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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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A fierce standoff was taking place between two countries bordering this mountain range.
They had different religions and ethnicities, and a history of conflict, and recently, they had engaged in another small-scale skirmish.
Until now, there had been no intervention from the Administration, but this time was different.
For some reason, the international order had shifted, and the policies of the superpowers supporting these two countries had also changed.
As a result, the Administration predicted that this skirmish would escalate into a large-scale war, not just the usual border dispute.
It wasn’t that the Administration was trying to mediate with some naive sense of “war is bad, peace is good.”
They dispatched us because, after calculating all the possibilities, profits, and losses, intervention proved to be beneficial.
Although the Administration was a supranational organization, it didn’t act as a strictly neutral mediator.
Rather, it used heroes, unprecedented weapons, to influence international affairs.
In that sense, our current climb had nothing to do with the typical image of heroes as guardians of justice and common sense.
So, instead of exchanging grand lines with stern and solemn faces like heroes in the media, we chatted idly as we ascended the mountain.
“Hey, Professor Hyun. Are you really going to become an academy professor?”
“I told you I am.”
“Why?”
“I’m not cut out to be a hero, and even less so for Secreto. I’d rather retire early and live comfortably than wait for death, walking a tightrope.”
“Well, a scholar suits your personality better than a hero.”
Seo Ji-ah, walking beside us, chimed in.
“Soo-hyun’s nickname at the academy was Gray Mold. Because he was gloomy and liked to stay in the corner. Plus, he was obsessed with defense studies, so he was a total…”
“Nerd, you mean.”
Han Tae-woo, finding his own words hilarious, chuckled and slapped my shoulder.
“But when are you going to show us that Mental Barrier of yours?”
“It’s still a long way off. It’ll take a few more years, at best.”
“What the hell? A mental management technique is that difficult? Anyway… retire quickly and settle down at the academy. You should at least be an associate professor by the time our Min-ha enters.”
“Associate professor? I’d have to retire as a B-Rank or higher for that. So, bring me some good missions. I need to get promoted so I can teach Min-ha.”
“Ji-ah, did you hear that? Record this with your bodycam so this punk can’t back out later.”
Seo Ji-ah laughed, turned around, and pointed her bodycam at me.
“C-Rank hero Professor Hyun, callsign Gray Steel. Pledge to make Han Min-ha an S-Rank.”
“A pledge…?”
“Pledge.”
Walking sideways, Seo Ji-ah said with a playful smile,
“Make Han Min-ha an S-Rank.”
Knowing it was all a joke, I smiled, looked directly at Seo Ji-ah, and pledged,
“I pledge. I will make Han Min-ha an S-Rank.”
“Good. I definitely recorded that.”
Seo Ji-ah turned back, started walking normally, and tapped her bodycam on her chest.
“Start saving up. Private tutoring is expensive.”
“I think we can call it even with what I did for you last time.”
“Didn’t I already pay you back for that by putting up a barrier to save you the time before that?”
“Putting up barriers is a supporter’s job. Isn’t it a bit much to ask for compensation for doing your duty?”
“So, saving a teammate’s life isn’t your duty but a favor?”
We continued bickering as we climbed towards the ridge.
“We’re almost there. Camouflage.”
Han Tae-woo, reaching the top of the ridge, gave the order.
The surface of our suits shimmered, changing to a color similar to the surrounding snow.
Completely camouflaged, we slowly moved forward, hid behind a rock, and peeked over.
Something was protruding from the valley below.
“Is that it?”
Seo Ji-ah took out a monocular, held it to her eye, and examined it closely.
“The warhead definitely looks similar.”
“Then it must be. Would there be another missile launcher here?”
Han Tae-woo listened to our exchange and said,
“Then let’s go in. Soo-hyun, you provide support from here, and Ji-ah and I will sweep through.”
“You know the drill, right? Don’t leave anyone alive.”
“I know. I said that before we left.”
“See you later.”
Seo Ji-ah and Han Tae-woo simultaneously enveloped themselves in Aura and shot up into the sky like bullets.
Brushing off the snow that fell due to the shockwave, I stood up, surrounded myself with a barrier, and walked forward.
The violet and dark red beams of light that had shot vertically into the sky made a sharp turn and plunged towards the ground.
Curses, shouts, and anti-aircraft fire erupted from all directions in the valley, targeting the heroes.
The entire valley was filled with flashes and gunfire.
I observed the trajectories of the projectiles and deployed my barriers accordingly.
Small-caliber rounds were deflected by the force of my Aura, and heavier weapons like anti-aircraft guns exploded harmlessly against my barrier.
Of the two rapidly descending beams of light, the red one, Velvet Virtue, Seo Ji-ah, came to a sudden stop in mid-air and fired indiscriminate beams of deadly light in all directions.
The crimson beams, instead of traveling in straight lines, curved gracefully, flying like living creatures towards the scattered enemies in the valley.
Screams erupted from everywhere, and I saw a soldier right below me disintegrate after being hit by one of the beams.
They were completely helpless.
Meanwhile, Han Tae-woo, trailing a long violet Aura, descended into the valley and pierced through the missile launcher.
A massive explosion shook the entire valley.
I levitated slightly to avoid the tremors and observed the situation below.
A huge fireball rose from where the missile launcher had been, and Seo Ji-ah slowly flew past it.
Judging by the lack of any reaction, everyone seemed to be dead.
This was the first target.
The loud noise and flames would surely be noticeable from other locations, so we had to move to the next location quickly.
“All clear?”
“All clear.”
Seo Ji-ah flew to my side, and we watched the fireball together.
Soon, Han Tae-woo emerged from the black cloud.
“Whew. A nosedive is always thrilling.”
“Then let’s move to the next location.”
