Chapter 40: Quest
Late at night, Yoo Soha gathered her barely recovered team members and began explaining the plans for the days ahead.
They would prepare supplies to combat the heat and prioritize terrain reconnaissance.
“We need to establish a forward base. The distance from the base camp to North Hwanghae isn’t too far, but the deeper we go, the more those small differences in stamina will become apparent.”
“But… can we set up a forward base in this kind of terrain?”
“That’s why reconnaissance comes first. There has to be a spot with less intense heat suitable for a forward base. For now, our top priority is establishing one.”
“Understood. Anything else?”
“Earlier, Eclipse mentioned that while we were in the lava zone, he sensed a powerful presence from quite a distance away.”
“…Is that true?”
Yoo Soha nodded.
“If Eclipse says so, it’s likely an incredibly strong beast. He’s not one to carelessly call something strong. And it’s probably a beast with a gate core.”
“Then…”
“Yes. That beast will be our ultimate target. But not yet. We haven’t pinpointed its location, and we haven’t scouted North Hwanghae enough. Rushing in recklessly could lead to heavy losses.”
The team members nodded at her words.
As she said, they were only at the start of the expedition. Acting hastily could invite disaster. Since the presence was far off, careful preparation was the right move.
“So, we start with the forward base. We’ll need at least one intermediate outpost. From tomorrow, our goal is to find terrain suitable for a forward base. If we have time, we’ll clear the surrounding area.”
“Understood.”
“And Sihu, Hyeongwon.”
Yoo Soha looked at Baek Sihu and Eun Hyeongwon, the team’s water-attribute mana awakeners.
“Yes.”
“You two are exempt from combat.”
“…What?”
“Instead, you’ll take on a more important role.”
“What’s that?”
“Protecting the team. Both of you will focus your mana on blocking the lava zone’s heat and restoring the ice packs when their cold runs out.”
“Got it.”
The two readily agreed to Yoo Soha’s instructions.
Blocking the heat while fighting would have been a significant burden, so they followed her orders without hesitation.
“Your roles are the most critical in this North Korea expedition. Support the team well.”
“And Gain.”
“Yes?”
Chae Gain, who had been standing idly, jumped at Yoo Soha’s call.
“As far as I know, your guardian, Jekern, has stealth abilities.”
“Yes, that’s right!”
“Can Jekern scout a wider area? Other guardians might attract beasts.”
“Of course he can.”
“Good. That’s all for today. We’ll regroup here tomorrow at 7 a.m.”
“Yes!”
“You all did great today. We gained a lot, so let’s keep it up tomorrow.”
As morning broke, Hwanryeong Team 2 swiftly moved back to the area they had reached the previous day.
With Baek Sihu and Eun Hyeongwon blocking the heat to their fullest and ice packs attached inside the protective suits, the significantly more comfortable environment allowed the team to reach the spot where Yoo Soha had planted the flag without issue.
“It’s definitely much better. We should’ve done this from the start.”
“Agreed. So… until we establish a forward base, we’ll prioritize terrain reconnaissance?”
“Yes. And Gain, as we discussed yesterday, have Jekern scout in a direction different from where we’re heading.”
“Got it. Jekki.”
[Alright, leave it to me. What do I do?]
“Go where we can’t right now and find areas with less heat. If you spot beasts, let us know what kind they are.”
[Got it!]
The flame cat Jekern spun excitedly in the air before vanishing, using his specialty: stealth.
“He seems pretty excited.”
Yoo Soha remarked to Chae Gain, who responded with a faint smile.
“Jekern’s a fire spirit, so he loves hot environments. Places like this don’t tire him out much, so his mana consumption is low. But Team Leader, are you okay? Maintaining Eclipse must take a lot of mana…”
“Oh, I barely use any mana to keep Eclipse active.”
“…What?”
Her words drew everyone’s attention to her.
“I’m not sure if it’s because Eclipse hasn’t used mana yet, but… the mana drain isn’t significant.”
“That’s cheating…”
Someone couldn’t help but mutter.
Why couldn’t guardians be kept materialized constantly? Because of mana consumption.
Yet, she was saying it barely took any mana? If that formidable force required almost no mana, wasn’t that outright cheating?
Perhaps sensing their gazes, Yoo Soha spoke to the team with a slightly smug expression.
“Anyway, that’s why I can keep Eclipse materialized 24/7 without much strain on my mana.”
“Wow…”
After thoroughly enjoying the team’s reactions, Yoo Soha addressed them.
