30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue

14 – 5. Morning Star (4)

*

-Bang!

-Tang!!

With each intermittent gunshot, the sensation of enemies scattering could be felt.

It wasn’t merely due to their lack of training. On the contrary, it was inevitable, especially for elite forces.

When ambushed, a competent officer would gauge the enemy’s numbers based on the frequency of attacks.

-If you observe the intervals between gunshots, the enemy consists of only one person or a small group.

Up to this point, it was expected. However, the problem arose when the gunshots did not originate from a single direction within this forest.

Once from the east, Taang. If forces were redirected there, suddenly, only corpses remained in that direction.

In the confusion of dispersing troops, again from the west, Taang.

At this point, it was clear what the commanding officer on the opposing side was thinking. “They’re scattering a small number of troops to lead us into a trap.”

A precise assessment.

Unless the adversary was a commander of an annihilation unit on the field.

-Click.

Feeling the tension, vitality, and anger saturating the atmosphere of the forest, he slowly raised his pistol. Three soldiers ahead were looking around with torches in hand.

It was either an action driven by fear or one fueled by anger. There was no visible difference when observed from a distance.

Ivan took a long breath,

Half. Firmly pressing down, controlling his breath,

Aimed the muzzle at the opponent, raised it five notches.

Smoothly, like the flow of water, almost instinctive movements from ‘learning.’

Up to this point, it took 0.3 seconds.

Wide-open azure eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. The distance between the three soldiers, their height differences, and the distance from him as a reference point.

After calculating, he filled his sight with the furthest one.

Fired.

-Taang—!

The moment the gun fired, he lowered it and wielded the axe. There’s no need to confirm the kill. They’ll let you know.

“Jegiral! Inoff got hit!”

“Where are you! Come out! Damn it!!”

Swiftly leaping over the trees, the torches they were brandishing in the next area served as excellent beacons in themselves.

Setting a fire in the forest is aesthetically pleasing. Of course, the forest is so dark that nothing would be visible without the torches, but that’s probably not their fault.

Shouldn’t have chosen a day like this.

Night raids, fundamentally, are extremely challenging. It requires the exceptional skills of the commander and the perfect training condition of all the troops.

Even they would hesitate in the face of a surprise attack in the forest at night, especially in a foreign forest. Perhaps about a third of them dropped out shortly after the operation started.

‘So, the enemy’s total force is around 50.’

Considering the degree of enemy dispersion and the size of the dispersed enemy units, Ivan thought so.

Standing above the soldier holding the torch, Ivan gripped his axe, contemplating, and then brought it down.

-Kwaaang!!

“Ahhhhh!!”

He’s a coward. The guy hit by the axe couldn’t even scream once.

But it seems he’s received proper training. Judging by how he raised his gun the moment Ivan appeared.

Ivan lowered his waist. His fingers, trembling on the trigger, slid into the guy’s shaky trigger hand.

There’s no aiming process. It’s meaningless at this distance, and the guy didn’t have the presence of mind for it.

In panic, he shoots first and asks questions later.

But it can’t go like that.

“Diee!!”

Hearing those words, Ivan gave strength to his thigh. The tendons on the back of his hand bulged.

At that moment, Ivan, who had already closed the distance, swung his axe.

The right shoulder and the back of the neck broke simultaneously. Literally, ‘broke.’

A powerful blow, quickly twisting his body for another strike. Again, another strike.

Three axe blows were delivered in a rhythmic sequence. No one in this spot could speak anymore.

“Whew.”

Ivan shrugged, relaxed his shoulders, and stuck the axe in.

Taking the gun from the unknown soldier and aiming it at the sky, he threaded the trigger string through and hung it over the adjacent tree.

If he firmly secured the gun in the embrace of the dead body and fixed it tightly, his job here would be done.

Gunshots echoed, signaling that someone would soon arrive at this location.

The moment someone touches this corpse, the loaded gun will go off, and the command center will likely misjudge Ivan’s position in confusion.

The delay in information reaching the command center, the limited visibility from the dark forest, the fear of an unfamiliar environment, the confusion of information, and the gradual reduction of allies.

The more skilled the enemy, the easier it is to deceive.

Ivan thought as he ran along the treetops.

So, this is strange. The enemies are too skilled to be considered part of a tutorial.

“Dian August was an NPC assisting Isabelle’s tutorial and disappearing,” Ivan squinted his eyes.

In this situation, if it weren’t for him, could Isabelle have survived and escaped this forest alone?

Considering the ample weapons, well-trained troops, and a competent command center of the enemy.

