Chapter 631

〈 Chapter 631 〉 Part 2, Chapter 2, Episode 31

With an A-Rank Monster on the move, it’s not just about that one A-Rank causing trouble.

“AAAAH!! Monsters!!”

Naturally, with the movement of an A-Rank Monster, nearby monsters are stirred up. Especially those in the path of the flying A-Rank go berserk from sheer terror, losing all reason and running for their lives.

KYAAHH!!!

Some of these monsters stampede into Gangneung City where humans gather. Mostly D and C-Rank monsters—creatures that usually wouldn’t dare approach the city—but their sheer numbers pose a massive problem for Gangneung.

“Shit…we’re screwed.”

Along National Route 7 by Donghae Boulevard, emergency reinforcements have arrived at the defense line: heroes and reservists gathering in droves. Every time B-Rank monsters appear, they’re called to action, quickly grabbing their Core-Weapons.

“Uh…Commander sir, is this really okay?”

A reservist adjusts his steel helmet, swallowing nervously as he loads rounds made from monster corpses into his pistol, eyeing the gun’s muzzle with palpable tension.

The bullets may be designed to kill monsters, but who knows where that last bullet might end up? Still, getting torn apart by a monster seems worse.

“It’s fine! If you don’t trust the heroes, what’ll you do?”

Leading the platoon among the reservists is Park Pyeong-sik, a D-Rank hero gripping an axe meant for logging. Though outdated for the 21st century, the core embedded in the axe gleams, sharpening its blade.

“Trust us. The A-Ranks will handle theirs.”

“But I heard Yuha is late because she’s making pancakes.”

“A grown adult can watch the sunrise with her boyfriend too! Didn’t you old men do the same when you were young?”

“But still, she’s an A-Rank hero…”

“Does a hero HAVE to stick around the city?! She’ll get here from Gangneung to Sokcho in no time! We just need to wait!”

Park Pyeong-sik barks orders at the nervous defenders, though even he can’t shake his own tension. With conditions so dire, Gangneung has appointed him—a mere D-Rank—as platoon leader.

“Damn…and now THIS?”

Park Pyeong-sik gapes as a group of cosplayers approaches the front lines. Three magical girls, weapons in hand, march toward the defensive line, their faces hidden behind masks.

“How far has the world gone mad that people show up like THIS during a crisis—”

“We’re heroes.”

“We’re ability users.”

“Our rank is C, yours is D.”

“Sorry for not being recognized earlier!”

Without hesitation, Park Pyeong-sik bows deeply. This wasn’t the time to question why someone showed up in cosplay; instead, it was commendable they rushed to the scene without changing.

“We were filming YouTube content. Please understand about the costumes.”

“Ah, yes! Of course!”

When life is on the line, does costume matter? Even if they’d interrupted a magical girl sex scene, their presence would’ve been accepted.

“Excuse me, may we ask for your cooperation?”

The apparent leader, dressed in ivory, bows respectfully to Park Pyeong-sik and the defenders.

“We’ll send an add-on program to your Magical Gears. Will you follow our instructions?”

“Leader, should we—”

The defenders look to their commander. Despite the arrival of C-Rank magical girls—or heroes—the field commander remains Park Pyeong-sik.

“…Hell yeah! Let’s do it!”

“Commander, can we trust them?”

“Don’t you know powerpuff types don’t care about appearances?!”

As Park Pyeong-sik eagerly accepts the program, the rest of the defenders begin installing it too. Soon holographic displays hover near their eyes.

[Ah, mic test. Mic test. Today’s weather is clear. I’ll keep it short: Do as I say, or we die.]

A somewhat intimidating male voice booms out. Before the defenders can complain, monsters charging down the mountain reach the barriers on the road.

[Magical girls to positions. Snipers, aim at designated targets and prepare to fire.]

As soon as the three magical girls fan out, red circles appear on the defenders’ holograms. Counters count down from 3, 2, 1, instinctively raising their guns.

[If you don’t shoot, you’re off the team. Fire.]

BANG-BANG-BANG!!

Without realizing it, the defenders pull their triggers. The voice through the hologram carries an ominous magical force, and the bullets fly toward the designated spots.

