Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Conscription (2)
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The agents who arrived on the scene were stunned to see that everything had already been taken care of.
"..."
The agents were collectively speechless.
It was because a swarm of magical beasts had attacked civilians, yet there were so few casualties.
At least half of the people here should have died, and it wouldn't have been strange at all.
Seo Dae-hyun. Thanks to that one man stepping up, they had all survived.
The casualties were from people who had died before the agents even received the report.
Kyle had been watching Seo Dae-hyun's exploits ever since he got off the helicopter.
He had felt chills run down his spine when he saw the summoned beasts explode and then come back to life as if nothing had happened.
Gulp...
'So that's what he meant by being able to bring them back even from death?'
He had thought Seo Dae-hyun's summons had low stats and wouldn't pose a threat to high-rank hunters.
But that was a clear misjudgment.
In a prolonged battle, they would lose regardless of rank.
With no fear of death, and coming back to life even after dying.
They were like immortal soldiers returned from hell.
Seo Dae-hyun calmly cast his Heal skill on the injured civilians.
Just moments ago, the monsters had acted like they had nothing to do with it, playing innocent, and the people had bought it.
No, they had no choice but to believe it.
"Dae-hyun? You're a healer?"
The farmers, who were acquainted with Seo Dae-hyun, widened their eyes in surprise.
"Why's someone this amazing stuck in a backwater place like this?"
Even these rural farmers knew how valuable a healer was.
Iowa might not be total backwoods, but with all the high-rank awakeners having left the state, a healer was precious no matter where they went.
Large guilds prioritized recruiting healers regardless of rank.
Their fellow farmhand was a healer?!
There were even cases where healers fetched enormous sums from countries like Saudi Arabia or Qatar to become royal physicians.
He had no choice but to hide his necromancer abilities for safety, but Heal didn't need to be hidden.
He had been a healer before his reawakening.
He couldn't treat everyone—there were dozens of people.
He focused his Heal skill on the most seriously injured.
If his rank had been just a bit higher, he could have healed them all.
"Kyle."
Seo Dae-hyun called out to Kyle, who was spacing out like he was entranced.
"...Yes. Mr. Dae-hyun."
Seo Dae-hyun informed him that the magical beasts had fled and that he would pursue them.
He had attached scouts to the escaped wolves separately.
So he knew exactly where they were.
"We'll go with you."
This was the agents' job.
Putting pride aside, they couldn't just look unreliable in front of Seo Dae-hyun.
The water was already spilled, but cleanup was their responsibility.
Deep down, they also wanted to learn more about his abilities.
The explosion earlier, and the severe lack of intel...
"There might be more than just the ones that fled."
Wolves were cunning among magical beasts.
No room for carelessness!
It made sense for only Seo Dae-hyun and the soldiers to pursue, rather than everyone.
Seo Dae-hyun refused the agents' offer to cooperate.
"You agents stay here and protect the people. I'll go after them."
"But going alone is danger—"
Kyle trailed off.
He realized he wasn't alone.
Seo Dae-hyun's soldiers were just hidden in the brush so as not to startle the civilians.
"Let's each handle our own roles, shall we?"
Agents and hunters.
It was the proper division of duties.
The agents' true mission was to protect people, not kill monsters.
Hunting monsters was the hunters' job.
Seo Dae-hyun was a hunter.
Having a military background, he handled situations like this with ease.
"Understood. Still, just in case, let one or two agents go with you."
Seo Dae-hyun nodded.
He had planned to leave Kim Hyun-jun here anyway, so there was a spot open.
He didn't rely solely on his own talents and charge ahead blindly.
He needed the Association's help to grow.
He couldn't afford to alienate them when he'd have to cooperate in the future.
[Hyung. Let me go too.]
"You stay and protect Dad."
Just in case, he had left a Bear Wolf in the cornfield.
[...Be careful.]
He flicked the forehead of the slightly downcast Kim Hyun-jun with his index finger.
Kim Hyun-jun's expression softened, and he chuckled.
It was unnecessary worry.
As long as he had his soldiers, Seo Dae-hyun couldn't die even if he wanted to.
The only time they disobeyed orders was when his life was in danger.
Now that the agents were here, he could go without worry.
"Then, I'll—"
Seo Dae-hyun cut Kyle off.
"I'll go with May."
"M-Me?"
May pointed at her own bewildered face with her index finger.
May glanced at Kyle.
It was obvious Kyle wanted to go with him, but Seo Dae-hyun mischievously chose her.
And it was clear he had ulterior motives—he could see they were probing for his info.
He knew it wasn't malicious.
But he didn't feel like spilling everything just yet.
He had already shown plenty for today.
Kyle gave up on following.
No, he had no choice but to give up.
It would be weird if he insisted.
Kyle figured the reason for bringing May was a 'test.'
They say you can judge an organization by looking at its newbies.
David had suspected Seo Dae-hyun, so now it was Seo Dae-hyun's turn to suspect.
"...You have to support Mr. Seo Dae-hyun properly."
