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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Once, in my previous life—before I got possessed into this damn game—I had witnessed a power plant explosion.
We had successfully repelled the forces that had infiltrated the thermal power plant in Gangwon Province under the cover of night, but an unremoved bomb detonated, and flames erupted from Unit 3.
The fire quickly spread to the surrounding facilities, causing a terrible disaster with massive casualties. The memory of that day and the scene unfolding before me now slowly overlapped.
‘We’re fucked.’
That was the only thought in my mind. This operation was flawed from the start. Both I and Lieutenant Colonel Sony had underestimated the Soviet Empire, considering them merely an aggressive and sinister nation.
Of course, I knew about the Mutant technology, but… I hadn’t expected them to actually use it. And of all places, it had to be this Lymansk Armory.
The operation, which was supposed to be a simple assault to subdue the facility and frame it as a ‘rebel’ act, was completely shattered by the appearance of the Mutants. The Soviet Empire had effectively lost all its cards.
Their carefully guarded secret of human experimentation was exposed, and the Pearl of Premonition they had so painstakingly stolen from Ukraine was taken back.
So, what would a ‘powerful gambler’ with nothing left to lose do…?
Flip the table. And erase all evidence of his defeat in the process.
“Fuck! Fuck!!”
Despite being in the presence of the Lieutenant Colonel and other officers, curses erupted from all around. Most of them were from the soldiers.
In a life-or-death situation like this, even the officers and the non-commissioned officers, the backbone of the unit, couldn’t say anything to the soldiers. In fact, they were probably already spewing all sorts of curses in their minds.
“If the armory gets caught in the explosion, it’s really over! Increase altitude now!”
Despite Sony Zeppelin’s urging, the pilot at the helm of the airship was only sweating profusely.
“It’s impossible…!”
“Why is it impossible?”
“The maximum capacity of this airship is 100 people! Including cargo!”
“So?”
“You put the members of the 3rd Battalion on the other airship, so the number of people has increased significantly! Not only that, but you also looted equipment from the armory’s warehouses and armories. The number of people alone is already overloading the airship!”
Even with the integration of magic, it was only natural for an airship to rely on the buoyancy of air for takeoff. The weight had increased since departure, so a rapid takeoff was impossible.
“We have to jettison everything! All the equipment and luggage!”
At the pilot’s desperate cry, Chief of Staff Major Joseph gave orders to the other company commanders.
“If any of the soldiers have taken unnecessary loot, tell them to throw it out immediately! Including all the guns and ammunition from the armory!!”
“Yes, sir…!!!”
As soon as the order was given, Nikolai and Hilton rushed to the passenger compartment.
“It’s still too late. If the fire reaches the armory, it’s really over!”
It was an armory, after all. It was filled with oil and gunpowder to run the production facilities. Since the explosion had already begun, a massive explosion that would blow up the entire facility was imminent.
It was then.
“I-I can do it.”
Sergeant Roxana Ellim, her pink hair flying, appeared. She clutched her heart and entered the cockpit.
“Roxana…! Are you alright!?”
She didn’t look well. She was a patient with a heart condition. The low oxygen in the underground could have been fatal to her, with her already weak heart. I grabbed her staggering body, but she gently pushed my hand away as if to say she was fine.
“I can forcibly increase the output of this airship’s engine. Then… then, we can ascend faster, right?”
She looked directly at the pilot. The pilot gulped and looked back and forth between me and Sony Zeppelin before nodding.
“Wait, Roxana! You don’t have to do this! You’re not in good condition…!!”
“Captain, only Sergeant Roxana can do this. Even Lieutenant Colonel Sony Zeppelin can’t.”
The pilot added in a firm voice.
“The magic crystal for controlling the airship is not an ordinary one. It’s a very sophisticated device. To adjust its output, you need to meet very specific conditions.”
One must be a 1st-class Green mage or higher. The amount of mana stored in one’s mana core must be sufficient to handle the weight of the airship. And finally, one’s affinity with the magic crystal must be at least 90%.
