Episode 6: Mafia Game / Chapter 92: Independent Troops (3)
TL: emptycube / ED: Obelisk
The instructor said,
"Forget the monsters you"ve fought until now. From now on, you will begin fighting real monsters, not those dumb, low ranked monsters. This means that the monsters aren"t simply strong. They will infiltrate your weak points. Let"s see… You said earthlings have fought with dimensional wasps and eyeless observers before? Remember the lessons you learned then, that monsters don"t fight us purely through strength."
They learned about monsters through actual battle. They were personally fighting against various types of monsters that were active throughout the universe.
Kakakang!
The monster, a jaksam, was a giant with an outrageous amount of endurance. Sovereign Jessie stabbed the monster"s third eye, but his spear curved like a reed and bounced off.
Clang!
The Sovereign of Paradise Camilla"s sword, shining with silver karma, slashed down at the jaksam"s arm, but it bounced back like an explosion. There wasn"t even a scratch on its arm.
{Keulaahh!}
The jaksam"s mouth opened. Its face looked like it was splitting in half, and they could see teeth covering its throat.
"Erdbeben-Blitzschlag (Lightning Quake)!"
Richard"s Lightning Quake pierced into its throat.
Woosh!
An intense vibration swept across its head, and it staggered as if dizzy, but that was it.
"… Crazy."
Dumbfounded, Richard closed his mouth.
They heard their instructor"s voice in their head.
{The monster jaksam, while weak in offensive power, is agile and possesses an enormous amount of endurance. No middle ranked warrior, using any method, can inflict an effective blow on it. That fellow will target and rush towards the troop"s commander or experts. If you are blocked by it, the key personnel won"t be able to fight properly, but that"s not all…}
The Ethiopian Sovereign Yohan momentarily revealed an opening while fighting. He was too close, and his body had temporarily exhausted its karma after launching a powerful attack.
{Kuoooh!}
Bang!
The 4-meter-tall mountain launched a swift advance. Its entire body suddenly emitted light, and that light gathered towards its fist. The moment the light gathered, its fist had already punched Yohan, and the light that had gathered in its fist was sucked into Yohan"s body before exploding.
Bang!
Yohan"s tough body flew away like a rag.
"Yohan!"
The Queen of England Diana shouted. Perhaps it was because they both became overseers who had been their respective country"s leader and because their fighting capabilities were low amongst the seven overseers, but the two quickly became friends.
Yohan staggered as he stood up within a cloud of dirt. Seeing this, Diana let out a sigh of relief.
"That light… scatters karma… cough."
As if he had been inflicted with an internal injury, Yohan"s lips were pale, and blood dripped from the corner of his lips. Even though he was weak compared to the other overseers, he was still one of the seven overseers. A top warrior of humanity. Someone like him had sustained a significant injury with a single punch.
{The jaksam sticks to its opponents and launches a deadly attack when it sees an opportunity like that. The attack itself contains a lot of destructive power, but it"s even more difficult as it momentarily scatters the target"s karma. To receive its attack, a warrior with outstanding endurance must block it after properly preparing himself so his karma doesn"t scatter. After three attacks, its body will be unable to keep up the defensive strength it once had. If you attack then, you can kill it.}
"Do we have to receive them? Can"t we avoid them?"
Grumbled Jessie. It was immediately followed by the instructor"s remark.
{The jaksam is careful. It won"t punch unless it knows it will definitely hit. Even outstanding warriors take three hits from the jaksam before attacking it.}
"… f.u.c.k."
Sovereign Jessie clicked his tongue as he looked around. Eventually someone would have to take two more hits from that monster to take it out. However, there was no way anyone would want to be hit by such a powerful attack.
Only then did Jessie realize the fear of the monster known as jaksam.
"It"s set up so someone has to sacrifice themselves. If a monster like that rushed into our headquarters during a war, then it would difficult to command the troops."
The instructor pointed that out.
{Do you get it? A fight with a monster can"t be settled with only power. Monsters will endlessly drive into our selfishness and try to disa.s.semble our unity.}
When everyone nodded their heads with heavy expressions at the instructor"s words, Choi Hyuk stepped out by himself.
Kiririkang!
He unsheathed "Imprint" from his waist.
{Ho? A karma-sword? He already got one? Is it a Weapon of Calling?}
The instructor showed interest. The other sovereigns reacted with a "What"s that?"
However, Choi Hyuk was simply curious.
"I finally get to use this sword."
If he used this sword, at least 300 points of karma would be distributed to stats relating to close combat (Power, Speed, Endurance, Control, and Stamina). Ideally it would supplement his weaker stats and enhance the stronger ones. Depending on Choi Hyuk"s capability, the distributed amount of karma could be 600 or 900 points instead of 300. A sword that theoretically didn"t possess a limit. A sword awakened with Choi Hyuk"s "Deadly Will".
Grrrp.
He gripped his sword as if he were trying to shatter it. His wrist became firmly fixed. His joints, such as his elbow and shoulder, became reinforced with karma. It was "Imprint" supplementing his weaknesses.
