Chapter 219
“Then, I will inform you of the final Precautions.”
After all the ammunition had been supplied.
With a little time left, the Military began its final briefing.
They had heard it many times before, but there was no harm in reinforcing it one more time.
The Officer standing before the Platform pointed at a picture of the Crow-headed Demon and spoke.
“As you know, the Demon that appeared this time... fights by Summoning various equipment.”
He paused briefly when he uttered the word “Demon”.
Even for an Officer, it seemed awkward to speak of such a fantastical word in Reality.
“What you need to be especially mindful of is the Giant Shield it Summons. With that, most Attacks will be blocked, so try to form as wide a First Barrage as possible. There’s no need to be too scared. Fortunately, the Demon doesn’t seem to be able to handle anything beyond a bazooka.”
This was at least fortunate news.
Of course, if something like a Javelin Missile came flying at us, we’d probably lose our minds... but at least it means nothing more than that will come.
*“I wondered what we”d do if it could even mimic nukes...’*
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Its abilities were literally limited to “weapons that can be used by hand”.
It couldn’t suddenly Summon a hammer hundreds of meters long, which would defy all common sense.
Likewise, it couldn’t Summon something insane like an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Launcher.
This was a weakness only discovered after countless Soldiers in the Upper Region sacrificed themselves.
Even without that, the situation was still daunting...
“Then, good luck to all of you.”
After the brief briefing, they conducted their final Training.
Bang—! Bang—!
Gunshots continuously echoed through the temporarily constructed Barracks.
In front of each Person stood a Dummy about 2 meters tall. It was a brief Shooting Practice before facing the Demon.
“Ah, damn it...”
Chae-rin had learned the Shooting Method, but unfortunately, her accuracy wasn’t very good.
She was clearly aiming and shooting properly, but not a single shot hit the Dummy.
*“Where the hell are all these bullets going?”*
This must be Basin opening a Gate and Teleporting the bullets.
There was no way she could shoot this badly.
Bang—! Bang—!
In contrast, Im Haneul, who was next to her, hit the target with every shot.
Her posture was so clean, she looked like she could be a Demonstration Instructor.
Admiring this, Chae-rin lowered her rifle for a moment and asked Haneul.
“Wow, *unnie*, what is it? How do you shoot so well...?”
“I went to the Military right after I turned twenty.”
“Ah.”
Right. This *unnie* was a Military veteran.
Her unexpected Shooting Skill was surprising, but not something to be envious of.
Because she had no intention of going to the Military.
Although she had been dragged here almost by force, the Military Exemption they offered was quite tempting.
And even if that hadn’t been offered... she might have decided to participate after much deliberation.
In Seoul, she had not only herself but also her Family and Friends.
She couldn’t let that monstrous Terrorist roam around such a Place.
There was definitely a chance of victory.
We are not here merely to interfere with the enemy’s advance, but Personnel gathered to Exterminate the Demon. She, and the People, would return safely.
Having finished her brief resolve, she focused on Shooting Practice once more.
After completing their preparations, they encountered the Demon along the Route they had prepared in advance.
*“The ‘prepared Route” was important. There were many covers installed here to block its Bombing.’*
“It’s coming!”
A Soldier, who had been assigned Scouting with a drone, shouted to the People.
And at the same time, a strong sense of danger washed over Chae-rin.
“!”
It felt as if death was rushing towards This Place at an incredibly fast pace.
A sensation of goosebumps rising all over her body intensely assailed her even before the Start of Combat.
Before she could even think, Chae-rin reflexively grabbed an unknown Soldier next to her and pulled him under cover.
At the same moment, something whizzed past the Soldier’s head.
Bang—!!!
And soon after, a massive gunshot echoed.
Just as we recognized it, it recognized us.
And it immediately pulled out a gun and retaliated. Given that it had already Aimed its gun despite the considerable distance, it was probably a sniper rifle.
*‘!’*
*“Goosebumps instantly prickled my skin. The Soldier next to me had literally almost had his head blown off without even realizing it.”*
*“Perhaps it could have been me.”*
“Th-thank you...”
The Soldier next to her, trembling, offered his Gratitude.
But Chae-rin had no time to acknowledge it. Even at this moment, the Demon Halphas was rapidly approaching.
What was once invisible even as a dot became a dot, then a silhouette.
Soon, the outlined figure of the Crow-headed Demon became visible.
“Fire!”
With the Decision-Maker’s command, gunshots echoed from all directions.
Bang bang bang bang! The incessant gunfire quickly deafened her.
It was truly a Crossfire of bullets.
Not only insignificant Monsters, but even a Golem made of stone would be torn to shreds.
Yet... surprisingly, it was still Charging forward.
With a rifle in one hand and a Large Shield as big as itself in the other.
A gun and a shield — truly a romantic Demon. Of course, for those facing it, it was enough to drive them mad.
Fortunately, not many were flustered.
No, there were Soldiers who panicked from the harsh gunfire... but at least the Officers were fine.