“As far as I know, besides myself, only Sergeant Roxana meets these conditions. Even if the other two conditions are met, if the affinity with the magic crystal is not right, the airship won’t ascend but will lose power and crash.”
It was a dead end. It was truly something only Roxana could do. She staggered towards the crystal ball. Faint blood trickled from her bitten lip.
“I’ve been waiting for this day…!! I’ve always been sick and a burden to others…!!”
Her eyes were already filled with determination. If it were anyone else, I would have allowed it without question. There was no reason to stop her. But with Roxana Ellim, I couldn’t help but hesitate. She had a heart condition.
Using too much mana could stop her heart. It was unknown how much mana would be required to make this airship ascend rapidly. There was no guarantee that her heart wouldn’t stop in the middle of it. And she wasn’t in good condition.
She was clutching her heart in pain. She was already pushing herself too much, and now she was going to use magic again. Could even Roxana handle it?
‘This is the only way.’
Right before Roxana grabbed the magic crystal, I hugged her tightly. Despite having been on a battlefield filled with gunpowder smoke, she smelled of a fresh spring.
“C-Captain?!”
“Is it a problem if a third party provides the mana for the magic crystal adjustment?”
I asked the pilot directly, and he, having understood my intention, replied, “No. But the mana efficiency will be extremely low. As far as I know, Sergeant Roxana has a heart condition… Can you handle that much mana?”
“Of course.”
“Wait, Lieutenant Enoch? If that’s the case, I can do it…!!”
“If you collapse from mana exhaustion, Lieutenant Colonel, who will take responsibility? Just replenish me with enough mana so I don’t die after I pass out.”
I flatly refused Sony Zeppelin’s offer. If it were anyone else, it would be different, but I was confident I could do it.
According to Roxana’s personal physician, I was a ‘prodigy’ with mana levels comparable to Roxana’s. Besides, Roxana was my squad member, my company member. If I was going to help, I wanted to do it with my own power.
A true ‘company member’ who, despite being seriously ill, didn’t hesitate to prove herself as a soldier, as a comrade. I couldn’t just stand by and watch.
‘Whether as a man or as a commander.’
I focused my mind and resonated my mana with Roxana’s mana core, which I was holding in my arms. The flow of mana went from top to bottom, flowing through my fingertips and into Roxana.
“Roxana, do you trust me?”
“Captain…!!”
“It’s okay to go all out.”
Roxana’s trembling eyes stopped for a moment. Her gaze, which had been fixed on me, shifted to the magic crystal that powered the airship. Then… Roxana placed both hands on it.
Kiiiiing!!
A green flash of light erupted from the magic crystal. The pulsating mana amplified, enveloping the entire airship.
Kaboom!!
As soon as the mana erupted, a huge explosion occurred behind them. The air, heated by the intense heat, stirred, and the airship shook. The air currents had changed.
“Guh, guuuuh…!! Ughhhh!!!”
Roxana’s mana was released to its maximum. I also completely opened my mana core, matching her pace. As if opening a dam, a tremendous amount of concentrated mana flowed through my body and into Roxana’s mana core.
The airship’s altitude began to rise noticeably. The ascent accelerated, following the curved trajectory of the turbulent air currents. It was now up to the pilot to balance the airship and prevent it from inverting or twisting vertically.
“Hold on tight!!!”
I squeezed my eyes shut, focusing solely on infusing mana. After a few minutes… just as my head was starting to ache and my breathing was becoming labored, I finally heard the pilot’s ecstatic voice.
“W-We did it!! We’ve reached a stable altitude!!! We’ve escaped the explosion!”
I opened my eyes and looked back.
KABOOM!!
As soon as we had ascended, a mushroom cloud, comparable to a nuclear explosion, rose from the Lymansk Armory. If we had been even a little later, the airship wouldn’t have been able to escape. Roxana also took her hands off the crystal ball and looked at the eye-catching explosion.
Her tense shoulders relaxed, and─
“Ah, thank goodne…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Roxana collapsed.
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