I woke up feeling refreshed after having a pleasant dream for the first time in a while. Though, calling it a “pleasant dream” might be a stretch—it was more of an erotic dream involving Alterra and me…
At least it was better than helplessly watching Alterra getting dismembered by some mysterious giant lizard or hearing her whisper another guy’s name as she’s handed over to him.
“Wake up, Myungho? You must have had a good dream. I heard you smiling all night and calling my name.”
When I turned to the source of the voice, Alterra was already fully armored, smirking at me as if she’d found the perfect opportunity to tease.
“…Yeah, it was incredibly blissful. Alterra, it really… was something else. Surprisingly, you were quite well-behaved.”
Seeing her confident grin, I felt like teasing her back, so I deliberately gazed off into the distance, speaking as if I were an old man reminiscing about his glory days.
“W-W-What are you talking about?! Why would I be well-behaved?! Hey! Are you not going to explain?!”
Astonished that I’d gone this far, Alterra pursued me even as I tried to retreat into the bathroom. She should’ve been prepared for retaliation if she was going to provoke me.
After muttering that she should think about it herself, I turned on the hot water. Even in decent inns, such amenities were unheard of, but perhaps because the entire nation had pooled its resources, even this roadside inn was surprisingly well-equipped.
Once Alterra realized there’d be no further pursuit, she quieted down upon hearing the sound of running water. Since I wasn’t particularly fond of bathing, I quickly finished and came out in just my underwear.
She appeared to be munching on a piece of metal she’d brought from somewhere—though hopefully not something she’d torn off the furniture in the room.
“…You should either eat more meat or exercise, Myungho. You’re way too skinny.”
Alterra scrutinized my body before suddenly suggesting I needed to bulk up. Wasn’t this physique muscular enough? I didn’t have any excess fat, and I wasn’t struggling with physical tasks.
Upon countering her, she clarified that it wasn’t about muscles but size.
“What good are muscles if they won’t show under clothes? You look frail, like someone who could get pushed over easily. Besides, if you were bigger… people wouldn’t mess with you as much.”
To me, it seemed like merely Alterra’s personal preference. Who provokes heroes or top-tier adventurers anyway? And in a world where magical power can compensate for physical strength, why go through the trouble of gaining mass?
I didn’t know much about it, but if Alterra liked it, maybe it was worth considering.
“Alright, I’ll try. But don’t complain too much if it doesn’t work. Some people simply can’t gain mass no matter how hard they try.”
“There’s nothing effort can’t accomplish. I’ll help you, so all you need to do is eat a lot and exercise consistently. You’ll naturally grow bigger.”
Knock, knock, knock. While we were chatting casually and getting dressed, someone suddenly knocked on the door. When we asked who it was, they claimed to be from the General Command.
Why would the General Command come see us? Nothing immediately came to mind, but these weren’t the kind of people we could dismiss outright, so I went ahead and opened the door.
“To inform you, Hero Myungho and your party’s affiliations have finally been decided. You, Myungho, will serve under the Koluscia Army, while the rest of your companions will be assigned to a special detachment.”
“Huh? What does that mean? Separating me from my party? Who came up with such an absurd decision?”
My voice rose involuntarily at the ridiculousness, but the soldiers delivering the message remained stone-faced, responding sharply.
“It’s the decision of the General Command. Lord Durandino judged that deploying you on the front lines would be difficult due to your abilities. Yuna and Akashi have already been placed accordingly.”
That meddling old man has finally lost it, spreading chaos everywhere. My teeth clenched involuntarily. I knew he held grudges, but to interfere even in situations like this…
The soldier continued rambling on about how Myungho would be tasked with tending to soldiers suffering mental anguish in the rear, while the rest of the team, possessing exceptional individual prowess, would make great contributions in the special detachment.
Frustrated beyond belief, I became oddly calm. That old man had irked me from the start anyway. Good riddance.
This might be the perfect time to overthrow the king of Koluscia. Turn him into a puppet—or better yet, bring the entire leadership under my control. A chilling sensation coursed through my veins.
Thoughts that I’d never entertained before now surfaced clearly, accompanied by detailed plans I’d never previously considered. Had I ever felt such a desire to wield influence?
