Chapter 47: Legion vs. Legion (1)
“If you learn the basics properly, you won’t die from a blind attack… I think.”
“Honestly, you were nervous, weren’t you?”
“Heh, yes.”
Chae Yeon forced a smile.
Seeing that, I also forced a smile.
Otherwise, I felt like I would be too tense and turn to stone like this.
We had packed all our things.
We are going to the battlefield. There, we will fight the monsters.
“There.”
While we were waiting, a heavily tinted van came to a stop.
The window slid down, and a young white man with a large build looked at us with sun-glasses on.
He was Chris, a colleague and unit member that she had mentioned beforehand.
“Get in.”
We immediately climbed into the car.
To be honest, I was a bit surprised. Right now, they are the hottest topic in a world where existing S-rank hunters or top celebrities can’t even compare.
To think that such people drive themselves around without any attendants.
“Is this the newbie you were talking about?”
“He’s not part of our group. Stay polite.”
“Even if he’s not part of our group, if we’re going to the battlefield together, that courtesy goes out the window. Did you see how people behaved during the gate defense? Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Chris smirked while glancing at me in the back seat.
“I hear you.”
I barely managed to speak.
I never expected that not giving up on studying English would help me this much.
“Great. I was worried we might not be able to communicate.”
He whistled in approval and increased the speed.
Our destination was the military base where the allied forces were gathering.
“Keep your ID ready. And stay close to me. If you’re with Evolution, there shouldn’t be any annoying issues.”
As we approached the gathering area, it was bustling with media outlets and military personnel’s families.
After smoothly passing through several checkpoints, we raced deeper inside.
“Some of the allied forces from East Asia are departing from here. The plan is to attack simultaneously from 67 bases worldwide, including this one.”
“That person over there seems to be looking for you?”
“Ugh, the President’s Chief of Staff, Min Jun Yong… I’ll be right back.”
With a click of her tongue, she got out in the middle.
I felt a bit nervous being left alone with Chris, a foreigner, but I was amazed at how casually she interacted with high-ranking officials.
To be fair, we had been living under the same roof for a few days, but she is probably the most famous person in our country right now.
Not only is she strong, but she’s also the only link to Evolution in the country.
“I heard you volunteered. If a player is willing to reveal their identity and give permission, there’s no need to worry about anything else. I’d like to hear the reason.”
At that moment, Chris parked the car, turned off the ignition, and took off his sunglasses to turn back to me.
“We understand that… but we also have our positions. What about you?”
“Um, I’d say it’s for revenge.”
I shared what I had thought out in advance.
In reality, my brother was alive and well, but it was a fact that we were attacked.
“I see. So, it’s for the sake of that sci-fi-like brother of yours. So, to enact revenge, you’re joining the fight.”
His attitude changed immediately upon hearing about my brother, and he seemed a bit apprehensive.
It looked like he wished he hadn’t asked.
“Uh… I just hope you achieve what you want. I mentioned that we might go to the battlefield together, but realistically, neither Chae Yeon nor I will be fighting alongside you often. Just quietly build your experience with the others.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Now, let’s get out. We need to prepare.”
We also got out of the car.
Surrounding us were soldiers armed with real weapons.
I could see a few hunters who had voluntarily joined the fight.
The place I followed Chris to was where Evolution officials were gathering.
“I’ve heard the story. Um… what’s your name again?”
“Kang Shin Woo.”
“I’ll just call you Robert. This is Sneaky.”
The officials who welcomed me were mercenaries hired by Evolution.
My assigned task was not direct combat but essentially security and guarding.
It was precisely the kind of job I wanted, and it was a mission I would be undertaking alongside them.
“I heard you’re a hunter? What’s your ability?”
“I just have a physical enhancement type.”
Out of curiosity, I demonstrated what I had learned to the gathered officials.
The reason they were doing the job with a newbie like me was that they knew I had strength.
“Good. After all, physical ability is the best. Those who can only do strange flashy tricks are useless. But…”
Robert chuckled and nodded, but then his rough, wrinkled face turned serious.
“The most important thing is your mindset. Even the most boastful of cocky ones will end up crying for their moms when bullets start flying and bodies start piling up. What about you?”
“…There’s something I must attain during this expedition. I’m not alone.”
I answered sincerely, looking into his deep eyes.
