Ch.175Reconnaissance+++

# 175. Reconnaissance+++

“To say such nonsense, it’s truly absurd. In all my years, adventurers…”

“Reconnaissance Captain. Time is running out.”

“Tch.”

Just as Subin had warned me, their adjutant was also warning their commander.

“Krevin. The map.”

“Reconnaissance Captain!”

“Our return takes priority. They strongly insist they’re undertaking a reckless adventure for the peace and safety of the continent. If that’s what they want, we should let them go. They even have independent action authority.”

The adjutant, following the commander’s order, gathered the map with an openly disgruntled expression. Seeing this, the commander added:

“The reconnaissance team will return to the fortress at this time, and from this moment forward, we are exempt from all responsibility for anything that happens outside the fortress.”

Ah. How thorough.

“Whatever glory you’re seeking… it would be better not to do anything foolish.”

When the commander nodded, the adjutant tossed the map over. After I tucked the map away, the reconnaissance members who had been giving us fierce looks all turned their backs at once. And they truly began returning the way they came.

They disappeared beyond the Second Zone in an instant.

We were left stranded at the boundary between the Second and Third Zones.

“Wow… truly legendary. They really just left like that. Should we be grateful they at least threw us a map?”

“If they go back to the fortress, they’ll probably report whatever they want…”

“Forget it. Don’t worry about what’s already happened. Rather than continuing this pointless psychological warfare, this is actually better. I’ll try to maintain the sound barrier a bit longer, so look at the map and let’s talk briefly.”

While Subin narrowed her eyes in concentration, I unfolded the map. As soon as I opened it, my breath caught. It had been a long time since I felt like I was planning an all-night raid strategy.

‘In the game, there was never any reason to come here, so it’s uncharted territory.’

It wasn’t that there was no terrain outside the fortress, but characters never had any reason to enter, nor was it ever accessible. It was just drawn on the map, and all we knew was that monsters came through there.

However, the map was surprisingly detailed, and I had plenty of experience as a strategy guide writer, plus I wasn’t alone but with a team.

“The terrain doesn’t change drastically between zones.”

“But seeing how the reconnaissance team ran away, it must be swarming with monsters.”

“They were well-equipped for situations like this. If they still decided to retreat, doesn’t that mean we’re in danger too?”

“Would it be more dangerous than Iseratia and the Magic Tower’s artificial demons?”

“I can’t guarantee that. Large-scale battles are a different story.”

“Even if we try to avoid fighting as much as possible, once we’re spotted and start fighting, we should assume we’ll likely be surrounded?”

The raid members quickly exchanged opinions with their heads together. We pointed at the map to create Plans A through D on the spot, and rechecked our formation and communication systems.

After Subin released the sound barrier to redistribute her magical power, we stepped into the unknown world, just as we had at the Magicant Magic Tower.

At the front, Yuri, Danya, and Arang, all with good instincts, were advancing in a triangular formation, but their pace was like that of a mine detection unit.

– Enemy spotted.

– Number. Many.

– Detour.

– Left.

– Enemy spotted.

– Number. Many.

– Detour.

– Right.

It was a repetition of this pattern.

I personally understood why the reconnaissance team decided to retreat without even trying, but it wasn’t so bad that we couldn’t advance at all.

‘If we had moved with the reconnaissance team, we probably would have been spotted already. Even if we hadn’t been detected, the mana consumption would have been greater, and our pace would have been even slower.’

I checked the map occasionally. Objectively speaking, the Third Zone was much narrower than the First or Second Zones. To put it simply, like an archery target, the red-painted sealed area wasn’t very large, and the Third Zone directly surrounding it wasn’t very wide either.

However, it was suffocatingly oppressive.

Like a thick fog, monsters were scattered everywhere. And it wasn’t just monsters. The overgrown trees, flowers, and grass were all abnormal.

All the grass, leaves, branches, and petals were uniformly too sharp and pointed—merely brushing against them was enough to tear robes and cut leather.

That wasn’t all.

A flower that looked quite pretty from afar would suddenly open wide enough to swallow a couple of people whole when approached; what seemed like ordinary weeds would transform and dance with blades aimed at ankles or knee joints; branches that had been still would cunningly move to constrict us as we passed by…

Even excluding the monsters, everything in all directions was a minefield-level obstacle, so we had to be extremely cautious to minimize non-combat losses.

