Chapter 31
Mogs fundamentally obeyed the commands of a Cyclops.
And a Cyclops gave only two simple commands: attack and retreat.
So, when attacked, the Mog Legion typically reacted in an uncoordinated manner.
It was no different this time.
Thrummm!
Suddenly, the air vibrated with a low hum, and a Tank Beetle, a sturdy presence within the Mog Legion that was charging at full speed, exploded.
Fwoosh!
Like a balloon pricked by a needle, the Tank Beetle’s body burst, scattering everywhere.
The Mog Legion, which had been charging, was thrown into chaos by this.
Screeching!
Chittering!
Mogdogs and Thorn Snakes near the exploded Tank Beetle stopped their charge abruptly, bewildered by this absurd situation. Meanwhile, some continued to madly rush towards their destination, towards the Poland Headquarters.
This was by no means a good reaction.
A legion only truly showed its value when it moved as a cohesive unit.
Moving individually like this only left them vulnerable to piecemeal destruction.
That’s why entities fighting Mogs, including Space Marines, feared *Special Individuals*.
Such *Special Individuals* could provide *Real-time Command* even in the absence of a Cyclops.
And this Mog Legion had such a presence.
Grrr!
This particular Tank Beetle was already different from the others in appearance.
For one, it was twice the size of a *Regular Tank* Beetle.
And its exoskeleton was far blacker than that of a *Regular Tank* Beetle.
As if black had been painted over black countless times.
Or it is like wearing several layers of black clothing.
Grrr!
The creature, exuding an overwhelming presence in every way, let out a short cry at that moment.
Grrr!
Again and again.
Grrr!
As these cries continued, the confused Mog Legion began to reform its ranks.
It resumed its charge.
*At that moment, the Featherweight Tank Beetle thought.*
This was nothing significant.
So, there was no reason to delay the advance.
*Above all, it was confident.*
GRRRR!
Whatever this was, whatever the attack, it would pose no threat to it.
And once it reached the enemy’s *Main Base*, everything would already be over.
That wasn’t just the arrogant thought of the *Featherweight Tank Beetle*.
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s group, which had now recognized the presence of the *Featherweight Tank Beetle*, made the same judgment.
“It looks like the *Featherweight Tank Beetle* is a *Special Individual*!”
Thanks to the *High-performance Detector* mounted on Uryong, Private First Class Park Boseop, who had identified the *Featherweight Tank Beetle*’s presence faster than anyone, informed his comrades. Everyone fell silent at his words.
The *Featherweight Tank Beetle*’s presence was so overwhelming it left them speechless.
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun was no different.
He didn’t utter any unnecessary words.
*This isn’t good.*
He wasn’t taking the situation lightly. On the contrary, he viewed it seriously, and so Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun didn’t hesitate.
There was only one thing Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s group had to do here.
“Target the next one.”
“Huh?”
“*Continue Combat*.”
At his words, Private First Class Park Boseop’s mouth opened and closed.
Continuing combat in this absurd situation seemed like a *crazy act*.
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun knew what everyone was thinking, so he willingly explained.
“The distance to the *Mog Legion* is currently about 8.5 kilometers. Their movement speed is around 60 kilometers per hour, but *Mogdogs* can run over 100 kilometers per hour. That means 5 minutes and 6 seconds.”
“Huh?”
“That means we have about 5 minutes and 6 seconds until we *meet* the *Mogdogs* here. And the railgun’s *Reload Time* is a little over 1 minute, or it could increase further.”
When they heard that explanation, everyone realized.
“We can fire four more times if we’re lucky.”
The first to move upon hearing that was Major Lee Hyena.
Clang!
She began to firmly *set up* the supports again with her hammer.
Clang!
Her movements snapped the other two out of their daze.
*Even if we avoid them here, we’ll eventually face them at Headquarters.*
*We have to eliminate the remaining Tank Beetles. That’s the only way our chances increase by even one percent.*
They knew the best they could do now was to use this opportunity to eliminate as many *Tank Beetles* as possible.
Of course, there was a question.
*But how do we deal with the Featherweight Tank Beetle?*
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun felt the same.
The same question arose in his mind, but Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun knew one very important lesson he had learned from surviving his *Active Duty Days*.
*If I had the brains to solve problems by thinking for a few minutes in situations like this, I wouldn’t have become a Space Marine.*
If his mind had been that brilliant, he wouldn’t have applied to be a *Space Marine* just to earn money.
