having a big body when he’s stuck to your side like a little kid?”
“Don’t say things like that when you don’t know anything!” Lisa shot back sharply.
“Hyun… he lost his family and was completely broken. It wasn’t about revenge or justice. Back then, Hyun was just shattered. He’d volunteer for reckless missions dozens of times a day, trying to throw his life away… I wanted to hold on to him, somehow. I wanted him to live. Not as a person consumed by revenge, but as an ordinary person.”
There were no lies in her words. It was her sincere heart. And that emotion had surely saved Oh Hyun.
But—
“And that’s why he’s so soft.”
“What…?”
Lisa narrowed her eyes, a look of momentary confusion on her face as she tried to grasp my meaning.
“I saw him fighting in the Hound the other day. That guy hesitates to kill people.”
“……”
“Only when his own life was in danger did he finally aim for the cockpit, but for the most part, he tried to spare the pilot even if it meant destroying the enemy’s machine. It was a pathetic choice.”
Lisa’s eyes widened. She looked like she was hearing this for the first time.
“You know it too, right? On the battlefield, that kind of hesitation means death. For him, and for his comrades.”
Lisa couldn’t say a word.
“…If ten people die because he wanted to save one, how do you think he’ll react?”
I subtly watched Lisa’s reaction. And inwardly, I grinned.
‘It’s all bullshit.’
Every word I’d just said was plausible-sounding bullshit.
The reason I was spewing all this bullshit?
Simple.
I want this woman for myself. A heroine is wasted on the protagonist. This was all a performance, spewing bullshit to create a crack I could wedge myself into between the two of them, who were always stuck together.
It was true that Oh Hyun hesitated to kill, but it wasn’t at a fatal level. Just a slight reluctance, that’s all.
But by dramatically exaggerating it, I could create enough of an opening between them. I took out a terminal I had prepared beforehand.
I turned on the screen and played a combat video.
“Look here. When you were being chased by the Federation Army, this is the scene where Oh Hyun aimed at an enemy unit but hesitated, unable to shoot the cockpit.”
I pointed to the scene with my finger.
Lisa’s eyes wavered.
“Ah…”
“You, of all people, should understand how serious this is, right?”
“…This is something… if I tell him to fix it…”
Her voice trailed off, growing smaller.
“You think that’ll work? It’s obviously subconscious. This is just a reflexive action. When a person becomes weak, they end up like this. In an era like this, that kind of mindset is poison. You know that too.”
Lisa lowered her head. Biting her lip, she said in a low voice, “Was it… really my fault…”
I let out my final words slowly, in a low tone.
“You can’t say you had nothing to do with it. So, for the time being, try to keep your distance from Oh Hyun. In the meantime, I’ll make a proper man out of him.”
She was silent for a long time, her head bowed deep as she sat still. Then, without a word, she stood up and quietly disappeared.
I picked up the remaining snacks, put them in my mouth, and chewed leisurely.
Just then, Su-hyeon, who had been massaging my shoulders, asked quietly, “Master, are you interested in Miss Lisa?”
A slow smile spread across my lips.
“How did you know?”
Su-hyeon applied a little more pressure with her fingertips. Her voice was, as always, quiet and calm.
“When I give you a massage… I can feel what kind of mood you’re in through my fingertips. The subtle movements of your muscles are different when you’re in a good mood versus a bad one.”
“Huh, that’s a little scary, isn’t it?”
“It wasn’t unpleasant for you, was it?”
“No, it wasn’t.”
As we were having this short conversation, Oh Hyun returned.
“Huh? Where’s Lisa?”
“She had something to do, so she left. Did you bring the video?”
“Yes. I’ll show you now.”
Oh Hyun plopped down in a chair, took out his terminal, and played the video. A combat scene from his training session flowed across the screen.
…Honestly, I didn’t have much to say.
Thanks to the system’s assistance, I never had to learn piloting skills, and I had overwhelming physical abilities to begin with. I had no fear of death and no physical limitations, so I’d never really found anything difficult.
