“Uwooooooooh!”
“Show them the power of the Association!”
As I came down from the Wall,
I could see Awakeners fighting the monsters that were blocked beyond the forest and couldn’t properly cross over.
The number of monsters swarming in was far greater, but.
On our side, there were massive buffs.
On the opposite side, over there, they were under debuffs.
“KYIIYAAAAH!”
The battle situation.
Was rolling forward as little different from a one-sided massacre by the Association’s side.
SLASH—
I rushed over there as well,
swung my knife, and cut off one monster’s neck.
The moment I cut it down,
I felt something rippling inside the monster’s body.
‘...It’s that thing I experienced last time.’
I couldn’t see it with my eyes.
I couldn’t touch it or block it either, but.
[Divine Power 15 detects a foreign presence.]
Even so.
There was something I could clearly feel.
That “something” slipped out of the monster’s body the instant it died,
then, toward the place where their main camp would be,
it started flying southwest.
‘It’s not just this one.’
The monsters dying all around us.
I could feel the same energy from every one of them.
‘...Figuring it out on the spot is going to be hard.’
Fortunately.
I had, at least roughly, prepared a way to find out those things’ identity.
For now I decided to ignore this part,
and looked for the person who was commanding the battle.
“GRRRRRRRRK...! Is there no one, no one else who can entertain me more...!”
“Park Junggu!”
“GRRK... Ah! Youngjun, you’re here!”
Junggu, who had been completely immersed in the fight, came to his senses at my call and answered.
“You... you really are incredible! Just what on earth did you go through beyond that Demon Realm? An assassin with command Skills... and on top of that, you’re carrying a wide-area buff like this! No, were you even an assassin to begin with?”
“Well, what is it... let’s just say, as you said, a lot happened one way or another beyond the Demon Realm.”
“Man! It’s absurd how reassuring that is!”
Even as he kept swinging his weapon at the monsters,
Junggu was talking to me with a grin on his face.
“More than that, I came because I have something I want to ask.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“While you were fighting those monsters... did you feel anything strange, or notice any particular features?”
“Hm... I did!”
He looked at the corpse of the monster whose head he’d just stomped and crushed as he spoke.
“The first notable feature is that a lot of them are monsters we’ve already fought before.”
“As expected.”
“There are monsters we’ve seen in completely different groups, some we even saw fighting each other... but here they are, lumped into one mass and fighting together. That’s bizarre. And the second point is connected to the first.”
“Yes.”
“Those bastards have figured out their own weak points... and even compensated for them.”
He flipped the monster’s corpse over,
then stomped down on its chest as he spoke.
“Between the intel [Legion] sent and the info we gained by fighting them ourselves, we’ve already identified the weak points of most monsters. But... the moment you try to stab those weak points, a solid barrier of cold settles there.”
The chest area he was stepping on was exactly the weak point that monster originally had.
There, a layer of ice like a solid shield had formed.
“...Which means.”
“I’ve no idea how these beasts managed to understand their own weak points so well, but they’ve even acquired an ability to defend those spots.”
“I see. Any other abilities besides that?”
“There are. There were already monsters with some degree of cold resistance, but the ones now seem completely unaffected by this environment. It’s like they can keep their vision clear even beyond the blizzard. They move freely through the snow and ice. There was a monster that used to breathe fire, and out of nowhere it created a spear made of ice and fired it.”
He let out a small sigh as he spoke.
“To be honest, the moment we realized the old intel didn’t work on them anymore, they became absurdly tough opponents. If it hadn’t been for your buffs and the fire support from the Wall... we never would’ve been able to push out like this.”
As expected.
‘So they did gain extra abilities.’
I’d more or less anticipated it.
It matched exactly with the monsters I’d encountered when I headed southwest.
“I understand. Then... this is an order. Please continue to take charge of command on this side, Junggu.”
“Hm. I don’t mind.”
He was only too competitive for his own good.
But when it came to battle, he was a reliable man with a pretty sharp sense.