The lowest stat Choi Hyuk possessed was "Endurance - 100 (3★)". Although he was making up for it with his superb Control stat, the low endurance of his joints, which had to endure the impact of his close-ranged attacks, was an important reason for why his attack power lowered.
From the sensation of his firmly fixed wrist, his confidence surged as if he could even slash apart a star. Choi Hyuk"s arm easily rose above his head. Like a breechblock fixing into place with a click, the karma pathway connected to his Karma Heart added resilience to his arm. Choi Hyuk could feel the power from his raised arm. In that moment, he surpa.s.sed his Power, which was at the 4-star level, and his Speed, which was at the 5-star level. He was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with power. Choi Hyuk"s sword swung down like a ray of light.
"Instant Void Annihilation."
Sliiiice!
At the frightening sound, which seemed to rip the world apart, the shoulders of the six sovereigns, excluding Choi Hyuk, shivered.
Then, the body of the jaksam slowly split in two. The body, which could take any blow before it launched three lethal attacks, was easily cut as if it were paper.
{Impossible!}
Astonishment filled the instructor"s voice.
The training was like this.
{Like you know, the Dragon race was a tribe that once prided themselves on being a strong force. Commander Mack of the Virgo Cl.u.s.ter could be considered a part of the Dragon race. And the colonized land of earthlings, Dragonic, was a region where a lot of large Dragon races lived. However, at the beginning of the war, the monsters" invasions were concentrated on the homeland of the Dragon race, and now, the tribe"s scale has been reduced significantly. Also, a portion of the monsters parasitized and caused a change within dragons. They are known as "changed dragons". They are monsters that inherited the Dragon race"s characteristics. They are tough like jaksams, and they can use their breaths, which could be considered as lethal attacks, multiple times. Since they also possess the ability to fly, they could be considered as wide-scale killing machines.}
When the instructor"s explanation ended,
"Instant Void Annihilation."
Sliiiiice!
Choi Hyuk, who was having fun using "Imprint", immediately split his opponent.
{Overseer Choi Hyuk… Can"t you step in later for the other overseers? The training can"t progress properly like this… I"m really about to go crazy. For someone who just reached the level of a middle ranked warrior to possess, not a Weapon of Calling or a Weapon of Sentiment… but a Weapon of Vow! Now, really… d.a.m.n it…}
Although there were small events like this, the training went smoothly.
The time for the placement evaluation approached while he was having fun learning about and fighting middle ranked monsters he hadn"t faced until now. The placement evaluation took place in virtual reality.
"Leader, I"m going in first."
In the virtual reality, there was Lee Jinhee,
"Do we charge in?"
And Chu Youngjin,
"Hmm… There are a lot of monsters we"re seeing for the first time, leader. Do you know anything?"
And, of course, there was Baek Seoin as well.
They had transferred key figures" abilities and mentality using the data they obtained from observing Earth as a base.
"… Ah, uh. We are in the middle of our first mission, right?"
Choi Hyuk, who had been absentminded, was barely able to answer.
It was because the overseers had undergone a memory distorting procedure when they entered the virtual reality in order to evaluate them under normal circ.u.mstances. Currently, Choi Hyuk didn"t know that this was a placement evaluation. He simply thought this was a real situation.
There were hundreds of monsters on the other side, and each of the seven overseers was gathered on his side with their respective troops.
The monsters varied from low ranked monsters, which they had commonly seen before, to middle ranked monsters that they had learned about during their training. As the overseers" memories had been fabricated, they simply thought that what they learned during the training would be helpful.
Choi Hyuk began immediately.
"First, Baek Seoin"s troop"s team 1 and 2 are special teams. You see those 4-meter-tall giants over there, right? They are known as jaksams, and they will rush into our formation and target the commanders. We won"t be able to stab them with swords until we block three of their lethal attacks so those with tough bodies in team 1 and 2 need to receive their blows."
"Understood."
The Berserkers under Baek Seoin"s command equipped their swords and shields. They were influenced by the survival-optimized Baek Seoin and were famously known to survive in any battle. They were nicknamed "Berserk Roaches". Of course, they themselves hated their nickname.
"Retreat when those changed dragons over there approach. Their breaths target a large area and have amazing destructive power. Even if the formation breaks a little, if you retreat, I"ll take care of them personally."
The Berserkers" normal tactic was to just charge in, but currently, because there were so many different types of monsters, there was a need to put more thought into it. Of course, Choi Hyuk never thought to think of it all by himself.
"Also, that monster over there is known as the surprise box. If you kill them, there"s a small chance they"ll explode. Also, that monster over there is called the "event". If you kill them, then your karma will increase exponentially, but if you get crazy for them and only run around to hunt them, the formation will completely break."
Among others.
Choi Hyuk tried to explain the various monsters" characteristics to Baek Seoin as briefly as possible. Then, he patted his shoulder.
"Baek hyung, you got all that, right? Then, work hard. I"ll do my best to shake them up."
