Chapter 152: Mobilization Training –Patrol–
Chapter 152: Mobilization Training –Patrol–
Inside the Great Barrier, the Contaminated Zone.
About twenty people were walking through the area.
Even with Heroes and Defense Force members gathered together, they should have remained tense, given they were inside the Great Barrier in a Contaminated Zone, but…
“There really is nothing here.”
“I know, right?”
“Then let’s go find something!”
“Smil is great at finding things!”
“Don’t you dare.”
With two idiots on board, any sense of tension had long since evaporated.
“Sigh…”
Han A-bin let out a sigh, seemingly in agreement with my sentiment.
Whether she was specifically agreeing with my thoughts was unclear, but seeing her clutch her head, she was likely feeling something similar.
“Wouldn’t it be great to finish quickly and go back?!”
“Yeah! My grandfather said hunting should be swift and precise!”
Sure. If this were a hunt or a subjugation, that is.
“Kids. I think you’ve got the wrong idea…”
Sigh.
Even I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
“This isn’t a hunt or a subjugation. It’s just a simple patrol.”
“But it’d be good to thin out The Enemy numbers while we’re out here!”
“Smil says he’s bored, too!”
I’m going to lose it.
Dealing with Baek Si-hyun alone is a headache, but with Chris joining in, I feel like I’m going to die.
I expected a normally boring Mobilization Training, but if I keep getting harassed by these two, I felt a surge of fear that by the time this training was over, my hair would turn snow-white just like theirs.
“Alright, kids. Let’s think. Why are we patrolling?”
But what can I do? As the adult, I have to reason with them gently.
“To beat up the enemies!”
“To hunt!”
No, I said it’s not hunting. Please.
“…First, it’s to keep The Enemy numbers at a constant level.”
“Then we just have to beat them up, right?”
“What’s the second reason, Teacher?!”
I’ll just ignore that.
“Now, what criteria do you think we use for that ‘constant level’?”
“I don’t know!”
“Do we count them one by one?!”
“How many people do you think can actually go deep into the Contaminated Zone? It’d take you a lifetime and you still wouldn’t find the answer, so I’ll just tell you. It’s a much simpler method than you think.”
The Management Bureau operates on a surprisingly "winging it" basis, after all.
“It’s the novel method of: ‘Until we can’t see any enemies from the patrol path along the Great Barrier.’”
When I mentioned the method—which even I found ridiculous—the two, whose mental ages were clearly underdeveloped, tilted their heads as if they found it absurd too.
“Yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous. But it works surprisingly well. Think about it. How often do the Otherworld Invaders actually come near the Great Barrier?”
Finding myself giving a lecture I never asked for, I stepped between the two and began to explain with hand gestures.
“Atta—”
“It’s when their numbers overflow, when a Command Entity appears, or when there’s a large-scale attack.”
I cut off Baek Si-hyun’s nonsense and immediately spat out the correct answer.
I had to finish this before I got swept up in her pace. I didn’t know what word was going to follow ‘Atta,’ but I was certain it wasn’t a normal answer.
“Otherwise, they’re busy fighting over territory among themselves, or special entities are busy crawling up the walls. If you leave them alone, they thin out their own numbers, so there’s no need to go poking around their nests.”
Of course, there are some predictive formulas.
If the number of enemies seen over a certain period is noticeably low, it’s judged as an abnormal situation, like the appearance of a Command Entity, and a scout team is sent out. But if I told Baek Si-hyun that…
‘I can’t see any.’
‘Abnormal situation.’
‘Poke around.’
…She would surely deduce that miraculous conclusion and charge right in.
I’ve finally grown accustomed to handling that wild beast.
“I understand!”
“I see! As expected of Baek Si-hyun unnie’s Master!”
One child who seemed to understand.
One beast who just seemed to be chiming in.
It doesn’t matter, I guess…
Well, that’s settled.
Shall we continue this boring patrol?
Just as I made up my mind.
“Master! Then what’s the second reason?”
Our great genius wouldn’t leave me alone.
“What second reason?”
“You said adjusting the numbers was the first. So what’s the second?”
“Ah… that.”
That’s actually quite simple.
“Look. You see the soldiers over there? Ah, let me correct myself. The Defense Force members.”
There is no military in the Management Bureau.
They are all civil servants for defense.
“Yes!”
“If they encounter a Mutant, it’ll be a disaster, right? Of course, there are Heroes from the Bureau, but most of them are trained civilians.”
“That’s true!”
“That’s why.”
“I see!”
“So, let’s patrol diligently for their safety.”
“Understood, Master! Leave everything to me!”
Perhaps her sense of justice was triggered by the idea of protecting others. Baek Si-hyun, who had been shouting, suddenly fell silent and began scanning the surroundings with a serious expression.
And Chris, influenced by her, began to mimic her.
A perfect conclusion. Everyone’s quiet.
“Haha. You’ve really gotten used to handling Si-hyun, Senior.”
“I had to, unless I wanted to die mentally.”
That’s why I hid the third reason.
In truth, the frequency of patrols could be much lower. Various electronic equipment handles the patrolling, and besides… what is the Great Barrier? It’s humanity’s greatest masterpiece, something that won’t collapse under normal circumstances.
It has comfortable internal living spaces powered by infinite energy and transmitters drawn from the heart of the Management Bureau.
An alarm is sent out even if minor damage occurs. It uses overlapping realities to block almost all physical force unless it’s on the level of spatial interference. It’s a miraculous object that even partially blocks Otherworld Erosion using reality anchors.
Something like that isn’t going to collapse just because you leave it alone for a day or two.
