◈ Episode 21

White Fang's waiting room.

"Information has come in. To be honest, its credibility is questionable. Listen with that in mind."

A thick, low-pitched voice resonated from a woman. A map of the underground routes of the old Cilicia Federation was spread out on the billiard table.

Yeah, it was a pool table.

White Fang had a strange culture. Even though they had a proper war room, they held briefings in a lounge full of entertainment.

'Is this some kind of mercenary's dream?'

We've been working together for a month now, but I still have a hard time understanding them. Another thing I can't get used to is that these mercenaries change very quickly.

There had been no noise until just a moment ago, but as soon as the briefing began, it became quiet. All the assembled members listened to the platoon leader.

"Roben, explain."

The balding squad leader, Robben, nodded.

"Yesterday at 8 pm, my squad made contact with a group of Outlaws, disguised as Fallenrail Corps, and received a request for protection from them."

"...Wait a minute. This is weird from the start. Outlaw asked for protection? To an employee of a company that makes a living by maintaining railroads?"

It was Bryce who raised the question. The other members also looked at him, demanding a detailed explanation.

"It was a nice request, but it had the nuance of a deal. It seemed like he knew something about us."

"To what extent?"

"That a certain armed group is moving underground. They lure the Outlaws out with supplies. They don't mention the Lotus Company."

"Does that mean the affiliation hasn't been revealed?"

"I'm not sure, though."

A look of relief passed over the faces of the people. It wasn't the worst situation.

If the names of the Lotus Company and White Fang were known? Then, it would have been necessary to suspect a spy within.

"Continuing, their request is this: Help ensure the survival of the 12 Outlaws and help them be pardoned. They want to live proudly on the surface."

The reaction was cold.

Jenna let out a hollow laugh next to Kim Yi-hyun. There was even someone swearing at a volume that wouldn't be disturbing.

"Huh? Pardon? I guess you mistake us for some high-ranking member of the police force."

"Just shoot him? Where are you keeping him?"

"Calm down. I have no intention of negotiating with the Outlaws. But this isn't something that can be resolved by brute force like we've done so far. We'll have to use whatever we can."

"Why don't we just find the key strongholds and wipe them out? I don't think we can get swayed by those rats."

"Will your ancestors find that stronghold?"

When the freckled young Kenny protested, Romero, wearing a beanie, grumbled.

Kim Yi-hyeon had been on a mission with those two before, and although they bickered, they strangely had good chemistry together.

The car was gradually becoming noisy.

"Even if they aren't our ancestors, the rat cubs will personally guide us."

The men fell silent at the platoon leader's words. They looked as if they were deep in thought.

In exchange for their pardon, they would reveal the Outlaws' home base. It sounded like a pretty good 'deal'.

Especially since White Fang has no obligation to keep their promise.

It was Pep who broke the silence.

"It's a trap. It's such a good story."

"I also think it's dangerous."

Bryce nodded. The platoon leader began to look around at her men. Finally, her gaze settled on Kim Hyun.

"Guest. What do you think?"

me?

The arrow suddenly changed direction. Kim Yi-hyeon was inwardly confused, but that only lasted for a moment.

I was thinking that I should get involved sooner or later.

The conversation that just took place coincided exactly with the introduction of the LW-3 Stage. It was the time when dark clouds began to spread across Cilicia.

It was the perfect timing to change the future.

"Of course, it's like Pep said."

"So I should ignore it?"

"no."

Kim Lee-Hyun shook his head.

"Now that I think about it… you guys know this problem is serious, but I don't think you realize how serious it is. From what I've seen, we're in a position where we can't tell the difference between water and fire right now."

"What do you mean? Tell me so I can understand."

"The Outlaws I've seen are quite organized. Judging from the fact that everyone knows about our activities, there's no doubt that information exchange between groups is active."

"Oh my. What's an Outlaw? How long have you been in Cilicia?"

A man with a sullen look snorted. Sorry, I don't remember his name.

"It's been a little over a month now."

"Then isn't it too early to pretend to know?"

"Rather, isn't it because you've been hanging out with the Outlaws for too long that you have prejudices? You say that the Outlaws are all idiots and socially unstable and that they don't know how to unite opinions."

"…Are you done talking, you little bird...."

"Shut up, Tony."

The platoon leader stopped the argument before it could escalate.

'His name was Tony.'

It was so unmemorable. I think I'll probably forget it again tomorrow. It should be reasonably ordinary.

"Keep going."

There was no other way since it was the platoon leader's order. Kim I-hyeon released the information appropriately.

"If their disposition has changed in a month, it means something has happened. They may have already gathered forces and prepared for war."

"I think that's a bit of a leap. No matter how many weapons they receive, they won't be able to get to the surface. They'll just be suppressed by the security forces and that'll be the end of it. It's not like they don't know that."

"If it's just Outlaws, then yes. But why do you think that providing weapons to those guys is a business in the first place? Why would you be giving away valuable weapons to Outlaws who are living underground?"

This was the part that I thought was the most reassuring. White Fang had completely ruled out the possibility that it was the work of an outside force.

Kim Lee-hyun also knew the reason.

'At least for now, there is no war.'

