‘Looks like the stash I went to all the trouble of preparing is about to get cleaned out.’
Before I crossed the Wall.
On my way from the Legion into Gyeonggi Province, I’d made my own share of preparations before coming over.
And now.
Here, I’d decided to unleash one of them.
“Uh, Youngjun? Why are we....”
“Mm, saying it with our own mouths feels a little embarrassing, but us two aren’t all that strong.”
“You don’t need to worry about that part.”
Hongsu’s father and mother spoke with anxious eyes, but.
I didn’t care.
‘What I need for this job isn’t strong Awakeners.’
What mattered was that they were two people who would follow my orders well—
and whose synergy matched.
Thanks to the fact that I was their son’s senior, their favorability toward me was quite high.
On top of that, they were a married couple, so their coordination was bound to be good.
There was no one more perfectly suited to this than them.
And besides.
“I’ll take care of filling in the stats you’re lacking.”
“What?”
I stepped around behind the two of them, toward their backs.
[Force-Feeding]
“Urk...!?”
“This buff amount...!?”
I “fed” them a dish through [Force-Feeding],
and cranked their stats up.
“All you have to do is simple! All three of you are going to follow my words exactly!”
“...All right!”
After confirming the two of them nodding heavily,
I dropped to my knees on the ground and sat.
“......!?”
“W-what!”
And shoved my hand into my shadow.
“A subspace...!?”
“He’s not even a mage... what the hell is that!”
The Awakeners on top of the Wall were aghast, but.
I didn’t have the leisure to care about their voices.
I grabbed one of the dishes I’d stored in there and—
[Elemental Cuisine]
[Five Loaves and Two Fish]
after using those Skills on the dish,
“Hrrrgh!”
“!?”
I pulled it out beyond the veil.
“What is that enormous amount of water!?”
“Kim Mikyung! Control this water!”
“O-okay!”
The dish liquefied by [Elemental Cuisine].
As Hongsu’s mother, a [Water Mage], interfered with the dish I’d taken out—
“T-this liquid is holding such immense magic power. I thought you were just Hongsu’s senior... what are you, really.”
The liquid floating in midair.
Just like you’d expect from a mage of that school, she must have been able to feel the magic power contained inside it.
As if overwhelmed by the sheer presence it exuded, she began to break out in a cold sweat.
“Next, Jang Jungseok!”
“H-how should I do this!”
As the maximized volume of liquid rose up to float in the air,
the next one I called was Hongsu’s father.
“Match your breathing with Kim Mikyung and spray this water over those monsters! I don’t need magical firepower—just spread it as wide as you can!”
“Got it!”
A Water Mage can control liquid too, but.
When it comes to spreading something over a wide area—
there’s nothing like magic that uses wind.
WHOOOOOOOOSH!
For the simple purpose of spraying water rather than attacking,
even a low-level mage could cast magic over an enormous area.
FWAAASH!
“Blue water...”
“Wind that blows...”
As the massive quantity of liquid floating in the air—
the two mages beneath it matched their breathing and cast their spells,
FWAAAAAAASH!
and that liquid sprayed out over the outside of the Wall,
as if rain were pouring down.
—GRRROOOO...!
—KRRRK!
The countless monsters that had been charging for the Wall.
“Damn it...!”
“They’re almost at the base of the Wall!”
Right as those monsters reached the area right in front of the Wall—
DRIP......
droplets of water
began to fall onto their heads.
Watching that sight, I thought:
‘What a buffer does in battle... is give buffs to allies, and debuffs to enemies.’
In my case, I’d been pretty confident in the former, but.
I had to admit my performance on the latter side had been a bit slow.
In the end, cooking only takes effect once it’s eaten.
And getting an enemy to eat a dish is not exactly easy.
Of course...
‘That’s no longer the case.’
[Force-Feeding]
[War Cook’s Devotion-Infused Thick Defeat-Tinged Junk Food Set (Liquefied)]
As those droplets of liquid
touched the monsters’ bodies—
=K-KOFF...!?
the creatures suddenly acted like they were feeling sick,
and, unable to withstand their own charging momentum, began dropping to their knees on the ground.
