Chapter 11

11. Itaewon 2-dong, Gate Sealing Operation - 3

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About five minutes had passed since entering the Red Ground...

"......Halt."

2nd Platoon Leader Lieutenant Lee Hee-min raised his hand.

A small playground was visible straight ahead.

Toys were scattered everywhere, as if children had been playing there until just before the gate was created.

"Here is the intermediate base."

Intermediate base.

It was a 'supply point' for immediate supply of materials in case the battle near the gate was prolonged, and also a kind of 'fortress' in case a retreat was needed near the gate. Additionally, it was a place where the 'support squad' would wait if nothing else happened.

"Lee Hyun-wook. Place the supplies in the open area of the playground."

"Yes, understood."

Following Lee Hee-min's order, when Lee Hyun-wook gestured, the entire 5th Squad moved in unison, placing ammunition and other combat supplies in the center of the playground.

Lee Hyun-wook immediately issued additional orders.

"Alright, open the nearby manhole covers and install sensors in the same way."

"Yes!"

Of course, even without 'motion detection sensors,' Lee Hyun-wook could sense the movements of the Cobalts.

Even now, he could feel the metals stirring underground.

'They've noticed our position.'

Inside the sewer, the movements of the Cobalts changed.

Judging from the way they were spreading in three directions from this playground, it was a包围 strategy. As expected, these creatures, whose intelligence exceeded 70% of humans, were not rushing in recklessly.

'However, they probably don't want to come out yet.'

The Cobalts were waiting.

For the humans to scatter more...

"......There, it's a good idea to install one near the bushes too."

"Yes!"

While Lee Hyun-wook was commanding the squad like this,

for some reason, Lee Hee-min approached with a scowl.

"Hey, Lee Hyun-wook."

He called out to Lee Hyun-wook with a clear sense of displeasure.

"Your squad members, don't you think their voices are too loud unnecessarily?"

"......Yes?"

"Yes? Get your head straight, kid, we're inside the Red Ground."

"......I will be careful."

It was clearly a stretch.

Objectively, the squad members' voices were not loud enough to be a problem.

'Sure enough, he's set on this.'

Lee Hee-min was the type who would find any excuse to pick on subordinates he disliked to feel satisfied, and it seemed that the recently rising Lee Hyun-wook had become his target.

"......Lee Hyun-wook, let me advise you, don't get too cocky just because you've had a few lucky breaks and the battalion commander seems to think highly of you."

"Understood."

"Do you understand? Ah, and remember, you're an F-rank. Arrogance leads to complacency. If you let your guard down and something big happens, honestly...... you won't survive it."

After delivering a long insult, he even clicked his tongue.

"Phew, the more I see, the more frustrated I get, really......"

This malicious behavior was aimed at upsetting and destabilizing the other person.

'He's really going all out.'

But Lee Hyun-wook was not the type to be affected by a few words.

"Alright. Go do your job."

"Yes, understood."

"Hey, Choi Seon-ah!"

"Yes, Platoon Leader!"

The deputy platoon leader, Sergeant Choi Seon-ah, ran over.

"We have to leave now, so you stay here and manage things. Keep an eye on the 5th Squad; they might get carried away. Anyway, monsters probably won't come this far, but don't get too relaxed."

"Yes, understood."

"Alright, let's go."

Lee Hee-min left with the 3rd and 4th Squads, the combat units of the 2nd Platoon. Their mission was to patrol inside the Red Ground.

Now, only the 5th Squad remained at the intermediate base.

"......Lee Hyun-wook Corporal."

A cautious voice, it was Sergeant Choi Seon-ah.

"Yes, Deputy Platoon Leader."

"Don't take it to heart! What the platoon leader said......"

Choi Seon-ah patted Lee Hyun-wook's shoulder to comfort him.

"I'm fine. I don't mind."

"Yeah, the platoon leader is just...... very meticulous, you know? Hehe......"

Choi Seon-ah tried to downplay Lee Hee-min, but there was a hint of bitterness in her words.

Choi Seon-ah was the biggest victim of Lee Hee-min's sharp tongue.

Choi Seon-ah was only 20 years old. She had just taken off her school uniform and put on a combat uniform.

She had awakened a good characteristic and joined as a non-commissioned officer instead of a regular soldier, but she was a rather weak woman in many ways to perform her duties as a soldier.

"Deputy Platoon Leader, I'll start installing the CB now."

"Oh, right!"

She smiled.

"An Min-tae, start installing the CB."

"Yes!"

The 'Crystal Barricade,' abbreviated as CB, was an item that formed a defensive wall.

It was a spherical crystal item about the size of a soccer ball. After placing four of them in the four cardinal directions, a circular defensive barrier would form when a synchronized magic player infused mana into them.

This was an item prepared in case the gate sealing failed and this place became a 'fortress.'

"Phew, installation complete!"

With the CB installation, all tasks were finished.

Lee Hyun-wook gave the order to the 5th Squad to be on alert and sat on a bench at one side of the playground.

