Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Army Bulk-Up VER.C.PRIM
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Prim swept back her hair with a confused expression and plopped down beside Dun.
She looked like she had no intention of letting it slide vaguely. Her face showed a firm resolve to uncover all the secrets today.
"Korea—no, I mean, I lived and died in the adventurer world as Lee Sae-byeok."
"What?"
"Then I opened my eyes and was reborn as Dun."
"I see..."
It took quite a while for Prim to process the facts Dun had thrown at her.
Prim was buffering. Her pupils were shaking wildly. Soon, she raised her hand and smacked her forehead.
"Wait, what? You had a life before Dun? And it was as an adventurer? Don't tell me you came from the adventurers' world?"
"Yep."
Dun stared at her intently, his expression straightforward without a hint of mischief. It seemed genuine.
"Ah, then... Hmm, hold on..."
Prim, who had been flustered, finally opened her mouth. Then she hesitated as if spotting something odd, organized her thoughts, and spoke again.
"But something's off. Adventurers came to this world about four or five years ago, and you were already here then. The timeline doesn't match."
"I died and returned to the past."
Prim buffered again. Her pupils shook wildly once more. She smacked her forehead again.
It was an unbelievable story, but since Dun was someone who constantly pulled off unbelievable feats, it strangely felt believable.
Monster domination, from Montghell, unnaturally strong power, a regressor-reincarnator from the adventurer world named Bachinum.
Maybe because he had no prior record, he went through all these extraordinary events?
"L-Let me summarize. You lived as Lee Sae-byeok, died, got reborn in a new body, and ended up sent back to the past of another world?"
"Yeah."
As Dun confirmed it, Prim let out a sigh. It took her a bit to fully accept it.
"...What kind of life have you lived?"
Prim rubbed her chin, simply amazed by everything. Suddenly, another question popped into her head.
"Hold on, if it's a different body in the past, do you still exist in that adventurers' world?"
"I do. And he'll come here soon."
She had been half-doubting it before, but after meeting the Yoo siblings recently, she learned that Lee Sae-byeok existed over there.
"He's coming here? In that adventurer form from earlier?"
"Uh-huh."
"So the past you is coming here soon!!"
"Probably."
"!!!!!"
Prim's eyes widened as she covered her gaping mouth with her hand.
"Gasp, that sounds so fun..."
The past Dun becoming an adventurer and crossing into this world.
"It sounds way too fun!! Wow, that could actually happen?"
Once she accepted the fact, questions and curiosity flooded in. Prim shoved her face uncomfortably close to Dun's.
"C-Calm... down."
"How can I calm down!!! Your past self is coming over soon!!! What happens if past you meets current you? Does spacetime warp? No, wait—more importantly, I get to see past you?"
The mysterious past of Dun that she'd always wondered about. To witness the background of his growth firsthand.
Was Dun's signature nonchalance because he'd already lived a full life? She wanted to get close to that kid too, but what if she came on too strong and pushed him away? If they bonded from then on, could it distort Dun's memories now and make him like her even more?
As countless possibilities arose, Prim muttered to herself and started pacing the room in quick circles. She kept firing questions at Dun whenever something occurred to her.
Dun found the barrage of questions from Prim exhausting, so he took a step back.
She had so much energy. She'd been all hyped up earlier, causing a fuss, and now she was at it again.
How do I calm her down?
"Prim, aren't you curious about your future? I came from the future, after all."
"Oh, right. What happened to me? Since you came from the future, you might know."
Success. The topic shifted instantly.
Prim, who had been excitedly buzzing, suddenly wore a complicated expression. Of course—since Dun came from the future, he must know her fate too. Prim pressed her lips together tensely and focused on Dun's words.
In the future where Dun—no, Lee Sae-byeok—lived, had she self-destructed? Or had she succeeded in the rebellion and lived on safely? Dun's involvement might change the future from now on, but she was still curious.
Prim waited for Dun to speak.
"Honestly, I don't know much. We weren't that close back then."
"What... You bastard!!"
A vein bulged on Prim's forehead as she grabbed Dun's cheek and yanked it.
"Ha, today must be confession day or something. You spilled your secrets, and I spilled mine."
"I'm not spilling any secrets."
"What are you saying? Anyway, we've confirmed you're Bachinum, and you can change your body easily, so let's get back to you saying you'll be the 3rd Army vice commander."
Suddenly snapping to attention, Prim recalled the rebellion plan Dun had roughly outlined earlier and spoke up.
"You're really going to be my 3rd Army vice commander?"
Dun swatted away Prim's hand grabbing his cheek and replied.
