Chapter 21

Whitefang’s waiting room.

“The information came in. I’ll be honest, its reliability is questionable. Take it with a grain of salt.”

A thick, feminine bass voice rang out. Above the pool table was a map of the underground routes of the old Kilikian Federation.

Yes, it was a pool table.

White Fang had a strange culture. Even though there was an Ops room, briefings were held in the recreation room, which was filled with entertainment.

“Are you some kind of mercenary?

I’ve been working with them for a month now and I still don’t understand them, and what I’m not used to is that they’re very quick to change.

The room, which had been buzzing with activity just moments before, quieted down as soon as the briefing began. Everyone in the room listened to the platoon leader.

“Robben, explain.”

The balding squad leader, Robben, nodded.

“Yesterday at 8 p.m., my squad, posing as Fallenrailers, made contact with a group from the Outlaws and were asked to protect them.”

“……Wait a minute. That’s weird to begin with. The Outlaws asked for protection? From an employee of a corporation that makes its living from railroad repairs?”

It was Bryce who raised the question. The others looked at him for clarification.

“It was a nice request, not a deal-making nuance. They knew who we were.”

“To what extent?”

“That certain armed groups are operating underground. That they’re luring outlaws with supplies. He didn’t mention the Lotus Company.”

“Does that mean you’re not affiliated?”

“I can’t say for sure.”

Relief washed over their faces. This wasn’t the worst of it.

If the names of the Lotus Company and Whitefin were known? I would have to suspect a mole on the inside.

“To continue, their request is this. Ensure the survival of the twelve Outlaws, and help them obtain a pardon for their crimes. They want to live their lives above ground with dignity.”

The response was chilly.

Jenna snickered from the seat next to Kim. There was even someone spitting profanities at a volume that wouldn’t be disturbing.

“Huh. Amnesty? You must mistake us for some kind of high council.”

“Why don’t we just shoot it? Where is it?”

“Calm down. I have no intention of negotiating with the Outlaws. But this isn’t a case of brute force, as we’ve been doing, and we’ll use whatever leverage we have.”

“If you find the key strongholds and wipe them out, that’s it, and I don’t think we should be letting the rats get away with it.”

“Does your ancestry give you that base?”

Kenny, a freckled young man, protested, and Romero, wearing a beanie, scowled.

Kim had worked with both of them before, and they were a bickering but strangely compatible bunch.

The car was getting a little rowdy.

“If not your ancestors, then the rats themselves.”

The platoon leader’s words silenced the men. They seemed to be thinking hard.

In exchange for their amnesty, they would reveal the location of the Outlaws’ home base. It sounded like a good ‘deal’.

Especially in that there is no obligation on the part of Whitefang to honor its promises.

It was Pep who broke the silence.

“It’s a trap, it’s too good to be true.”

“I see it as a risk too.”

Bryce chimed in. The platoon leader began to look deathly around at her men. Finally, her gaze settled on Kim.

“Guest post. What do you think?”

Me?

Suddenly, the arrow changed direction. Kim was stunned, but only for a moment.

I was about to chime in when I realized I shouldn’t have.

The conversation that just took place coincided exactly with the beginning of the LW-3 stage. A time when dark clouds were spreading over Kilikia in earnest.

It was the perfect time to change the future.

“Of course it’s what Pep said.”

“So I should ignore it?”

“No.”

Kim shook his head.

“I’m thinking lately… you guys know this problem is serious, but I don’t think you realize the extent of it. As far as I’m concerned, we’re in a bad spot.”

“Tell me what you mean, so I can understand.”

“From what I’ve seen of the Outlaws, they’re pretty organized, and they know what we’re doing like a dog and pony show, so there’s no doubt that there’s a lot of information exchange between groups.”

“So. How long have you been in Kilikia, Outlaw?”

A scruffy-looking man snorted. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t remember his name.

“It’s been a little over a month now.”

“Then it’s too soon to pretend to know?”

“Maybe you’re just prejudiced because you’ve been hanging out with Outlaws for so long that you think they’re all assholes, have terrible social skills, and can’t synthesize opinions.”

“…Are you done, you bird…….”

“Shut up, Tony.”

The platoon leader intervened before the argument escalated.

“His name is Tony.

It was unmemorable. I’ll probably forget about it again by tomorrow, so it’s good to be normal.

“Go ahead.”

It was the platoon leader’s order. Kim released the information in moderation.

“If their disposition has changed in a month, something must have happened. Maybe they’re already organizing and preparing for war.”

“I think that’s a leap of faith. No matter how many weapons they get, they can’t get on the ground. They’ll be suppressed by the security forces and that’s it. They don’t know that.”

“If it was just the Outlaws, maybe, but why do you guys think it’s a business to give them weapons in the first place? What kind of business would you have lobbing precious weapons at the Outlaws, who live underground?”

This is where I thought he was most complacent. Whitehead had completely ruled out the possibility that an outside force was responsible.

Kim wasn’t sure why.

‘Because we don’t have wars, at least not yet.

