"Damn..."

A massive explosion. I staggered back, retreating.

The Nol, which seemed to be an elite, was engulfed by the explosion and died on the spot. I saw it clearly. The blue energy it used as a shield. Among the others armed with crude cold weapons, there were some that stood out. I didn't know what world they were from or what they were, but it was clear they were special creatures that had received gifts from a player.

"For now, I'll take these."

I said, collecting the ores that appeared along with the vibration of the phone hidden in my pocket. The legion was watching me, helping me. I had to fight like this, to show them my intentions.

The maximum number of legion ores that could be transmitted at once was three. I was well aware of the substantial amount of bio-energy required to create just one. Each step was a crushing burden.

Suddenly, I hurled one of the ores with all my strength at a Kobold that was causing havoc just above the base wall. I had been observing it for a while as it cast a strengthening spell on the Nols.

Despite the barrage of projectiles - machine guns, grenades, rifles - that were launched at it, the creature defended itself with a shield. The ability to withstand the artillery fire while charging at us was likely due to these spells.

"Ah!"

"Another explosion..!"

The successive explosions caused our troops to waver. The tool, which had eventually exploded by detonating the energy within it all at once, succeeded in eliminating both the pesky shield and the Kobold.

However, this was a war. A great war where tens of thousands of troops clashed with each other. I hesitated for a moment as I saw the endless stream of them coming at us. The crude walls we hastily built were easily overcome by them.

"The front has been breached... we're under..."

"What? Breached?"

In addition, the sound coming from the radio of the communication soldier next to us gave us even greater despair.

'Be prepared.'

I steeled myself. We could completely lose here.

At the moment, we were up against a coalition of two forces. The first were the lower-level monsters we referred to as Nols, and the second were the Kobolds, comparable to goblins. However, as the goblins demonstrated in our previous encounter, they operated as a unit and had received assistance from a player. The extent of their power remained unknown.

One thing was clear: they had a formidable command system. Despite the relentless machine gun fire and bomb blasts, they advanced without hesitation, trampling over the bodies of their fallen comrades. Their strategy was simple, yet undeniably effective.

Our hunter force, tasked with blocking their special forces armed with gifts and spells, was too weak. They twisted their bodies, broke through the fire net, infiltrated our ranks, and slaughtered the soldiers.

"You bastard..."

I kicked a Nol that was trying to harm the machine gun shooter and engaged in a power struggle. The creature had also enhanced its body. Despite its small stature, its strength

was comparable to mine, even though I had augmented my body.

Barely pushing its arm away, I used my slightly longer legs to kick it back. I then relentlessly struck it with the sword I had taken from them, until it was dead.

I managed to deal with one, but honestly, I saw little hope.

"Everyone, we need to retreat! They're too many!"

"But, but..."

I urged the soldiers to retreat quickly, but the field commander hadn't given the order yet.

"But, Hunter, we have to hold our position, protect the cannon. We have to keep firing."

Someone stepped forward at my words.

A sergeant, who was a forward fire control officer, already wearing a combat uniform soaked in someone's blood.

"That's our duty. We are soldiers."His voice trembled, but his eyes did not.

I also had a hunch. It was time to choose. Whether to fight with them until all those monstrous bastards were killed, or to run away now.

Of course, I'm a reservist, but here, I'm a civilian, not a soldier. In fact, I'm not even a mercenary. I'm just a college student who was taking an exam a month ago.

"...Please shoot the ones I point out first."

At the end of the momentary silence, I grimaced.

[The moment a college student becomes a true warrior.]

"Don't talk nonsense! This is..."

[Have you ever considered that this might be your true nature?]

Suddenly, I found myself gasping for breath as I ran.

Me, a warrior? The idea was laughable. I had been thrust into this role, forced to become a player in this game.

[Didn't you dream of fighting after gaining power?]

"What do you know?"

I retorted, cleaving the head of a charging Nol with my sword.

A hot, uncomfortable sensation washed over me, as though a secret had been laid bare. He wasn't wrong. But I had come to terms with reality early on.

"How am I supposed to defeat them? It's a suicide mission, isn't it?"