*****
“......!?”
The Awakeners of Southern Branch operating on top of the Wall.
They were at the point where they were wondering if what was happening right now was actually real.
‘They sprayed some kind of water and... the monsters are stopping in their tracks in pain?’
No.
Pain wasn’t all they were feeling.
—GU...RRRRR....
The monsters that had clearly been charging with terrifying momentum.
It was like some major shift had taken place in their state of mind.
You could feel that their confidence in their advancing steps was gone.
‘Just what the hell is that liquid?’
As the people full of doubts turned their heads—
“Once isn’t enough! From here on, you’re going to repeat what you just did!”
“O-okay!”
they saw the mysterious man who had suddenly seized their command authority,
Shin Youngjun, continuing to spray that enigmatic liquid outside the Wall.
After a short time like that—
—KRRRK!
“Those things...!”
“Their feet are stuck.”
As the monsters charging at the very front began to slow under that unknown liquid,
they ended up in a position blocking the monsters behind them who were still relatively fine.
The pack of monsters that had been advancing with frightening momentum.
The whole mass of them ended up having their feet pinned.
“What are you all doing!”
The one who had created that phenomenon.
Apparently deciding that any further spraying would be meaningless,
Shin Youngjun straightened up, turned, and shouted at the Awakeners.
“Keep firing!”
“Y-yes!”
The Awakeners of Southern Branch, who until not long ago hadn’t even known his face or his name.
Crushed by the inexplicable force of will that man exuded,
they began bombarding the enemy according to his order.
“...Is that poison?”
“No, it isn’t.”
The man who knew Shin Youngjun’s true identity as an assassin, Gang Jaeho, muttered that, but.
One of Southern Branch’s leaders, Kim Jinkyung, said:
“It’s not... poison. That much I can say for sure.”
Her Job was [Poison Master].
She had the ability to at least tell whether the liquid flying in front of her eyes was poison or not.
And because she knew it wasn’t poison—
‘If it’s not poison... how is it causing that kind of effect?’
She could only be that much more—
shocked out of her mind.
*****
“Gang Jaeho!”
“...Yes! Youngjun!”
“This way!”
Whether or not he knew everyone around him was stunned,
Shin Youngjun just kept moving.
“You’re going to get a buff, so don’t be shocked.”
“Sorry?”
Calling Gang Jaeho over,
he moved behind his back.
[Force-Feeding]
And from an angle where Jaeho couldn’t see, he performed [Force-Feeding].
“T-this power, what on earth...!”
“Even the time you’re spending being surprised is a waste, so cut it out.”
As a tremendous strength he had never felt once in his life began to surge through his body, Gang Jaeho’s eyes flew wide, but.
Shin Youngjun spoke calmly, as if this were nothing.
“For the moment, the monsters’ speed has slowed, but this won’t be enough to stop their advance altogether. Do you know what that means?”
“Uh, no. I... don’t really....”
“It means this is where your turn starts.”
I looked into his eyes and said:
“Do the thing Druids are best at.”
“That would be...”
“Growing trees.”
These days he’d mostly been using it in the role of producing food, but.
That wasn’t actually what his Skills were meant for.
“...You want me to obstruct their advance.”
Pinning down the enemy’s steps.
“With the power you’ve just given me, it might be possible, but... you know, right? This Skill consumes the land’s earth power. It’s heavily influenced by earth power, just as much as by the caster’s ability. No matter how strong a buff I get, if the earth power of this ground is weak—”
“Don’t worry about that.”
After the plan for the offensive was finalized,
Shin Youngjun had holed up in the dining hall, doing nothing but cooking with Howard.
It was true he’d done that to raise his cooking skill, but...
“Because I already prepared for that.”
More importantly,
it had been to prepare for this offensive.
[War Cook’s Devotion-Infused Concentrated Magic Power Fertilizer]
[Force-Feeding]
As I scattered the fertilizer I’d prepared over the surrounding ground,
FWOOOOSH!!
earth power surged up across the area in an instant.