Now, a twenty-year-old might not be able to handle the level of danger.

“Why…? Isn’t wiping out the enemy a tutorial clear condition?”

Sometimes there are such cases in games where you have to learn manipulation while fleeing from a formidable enemy.

But how? And where to?

Considering the distance to Pricenca, the probability of an inexperienced kid safely leaving the forest is close to zero.

Even in the midst of confusion, Ivan didn’t stop his steps.

Contemplation can come after the situation is over; it’s never too late.

—

“Captain, it happened again. This time all three were cut with axes,” a soldier reported.

“Oh dear. What is this…?”

The man sighed, running his hand over his chin.

It felt like facing a tiger.

Dealing with them one by one, starting with the weak ones, squeezing the necks of the group, it was a hunting technique.

The countermeasure was simple: concentrate the troops.

But he couldn’t do that. His goal was the ‘hero’s daughter.’

“Wouldn’t it be better to gather the kids now…?”

“Foolish. Isn’t that exactly what those outside want right now?”

The enemies were few, a natural course of action.

If they had faced a large-scale attack, they wouldn’t resort to such troublesome methods.

Let’s assume that a highly elite strike force is scattered in that forest right now.

– Bang! –

Gunshots echoed once again, this time from the west.

And shortly after,

– Bang! –

Now, from beyond the north.

The gunfire gradually closed in on his location.

“They already know our position.”

“Really?”

“They already know that this place is the headquarters! How foolish! Don’t you get it?”

“Oh, yes. I mean, yes, but… then why don’t they just attack us directly…?”

After striking the headquarters, wouldn’t it be much simpler to hunt down the disoriented forces one by one?

Why go through the trouble of all this?

That.

– Bang! –

– Bang! –

At the end of the two gunshots coming from different directions, a shocking realization flashed through the man’s mind.

“Give me the gun.”

“Sure? Oh, yes!”

Snatching the man’s gun, he fired into the air. Bang!

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For a moment, the man stood frozen, then soon, a growling voice emerged.

“It’s one of ours.”

“But, Captain, the direction of the shots…!”

“Damn it, it’s a trick!”

– Thud! –

The man thrust the gun into the ground, picked up the wreckage, and drew a knife.

“He shot first to gauge our reaction. Did he have a sniper or not? Our response was too quick. Damn it!”

Ordinary soldiers usually find cover the moment they hear gunfire.

However, it wasn’t the headquarters. Their leader possessed radar detection.

As soon as gunfire echoed, they immediately dispatched trackers, estimating the direction of the shots. It was an ambush.

“Why wouldn’t they attack straight on? Either they lack confidence, or delaying would put them in a difficult situation. Trained individuals like them wouldn’t entertain such thoughts, right?”

“Yeah, being alone…”

“Exactly! Damn it all. The gunfire was a decoy from the start! Gather everyone! Damn it, I didn’t want to face the daughter of a warrior directly…”

Scars on the man’s face twisted.

A warrior’s daughter. Even if she inherited only half of the warrior’s traits, a monster was still a monster.

He remembered the warrior, the absurd incarnation of powerless rage.

No matter how young he was, one shouldn’t let their guard down. The warrior was just a kid of about thirty back then.

The man shrugged and took a step forward.

“I’ll personally deal with that woman. Gather the men and bring the captives from the forest.”

“Yes, Captain!”

*

“Are you the daughter of the warrior?”

Isabel stood under the moonlight, facing a man who emerged from the forest.

Behind her, people huddled in fear, gathered around a campfire, shivering in the cold as they watched her.

Isabel shook her head. Closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, she forced the heavy sword into shape, gripping it firmly.

“No.”

She opened her eyes. The moonlight illuminated the surroundings dimly, making the silhouette of the man clearer.

Fighting for her life and carrying someone else’s life into battle were both new to her.

But it’s okay. It’s for ‘justice.’

“I am the daughter of Maximilian and Maria.”

Not the daughter of a warrior, but a daughter of two people.

With that meaning.

The man in front of her laughed heartily.

Horns protruded above his head toward the sky.

A demon. Isabel swallowed her saliva. It was her first time facing a demon.

“Excellent.”

The man nodded and gripped his sword.

“I am Aiphelos, a White Soldier from the 6th Division of the Imperial Guard under General Baek In-jang.”

“Izabel. Affiliated with Thales. A knight.”

The night wind whispers, causing the pine forest to shiver. In the distance, gunshots from Asrahi echo.

The two rushed toward each other.

*