768
[Chapter 197]
[Long-Cherished Wish]
Early morning.
Players participating in the 2nd Uijeongbu Recapture War gathered in front of the barrier at Dobong Station.
""""...""""
The towering barrier.
The barrier that seemed to block even the sky stood before them.
Uijeongbu is beyond that barrier.
And today, they will cross that barrier.
Players placed their hands on their devices with stern faces.
It was an unconscious action.
The only thing they could rely on in the battlefield ahead was their weapons.
[─This is a broadcast from the Mana Management Organization. All players please assemble in your assigned platoons by 9 AM. We repeat. All players...]
Supply, attack, communication.
The recapture force was divided into three units, and each unit was further divided into platoons and squads.
The force numbered about 4,500.
It was a similar number to the force deployed in the 1st Uijeongbu Recapture War.
They moved their feet while listening to the telepathy ringing in their heads almost noisily.
[All platoons please check your personnel and quickly report to your unit commanders.]
Soon the appointed time came.
Telepathists representing each platoon conveyed telepathy to players gathered in their platoons.
[Hello, 2nd Supply Platoon. I will now relay a message from the Pandora Clan Lord. Squad leaders please urgently assess your squad's personnel status and report in person to Pandora Clan navigator Jeong Ha-yang. Squads that report late or inaccurately may face appropriate disadvantages. This is Pandora Clan telepathist Jin Seo-na relaying.]
Players belonging to the 2nd Supply Platoon turned their heads towards the direction the telepathy came from.
"Is that Jin Seo-na?"
"She's pretty as I heard. Though she looks quite haughty..."
"You can feel her dignity just by looking. Aein generally have timid personalities from experiencing discrimination. If not that, they have rough personalities from growing up tough... But she gives off an atmosphere like she grew up in a noble family..."
"She's a direct descendant of KK Pharmaceuticals, right?"
"Hmm, is that why? Anyway, no wonder she's popular with people and Aein."
""""...""""
Pandora Clan telepathist Jin Seo-na.
She was a fox-type Aein with golden hair shining brightly in the morning sunlight.
She who exuded an atmosphere that seemed unapproachable was a topic of conversation in many ways.
Her beauty was the first reason.
Her background was the second reason.
And the third and final reason was─
[─You there. If you have time to chat, please quickly check personnel. Please follow along when I speak nicely. I don't want to waste time on this, and neither does the Pandora Clan Lord.]
""""C-Checking personnel!!""""
That she is well-known as Pandora Clan Lord No Eun-ha's messenger.
There were quite a few telepathists in Pandora Clan.
But when broadcasting important content, the Pandora Clan Lord always used Jin Seo-na as messenger.
And sure enough.
She wielded the Pandora Clan Lord's authority as if it was natural, sharply warning them.
Players who suddenly came to their senses hurriedly carried out personnel checks.
Soon time passed─
[─There will be a declaration from Mana Management Organization Minister Baek Seo-jin.]
After personnel checks finished.
Players standing in neat rows heard the declaration of
Leader of the Twelve Seats.
Overall commander in charge of the 2nd Uijeongbu Recapture Force.
[─We have lost many things.]
""""...""""
In a solemn atmosphere.
Baek Seo-jin opened his mouth.
[...We have lived through an era of loss until now. We have come to this point by losing, losing, and losing.]
""""...""""
[However─.]
Baek Seo-jin's declaration was the official signal announcing the start of the recapture war.
Players listened to his speech while stomping the ground as if in agreement.
The thumping sound spread through the area, beating their hearts again.
[─We will no longer lose, and we will reclaim what was taken from us.]
Simple and direct words ignite people's hearts.
Until now was an era of loss.
But from now on is different.
Baek Seo-jin raised his voice further.
[─From now on, starting with Uijeongbu beyond the barrier, we will reclaim the north above it! We will no longer lose, only gain, and welcome an era of recapture and pioneering. From today, we will live in an era of great prosperity!]
""""───!!!!""""
An era of recapture and pioneering.
And an era of great prosperity.
A world they haven't experienced until now will unfold from now on.
Much prosperity awaits beyond that towering barrier over there.
People's hearts swelled.