“Youngjun... are you really human?”
“Are you going to start doubting that again?”
“It’s not that kind of doubt, but... this really is... whew, never mind.”
At a loss for words,
Gang Jaeho directed a Skill toward the ground.
[Skill – Growth Acceleration]
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
“...Good Lord!”
And then.
A forest so enormous he could hardly believe he’d done such a thing himself
took root in front of the Wall.
*****
—KRRRK...!
The monsters, whose steps had already become heavy thanks to the debuff they’d received from the [Junk Food],
and who could hardly even bring themselves to form the resolve to move their feet thanks to the [Thick Defeat],
now had an obstacle blocking their path of advance.
And with that, the monsters found their way choked off, swallowed in despair.
As their advance came to a complete halt,
the monsters coming in behind them couldn’t move forward anymore and, like they’d hit a traffic jam, all bunched up in one spot.
“...Now that they’re clustered up like that, it’s my turn.”
Watching that, the [Poison Master],
Kim Jinkyung, reached for her belt.
CLICK.
She took a few shells that had been clipped there, pulled the safety pins,
and hurled them toward the spot where the monsters were packed together.
[Intermediate Poison Master’s Devotion-Infused Poison Smoke Shell]
FWOOOOSH...
A mist of poison spread across the place where the monsters had gathered,
and as bombardment poured down over it—
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
[You have gained experience.]
[You have gained experience...]
“...To think hunting could be this efficient. Just what...”
The bunched-up monsters.
Had been reduced to nothing more than easy prey that was convenient to farm.
About the time that happened—
“We’ve finished clearing every monster inside!”
“Good.”
The monsters that had infiltrated the interior riding the snowballs
had also been taken down through the cooperation of all the Awakeners.
“Jang Jungseok! Kim Mikyung!”
The moment he confirmed that the battle on the inside was finished,
Shin Youngjun immediately turned and pointed toward the inside of the Wall.
“We’re doing the same thing one more time! Only this time, inside the Wall!”
“Inside, you say.”
“I’m telling you to do it toward our allies, so don’t worry!”
Buffs and debuffs.
Of those two, the debuff side had already been spread out plenty.
There was only one thing left.
[War Cook’s Devotion-Infused Strong Courage-]
The buff.
“What is this.”
“Rain?”
In the same way as before,
rain made from that liquid poured down inside the Wall.
In this harsh cold, they’d gotten snow or hail, sure.
But it had been a long time since they’d felt rainwater running down their skin.
[Force-Feeding]
Staring blankly at the rain falling down,
they let the moisture strike them.
“Wait... my body feels....”
And at that moment.
The change began.
“...Grrrk.”
The eyes of the warriors inside the Wall rolled back until their whites showed.
Foam bubbled from the corners of their mouths.
“W-what is that?”
“Look, I did do it because you told me to, but are you sure it’s okay to use that on our own people?”
The humans on top of the Wall were flustered by the sight, but.
With a light laugh, Shin Youngjun said:
“Don’t panic. Just watch.”
“Watch what, exactly?”
The muscles of those foaming fighters swelled massively,
and the force radiating from their bodies exploded outward.
“Watch how strong this expedition force really is.”
All of the Awakeners’ stats skyrocketed...
“And how great the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ courage inside this expedition force is.”
In their hearts,
a brilliant courage had taken root—
one that would not fear any hardship or ordeal.
“I need targets to test my courage on...”
“Expedition force, hear me!”
Facing them,
Shin Youngjun, standing atop the Wall, drew the knife on his back and said:
“Open the gate!”
“......!?”
“The enemies outside the Wall are nothing more than rabble compared to you! Open the gate and go out! The operation is simple!”
Turning his body,
Shin Youngjun swung the blade toward the outside of the Wall and shouted.
“Prove your courage to them!”
At his words—
“...OOOOOOOH!!!”
KWHAAAAM!
the expedition force, overflowing with an almost unbearable [Courage],
kicked open the massive gate that had been protecting them and charged out by their own will.
