Chapter 399: If he were an enemy (1) |
“I don’t know how to say this. This is my first time seeing him go all out, but how… how could a human being be so strong?” asked Lee Ji-Hye with her mouth agape.
I was sure she was having a hard time comprehending what she was seeing as she quietly stared at the screen. Naturally, the people on the chaotic battlefield definitely felt the same as her. Actually, they had to be more shocked than her because we were watching Kim Hyun-Sung through a screen.
‘Tactical Kim Hyun-Sung. Tactical Kim Hyun-Sung.’
There was a chance that Lee Ji-Hye coined the term as a joke, but there was definitely some merit to it when we saw the destruction Kim Hyun-Sung had left in his wake. Kim Hyun-Sung had laid waste to the enemy, but he didn’t kill the majority of the enemy troops. He incapacitated most of them rather than killing them, which was a bit shocking. After all, it was harder to ensure the survival of one’s enemies rather than just outright killing them amidst the chaos of the battlefield.
I felt the same as Lee Ji-Hye. I knew Kim Hyun-Sung was strong, but it was a bit difficult to accept that he could influence a battlefield this much. I knew named players could potentially turn the tables around, but Kim Hyun-Sung was showing us something different compared to what the other named players had done so far. Of course, many things were happening at once, but he seemed like he would become a different person whenever he was diligently fulfilling the orders I gave him. Goosebumps broke out all over me when I saw him wielding his sword, and it was because of the sheer sense of awe I felt while staring at him.
Kim Hyun-Sung was the perfect example of an exemplary warrior in novels.
‘Alright, Hyun-Sung. You’re the best.’
Lee Ji-Hye was definitely more shocked than me because this was her first time seeing Kim Hyun-Sung’s true abilities, unlike me, who had been watching him perform up close. It was funny to see her stare at the screen with her mouth agape, and I started wondering how often she had that kind of expression while giving orders to the detachments under her.
“Amazing, right? Did you see how he swung his sword just now? And how he took down that mage before that?” I asked.
“What do you think he is then if he isn’t human?” I asked.
“Who knows? I just know that he’s special. Now that I think about it, he had always been special, even in the tutorial dungeon. How can a human being—no, I’m sure my current feelings are different from the past, but he did seem strange back then,” she replied.
“Pffft, really?”
“Of course, I know that you influenced him in the recent plan, but you have the same expression as me, although you aren’t as surprised as me. It’s undeniable that he’s someone people will find hard to understand. The world is really unfair. I think I can finally understand why you have been clinging to him. I’m not… dreaming right now, right?” she asked.
“You’re not dreaming. Honestly, I had no idea he was this strong. I had an idea, though. But now, you understand our guild members’ reaction, right?” I asked.
“It’s not just your guild, but the soldiers around him helped me understand the surrealness of the situation. I’m sure that if he decides to kill someone, then no one will be able to stop him. No one,” she replied.
“That’s true, but don’t think too much about it, noona. People like him are different from people like us. By the way, the sitrep?” I asked.
“Everything is fine, and I gave the job to another commander. They’re no longer in trouble, and since we have captured the enemy’s named player here, we finally have some room to breathe. Of course, we can’t let our guard down just yet, but right now, we have to end this battle as fast and safely as possible. We can then organize the troops once more and head to Castle Rock. The demon summoner definitely wants us to waste our time here,” she answered.
I nodded in agreement at her answer. The winner was basically determined, but a cornered rat would bite the cat. The situation looked optimistic on our side, but we couldn’t let our guard down. I was sure that Castle Rock was still embroiled in battle. If the enemy’s goal was to make us waste our time, then Jin Cheong could be considered to have succeeded halfway when it came to that goal.
‘I thought we could finish this faster…’
“It’s still slow.”
Once the battle ended, we would have to check the condition of our soldiers, along with many other things. As such, I wouldn’t really consider it a win. Yes, we would inflict a lot of damage on our enemies, but it would be the same for us as well. If someone asked me if we would be able to fight right away, then I would shake my head in response. It was a relief that Kim Hyun-Sung was with us, and if it weren’t for our lovely regressor’s hard work, the situation would have gotten a lot worse.
Anyway, we currently had two choices. We could either force the troops and lead them to Castle Rock, or we could make sure that we recover enough before going to Castle Rock so that we would be in the perfect condition to fight, even if it meant spending more time here.
‘The answer is obvious…’
However, I had no choice but to think about it.