He then took out his newly acquired weapon, the 'Sword of Clouds.'

- Name: Sword of Clouds

- Effect: Absorbs water to release 'Water Mist'

That was all the information message said for now.

'But it will change gradually.'

Lee Hyun-wook took out a water flask and slowly poured water over the blade of the Sword of Clouds.

Squish-

The water flowed along the blade and seeped into the sword.

- 'Sword of Clouds' is absorbing water. (11%)

"Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, what are you doing?"

An Min-tae approached.

"Hmm, I'm loading it."

"Loading...... a sword? I've never seen this sword before."

"I received it as a reward from the battalion commander this time."

"Oh! So it's a pretty good item?"

At that moment, a message appeared before Lee Hyun-wook's eyes.

- 'Sword of Clouds' skill 'Water Mist' is now available.

The skill loading was complete.

"Useful."

He said this as he raised the sword to the sunlight.

'......Quite useful, actually.'

***

Near the operation site,

On the roof of a ten-story building, people in black combat uniforms were taking cover.

- Static- No movement detected near the gate, all clear.

They were the AMT snipers.

"Hmm......"

Behind them, Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha sat in a field chair.

She wore a full-body black-painted 'Full Plate Armor' and carried a greatsword on her back. A large shield was leaning against one wall.

This was her full battle gear, fitting for a paladin characteristic with heavy armor.

"Corporal Kang, can you see that?"

In response to Seo Eun-ha's question, a man with glasses approached.

A magic player from the Assault Platoon, Corporal Kang Ik-joon.

Despite his 'mage' characteristic, he was currently carrying a 'Barrett M82A1' anti-material rifle on his shoulder, with blue smoke rising from the muzzle.

"Ah, damn! I thought something was on fire."

"Hehe, sorry."

"Do you really need to have a magic bullet loaded right now?"

Just because someone was a magic player didn't mean they could only use magic. Many mages used swords and shields, casting spells in close combat. Kang Ik-joon was a mage who cast spells on bullets, a magic sniper.

"The spell is already cast and will last for 15 minutes. Um, but what did you mean, Platoon Leader?"

"Over there, the intermediate base, look at the playground."

Seo Eun-ha needed binoculars, but Kang Ik-joon could see with the naked eye because his glasses were a magical engineering item.

"Yes, they're installing something. It looks like the support squad."

"Right. And the squad leader there, he's our mission target today."

"......Yes?"

Kang Ik-joon frowned and looked for the green badge.

"So, a soldier from the support squad...... is a candidate for our platoon, the youngest one?"

Seo Eun-ha nodded.

"Probably."

A candidate for the Assault Platoon......

Of course, when Battalion Commander Kim Gang-seok assigned this mission, he didn't specifically mention it.

However, if he was a soldier the commander was keeping an eye on, there was a high chance he would be promoted to an officer, and it was reasonable to infer that transferring to the commander's direct unit, the 'Assault Platoon,' was likely.

"No, I thought the soldier the battalion commander was keeping an eye on was Choi Young-joon."

Kang Ik-joon was also a soldier and had been the squad leader when Choi Young-joon joined as the youngest member.

"Choi Young-joon is on leave. And he's already been marked by the Black Fox unit."

"Hmm......"

Kang Ik-joon scratched his chin, clearly displeased.

Seo Eun-ha felt the same way.

'He's definitely an F-rank.'

A few days ago, when she was on duty, she first met Lee Hyun-wook.

Or rather, she had seen him a few times before, but this was the first time he left an impression.

He was that unremarkable.

'But that day, he caught a Goblin Shaman alone.'

It was true. She had confirmed it first.

"Phew, is he maybe the child of some higher-up? Because of a connection......"

"Corporal Kang, is the battalion commander the type to do that?"

"Hehe, I guess I lack loyalty. How can a soldier love an officer? Except for you, Platoon Leader."

"Shut up. It just seems like there's some kind of...... misunderstanding."

There is a misunderstanding.

That's what she thought. Otherwise, there would be no reason to keep an eye on an F-rank.

And catching the Goblin Shaman......

"......It was probably a coincidence."

"Yes? What do you mean?"

"Forget it."

Seo Eun-ha handed the binoculars to Kang Ik-joon and stood up.

"Anyway, keep a good watch and let me know if there's a problem."

"Yes? Where are you going, Platoon Leader?"

"I have someone to meet. Take care of my shield."

"If you leave it around like that, it'll end up being sold to a scrap dealer for some snacks."

"Here."

Seo Eun-ha raised her middle finger behind her back and went down the stairs.

***

Whoosh-

A gust of wind blew, scattering the leaves piled in the flower bed.

"......"

The playground, the intermediate base, was filled with a calm silence.

The 1st Platoon was sealing the gate and waiting for the second split, so chaos would soon begin, but the residential area, where the evacuation order had been issued, was completely quiet, not even a small noise.

And......

'The noise will start here, not at the gate.'