Since the disaster began in earnest, there has been no war on the continent. The countries have signed non-aggression pacts and faithfully observed them.

Disasters and monsters alone threaten humanity's survival. The long-lasting peace, not peace, has erased war from people's minds.

At any rate, 'until now'.

'Cilicia will be the trigger.'

The moment when those who have lost their homes to disaster, or have lost their homes, realize that plunder is the only option left.

Non-aggression pacts will become meaningless, and gunpowder smoke will rise across the continent.

Only now did the possibility of a foreign power enter the minds of the agents.

It wasn't impossible. There was a way to approach the Outlaws without entering Cilicia.

The underground entrance is not only in the Metro Center. It is also possible to enter from the former Cilicia Federation territory. Now, you can enter from the closed area.

The next question followed.

If there was an outside force involved, what was it? Why was it targeting Cilicia?

The platoon leader cut off the endless string of questions. It had nothing to do with White Fang.

What they had to think about was simpler.

"I'll leave three reserves. Rob, Peterson, and Nikolai stand by. Everyone else, get ready."

The members stood up from their seats.

It was a chance to pinpoint the Outlaws' base, whether it was a trap or something else. As the saying goes, it was a situation where nothing could be done.

The platoon leader's eyes turned to Kim Lee-Hyeon again.

"Guest, what are you going to do? You're not going to make a big fuss and then leave, are you?"

Kim Yi-hyeon just shrugged his shoulders. There was no need to say anything.

* * *

Since he didn't have any personal equipment to bring, Kim I-hyeon didn't leave his seat. He sat still and thought about what would happen next.

In the game, the squad leader made an ambiguous decision. He dispatched four men, believing it to be an Outlaws trap, but frustrated by the lack of progress.

The method is to advance with a freelance bounty hunter as a stand-in, while White Fang's squad follows.

The method itself wasn't bad.

'It may not be the best, but it's better than nothing.'

It was a trap. When I went according to Outlaw's information, the Legion was waiting.

White Fang is caught stalking and three of his men are killed. The agent who managed to escape manages to tell his colleagues the news.

But in reality, almost all of them will be mobilized. It was a change brought about by Kim Lee-hyun's intervention.

'It's like jumping into a corner.'

In a way, it was no different from going to die, because the legion's executives came forward in person.

'White Fang is not weak, but… … .'

White Fang agents are experts in PvP. Even though they only have one playable character, they are roughly comparable to Pablo, a 4-star agent.

The problem is that the compatibility is clear.

Most of them use firearms and crossbows. In game terms, they have a certain level of attack power, but they are weak against enemies with high defense.

In particular, the 'Mithril' you will encounter this time is an enemy with extremely high physical defense. It is not an opponent that White Fang can deal with.

But Kim Lee-hyun was confident.

'Things are better now compared to Shadow's time.'

2 star equipment. White Fang.

What's more, there are also 5-star agents.

"Hyun-ssi, you're amazing."

"Huh? What?"

When I looked up, Mary was approaching me. She seemed hesitant. After all her colleagues were wiped out, her timidity was further enhanced by her gloominess.

This agent is ridiculed by users in many ways.

"Well, you speak clearly when you feel like something is not right. You are confident and capable."

"Really? All the other guys were swearing at me, calling me a gun nerd."

"Shooting… you'll get better with practice!"

Are you saying that it's similar to a life-size doll?

"I envy Mr. Hyun. My spell is useless. It's been 10 years since it was created and it doesn't show any signs of improvement, so I... I think it's worse than not having it."

"I don't know. If I think about it carefully, I'm sure it could be useful somewhere."

"Is that so?"

It was a voice that had already given up.

You've probably heard similar advice countless times. After thinking it over, you've decided that it's useless.

There are no scenes in the work where Mary is active.

In each side story where the agent is the main character, it is hard to find another agent who is treated this poorly.

The final stage is a defeat event, just like the previous 0-5. The only difference from Ghost is that you miraculously survive.

But there is one annoying thing.

Title: Mithril Shit?

LW-6 I was so pissed off after getting my head smashed that I looked into the strategy;

I took her there because she was so sad, but she was like, yikes

The mithril just peels off?

Why is White Fang applied?

Koitsu deliberately killed his comrades

└ (Mary is incompetent)

└ (Mary is elephant poop)

If you use Mary like this, the strategy becomes considerably easier. Even if she is not at the level of melting the enemy on her own, she is a great help in destroying the gimmick.

The prevailing opinion is that if Mary had used her spells well, White Fang would not have been annihilated.

But in the story, he gets knocked out with a single blow. It's not for nothing that he's called a loser.

'It's a bit harsh, though.'

According to the setting, Mary only learns how to use spells after joining the Cellbrox Lab.

The line that appears when the operation is completed, "Is it better than I was back then…?" is quite heartbreaking.

This is a line you will never hear again.

"This time you will play a big role."

"Yes? Me, me?"

With less than two months left until the full-scale invasion of Cilicia begins, the plot would be distorted if Mithril could be dealt with in advance.

'I'm glad I got here easily.'

He had already crossed the eight-legged ridge. The conditions were perfect. Kim Yi-hyeon had a feeling of success.

… … and the next day.

Six crew members were killed during the operation, including Mary.