I looked over at Lee Ji-Hye and saw her lost in her thoughts. She had to be thinking of the same thing because she was tapping the desk and her thigh. Still, I knew she already knew the wisest choice.
“Retreat, Mr. Hyun-Sung,” I ordered.
‘I have no choice.’
- The battle isn’t over yet. Is it okay for me to retreat just like this?
“I think it’s best if you retreat for now because the war won’t end just with this one battle,” I answered.
- Affirmative. I’ll return with the captured enemy.
“Okay.”
It wasn’t a bad idea for us to hurry up and reinforce Castle Rock, but we had to be prepared for the unknown, so it was the wisest choice for us to keep on doing what we had been doing all this while. It was important for us to make sure that our named player wouldn’t collapse because we would immediately fall into a disadvantage if our regressor collapsed in the middle of battle.
I started talking while Lee Ji-Hye started giving orders while looking at the goddess’ mirrors. However, there was a tinge of worry on her face.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
“Noona, is something wrong?” I asked.
“No, I’m just thinking about something,” Lee Ji-Hye answered.
“It’s okay for us to do this, right?” I questioned.
“Yes. You’re worried about the condition of the soldiers. I’m worried as well, but we have no choice. It looks like Castle Rock is still standing, and even though I know they’re in danger, I’m hoping they’ll hold out a bit longer. If we go in at the wrong time, it could affect us negatively, and the war could end right there and then. I’m sure the enemy wants that to happen,” she replied.
“If Castle Rock ends up in Jin Cheong’s hands…” I paused.
“The situation will become complicated again. At that point, we’ll have to ignore Continental Law and foreign affairs, then release biochemical weapons or something. Otherwise, the damage will be too much for us to bear,” she explained.
Lee Ji-Hye was right. We could end up in a situation that couldn’t just be described as complicated. It wouldn’t end with us just losing a base. To be honest, this fight would inflict irreparable damage to the losing side because both sides had invested heavily into ending this war. The Sacred Democratic Country invested so many soldiers and supplies that it was basically impossible to quantify, and the Republic had done the same. As such, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the next battle would end the bar, but even if the war continued, our side would have the advantage.
The current situation was like that…
The demon summoner summoned all their soldiers at the Eastern Front to gather at Castle Rock. The Sacred Democratic Country lacked soldiers, and I was sure Jin Cheong was aware of that. It was the reason he was focusing on Castle Rock. Of course, they also had to conquer Castle Rock if they want to take the upper hand.
I looked at the goddess’ mirror and saw Kim Hyun-Sung helping here and there on the battlefield. I could also see allied soldiers arguing with the enemy soldiers. I knew he was having a difficult time returning because he was helping the allied soldiers while he was on his way here.
‘Yeah, yeah. Just don’t overdo it, Hyun-Sung. You need to rest.’
Meanwhile, the enemy soldiers kept on attacking our allied soldiers. The soldiers of the enemy were definitely loyal soldiers because they did their best to struggle for as long as they could, which was starting to get on my nerves.
“Should I just get rid of them all…?” I mumbled.
I couldn’t help but feel anxious when I saw their determination. This basically meant that they were prepared to go to any lengths just to capture Castle Rock.
‘Should I send Dialugia there first?’
Or…
‘Should we make a path right now?’
It was risky to send soldiers into battle when they were unprepared, but we were in an urgent situation, so I had to make a gamble. No matter how much I thought about it, we had to make a decision sooner rather than later.
I turned and saw Lee Ji-Hye still tapping on the table. Her grim look made her seem like she was carrying the worries of the entire world on her shoulders. This was the third time. It was rare for her to think about other things while working, so this was strange.
In addition, she looked too grim to be considered a part of the victorious side, so the sight of that made me nervous as well.
‘Shit. Did something happen?’
Perhaps she discovered something I had overlooked.
“Noona, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“Huh?”
“Is something wrong?” I asked again.
“No, it’s nothing like that. The situation isn’t bad. I was just thinking,” she answered.
“About what?” I asked.
“Things other people think about,” she replied.
“...”
“For example…” she paused.
“For example?” I asked.
“What would I do if I were the enemy? Things like that,” she continued.
At that, I looked straight at Lee Ji-Hye. The petite woman also stared at me, unblinking.
“What do you think it’ll be like? If Kim Hyun-Sung were our enemy? Do you think we’ll be able to handle it?” she asked.
‘She’s…’
She looked too serious for her to be joking.
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