The Mad Spearman's Night Assault
The dawn in the north was bitterly cold and oppressively heavy.
Thick fog blanketed the frozen earth, while the wind howled like a blade, slicing through the air.
On the plains north of the first frontline, where the Empire had pushed forward.
A vast encampment of over two thousand soldiers had gathered here.
The soldiers in full battle gear rested as usual, their equipment prepared for an immediate charge the moment the signal was given.
Yet above the observation post of the encampment, Velkain and Ervan stood side by side.
Even though it was still late dawn, the sound of soldiers patrolling the area echoed from behind.
However, the atmosphere here was different—much heavier, filled with an unnatural silence.
With a faint rustle, the cold gust of wind caused Ervan to slightly loosen the coat he was wearing.
He and Velkain were gazing in the same direction, yet unease lingered deep in his eyes.
“……Is it truly possible?”
Ervan’s words were cautious, but there was no hesitation in them.
Velkain let out a small breath in response to the calm question.
Though he had crossed countless battlefields, this operation was one that even he considered a near-impossible gamble.
Velkain remained silent, his gaze fixed on the fog-shrouded plains.
He imagined the Helikel Canyon beyond the horizon, but no clear answer came to him.
The suffocating silence stretched on once more.
It was only after a long time that Velkain finally nodded.
“It must be possible.”
His words carried more the weight of responsibility than conviction.
“If we miss this opportunity, we may never again have a chance to retake the Helikel Canyon. If that happens, this place will once more be stained with the blood of our soldiers for a long time.”
Taking the canyon would mean the battle on the first frontline was effectively over, regardless.
It would be the end of the most dangerous and brutal battlefield in the north, and our victory.
But…
“The Helikel Canyon is the hardest to overcome. While the advantages we gain from seizing it are immense, the advantages the Kar Tribe currently holds are overwhelming.”
“However, the fortress defense techniques we possess and the ones they have are as different as heaven and earth.”
Velkain knew that too.
He understood that the claim was stubborn.
Even if one compared the differences in those defense techniques, breaching the canyon held by the Kar Tribe would be far more difficult than one could imagine.
That was why they had concentrated the maximum deployable forces on the first frontline.
Ervan let out a small sigh.
“Even if those bastards have no concept of defense techniques, they know every passage and every terrain feature inside. Having only thirty men there means…”
“They are the highest elite that can be gathered on this front. Not ordinary soldiers.”
Velkain turned to look at Ervan.
His gaze was as unyielding and threatening as the name “Ogre of Benhard.”
“If they fail, there is no point in carrying out this operation. After all, the outcome was never possible to begin with.”
Ervan silently met Velkain’s eyes.
He always had to weigh reality and coldly assess possibilities.
That was why such an uncertain situation was painful.
Ervan finally uttered the words he had been holding back in a low voice.
“We must wait for now.”
“That’s right.”
With Velkain’s reply, both men fell silent once more.
In a situation where the path ahead was completely unknown, that was all they could do.
But…
**
**
“V-Vel… Velkain-nim!”
Ervan jolted in shock and shouted.
Velkain immediately turned his head and roared loudly.
“**
Prepare for battle!
**”**
It was a situation completely unforeseen.
What on earth had that special unit sent to Helikel Canyon done…
‘*What did they do?*’
Velkain’s eyes, as he stared toward the front, trembled more intensely than ever.
* * *
“Ugh……!”
“Puaa!”
The unit members who had crossed the river could not hide their exhaustion, breathing heavily with heaving chests.
Despite carrying ropes, several had nearly slipped and been swept downstream in the middle of the crossing.
‘*This… this river…*’
‘*That bastard completely went crazy…*’
The soldiers who had crossed the river stared at Arteon, who was resting at the spot, in shock.
Some even looked at Arteon with eyes full of awe.
“Phew… Everyone made it?”
“No one was left behind. All of them successfully crossed the river.”
Tertian, the deputy leader of the special unit, reported to Isaac.
Isaac approached Arteon and asked, “You worked hard. Any injuries?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Arteon stood up from his spot.
The hollow look beneath his eyes from his short rest revealed how much he had poured his all into the task.
‘*A soldier this young…*’
He had accomplished such an incredibly difficult feat.
Isaac nodded in response.
“If this war is won, the first step of victory will be due to your achievements. I will never forget it.”
“……Thank you.”
Isaac turned his gaze to the cliff wall after Arteon’s greeting.
It appeared to be a slope nearly vertical.
Arteon stepped closer and said, “The east cliff wall of the Helikel Canyon is approximately seventy meters high. Compared to other places, it’s a bit lower, but the slope is so steep that…”
“No one would ever think to climb up here.”
“Seventy meters… Then we’d need to set up new ropes midway.”
The length of the ropes they had brought was far too short, making it impossible to connect them in one go.
At that moment, Arteon said, “From this point, we can climb about twenty meters. We’ll set up the ropes for that section ourselves.”
“Don’t worry. We can climb that height with no problem.”
“But… Lieutenant Isaac, are you really alright?”
Ponlaron approached and asked.
Isaac lightly clenched and unclenched his fist and replied, “This is the moment I have to show off.”
Isaac was the only one among the special unit members who had reached the third star realm.
The others didn’t know that.
‘*…Does he know?*’
The eyes of this young soldier gazing back at him were a little different.
As if he saw through everything.
