◈ Episode 059

It was a time when airplanes were rare. The threat of flying monsters, sudden bad weather, and international treaties were signed just as disasters were beginning to take hold.

In modern times, exchanges between countries have also become rare. The greatest utility has faded, and in conditions where it is difficult to preserve national territory, aircraft have become a hippopotamus that eats up maintenance costs.

But not now.

The wind blew with a loud roar of rotors. As the helicopter approached, the commander shouted.

"What are you looking at! Shoot!"

Ignoring the bullets flying, he flew over the barricade. The helicopter soon reached the top of the smoke screen. As it gradually lowered its altitude, the hatch opened.

The shadow of the person hanging from the rope began to descend. An absurdly violent rappel, with no regard for safety. It was called rappel, but it was simply the act of holding onto the rope and jumping down.

thud!

The impact of the landing hit the asphalt. Kim Yi-hyeon's legs were starting to hurt as he watched. If he hadn't had natural athletic ability, his bones might have broken.

Now the smoke had cleared away and they could acknowledge each other without any problems. Kim Yi-hyeon, who was crouching down to prepare for the shooting, and the person who jumped down met each other's eyes.

The corners of Asterike's eyes curved gently.

"hyeon."

It was a welcome face.

In fact, Ast had a blunt personality in the game. He was not very talkative, and he never lost his serious demeanor, even when it wasn't an emergency. That's why the way he was portrayed in the side story was a gap that was able to touch the hearts of users so much.

'But I never thought I'd get used to this expression.'

There was not a trace of caution or seriousness in that innocent smile. Asterike always smiled like that. It was a feeling that made the feeling that had been standing still become soft.

"Chelsea?"

"Up! I don't want to come down even if I die!"

I had to turn up the volume so that it wouldn't be buried in the rotor noise. At least I could hear it because Asterique's tone was already so pleasing to the ear.

"Well, I guess so."

Kim Yi-hyeon glanced at the sky. Chelsea and Asterike's roles were different from the beginning. Considering her characteristics, it would be better to let her provide fire support from the helicopter.

There were three things that Kim Lee-Hyeon specifically instructed.

1. Keep a 24-hour watch on the Atlanta border. Of course, there are people stationed at the safe house. Using the radio network, you can quickly report.

2. If a large-scale movement is detected at the border checkpoint, support will be provided. Accordingly, the Lab side was preparing for flight from the moment the soldiers began to set up barricades.

Third and finally.

Asterique would get used to rappelling, Chelsea would get used to flying… … .

'Don't get your hopes up.'

It's easy to imagine him trembling as he holds a gun. If he could overcome his phobia in just a few days, no one would have a hard time. Asterique's repel was equally bad.

To be honest, the reason I left Chelsea was to take care of Asterike's mental health. I couldn't bring myself to leave him alone because of what I've seen so far.

"But why are you only looking for Chelsea?"

A voice was heard nearby. When I lowered my head, Asterike was suddenly approaching me. Close enough that my breath could touch hers. Her expression was slightly pained.

"He's not visible, so are you looking for him?"

"You don't have anything to say to me? It's been a while."

"Not even a week has passed."

It was strange, even as I said it myself. The fact that only five days had passed at most. Did that mean that life in Atlanta had been so shitty that five days felt so damn long?

"So, you didn't want to see it?"

"I wanted to see you."

Asterike smiled brightly when I answered.

"Yeah. Good job."

… … Are you doing well?

Kim Yi-hyeon was momentarily stunned. The proud face caught his eye. It seemed as if he was satisfied with having said what he wanted to say.

Maybe he was influenced by something while hanging out with Chelsea. While he was thinking about it in his head, Asterique's gaze shifted forward.

"Sorry for the useless talk. What are your orders?"

Even this was disconcerting. The series of events seemed like a pre-written script. However, as it was just useless talk, Kim Yi-hyun focused on the situation again.

"Advance. Don't break ranks!"

The Legion was already coming out of the defensive line they had built. This was to pressure them into boarding the helicopters and preventing them from escaping.

The speed of closing the gap is slow. Despite the large difference in numbers, they are clearly on guard. It is believed that they received separate orders from Mithril, including information about Kim I-Hyeon.

It's exactly as planned. I never thought of escaping right away while facing the enemy. Ismail can't even move himself. There's no way I'd leave him alone until I got on board.

There is only one plan.

"I'm going to break through. While I'm at it, I'm also going to reduce my power."

Two swords were created for Kim Yi-Hyeon's hands. [Vibranium Composite Sword] and [Caryes] were given to Asterike and Westcreek respectively.

"Pierce through."

His one word became a signal.

Asterike was in the lead. She rushed forward, dragging her heavy sword across the floor.

There was no trace of the same confusion on the soldiers' faces as before. They measured the distance between themselves and their opponents with their eyes, and calmly estimated the difference in strength with their heads.

There is currently only one confirmed reinforcement. No matter how much of a Pecatum they are, their armament is poor. They are not wearing bulletproof vests, but rather thick jumpers. Their weapons, neither blunt weapons nor swords, look ridiculous.

All judgments are overturned in an instant.

Kuung!

As the blunt tip of the sword struck the asphalt, a gust of hot air swept through. A figurative flame, resembling lava, raced down the road. A bright red swamp began to approach.

"...shooting!"

The gun fired before I could even get within range. It was because I was anxious, sensing danger.

But the focus was sharp. Dozens of bullets rained down on Asterike in precise trajectories.

And then it disappeared.

The fire that enveloped Asterike's entire body melted the copper armor and consumed the bullets. Without a single wound, the distance of several hundred meters was shortened by the second.

A world where guns exist openly. Even though it is a game, the settings cannot be ignored. When discussing the strong in Polaris, 'how well can they deal with guns' is a key point.

