Battlefield Authority

The battlefield situation unfolded before his eyes.

More precisely, thanks to the Field of View Secure skill, he could instantly grasp the status of his summons.

That allowed him to issue commands without delay, even in the chaotic melee.

But Mu-hyuk's expression was grim.

Hmm.

It wasn't just him, either.

"What the hell is this?!"

"What kind of goblins are this strong?!"

"Shit!"

Every user fighting the monsters was thrown into disarray.

A single goblin warrior was on par with a level 60 mid-to-late user. But there were endlessly many of them, pouring in relentlessly.

It was questionable whether they could hold out until all were defeated.

Many users had already burned through more than half their MP. Plenty were starting to feel their survival threatened.

But Mu-hyuk's concerns were different. The level 100+ knight aspirants were dominating the center, so the battle was tilting in their favor.

If they just held on a bit longer, the aspirants would break through left and right, turning the tide.

Yet his face remained hardened because of a single monster that had suddenly appeared. It was at least two heads taller than a regular goblin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠warrior.

Kirrruk?

It looked strong at a glance.

Crack.

As expected, it rejected any comparison to the other goblin warriors. One Bone Sword vanished into reversal summon in a pathetically futile attack.

He fired a single arrow.

Defense around 180.

"Whoa."

A sigh escaped him involuntarily.

It didn't even seem like a boss monster, yet its defense was absurdly high. At that level, a Bone Sword's damage would barely scratch it.

Not a named one, right?

With doubt creeping in, Mu-hyuk hurriedly ordered two Enhanced Bones, the strong archer, and the mage to attack.

He kept firing arrows himself.

Kiaaaak!

But it only enraged the beast. The furious goblin warrior hammered indiscriminately at Enhanced Bone 1 and 2's shields, its destructive power unnerving.

The two Enhanced Bones' HP visibly plummeted. They wouldn't last much longer at this rate. He needed another approach.

He quickly scanned the surroundings.

Three squad leaders were nearby.

He rushed over to them.

"Mind helping me out?"

"Huh? With what?"

"You see that? The monster my summons are handling."

"Ah, but..."

"It's a bit tough."

The user awkwardly stepped back.

"I'm busy racking up contribution points myself."

"Same here. Sorry."

Mu-hyuk's eyebrow twitched.

"That one's bigger and stronger than the other goblins. We need to take it down first."

"Stronger, huh?"

"Yes, it's urgent."

The female squad leader Aran, who had asked again, sneered.

"Two skeletons are holding it, though?"

"That's..."

"Looks like anyone could handle it."

Mu-hyuk furrowed his brow and urgently turned away.

He first topped off Enhanced Bone 1's HP, then glared back at the three squad leaders.

"You won't help?"

"Sorry."

"We're busy too."

"Guess there's no choice then."

Mu-hyuk's eyes turned icy.

It was just a game, after all.

A world where power ruled everything.

That was Illusion.

"Squad Leader Aran!"

"Wha...?"

"Attack the goblin I've designated. That's an order."

Aran looked incredulous.

"Are you kidding me right now?"

Now he had his justification.

They had disobeyed the order.

Flash.

Using Wind Step, Mu-hyuk was already swinging the sword in his hand, striking the three squad leaders including Aran.

As a mage-class user, Aran couldn't track or block Mu-hyuk's movement.

The other two were the same. No time to defend against the sudden assault.

Even if they had, they wouldn't have withstood it.

"What the hell...!"

All three drew their weapons.

At that moment, a message appeared.

All three couldn't hide their bewilderment. Despite Mu-hyuk striking first, self-defense didn't apply.

They realized it simultaneously: Mu-hyuk was the company leader, and they were squad leaders.

What would happen if squad leaders attacked a company leader in their positions?

Uncertain of the consequences, they hesitated more. But they couldn't just take the hits.

Their remaining HP wasn't high.

No choice.

They had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to fight back to survive.

That was when it happened.

"Fun, right?"

Mu-hyuk's voice rang out.

He stood squarely before the three.

They glared at him.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"You disobeyed orders."

"You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm dead serious. Anyone can see we need to take down that goblin first. It's the key to breaking their momentum. So why ignore me?"

"That's because...!"

"Save the excuses. You saw the message, right? I can attack you, but you can't touch me. The moment squad leaders attack a company leader, Captain Muke and his official knights behind me will jump in. You know if a knight uses a restraint document, even death doesn't despawn the body, right? Of course, they'd just assume you passed out."

"......"

They fell silent.

Restraint document?

They'd never heard of it.

But Company Leader Mu-hyuk was on familiar terms with the count.

They couldn't ignore him.

"So where do the bodies go?"

Mu-hyuk smiled.

"Straight to prison. Log back in there, and you face trial, then serve your sentence. Might be better to delete the character."

They flinched.

"So, order again. Handle the goblin I pointed out."