The fact that he’d so keenly observed the enemy’s characteristics right away, by itself, proved he was worth trusting as a combat-type.
“Though I thought you came here to command this side yourself?”
“I have... something a bit more important to do.”
I stared toward the enemy camp and spoke.
“Be careful. This attack... as you probably already guessed, these are monsters that came out from the [Source of the Cold] we were aiming for.”
“...Mm. So it was that, after all.”
“And there’s a high chance they’re going to try to annihilate us completely this time.”
At those words,
Junggu asked back with a puzzled look.
“What’s the reason?”
“You’ll probably find out the detailed circumstances soon enough... but they know a lot about our side’s information.”
“What? No, General Jo did say something along those lines, but...”
“Given that, there should’ve been better chances if they just wanted to wipe us out. But they deliberately attacked when we were inside the Wall... It looks like they prepared thoroughly in their own way, but the fact they chose this timing means there’s a reason.”
“...They didn’t want to let us any farther in, is that it?”
“Yes, probably.”
In the past, maybe not.
But now, we had brought the tanks back to life and were operating them.
The attacking side’s capabilities had increased overwhelmingly.
‘From their perspective, the enemy is driving tanks right up near their main base. If there’s someone who absolutely has to protect that base... of course they’d hate that.’
That was why.
Even if the environment was somewhat in our favor, they’d chosen to ambush us at this Wall.
“Conversely, that also means they’ve made a lot of preparations this time to annihilate us no matter what.”
“...!”
“Right now, we do have the upper hand. But if we just sit here, the enemy will find some way to counterattack.”
“...I see. I’ll be careful. Then what you’re going to do is.”
“I’m going to remove that counterattack element.”
The first attack that sniped Captain Jo Jun had been launched from beyond that range.
It had gone quiet after that attack.
But if they were enemies who didn’t want to let us advance any farther in, then they were probably hiding among those monsters, waiting for the next shot.
“If they’re that kind of enemy, the odds are high they’re hiding right in the middle of the enemy lines. Taking down someone like that... would be an insanely tough job...”
Park Junggu nodded as he spoke.
“There really is no one but you who can dig into the middle of that.”
“Well, something like that.”
“All right. You’ve done this much for us, so it’s about time we did our share too.”
As he said that,
CRRRRK...
Junggu tensed his whole body with power.
“Leave this place to us warriors, so you—”
His body swelled up,
and with a BANG!
something green began to ripple behind his back.
[Power of the Ancestral Spirit]
[Surging Rage]
“Do your job as an assassin!”
A tremendous strength filled the hands gripping his axe,
and he began slaughtering the monsters in the enemy camp.
‘I can leave this side to Junggu.’
Next, just as he said.
It was time to do something closer to an assassin’s work.
*****
As Park Junggu said,
no matter how many debuffs they’d taken,
pushing through those monsters and finding and eliminating a sniper whose location I didn’t even know was no easy task.
In fact.
‘Honestly, it’s hard for me too.’
Contrary to what Junggu said,
it wasn’t easy for me either.
‘If [Absolute Palate] were in its proper state, I could’ve managed somehow, but...’
Now that it was impossible to stack and amplify Absolute Palate,
it was a bit difficult.
So.
I needed to prepare a method.
“Ha Yunseong!”
“Youngjun!?”
As the first method,
I went to find Ha Yunseong,
current leader of Central Branch and former elite soldier.
“Y-you... you had this kind of power?”
“Yes, yes. I’ve gotten that surprised reaction a lot, so let’s skip that.”
“!?”
GRAB!
I reached out, grabbed his head,
and forcibly turned it toward the enemy camp.
“W-what are you doing!”
“Shut up. Just look over there.”
“What all of a sudden...! There’s nothing but monsters over there, isn’t there!”
“You saw correctly.”
Pointing my finger toward those monsters,
I began to explain, step by step.
“Okay, from here on, let’s talk under one assumption.”
“What?”
“Let’s suppose those monsters are you and Central Branch’s forces.”
