Ubermensch – Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Many people were waiting inside the conference room.

“Did you shit yourself on the way here from nervousness?”

“…Can’t you speak nicely?”

Mason grumbled at Holy Knights leader Sung Kijun’s joke.

Then, Han Areum, the raid leader of Engineering Engineering Engineering, sparkled her eyes.

“Do you often have bowel movements in your clothes?”

“Just because you’re speaking nicely doesn’t mean you can say that?!”

“It’s academic curiosity!”

Mason grumbled.

Half of the raid members were crazy, and half of the raid leaders were also crazy.

Mason looked around.

There were seven raid leaders gathered here in total.

Mason Park of Revengers.

Liza Kronen of Forest Guard.

Gwendolyn of Guardian.

Jang Geun-uk of Over Armor.

Han Areum of Engineering Engineering Engineering.

Simon Magus of Mage Corps.

Sung Kijun of Holy Knights.

‘Is that person Simon Magus?’

Mason looked at the old man he was seeing for the first time.

Simon Magus was a handsome, middle-aged man with a stylish white beard.

‘…He was a virgin until he became a player?’

…The problem was that after hearing the description of the Mage Corps, he couldn’t help but laugh no matter how much he looked at him.

“Why are you laughing, Raid Leader Mason?”

“…Sorry.”

As people were chatting, two people in military uniform entered.

It was Oh Junghee and a middle-aged man with a lean but firm impression.

“I am Lieutenant General Oh Hyeongjun, the military leader for this operation.”

He finished his brief self-introduction and…

“My daughter, Captain Oh Junghee, will provide the detailed briefing.”

…quickly left.

Unlike Mason, who had a surprised expression, the others seemed to understand.

Indeed, there was no reason for him to stay long if he wasn’t involved in the actual operation.

…There was no reason to get involved with the players, half of whom were crazy.

Oh Junghee cleared her throat and spoke.

“I will begin the Han River Defense briefing.”

She spoke seriously, but the others had indifferent expressions.

Mason looked around and realized one thing.

“Is there anyone who’s doing this for the first time?”

“You.”

“You’re the only one.”

Mason made a sullen face.

It was because everyone had already done this before.

Except for the commander-in-chief, Mason.

“Ahem.”

Oh Junghee cleared her throat.

“May I proceed with the briefing?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

The briefing was not complicated.

Perhaps it was because they didn’t expect tactical maneuvers from the raid teams.

“Defend each bridge and eliminate as many monsters as possible. This is the objective of this operation.”

“By bridges, you mean the actual bridges? We’re defending the bridges?”

“Yes.”

Oh Junghee said with a calm face.

“Currently, aquatic monsters are roaming the Han River. Bridge construction is impossible. Of course, even if it were possible, it would be unreasonable to proceed with the construction while leaving monsters on the other side of the river. Losing each bridge means losing the very access route to the north of the Han River.”

Oh Junghee circled the bridges on the Han River.

They were Seongsu, Dongho, and Hannam Bridges.

“Creating bottlenecks at these three bridges to eliminate monsters sequentially and efficiently is the objective of this operation. However, the most important thing is each bridge itself. Therefore, military fire support will be limited unless there are special requests.”

“So you’re saying you won’t attack in a way that could damage the bridges?”

“Yes.”

“What if we’re pushed back and about to lose a bridge?”

“Explosive devices have been prepared on the bridge piers for that situation. However, protecting the bridges is the top priority of this operation, even if it means the annihilation of the raid teams.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Oh Junghee said quietly.

“Now, I will leave the details to the players.”

She stepped aside.

Then, people stared at Mason.

“Uh…”

Mason cleared his throat and looked around.

“So what do we need to decide?”

Gwendolyn said bluntly.

“Deployment.”

“Ah, deployment.”

Mason looked at the map.

Three bridges, three battlefields.

Mason first placed his Revengers at Seongsu Bridge.

‘Six raid teams left and two battlefields.’

After a moment of contemplation, Mason deployed the Guardian raid team to Dongho Bridge and the Over Armor raid team to Hannam Bridge.

“This is the initial deployment.”

The Guardian raid team was generally excellent and had many members skilled in close combat, while Over Armor consisted entirely of high-spec players who could lift 500 kilograms in the big three lifts.

They were the best choice in terms of durability.

First, deploy them in fixed positions, then deploy additional troops where needed…

That was Mason’s conclusion.

Mason looked at the others.

“Any complaints or suggestions?”

They didn’t react much.

Perhaps it was because Mason’s decision was orthodox.

“Good. Then… let’s coordinate the rest.”

People nodded and walked out.

Mason also left the empty barracks and walked outside.

The sunset was fading. The surface of the Han River was dyed red.

Amidst the bustling people, Mason felt a sense of tranquility. All his anxieties and worries converged into one, making him feel strangely at ease.

The enemy.

From now on, all he would think about was the enemy.