I wasn’t sure if he truly understood, but after a while of looking into my eyes, he nodded.
“Congratulations on becoming part of the Black Snake with us.”
There was no tension from the possible confrontation that I had feared.
It made sense since we were facing real combat now.
They were professionals.
“Honestly, the chances are high that we’ll be stuck in the rear, yet I’m still ridiculously anxious.”
[In the face of a crisis, the only solution the Legion knows is to clash, smash, and trample down. Sometimes it wouldn’t hurt to learn that kind of attitude.]
“Are you really saying that too?”
I chuckled softly while looking at my phone, having slipped into the background.
Well, he also probably wants the Legion to grow, so he would say something like that.
[It’s because I trust you.]
“That’s funny.”
And today, my tongue was particularly sharp.
*
“Everyone, stand back!”
“No time! Move aside!”
In the middle of the base, a helicopter flew in rapidly and landed, and someone jumped out quickly.
“Hey! Cage!”
“There’s no time to dilly-dally! We need to circle the entire globe in 24 hours!”
The man leading the charge ignored everything else and ran to a pre-prepared location.
The place they arrived at was a wide, open area where they had decided to open the gate.
“Is it really okay?”
“I’ve already opened 12 of them. I feel like I’m going to vomit. Take these.”
He handed something to Chae Yeon, who had run over with some officials.
Mana stones engraved with complex patterns.
They were items used to open the gate.
“…Understood.”
She hurriedly gathered them and began to install them in the designated spots.
Everyone watched the procedure nervously.
The effect had already been sufficiently verified.
Most people didn’t know, but the Hispanic guy gasping and sitting down was the only one who had received the space-manipulation spell from a player.
He had opened a huge gate 12 times, having started in the northeastern United States, passing through Japan, and arriving here.
The gates had been a mystery that Hunters and humanity had yet to unravel.
The gates, once thought to be a miracle from a god and heralds of apocalypse, had, in any case, been opened by humanity’s hands.
“What are you all doing? Hurry up and prepare!”
However, there was no time to just stand around and admire.
Those who had been blankly watching began to snap out of their stupor and hurriedly set to work.
Establishing a base inside as soon as it opened was the first task.
“…This is amazing.”
“The space is tearing apart.”
And soon, a large crack started to form in the void where there had clearly been nothing.
At that moment, everyone lost their words and just stared.
“Next! Was it Shanghai next!?”
Panting, Cage hurriedly made his way back to the helicopter.
‘If the Legion discovers that technique, they’ll come to Earth immediately.’
And while watching the slowly widening gate, there were those with other thoughts.
Shin Woo’s hand holding the phone trembled slightly.
He knew the obsession the Legion had.
If such a gate opened and the Legionnaires they had seen so far poured into Earth…
[If you don’t want the Legion to invade Earth, teach well from now on.]
He swallowed hard as he read the words that appeared on his phone.
“Now move! Stay sharp!”
“Ah, here is the ‘Archaeopteryx’…”
The sound of military equipment engines rumbling all around echoed loudly.
A newly formed division of the South Korean military backed by the volunteers, along with the first coalition army recruited from surrounding countries, began to aim their cannons and march towards the gate.
“We need to move too.”
The Evolution South Korean branch, centered around Chae Yeon and Chris, also started moving.
Everyone in the vehicle was silent.
Even the hunters and mercenaries who had experienced all sorts of things had never seen a war of this scale.
“Look at them. They may be ordinary soldiers, but they volunteered to participate in this expedition. They all have a deep grudge against the monsters. Recently, they have been rampaging a lot.”
Shin Woo stared at the vehicles driving alongside Robert.
They were soldiers from Southeast Asia. Their faces were resolute.
Not only them, but also the majority of the South Korean military personnel were volunteers.
‘A grudge against the monsters. Come to think of it, I had forgotten about that.’
His expression darkened.
To him, monsters were originally enemies that needed to be slain.
They were literally foes.
Only due to various events over time had he momentarily forgotten.
Now, he had both the power and justification. There was no reason to hesitate.
“Robert, do you hate the monsters?”
“No? I’m more afraid of money and people. At least for now. This expedition may change that opinion.”
Robert revealed his yellowed teeth and chuckled.
And in that moment, the vehicle plunged into the writhing gate.
