Terraforming
"Hmm..."
Lee Kangin let out a low hum after hearing my words. He must be deep in thought. Our judgments had diverged, after all. As far as he knew, I wasn't the type to make foolish decisions. But he was a regressor. He probably thought his foresight from the future gave him a broader perspective.
"...I'm sorry to say this, but it seems there's a better way."
True to my prediction, Lee Kangin cut in before I could finish. I anticipated his argument even before he explained it.
"You mean holing up inside the building and holding out?"
"!!... Yes, exactly."
He was strong. Far from indecisive, with a sharp mind that placed him among the wise. But that didn't make him infallible. This judgment was Lee Kangin's mistake.
"Holding out isn't a good idea."
"You've already guessed my plan. Why do you think that?"
"The cafeteria is optimized for defense. It can comfortably hold all of us, but the entrance is narrow. Hiding behind barricades of chairs and tables and thrusting out fifty spear tips—they'd never get in."
Lee Kangin looked at me like he couldn't comprehend. He turned to glance at the trainees.
Swipe...
- Kangin’s right, isn't he? Going outside seems way more dangerous...
- The building has plenty of cover spots too...
- I... I'm scared to go outside...
Aside from a few familiar faces in my sight, every other trainee seemed to agree with Lee Kangin. His words sounded reasonable, but his appearance—completely opposite to mine—played a role too. When persuading people, it's not just logic; the speaker's credibility matters a lot.
Me, looking flabby and lazy, versus Lee Kangin, who always stood out in training. It was obvious whose words carried more weight.
If things stayed like this, the hard mode quest would fail. To turn the mood around, I needed to convince Lee Kangin first.
Thud thud!
I knocked on the wooden wall beside me.
"This wooden wall is well-maintained and smooth... but it doesn't seem hard to break. Not against attackers we expect to have instructor-level strength."
In the original story, Lee Kangin's plan was decent. For about ten minutes, the attackers didn't dare breach the barricaded cafeteria. But once they realized they could smash the walls easily, Lee Kangin had to fight them alone.
Why didn't the trainees fight? By the time they were convinced it was safe after ten minutes, the walls shattered in a surprise attack, causing chaos. Without even confirming how many attackers there were, most trainees chose to flee.
That's how the trainees got kidnapped in the original. Each looking out for themselves. Reading that scene had left me frustrated, like choking on sweet potato, so deep down, I wasn't entirely displeased by the trainees' fear of kidnapping now.
The situation was different since my own safety wasn't guaranteed this time.
The rebels raiding the training camp numbered five in total. Three were successfully tied down by the instructors. That left two chasing us.
Lee Kangin managed to block one of the two who broke through the wall into the cafeteria... but he couldn't handle the other.
That was why some trainees got kidnapped in the original.
"Even the armory, where walls should be thickest, is like this. I doubt the cafeteria walls are exceptionally sturdy."
They'd neutralize the barricades by smashing the walls. A room surrounded by wooden walls was never safe.
I conveyed my thinking to Lee Kangin. Fortunately, he wasn't petty enough to get defensive if his plan was perfectly refuted. He admitted his error right there in front of everyone, refreshingly so in my eyes.
"...My thinking was shortsighted. Chanyoung's right."
- ...
The murmuring trainees fell silent. They'd vocally sided with Lee Kangin, only for the man himself to concede I was correct.
Appearance-biased bastards. Feels good to shove it in their faces. Trying to dismiss me without even hearing my reasoning?
Swipe.
My eyes met those of Blanc and the roommate crew in the distance. Blanc gave a small smile and nodded at me. Earlier, amid the negative vibe toward me, only his group had looked worried for me.
Damn, the only ones fully on my side are dudebros... I hated to admit it, but it didn't feel bad.
'Kid... Gotta hook him up with a girl later.'
Not that I'd want her for myself, but still too good to give away. Hot girls are in short supply for me too.
"Then... let's head outside. The open field we always ran laps on should work."
With the weapon farming done, it was time to go out.
"Hm... Chanyoung? I understand going outside now that cover and holding out are off the table. But could you explain why the open field instead of the forest?"
"I'll explain once we're outside."
Lee Kangin's tone held no suspicion. He was purely curious about my reasoning. Given what I'd shown so far, doubting me now would make him an irredeemable idiot.
The reason for the open field was hard to explain here. It'd be more convincing outside.
So I deferred and started walking.
Rumble...
All fifty of us moved at once, following my lead toward the building's exit.
"We're outside now. Can you explain?"
"Shh!"
I hushed the murmuring trainees. Then I pointed at the sky, drawing attention to the faint sound echoing from above.
...Clang clang!...
"Don't you hear it? The sound of blades clashing."