Seeing how the Opponent responded, they immediately changed tactics.
“It’s blocking the Front! Everyone scatter and Attack from all directions!”
“What are you doing, you bastards! Scatter quickly! Do you all want to die just standing there?!”
Since this had all been discussed in the previous briefing, everyone followed the orders.
The Place they were gathered now was a small City in Goyang City.
They had anticipated the Demon would come to This Place, and thus, all Civilian evacuations had already been completed.
In short, this entire City was a Battlefield.
If they scattered like this, they wouldn’t be able to follow orders properly anyway.
So, from now on, it was time for the Players’ Individual Play.
Their goal was simple: to Disrupt it using their superior Physical Ability compared to others.
They didn’t wish for anything more. After all, if they got shot in the head, they’d die just the same.
They just needed to tie its feet down and wait for the Military to Bomb its body to death.
Boom—! Kaboom—!!!
As soon as she moved away, the sound of Bombing that shook the Ground was heard from behind.
Since the First Barrage had failed, they were now pouring Bombing onto that Space, intending to completely devastate it.
Countless missiles rained down on the Place where it was. Instantly, the Surrounding Area was dyed red. A formidable power.
A Soldier who saw it muttered these words.
“D-did we get it?”
“You crazy bastard, if you say that...!”
And at that moment, something flew out of the flames.
A massive and powerful Javelin Missile. The shell flew and directly struck the front of a tank.
The large and sturdy tank was inevitably turned into Scrap Metal.
“Aaaargh!”
Occasionally, Screams of People could be heard beyond the Bombing.
The fortunate thing was that the recent Bombing wasn’t entirely useless.
The Demon’s feathers, which emerged through the Fire Demon, were burnt in various places.
And what it was wearing... was it a bulletproof vest and a fireproof suit?
It seemed capable of Summoning not only weapons but also armor.
Click, click.
As soon as it emerged, it threw grenades in all directions.
Fragmentation Grenades, High-Explosive Grenades, Incendiary Grenades, Anti-Tank Grenades, and so on.
And it threw them so well; the grenades landed neatly between the tanks and towed artillery.
The Soldiers there could only Panic and flee.
And then—.
Boom! Crash!
Explosions erupted. Even if their firepower was less than missiles, these explosions more certainly caused Destruction to the Opponent.
With that single blow, dozens of towed artillery pieces and tanks were instantly Incapacitated.
In that situation, the Demon spoke with apparent amusement.
“Hah hah, I like this World. So many efficient weapons.”
Seeing that, Chae-rin couldn’t help but be horrified.
*“This is insane...”*
The ear-splitting explosions, the heat felt on her skin, even the emotions mixed in the air.
All of it felt incredibly vivid. There was an enormous, indescribable gap between a game with lowered synchronization and Reality with 100% synchronization.
Chae-rin’s hands trembled for a moment. The Soldiers sprawled on the Ground, bleeding, were terribly realistic.
If she died here... literally everything would end. That fact pressed down on her with immense pressure.
But she couldn’t just stand there.
Because even at this moment, her instincts were fiercely ringing alarm bells.
“Ack!”
Sensing the killing intent, she quickly ducked her head. And just like before, a bullet grazed past her head.
This was the second time she had dodged a bullet.
Although this situation was terrifying... her Physical Ability, apart from that, was quite surprising.
*“Was this the result of her job change to Bandit finally shining through?”*
The bullets were “Sensed”. Of course, the bullets themselves were invisible, but the killing intent within them was unmistakably clear.
It was absolutely impossible with the Sense of an Ordinary Person.
*“...I”ve definitely changed.’*
This change felt awkward yet quite welcome. At least it meant she wouldn’t die from a Stray Bullet, right?
Then she had to do it properly.
If she moved somehow, at least the other Soldiers could survive.
It wasn’t that difficult. She just had to shoot her gun randomly from a reasonable distance.
*“I don”t have to hit it!’*
*“Just annoy it, please!”*
Bang bang bang bang!
Thus, a series of gunshots resumed. Not only her, but other Players who had scattered safely also continuously provided Covering Fire.
The guns held by the Players weren’t just K2 Rifles. Among the powerful Warrior Class, there were those who carried Light Machine Guns like the K-15 Light Machine Gun. Shin Hanbyeol, for example.
As such, countless bullets poured down on it.
Of course, most were blocked by the shield it held... but some bullets did manage to hit it.
Bang—!
With a single, prolonged gunshot, its head tilted to the side.
Following the direction the bullet came from, a familiar face was visible.
*“Unnie!”*
As expected of a military veteran, she had managed a headshot even in this chaos.
Originally, whether in a game or in Reality, a headshot should mean death.
That was an Unchanging Truth, but cowardly, it was defying that truth.
Tilt— Its neck, which had been momentarily askew, returned to its original position.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t a single scratch on its head. Instead, a Translucent Membrane was visible around its head.
