Chapter 22

18 hours before the operation begins.

Kim was on the ground. It was early evening. A downtown area would be bustling with people, but there was no life here yet.

The Red Light District. When I was new to Kilikia, I stayed in this neighborhood to save money.

I’m not sure I’m thrilled with it.

‘I haven’t been here in a long time… and it smells disgusting.

Few of the shops were lit yet, but they all smelled like the stars. Perfume. Cigarettes. Alcohol, haphazardly discarded food waste…….

It felt stronger than before. My vision was also much brighter, and I could see down some of the darker alleys.

“Have you gotten any stats in the meantime?

I’ve gained quite a bit of experience since becoming a 2-star. In addition to my underground activities, I’ve battled the Pavoni family and monsters. No wonder you’ve grown so much.

We’re still a long way from six stars. I wondered if the day would ever come when I would become a six-star.

“Oh, this is it.”

The footsteps stopped in the alley.

I could see stairs leading down like an underground karaoke bar. The walls were plastered with club flyers and BOLOs.

“Why do you live in this place when you have the ability.”

In the side story, I thought I liked the dangerous feel of the back alleys, but when I got there, it was just a mess.

Kim walked down the stairs and knocked on the door that appeared. After a moment of silence, he turned up the volume of his knocking and could feel a stirring in the room.

Boom!

“Oh, shut up. Who is it, and where did you sell your eyes so you wouldn’t ring the doorbell?”

The woman rubbed her eyes. She wore a boxy shirt with her neck hanging down. She wore short pants, revealing her bare legs.

Pink hair and pink eyes. Despite her gorgeous appearance, her hair is scattered and her eyes have crinkles in the corners.

The world-weary look suited her very well. Five-star agent Chelsea. A welcome sight.

Kim looked at Chelsea and then turned her head to the side. True to form, there was a doorbell on the wall. It wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed.

“I had gum stuck to it.”

“Maybe the kid who lives nearby did it. So?”

“Isn’t it dirty?”

“…I’m not a fan of neat freaks, get out of the way, I’ll take it off… Oh, shit.”

The gum was half off and sticking to Chelsea’s finger. Apparently, the neighborhood kid had been there just a few minutes ago.

“Ceeeee haircut. Just wait till you see what kind.”

“That’s up to you. Can I come in?”

“In a house where she lives alone? Why don’t we just do it here?”

“I have a request.”

“I know, there are only two kinds of people who come to me. You don’t look like a debtor, so what else can I do but ask for a favor.”

Chelsea drummed her fingers against the wall.

“Sorry, I’ve already cleaned up.”

“One big sheet. It’s a one-day job.”

“No, I said I washed my hands of it.”

“Let’s think about performance pay.”

“…….”

Pinkish eyes glared at Kim. Kim returned the stare calmly.

A moment of confrontation ensued. Chelsea’s grim smile was young.

“Hehe. What kind of a bastard are you?”

It was the smile of capitalism.

* * *

At the appointed time, Whitefang rushed underground.

The informant, Outlaw, did not lead us directly to the location. After some heavy interrogation, I was able to get the exact location.

I had to travel quite a distance. It was a no-brainer. If they had a home base near MetroCity, we would have noticed.

About half an hour into the operation. One of the men glanced to the rear and said.

“Captain. Can I override?”

Someone has been stalking you from earlier. Even though it was quite a distance away, some of the more sensitive members had already noticed.

“Yes. Allies.”

“I wasn’t told there were extra people.”

“Rule out …… and think.”

The platoon leader squinted at Kim. Armed with a shield and pistol, he walked at the head of the line.

Yesterday, Kim asked if he could bring a mercenary with him. When asked for his identity, the platoon leader recognized the name.

Chelsea. A bounty hunter, also known in the industry as an owl.

The career is colorful. After only two years as a bounty hunter, he reached rank 1. Even after a lull in his career, he is still coveted by many companies.

‘She’s a fucking bitch… but she’s good.

Or, to put it another way, she was skilled but a fucking bitch.

Don’t trust blindly. They may not shoot you in the back of the head, but they shouldn’t be considered coworkers.

I also asked them not to disclose the mission brief when hiring. ‘To provide cover for Whitefang in the event of a battle’. This was the owl’s only role.

“Consider it insurance, and let me tell you, the goal is to find, not kill. If we can pinpoint the location of the home base, that’s best, and even if we can’t, we should have some idea of its power.”

Also, if there are outside forces involved, as Kim suggests, we need proof that they are real and not just a delusion.

“We’re just mercenaries, don’t mistake roles. Leave the cleanup to the law enforcement.”

Bring the information to the police via the Lotus Company. Once the case is out of Whitefang’s hands, you just have to watch the city’s fortunes.

Meanwhile.

“Hyun, are you okay? You have a bad complexion.”

Bryce, who was lined up with Kim, asked. Kim’s face was pale. She kept wiping her hands on her sleeves to break the sweat.

“…I don’t feel right. Do I have an upset stomach or something?”

“Hot, what a stomachache. You’re usually so calm, but you must be nervous at times like this.”

Nervous?