“Whew…”

War. War was beginning.

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First Engagement.

The wave began a few days later.

Oh Junghee spoke to Mason with a calm face.

“The rogue teams have completed their task. The wave will begin soon.”

“Hmm.”

Mason put on his Golden Lion Armor and Lion’s Great Hammer.

If the battle at Castle was basically a ranged dealer’s fight, this time it was the opposite, a tanker’s fight.

With the addition of military fire support, they had enough firepower.

The victory and efficiency of the battle depended on how well the tankers maintained the front line.

Andrei patted Mason on the back and said,

“Boss, I’m warning you in advance, don’t push too hard. We need to draw them in as much as possible so the others can work comfortably.”

“Okay.”

Goblins were rushing in from afar.

“Keruruuk!”

“Kueeeeek!”

Whether it was because of the monster-luring soundwave or some other reason, they were charging in with their eyes rolled back. They were so devoid of their minimal intelligence that they were trampling and pushing each other to get to the bridge.

It was a good phenomenon.

“Hooooop!”

Woong!

Kwaddeudeudeuk!

The moment Mason’s Lion’s Great Hammer swung in an arc, all the goblins within its trajectory were splattered into pieces.

Mason roared wildly and swung his left arm.

Bang!

The goblin hit by Mason’s fist flew like a cannonball, pushing back dozens of goblins behind it in an instant.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

Just as Mason was about to push forward with his momentum.

“Boss! Don’t go too far!”

Andrei’s sharp shout came from behind.

The moment Mason stopped in surprise.

Ping!

A beam grazed past him, over his shoulder.

Pasak!

The beam pierced the center of a goblin’s forehead, splitting its head like a watermelon.

It was Masika Karembe’s shot.

Andrei shrugged and said,

“We need to leave some work for those guys. Don’t you think?”

“Right, you’re right.”

There was no need to go forward. It was enough to just act as a wall.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

The first day’s battle ended like that.

“…”

No, it was more like manual labor than a battle.

Hold the line, smash the heads of approaching goblins.

Actually, there was no need for Mason to kill them. Beams rained down on the bodies of the monsters he stopped, and they collapsed.

‘This feels similar to Castle.’

A tanker’s job was always the same. To become a living wall. But for Mason, who had always been dynamically active, this static role was bound to be frustrating.

Mason was walking outside the camp as usual.

And there was one more person with the same habit.

“Mason.”

“Leader.”

It was Sung Kijun.

“Boring first day, wasn’t it?”

Mason smiled bitterly.

“It was a battle without a single casualty, so it would be greedy to expect more.”

Mason looked up at the bridge.

Engineers were working there at night.

They were removing the mountain of goblin corpses from the bridge.

Goblins were monsters too. They had cores, but there wasn’t enough time to collect each one.

Goblins were practically worthless.

“Don’t worry. It’ll get harder from now on.”

“Really?”

“Goblins are at the bottom of the food chain. You understand what that means, right?”

“Hmm…”

Goblins were like weeds. They grew on their own and were preyed upon by all monsters. The fact that goblins were flocking in unison meant… that monsters that preyed on goblins would inevitably flock in as well.

As time went on, stronger monsters, those higher up in the food chain, would come.

“It’ll get harder and harder. And above all…”

“Above all?”

Sung Kijun looked at Mason.

“People may die before your eyes, yet out of your reach.”

“…”

“Prepare yourself.”

Chik!

Sung Kijun lit a cigarette.

“For mistakes and failures.”

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

Moonlight was scattering through the window.

Yekaterina was looking north.

The Han River beyond the horizon. And the man standing before the Han River.

“…”

She was thinking of him with a complex look in her eyes.

Swoosh.

And the man who appeared next to her without a sound, dressed as a butler, was Red Knight.

He offered a glass of red wine from a tray.

“What’s this?”

When Yekaterina asked, Red Knight calmly replied,

“It seemed like you needed it.”

Yekaterina took the glass. It was a dark red liquid, like blood.

She slowly moistened her lips.

“1998 Burgundy?”

“Yes.”

It was the wine Yekaterina drank whenever she was anxious.

She smiled bitterly.

“Is it showing?”

“You were hiding it well.”

Red Knight knew everything. At least, everything about Yekaterina.

“Yes, I’m anxious and uneasy.”

“About Raid Leader Mason?”

“Yes.”

Red Knight had a subtle expression.

Mason was physically a modified human with super regenerative abilities, and fatefully, a savior. Harming him was no easy task.

“I sent him to the Han River. To make him experience failure and frustration. But… I don’t know if Mason, after experiencing failure and frustration, will become the savior I desire.”

Yekaterina turned her head again and looked out the window.

“…It would be nice if shaping a person were as easy as polishing a gem.”

In terms of breaking and wearing down, there was little difference between damaging and polishing. It was just a difference in whether the result shone brightly or was tragically broken.