Moreover, in Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s view, the current situation wasn’t bad.
How could a situation where they could *Eliminate/Defeat* one *Tank Beetle* per minute be bad?
So Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun focused.
*Just take out the Tank Beetles.*
Naturally, at this moment, there was no thought of any event that had occurred in Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s mind. He didn’t even consider such things.
He just waited, and then he heard what he was waiting for.
\[Railgun is available for use.\]
The moment the reload finished, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun pressed the *Fire Button* on the *Controller* without hesitation.
Ska-whoosh!
With a bizarre cannon roar, an alert sounded in Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s ear once again.
\[You have eliminated a Tank Beetle. You have acquired 500 points.\]
\[You have eliminated it with a single shot. You have acquired 1,000 points as a One-Shot-One-Kill Bonus.\]
\[You have eliminated it from a distance of over 5 kilometers. You have acquired 2,000 points as a Great Sharpshooter Bonus.\]
And Uryong’s guidance voice was heard.
\[72 seconds remaining until reload.\]
“Huh? The reload time got longer?”
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun answered Private First Class Park Boseop’s question.
“It’s overheated, so it’s natural for the reload to take longer.”
The moment he finished that brief remark, everyone immediately prepared again.
Clang!
Major Lee Hyena firmly reset the supports, and by then, Major Jan Zabłocki also began the task of *setting up* the supports, however inadequately.
Private First Class Park Boseop remained on high alert, ready to move at any moment.
So everyone waited in silence, mouths shut.
Ska-whoosh!
Afterward, the third railgun shot was heard.
\[79 seconds remaining until reload.\]
79 seconds later, it was heard again.
Ska-whoosh!
The fourth shot.
\[You have eliminated a Tank Beetle.\]
Then, the moment an alert sounded in Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s ear, was the moment.
“Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun!”
Major Lee Hyena said.
“I request a retreat!”
It was a very reasonable request.
66 seconds, 72 seconds, 79 seconds added up to 217 seconds, or 3 minutes and 37 seconds.
And the *meeting* time with the *Mogdogs* that Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun mentioned was 5 minutes and 6 seconds.
Subtracting that left 1 minute and 29 seconds.
\[88 seconds remaining until reload.\]
And the time allotted until the next *Bombardment/Artillery Fire* was 88 seconds.
In fact, they would inevitably face the *Mogdogs* before the next shot.
It was a situation where retreating was the obvious choice!
Moreover, the remaining creature wasn’t just a *Tank Beetle*.
“It’s a *Featherweight*, and one with an exoskeleton that anyone can see is reinforced!”
Whether it was even possible to *Eliminate/Defeat* it with a railgun was the question!
In a situation where retreating was appropriate in many ways, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun said.
“Give me just 20 seconds.”
“20 seconds?”
“I need to think.”
Everyone was aghast at his words.
This was by no means a situation that called for deliberation.
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun felt the same.
*Hawk Eye would call me a crazy lunatic.*
Even in his own eyes, he was doing a *crazy act*.
He was deliberating in a situation where deliberation was impossible.
*But.*
Nevertheless, the reason he was deliberating was simple.
*This is an opportunity.*
He could see it.
*The bastard is glaring.*
The approaching *Mogdogs*, and the *Featherweight Tank Beetle* coming from further away, were glaring at them with bulging eyes.
It was a very rare sight.
Fundamentally, *Tank Beetles* didn’t open their eyes unless something special happened.
In other words, this meant it was a *Special Individual* situation for the *Featherweight Tank Beetle* in many ways.
*If I aim for the eye.*
And from Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s perspective, this was the only chance to catch the *Featherweight Tank Beetle*, which had an exoskeleton several times stronger than a *Regular Tank* Beetle.
Naturally, that exoskeleton didn’t seem like something the railgun could penetrate.
Even if it struck, it wouldn’t be able to deliver a proper, decisive blow.
But the eye was different.
No matter how powerful it was, that eye didn’t seem like it could withstand a railgun attack.
*I can inflict damage. Critical damage.*
And even if he couldn’t kill it, if he could damage the *Featherweight Tank Beetle*, the gain alone would be significant.
Of course, the risks were also great.
First, time was pressing.
Even if he hit it, fighting the approaching *Mogdogs* was unavoidable.
There was also a high probability of casualties during that battle.
Nevertheless, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun deliberated.
It wasn’t because Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun was the kind of person who could casually risk his life at any moment.