Kim mulled over the words she’d just heard. Maybe he was. No, she was definitely more nervous than she’d ever been before.

“It’s a critical juncture.

Of course, this isn’t the end of the story.

The invasion of Kilikia is just one of the Legion’s many exploits. It pales in comparison to the wars that would follow.

But the impact is huge. It’s one of the biggest in all of history.

Legion isn’t the only enemy you’ll face in the future. You’ll need to keep as much of your continent’s power intact as possible to get through the “second half.

For the future, we need to contain the growth of the legion here.

“If I fail, a lot of people will die.

Hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions.

Countless lives are lost in the great war that the Legion has unleashed, and that’s not what Kim wants.

It’s a tense situation.

But…….

“That doesn’t feel right.

Kim was feeling a sense of unidentifiable crisis. His steps were heavy. The dark tunnel looked like a monster’s mouth.

“Did I make a mistake?

It wasn’t going to happen.

You’re well on your way to completing the game’s story. The stage is LW-03, and you’re about to encounter Mithril.

Chelsea and Mary. We’re ready to go, and I’ve asked the platoon leader to pack some gear just in case. There’s nothing to worry about.

I quickly realized I was being complacent.

Apparently, I was wrong to think I had it all figured out, because in this shitty Polaris world, the slightest mistake goes unnoticed.

A wide tunnel. A road you must travel through to reach your destination.

Someone was standing there, short.

Chuck.

Spotting the creature, Bryce raised his hand. One. The platoon leader glanced behind him, and Pep raised his crossbow, modified for sniping.

It was a long way away.

There were no lights. Only the bluish water, which glowed on its own like the underground of Tulavia, illuminated the tunnel.

The White Fangs were all wearing night vision goggles. The visibility was clearly in their favor.

In the seconds between exchanging signals.

Kim was stunned.

“Why is that asshole here?

Full-body armor like you’d find in a museum. He is facing the wall with the hilt of his longsword hanging down.

Anachronistic attire. I couldn’t help but notice.

That’s not mithril.

“…….”

The creature’s head turned slowly. Its face was obscured by a visor, but for a moment, Kim thought their eyes met.

Grind.

I could hear the sound of iron against iron.

“Holy shit…!”

Kim ran straight at Napda. He threw down his gun and grabbed his shield with both hands. Pep hurriedly lowered his crossbow at his sudden move.

“Damn it! What did you do-”

-Turp!

The crash was as loud as the explosion. Kim’s body jerked up and rolled backward a dozen meters.

A man flew like an object before his eyes. The platoon leader panicked, but didn’t look away. His hands reflexively raised his submachine gun.

The enemy was just around the corner.

Tududududu!

The sounds of various firearms firing were jumbled together.

The White Fangs did not uniformize the weapons they used. This could be considered a characteristic of the organization, as different hands are better suited to different equipment.

Acrid smoke rose. Like a veteran, many shots hit.

But there was not a single chink in the armor.

The armor was not made of special materials. The league’s top players wear much more durable armor than that.

There was something special about it.

For some reason, his armor was covered in frost. The platoon leader felt a bitter chill seep into his lungs.

“Is that a spell!

In a moment of realization, the platoon leader had once again lost sight of the target.

Chin.

A hand landed on the platoon leader’s shoulder.

Tsk!

The platoon leader’s entire body froze. She wasn’t the only one. All six of them stopped moving. Their frozen limbs were soon severed by the blades, sending them flying dizzily through the air.

Bryce instinctively threw himself down to avoid the stool. But before he could adjust his position, a shadow fell over his body.

“What are you doing, shoot!”

The shout came from behind him. Kim staggered to his feet and yelled, spittle flying.

Followed by.

Poof!

A shot from the end of the passage Whitefang had traveled through struck the creature, again failing to land a hit, but it was significant.

Frost scattered from the armor.

It was a collaboration between Mary and Chelsea. Mary’s spell is to give things special properties.

A normal person would be briefly stung by the touch, but for a spellcaster, it’s a different story.

Silence, in game terms.

It’s an ability that works even if it doesn’t pierce bare skin. Like Kim’s special armor, “Spellcrafted” is deeply tied to its user.

Kim then entrusted Chelsea with Mary’s spell-enchanted bullet before descending into the basement.

You have two rounds left.

As it hesitated, you fired again. The creature slithered backward.

Even as I quickly closed the distance, a few shots landed, hitting me in the arm and thigh.

“This won’t work.

A decision was made in Kim’s brain.

“I don’t know why he’s already out there… but I’m never going to catch him in his current state.

The odds are stacked against me. As soon as I took the first blow, I realized it. My shield was already a rag, and I didn’t even know how I got hit.

This boss originally appeared in Episode 11. It’s not like Shadow or Mithril, who can be blocked by spells somehow.

His helmet is quite unusual. Instead of being worn up and down, it is worn back and forth. This is due to the horns on his head.

He is a Pekatum like Ast. A truly blessed warrior, with exceptional physical abilities and powerful spells.

Snowfields.

It’s what users call a “snowflake. It is one of the few monsters of the human species.