I muttered, a hollow laugh escaping my lips. After all, I was the one who had leapt into the fray first.

Before me, a horde of enemies squirmed.

"Clear the path!"

That's when they arrived.

Those who were far more deserving of the title fhero' than myself.

A massive wave of fire erupted, scorching the air.

In an instant, the curtain of flames swallowed the enemies whole.

The power of fire, incinerating even the most rudimentary enhancement spells in a single blow.

South Korea's S-rank hunter, Ji Chang Hyun. A figure I had only seen on TV just brushed past me. *

"Why did they suddenly retreat? Even if there was an S-rank among us, there were only twelve hunters who came as reinforcements."

"I heard the reason."

In the middle of the base, where the wounded were being treated, Robert returned with a pale face after going somewhere.

"Our superiors. You know? Chris Baker, Cha Ji Yeon, those two. Right after the reinforcements arrived, they led their teams and attacked the enemy's base."

"Just two...no, leading a single squad?!"

Everyone was taken aback. They tutted at the audacity and lauded the bravery. However, I grasped the motive of Cha Ji Yeon, or rather, the player pulling her strings.

fThey lack a formidable player equivalent to an S-rank hunter.'

This insane game was utterly unbalanced. No player or unit was allowed the opportunity to switch their initial partner. Nols and Kobolds were fundamentally the lowest

rank monsters. Regardless of the amount of equipment bestowed upon them or spells they were taught, their strength was limited to their numbers.fThey likely waited for Ji Chang Hyun and his group to arrive, banking on the One-time Assassination Right.'

At this juncture, could they have two? Three? Or possibly none at all? That's why they bided their time for Ji Chang Hyun to muddle the targeting before making their move. If they

succeeded, it would be a lucrative farming opportunity. Even if they failed due to the assassination right, from their viewpoint, they had merely lost two pawns.

I wasn't sure what kind of alien they were, but their strategy was impressive.

"Where are you going?!"

"...I need a break."

"Uh, rest well today."

Robert didn't stop me, perhaps because my expression was quite bad.

However, the place I was heading to was not the barracks.

The location where they gathered the bodies of the deceased was filled with hundreds of them, each covered in a white cloth. Among the multitude, I found one person. Her sword, the one she wielded in life, was broken in half and placed next to her as a keepsake.

[Wasn't she just a passing acquaintance?]

"You're obviously not human."

I wasn't sad. Yoon Soo Ah was, indeed, just a passing acquaintance. But that didn't mean I was unaffected. I was angry. She had saved my life once, yet I hadn't been able to save hers.

"What does the legion say? You understand how they feel right now, don't you?"

[They are also angry. The reason is simple. Because you are angry.]

"...Really?"

Bitterness welled up within me. Having fought directly, I felt it even more acutely. The legion was powerful. It seemed that even if the destructive bacteria they had battled against fell into this world, they could easily consume the Nols and Kobolds.

"Were you close with Soo Ah?"

Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind me. It was not unfamiliar. I had definitely heard this voice on TV before.

"Mr. Ji Chang Hyun?"

"I've heard...about you, Mr. Kang Shin Woo."

I found myself face to face with an S-rank hunter, a situation I had never dreamed of.

"You've heard?"

"I've heard about your exploits. Of course, all the hunters fought fiercely. But they are soldiers. They did their job. But you, Mr. Kang Shin Woo, you fought without any reason to."

His expression was enigmatic, making it hard to guess why he had approached me.

"I am..."

"Soo Ah is my cousin."

"Ah."

"And Mr. Kang Shin Woo, don't you want to become stronger? Now is the time for righteous and determined people like you to step forward."

"Excuse me?"

Caught off guard by his sudden barrage, I asked dumbly.

I subtly put my hand in my pocket and touched the ore.

This was not a bomb, but an ore that detected players and units.

"I will reveal to you the secrets of Evolution, and even the secrets of this world. I trust my judgment. My master does too."

Ji Chang Hyun's eyes sparkled. The detector in my hand also heated up.

It was clear that Ji Chang Hyun, an S-rank hunter of South Korea, was related to this game.