Chapter : 104
Battle Preparations (1)
When Suhyeon returned, the chairman had a technician accompany him. The technician, carrying specialized equipment in a private vehicle, was an expressionless man who looked almost like a doll. Suhyeon realized that he was suffering from the aftereffects of repeated memory erasure.
“What new tech does the U.S. have…?”
America was ahead in many areas. The problem was figuring out which of those Suhyeon could actually use. He had decided to collaborate with the chairman out of ambition, but he didn’t plan to make too many demands.
“Excessive greed brings trouble.”
Even if Suhyeon wasted money, it would be pocket change to the chairman. But human desire doesn’t work that way. If it wasn’t truly necessary, he shouldn’t ask for help unnecessarily.
“My artifact…”
“I’ll make an artifact room for you later, so stop whining.”
“When later?”
“Someday… maybe when I become the king of Cameron?”
“That’s just a way of saying you won’t!”
While retrieving a hidden artifact, Suhyeon chatted with Luiril. Her expression looked like disappointment could spill over at any moment.
“With this, we could easily arm two or three teams.”
“Where do you say it came from?”
“The reason can be easily explained. And anyway, we’re not taking everything out right now.”
He had no intention of giving artifacts to the newly formed Orc team. Suhyeon didn’t trust them that much yet.
“Fine. Just give me the antidote.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean ‘huh’? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t poison me anymore after this?”
“Oh, that. Don’t worry. I never actually poisoned you in the first place.”
“…?”
“It was a lie. Thanks for trusting me until now.”
“…?!”
Luiril trembled and pointed a finger at Suhyeon.
“A lie? Then what about that person?”
“Kim Jongtae? The poison I gave him was real. Could I casually use a poison that would kill someone from a single mistake? You’re not as unreliable as him.”
In truth, the reason Suhyeon hadn’t poisoned Luiril was simple: the poison technique hadn’t been perfected yet. At the time, Suhyeon was too busy and didn’t know where he would have to move next. Threats would work better than needless trouble. Luiril, as an elf, was susceptible to such intimidation.
“D-^$@#%^…”
“Sorry, even if I don’t speak Elvish well, I understand ‘you bastard.’ You didn’t like not being poisoned? Want me to poison you again?”
“Ah, no.”
Luiril was shocked that Suhyeon understood her language and closed her mouth.
“Anyway, you did well. You can go now. Let’s meet in the village from time to time.”
“…”
At first, she was angry at being deceived, but on second thought, it wasn’t worth such fury. Not knowing Suhyeon’s poison skill, Luiril thought he hadn’t used poison to protect her life. He had indeed created poison when dealing with Kim Jongtae using his powers.
Luiril turned, took a few steps, stopped, and spoke again.
“You know none of these artifacts allow teleportation, right?”
“Do I? I think so.”
“And you know it’s hard to find a teleportation user?”
“Yes.”
“So you really don’t need a teleportation expert? Didn’t you get a lot of help from me?”
“I do need one.”
“Then you should’ve said you needed me sooner!”
Luiril turned back and puffed up her chest confidently. Suhyeon stared, dumbfounded.
“Be grateful. Do you think someone like me is easy to find?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Regardless of attitude, Luiril was an excellent teleportation expert and a capable thief—an ideal asset. She patted Suhyeon on the back.
“You’ll get it someday, don’t forget.”
“What? Ah, the artifact room…”
“I’m not joking. You really will get it.”
“What a sight.”
Hearing Suhyeon mutter, Lee Sohee replied:
“The Gorgan unit helped a lot.”
“Perhaps it’s best to group the same races together. Compared to…”
Suhyeon looked at Shaina, who was idly lounging in a corner of the training ground. Luiril often acted foolish in front of Suhyeon but was actually friendly. Other team members treated her like a mysterious elf. Shaina, in contrast, was completely…
Lee Sohee lowered her head apologetically.
“I suppose I’ve been negligent in managing her.”
“No, it’s not your fault, Sohee. I know she’s prickly, so it’s fine.”
Orcs rolled and shouted across the training ground, moving in coordinated, powerful formations. Led by Mogok, they ran forward.
“How’s their ability objectively?”
“They’re fine. Physically capable, and they absorb skills quickly, maybe because they have ambition.”
“Could they be useful in Outerf…?”
Suhyeon scratched his chin thoughtfully.
“And I’ve gathered the research you requested.”
“Ah, thanks.”
Lee Sohee handed Suhyeon files containing information about fugitive mercenaries—from the old Gaongil Team 2 to Contact, Daesung, and incidents caused by Samdurong.
“May I ask why you’re investigating this?”
Sohee was cautious, a sign of her personality. If it had been Kim Changshik, he’d have asked bluntly.
“I received a tip.”
“A tip?”
“That these people were falsely accused. I asked to verify it.”
“…!”
“Team leader, today’s training is finished.”
“Good work, Gorgan.”
Gorgan and Mogok bowed and wiped their sweat. Gorgan was putting the most effort into making the new Orc team competent.