“I won’t move without Myungho. No matter what you say. First of all, I don’t work under anyone… and frankly, I don’t care what happens to humans.”
Just as I was about to succumb to dark thoughts, Alterra stepped forward, firmly stating her position. Glaring fiercely and growling lowly, she intimidated the soldiers, who instinctively took a step back.
“…That’s… treason—”
“Treason, huh? Let’s test it. I’m confident. Are you?”
Gripping the iron rod in her hand until it bent, Alterra glared menacingly, ready to fight. Her loyalty was appreciated, but…
If we fought here, while I might escape unscathed, Alterra would face consequences. As her companion, I couldn’t let her suffer due to my actions. Placing my hand on her shoulder, I gently told her to stop.
“Altera, that’s enough. I’ll handle it. Just humor them today. Tomorrow—if not the day after—I’ll be by your side.”
After dismantling the iron rod and reassembling it into floating blades around the soldiers, Alterra withdrew them when I asked her to stop.
“Really, can you fix this?”
Looking directly into her momentarily skeptical eyes, I felt tempted to suggest leaving right now. It wasn’t a bad idea.
…But then Durandino would keep pestering us about it.
The dangerous thoughts of seizing control of the leadership were buried deep within my chest again, save for one lingering resolve:
Eliminate Durandino—or reduce him to a puppet-like state. It was necessary for both me and Alterra to live peacefully.
“Yeah. Trust me.”
“…Alright, I trust you.”
Smiling at her reassuringly, I inquired about Durandino’s current location from the soldiers.
“Why do you ask?”
“As the Hero of Koluscia, I wish to question the King’s judgment properly. Surely, you wouldn’t block even this, would you?”
—
Listening to meaningless tactical briefings inside our trenches made me feel utterly bored. Blinding flashes to disrupt the enemy, using magic bombardments to break through their defenses…
Watch out for landmines in the no-man’s-land. Beware barbed wire. Avoid bullets.
All of this seemed tailored to weak humans. The so-called heroes cowering behind trenches, afraid of bullets, looked pitiful.
There were no beings like Soleo, blessed by the gods of nature, but I expected at least some formidable warriors.
“Miss Alterra, did you understand? The key to this operation is distracting the main force while you clear the minefield…”
Perhaps annoyed by my lack of interest, a seemingly intelligent officer singled me out and reiterated the tactics.
Do we even need tactics? I felt like I could take care of everything alone. Today, I was completely clad in black metal, head to toe, making me invincible.
Having reinforced the armor with additional metal layers based on previous experiences, bullets would barely leave a dent. As for mines, I doubted they could surpass the punch of a dragon.
Should I really try this? I seriously thought I could handle it all myself.
Tired of the parrot-like repetition, I left the briefing. Although they questioned where I was going, no one attempted to stop me.
After reassembling and placing my helmet, which was awkward due to its horns, I drew my massive sword, took a deep breath, and leaped out of the trench.
Simultaneously, the opposing soldiers fired their guns…
Clang!
The b*llet harmlessly bounced off my armor. Its performance was confirmed. Still, unsure how being hit on the horns might affect me, I guarded my head with my sword and charged toward the enemy line.
As soon as the first shot rang out, signaling the attack, a hailstorm of bullets followed.
However, they only caused minor discomfort, lacking any real stopping power. With each heavy step forward, I soon sensed something buried deeply in the ground ahead.
So, this is the minefield. Probably what I was supposed to deal with. But a sudden crazy idea popped into my mind.
Could I use the explosion of the mines to propel myself faster toward the enemy trenches?
Bullets wouldn’t hurt me. Their attacks wouldn’t be enough to subdue me no matter what. It seemed worth trying.
Mungho would probably faint if he saw this, but since he isn’t here, it should be fine to indulge once.
Entering the minefield, I carefully avoided mines initially…
Then, finding the right moment, I deliberately stepped on one.
An instant shockwave rocked my body, and when I regained awareness, I was already airborne.
Though my legs hurt as if broken, they were still attached. Good. I vowed never to do this again as I felt myself descending.
When I landed, I was right in front of the enemy trench.
“Monster… it’s a monster…!”
—
