◈ Episode 209

The Dustborne Operations Team entered Kartata straight away. There was no time to leisurely tour the city. Just looking at the long line of refugees was enough to tell you about the city's situation.

The first feeling Asterike felt upon setting foot on her homeland was 'unfamiliarity'.

'There were this many people.'

Compared to Cilicia, Kartata was a village that was almost like a backwater.

A place where you will see most of the faces you recognize as you walk down the street, where people help each other out when winter is difficult, and where people know each other's recent events in such detail that it is sometimes creepy.

It probably won't be any different now.

Bastite is basically a country with little change. Although there have been many reforms recently, the center of change is the capital. The population of the provinces has decreased, not increased.

The atmosphere is just noisy.

Just like that day when onlookers flocked to the burned down mansion.

"Oh, you arrived faster than I thought."

Upon arriving at the barracks, a neat-looking woman greeted the operation team.

"I am Monica Galliena, Vice-Captain of the White Eagle Knights. I think I've passed by you a few times in the palace, but this is my first time greeting you."

As expected, it was a face that Kim Yi-hyeon knew. He was an officer of the knights under the royal command. He is already a big shot, but considering his young age, he is expected to do even better in the future.

'I didn't see it in the game, though.'

He probably died or became disabled in the civil war.

It's not something to feel any new emotions about.

"This is Kim Lee-Hyeon from Dustborne Corporation."

Kim Yi-hyeon was aware of the atmosphere in the barracks as he made his statement. It was obvious that the overall situation was chaotic. Judging from their expressions and attire, it seemed as if they were roughly divided into two groups.

Troops that have been stationed in the city from the beginning.

The White Eagle Knights dispatched from the royal family.

"I've heard a lot about Dustborne's reputation. I personally have high expectations for you, but since this is an operation that emphasizes organization, please follow my orders as much as possible."

It seemed that the Knights had the upper hand. It seemed that no troublesome problems would arise. There might be friction between the two, but Kim Yi-Hyeon didn't care.

If you have any concerns,

'I see you have an acquaintance in Asterike.'

Asterike did not cover his face. In the past, he was careful not to reveal his criminal record, but now he has the royal family behind him. A criminal record or two is not a big blemish.

As I walked around with my face out confidently, I found a few people glancing at Asterike. They had expressions that were somewhat hesitant, if not certain. There are some things that don't change as time goes by.

But he himself doesn't seem to be very interested.

'Let's just remember it for now.'

By the way, what did you say?

"I urge you again. Please refrain from acting alone and follow instructions."

Oh, yeah. That's what it was.

"Don't worry. We're not such hopeless people."

"I apologize if that sounds offensive. However, this is an important issue. The survival of the city depends on it, so everyone must work together as one."

Dustborn will be respected, but there will be no special treatment. If you do not follow orders, I am prepared to hold you accountable. This is roughly what it means.

'Well, there's no need to bow down to us.'

Just not making racist remarks is enough to pass the test of humanity. Echidna's pride seemed to have been slightly hurt, but Kim Yi-hyun's personality wasn't that bad.

"Of course. I also really like organization and efficiency."

So what?

If it seems that the organization and efficiency are lacking at first glance, then there is no such thing as command or authority.

* * *

The location where the crack appeared is a mountain adjacent to the city.

It was a well-managed place in normal times. The hunters' regular patrols and the herbalists' thorough reporting were effective. The monsters were defeated before they could come down to the city, and the number of wild animals did not exceed a certain level.

The once peaceful mountain suddenly turned into a magical place.

Kwak!

The blade was stuck in the deer's head. The three abnormally protruding eyes twitched and lost focus. Gray crystals oxidized from the instantly dead body and permeated the air.

"Ugh, eeek...."

The soldier who had been trampled by the deer looked like a rat drenched in blood. Sharp eyes fell on him who could hardly keep his body still.

"Are you injured?"

"That, that, right arm a little bit."

"Then back off. There is a risk of infection."

Monica drew her sword and assessed the situation.

Even though they had already dealt with more than ten, there were still five left. The entrance to the mountain was easy because they had already deployed troops and controlled it, but once they passed the middle, the battle became fierce.

"Don't go alone. Attack cautiously and in cooperation!"

Each individual is not particularly threatening. If you respond in groups of three, you can definitely kill them. Up until this point, it was fine, but the biggest problem was the environment.

"Damn, here we go again!"

The commotion of battle brought forth new monsters. How many monsters were lurking in this tiny mountain? It was safe to assume that all the mountain beasts had turned into monsters.

Every time, Monica had to step up and respond. She seemed to be no slouch in the position of vice-captain, as she easily cut down monsters larger than herself.

However, as the focus shifted to combat, the precision of command declined.

'There are too many things to worry about.'

This was the first time I had experienced this strange phenomenon. Every time we fought, there were many casualties. Most of them were minor injuries, but even those could lead to infection.

The presence of outsiders was also a headache.

"Vice-Captain. Are you going to keep those people in the rear?"

While resting after the battle, the subordinate said:

It was obvious who he was referring to without me having to ask.

"I can't help it. I don't mean to reject you, but...."