People who came to watch the recapture force let out enthusiastic cries.
Players also shouted as if they couldn't lose.
Thus─
[─I pray for the recapture force's good fortune in battle.]
The 2nd Uijeongbu Recapture War began.
☆
There was no gate passing through the barrier.
So the recapture force had no choice but to climb the barrier on their own.
The problem was the items carried by the supply and communication units.
An even bigger problem was─
─The tanks are more of a problem.
The ammunition loaded on tanks is a problem too.
Eun-ha turned his gaze to the side.
The 1st and 3rd supply platoons were struggling to lift tanks.
The weight of M48 Patton series tanks is said to be about 45 tons.
It was a weight burdensome even for casters and supporters to lift with magic.
Nevertheless, it was quite a fast speed compared to soldiers lifting it.
Though those soldiers learned magic too, they can't compare to players who've been through actual battles.
The soldiers' magic was typical and not very effective.
It was the weakness of standardized magic.
In contrast, players' magic was very diverse.
It meant they had improved or developed it to suit their personalities that much, and the effects were needless to say.
However, there were still many tanks left to lift.
Sigh, can't be helped.
We'll have to help too.
As it was work for the same supply unit, Eun-ha couldn't pretend not to see.
Moreover, he didn't want to waste time moving tanks.
He decided to help them.
"Ara, take casters and supporters from the 1st to 5th squads and help. It'll be dawn at this rate."
"Ugh, that looks really heavy... Alright, I got it. I'll go help."
Eun-ha asked Jo A-ra.
She nodded in the end though reluctantly.
Soon she recruited casters and supporters from other squads with Jeong Ha-yang's help.
They headed towards the soldiers.
Memento Magia
Opening the lid of an old pocket watch.
Jo A-ra increased her computational ability.
She swung a staff that looked like a baton.
Harmony Stick, a device made from a Chungmu grade treasure.
The tip of the staff sparkled.
Spell formulas flowed out like sheet music from the tip and floated around her.
Magnetize
Magnetic Field
Lighten The Load
Flying
─Zero Gravity
One sheet of music divides into four branches.
The fluttering sheets of music combine and harmonize with each other.
Giving magnetism to the tanks.
As she set the ground to be magnetic, the tanks gently floated up from the ground.
And she applies levitation magic to lighten the tanks' weight and set them to rise to a certain height.
""""...""""
Then the tanks started floating higher.
Players were momentarily dazed.
By appropriately combining four types of magic, elevating ordinary dimensional magic to higher dimensional magic.
She was handling alone a task that took several people clinging together to barely float one tank high in the sky.
No wonder people were astonished.
Regardless, Jo A-ra focused only on safely lowering the tanks beyond the barrier.
Levitation
She flew high into the sky.
As she swung her baton, the tanks moved in the direction she swung.
"Then I'll go beyond the barrier first to help with transport work."
"Okay, good work."
Jo A-ra disappears with the tanks.
Eun-ha turned his back on Jo A-ra who vanished beyond the barrier.
"─Then let's climb up too."
By then, the 2nd supply platoon members had almost finished their work too.
They were climbing the barrier.
Eun-ha also decided to climb the barrier with Pandora Clan members now.
☆
Pandora Clan navigator On Tae-hee.
She was very tense.
From now on they cross over to Uijeongbu.
She couldn't help but be afraid.
Now she regretted vowing to participate in the 2nd Uijeongbu Recapture War following her classmate Son Ga-yeon.
"The wall is big..."
Standing in front of the barrier.
On Tae-hee was overwhelmed as is.
That barrier was fear.
The fear that people who feared monsters decades ago built towering high out of terror.
Standing before the barrier, she felt like she could feel the terror people experienced while building the barrier back then.
Right then─
「─Are you nervous?」
"Ah, Ga-yeon..."
Son Ga-yeon suddenly grasped her hand.
On Tae-hee who was startled by the touch from behind showed a relieved expression only after seeing Son Ga-yeon's face.
Soon she smiled bitterly.
What should I do if I get scared?
Ga-yeon will worry, and other people will worry too.
Now it can't be undone.
So she couldn't needlessly make others worry.
On Tae-hee shook her head.