The true commander of the Berserkers was Baek Seoin anyways. Choi Hyuk"s best talent was his strength that could change the outcome of a war.
"Then! Off I go!"
Bang!
Choi Hyuk rushed into the fray of monsters.
At the same time, the other overseers set their own formations and began to advance.
{… They are fighting well. I heard that they aren"t good at cooperating… Their fighting and commanding potential are really top level.}
Like the instructor"s admiration, the overseers of Earth were fighting well. Although the monsters tried to use human"s mentality to break their formations and turn them pa.s.sive, it was no use. Regardless of what anyone said, the seven overseers had been screened from approximately 30 sovereigns. They had a definite hold over their direct followers.
If various humans gathered, they would fight and steal amongst themselves to fill their own selfishness, but when humans gathered together with those of the same mind and they had a leader they could follow with their heart, they would often display actions where they risked their lives. The troops led by the seven overseers were the top troops on Earth. This might have been an inevitable result.
As a result of the intense battle, the monsters" formation was ripped to shreds. The encircled monsters would be ground and smashed into the ground by the falling spears and artillery.
Although he didn"t know why, the sky had suddenly become dark and then bright again as if he blinked his eyes. Choi Hyuk rubbed his eyes. "Did I see wrong?" Although there was no way he saw incorrectly with his karma-enhanced eyes, the sky had turned dark then bright for some unknown reason.
"I think we won… Leader."
Chu Youngjin brushed off the blood on his sword as he approached.
"Looks like it."
When he casually turned towards Chu Youngjin, his eyes narrowed. "What the? Why would Chu hyung?" Before the sky had suddenly become dark, and now, he was seeing another unbelievable scene. Thinking he saw incorrectly, he raised his Mind"s Eye to the limit and examined him again, but it was the same. He was Chu Youngjin… and he was emitting a red light.
Puzzled, Choi Hyuk relaxed his shoulders and turned his defenseless back on Chu Youngjin.
"Is this the end?"
That moment.
Rumble!
Slice!
The unique sound of Chu Youngjin"s karma explosion was heard, followed by a frightening sound. Chu Youngjin launched a surprise attack, stabbing at Choi Hyuk"s back, while Choi Hyuk turned his body and sliced Chu Youngjin"s sword and legs. Chu Youngjin miserably rolled on the ground like a garbage bag.
"I was doubtful but… why is Chu hyung trying to kill me?"
Choi Hyuk coldly stared at Chu Youngjin.
Chu Youngjin was blankly staring at his sword, the red sword created from his lover, Lee Hyejin"s death, and didn"t let out a single moan. His eyes flared as he began to crawl towards Choi Hyuk.
"Stop."
Choi Hyuk warned.
However, Chu Youngjin continued to crawl with a rigid face.
Pscht.
"Imprint" pierced through the back of Chu Youngjin"s head and into the ground.
Choi Hyuk"s expression was cold. Since he wasn"t aware he was in a virtual reality, he was currently in a very disturbed state.
"Should I have listened to him instead of killing him?"
Although he was swept with regret.
"He already had the face of someone determined to die."
He simply shook his head. Above all, he was surprised by how uncomfortable the sensation in his hand was. Even though he was someone who lived thinking "I can kill anyone", killing Chu Youngjin was too unpleasant. It was to the point where he thought, "If I have to kill him again, would I be able to?" Choi Hyuk had grown attached to him more than he thought.
While Choi Hyuk was standing absentmindedly, similar events occurred around him. The angel-like Penelope stabbed the Sovereign of Paradise Camilla, and Richard"s aide, Leah, stabbed him. Five overseers were simultaneously logged out due to the betrayal of those close to them. The ones who survived were Choi Hyuk, who killed Chu Youngjin, and Richard, who was injured but managed to kill Leah.
Choi Hyuk had been able to notice Chu Youngjin"s killing intent with his "Eyes of Distinction", and Richard had seen Leah change from "someone to keep alive" to "someone to kill" though his "Eyes of the Judge".
Although they survived, the shock from the fact that the people they trusted attacked them was huge. "Did I do something wrong?" "Did I miss something?" While Richard and Choi Hyuk were standing absentmindedly, wondering about something they would be unable to find an answer for, the world suddenly brightened before darkening.
"… Hrk."
Choi Hyuk opened his eyes. His surroundings were in a mess.
"What was that at the end? If that was a joke, it was really unpleasant."
He heard Camilla"s icy voice.
"It"s not a joke. That is also a type of monster."
He heard the instructor"s serious voice as well. Then he said,
"To be honest… Since the "doppelganger" is a very rare top ranked monster, it isn"t part of the evaluation. It is customary to put that monster in during the placement evaluation to make you alert after dying once… but to catch that… Two people to boot."
The instructor shook his head as he looked at a frowning Choi Hyuk and a dazed Richard.
Then he said,
"Overseer Choi Hyuk and Overseer Richard, your placement evaluations… were a perfect score."
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