“Huh, wha—?!”

A tall green magical girl and a petite black-clad one dart through the crossfire. Just as worry sets in about hitting them, monsters appear in front of the bullets.

BOOM!

As if intentionally seeking out the bullets, the monsters absorb the impacts across their bodies. The leading giant hornet monster, roughly fifty centimeters long, loses its horn to a K-2 rifle round fired seemingly at random.

[<Yellow Glow> takes the wings, <Green Cloud> gets the core.]

The black-clad magical girl leaps off the green one’s shoulder, swinging a magic-infused sword. The hornet’s wings are cleanly sliced off while the green one stabs the creature’s torso.

CRUNCH!

At the spear’s tip lies the hornet’s heart and core. In an instant, the two magical girls eliminate the monster, retrieve the core, and retreat.

[Circular firing formation. One coming from below. 4, 3, 2—]

GRRRUMBLE.

Vibrations ripple through the ground. The snipers quickly reload core-bullets and aim their guns. The holograms precisely indicate where to shoot.

THUD-THUD.

Another volley of bullets flies out. Though the rounds seem to glance off the ground—

KREEEEEEEEEEE!!

They hit the gaping mouth of a giant worm monster emerging from beneath. The bold beast shakes violently after bursting forth only to be met with a barrage of bullets.

[<Holy Maiden>, commence bombardment.]

The ivory-clad magical girl in the rear raises her staff high. As the core atop it glows golden, a magical cannonball soars skyward.

WHOOSH—

Like a mortar shell, the projectile arcs perfectly into the worm monster’s open mouth. Attempting to retreat underground, the monster snaps its jaws shut, but the golden light explodes, shaking the earth.

POOF.

Dust rises from the ground. Park Pyeong-sik experiences a fleeting chill.

“Shit…is THAT C-Rank…?”

[Listeners.]

The authoritative young man’s voice brims with confidence.

[Follow orders and survive.]

“…”

Park Pyeong-sik focuses intently on the holographic display before his eyes.

* * *

“Wow, this game is easy.”

“Is this a game to you?”

“Well, all commanders use abilities like they’re playing a game. It’s like some kind of defense mechanism against seeing people die, maybe.”

I deactivate my ability briefly to check the satellite map. The miniature map of Gangwon-do shows monster movements marked by red dots shifting constantly.

“One coming in a minute…five minutes’ break then.”

“Your image as a commander might take a hit. Hmm.”

Yoo-ha sighs, rubbing her forehead. As a commander, I’ve given full-strength orders from the truck’s front seat, easily fending off the monsters along our line.

“As long as the results are good, isn’t that fine?”

“With this equipment and these achievements, how do you plan to stay out of the spotlight?”

“What? Four C-Rank or lower ability users, reservists with core-weapons, and a satellite map—anyone could do it.”

“You gave individual shooting instructions. Where exactly to fire.”

“Isn’t that basic for everyone?”

Though Yoo-ha snorts, I remain unfazed. A commander isn’t just someone giving orders to seven people but also oversees the entire battle.

“If I can’t do this much, I won’t see the true ending.”

How can I clear the game fighting thousands later without mastering this level? I sip my strawberry ade from the tumbler and reactivate my <Commander> ability.

“<Yellow Glow>, slash here. Snipers, fire at designated locations.”

The brief lull ends as a griffin monster swoops down on the defenders. Nuri leaps up, her sword clashing with the griffin’s talons and flames, while the snipers promptly fire their core-bullets.

SCREECH.

The griffin monster collapses riddled with holes from the core-bullets. The rest know better than to need further instruction for cleanup. I check the satellite map and issue commands to those within range.

“Four minutes of rest. Take deep breaths until the next wave arrives.”

I calculate enemy movements and leave a countdown on the holographic display. Before the four minutes pass, a cluster of monsters will enter the defenders’ sight.

“How’s the central movement going?”

“Three A-Ranks have been urgently dispatched to Gangwon-do. From New Seoul to Gangneung…it’ll take at least an hour.”

“So we need to catch the Chimera within an hour?”

“That sounds overly confident, doesn’t it, customer?”