Didn't she volunteer in the first place because she didn't want to send Son Ga-yeon alone to Uijeongbu teeming with monsters?
She steeled her heart.
"I'm okay. How about you, Ga-yeon?"
「I'm nervous but I'm okay. We're not the only ones here after all.」
"Yeah, that's right."
The text appearing on Son Ga-yeon's mask.
On Tae-hee read the text and her expression quickly relaxed.
Soon her gaze turned to Pandora Clan players in one place.
Their seniors.
Looking at their backs naturally made her feel at ease.
Especially─
─It'll be okay since Eun-ha oppa is here.
We don't need to worry.
Pandora Clan Lord No Eun-ha.
Her gaze fixed on him.
Strangely, it seemed all the other clan members were looking at him too.
Everyone must have the same thought.
Right then, Eun-ha who was talking with Jeong Ha-yang turned to look at the clan members.
"─Then let's climb up too."
""""──!!""""
No Eun-ha gave instructions.
Clan members and unit members responded.
To forget their fear.
On Tae-hee and clan members responded loudly.
It's okay, everything will be fine.
Starting with No Eun-ha.
Clan members like No Eun-ah, Mok Min-ho, Cha Eun-woo, Jeong Ha-yang climb the wall in order.
On Tae-hee placed her hand on the barrier.
On one side hung a rope lowered by someone above.
Grip
On Tae-hee grasped the rope tightly.
And she manifested mana at her feet to not fall off the wall surface.
She climbed the wall like that.
"Hup...!"
A height unknown when she'll reach the top.
Climbing the wall while carrying heavy luggage, she felt like giving up.
It feels like fighting loneliness.
And fighting fear too.
How much did she climb for sweat to already be pouring down her body?
"─Are you okay? You can rest a bit clinging to the wall if it's hard."
Then Yu Nam-hoon called out to her.
Yu Nam-hoon was very popular among Pandora Clan members along with
His personality of carefully looking after juniors was the reason for his popularity.
It was the same now.
Yu Nam-hoon was looking at her with a worried face.
"No, oppa. I'm okay. Please go up first. I'll follow quickly too."
"...Alright, got it. But don't overdo it too much."
"Okay, thank you."
On Tae-hee smiled brightly with effort.
Then Yu Nam-hoon didn't say anything more though worried.
He passed by her and climbed the wall.
On Tae-hee moved her hands again.
I can't show weakness as a navigator.
I'm a Pandora Clan member too.
On Tae-hee raised her head.
A height still far to go.
She didn't know when she'd finish climbing the wall.
But On Tae-hee didn't despair.
Because Pandora Clan members were climbing the wall up there.
"Hup!"
They are acting as guides.
If she follows them, she'll see the end someday.
So don't be afraid.
Clan members going ahead of her will cut away all fear.
Thus─
"─It was hard climbing up, right? Here."
"Ah, Eun-ha oppa."
"Give me your hand. I'll pull you up."
She finally climbed the wall.
Just as she was about to reach out her hand to the top.
No Eun-ha held out his hand.
A face as if proud of her.
On Tae-hee's mouth corners naturally rose at the feeling of being acknowledged by him.
She grasped his hand.
No Eun-ha pulled her strongly.
"Is it your first time seeing beyond the wall? How do you feel? The feeling of standing at our country's front line."
"Wow..."
As she came up on top of the wall.
A strong wind blew.
Her hair covered her eyes.
On Tae-hee who brushed her hair behind her ears with her hand soon opened her eyes.
I'm really at the front line.
A jungle overgrown with vegetation.
Gray buildings visible here and there.
And traces of past civilization.
A world she didn't know at all unfolded before her eyes.
On Tae-hee was immersed in emotions.
The moment she saw this sight, she felt like she really participated in the Uijeongbu Recapture War.
Anxiety raised its head in her heart.
Can I... do well?
Can we really reclaim that world taken by monsters?
On Tae-hee overwhelmed by nature couldn't shake off her anxiety.
It was right then.
"Ah..."
The wind blew again.
On Tae-hee held her hair with her hand and looked for other clan members.
And seeing their backs.
Her anxiety disappeared as if it was a lie.
