Group assignments
* * *
Naturally, the battle ended with the victory of the expedition.
No matter how much the mutants’ regenerative power is beyond imagination, they cannot defeat elites armed with aura-infused swords and spears, various magics, and guns with overwhelming firepower.
The atmosphere of the expedition, which finished the first battle with victory, was generally friendly.
That is, except for one.
bang!
“What are we going to do now?”
Oswald’s cry in anger.
As the head of the six families, there were only a few people in the city who could take out his wrath from the front, but the people in the barracks didn’t tremble in fear or lay down on the floor, although they did look a little uncomfortable.
The reason was simple.
It was because those present here were among the few who could take Oswald’s wrath from the front.
“I don’t know why you’re angry when you haven’t lost.”
A dwarf with a beard that extends to his chest.
When Azern, who represents the steel giant, opened his mouth with a brusque expression, those around him nodded as if to agree with him.
“Are you asking because you don’t know that?”
“I don’t know, so why not ask? Why are you angry when you win? Could it be that I should have lost?”
“It was only natural to win! Avoid the problem! Gigant 1st wave! 2nd medium wave! 38 wounded! 11 dead! Do you think this is a normal situation?”
Numerical superiority of nearly five times, carefully selected elite troops, overwhelming firepower, and a variety of equipment.
In a battle that, if calculated objectively, could have resulted in a landslide victory without suffering only minor damage or without shedding a single drop of blood, fifty casualties and three gigantic damages were outrageous.
The reason this happened was simple.
Wizards and gunners, who needed to unleash overwhelming firepower, conserved magic and ammunition, Gigant, who had to stop the enemy’s rush without sparing their bodies, quietly stepped back, and knights and warriors who had to actively deal with enemies invading the camp. This was because they only dealt with those who attacked them or were nearby.
“Everyone, calm down. It’s an important expedition on which the fate of the entire city hangs. Think of a cause!”
Although they held hands for a while under the cause of discovering uncontaminated land, the five powers regarded each other as potential rivals, never as reliable allies.
All the forces that came to the rational judgment that fighting aggressively would only expose their power and increase damage did not engage in battle properly, and as a result, the entire expedition had no choice but to fight irrationally.
No wonder Oswald was angry.
If there was one minor problem, it was that the six families could not be free from that claim.
“You speak well. Who would think that only six families actively fought? You guys didn’t fight properly either!”
At Azern’s point, Oswald cleared his throat and said.
“Hmmmm, the six families are not in a situation where they can fight leisurely. Even the warriors of the Archon family have to use potions to fight with all their might, but isn’t it a situation where you can get supplies right now? If you use a potion in every battle, you may not be able to use it when you really need it, so what’s wrong with using it as little as possible in non-dangerous battles? Isn’t that a reasonable decision?”
“Damn it. If that’s the case, it’s a reasonable decision for us too! There is a limit to the maintenance that can be done in the wild! In a situation where parts and materials are limited, you don’t know when the expedition will end, so isn’t it natural to reduce the burden on Gigant?”
As soon as Azern’s words were finished, the representatives of the other factions also began to explain why they could not actively engage in battle.
“As you all know, there is a research result that shows that the speed of contamination increases as much when a large amount of mana is used in a short period of time and then undergoes a recovery process. One bottle of covenant a day is not enough to suppress the contamination of mages fighting with all their might.”
“No matter how veteran mercenary or hunter you are, you can’t blindly attack an unknown enemy. Moreover, the opponents are monsters, and since they have no experience fighting other than humans and sub-species over the past hundred years, it takes some time to adapt to fight properly.”
“Our sewage system is not a standardized group like you guys. From individual skills to weapons and occupations, everything is inconsistent, so in a war where groups face each other, performance is bound to be low. Can you understand?”
It is said that there is no grave without an excuse, and there are many different excuses.
Oswald finally exploded in front of a combo that flowed like nature’s shelter, Mercenary, and sewer.
“You call that an excuse now? So you’re saying we should hand out two bottles of the covenant to the mages?”
“You never said anything like that? And why do you only have us? Aren’t most of the damage caused by the Mercenary not properly protecting others?”
“We were not hired by any one faction, but participated as a group called Mercenaries. You have no obligation to protect others. As for the root cause, I think the responsibility of the steel giants for allowing the orcs to invade is large.”
“We worked hard! It’s all sewer Vulcan’s fault! I got on an out-of-standard stopper gigant and jumped forward by myself, and that messed up the display!”
“It wasn’t just where Vulcan was pierced, was it? Other areas have allowed the orcs to invade, isn’t it a little too much to pass this on to us?”
“If you’re going to do something like this, hit them all!”
Literally five minutes before the opening.