“There are fewer than fifty heroes in Gangneung. Only eight B-Ranks, two A-Ranks. And yet…you think you can win without using your bodyguard?”

“Of course.”

I send Penril to the backseat and step out of the passenger side. Yoo-ha exits the driver’s seat and joins me.

“Why do you think we can’t catch it?”

“Because it’s strong enough that even two A-Ranks couldn’t.”

“Why?”

“Well, if damage doesn’t connect!”

Yoo-ha makes a valid point. Like level grinding in RPG games, dealing damage to an A+ Rank monster requires at least equivalent strength.

“But you have core-weapons, right? Each reservist carrying a K-2 rifle probably has a minimum of one clip of core-bullets issued.”

“At best, that barely works on C-Ranks. To affect an A-Rank, we’d need at least an anti-material sniper rifle—”

“Ta-da.”

I pull out the mentioned anti-material sniper rifle from my coat. Though shaped like a pistol, its destructive power rivals a cannon, exclusive to commanders.

“Hey, how does such a gun pop out of your coat?”

“All men have pockets big enough to hide guns like these. Hehe.”

MEOW.

In sync with Penril’s meow, I flick the end of the gun. The cap flips open, revealing the yellow core-bullets inside.

“Yoo-ha, is the Chimera’s magical pattern scan ready?”

“I’m not part of the Hero Association…they’re still analyzing it centrally.”

Though not officially affiliated, Yoo-ha relays information to me in real-time. Xroids are stationed within the association, even infiltrating the command center.

“Wait…is this the first time you’ve encountered such an enemy, customer?”

“I don’t have data on this foe. Sorry.”

“Not about data…aren’t you worried since even you don’t know?”

“Pfft, dangerous? No way. My life isn’t in danger. It’s just about how much ‘I’ reveal in this fight.”

The appearance of three average D-Rank ability users dressed as magical girls on the frontlines will remain a minor incident. Attention will focus on the fallen A-Rank monster.

“Our kids just need experience. Local heroes showing up in cosplay to fight won’t become an issue. It might even improve public perception.”

“But still…”

“And one more thing. Do you think commanding our crew is the extent of my capabilities?”

“…”

I tap my Magical Gear and call ‘a woman.’

“Hey, it’s me, Commander.”

“…!!”

I press a finger to Yoo-ha’s shocked lips.

“Let’s see how well Korean heroes listen to the Association President.”

<A-Rank Hero,

Since she already knows my identity, there’s no need to hide it from her.

“I hate ruining surprises. All my orders are your instructions. Got it? I’ll text the rest, so handle it.”

[Y-Yessir, Commander! Um, Commander, let me come fetch—]

Click. I cut off the call with Seol Ji-young unilaterally.

“…That person ranks higher than me, right?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care either.”

“Why? Isn’t she quite pretty? Aren’t women supposed to fall for you easily?”

“Women have preferences too.”

Unless related to the heroine, I have no interest. Data confirms intimacy with Seol Ji-young offers no benefit to our team.

‘Unless helping Seol Ji-young benefits our kids.’

I chuckle inwardly while pulling a new core-bullet from my pocket. Its surface bears scratches resembling a typhoon’s trail, glowing green.

“Kim Penril, come here.”

MEOWWW.

Penril hops over the window to stand before me. I hang the gun on her back.

“Know the finishing blow?”

MEOWWW.

Carrying the gun on her back, Penril vanishes into the forest. Yoo-ha watches carefully as the cat disappears with the gun balanced on her tail, then claps.

“Aha! Is that cat like some kind of familiar?! Did you order your bodyguard to do this?”

“Sixteen out of seventeen points.”

She hasn’t figured out the cat IS the bodyguard.

“Huh? No? Is the cat the bodyguard? Then…could you possibly have—”

“All attempts to dig for info are useless.”

“Tch.”

Having her thoughts read, Yoo-ha genuinely pouts. I smile lightly at her and shrug.

“Seventeen out of seventeen points.”

“…Erm, excuse me?”

Yoo-ha appears truly flustered.

“Customer, you didn’t…supply magic power to a cat, did you?”

“Ho ho ho.”

I merely laugh in response.