“What’s this?”
“Oh, it’s not pleasant for you. Human crimes against orcs.”
Gorgan’s expression contorted. In a low voice, he said:
“If it’s not against me, I don’t care much.”
“You should care. Why hide it? Humans have caused so much chaos…”
“Then may I read it?” Mogok asked. Gorgan jabbed his side.
“Ugh! It’s the team leader!”
“…May I read it?”
Suhyeon smirked and handed him the papers.
“Go ahead.”
Mogok squinted at the papers.
“Junter Village… we’ve heard of it.”
“Really?”
It was unexpected. Though they were different races, Cameron’s groups didn’t have strong kinship. Cameron was hard to reach without technology, and it was strange for isolated groups to be close.
“You’ve somehow heard of it. Your village was quite isolated, I remember.”
“Yes, but we maintained contact with other clans. A survivor from Junter Village had fled to another clan.”
“?!”
Suhyeon looked at Mogok in surprise.
“A survivor? Where are they now?”
“I… I don’t know. All I heard was to be careful of humans at that time.”
Suhyeon placed a hand on Mogok’s shoulder. The seemingly kind gesture sent an inexplicable sense of foreboding through him.
“Go find them.”
“Eh?”
“I’ll pay several times your usual wage. Lead your subordinates and find that survivor immediately!”
“…!”
“Is this really the artifact?”
“Don’t underestimate U.S. tech. Normally I would’ve replaced it all, but…”
Suhyeon kept the artifact stolen from the U.S. separately and looked at Luiril. She avoided his gaze.
“Why this one?”
“Ah, the Shockwave Sword.”
A sacred weapon held by the northern Heimken Orcs. It was stolen by the Chinese government, and then Luiril stole it from them—a complicated history.
“It’s an orc tribal relic; shouldn’t you care if its appearance is changed?”
“Y-You care about that?”
“Just kidding. There’s a reason I didn’t change it.”
Suhyeon swung the heavy sword once, and the crackling sound lingered in the air.
“I thought it might come in handy someday.”
“The artifact? Its appearance can change; the performance stays the same.”
“No, this identity. Heimken Orcs will do anything to retrieve it.”
Many races lived in tribal units, and it was easy to forget that Cameron had cities before humanity arrived. Heimken, in the north, was like an orc kingdom—one of the top forces among Cameron’s races.
“Both China and Russia are pretending not to know, so Heimken Orcs can’t act. Russia really did nothing… Anyway, this will be usable as is. Definitely.”
Suhyeon placed the Shockwave Sword back. Luiril noticed another sword he held—the artifact she had tried to steal but got entangled with him.
“That too? Isn’t it too risky?”
“I’m not afraid of it. It can serve as bait. The appearance must remain unchanged.”
The Ojang Sword writhed like a living creature.
“Inspection is done. Let’s go.”
Clack, clack—
“?”
Outside, Suhyeon thought he heard horse hooves.
“Did I hear that right? Sounds like horse hooves.”
“No… I heard it too.”
Luiril pricked her ears and nodded. He hadn’t imagined it.
“Some madman on a horse from Pyongyang…”
“Ah, it’s you, Ada.”
The elf Ada, platinum ponytail flowing, rode skillfully. The squad stared in wonder.
“I came to deliver a message.”
“Next time, why not ride a motorcycle?”
“Suspicious people appeared?”
“Yes. Not certain, but Father said it’s better to warn you in advance.”
Ada sat in the parlor, sipping hot coffee, then frowned and set it down. Jo Seunga offered sugar cubes, brightening her expression.
“Not a good omen.”
A perceptive person could deduce the prior events and likely outcomes from one phenomenon. If these suspicious people were Chinese…
‘From the Ames Plain to the Calcutta Jungle… testing the waters, maybe? That area is easier to approach than Outerf…’
Outerf, south of the gate, had long been under Korean and American control. Even with Dragon Slayers shaking things up, it was hard to breach.
Calcutta Jungle, in contrast, was underdeveloped and sparsely occupied, making Chinese access easier. There were various ways to displace existing powers and seize resources. Suhyeon was a master at this.
‘Defending is just a mercenary company. Shake it once or twice, and if it collapses, it can’t recover.’
The approach was simple: topple existing forces, then approach as a company with washed identity and nationality. Broken assets would have to be sold cheaply. Suhyeon’s past duties included preventing such operations and executing countermeasures.
“No engagements?”
“Father didn’t break his promise to you.”
“Good. Alright, let’s go.”
“You’re coming in person?”
“Why?”
“Just in case… if it’s a misunderstanding…”
“A misunderstanding would be good.”
Though he said that, he didn’t actually think so. He wanted to confront them to assess their strength. If they were Chinese forces, they’d have China’s best equipment. Desire made Suhyeon’s eyes burn.
“By the way… Sohee, what does the Jindo Dog company think of us?”
“Huh?”
Jindo Dog had always been a good ally… well, friend.