"Yeah."
"I could make you a higher position. Is vice commander of the 3rd enough?"
"Give me roles that let me mess with the 4th and 5th too."
"4th and 5th as well?"
Typical Dun. Just hand it all over.
Prim tilted her head at his demand for positions in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th armies.
"Why not aim for the 1st or 2nd? If you're going for it, go big."
Dun shook his head.
The 1st and 2nd armies clearly had their own solid hierarchies already. Trying to barge in and treat them like dogs would collapse the structure. He needed to build up the 3rd, 4th, and 5th first and show results before approaching.
If Prim weren't in the rebel position, he'd push through regardless, but he had to avoid unnecessary conflicts that scattered talented people.
"Those guys are bad luck. Later."
His thoughts were complex, but his words came out simple.
"How about overall army commander?"
"That'd trap me in the middle with no easy exit."
After solidifying Prim's secret army structure as the first step, he'd need to focus on growing the monsters diligently building civilization in Daboseok. If the commander vanished then, the army would shake again.
"...Fine. Do it your way for now. I'll support you fully. It was going to be yours anyway."
Prim patted Dun's small head. Worried he might swat her away, she quickly pulled back—but surprisingly, he stayed still.
"So, how are you going to build them up? The 3rd is so-so right now, and the 4th and 5th are total ragtags."
"Just grind them brutally nonstop."
* * *
Plan one to dethrone Empress Luisa: Expand Prim's secret army.
Dun used the 'Bachinum (abridged) Body Transformation' skill to bulk up his body significantly, then stood before a mirror.
Sweeping back his light brown hair and donning sunglasses revealed a stylish figure.
"Not bad pick for a caddy..."
Even as Lee Sae-byeok, his face was decent, but this Dun form was pretty sharp too. Satisfied with his cool look, Dun headed to Prim's third secret base: the Sirello Plains, also known as the Blue Eagle habitat.
* * *
The 3rd Army commander was already there waiting for Dun.
"Greetings. I heard from Her Highness the Princess. I'm the 3rd Army commander, Cashi Harbit."
"Vice commander, Noah. No family name."
Cashi and Dun exchanged brief handshakes.
Noah was a fake name Dun came up with on the spot for his vice commander role. He'd even changed his system name to Noah, so instead of the 'NPC Dun' tag above his head, it now showed 'NPC Noah'.
"I'm a busy guy, so I won't be here often. Lots to do. I'll drop by occasionally to check."
"Ah, y-yes..."
Slippery.
That was the first impression of the new vice commander. Bowlegs and an arrogant tone. Her Highness Bachinum had recommended him as someone important, but Cashi wasn't impressed.
And what was with those sunglasses blocking the sun?
"I'm overhauling the training. You've been doing basic swordsmanship drills, right?"
"Yes, but... Even if Bachinum recommended you, I'm still the commander, and from the Harbit family... Shouldn't we use formal speech with each other...? We barely just met..."
When Dun raised one eyebrow, Cashi shrugged. She seemed like a pretty street tough who'd rolled in the dirt somewhere—kinda scary.
"Ah, yes. Of course. I'd like to address the troops. Where should I go?"
"We usually gather by that big protruding rock over there. Follow me, and I'll introduce you."
Murmurs rose.
The news of the new vice commander brought more buzz than usual among the 3rd Army soldiers.
A slender man with light brown hair swept back climbed onto the large outcrop rock used as a platform.
His face was hard to see behind the sunglasses, but he gave off the vibe of a handsome type even without seeing it.
As the apparent new vice commander ascended the rock, the 3rd Army commander walked up beside him to introduce.
"His name is Noah. The new vice commander assigned to the 3rd Army, as mentioned before. He's a valuable guest Her Highness went out of her way to recruit, so show respect and follow him well."
All eyes locked onto the man called 'Noah'.
The arrival of a cool, androgynous beauty sparked cheers from soldiers of both genders.
"New vice commander, sir! I have a question!"
"What."
"Wh-why the sunglasses? Showing off your style???"
"You look super cool!!"
One soldier cracked a joke with a giggle. Wahaha! Laughter spread through the ranks from there.
Noah—Dun—with arms crossed, joined in the laughter.
With Dun laughing too, the soldiers amped it up, looking a bit sheepish.
"Even jokes in front of the new vice commander. Get a little closer, and they'll climb right over your head."
Dun spoke in a sarcastic tone.
"Nah, who'd climb over the vice commander's head."
"It's your first day—sing us a song! Welcome party!"
Dun could see their intent to ignore the situation and fixed them with a cold stare.