Of course, there are abnormal situations like the mysterious Mutant that appeared in Hokkaido.
But in the first place, if such an entity appeared, there’s no way a patrol unit could handle it.
The reason we patrol this frequently despite that is…
Simply because the old geezers hate seeing people idling around after being called up for mobilization. Mainly thanks to the initial ideas of the Lord of Infinite Castles… or the Lord of Infinite Castles… or the Lord of Infinite Castles… or the Lord of Infinite Castles and Macbeth.
Of course, I cast a vote for it too, but my reason wasn’t because I hated seeing people idle, so I’m not in the same league as them.
Absolutely. There’s no way I’m like those two old farts.
While I was nodding, admiring my own perfect explanation.
“That’s quite an interesting explanation. Are you perhaps an early-generation Hero?”
Suddenly, a man’s voice reached my ears.
“Ah, if you mean an early Hero, I suppose I am. Why?”
When I turned my head to answer the question, I saw Li Shuguang smiling nonchalantly.
He had originally been walking behind with his disciples, but seeing as he had walked up right behind me, he seemed interested in my story.
“I see. First, let me apologize for eavesdropping.”
“Ah, it’s fine. It wasn’t a secret or anything.”
In the first place, even the Defense Force members were laughing, finding my disciple’s dazed look funny.
Just as I was about to wave it off and end the conversation.
“No. Great Master. If you are such a person, it is only right that we show proper respect. I apologize for only showing it now.”
With his hands clasped together, Li Shuguang bowed deeply.
As if he were addressing his own master.
“…What are you doing?”
It was uncomfortable.
Did he pick up on my mood?
Li Shuguang quickly raised his head and returned to a natural posture.
“My apologies if I offended you. In our Martial Alliance, it is fundamental to show respect to those of the older generation.”
“Is that so? I haven’t seen other martial artists take such a stance.”
Actually, the only other Martial Artist I know is the Heavenly Sword.
My social circle is quite narrow, you see.
Still, I’ve met him for work, so if such a culture existed, I feel like I would have known…
“Hmm. Since you were practicing forms at the training hall, I thought you knew much about martial artists, which is why I showed respect. It seems I’ve burdened you instead. Then, once again, I apologize…”
“Stop right there. Rather than that… what is this ‘Great Master’ thing…”
I reached out toward Li Shuguang, who was about to bow again.
It’s awkward. Please stop.
“Will that be enough?”
“It’s plenty. Even if I’m an old-generation Hero, aren’t we both Heroes?”
At the very least, we share the common ground of being Heroes.
“Understood. Then, where should I begin explaining…”
Saying that, Li Shuguang began to sink into thought.
Was it a habit of his?
He tilted his head back and forth while fiddling with the spear slung across his back.
After his head tilted left and right about a dozen times.
“First…”
Li Shuguang finally opened his mouth to begin his explanation, but.
“Kreeeeee—!”
The sudden screech of a hawk cut off Li Shuguang’s long-winded explanation.
“Monster spotted! I’m going first! Unnies and oppas!”
Then, a Magical Girl dashed off like the wind, carrying the source of the noise with her.
“A monster? Where is it?”
“Battle stations! An enemy has appeared!”
“Where? I don’t see it!”
Perhaps because she had shouted so loudly as she ran, chaos erupted among the people.
A grand confusion as they looked around for an enemy they couldn’t even see.
Amidst that chaos, I calmly followed Chris with my eyes.
A monster, huh. Is there a beast?
To verify the truth, I expanded my senses and saw monsters wriggling in a distant location.
“About 1.2km ahead. Three amorphous monsters. Judging by their size and strength, they look to be about B-Rank.”
A big catch. B-Rank.
Of course, given my dull estimation, they might be around top-tier C-Rank or bottom-tier A-Rank.
“Are you sure?”
A Defense Force officer asked back, as if he couldn’t believe my words.
“The rank might be wrong, but they’re definitely there.”
“…Move out! Three B-Rank monsters ahead! Everyone, move quickly…”
“Draw swords! Form a formation for rapid movement…”
A commotion broke out at my single word.
The martial artists began to draw their swords and gather their qi.
The Defense Force members also quickly adjusted their gear and prepared for rapid deployment, but.
Thump.
I slammed my hammer onto the ground, halting all their actions.
“Yes. Thank you for your attention. Everyone, stand down and calm yourselves.”
“What are you talking about! You said there are three B-Rank monsters! Sending a single young Magical Girl is the same as telling her to die…”
“I agree! The amount of qi that Magical Girl possesses is at most mid-tier…”
Ah, as expected of martial artists. They’re so sensitive to the Otherworldly Power others possess.
But what can you do?
“I guarantee it, so don’t worry. She’ll handle it just fine.”
Saying that, I shifted my gaze to the distant location.
‘Attack! Smil!’
‘Kreeeee!’
And so, what I saw was the bizarre sight of a hawk, clad in mana, charging and piercing through a monster.
Besides that, I saw a bear stomping them down and canine animals biting them as a group. But the most impressive sight was definitely the hawk flying like a missile.
That actually hurts quite a bit.
No matter how you look at it, it seemed like a brawl between wild animals, but each of those strikes contained the power of a B to C-Rank Hero.
I was dumbfounded after being hit by it during training earlier, too.
After watching that scene for about thirty seconds, the B-Rank monsters were torn to shreds by the overwhelming numerical advantage.
Since they were slime-Type S, they weren’t dead, but I doubt Chris would know that. I should go and clean up the mess.
“It’s over. Let’s go and do the cleanup.”
“Pardon?”
Leaving behind the bewildered voices, I slowly walked toward Chris.