CH 105

‘Ah… should I have just kept my mouth shut…? I think I should have just kept my mouth shut…’ Carell thought when he realized that he was screwed. After all, he wasn’t really confident in commanding a battalion in Siegfried’s place.

“Y-Your Majesty…”

“What?”

“Would you kindly rethink your decision? I’m not confident about commanding the battalion in your place no matter how many times I think about it, Your Majesty…”

“You did just fine as a squad leader, so what’s the problem now?”

“A battalion is several times bigger than a squad…”

“Does it matter? It’s not like I’m asking you to lead a regiment or a division.”

“Still…”

“Do you want to get locked up for refusing orders?” Siegfried threatened before grumbling, “How can a man complain so much? Just do it, will you…”

“I’m just worried that my mistake would cause the entire battalion to—”

“Then so be it. Just let the battalion get annihilated; what’s the problem?”

“P-Pardon…? Is that even an option…?”

“Eighty percent of our battalion is composed of Adventurers anyways, so they will just come back to life once they die. What’s the problem, then? You just have to take care of the officers and soldiers or just outright exclude them from the mission.”

“S-So there was that option!” Carell exclaimed. He looked like he was struck by an epiphany.

“Don’t be a wuss,” Siegfried smirked before saying, “Carell.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I believe in you.”

“…!”

“You have the ability, punk. Don’t be scared. Have some faith in yourself, got that?”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Then, I’ll leave it to you. It’s up to you what strategy to use. Oh, by the way, let me just ask one more thing from you.”

“What is it, Your Majesty?”

“Set up a rescue team just in case. I have to make it out alive, too, right?”

“Please do not worry about that as I have already prepared it in advance. Now, when should we commence our operation?” Carell asked.

“Tonight,” Siegfried replied before hurriedly explaining, “This mission is on a first-come, first-serve basis. We have to move quickly.”

“I will immediately prepare our forces.”

“Yeah, I’ll leave that to you then. I’ll go meet the regiment commander for a while.”

“The Regiment Commander-nim?”

“We are up against a greater colony. We will not be able to completely draw them out with just our battalion, so the regiment’s forces should be helpful as well.”

“I hope the higher-ups will cooperate with us…” Carell grumbled.

“I hope so, too. Alright, see you later tonight,” Siegfried said before leaving the tent.

***

“Don’t you worry! We won’t be able to face them head-on, but we will be able to employ guerilla tactics to help you out!” the commander of the regiment Siegfried’s battalion was affiliated with replied positively to Siegfried’s request to act as bait to draw out the Cryptids guarding the greater colony.

However, the problem was the division commander.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Why would a division mobilize just to support an Adventurer on their mission? You’re insane!”

It seemed that the division commander wasn’t that fond of Siegfried.

“It is an order from the Corps Commander-nim himself,” Siegfried replied. He wasn’t really the type to back down.

“It doesn’t matter whose order it is. Picking a fight against a greater colony will surely cause huge casualties. Aren’t you aware of that?”

“Then, are you just going to sit around and watch those monsters get smarter by the day? We have to know the reason why they’re getting smarter, so we can get better at fighting them as well, don’t you think so? And this is the military. We have to make sacrifices for the greater good at times—” Siegfried was explaining his side.

However, the division commander cut him off and shouted, “Shut your mouth!”

“…”

“To mobilize a division as a diversion—such actions will not be tolerated regardless of the mission’s importance,” said the division commander.

Siegfried didn’t even listen to what the division commander, Royder, had to say.

“Signalman!” Siegfried called out.

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg-nim!” the signalman immediately responded.

“Send a message to the command center this instant so that I can speak to Corps Commander-nim. He will accept the transmission if you tell him that Lieutenant Colonel Sieg is asking to speak to him.”

Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

“Yes, sir!”

The signalman immediately rang up the command center.

“H-Hey! What do you think you are doing right now?!” Royder exclaimed in surprise.

Siegfried sarcastically replied, “Can’t you tell, sir? I’m making a report to the higher-ups, sir.”

“Are you snitching on me—right before my face?!” Royder was furious.

— Lieutenant Colonel Sieg! What’s the matter? I think you’re calling from the division command center, if I’m not mistaken.

“Ah, that is…” Siegfried proceeded to snitch on the division commander’s refusal to cooperate.

— Ha! Royder!

“M-Major General[1] Royder!” Royder immediately responded.

— How can you blatantly ignore your subordinate’s request for support just like that? Ha?!

“Corps Commander-nim! T-That’s…!”

— He isn’t even asking you to face the enemy head-on. He just wants you to draw them out for a bit, but what? Are you not even capable of doing that? Ha?!

“…”

— Do you even realize how important this mission is? How could you refuse to give support to such an important task? Will you take full responsibility if this mission fails? Will you do that?!