They hemmed and hawed.

Shing.

Mu-hyuk drew his sword again.

"Die here or rot in jail."

"W-wait!"

Squad Leader Gureum, who had been watching, shouted.

"Fine, we'll do it. Stop."

"Good."

He sheathed his sword with the reply.

"Hurry. My summons' HP is running low."

"Tch...!"

Twisted expressions and all, they moved. Squad Leader Gureum charged first, drawing the massive goblin warrior's aggro with shield and sword.

Phew, good.

He checked the two Enhanced Bones' HP first.

Still okay.

With Gureum tanking most attacks, he had breathing room. He ordered the archer and mage to attack, then.

Mu-hyuk used his skill too.

"Haaap!"

With the other squad leaders joining the assault, the tide turned. The massive goblin warrior started getting pushed back.

"This thing's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seriously strong."

Gureum's face hardened.

HP was low.

"Need a heal here!"

"One sec."

Mu-hyuk scanned around.

One healer in sight.

"Sorry, but..."

The healer nodded and cast a healing spell on Gureum.

Smooth sailing.

"Tch."

Only one—female squad leader Aran—clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.

Moreover, she'd made one half-hearted attack attempt and just watched since. It irked him, but he decided to ignore it.

Deal with her later.

He nocked another arrow.

The arrow struck its chest.

With its HP depleted, the beast collapsed.

He nodded at the messages.

Named after all.

Monsters with actual names—uniquely powerful among their kind.

Material, huh.

Illusion monsters didn't drop items normally, but special cases like dungeons, towers, bosses, or named monsters did, just like this.

Anyway, material dropped with priority to him, so Mu-hyuk naturally acquired it.

The material in his hand.

---------!

Mu-hyuk's eyes widened upon seeing it.

This is...!

He could tell from the shape alone.

His fist clenched involuntarily.

*

A smile crept across Mu-hyuk's lips as he checked the info.

The material from Named Monster Karban was a skull.

He wanted to evolve a Bone Sword right then, but held back. No need to reveal it here.

He stowed it in his inventory and surveyed the battlefield again. No more special ones in the goblin area, regrettably.

Swipe.

Mu-hyuk's gaze shifted.

The werewolf pack in the center.

Not here either.

Orc pack on the opposite side.

"Ah...!"

There—an orc with unusually massive height and bulk.

No need to hesitate.

Center might be tricky, but Sung Min-woo, the company leader, was over there.

One explanation, and he'd get it.

He summoned a Skeleton Warhorse, mounted, and headed to the right flank. His summons followed. Soon, he reached Sung Min-woo, focused on the fight.

"Min-woo."

"Huh? What's up here?"

"See that big one?"

"Yeah."

"Give it to me."

"Outta nowhere?"

"Got a skull drop."

"Skull... oh."

"Yeah, can evolve my skeleton. No guarantee this one drops one, but possible."

Sung Min-woo's eyes widened.

"Jackpot. Go for it—no one's touching it."

"Thanks."

"Psh."

Mu-hyuk smiled and closed in on the hulking orc.

This'll do.

He stopped, nocked an arrow.

It was just standing watch, so aiming was easy.

Bang!

Arrow flew, hitting its chest.

Deeply embedded arrowhead.

Krroooaaar!

It roared, glaring at Mu-hyuk.

Thud, thud.

The massive body charged.

Enhanced Bones and Bone Swords met it head-on. The clash sent two Bone Swords flying back.

The black orc, boasting huge bulk, was stronger than the goblins.

Another Bone Sword shattered next, and the Enhanced Bones barely held.

Damn...!

He urgently called for Sung Min-woo's help.

"Help?"

"Yeah!"

"Can I join?"

"Go for it!"

"Alright then!"

Sung Min-woo's four spirits joined, finally balancing it.

"What makes it this strong?"

"Named."

"Whoa, if we'd left it, it could've overrun us later?"

As time passed, users' states worsened—MP hitting bottom.

If this named orc rampaged then, who could stop it?

Many might've died.

"Win-win."

Mu-hyuk didn't care about that, though.

Only one thing mattered.

What would this one drop?

That's it.

Focusing on command, he attacked again.

Arrow embedded, exploded.

Then he waited.

For Powerful Arrow Shot's cooldown.

Fired again.

Bang!

Orc thrashed, closing distance. Faster than expected—the frontliners had pulled back slightly.

No other orcs interfering, so he used Wind Step to close in, slashing past its side.

Slash.

Deep gash in the flank, followed by explosion.

Special status 'Excessive Bleeding' triggered.

Momentum carrying him, he pulled slowing poison from inventory, coated his blade. Slashed past again.

Hallucination poison, weakening paralysis, bleeding tears too.

Krroooaaargh!

Circling the howling beast, he carved endless wounds with his sword.

By the time his MP bottomed out.

Thud.

He felled it.

The acquired material came into view.