“Alright, enough chatter. Let’s move.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Hwanryeong Team 2 pressed forward.
Beasts appeared intermittently, but, like yesterday, they were low-level ones easily subdued by firearms.
Still, the team didn’t let their guard down. Hadn’t Eclipse warned of a powerful beast?
If so, there might be creatures influenced by it. In eroded zones, a beast with a gate core typically held sway over the region.
There were surely stronger beasts out there. They just hadn’t appeared yet.
Some time passed. Eclipse’s eyes caught something.
“Soha.”
“What’s up? See something?”
Ash-gray orcs with robust physiques were charging toward them, riding flame wolves.
“Beasts ahead.”
“Beasts? Wait, what do they look like?”
“Ash-gray-skinned beasts riding flame wolves, heading this way.”
“…What? Everyone, prepare for combat! Enemies ahead! Fire as soon as they’re in sight!”
“Yes!”
Though the enemies weren’t yet visible, Yoo Soha quickly assumed a combat stance, and the team followed suit.
They gripped their firearms, eyes locked forward.
Sure enough, hulking figures with ash-gray skin rode flame wolves, their flames billowing as they charged.
“Gray-skinned orcs spotted ahead. Fire!”
Yoo Soha gave the order to shoot the moment she saw them.
Her plan was to test if firearms worked and switch to mana if they didn’t.
But she had a gut feeling the bullets wouldn’t work on these creatures.
And her instinct was correct.
The bullets ricocheted off instantly, visible to Hwanryeong Team 2’s eyes.
Only then did the orcs seem to notice the team, urging their wolves into a frenzied charge.
“Everyone except the gunners, draw your main weapons!”
“Yes!”
Yoo Soha formed a golden sword from sturdy alloy and gripped it, while the other awakeners followed her orders, drawing their main weapons and charging forward.
Those wielding cold weapons took the front line, mages stayed in the rear, and gunners supported the middle.
The clash between the orcs and awakeners was instantaneous.
Among them, the orc that seemed to be the leader leaped off its wolf and swung a massive warhammer at Yoo Soha.
She swiftly dodged and countered with a slash. A clean strike aimed at the orc’s forearm as it wielded the hammer.
Slash.
A sharp sound rang out as a gash appeared on the orc’s arm.
But the orc, as if the wound was nothing, swung its warhammer even more fiercely. Its swings were wild and formless, but their power and speed were no joke.
Moreover, Yoo Soha caught a strange shimmer around the hammer.
Mana. It was mana.
‘How can an orc use mana…!’
Yoo Soha felt her common sense crumbling.
Orcs couldn’t use mana.
That was common knowledge.
Among the countless orcs that had appeared, not one had ever used mana.
Yet, right before her eyes, an orc was wielding mana.
“Everyone, be careful! These orcs can use mana!”
“Yes!”
Though her team’s voices carried traces of shock, they quickly regained composure and began engaging the orcs cautiously.
Facing the leader orc, Yoo Soha dodged its warhammer’s range and started channeling mana.
A massive surge of mana flowed toward her, and numerous golden weapons materialized around her.
Each swing of her sword sent the weapons flying toward the orc.
The orc could block the sword she wielded directly with its warhammer, but it couldn’t fend off the weapons flying from all directions.
Crack.
In an instant, a golden spear formed by Yoo Soha’s mana pierced the orc’s leg.
Its movements visibly slowed.
Seizing the opportunity, Yoo Soha pressed the attack on the leader orc.
The flame wolf that had been targeting her alongside the orc had long been skewered by her weapons.
The leader orc, its initial momentum gone, continued to take hits from Yoo Soha’s attacks and eventually collapsed.
Soon after, the other orcs were quickly dealt with. Thanks to the support from the gunners and mages, the orcs fell without putting up much resistance.
As the battle ended, Yoo Soha gathered the team and spoke.
“This might be more dangerous than we thought.”
“Yes.”
The team nodded. Especially the front-line awakeners, who had clashed directly with the orcs, spoke to Yoo Soha with grave expressions.
“Their attacks were beyond imagination. If we hadn’t trained for the past month, it could’ve been dangerous.”
“Exactly. The impact was intense… What now, Team Leader?”
“Let’s keep moving forward for now. We haven’t found terrain suitable for a forward base yet. We’ll take a short break and then proceed. We’ll discuss the orcs when we return.”
“Yes!”
After a brief rest, they reattached ice packs restored with cold by Baek Sihu and Eun Hyeongwon and moved forward.