Just as I was about to turn, I spotted something between the rocks.
It was a blood-soaked soldier aiming a recoilless rifle at us.
He had somehow survived and seemed intent on attacking us.
Just as the soldier pulled the trigger, I created a circular barrier around him.
The high-explosive round fired from the rifle immediately hit the barrier and exploded.
The inside of the circular barrier was instantly engulfed in flames, and the soldier inside was incinerated without even a scream.
“Huh… That’s a novel approach.”
Han Tae-woo clicked his tongue, watching the scene.
“Let’s go quickly.”
I said, looking at the steep peak across from us, where the explosion had triggered an avalanche.
“Alright. The next location is TP3. We have clear satellite images, so we’ll go in directly without landing.”
“Understood.”
“Judging by their weaponry here, we won’t need barriers, so let’s all switch to offense. Let’s finish quickly and go back.”
“Yes!” “Roger!”
We ascended simultaneously and flew towards TP3.
Looking at the incredibly vast mountain range below, Han Tae-woo spoke through the comms.
[These guys are crazy. To think they’d come all the way up here to fight.]
[Once they occupy a position, they can hold it indefinitely. That’s why.]
Seo Ji-ah flew between us and said through the comms,
[We’ll arrive at TP3 in three minutes. Stay sharp, everyone.]
[Ji-ah and I will go in first, and Soo-hyun, you follow us, cleaning up anything we miss.]
[Understood.]
We flew even faster towards our target, piercing through the strong winds and clouds.
[Clouds are obstructing our view. Lower altitude. Descending.]
We quickly descended, and the ground came into view.
[Wait! What’s that?!]
Seo Ji-ah exclaimed, pointing downwards.
TP3, our target, was right below us.
But it had already been devastated by someone.
Dead bodies were strewn everywhere.
Strangely, only the people were down, while the other facilities and equipment were completely intact.
[What the…? What happened here?]
[Is there another team with overlapping missions?]
[I don’t know…]
[Could it be… unauthorized heroes, senior?]
[I doubt it. They wouldn’t have this kind of firepower. What the hell is this?]
[Should we… take a look around?]
[Let’s do that. Maintain formation. Soo-hyun, you take the rear.]
[Yes.]
We quickly exchanged opinions and slowly descended.
Han Tae-woo and Seo Ji-ah were about fifty meters ahead of me, and I followed behind, watching our rear as we approached the site.
Suddenly, Han Tae-woo sent an urgent message through the comms.
[Soo-hyun! Barrier! High level, quickly!!!!]
I turned from watching our rear, and a cloud of a strange, indescribable color was rapidly approaching us.
Grasping the situation, I quickly enveloped Han Tae-woo and Seo Ji-ah in a barrier.
[What the hell is this?!]
[Soo-hyun! Maintain the barrier and fall back! Don’t come any closer!]
Just as I was about to put up a barrier around myself, I felt a terrible burning pain in my throat and nose.
“Cough…?!”
What…? Poison gas?!
Creating a barrier now would be like entering a sealed gas chamber…!
I had to get out…!
But the poisonous gas was so potent that my consciousness rapidly faded before I could do anything.
[The barrier is collapsing! Cough! Soo-hyun…! What are you doing?!]
[He seems to be down! Wait! Something’s coming from the front!]
[I’ll block it… Cough, cough! Soo-hyun, help!]
Through my fading vision, I saw Han Tae-woo emerge from the poisonous gas.
“Hey, you punk! Wake up!”
Just then, a terrifying flash blinked several times from within the cloud behind him.
“Senior…! Cough! Ji-ah…! Go to Ji-ah… I’ll handle this… Cough!”
Han Tae-woo turned, saw the flashes, and cursed under his breath.
“Holy shit…”
“You won’t die even if you fall from this height… Go… quickly!!”
“Hey, Soo-hyun.”
Han Tae-woo looked me straight in the eyes with a solemn expression.
“If we both die, take care of Min-ha.”
“Don’t be ridiculous… Let go of me… Go to Ji-ah first… A child needs a mother even if she doesn’t have a father…”
“You crazy bastard.”
Even in that situation, Han Tae-woo managed a smile, let go of my hand, and shot towards the cloud where Seo Ji-ah was.
My consciousness fading, I mustered my last bit of strength and enveloped Han Tae-woo in a high-level barrier.
And then, I plummeted helplessly towards the ground.
That was the last thing I remembered.
When I regained consciousness, I was lying on the ground.
I tried to get up, but the excruciating pain in my left shoulder almost made me lose consciousness again.
I touched it gently, and it felt like the bone had been completely shattered from the impact.
“Gasp…?! Senior!? Seo Ji-ah!”
I looked up, and the cloud was still hovering high in the sky, but the flashes were gone.
And…
“No…”
Han Tae-woo and Seo Ji-ah were falling towards the ground like violet and dark red meteors.
“No… No…!!!!”
Their Auras flickered a few times and then vanished completely, and they fell between distant mountain peaks.
I tried to run towards them, but I lost my balance and collapsed.
“Shit… Shit…”
I clawed at the ground, crawled forward, and kept muttering,
It was my fault… I failed to maintain the barrier…
It was all because of me.
Because I screwed up…!
Overwhelmed by guilt and rage, I could barely keep my sanity.
The back of my head throbbed, and a splitting headache made it impossible to see clearly.
I killed them… I killed them…!
Just then, a wall of immense force emerged and trapped my mind.
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[T/N: Holy shit, it seems I got Mc’s name wrong in the first chapter and kept using it. It’s too late to fix the previous chapters but I will use the correct one from now on.]
[Hyun kyo → Kyo Soo-hyun]
[T/N: Not a massive change as we mainly used Professor Hyun or Professor Kyo, lol]
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