The Approaching King
Subjugation (1). Establishing the forward base took far less time than expected. The surrounding area had already been cleared out well in advance, so all that remained was transporting the supplies. Not being able to use vehicles for the job was an inconvenience, but not a serious one. The instant the Awakened poured their mana into carrying the materials, they moved everything to the forward base far faster than any truck ever could.
It took only two days to haul up all the supplies the base camp would need for the operation ahead. What’s more, because the perimeter had been pre-cleared, they avoided any significant battles in the process.
Once the forward base was complete, Yusoha gathered everyone and addressed them.
“Thank you all for your hard work setting up the forward base.”
“You worked hard too, Team Leader,” someone replied.
“This is where the real work begins. Given how openly that orc settlement was sitting out there, it’s highly likely there are more in the vicinity. We’ll need to begin proper reconnaissance immediately.”
“Aren’t we leaving any personnel behind to guard the base?”
“I’d love to if I could, but we don’t have the manpower. Leaving a small group here would only put them in danger.”
“Then what’s your plan? The base will be vulnerable if we just abandon it.”
“I’ve prepared a barrier device. Its function is simple. It renders the activated area invisible. In other words, once it’s on, monsters won’t be able to see the base at all.”
“Oh.”
“It’s a recent development, so it isn’t widely known yet, but I had a feeling it might come in handy and brought one just in case. Didn’t you see us moving it earlier?”
“So that mysterious giant machine we installed over there…”
“Exactly. That’s the barrier device. Using it means we can leave the base unguarded without any problems.”
“Understood. Ah, but how do we activate it?”
“I’ll give you a demonstration.”
After speaking, Yusoha channeled her mana into the large circular device. A strange mechanical hum rose from it at once.
Whoosh.
A wave of mana swept across the entire forward base.
“The barrier is now active. You just need to pour in more mana than necessary.”
“I see. Got it.”
“Just to be sure, could someone check whether it’s working properly?”
“I’ll go,” Lee Mina said immediately. She left the base at once.
When she returned, her face was filled with astonishment.
“It’s incredible. The base has completely vanished. All I can see is empty ground.”
“Looks like it’s functioning normally. That’s how you use it.”
After finishing her demonstration of the barrier device, Yusoha immediately began explaining the next day’s schedule to the team.
“Before you all head to your tents, let me briefly go over tomorrow’s plan. We’ll start with reconnaissance… and clear out any settlements in the area. We’ll search for the king after that.”
“Understood.”
“For now, get some rest. You’ve all worked hard these past two days. Activate the barrier first, then settle in for proper rest. Things are going to get busy again starting tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The moment every team member had retreated to their tents, Eclipse sensed something. A powerful presence far in the distance was gradually drawing closer.
This must mean the king has begun to move.
But why? Why was the king moving now?
Eclipse fell into deep thought.
There’s no way news of the settlement’s destruction could have reached him already. No orcs escaped that camp alive, and we haven’t seen any in the surrounding area. So why is he moving? Is he simply going out to hunt?
There was also the possibility that a dangerous monster had appeared. After all, there was no rule saying monsters had to get along. Yet something about it still felt off.
As he considered the various possibilities, Eclipse’s thoughts finally turned to himself.
Could it be… because of me?
Just as he had detected the king’s presence, it was possible the king had sensed his in return.
The distance is still great, but it’s closing steadily. Even at this very moment. We may come face to face with him sooner than expected.
Having reached his conclusion, Eclipse went straight to Yusoha’s tent.
“Hm? What is it?”
“I have something to tell you. It concerns the king.”
“…The king?”
“Yes. His presence is drawing steadily closer.”
“What?” Yusoha’s eyes widened. “You mean the king is coming this way?”
“That appears to be the case.”
“…How? Did we miss an orc somehow? We annihilated every single orc we’ve encountered so far. And we haven’t run into any since we took this settlement either.”
“That’s not it. We didn’t miss any orcs. It’s simply… highly likely that he sensed me as well.”
“…What?”
“There’s a strong possibility he has detected my existence. Just as I sensed him, he must have sensed me in return. That’s why he’s moving, I believe.”
“Then… we don’t actually need to go looking for him?”
“Strictly speaking, no. However… if he’s coming here, there’s a high chance he’ll bring his subordinates with him. If those orcs join forces with the ones from the surrounding settlements, things could become extremely troublesome.”