"..."
Reddish-brown cloaks.
The cloaks tailored for the Uijeongbu Recapture War were fluttering in the wind.
The sight of dozens of cloaks fluttering looked just like huge wings spread out.
""""...""""
Pandora Clan members looking at the horizon facing the wind.
Ranger
Caster
Hunter and telepathist
Dealer
Sniper
Dealer
Telepathist
Dealer
Besides them, the figures of many other clan members approached like huge beings.
"─We climbed the wall in this scale, so monsters should have noticed. Many are coming. Everyone, stay sharp from now on."
And
On Tae-hee felt reassured at the thought that she was one of them.
There was no need to worry.
Those fluttering reddish-brown cloaks will protect her.
And she too will protect them, becoming one part forming huge wings.
☆
They were overwhelmed by the world beyond the barrier.
But players had to quickly come to their senses.
Monsters were sensing their presence and swarming towards the barrier area.
[I'm relaying the Pandora Clan Lord's message so 2nd Supply Platoon members please follow! Dealers and hunters descend the barrier first and annihilate those guys! This is Pandora Clan telepathist Jin Seo-na relaying.]
[Pandora Clan telepathist Ariel! I'm delivering additional guidance! Casters, supporters, and snipers please provide support from atop the barrier as is! Then I wish you good fortune in battle!]
Each platoon leader started responding.
The 2nd Supply Platoon was the same.
Players active mainly in Yongsan-gu and Jung-gu moved immediately.
Dealers and hunters descended below the barrier with nimble movements.
Following them, rangers, guardians etc. came down using ropes set up by hunters.
By then, dealers were facing monsters that swarmed at the front.
Kieeeeek!!
The monsters are fast.
And ferocious.
Their attacks are heavy too.
Players clicked their tongues at the power of monsters appearing outside the cocoon.
But they were people who had been through a lot.
Especially people who experienced the Seoul Disaster continued attacking without fearing monsters stronger than expected.
"Don't mind behind and just kill everything that comes! Allies are behind us anyway!"
Players of Dasan Clan in charge of the 2nd squad of the 2nd Supply Platoon.
One of them shouted while smashing a monster's head with an axe.
Clan members responded.
"Don't panic! We outnumber them anyway!"
"6th rank monster appearing in front...! Requesting urgent support!"
"3rd party! You block that guy, 2nd party will cover! Execute!"
""""Execute!!""""
Perfect for warming up.
Dasan Clan players were already immersed in battle.
No, everyone was.
The power of players forming a large army was truly undeniable.
The monster army is being swept away.
Moreover, there were players firmly supporting them from behind.
Not just that.
"Pour all your firepower without minding the surroundings!"
This wasn't an urban area.
There were no civilians around.
There was no need to worry about collateral damage.
So players exerted their power without holding back.
Above all─
─Country of Thorns
Spark Blast
Comet
They believed in the hidden strength of Pandora Clan commanding them.
Those active in Jung-gu couldn't not know.
Boom boom boom!
Monsters that sensed battle breaking out swarmed in groups again.
But dealers didn't need to rush to the front and fight mixed with those guys.
Tree trunks with thorns that suddenly sprouted from the ground bound the monsters' movements.
Right then, not just fireballs but arrow rain poured down from the sky.
Those guys writhing in pain pierced by thorns collapsed without even resisting.
Furthermore─
─Hanmaeryu
Monsoon Rain
Suddenly feeling a chill.
Sharp icicle pillars fell onto the ground heated by flames.
Monsters still breathing had their bodies pierced and perished.
"The vanguard has collapsed! Charge!"
""""Chaaarge─!!""""
The monsters' momentum faltered.
Dasan Clan didn't miss that moment.
People who received the Clan Lord's signal charged as soon as the thorn trees disappeared.
And right then─
─Whoosh!
Flames arose.
Crimson flames passed by them.
Players weren't surprised.
All players in Yongsan-gu and Jung-gu knew who handled crimson flames.
Far from being startled, they were rather satisfied with the fact they were running together with the flames.
Phantasmal Transformation
Phoenix's Cloak
As the flames protected the players.
The flames divided into several branches and engulfed the swarming monsters.