＜ Episode 71 ＞
“… Knock it off.”
The man’s body collapsed with a groan, and after wriggling for a while, it soon stopped moving.
There would be no way to live if the heart had lost its function and the carotid arteries had all been severed.
“after.”
In the thick smell of blood and oil, John let out a light sigh.
“Is it because it’s been a while? Your skills are dull.”
If someone had heard John muttering next to him, he would shake his head vigorously saying no, but that’s what John felt.
Even when there was no rigid body technique and this ability, he had this level of ability, but now that he has obtained the ability to transcend humans, isn’t it right that he should be faster and more concise?
John looked away, thinking that it would be all right to take Ekaterina out to the woods once this was over.
Fire.
The fire burning the forest was increasing its prestige, and was already burning a fairly large area.
Even though it’s quite far away, it’s enough to have a subtle heat.
Drones were coming from afar with the sound of rotors as if they had confirmed the change, but they would not be able to easily subdue the fire.
“…isn’t that too? Well, I still don’t know exactly what technology is in this place.”
I set it on fire with booby traps and added blended napalm as a pastime at leisure.
Of course, putting out the fire won’t be easy, but this is Luna.
It was a space where the common sense that John knew was lightly rejected, so it was unknown what skills or abilities would emerge and subdue the fire.
“I must hurry.”
John himself might not have as much time as he expected.
Leaving the body behind, John threw himself.
***
The Pavel family’s villa was similar to, but different from, Armstrong’s mansion.
It was similar in that it was built as close to the forest as possible so that it could be in contact with nature without damaging the surrounding scenery, but there was a difference in the distance.
It made about 100 meters around the villa completely empty, making it possible to notice the approach of a suspicious person at once.
The surroundings, which were only grass without a single tree, were plastered with all kinds of sensors, and there were various defense facilities hidden underground, so it seemed that all kinds of vicious weapons would come flying the moment you stepped on them carelessly.
Armstrong’s mansion is also close to a fortress, but this seems to go one step further than that.
In addition, the nearby forest was also full of booby traps, as if the PMC had a hand in it.
“This is won.”
John smiled bitterly.
Isn’t the villa of Pavel, a city councilor, equipped with a more reliable defense system than the mansion of Armstrong, who was from the military?
The plan to take advantage of the confusion to reconnoitre the size of the enemy and, if possible, throw a blow was disrupted.
In fact, the servants of the mansion were seen wandering around, but the movements of those who appeared to be troops were not visible.
‘It’s not easy.’
The level of the enemy, which was based on the troops of the forest, which was easier than expected, was raised.
Since this side showed that it was formidable, the enemy would not be vigilant in the next attack, and it was clear that it would be a pretty tough battle.
From a tactical point of view, it was right to lure the enemy into attacking them with the weakness of their allies, but John thought that this was not too bad either.
‘It’s better if it’s not easy. Try your best.’
The fiercer the battle and the more chaos the battlefield throws, the easier it will be to complete John’s mission.
The moment when divisions broke out within the allies, the enemy’s attacks intensified, the defenses were breached, and even Armstrong was thrown into the battlefield, this was the moment when John could achieve what he was aiming for.
“Then let’s try some encouragement.”
John took out a magic wand from his chest and put it on his shoulder, smiling coldly.
***
“Report the damage.”
The middle-aged man’s facial expression alone had enough force to make the hamstrings of some men go numb, but the man struggled to put on a calm expression.
“The 2 squads that enforced the preceding reconnaissance were wiped out. There is no significant damage from the attack on the base.”
“I mean annihilation. A detector or a trap?”
“There is no trace caught on the detector. The trap is fine too.”
“···ha.”
At the report of his subordinate, Gregory sighed and shook his head.
Seeing it as if a large carnivorous animal was standing in front of him, the subordinate swallowed his saliva without realizing it, but he did not let go of his immobile posture.
PMC Kodiak Bear.
Because going against your superior’s displeasure in this place where top-to-bottom order is stricter than most of the military is like saying you’re going to die.
“okay. go.”
“write!”
Gregory, who hurriedly turned around and saw his subordinate, clicked his tongue in a low voice.
It’s because it’s so hard to find good guys.
At least, the squad commander who went on a reconnaissance mission was a talented person, but he said that even he had died, so the future was bleak.
“Damn it.”
Gregory’s own ability is unquestionably excellent, but isn’t it impossible to fight a war alone?
I somehow rolled the trash to make it recyclable, but I blew it away in an instant, so my appetite was bitter.
“Gregory.”
A small voice came from behind Gregory who was grumbling like that.
“lithium.”
Gregory, a middle-aged man with a big and formidable look, and a small young man with a grinning smile were an unlikely combination, but the two didn’t care too much.
“Are they consumables anyway? What are you so upset about?”
“Even if it’s consumables, it’s a waste.”
Gregory snorted at Lithium’s whirling words.
Unlike Lithium, who viewed everything in Luna as less than an object, Gregory at least treated them as living beings.
“When one person sacrifices their life, it can have consequences beyond imagination. But in an instant, those resources were blown away. Do I not look angry?”