And as if mocking us, everywhere there was a smell that’s truly difficult to describe—if forced to, I’d say it was like a thoroughly fermented mixture of burning rubber, food waste, and sweat—a goddamn awful stench that tormented us.

– This place. Escape. Swift. Please.

– Negative. Danger. High.

– Suggestion. Wide-area. Incineration.

– Negative.

Unable to bear it any longer, Yuri suggested burning everything down, but it would be the worst strategy for us who needed to continue through the forest, and we couldn’t predict what aftermath it might cause, so we naturally refused. Though emotionally, I couldn’t say I didn’t understand.

Thus, we were quickly becoming exhausted just trying to reach the sealed area, without even engaging in any real combat.

‘If I try to think positively, these bizarre phenomena must mean we’re getting closer to where the demon is sealed, right?’

A demonic realm.

The Third Zone was truly a demonic realm.

– Stop.

– Reason.

– Found. Presumed. Exit.

But even this perilous demonic realm had an end, and Arang, who had been silently performing his duty without a single complaint, was the first to discover the exit.

How beautiful was that single ray of light shining through a narrow gap.

Like spotting the barracks in the distance after an all-night march.

Like the expression on that bastard sergeant’s face when you ignore his words and leave work on time.

Like seeing my woman’s face as she falls asleep peacefully in my arms, all defenses down.

I barely suppressed the urge to run forward, barely held back the desire to shout, and gestured to the raid members.

– Him. Restrain.

Yuri, be good? Let’s endure a little longer?

‘Ugh, shit, isn’t the sense of smell supposed to fatigue quickly? Why can’t I adapt to this dog-shit smell?’

If we returned to the fortress after completing our reconnaissance, they might treat us as enemies based on smell alone, even if we presented the Vice Commander’s paper…

**

While Veritas was struggling in the Third Zone.

The atmosphere among the reconnaissance team returning to the fortress, having abandoned Veritas, was not good.

– Return. Progress. Satisfactory?

There were several reasons, but the most important was that they had failed their reconnaissance mission. And they were returning to the fortress like they were fleeing, having passed the task to rootless adventurers.

The commander’s eyebrow twitched at the adjutant’s hand signal, but the adjutant either didn’t notice or continued moving his hands.

– Reconnaissance. Mission. Fail-

“Enough.”

“Huh.”

The adjutant inhaled sharply at the sudden spoken words. The commander sighed and moved his fingers. It was a sound barrier.

“This in itself is not a meaningless result, and why should we sacrifice ourselves?”

“…Reconnaissance Captain.”

“It is dangerous, true, but acting as if the seal could break at any moment is just an overreaction. The seal has been maintained for hundreds of years. Do you think it would easily break due to someone’s mistake? Records show this isn’t the first time something like this has happened over the long years.”

“That may be true, but.”

“The Vice Commander will assemble the next reconnaissance team. And the fortress is impregnable. The damage from that incident was limited to personnel outside the fortress anyway.”

The adjutant couldn’t deny this.

Why us specifically?

Out of some sense of duty?

Didn’t we come here almost like exiles from our homeland, and weren’t we trying to redeem ourselves by establishing merit through years of service at Fort Paelm?

Wasn’t guarding the fortress and its surroundings dangerous enough?

Not just him, but everyone was in a similar situation.

“They might curse us for breaking away, but they might also think it’s for the best. We’ve been at odds with them constantly.”

“Surely not deliberately…”

“Shh. Deliberately? Someone might misunderstand if they heard.”

Wasn’t it a common sentiment that it was disgusting to see rootless adventurers stirring up trouble with the Vice Commander’s backing?

The adjutant couldn’t deny this either.

“I won’t deny they’re unusual adventurers, but what can they accomplish with just seven people? And that prohibition—bringing along a pet cat, of all things.”

“…But Reconnaissance Captain. What will you do if they don’t return? Even with valid reasons, you’ll obviously be questioned, won’t you? Even though the Vice Commander doesn’t care about this side of things.”

“Independent action authority. How can a Reconnaissance Captain go against what the Vice Commander has guaranteed?”

– Sealed area. Map. Please.

– Impossible. Classified.

– Reconnaissance. Continue. Map. Please.

– Main force. Withdraw.

– Detailed. Explanation. Please.

– Duty. Denied.

– Independent. Action.

The commander took out a crystal from his pocket, which contained a recording from just a few hours ago.

“We’ll return safely, report ‘exactly as it happened,’ and protect the fortress. That’s all we need to do.”

With those final words, the reconnaissance team moved again.