Somehow familiar, like he had seen it somewhere before.
The feeling was indescribable, yet Isaac quickly shook the thought away.
With the absurd courage this young boy had shown, it was now his turn to respond.
Isaac firmly tied the rolled-up ropes and the iron pegs the size of his wrist around his waist.
And then…
“Watch the ropes. Don’t let them slip.”
Leaving only that one word, he began climbing the cliff wall.
**
Climb—swish, squeak!
**
The slope was so steep that it was practically cliff climbing.
It was a dangerous path with no safety equipment, yet Isaac concentrated every ounce of mana into his fingertips and toes.
And just as Isaac’s figure disappeared from view.
“……I’m going crazy.”
Ponlaron below scratched his head with a troubled expression.
Ponlaron, who held a special respect for Isaac because he was in the same unit, had been angry at Arteon for planning such an absurd operation.
But now, he couldn’t even get angry with him.
**
Whoosh, whoosh!
**
Ponlaron looked at the river flowing behind him.
He had crossed this absurdly fast-flowing river with nothing but his body… or rather, carrying over twenty kilograms of ropes.
‘*…Even looking at it now is nerve-wracking.*’
Whether he could or could not do it was beside the point; simply trying was insane.
Pure recklessness.
It was an act so foolish that even the word “courage” didn’t fit.
Ponlaron looked at Arteon.
He still didn’t like the guy, but…
“……Hey.”
“……?”
“I’m sorry for cursing you earlier. Honestly, I thought it was an absolutely impossible task.”
Ponlaron apologized to Arteon, wanting to correct his mistake.
Arteon let out a small chuckle and said, “Words of apology.”
“What?”
“Once we get back, I’ll treat you properly.”
Once we get back.
Everyone present knew what that meant.
Ponlaron’s lips curved upward.
“Yeah, I’ll treat you properly when we get back. Don’t go on and on like a kid. I’ll feed you all night.”
The heavy atmosphere lightened a little thanks to the two men’s conversation.
All the unit members stared at the canyon with throats torn raw.
**
Shlurp!
**
“Take cover!”
“Uwaa!”
The unit members’ expressions hardened as they watched stones occasionally fall from above.
Was something going to happen?
They hoped it wasn’t rocks falling, but that it wasn’t Isaac.
And…
“……Eh?”
“It’s the rope!”
The unit members shouted upon seeing the ropes falling from above.
They had even knotted the ropes in the middle, and the length was sufficient.
‘*…He really is amazing.*’
It had only been forty minutes since they climbed the canyon.
At this height, on this slope.
Even with the weak ground and the lack of places to grab or step on this cliff wall.
But as expected, he had done it.
More than they had imagined.
“I’ll go up first. If many people gather, there could be problems, so we’ll send one person every five minutes.”
Climbing with bare hands would be difficult, but scaling seventy meters by rope was far too easy.
The other unit members all nodded at Tertian’s words.
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
Soon after, Tertian climbed the rope in an instant.
“Next.”
“I’ll go.”
The next soldier went up, and five minutes later another soldier arrived.
“You go in front of me. Your stamina is running low, so you might struggle. If you fall, I’ll catch you. Don’t worry.”
“Hehe, thanks.”
Arteon let out a small laugh at Ponlaron’s words.
Soon it was Arteon’s turn. He grabbed the rope.
“Phew.”
His depleted stamina was more than enough to recover.
Arteon pulled in mana and swiftly began scaling the cliff wall.
As he climbed higher, the cold blade-like wind grew fiercer, shaking his body.
He could have lost balance and been in danger, but none of the special unit members fell.
The moment they reached the end of the canyon, Isaac signaled to Arteon.
Everyone lay flat on the canyon floor, observing the situation.
“Is it the last one?”
“Only Ponlaron Sergeant remains.”
Nod.
From now on, minimizing conversation was crucial.
A single sound carried by the wind could alert the enemy.
Soon, Ponlaron climbed up panting.
Isaac pressed his index finger to his lips.
Ponlaron clamped his mouth shut, breathing through his nose like a bull and shrugging his shoulders.
**
Whoosh, whoosh!
**
Isaac raised his index and middle fingers, pointing forward.
From that point, the entire unit moved forward on all fours toward the center of the canyon.
Their arms and legs scraped against the hard canyon floor, but no one complained.
And how long had they been moving?
They had taken quite some time, taking cover and preparing for possible enemies in between.
But just as they reached the point where the center was visible.
“……So that’s the shape of it.”
Isaac murmured quietly while looking downward.
The canyon’s terrain was more complex than expected, and the Kar Tribe warriors stood on alert with utmost vigilance.
‘*If they had climbed from somewhere other than the east canyon…*’
They would have been discovered before they even finished climbing.
The bastards hadn’t even considered that we would climb the cliff wall by crossing the east river.
‘*Lucky, or…*’
**
Swish.
**
Isaac looked at Arteon.
Could this situation be dismissed as mere luck?
But soon Isaac looked down at the bottom of the central canyon.
It seemed difficult to simply descend with the enemy’s vigilance this high.
They needed to find a way to shake their rear…
But at that moment.
“Lieutenant Isaac.”
“……?”
“I have something to say.”
By now, Arteon had crawled up beside him and whispered softly.
And with his following words.
“……What?”
Isaac stared at Arteon with a ruthless gaze.