Even by his standards.
“…don’t you discriminate against NPCs more than me?”
“huh! It’s a valuable use of resources that would disappear in vain if left alone, but that kind of word makes me feel bad.”
Lithium shook his head.
Although they belonged to a group with the same purpose, Gregory’s view of life was very different.
‘This guy will use the lives of the guild members as consumables if necessary.’
Lithium, who raised his guard against Gregory, opened his mouth.
“It was one guy. It was difficult to find traces even with magic.”
“…was it like that? There’s an expert on the other side.”
“Even so, the information came in.”
Lithium manipulated the terminal to bring up the screen.
“It must not have been easy to break through the brokers’ connections, right? Aren’t the National Guard behind?”
Gregory whistled.
There’s nothing Luna can’t figure out with a little effort and money, but that also varies from case to case.
It turned around a few times, but the subjects of the request were the National Guard and the Armstrong family.
The brokers would not have opened their mouths, but they were impressed that they had obtained information nonetheless.
“This is the City Council. In terms of rank, it is higher.”
But that also depends on the opponent.
It was meaningless for the brokers to keep their mouths shut as long as the city council, the most powerful in Luna, came forward.
“They said the three of them were recruited from this side. If a battle breaks out, it will move on its own.”
“Should I care?”
“at all. It’s an individual order anyway. If we run into each other, don’t give a damn.”
“I like that.”
Watching Gregory smile coldly, Lithium smiled similarly.
Even at this moment, Luna is running toward destruction.
The players who set out to save Luna were themselves.
Since he was sacrificing for them, it was obvious that they would be happy to do so as well.
“Hmm. not this guy Not even this guy. Then . . . this guy.”
Gregory’s eyes stopped as he looked at the faces and careers of the talented people who appeared in the hologram.
A picture of John, a sharp-looking man with a slightly tired expression, came to mind.
“Fixer John Doe. He is from a slum and his past is unclear. People with special abilities… what? Where do you think you’ve heard that name?”
Lithium, who was looking at John’s profile, tilted his head, but then crossed hands.
“ah. remembered They said that Doyle died a while ago, but he was there.”
“···yes. The battle data was quite interesting. This guy is right.”
After stepping into Luna, Gregory hid his identity and committed himself to the PMC.
The job of PMC suited Gregory, who was also in a similar job on Earth, and it didn’t take long for Gregory, armed with all kinds of tactics and experience, to stand out among the existing PMCs who relied only on their abilities.
Because he was like that, John’s battle data was inevitably interesting.
A type of battle that has never been experienced in Luna before.
The contents reminiscent of guerrilla warfare in a small African country were enough to evoke nostalgia for the past.
“Isn’t this guy a player?”
“…that’s not going to happen. The timing of the ability to manifest is too late. Above all, there is no reason to stay in a slum for three years.”
“Right.”
At Lithium’s explanation, Gregory nodded.
“Then you say you are from outside the city. There must be quite a few useful guys outside the city.”
Gregory licked his lips and laughed.
The enemies outside the city he had dealt with so far were too low-level.
Except for his abilities, the appearance of John, who was disappointed with his enemies who showed the appearance of a soldier who was halfway through, had the power to thrill the heart.
“…I guess someone isn’t a warlord. Anyway, don’t forget your purpose.”
Lithium looked at Gregory, who was biting his tongue, with a pitiful expression, and said a word.
Although his ability was unquestionable, Gregory sometimes had a tendency to go too far, drunk with the madness of war.
It was necessary for a wizard armed with reason like himself to control it from the side.
“Don’t worry about that. Because the mission comes first.”
Former Green Beret Captain Gregory “Kodiak” Bear put on a solemn expression.
A veteran who has experienced all kinds of warfare in which the United States has fought and has performed several Black Ops operations under the umbrella of the CIA.
He was disregarded because he was reputed to use any means and methods for the success of the operation, but he was thorough about his duties.
“It doesn’t matter what you enjoy after that.”
However, he was kicked out of the CIA as well as the military because of his disposition to consider life other than himself expendable and sacrifice it without hesitation.
Just the fact that there was a formidable opponent was enough to fill his heart with joy.
Battlefields will expand, lives will be sacrificed, and flames will cover the world.
Just imagining it made my face turn red and my lower leg felt heavy.
Looking at Gregory’s expression as he flicked his tongue in a tearing laugh, Lithium clicked his tongue and turned around.
‘Things should be viewed as objects. without empathy. Tsk.’
Lithium, who had values more like a wizard than Luna’s wizard, couldn’t understand Gregory, but soon agreed.
Wizards do not force their beliefs on others.
Only results prove it.
Depending on the outcome of this, the evaluation of Gregory will be divided within the guild, and you will have to treat him accordingly.
“Oops. Come to think of it······.”
Lithium smiled as he remembered something.
“When Doyle died, there was a guy who ran amok, right?”
Lithium blew a whistle, thinking that if he did well, there would be a piece of chess he could use.
＜ Episode 71 ＞ End