There has been no war on the continent since the catastrophe began in earnest. Nations have made inviolable pacts and have faithfully honored them.

Plagues and monsters alone threaten humanity’s survival. Peace, not long-lasting peace, has erased war from people’s minds.

‘So far, so good’.

“Kilikia will be a flashpoint.

When disaster strikes and the displaced realize that looting is the only option left.

The treaty of inviolability will become a thing of the past, and the smoke of gunpowder will rise from the continent.

It’s only now that the possibility of a foreign power has entered their minds.

It wasn’t impossible. There was a way to reach the Outlaws without entering Kilikia.

The Metrocenter is not the only entrance to the underground. The former federal territory of Kilikia. You can now enter the underground even from closed areas.

The next question was.

If outside forces are indeed involved, who they are and why they’re targeting Kilikia.

The platoon leader cut off the question with a snap of his tail; it had nothing to do with Whitefang.

What they needed to think about was simpler.

“I’ll leave three spares. Rob, Peterson, and Nikolai, stand by. Everyone else, get ready.”

The crew rose from their seats.

A chance to pinpoint the Outlaw’s home base, trap or no trap. It was not a chance to be taken lightly.

The platoon leader’s eyes snapped back to Kim.

“What are you going to do, guest, you’re not just going to blabber on and off, are you?”

Kim just shrugged. I didn’t need to tell him.

* * *

He didn’t have any personal equipment to bring with him, so he didn’t leave his seat. She sat still and thought about what was to come.

In the game, the platoon leader had an ambiguous decision to make. He believes it’s an Outlaw trap, but he’s frustrated by the lack of progress, so he sends four men in.

A freelance bounty hunter advances as a stand-in, followed by Whitefang’s squad.

The method itself wasn’t bad.

“It’s not the best, but it’s the next best thing.

It was indeed a trap. Outlaw’s information was correct, and the Legion was waiting for them.

Whitefang is followed and three men are killed. A member of the squad manages to escape and informs his comrades.

However, in the real world, it will be almost fully mobilized. It was a change that came about because of Kim’s intervention.

‘That’s going out on a limb.

In a way, it was like going to die. The Legion’s leadership would be there.

‘Whitefin is not weak, but…….’

The Whitefang crew are experts at hand-to-hand combat. There’s only one playable character, but he’s similar to Pablo, a 4-star deployed agent.

The problem is that it’s a sure thing.

Mostly firearms and crossbows. To put it in game terms, you’re guaranteed some damage, but you’ll be outclassed by enemies with higher defenses.

The Mithril, in particular, is an enemy with extremely high physical defense. It is not an opponent that White Fang can do anything about.

But Kim was confident.

‘Things are good compared to when we were in the chamber.

Two-star equipment. Whitefang.

Even better, there are 5-star agents.

“Tongue, you’re amazing.”

“Huh? What?”

I look up and Mary is standing close to me. She’s fidgeting. Timidity and sullenness are compounded by the loss of a companion.

An agent that is mocked by users in many ways.

“Well, when you’re not, you say it, and you’re confident, and you’re capable.”

“Really? All the other guys are calling me an asshole for shooting a gun.”

“Shooting… you’ll get better with practice!”

Does that mean I’m an asshole?

“I’m jealous of Mr. Hyun, because my spell is pretty useless. It’s been 10 years since it manifested and it shows no signs of improving, so I really feel like…. I feel like I’m not good enough.”

“You never know, there’s got to be a use for it somewhere, right?”

“Is that so?”

He sounded defeated.

You’ve heard similar advice before, and you’ve thought about it and decided it’s useless.

We never see Mary in action in the movie.

In the side stories, each featuring an agent, it’s hard to think of another agent who has been treated so poorly.

The final stage is a losing event like the previous 0-5. The only difference with ghosts is that they miraculously survive.

But there’s a catch.

Subject : Mithril is a dick?

LW-6 I’ve been trying to get my head around it;

She said Mary, so I took her to see her.

It’s like mithril peeling off a piece of paper.

Why whiteheads?

Coates intentionally kills coworkerwwww

└ (MaryIsIncompetentCon)

└ (Mary is an elephant poop cone)

Using Mary in this way makes the game much easier. While she can’t melt you down on her own, she can help break up the gimmick.

The consensus is that if Mary had used her spells better, the White Walkers would not have been wiped out.

But in the story, it’s a one-night stand. You don’t get a reprimand for nothing.

“It’s a little bit of a stretch.

In the setting, Mary doesn’t realize the power of spells until after she joins the Celbrosics Lab.

The “Was I better than I was then…?” line at the end of the mission is quite poignant.

This is a line you’ll never hear again.

“You’re going to play a big role this time.”

“What? Me, me?”

Less than two months until the full-scale invasion of Kilikia begins. If the Mithril can be dealt with beforehand, it will skew the course of events.

“I’m glad you had an easy time getting here.

We’ve already crossed the Palbu Ridge. The conditions were perfect. Kim had a premonition of success.

……and the next day.

Six members were killed during the operation. Mary was among them.