The meeting, which was so emotional and promiscuous that it was unbelievable that it was a conversation between the heads of state representing each faction, barely ended when the moon rose in mid-sky.
“Whoa, watching gigantic idiots who don’t even know how delicate a machine it is, making a noise with their mouth alive, makes a thousand dollars go away. I’m going to have a binge and go to bed tonight.”
“If you don’t mind, could I have a drink too?”
“Who are you?”
“That’s me. I said hello in the morning, but you probably forgot in the meantime, right?”
Azern, who had raised his voice at the sudden appearance of an uninvited guest, put on a look of despair after checking the opponent’s face.
“You must be a kid doing Kuzan or something. What happened?”
“It is as it is said. I was thinking of getting a drink.”
“Follow me.”
A sudden request and a pleasant permission.
Azern, who brought an unexpected guest into his barracks, set down two glasses of beer on the table and opened his mouth.
“So what offer did you bring from the sewers?”
Yoosung’s eyes lit up at the sight of Azern rushing in in an instant.
Expecting a simple ignorant Dwarf like Vulcan, I thought it would be difficult to come to an agreement, but it was a pleasant miscalculation.
“I want a secret alliance between the sewers and the steel giants.”
“Isn’t the alliance still in place?”
“The alliance I’m talking about is not an alliance that only cooperates on the surface as it is now, but a true alliance that shares the same destiny. Until the end of the expedition, how about?”
“refuse. In a situation like this, there is nothing to gain from forming an alliance.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because it is a situation where cooperation is being made, albeit clumsily. In this situation, blatantly splitting sides would only result in greater damage.”
Although it’s not a proper collaboration, it’s still better than nothing.
In this situation, if some forces openly form an alliance to reduce the damage, the rest of the forces immediately form an alliance, resulting in the expeditionary force being split in two.
Even a three-year-old child knows what is better, no matter how clumsy the cooperation is: everyone fighting together or splitting into two.
As the saying goes, angular stones are right, the five powers were in a situation where no one wanted to stand out.
Of course, Yoosung, who couldn’t have known that fact, said with a faint smile.
“What I am talking about is a secret alliance that should not be known and should not be known to anyone. It’s just an alliance in preparation for emergencies, and if the expedition goes on as normal as it is now and ends, our relationship won’t be revealed to the world.”
“What if?”
“There must be something like mine, for example.”
“under! it’s mine nonsense.”
“It is an unpolluted land. It is an item of such great value that the heads of the five factions and the executives lead the elites on an expedition. Do you think that nothing will happen when you find the land, that the rights and benefits of the land will be shared equally by all? In a situation where this much power is gathered?”
As Yooseong pretended to draw his hand on his throat, Azern swallowed dry saliva.
“This is not underground. It’s a dangerous world where mutant monsters roam. No matter what happens, as long as we kiss each other, there is no chance that the people below will find out the truth… … .”
“That was enough. It is an alliance in case of emergency.”
After stroking his beard for a while, Azern said with a serious expression.
“If you agree to one condition, we will form an alliance.”
“What are the conditions?”
“Gigant created by Vulcan. Did you say Tyrant? I want to hand over information about him.”
“… … .”
“Kheuheum, I couldn’t help but be curious. How the hell did you create a monster more than twice the size of a standard Gigant? There must have been more than one or two problems to be solved, such as power output, weight, burden on the joints, and operation. And above all, that arm! What kind of function did you put on it to make it look like that? Until you figure that out… … .”
“Let me tell you.”
“Shouldn’t I ask Vulkan first? Can you decide on your own?”
“Well, Vulkan-sama wouldn’t refuse.”
“No way. Do you know how sensitive he is to his own? The guy who got out of the Iron Giant and into the sewers because he didn’t want to share his research. I can’t let it go that easily.”
“That’s what I’m going to do on my own. If we bring information about Tyrant, we will assume that we will form an alliance right away.”
Yooseong, who came out with Azern, who was making a bewildered expression, looked up at the sky and raised the corner of his mouth.
‘There’s no group assignment at all.’
Everyone knows that the current situation is inefficient and needs improvement.
However, no one wanted to take on the role of facilitator of group assignments.
Whether you work hard or not, the reward you get is the same, so what’s the point of going out?
In a situation like this, even if you fight hard, you are only giving good things to others.
Even before fighting the orcs, to be exact, from the time he cut the map into pieces and sold them all over the place, Meteor had a vague idea that this would happen.
I was just a little taken aback by how much better it fit than I thought.
‘Well, now that the alliance with the steel giant has been safely established… … .’
After looking around for a while, Yoosung started walking towards an unexpected place, neither his own tent nor Vulcan’s tent.
‘Should we go and forge an alliance with the rest of the forces now?’
this is not a game