I just spouted some stuff to sound impressive.
“Hmm… for starters, your fundamentals are lacking. Your movements are too straightforward, and there are too many predictable actions.”
“Sheryl said something similar before… is it still that bad?”
“Yeah. This isn’t something you can fix just by being told. You have to learn it with your body for it to change.”
I quietly stood up from my seat.
“First, let’s loosen up your body. A light warm-up.”
“R-right now?”
“Yeah. Follow me.”
I turned my head toward Hina.
“Hina, you go play with the others.”
“Okay!”
Then I whispered something in Su-hyeon’s ear. She nodded with a smile.
“Understood.”
Su-hyeon immediately disappeared somewhere, and I led Oh Hyun away.
“Uh… weren’t we going to spar with mobile weapons?”
“That’s not necessary.”
“…Then what?”
I turned my head and looked at Oh Hyun. With a wicked smile, I said, “Directly. With your body. You need to realize it yourself.”
“Huh…?”
The place I took him was originally a mobile weapon testing ground. It was the optimal location for training.
“Shall we start by building up your basic stamina?”
Oh Hyun stared at me blankly.
“What are you doing? Run.”
“…Huh? Ah, yes!”
He reacted hastily and started jogging lightly. Just then, Su-hyeon quietly approached. In her hands were the tools I had asked for.
“Here are the items you requested.”
“Thanks. You can go take care of your business now.”
“Yes, Master.”
As Su-hyeon withdrew, I gathered energy at my fingertips. Then I grabbed a wooden stick and instantly began to carve it.
Shk, shk…
With just a few movements of my hand, the crude wooden club took the shape of a decent-looking wooden sword.
I picked up a nearby training pistol and called out to Oh Hyun.
“Hey, stop running and come here.”
“Pant… haaah… Yes… c-coming…”
Oh Hyun approached, panting heavily. Sweat streamed down his forehead, and he was completely out of breath.
“You’re already tired from just that little bit of running?”
“Well… haa… haa… my stamina…”
I shook my head and said, “This won’t do. From now on, you’re running ten laps around this area every morning. And add one lap every week. No exceptions.”
“…T-ten laps?”
“Yeah. Stamina is essential in war. You can’t do anything with that kind of endurance.”
“Yes…”
Oh Hyun answered with his head down, but he didn’t look upset.
I tossed a wooden sword toward him.
Thud—
“Whoa?!”
Startled, he fumbled but managed to catch it.
“A wooden sword…?”
“Yep. Shall we begin in earnest?”
“…Wait, what are we going to do with this…?”
I let the corner of my mouth lift into a wicked smirk.
“What do you think? It’s training you learn with your body.”
The moment he saw that smile, the color drained from Oh Hyun’s face.
It seemed he’d finally caught on.
“Alright, I’m gonna lightly beat you… no, I mean, dodge.”
“Did you just say beat— Ugh!!”
I moved without hesitation. I swung the wooden sword in an instant, and with a sound of it cutting through the air, Oh Hyun screamed and rolled to the side.
“Gasp… Is this really training?!”
“Yeah. It’s training I made up.”
“I don’t need to learn this!!”
“Yeah, you do.”
I swung the wooden sword lightly once more.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
It was a strangely satisfying sound. I felt the stress I’d built up being pleasantly released.
“In the end, it’s your body that pilots the mobile weapon. If you get your ass beat enough… you’ll eventually get a feel for piloting. Probably.”
“Did you just say probably?! Eek!”
I thrust the tip of the wooden sword right in front of his nose. As it grazed past him, Oh Hyun collapsed to the ground.
“Good. Time for talk is over—”
I casually flicked my wrist and said, “From now on, I’m hitting you for real. So… either dodge, or die. Your choice.”
“Hiiik…!”
I raised the training pistol and aimed it at him. I charged forward and declared, “Alright, begin.”
Bang!!
“Aaaaargh!!”
Oh Hyun’s scream echoed powerfully throughout the vast space.