Lee Hyun-wook opened the scabbard at his waist and released the safety catch on the 'Sword of Clouds' on his back.

He tightened his helmet and stood up.

He slowly looked around.

"Park Jun-mo, come over here. Don't stay near the manhole."

"Yes!"

A scene from the past flashed before Lee Hyun-wook's eyes.

'Park Jun-mo's neck was pierced by a poison dart, starting the chaos.'

Of course, he had already warned him on the way, so he was now on high alert, protecting his neck.

Thump-thump-

His heart was beating.

He wasn't afraid.

It was just that the bad memory was overlapping with the present moment, causing an unconscious physical reaction.

Right then-

Beep-beep-

A sharp alarm started ringing from somewhere.

Beep-beep-

Everyone turned their heads.

"......What is it?"

It was from the manhole on the ground.

"The motion detection sensor is activated! It's the 4th manhole!"

Squad member Private Choi Tae-yong said this and walked towards the 4th manhole.

"Choi Tae-yong, don't get too close."

"Yes? But, we need to check......"

"Just come over here."

Lee Hyun-wook raised his rifle and aimed at the manhole.

Choi Tae-yong was startled and took a step back, and everyone's faces showed shock.

"......Eh, Corporal Lee Hyun-wook?"

Sergeant Choi Seon-ah was the same. She approached with a tense voice.

"Deputy Platoon Leader, the sensor is reacting. There's something in the sewer."

"......Oh, oh, it's not a malfunction, right?"

Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.

He raised his left hand to gather the squad's attention.

"Everyone, take cover near the supplies. And prepare your gas masks."

"Gas masks?"

"Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, gas masks? What do you mean?"

"Cobalts use poison as a weapon. Not just in dart form, but sometimes in gas form, especially when they ambush through sewers...... they are likely to release gas first."

As Lee Hyun-wook explained, all squad members put their hands on their gas mask bags......

Bang!

With a loud noise, the 4th manhole cover shot into the air.

Immediately after,

"Damn!"

"Everyone, fall back!"

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-

As Lee Hyun-wook predicted, black smoke exploded out. It was clearly a lethal gas to the human body.

It surged and began to fill the playground.

"......Gas! Gas!"

Fortunately, they had been warned and were able to quickly put on their gas masks.

However, by then, the gas had already risen to head level.

"Damn, the visibility......"

Suddenly, they couldn't see anything.

"Take cover behind the supplies!"

In the darkness, only Lee Hyun-wook's voice echoed loudly.

"Everyone, no shooting! Lower your rifles immediately!"

"......Yes?"

"Don't ask, just lower your rifles!"

With the black smoke blocking the view, raising the rifle carelessly could result in shooting a comrade.

'......This is a skill of a Cobalt Black Mage.'

While a Goblin's elite monster is a 'Shaman,' a Cobalt's elite monster is a 'Black Mage.'

The difference in names suggests that while Goblin skills are wild and primitive, Cobalts use more sophisticated magic.

It was later revealed that the Cobalt race was one of the servants of the demon race, 'Demons.'

"Damn! The visibility...... I can't see!"

"Should we retreat?"

Kekekeke!

As they panicked, evil laughter echoed from the black smoke.

And it got closer.

"Ugh......"

"We're all going to die......"

Some squad members groaned.

It was natural to panic when faced with a life-threatening situation in a limited field of view.

"Hey, everyone...... stay...... calm......"

Sergeant Choi Seon-ah was the same.

But Lee Hyun-wook calmly did his job.

He rolled his eyes.

Following the movements of the enemies, the Cobalts, who had emerged from the manhole.

Kekekeke!

Laughter,

rejoicing that their ambush strategy had worked perfectly.

'In my past life, that's how it was.'

Lee Hyun-wook drew the Sword of Clouds.

'This time, it will be completely different.'

He used the skill.

- The Sword of Clouds releases Water Mist.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-

White smoke began to rise from the blade of the Sword of Clouds.

Water Mist.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-

Lee Hyun-wook wiped the condensation from his gas mask.

As the white smoke spread, the movements of the Cobalt group slowed down, blocked by the obscured view.

Now, no one could see with the naked eye. Both sides were only emitting panicked breaths.

"An Min-tae, raise your shield and come to my side."

The warrior, An Min-tae, came forward with a kite shield.

"......Yes, I'm here."

"We're bunched up, so they won't be able to rush in easily."

"But with zero visibility, it's a big problem. We need to see to do anything......"

Lee Hyun-wook closed his eyes.

"No, I can see."

"......Yes?"

"And......"

At that moment, An Min-tae felt an unfamiliar sensation around his waist.

Swish-

It was as if someone had gently pulled with their fingers.

"......I'll borrow your greatsword."

Without anyone noticing, ten daggers floated in the white smoke.

They slowly rotated in the water mist, like a pod of dolphins swimming in formation.

And in the next moment......

Swish-swish-swish-swoosh!

Like diving deep into the ocean, they shot into the black smoke all at once.