Ch.39[Episode 39] Local Conflict

The decision to regroup didn’t mean the battle had completely stopped.

The clashes between small forces sent to occupy strategic positions continued unabated.

“Hmm.”

Sir Dominic smiled happily at Position 5.

After roughly wiping the blood splattered on his face with his sleeve, Sir Dominic rubbed his sword against the accumulated snow.

As the dried blood was wiped away, two red lines were once again drawn across the snow.

If someone had observed Sir Dominic’s surroundings, they might have been surprised by the spectacle of red lines arranged at regular intervals, resembling a crosswalk or tram tracks.

That’s how tirelessly Sir Dominic continued fighting.

“Capture the position! There’s only one enemy! If there were two, I’d reconsider, and if there were three, I wouldn’t even suggest it! But there’s only one!”

The intelligence captain from The Tentacle Explorer’s side, leading one of the special units, encouraged his troops.

However, he himself had no interest in this battle.

The Tentacle Explorer’s side had merely sent him to prevent Sir Dominic’s unusual behavior.

The actual deception was taking place elsewhere.

“Hmm.”

Sir Dominic thrust his shield at an angel who had leaped forward with a spear.

The impact between the spear tip and shield occurred faster than anticipated, throwing off the angel’s balance.

Sir Dominic didn’t miss the opportunity and succeeded in cutting off one of the angel’s wings.

The angel fell between the snow and couldn’t get up.

“Next!”

Sir Dominic liked this environment.

Thanks to the deep snow, he could fight fewer enemies than in normal conditions.

Due to his traits and happiness, Sir Dominic, who swung his sword and shield without tiring, added another red line to the snow.

Thirty-two.

The number Sir Dominic had carved.

Though his clothes were frozen from blood and sweat in the sub-zero weather, they melted from the heat of his body and enthusiasm as he continued moving without pause.

He would surely suffer from body aches and a cold after the battle, but right now, Sir Dominic was simply happy with the current situation.

“Next!”

Sir Dominic shouted.

He still overflowed with energy, just as he had at the beginning.

“They really need to nerf tanks…”

The intelligence captain sighed.

…

Giant of Hundread Hands and The Tentacle Explorer attempted to expand the war almost simultaneously.

Both sides knew well that they couldn’t deliver a fatal blow to each other in the current situation, so it was time for a new variable.

However, the variables they each desired were different.

The Tentacle Explorer needed Stage 3 after failing to gain an advantage early on.

Due to preparing only for offense in Stages 1 and 2, supplies and support were lacking.

From Stage 3 onward, there were many support-type humans for the late game, so their help was essential to catch up.

Giant of Hundread Hands’ war expansion was different.

He knew that once Stage 3 connected, the fortress would become meaningless.

Above all, the current battlefield situation wasn’t particularly favorable.

People in the fortress afflicted with the plague curse had to be excluded from the fighting force until they recovered, and without the fortress, there was nothing advantageous for him.

The environment. The battlefield environment didn’t provide any advantage to either side.

It was time for Stage 3 to overcome the environment and solidify an advantage.

Both began expanding the war almost simultaneously.

…

Inside the Position 3 fortress.

Beyond the somewhat restored walls, a demon surveyed the surroundings.

People who had collapsed from the plague were suffering from high fevers and pus.

Some were in such a state that pus had spread throughout their bodies, making it impossible to lie down.

A nurse moved among them, injecting them with a large syringe she carried on her back.

Those who received the injection temporarily improved as green cross marks and red heart marks appeared, but the nurse alone was overwhelmed.

In this chaotic fortress, a man was limping around.

Ivan Strelch. The man who had been trapped under the collapsed wall.

“I never thought this would be so helpful.”

He had sensed death the moment the wall collapsed, but fortunately, he survived.

It was thanks to Sir Dominic’s trait [Standard Bearer].

As a result of reducing damage by 4%, the fatal damage was changed to just before death.

“Well, it’s good that I saved the time and energy needed for resurrection…”

Strelch trailed off.

“Please! Kill me! That would be cleaner!”

“Can’t I be resurrected? I can’t stand the itching.”

“Ugh. This is the only time I hate the high realism.”

Patients reached out to the nurse for salvation.