“So we need to wipe out as many orc settlements as possible before then.”
“Correct.”
“Haa.” Yusoha let out a long sigh.
Her original plan had been to slowly clear the nearby settlements, reduce the orcs’ numbers, and only then advance on the king. But now they would have to accelerate the timetable. They would need to exterminate every orc in the vicinity before the Orc King arrived.
“…Roughly how long until he gets here, do you think?”
“I don’t know the exact time. I can only tell that he’s steadily getting closer.”
“We’ll have to change the plan starting tomorrow. We’ll need to deploy small scouting teams.”
Normally she would never have split their forces due to the risk. But the situation had changed. Even with Eclipse and Shin Seongmin present, they had no idea how strong the Orc King truly was. It was wiser to eliminate nearby threats in advance.
“We’ll use our fastest members as scouts to survey the area while we clear out the settlements.”
“Do you already have people in mind?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. Then… it looks like we’ll be busy again starting tomorrow.”
“A very dangerous situation could develop. When that happens… you know what to do, right?”
“Yes. I know.”
“Hoo. I really didn’t want to borrow your power.”
“Since I am your Guardian Star, my power is ultimately your power. Is there any need to be so concerned about it?”
When Yusoha sighed and muttered to herself, Eclipse asked with a puzzled look.
“I suppose it would be hard for others to understand… If I had to explain, I absolutely hate appearing incompetent to people.”
“No one could possibly call you incompetent.”
“Maybe at first. But if I keep relying only on you, people will definitely start talking. They’ll say that the person who worked so hard suddenly stopped trying the moment she got a Guardian Star and just leans on him for everything.”
Yusoha paused for a moment, let out another sigh, and continued.
“Those kinds of words will definitely come out. And I hate that. Because it would mean I’ve become nothing more than a useless human being.”
“…I see. Understood. Get some rest.”
“Anyway, thanks for the information. You rest well too.”
“I will.”
The next day, Yusoha gathered the team members and explained what Eclipse had told her the night before. The revised plan was to swiftly eliminate the orcs in the surrounding area and behead the Orc King when he came charging in.
The team members looked somewhat dumbfounded. They had assumed they would have plenty of time, yet the schedule had suddenly been moved up.
Even so, they couldn’t complain. They had already come too far to start whining now.
“Therefore, we will move with extreme speed to clear out every orc in the vicinity. Fortunately, we’ve confirmed there are no orcs near the forward base itself, but there are undoubtedly significant numbers scattered throughout the region.”
“But if the Orc King is coming here anyway, do we really need to go out of our way to deal with the others?”
“No. If the Orc King brings all the nearby orcs with him, we’ll be the ones in trouble. We’ll clear out as many as we can beforehand.”
“…Understood.”
“Also, to save time, I’ve decided we’ll split the team into smaller groups this time.”
“What? I thought you said we wouldn’t divide our forces…”
“It can’t be helped given the urgency. We won’t split up too much, though. Only three people will move as scouts. The rest of us will crush every orc settlement we find. In other words, once the scouts bring back information, we’ll head over and wipe out the camps.”
“Who will be on the scouting team?”
“Lee Mina, Chae Gain, and finally Shin Seongmin will join them to ensure their safety in case of emergency.”
“Ah.”
The other team members nodded at Yusoha’s selection. Chae Gain was a fire-attribute mage who had gained stealth abilities thanks to Zekern. Lee Mina could move with incredible speed thanks to Cinea. And Shin Seongmin was there to protect them both if things went wrong.
It felt slightly strange for Yusoha to be giving orders to an S-class like Shin Seongmin, but he had promised to respect her decisions as much as possible during this expedition and simply nodded.
After all, if he stayed behind he would have nothing to do but watch. The thought of doing something productive seemed to please him, and he wore a rather satisfied expression.
“The rest of you will follow me.”
“Understood.”
“We’ll be departing soon, so everyone prepare yourselves. This may be quite grueling, so make sure you’re well-rested and bring plenty of combat rations.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“The scouting team will move out first. If you locate an orc settlement, send Zekern. I’ll have a tracker attached to me, so just send him to my location.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s go. We don’t have time to waste.”
With that, Hwanryeong Team 2, led by Yusoha, began to move in earnest. The scouting party set out a step ahead of the main force.