Reluctantly, he yielded to May.
"Show him the Association's strength."
"Don't drag him down."
Kyle and the agents saw it as a test and gave May a word of advice.
May felt the pressure sky-high.
"Yes, sir!"
Though she didn't seem eager to go.
Well, what could she do? If told to go, she goes.
May rode on the back of a soldier (wolf) alongside Seo Dae-hyun.
The situation felt surreal.
Riding a monster like a horse was nothing short of amazing.
Unlike other magical beasts, it had zero hostility toward humans.
Just a big dog.
Its fur was soft and fluffy.
They raced through the cornfields.
A few beasts peeked out from between the stalks, but she realized they were his summons and sighed in relief.
The wolves had fled farther than expected.
Seeing the boss monster Bear Wolf and their dead kin turned into his soldiers, they had bolted in terror.
She wondered if heading this way was right.
'I should report the situation via radio—'
Getting lost in the cornfields could be disastrous; the radio was essential.
"Ah."
May belatedly noticed Seo Dae-hyun had no radio.
She let out a small sigh.
No sign of the one she'd lent him from the helicopter.
Seo Dae-hyun turned back and asked what was wrong.
"No radio?"
"Left it behind."
"What? Do you even know where we're heading?!"
Cornfields were one of the top places for disappearances in America.
More dangerous than labyrinth dungeons.
Hundreds went missing there every year.
And signals were spotty in this area.
If they went radio silent for days, the Association would send helicopters for search and rescue.
But going in unprepared was risky.
"Don't worry about that."
Seo Dae-hyun hadn't charged off blindly.
Leaving two or three soldiers behind served to protect civilians but also acted as guides.
The scouts pursuing the wolf pack let him sense their location.
He knew all his soldiers' positions, so getting lost was impossible.
"May. They're coming soon."
No sooner had he spoken than explosions rang out a few hundred meters ahead.
Whoosh—
A chilling rustle came from the cornstalks, and something burst out.
The wolf pack was fleeing in the opposite direction, their hides torn and bleeding.
They were running straight toward the soldiers following behind.
The scouts ambushed the pack from the front, while Seo Dae-hyun and his soldiers blocked the retreat from behind.
The wolves split into two groups to escape, but his soldiers had already tightened the encirclement.
Their gear-like, coordinated movements resembled a proper army.
They weren't limited to suicide attacks.
A commander's skill greatly influenced their combat prowess.
May reminded herself once more that he was ex-military.
Seo Dae-hyun had led operations like this against magical beasts on the battlefield many times.
His soldiers had suffered severe flank wounds because of incompetent commanders.
"That's what you get for not following the plan."
"You kids today lack soldierly spirit."
"Back in my day, failing a mission meant execution."
Those were the words from the battalion and company commanders every time a mission failed.
If they knew the plan was flawed, they should have fixed it, but the officers always blamed the soldiers to dodge responsibility.
Seo Dae-hyun had reduced casualties with his Heal skill, so he never faced discipline.
To get the officers punished, he'd have had to let someone die—which he couldn't.
Even if a soldier or two died, the Ministry of National Defense would probably turn a blind eye.
Other units did exactly that.
If he hadn't awakened as a healer, there would have been far more fatalities.
Only powerless grunts like platoon leaders and sergeants got the boot as scapegoats.
That was the reality of the South Korean military.
May saw Seo Dae-hyun's hardened expression and assumed he was exhausted from mana drain.
'I have to protect him.'
She resolved, gazing at him.
Of course—with dozens of summons, his mana consumption must be massive.
May thought his combat ability was weak.
He had just been in a bad mood reminiscing about the past.
He dismounted the soldier and joined the fray himself.
Corpse Explosion would make it an easy win, but he couldn't use suicide attacks here.
This land belonged to Kim Hyun-jun's father.
He couldn't cause more damage.
Even without self-destruct, it was enough to kill the wolf beasts.
Surprise Slash
- Attack Speed +25%
- Additional Damage +10%
Seo Dae-hyun sliced the wolf's throat with his dagger.
A clean strike unbelievable for a healer—no, a necromancer!
The swordsmanship learned on the battlefield was concise, without waste.
Like a beast's sharp fangs, experience and instinct told him exactly where to strike to end it in one blow.
As a healer, he had no combat skills, but acquiring Kim Hyun-jun's skills doubled the effect.
May's already large eyes widened further.
She had thought controlling summons meant weak personal combat ability, but no.
'Wow...'
She couldn't just stand there dazed.
"Oops!"
May jumped into the fight.
She had been assigned to the Iowa branch after joining the Association because of her outstanding skills.
Top-performing agents went to safe branches with good security.
Even average ones were above par.
The entry bar for the Association was as high as for major guilds.
A smile crept across her lips.
She had dreamed of this life since being assigned to Iowa after joining.
Who was worrying about whom?
She had nearly embarrassed herself meddling.
'Phew—good thing I kept it to myself.'
She took down a monster alongside Seo Dae-hyun.