Yunseong’s attitude said “what are you talking about,” but.
“And among them, there’s one sniper. A sniper you, as a warrior, have to protect.”
Ignoring his reaction, I continued.
“In that case, where do you think that sniper would be hiding?”
“...What is that supposed to... Are you saying there’s a sniper among those monsters? No. Even if there is! How would I know where a sniper is among those monsters?”
“You do know.”
“...What?”
I turned his head, which had been facing the enemy camp,
so his eyes met mine.
“You know.”
With my forehead close enough to touch his,
I spoke with my face right up against his.
“If it’s you... you know.”
“...”
“In this situation... where the enemy sniper would be positioned.”
I had seen it.
When he’d found Jo Jun, who had been sniped by the enemy.
When he’d seen the massive arrow embedded in that body.
“You already know.”
That his pupils
had been shaking violently.
“So that, even on a battlefield spinning out of control, you warriors could stop enemies heading for your sniper. Isn’t that right?”
“Y-you...”
Yunseong’s pupils looked straight into mine,
and those eyes, unstable to the extreme, began to tremble violently.
“You... already knew?”
“Yes.”
“...H-how?”
“I’m sorry, but why you’ve been hiding it... and why I know it, that crap doesn’t matter right now. So, answer.”
GRAB!
Once again I turned his head toward the enemy,
pressed my forehead to his so our line of sight matched, and spoke.
“When we say you’re part of those monsters’ formation, where would the sniper be?”
“...”
At those words, Yunseong thought for a moment,
then pointed his finger.
“...Over there, I’d say.”
You couldn’t really see it clearly, hidden beyond the blizzard, but.
There was a single building surrounded by monsters.
“Reason?”
“Just... a feeling.”
Just intuition,
a ridiculously baseless reason.
“...If I were fighting over there. Our sniper would usually prefer to hide in a place like that.”
But.
That was enough.
“Thanks for telling me.”
“...I’m sorry. I... I wanted to come clean too...”
“We can talk about that later.”
THUNK!
I shoved his body back into the ranks of those fighting and spoke.
“Go back to fighting. We can’t spare a single combatant.”
“You...!”
“Go.”
Leaving him behind me,
I started walking toward the building he’d pointed out.
******
“I-I really am sorry...”
Even as he headed back toward the battle, Yunseong spoke in a trembling voice.
Leaving that voice behind,
I stared carefully at the building Yunseong had pointed out.
Sure enough.
Most of the monsters were charging toward the Wall, but.
The monsters near that building were oddly hesitant,
and it felt like they were trying to guard something inside the building.
With the first method, I’d succeeded in pinpointing the location.
But with no amplification effect from [Absolute Palate], breaking through that place alone...
‘Damn. This is insanely hard.’
Still.
It was something I had to pull off.
...If you could call it a small mercy.
Not long ago.
Even if it couldn’t match the stacking effect of Absolute Palate.
‘I did gain... one power that can replace it.’
I reached into my shadow,
and took out one [Combat Ration] lunchbox from inside.
[War Cook’s Devotion-Infused Calm-Emotion Yethil of Rage Meat Five-Side Dish Lunchbox Set]
Not long ago.
When I was moving to Southern Branch together with the people of Central Branch,
there had been a monster that ambushed our group.
From far away it looked small and weak, even cute.
But when that monster used one particular Skill...
‘It transformed into such an overwhelming monster... that it was hard for even me to handle alone.’
In truth.
The moment I saw that ability, one thought had come to mind.
‘With that ability.’
I could at least once.
try using it myself.
[The effect of Absolute Palate activates!]
[Please select the ability you desire.]
[Trait list of ‘Yethil of Rage’]
[Cold Resistance]
[Environmental Camouflage (White)]
[Acting Cute]
After ignoring all the useless Skills,
I found the ability I was looking for and selected it.
[Rampage]
[By entrusting your body to rage, you enter a berserk state that unleashes powerful strength.]
[By removing part of your brain’s functions, you destroy the ‘limiter’ that living beings possess on their strength.]
