Ch.103An Ordinary Person’s Ordinary Operation

# 103. An Ordinary Person’s Ordinary Operation

Forest.

Fire-specialized Sorcerer available.

Enemy hiding somewhere in a corner (high possibility of desperate resistance).

Enemy is a race with advantages in the forest.

Allies are few, location of reinforcements unknown.

These keywords, when considered outside the framework of a game, surprisingly lead to a single strategy.

‘Fire attack.’

While the game had almost no freedom regarding character actions in stories and quests, this wasn’t a game anymore.

And though it’s a truly terrible thing to say, we just needed to get up there.

We could consider wind direction before setting the fire, and we had a sorcerer and elementalist who could produce large amounts of water if needed.

I shared the idea that had flashed in my mind with the party members. Their reactions weren’t much different from Subin’s. Even Yehyun noona, who usually plowed ahead like a tank, turned to look at me with a shocked expression.

For an ordinary, sane person like me to be called crazy—how unfair.

My protest was ignored. Having been called crazy, I did have a counterargument.

“We’re dealing with Xenoforms. Xenoforms that are extremely wary of fire. Even if we set fires, they could just summon water elementals en masse and extinguish them.”

“Isn’t it much harder to put out a fire than to start one? Especially in such a dense forest. Besides, our main goal isn’t to burn them to death but to herd them in one direction.”

I’d read somewhere that when you corner an enemy too much, they fight back more fiercely, so it’s better to leave one element of hope while applying pressure.

This operation followed that principle.

If we burned everything and pressured them from all directions, the Xenoforms might go berserk and attack us with everything they had, so I planned to leave one direction unburned.

When there’s an escape route, it’s faster and easier to flee toward it than to try putting out the fire.

“Will it be as controllable as you think? Even if we consider the wind when we first set it…”

“Once it starts spreading, it won’t take long. Imagine being deep in the mountains and suddenly surrounded by walls of fire—anyone would panic, not just Albs. And Albs would panic even more.”

There were questions about whether my prediction was too optimistic.

“These guys have been running away and hiding for almost a week. Their morale must be at rock bottom. Would creatures curled up like hedgehogs really move proactively and cohesively?”

“What about the Ayors?”

“Forget it. Let’s not worry about those we haven’t even seen. Maybe the Xenoforms are hiding because of the Ayors. That might be all the role they’ve played.”

My plan seemed to be acknowledged as reasonable and appropriate. Finally, Subin asked again.

“Let’s say it succeeds. What then?”

“Obviously.”

I answered with an expression that suggested someone like Eun Subin should know better than to ask such an obvious question.

“We set traps.”

If they don’t step on them, fire approaches from behind.

If they try to avoid, there’s nowhere to go.

If they step on them, we’ll be delighted—that kind of trap.

“Let’s get to work.”

What’s with everyone?

Why are you all flinching?

**

‘My anger was truly blind.’

When Barang died, I was so hurt that anger rose to the top of my head, but when the party leader suggested setting fire to the mountain to flush out the hiding Albs with his usual calm expression… I realized my anger was nothing.

It’s natural for me to be angry when my elemental dies, but from the other side’s perspective, how ridiculous must I seem.

No different from someone who loses an elemental due to inexperience, then gets angry and lashes out alone.

But the party leader, this man named Ban Seonhyeon…

Without forcibly empathizing with my anger or suppressing it, while respecting it… he was planning a much more destructive revenge than my petty, naive anger.

I felt momentary resistance to the idea of setting fire to the mountain, but I’m not stupid enough to not know what the priority is.

Somehow, my anger had become fuel for the great conflagration to come.

‘Right. Listen to the party leader. Don’t act alone without saying anything again.’

He’s younger than me, which is ni—no, that’s not it. Despite being younger than me, he’s calm, cool-headed, and seems experienced and capable!

I focused on his suggestion to work on “traps” at the artificially created exit.

And not long after, I found myself denying the party leader’s claim of being an “ordinary office worker.”

**

There are many things Xenoforms dislike. Getting angry when witnessing or experiencing something you hate is natural for any race.

Making them furious.