Plagius’s ability was that dirty and annoying.

…

Yekaterina was already moving among the scattered personnel, attempting to snipe enemies whenever she saw them.

Her sniping skills shone even in the increasingly blinding snowstorm.

After putting two more enemies into resurrection standby, Yekaterina sighed.

“That fart-maker. Getting arrogant just because he’s favored.”

Plagius. Yekaterina thought of the man who had entered around the same time and was like a rival within the clan.

Plagius’s traits were plague and curse. He was a versatile character who could deal damage and tank, and even apply debuffs to enemies, so he was favored by the clan leadership.

In contrast, she was a dealer whose effects only worked on single targets.

Since there were many dealers of similar level, Yekaterina had built up achievements more fiercely.

Thinking about Plagius, Yekaterina suddenly became angry.

How could someone be favored just because they could tank a little? Does that even make sense?

A voice suppressed by anger crept between her teeth.

Yekaterina needed somewhere to vent this anger. Stress wasn’t good for the skin.

She shouldered her rifle again and moved on.

Position 5 was in the direction of her steps.

…

“Ugh. Hwa!”

The Night Magician ran toward enemy lines secretly under Plagius’s orders.

His fancy silk hat and red bow tie on his tailcoat glittered in the snowstorm.

‘Go to enemy lines and attack the leadership. Best if the leadership dies. Good if you cause confusion even if you fail.’

Plagius’s orders delivered through the intelligence captain.

The fluorescent skull drawn on his face flashed whenever the sky darkened.

Finally reaching near the enemy lines, the Night Magician hid behind a rock and spied on them.

The enemy’s temporary headquarters was prepared to perfectly handle almost every situation.

However, the weather was still a problem.

Due to the severe battlefield weather, electronic devices occasionally malfunctioned.

Though they quickly took measures each time, it was inevitable that gaps would appear in this perfect preparation for enemies to exploit.

The Night Magician had succeeded in exploiting such a gap.

“What’s the enemy’s status?”

Stacy asked her aide while drinking warm cocoa.

“The enemy is too scattered, hitting and running, making it difficult to grasp the situation. And the weather isn’t helping…”

The aide was shivering from the cold, hunching his body.

Unfortunately, being in a summer swimsuit skin, he couldn’t withstand the biting wind and cold at all.

“I don’t know why I came in a swimsuit skin expecting wealth and glory.”

The aide blurted out before his lips could freeze together.

“Why? Last time you were happy about showing off your perfect body.”

Stacy said, tightening her thick fur-lined coat.

“You said a little kid like me would still be a little kid even covered in a coat. You bragged that someone with a nice body like yourself should wear clothes like this.”

Stacy teased the aide as if she had caught him in the act.

In reality, Stacy’s appearance still hadn’t shed its childish look, while the aide had a great figure with curves in all the right places.

In terms of age, Stacy was significantly older, but this time she was teasing the aide with childishness befitting her appearance.

“Ugh, let’s stop this conversation for now.”

“Why? You brought up the swimsuit first.”

“Really, just a moment. It seems additional information has come in.”

The aide picked up a paper being printed from the fax.

After reviewing it once for any issues, he handed it to Stacy.

“Some personnel from the enemy side can’t be accounted for. We checked, and they’re not dead.”

“Is that so? So… a deception? Is The Tentacle Explorer trying to show a sharp move as expected?”

The fax machine operated again. But suddenly the paper coming out got stuck.

The aide, shivering from the cold, hit the fax machine once.

“Ah, come on!”

Devices kept malfunctioning in the cold weather.

“I’ll call a communications officer.”

“Alright.”

The aide sighed. Her sigh spread widely in the cold, freezing and dispersing like fog.

The Night Magician saw Stacy left alone.

This was an opportunity.

“Ugh, ha.”

The Night Magician started running.

The snow muffled his footsteps, and the wind blocked the sound of movement.

Stacy was finishing her remaining cocoa when she looked up due to a sudden chill.

The Night Magician, running like a mad dog, spread open the top of his tailcoat wide.

He was the Night Magician, but the night wasn’t “night.”

He was the Bomb Magician.

Soon, a large explosion occurred at the Giant of Hundread Hands’ leadership headquarters.