[A being that has destroyed its limiter can exert all of its abilities beyond their original limits.]
[In return, as the price for destroying the limiter, you lose your reason.]
[Warning!]
[This is not a Trait that grants a new power, but one that forcibly drags out the abilities you originally possess.]
[Severe side effects are expected.]
[Any price incurred by using this ability falls entirely on you!]
[Think as carefully as possible before deciding!]
“Think carefully before deciding, huh...”
At that line,
I let out a short laugh and said,
“As if I’ve got the leisure for crap like that.”
[The penalties of ‘Rampage’ are °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° applied!]
[Loss of Reason]
[To draw out overwhelming strength, part of your brain’s functions are paralyzed. You lose your reason.]
[Physical Transformation]
[By destroying the limiter, you temporarily transcend the normal specifications of a living being.]
[Severe Aftereffects]
[By forcibly drawing your own power forward, tremendous aftereffects occur.]
[Vital Energy Loss]
[By forcibly drawing your own power forward, permanent loss of vital energy occurs.]
The moment that food
passed down into my stomach—
“Grrrk...!”
The blood flowing through my whole body
began to accelerate so much it felt like my veins might tear.
SSSLIDE...
My molars jutted out sharply like a beast’s fangs,
my fingernails rapidly grew, changing into something like razor-sharp blades,
and my hair grew out like that of a ferocious beast.
RIIIP...
All the muscles in my body screamed as they were forcibly swollen,
and the bulging muscles pushed my bones around, making my frame grow larger.
CRACK...
My pupils split vertically like a reptile’s,
my field of vision itself widened overwhelmingly,
and when my already powerful magic power was amplified,
it couldn’t stay within my body and spilled out, rippling around me in red.
“...Kuh, huk.”
It was like my whole body had been finely shredded by blades,
then forcibly stitched back together... a vicious pain.
That pain shattered my mind—
no, my reason—without mercy.
And in the empty space where that shattered reason had been,
I could feel a wildness settling in, one with no reason at all, no different from a beast.
‘Khuhuhu... So Gwangil has been fighting while enduring something like this?’
I found myself newly respecting the guy.
Normally.
I wouldn’t have been able to block the “Rampage” brought on by this ability.
No matter how confident I am in my mental strength...
the mind worn down by living in this world
wouldn’t have been able to withstand this wave of pain.
If there was one bit of luck.
[Kitchen Chef’s Special Sauce]
[Calm Mind]
“...Huff!”
It was that I, too,
was fairly confident when it came to handling the mind.
[Currently Applied Dish Effects]
[Yethil of Rage Meat Five-Side Dish]
[1. Rampage – As the price for destroying the limiter on your strength, you lose your reason.]
[2. Calm Mind – Thanks to the effect of the Special Sauce, you maintain a calm mind in any situation.]
Two completely opposite effects were packed into one dish.
A contradiction, literally.
Effects that normally could never coexist.
[Warning!!!]
[The two Traits are in conflict!]
[Traits related to the mind may leave permanent negative effects on the user’s mental state.]
[In particular, conflicts between mind-related Traits can cause unknown side effects!]
[Always be careful!]
“Grrrk...”
The power contained in the [Special Sauce] and the power contained inside the [Yethil of Rage].
Rampage and Calm Mind.
Those two forces began waging war as if trying to seize my head.
“...Kha, this level of pain, huh...!”
It was an enormous headache that far exceeded my expectations.
Back when I’d been an ordinary human, I would’ve passed out in an instant from this level of agony, but.
“This tingling...”
Even so,
a laugh leaked out at the corner of my mouth.
“I like it.”
Barely avoiding being swallowed by Rampage, I
looked at the building Yunseong had pointed out and braced my legs.
CRRRRK...
And then,
as I kicked off the ground with the power gathered in my legs—
[Martial Art – Assists the effect of dietary cuisine.]
[Rampage – The rampaging power is controlled to near perfection.]
THUMP!
My body
shot toward the building with the force of a shell.