They must hear it clearly now. The sharp, rhythmic clash of metal on metal.
I'd noticed it even before entering the building. I could use this to persuade them step by step.
...But my plan hit a snag.
"Uh... I don't hear anything?"
A nameless trainee replied.
What? What do you mean?
If they listen closely, it's clear...
'Ah! The effect of Seonryeong Ilil Manyo Wolwol!'
My five senses were heightened by the skill. Even without the moon for double effect, my hearing was near-superhuman.
No way they'd catch what I barely picked up.
...But with fifty people, at least one should hear it, right?
"No one hears it?"
...Clang!...
"Hm... Now that you mention it, maybe faintly... or maybe I'm imagining it..."
Of course it couldn't go that smoothly...
It'd lose some persuasive power, but no choice. At least Lee Kangin and Blanc would trust me.
"I have especially good ears. It's clear to me—the sharp clash of blades."
"I'll trust you. So the attackers are human or some civilized beings using swords."
"Yes. And from the situation, they seem like a small elite force."
"Pardon? Why do you say that?"
A nameless trainee questioned my assertion.
Have to explain again? My throat's parched from talking so much.
I wanted to pass it off to someone else, but surprisingly, no one seemed to know the 'reason.'
Fifty people and none get it? Not even you, Lee Kangin?
'He regressed and knows the answer but can't connect the clues...?'
A little brainpower would make it obvious. Even without future knowledge, I'd have figured it out from these hints.
Confident on that. With no one else realizing amid the pondering, I had no choice but to speak.
"Ten minutes have passed since the attackers arrived. Even superhumans—there are only two instructors. If there were many, they couldn't hold them this long. We haven't seen a single attacker, right?"
So the attackers were few. If ten or more, five could ignore the instructors and come for us. Brack and Gwangnyeon-i couldn't stop that.
Trainees didn't know the attackers' goal was them, but they knew there was a purpose. No random raid on the camp...
Some material inside, revenge for dead comrades against instructors, or monsters craving human flesh. Purpose exists either way.
No way they'd ignore us here after tasting blood. Expecting safety is naive—split their skull and you'd smell flowers. Only a flower garden brain thinks that.
"The enemy is elite, but not overwhelmingly strong. If they were, they'd have killed the instructors and come for us already."
"Ah!"
"But not weak either. The instructors ordered us to evacuate because it's that urgent."
Gwangnyeon-i and Brack's faces had been grim when issuing the order. A hint of urgency too. The heavy mood was obvious enough for most trainees, so they followed the sudden evacuation without questions.
"They probably planned to kill the instructors first and achieve their goal... but luckily, the instructors are holding. Now that reinforcements are surely coming soon, the attackers must be getting anxious."
"Reinforcements?"
"Tom! Come to think of it, the instructors told Tom something!"
"Tom is..."
"That little boy who wakes us every morning."
"Ah!"
Good, no need to explain everything from scratch. They had enough sense to realize why reinforcements were coming.
"Like the instructors' sharp hearing, the attackers likely have good ears too. They'll know reinforcements were called. Even if not, our and the instructors' stalling tactics are obvious—anyone would notice."
"Ugh..."
A trainee who'd been bullied by Gwangnyeon-i for gossiping at lunch groaned. He'd learned superhumans' hearing the hard way. Unintended, but his presence lent credibility to my words.
...Clang! Chaaang!...
The blade clashes continued. The situation was precarious, but in the original, the instructors survived.
"Time limit's approaching. Plan to quickly take out instructors failed. So... they'll ignore the blocking instructors and go for their 'goal' first."
"We have nothing to do with the attackers! If we just hide quietly in the forest..."
Flower-brain here. Fear freezing his thoughts?
"Good idea if you can hide even your breathing. But what if we're part of that 'goal'? Tracks from fifty people are easy to follow."
Don't leave your life to luck. Protect yourself.
Tap tap.
"We fight back. Not actually fight—just show the will. That'll make them hesitate to rush us carelessly."
I tapped my spear.
"To the empty field. Back-to-back in a circle... thrust spear tips at attackers. No practice or coordination, but fifty of us is a powerful weapon in itself."
Fifty spears. Split four ways, twelve tips per direction. Not moving, just holding to buy time—doable.
Ideal against a vertical cliff to reduce blind spots, but no such terrain nearby. Just dense forest or man-made clearing.
Clearing's better. They could climb trees or use them for cover... we'd be helpless without combat experience.
Even using trees for cover, they could smash them. Superhumans or not, not easy—but one casualty fails the quest. Unacceptable.
"Let's go."
Lee Kangin, who'd listened quietly, spoke.
"Seems like the best option."