It had, beyond doubt, been an extremely unfavorable battlefield.
The humans had been nothing more than prey trapped in a small cage.
“Follow the commander’s orders!”
“Full advance!!!”
“Let’s show those insect bastards what the Association’s strength and our courage look like!!!”
“SKRIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”
Prey and predator.
This was the moment that relationship was reversed.
*****
“...I can’t believe this.”
The command staff had been wiped out right at the start of the battle.
The Awakeners who were supposed to respond to the enemy had been so caught up dealing with the monsters that had broken into the interior amid the chaos that they could barely cope.
The number of monsters surging in outside the Wall had been immense,
and their momentum so fierce it made you feel like they would simply smash the Wall to pieces.
Right.
Under normal circumstances... in this battle,
the ones who lost would have been the expedition force,
and those monsters would have made a meal out of them.
“Just what are you?”
But.
That did not happen.
“No... are you really human?”
The shattered command staff had been replaced in an instant.
The confused Awakeners had, in the blink of an eye, been united and managed to slaughter the enemies inside at incredible speed.
The momentum of the monsters that had been surging in had been snuffed out in an instant.
Some strange debuff had been laid on them, of course,
and on top of that, a vast forest had sprung up in front of them, cutting off their path entirely.
“Kim Jinkyung.”
This impossible thing had become reality.
To Kim Jinkyung, it was to the point she wasn’t sure this even was reality, but.
“You’ll be in charge of controlling the firepower on top of the Wall.”
“Ma’am?”
Toward her,
a new order came down from Shin Youngjun.
“There’s nothing complicated about it. Just keep pouring firepower into any place where our allies need support. Your ability is suited to long range. This is where your command is the best fit.”
“...That was my job to begin with, so fine. But what about you?”
“I have something to do.”
“Something to do?”
His gaze went down, below the Wall.
To the sight of the expedition force, driven by a surge of unbelievable courage,
advancing on the enemy.
“I have to go down there too.”
“...Isn’t the commander supposed to stay in the safe rear? Sure, the situation isn’t bad right now, but if something happens to you too, this situation could get reversed in an instant.”
“Mm, you’re not wrong.”
The man who had made this unbelievable sight into reality.
Running his hand along the blade of the dagger he held, Shin Youngjun said:
“Jinkyung. Do you remember what I said last time when we were with General Jo?”
“Which...”
“The part about there being traitors who betrayed humanity.”
“...Of course I remember that.”
As Kim Jinkyung nodded,
Shin Youngjun turned his head to look at Jo Jun, who was being treated inside the Wall.
“Like you said. The snipe that targeted Captain Jo Jun was probably a powerful attack that couldn’t be used multiple times.”
“Given that there hasn’t been a shot like it since, that’s likely.”
With that precious Skill,
they had targeted someone who was practically a weak point that could incapacitate our side.
“And they used that single shot to hit Captain Jo Jun dead on.”
“......!”
“Thanks to that, not just Captain Jo, but General Jo Beomseok as well—the entire command structure on our side was neutralized in one go.”
They had sniped Jo Jun right out of the gate.
“The whole reason this battle turned into such a struggle, when you get down to it, was that first shot. Do you really think a shot like that... just happened by chance?”
“You’re saying... they did it knowing all that?”
For this to be possible, you’d have to know not just Jo Jun’s personal details and his face,
but also that Jo Beomseok, who outwardly treated his grandson harshly,
actually cherished him deeply...
You’d need to know details down to that level.
In other words.
“One of those traitors is out there.”
“......!”
“So.”
WHOOOOM!
“......!?”
SHHHK.
Several daggers slid out of Shin Youngjun’s shadow,
and lined themselves up in front of his body as they moved on their own.
As Kim Jinkyung stared, at a loss for words at the unbelievable sight,
Shin Youngjun calmly set his foot on the handle of one of the daggers and said:
“Shouldn’t we go catch them?”
A man you could no longer even tell apart as human, monster, or god.
And like that,
Shin Youngjun stepped onto the floating daggers—
and headed into the blizzard.