"This is worse than I thought."
Then he dropped the smile and got serious.
"Everyone, prone position. Now."
No one listened the first time. Their murmurs grew louder.
"Prone position?"
"Sounds like it."
"Haha, if that's what you want, sure. You're the vice commander."
They snickered a bit, glancing around to see what others did.
Ignoring him, Dun stepped down from the rock, dragged his foot across the grass. Then he lifted one foot and slammed it down hard.
KABOOM!
The ground quaked with a faint tremor. Blue Eagles flying far off tumbled from the sky.
It wasn't just the Blue Eagles hit. Most soldiers toppled from the intense vibration.
"Prone position."
The soldiers stared blankly at Dun in confusion. Dun sighed deeply.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six..."
As Dun counted down, soldiers sensing mortal danger scrambled into prone position.
During Prim's training sessions Dun had observed, he'd found plenty to dislike. Prim's playful personality kept the atmosphere too lax.
Since there were no real flaws, if a few complained of fatigue and skipped, she'd allow it. If family events came up, she'd send them off readily.
She even tolerated their cheeky jokes to sneak breaks during intense drills. Over time, more saw army training as a joke.
The previous vice commander had countered the disorder by creating 'Basic Sword Forms 1-7' and drilling them relentlessly, barely holding the 3rd as an 'army.'
But he retired for personal reasons, and now it was total playtime. Even the soft-looking commander seemed resigned.
No helping it. Tough commanders and vice commanders clustered in the 1st Army, and the snobby ones only built their own units, ignoring others.
The 3rd mostly consisted of commoners and mercenaries without formal knight or military training. Some joined hoping for knighthood and status if the rebellion succeeded.
"From now on, morning training starts two hours earlier, evening two hours later."
"Whaaat?"
A soldier reflexively shot back, then gauged Dun's reaction.
"..."
Dun abruptly fell silent.
A heavy silence followed.
They could've gauged how long from his words, but he just stood there quietly.
"..."
Dun sat on the protruding rock, pulled out a stack of documents, and flipped through them.
After a while, a soldier who caught on spoke up.
"S-Sorry..."
"Don't ruin the mood."
Dun spoke again. His voice was plain and heavy.
"You all chose to join this—not just any army, but a rebel force—voluntarily. I don't know your reasons, but you chose to be here."
Groans of pained effort from the soldiers echoed behind Dun's voice.
"And this is the atmosphere? You must be dying to get massacred by the Imperial Army."
Dun paused, then sneered.
"Oh, wait. Sorry! You won't die, right? Even if Bachinum's head ends up on the walls, Prim will pave a way for you."
The soldiers stirred greatly at Dun's words.
"I know. That soft-hearted Primavera has escape routes prepared even if the rebellion fails."
As stories of the kind, playful princess Prim surfaced, everyone sobered.
"But you know what? This morning, I nullified all those teleport magic circles and disguise items Prim made for your getaways."
"!!!!"
Even the 3rd Army commander stirred in shock. What?! Nullified?!?
"Oh, and know what this is?"
Dun pulled out a bundle of documents. Detailed personal files on the soldiers.
"Proof of your rebellion involvement and all your personal info."
Dun scattered the papers over the prone soldiers. Sheets fluttered down.
Names, addresses, photos, detailed rebellion evidence—all meticulously noted.
"If anyone tries to bail midway without loyalty, I've prepped to drag you to the palace myself."
"!!!"
"Don't worry! If I turn in deserters from a failed rebellion, the palace might see me as an ally. I've got tons of plans using executed turncoats for leverage."
Everyone clamped their mouths shut, bodies trembling. Dun strolled among the prone soldiers, kicking papers lightly with his hands behind his back. Tears began flowing.
After some time, Dun slowly spoke again.
"The Emperor's sniffing us out and mobilizing. Train like an imperial ambush hits tomorrow."
Having held prone for ages, one soldier spoke up, hand shaking, voice quivering.
"Hic, um... Th-this is too hard right now... R-Really sorry. Can't even hear properly it's so tough... Can we reset first..."
"Shut up already!!!"
Another soldier who got it yelled, but the retort reached Dun's ears.
Dun spoke flatly.
"Everyone, release one hand."
Curses laced with frustration erupted everywhere.
"Cursing? Tuck that hand in and hold with a fist."
After minutes holding on one fist, someone collapsed.
"Up in ten seconds."
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three...
The gasping soldier on the ground made no effort to rise, perhaps defiant.
Soldiers beside begged tearfully for him to get up.
Ten seconds up. Dun spoke.
"All of you, head to the ground."