Provoking them to lose their reason and prevent proper judgment.

Having prepared traps following this age-old human tradition, I unconsciously whistled as I watched the forest burn properly.

“They say watching fire is one of the three great spectacles, and it’s truly amazing.”

“Agreed!”

“I do feel a bit guilty though.”

“Sorry, trees.”

We covered a wide area centered on where we thought the Xenoforms were hiding. After creating an artificial exit considering their hideout and wind direction, we set fires from three directions. The already majestic mountain range was painted with yellow and red.

In the distance, wildlife was fleeing everywhere, mixed with monsters, creating chaos. Some were escaping toward the relatively intact hideout, suggesting the concealment would break faster than expected.

“Ah. That’s the spot.”

“It’s unnaturally intact, so there must be some magic formation there.”

“And in there is my Barang.”

As the flames grew fiercer, it became obvious. While everywhere else was burning, there was an unnaturally intact area—that had to be our bingo.

I instructed the party members to head to the trap and wait.

“Don’t we need to confirm they’re coming out?”

“Yeah, oppa. They might not take the route we’re luring them to.”

“In these flames?”

Unless they were high-level sorcerers or elementalists, no one at this level could suppress or pass through such flames.

Including us.

I was certain of this.

“Let’s go. They won’t be able to hold out long. Neither their magic formation nor their patience.”

**

“This is insane! A forest fire! A massive forest fire!”

“The cause! What’s the cause?!”

“Is the cause important right now? We need to escape immediately! If we delay even a little, we’ll all burn to death!”

“Watch your language! Burn to death?!”

“Damn it! I need to get out of here!”

“Control! Follow control! Don’t act rashly!!”

By the time they smelled something burning, it was already too late. The concealment formation had hidden them, but it also made it difficult to observe the outside situation. Naturally, they had lookouts outside the formation, but that didn’t help against the mysterious forest fire.

Mass panic.

The Albs, who would make a fuss over small fires, seemed about to lose their minds at the red curtain covering the sky. The hot air, acrid smell, and the terrified confusion and screams of their comrades spread very quickly.

But perhaps because they were a unit dispatched to attack other races…

The commanders and officers managed to find a relatively weak spot in the flames amid the chaos and successfully guided their subordinate Albs, shouting and using force.

“Stay calm! Even if you fall into a fire pit, you can survive if you keep your wits!”

“Summon water elementals! Protect yourselves with water energy!”

“Which idiot summoned wind elementals?! That’s useless! Protect yourself with water instead!”

“Don’t break away! Stick together so we can amplify our protective effects!”

The desperate efforts of the commanders and officers paid off. Though they seemed to have lost some who had broken away, they could visibly tell they had moved quite far from the wall of fire.

“Burn in hell, you arsonists!”

“I’ll never set foot in this area again!”

“When I get back, I’m going to board up my windows!”

The Albs, somewhat recovered from their panic, hurled all sorts of curses at the unknown arsonists, as if denying they had panicked.

They easily noticed that this was definitely not a naturally occurring forest fire.

After venting with curses, the Albs quickly became exhausted. They had used all their strength in a short time and were mentally drained as well.

Though they knew they weren’t in a completely safe zone yet, the commander couldn’t bring himself to order them to keep moving. He was also extremely tired.

So they tacitly took a short rest period.

And because of that…

Unfortunately, they were late in noticing again.

“Commander! Commander!!”

“What now! What is it?!”

“Huff, huff, wait, there’s something we need to check ahead!”

They had positioned their more functional members as sentries, and one of them came with an ominous report.

It can’t be.

The commander tried to deny it. He wanted to deny it. But when he saw what the sentry was pointing at, he could only grab the back of his neck in dismay.

[Humans, Ayors >>>>>>>>> Arrow-slinging Albs]

[A race utterly useless without their bows and elementals]

[Wild animals moved in unison before the fire even spread properly, but the Albs who claim to be noble and perfect…(shaking head)]

….

[Is this path you’re treading]

[Really the path of life?]

[Walk on if you’re confident]

Beneath the signposts covered in all sorts of insulting language lay a broken arrow.

An Alb arrow, covered in blood.