'In Asterike's case... I can apply that insane attack power as is.'

So to speak, the attack and defense are integrated.

Since it was a monster that broke the balance in terms of settings, there was a restriction that it could not control spells. But now, even that has been resolved.

'It's not like there are no weaknesses, though.'

Unlike the cautious 'Asterike', Asterike is particularly vulnerable to assassination. It also has poor fuel efficiency. It must rest after using a spell.

Of course, it's not something to worry about now.

Boom, bang!

There was a series of explosions.

The Legion allowed Asterike to approach, helpless. The lava on the ground swallowed the soldiers' boots and feet whole. The flames that spurted from the blades burned the human bodies, leaving no bones behind.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

He charged forward with a single blow and broke the battle line. The sight of him dashing through the enemy lines without stopping was truly a sight to behold. It was difficult to just admire him as an onlooker.

'Did I raise you like that?'

Should he feel happy about this or not? Even with his complicated feelings, Kim Yi-Hyeon's feet moved well. He ran around the sticky, melted road and aimed the gun.

Bang, bang!

Head and chest. They hit the enemy's vital points accurately. The Legion soldiers did not run away in panic even as their comrades were killed in bunches.

In other words, it was an easy target to hit.

'Thank goodness there's no walker.'

If those zombies had been there, it would have been annoying. While Asterike was distracted, Kim Yi-hyeon took care of the enemies along his path one by one.

There are still a lot of them. They seem to be scattered, perhaps because they are conscious of Asterike. It is a hassle to deal with them all.

'There's no need to do that.'

The goal is to escape. Ismail is being carried by Turkam. Since he is defenseless, he must be protected and fought.

One Asterike is enough to break through the enemy lines. West Creek is also keeping pace with this. The presence of a teammate who moves as you wish without you having to say anything is valuable.

Kim Lee-Hyeon emptied the magazine and put the gun out of his hand.

I endured the headache and created a new weapon. Tactical axe [Brutaldozer]. A 3-star special weapon that increases attack power by 3% every time you kill an enemy.

'30% is the maximum, and it's already trash at the point where it needs to be warmed up.'

At least in terms of quantity warfare performance, it is the best among the special weapons up to 3 stars. It is also easy to obtain, so it is one of the weapons that newbies who have just entered the game depend on. Since there are many types, it becomes a rather barbaric fighting style, but it was a new story.

He reached the front of the enemy with his shield raised. After striking his body, he drove the axe blade into his side. Almost at the same time, on the right, Westcreek swung his machete and stabbed the enemy in the chest.

The commander couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Oh, how could this be…."

It was a scene of massacre.

Only five. Of those, only three were actually fighting. Despite the nearly twenty-fold difference in strength, the defense line was being devastated.

Of course I know. There are strong people in the world who can turn the tide of battle on their own. Just like Mithril single-handedly annihilated an entire unit in the battle against the Atlanta army.

But it's not common. In the world's common sense, spells are just special tricks. Like lighting a fire without a lighter. It would be convenient if you had it, but it's not bad if you don't have it.

A grain of sand filtered out from a handful of sand. The commander revered Mithril because it was so rare. Anyone who was under Mithril's command would do the same.

But what do they say?

"Who the hell are you?"

The muttering voice shook uneasily. No one heard it, whether it was good or bad luck. There were only the last words and screams. The number of soldiers who turned their backs and died increased one by one.

The commander did not know who Kim Yi-Hyeon and his group belonged to. He only heard that there was a unique research institute that studied spells. He did not even know the name of Dustborn or Cellbrox Labs.

I thought without knowing anything.

'Perhaps, perhaps even comparable to the Legion… … .'

grasp!

His new form fell to the ground after being pierced through the forehead.

Bullets flew from the sky. As the helicopter rose again, a small figure was moving its hands busily.

"Fuck, shit. Uwaaaaaaaa…!"

Chelsea, who was crouching down and aiming down, retched. Her face was pale. Her lips were purple and looked as if she was about to vomit.

Even in her haggard state, her shooting was absolutely accurate. Chelsea was a typical 'if you try, you can do it' person. She just had some flaws in her personality and constitution.

About 5 minutes after the battle started.

At this point, there were only about twenty soldiers left alive. There were also quite a few who had fallen due to friendly fire. There was no trace of a skilled soldier.

The road opened easily.

'I could just get on the helicopter like this…'

Kim Yi-hyeon glanced at the helicopter in flight. You are defenseless while boarding it. It takes time to land it and get on board all at once.

'It would be better to move to a safe place.'

He gestured to continue the operation. The enemy had already lost half of their will to fight. There was no need to annihilate them, but there was no reason to give them time to cool down.

West Creek took the lead, breaking through the barricade. Turkam and Ismail were in the second row. Kim I-hyeon guarded the rear to allow the two to pass, and observed the path they had taken.

There was a brief conflict.

Perhaps, it might even be possible to handle Mithril. However, without much thought, the thought was quickly dismissed from my mind.

'It's too dangerous.'

Mithril isn't the only problem. The enemy will continue to replenish. I've also lost a lot of stamina from fighting consecutive battles. I guess I'll only be able to use the spell once or twice.

The moment he loses the ability to maintain [the vibranium composite sword], his chances of winning are lost. West Creek's attack power cannot penetrate Mithril. Likewise, he would have been exhausted as well.

'This is it for now.'

An all-out war was not planned from the beginning. It's not all that regrettable. It might be better to let Mithril cause internal strife among the Legion.

But there is no second time.

'I'll catch you next time.'

Kim Lee-hyeon crossed the border, looking forward to the future.

There were zero casualties among the team members. It was a perfect result.