Quite the opposite.
*To survive.*
Because he was more obsessed with survival than anyone else, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun was deliberating at that moment.
*To survive, I must catch that bastard.*
And Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s survival instinct was strongly telling him to catch the *Featherweight Tank Beetle*.
At that point, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun stopped deliberating.
He said.
“I’ll fire one more shot.”
The moment those words came out, Private First Class Park Boseop and Major Jan Zabłocki wore expressions of shock.
And Major Lee Hyena said.
“I’ll hold off the *Mogdogs*. Take your time and shoot.”
Having finished speaking, Major Lee Hyena immediately grabbed her axe and confronted the first wave of *Mogdogs* charging forward.
Then, silence fell.
No one spoke.
No one even breathed.
It was consideration.
Perhaps their breathing might disturb Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun, who was currently *aiming*.
In that consideration, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun held his breath when 10 seconds remained until reload.
Holding his breath, he continued to move the *Controller*, aligning the *Red Light* that only he could see with the *Featherweight Tank Beetle*’s eye.
For Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun, who had just received a stimpack, it was truly an eternity of ten seconds, and then the end of that time came.
\[Fire is possible.\]
*At that moment, an alert sounded in Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s ear, and he fired the railgun without a moment’s hesitation.*
Ska-whoosh!
The sound immediately followed, and Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s world shook.
Amidst that shaking, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun could hear.
\[You have eliminated a Featherweight Tank Beetle. 3,000 points will be awarded.\]
\[You have eliminated it with a single shot. 5,000 points will be awarded as a One-Shot-One-Kill Bonus.\]
\[Mission Conditions have been met. A Skill Upgrade Ticket (A) will be awarded.\]
An alert announcing that a miracle had occurred.
And no sooner had that alert sounded than Private First Class Park Boseop shouted.
“They’re here! The *Mogdogs*!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Major Lee Hyena began to charge towards the *Mogdogs*.
Crunch!
“Come on, you bastards!”
And with that, she began to *Eliminate/Defeat* the *Mogdogs* by swinging her axe.
There was no time to rest.
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun, forgetting the sweetness of the reward, said to Private First Class Park Boseop.
“I’ll *Pilot* Uryong.”
“Huh?”
Instead of answering Private First Class Park Boseop, who was surprised by his words, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun opened Uryong’s door.
Clunk!
The moment he heard the sound of that sturdy door opening, Private First Class Park Boseop immediately exited the *Cockpit* and ran out the door instead of replying.
*Meanwhile, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun immediately stood in the Cockpit and shouted.*
“*Inventory*.”
Immediately, the vast *Inventory* appeared before his eyes, and Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun placed Uryong inside it.
That incredibly massive *Battle Tank* vanished from everyone’s sight.
It was an astonishing sight, and everyone was dumbfounded by it.
*Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun’s ability is truly unbelievable. How can a Battle Tank just disappear?*
Private First Class Park Boseop, too, was momentarily dumbfounded despite the urgent situation.
\*Ah! \*
Of course, he immediately snapped out of it.
He thought.
\*Time to make a run for it! \*
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun would pull Uryong out of that *Inventory*, and they would escape from here at full speed on it.
Private First Class Park Boseop then saw.
Thrummm!
Uryong went in, and in its place, a *Battle Tank Black Panther* came out.
“Huh?”
“Private First Class Park Boseop.”
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun said to Private First Class Park Boseop, who wore a blank expression at this fact.
“Combat initiated.”
“Huh?”
“All the *Tank Beetles* are gone. All that’s left are Thorn Snakes and *Mogdogs*. And we have a *Battle Tank*.”
When Private First Class Park Boseop heard that explanation, his mind was still complicated.
It was true that the situation had turned out very well with all the *Tank Beetles* eliminated.
However, the number of *Mog Legion* members was still over 9,000, not just a few hundred!
But to face them with just one *Psycher* wielding an axe and one *Battle Tank*?
It was enough to drive one insane!
“Private First Class Park Boseop, I need you to drive. Your ability is needed now more than ever.”
But the moment he heard those words, the bewilderment vanished from Private First Class Park Boseop’s eyes.
He immediately climbed towards the open door of the *Battle Tank Black Panther* and shouted with all his might.
“Yes, Sir!”
And so, Private First Class Park Boseop took the *Cockpit*, and from that moment, the battle began.
Two hours later, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun heard.
\[You have won the battle!\]