“I… I apologize, sir…”

— I must say that I’m quite disappointed in you. I guess there goes your additional star. Oh well, just do what you want. I have no plans to intrude upon your command anyway, but remember this; you might as well kiss your promotion goodbye…

“I will carry it out at once, sir!”

— Oh? I’m glad you made the right decision. Best of luck to you, then. I have to go do a spot-check now, so I’ll be hanging up. Let’s see… I wonder where I should go and scrutinize every single tiny detail and enforce my full authority…?

“…”

— I wonder which division I should go and inspect…

The transmission ended with Lieutenant General Overlock’s final words that might as well be a threat.

Tremble…!

Major General Royder quivered in anger, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

Why?

Simple…

Rank was the only thing that mattered in the military.

After all, hierarchy was the only thing that allowed a military to function, right?

‘Ah… I understand your desire not to do anything rash, but this is a really important mission. Can’t you tell that it’s important, you stubborn old man? How did you even get two stars when you’re such a coward?’ Siegfried grumbled inwardly.

It wasn’t that Siegfried couldn’t understand where Royder was coming from, but the investigation of the greater colony was far more important than preventing casualties. A single piece of information about the enemy was sometimes far more capable of turning the tides of war than an entire army.

“Ehem…!” Royder faked a cough to explicitly express his discontent before saying, “Now that I think about it, this mission is of great importance. Alright, I will mobilize my division to become a diversion just as you requested.”

“Thank you, Division Commander-nim.”

“Hmm… Come to think of it… Don’t you think you’re a bit too impatient? You directly contacted Corps Commander-nim without even giving me a chance to stop you…” Royder muttered.

“I sincerely apologize. I was simply in too much of a rush that I…” Siegfried trailed off in his apology.

He wasn’t really apologetic for what he did, but he apologized just to butter up Major General Royder. After all, nothing good would come out of being at odds with a higher-ranking officer.

“I will be more cautious from now on,” Siegfried continued.

“I’ll be grateful if you can do that. Alright, I shall mobilize my troops tonight, but don’t expect too much from us. We’re just going to act as a diversion. We’ll avoid any head-on confrontation against the enemy.”

“I’ll be grateful if you can just draw them out.”

“Alright, then, go on your way. Oh, right, can you put in a good word to Corps Commander-nim for me? Ehem! Ehem!”

“I will put in a very good word for you, so please do not worry about it.”

“Please make sure that you do that.”

“Yes, sir. Then, salute!” Siegfried saluted with an arrogant smirk before leaving for his barracks.

***

That evening, the 8th Division Siegfried was affiliated with, along with the 1st Independent Battalion temporarily under Carell’s command, made their way toward the 34th Cryptid Greater Colony.

However, the scale of the operation was a bit strange…

As he prepared to infiltrate the Cryptid Greater Colony, Siegfried saw the diversion operation’s actions in the distance, and he couldn’t help but mutter in disbelief, “W-What the hell are they doing…?”

Kaboom! Kaboom!

The artillery’s suppressive fire.

Swhoooong… Kabooom!

The airstrike from the air forces...

“Let’s gooooo!”

“Go! Go! Go!”

“Chaaaarge!”

And the full-scale charge of the infantry.

“How is this any different from a full-scale offensive…?” Siegfried was dumbfounded.

A diversion operation was supposed to—just as its name—act as a diversion, but the ongoing operation was a full-scale offensive no matter how Siegfried looked at it.

The attack was so fierce even the 34th Cryptid Greater Colony would probably never imagine, even in their wildest dreams—if they could even dream at all—that this was but a mere diversion tactic.

Meanwhile…

“Hoho! Can you see this, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg? Can you see how I’m sparing no effort to help you? I need you to soar higher! Higher than anyone else! Bwahahaha!”

It turned out that the culprit behind this full-scale diversion operation was none other than Lieutenant General Overlock. He mobilized the entire corps unit so that he could fully support Siegfried in completing the quest.

“I’ll be too embarrassed to lift my head up if I fail this considering what’s going on right now… Well, I just have to succeed, right?” Siegfried resolved himself as he slowly made his way toward the Cryptid Greater Colony.

***

Siegfried arrived at the outskirts of the completely empty 34th Cryptid Greater Colony. He then proceeded to hide in the nearby bushes to change into the disguise made out of Cryptid hide.

[Cryptid Ghillie Suit (Orc)] × 1

[A disguise created from the hide of a Cryptid. It can fool the Cryptids, but it will not be a hundred percent effective at all times. The user is advised to act discreetly while the item is equipped.]

[It is made out of the hides of mutated orcs, Orctids, and it has also been smeared with the feces of the Orctids to give it their pungent stench.]

[Type: Armor]

[Rating: Uncommon]

[Durability: 1/1]

[Special Effect: None]

The Cryptid Ghillie Suit (Orc) was crafted to allow the user to turn into an Orctid. As soon as Siegfried equipped the suit, he turned into an Orctid.