Monica glanced at Kim Hyun, who looked somewhat ambiguous. While the soldiers and knights were struggling, Dustborn did nothing. Because she persistently gave orders to standby.

"You can tell just by looking at the equipment. It's difficult to actively employ them. If we leave them on our backs, we'll be wary of friendly fire, so we'll be hesitant, and we can't put the royal guest in the lead either."

Even if you don't look down on him by calling him Minos, an outsider is an outsider. If you throw him in rashly, it will only ruin the harmony. As a commander, he is just like a plaything.

Monica's judgment was also seen through by Dustborne's agents.

"Every time something like this happens, I feel a little bit lost. It makes me realize how amazing Mr. Asterike is. I don't think Minos has ever been treated this way before."

"Huh? Well, that's because I drank a lot of foreign food."

"So what? It's comfortable and nice. Then I'll go back and make a big fuss about it."

Echidna shrugged as she interrupted Chelsea and Asterike's conversation. She had been nervous about her first real fight in a while, but she seemed to have lost her cool after being treated as an outsider.

But that's only for now.

'Is this where we're starting to get to the center?'

The contamination index displayed on the meter is approaching 300p. If you have a weak immune system, you can get infected just by breathing. The monsters that have appeared so far are just the aftereffects of the crack.

"Enough chit-chat. Get ready."

The cracks are not so easy to break.

"...Get down!"

Monica shouted urgently.

Immediately afterwards, an owl-like monster poked its head out from the tree. Its crumpled wings spread out like a fan, then fell down, forming a blade about ten meters long.

The stiff tree, the armor and the body inside.

Anything that touched the wing was cleanly cut down.

"Ahhhhh! My, my arm…!"

Blood spurted out like a fountain from the cut area. Because it was so sudden, there were more than a few who were slow to evade. Before they could even assess the damage, the wings began to fold again.

Only then was Monica able to clearly see her enemy's appearance.

'Parasite?'

Wings that are unusually large compared to the body. The entire body is covered with a thin gray membrane. No crystals were observed anywhere on the body, indicating that it was a parasite that had mutated from a beast.

An adult born from an egg.

That wasn't all. The mutants were coming in droves, smelling the blood.

"Oh no…! We must retreat first!"

It is not realistic to continue the operation. Once the battle begins, more will come. The egg that was found in advance is not the only one. It is impossible to know how many of them hatched.

The word annihilation just came to Monica's mind.

Jiiing―!

A wire suddenly emerged from the rear.

The wire attached to the tree shortened and a human silhouette dashed through the air. It stopped on a thick branch, overlooking the owl. An electronic sound flowed from the gun he was holding.

"No, run away!"

As soon as Monica shouted, the owl turned its body. The wings that had once been swung had returned to their original state. Like a loaded gun.

Just as the wings were about to spread again,

- Leg!

A large hole appeared in the owl's body.

"...huh?"

Monica stood frozen in place, ready to kick the ground. An owl fell in front of her, along with blood. A piece of flesh with half of its face gone.

Then Kim Yi-hyeon came back down to the ground. He had been holding a strange gun for some time. The barrel was wide open like a crocodile's mouth. The triangular ball and neon light were impressive.

"We will take charge from now on, focusing on efficiency."

"Yes? Acting alone…."

"Looking at the appearance, I thought it would be the same no matter when."

"What do you mean by same?"

"If you move after you've all died, isn't that also an independent action?"

Kim Yi-hyun's dry eyes stared straight at Monica. But only for a moment, as if he had no more business, he passed by. He put the gun in his hand and new equipment appeared.

[GNW3 Launcher].

The cartridge produced together contained three grenades. Special grenades with different effects. Kim Yi-Hyeon took out the purple grenade and loaded it.

I pulled the trigger, aiming at the horde of mutants that were blindly charging towards me.

Boom!

A heavy grenade landed in the middle of the crowd.

As the grenade exploded, electricity was released from within. The mutants began to be dragged into the spreading electric field. They fought back by scratching and biting each other, but it was nothing more than a meaningless struggle.

Kim Hyun-i drew his minigun as he faced the struggling enemies.

Drrrrrr!

Blood spurted out like a spray of water.

The sparks of the gravity field and the loud gunshots shook the mountain. By the time the bullets were half-empty, the mutants were already in tatters.

Monica opened her mouth without realizing it.

"What is that?"

Less than a minute had passed.

Dozens of monsters were annihilated in an instant.

It was a sight that made me doubt my eyes. A level of violence that was far beyond common sense. It was to the point where I honestly felt like an idiot for swinging a knife. Her subordinates shared the same sentiment.

I've heard the rumors so many times.

Two foreign companies that were actively interacting with the royal family. Among them, Dustborne was rumored to be particularly dangerous among the knights.

'I never thought it was a lie.'

If not, there's no smoke coming out of the chimney. Even though they were Minos, they were recognized as authors who could do one thing. Outsiders had their own fighting style, and they were the ones who honed it.

But imagination and reality were so different.

Before discussing skill or technique, it was just overwhelming.

"What are you staring at so absentmindedly?"

Still looking neat, Kim Yi-hyeon took a step forward.

"Let's clean up quickly."