*“...Force Field?”*
It seemed the Demon also had a thin Barrier, similar to Monsters.
Moreover, at a glance, it looked much thicker than those of other Monsters.
Her thoughts flowed naturally. After all, her experience of taking down Bosses in games hadn’t gone anywhere, so the Conquer method was automatically ingrained.
*“So, shooting bullets all day is meaningless... and you need at least a missile for it to even work?”*
But even that wasn’t very effective. Its shield remained intact throughout this.
It wasn’t just standing still; if missiles came, it would dodge them or Incapacitate the machines.
In short, there was no answer.
“What kind of broken cheat is this...”
Swearing automatically rose to her lips.
Nevertheless, the Military continued its resistance.
Several tanks had exploded, but there were still many tanks deployed in various places.
Seeing North Korea collapsing in real-time, fortunately, the National Army had not neglected its preparations.
Boom! Kaboom!
After a long time... as the battle dragged on, the Demon was no longer unscathed.
As bombs were hammered in, devastating the surrounding Buildings, it also sustained many minor scratches.
“I admit it. You fight better than those up there, the ones with the Red Star on their clothes. Especially those Otherworlders over there are annoying.”
As it spoke, it fired bullets towards where Im Haneul was.
But as the battle prolonged, Im Haneul had also grown accustomed to the bullets.
Suddenly, a Stone Wall rose in front of Haneul, blocking all the bullets.
Not only that, but she was also consistently raising the survival rate of her Allies with Illusions.
Indeed, a Mage was versatile on such a Battlefield.
Halphas chuckled at that.
“Still annoying, I see.”
Although it said that, it still exuded confidence.
Even if they had inflicted wounds, they were ultimately just scratches. While they were creating such wounds, dozens of pieces of equipment had been Destroyed. Many People were also injured and dead...
During the brief lull, it continued speaking.
“...By now, you must be aware, Basin. A cunning bastard like you would be watching the battle in some way.”
It wasn’t speaking to them. It was talking while looking at the Void.
Just as Isolde communicated with the Order Members using her blood, it was also attempting to communicate through some method.
*“...What is it?”*
Suddenly, a very ominous Intuition assailed Chae-rin.
The alarm bells rang even more fiercely than when a bullet had grazed past her head.
That calm conversational demeanor felt even more threatening than when it was firing machine guns in all directions.
“Stop watching and send reinforcements now.”
And at that moment.
Gates began to open everywhere.
“Krrriiiik!”
“Awooooo!”
“Screeeech!”
Goblins, Red Wolves, and even Blade Worms.
Monsters of all kinds were Summoned into the half-Ruined City.
Their numbers were vast, and all of them were notoriously violent creatures.
As soon as they emerged from the Gates, they rushed towards the People around them as if they had arrived at a buffet.
Naturally, the Soldiers couldn’t help but be flustered.
“Damn it! What are these bastards?!”
“Monsters? Why suddenly?!”
“Hee-eek! Help meee!!”
The battle, barely holding its own, instantly turned unfavorable.
People everywhere fell into Panic at the Monsters suddenly appearing from the Void.
Soldiers pulling towed artillery scattered, abandoning their weapons, and Soldiers providing Covering Fire screamed like children and fled.
Among them, there were probably many who wanted to leave this City altogether.
Honestly, she understood. She wanted to do the same.
No one wanted to risk their life in a hopeless battle.
“Do you see, Humans?”
In the midst of that pandemonium, it spoke with an amused expression.
“From the very beginning, you never had a chance of victory.”
Despair, that word deeply penetrated Chae-rin’s mind.
The Demon, which they weren’t even sure they could defeat alone, was now bringing in Monsters too...
In this chaotic mess, could the Military, which needed to maintain formation, really do anything properly?
*“Would it even be meaningful to draw its attention like this...?”*
The K2 Rifle in her hand felt unusually heavy.
With a vacant expression, she looked at the Place where the Gate had opened.
“Moooooo!”
A large-class Monster, a Minotaur, that had just emerged, was ferociously Roaring.
A Soldier, unluckily standing nearby, had his legs give out from under him at the Roar and fell to the Ground.
“H-hee-eek!”
Watching the trembling Soldier, the Minotaur raised its fist high into the Sky.
And then—
Thwack—!
The Minotaur’s head exploded...?
It was literal. The Minotaur, which was about to smash down on the Soldier, literally exploded.
As if it had been pierced by something at an incredibly high speed.
Thud.
Soon, the Minotaur’s body collapsed, and the Person behind it appeared.
“Haa... this acrid air.”
A relaxed demeanor completely unsuited to the situation.
Amber eyes with a subtle mischievous glint. And delicate features filled with amusement.
All of it was incredibly alien. Yet, at the same time, it was a very familiar Person.
After all, it was a Person she had seen dozens of times in the game.
Yor, the Manifestor living in the Forest.
He then flicked the blood from his spear and spoke.
“As expected, the air is much clearer on our side.”
It was his usual calm demeanor.