“Ugh… I feel like I’m going to puke…” Siegfried tried his best to suppress the urge to vomit upon being surrounded by the Orctid’s stench.

‘Shall we go?’ 

Siegfried then carefully made his way toward the 34th Crypted Greater Colony while disguised as an Orctid.

***

There were still a ton of Cryptids crawling in the greater colony despite the full-scale offensive launched by the coalition forces.

“Chwiiik!”

“Chwik! Chwik!”

“Chwik! Chwiiiik!”

Fortunately, the 34th Cryptid Greater Colony was mostly filled with Orctids right now, so Siegfried was able to infiltrate deep into the greater colony without much trouble.

‘Hmm… I don’t see anything out of the ordinary…’ Siegfried thought while looking around.

He tried his best to spot anything remotely suspicious, but the interior of the 34th Cryptid Greater Colony was no different from the interior of the colonies he had conquered and destroyed in the past.

Except for the hatchery…

The hatchery looked different from the usual ones. A hatchery was a living structure made out of the Cryptids’ genes. In short, all Cryptids start off as an egg from this living structure, and the hatchery was the main reason the Cryptids could reproduce so quickly.

However, the 34th Cryptid Greater Colony’s hatchery was much larger than any other hatchery Siegfried had ever come across, and it was the size of the Seoul Sports Complex[2] in Jamsil.

‘This is the hatchery…? Hmm… maybe I should go in.’ 

Siegfried decided to enter the hatchery after failing to find anything out of the ordinary outside.

‘Careful… Watch your step…’ 

Siegfried moved as discreetly as possible. Inzaghi’s Compass led him toward the safest route possible as he tried to enter the hatchery.

However, a huge Orctid blocked Siegfried’s path the moment he tried to enter the hatchery.

“Chwiiiiiik!”

It seemed that Inzaghi’s Compass wasn’t omnipotent after all…

‘Heok!’ Siegfried’s heart sank.

“Who are you?! Which unit are you affiliated with?!” asked the Orctid in front of Siegfried.

There was no way Siegfried would understand what the Orctid was asking since the only thing he could hear was, “Chwik! Chwik chwik! Chwiiiik! Chwik!”

‘Ah… I’m fucked…’ Siegfried inwardly grumbled as he closed his mouth shut. He couldn’t really respond to the Orctid since he couldn’t understand what it was saying.

“Chwiik! Chwiiik! Chwi… Chwiiik! (Answer me! I asked you about the unit you’re from!)”

“…”

“Chwik! (This bastard dares to test my patience!)”

“…”

“Chwiik! Chwiiiiiiiiiik! (Hey! There’s someone suspicious over here!)”

The dozens of Orctids guarding the hatchery gathered around when the Orctid blocking Siegfried’s path chwiked loudly.

“Chwiik! (This bastard!)”

“…”

“Chwik! Chwiiiik! Chwik Chwik! (I will eat you alive if you don’t respond!)”

The Orctid interrogated and even threatened him, but Siegfried couldn’t respond due to the language barrier.

‘Ah… What the hell is it saying…? Ha… I guess infiltrating won’t work…’ Siegfried inwardly sighed. He prepared to retrieve his weapons from Megingjord.

“Chwiiiiik! (This bastard is suspicious!)”

The Orctid ferociously growled and chwiked at Siegfried.

“Chwiiik!”

“Chwik!”

“Chwik! Chwik Chwik! Chwik Chwik Chwiiiik!”

The other Orctids followed suit and surrounded Siegfried. It seemed that they were ready to attack Siegfried at any time.

It was an intense situation that could escalate anytime soon.

“Chwiiii… (Kill this bastard…)”

The Orctid blocking Siegfried’s path was about to give the command to attack, but—

“Chwi… Chwiik…?” Siegfried chwiked in the most awkward way possible, but he managed to sound similar to the Orctids’ chwiks.

‘Ah, fuck it. Let’s try this out first. Afterward, I can decide whether I should escape or fight and barge in to collect information. Of course, I could also die or something if this doesn’t work,’ Siegfried inwardly grumbled. However, he decided to roll the dice.

In some way, it was a last resort that made him look extremely pitiful and desperate.

“Chwiiik… Chwik. Chwiiiik, Chwik Chwik Chwiiik… Chwik. Chwiiiik, Chwik Chwik… Chwiiiiiik…?” Siegfried imitated the Orctids’ chwiks as best as he could.

And the Orctids responded…

1. Apparently a Lt. General outranks a Major General while a Major outranks a Lieutenant. More information can be found here ☜

2. South Korea’s largest sports complex that was built for the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics. This sports complex is known to be around 295,000 square meters and has a maximum capacity of 200,000 people. More info here: ☜