30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue

5 – 3. A terrorist incident is bound to happen on the Academy Admission Train. (3)

Igorbich Station is a small and quiet rural stop. It is located in a modest village that serves no more than the role of a border checkpoint for Krasilov-Droan.

Therefore, the passengers disembarking at this station are limited. Village residents or logistics distributors. That’s all there is to it.

So.

“Amateurish.”

The three men in a corner of history are clearly suspicious.

First, a man in the corner of the waiting room, glancing at the newspaper while checking the time.

This man doesn’t seem to be checking the train schedule, though. He has already sent three trains.

Next, a man with clenched fists nodding off.

He, too, appears to be spending time casually, but not really. Every time he heads to the restroom or towards the newspaper stand, he subtly opens his eyes and observes.

Finally, a man selling dried vegetables in the corner of the waiting room.

It’s almost laughable at this point. He hasn’t sold vegetables to anyone in the waiting room, and who would buy vegetables in a deserted rural station waiting room in the first place?

Crucially, Ivan, a tenant farmer, could tell the condition of those vegetables. They weren’t dried for long-term preservation but rather neglected for so long that they had withered and twisted.

Ivan moved his hand under the newspaper, gripping the gun. Looking at the clock, it was 9 o’clock. The train carrying Princess Essidis would arrive soon.

Well, it’s worth checking.

He slowly stood up, folded the newspaper, and headed for the trash can. In the process, he precisely pressed the muzzle under the dozing man’s neck.

“!!”

“Quiet.”

The man, shocked, tried to put his right hand into his chest but froze at the chilling touch of the gun barrel.

Good. One gun in the left breast.

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From the almost immediate response, it seemed there were traces of training.

“W-what are you doing!”

“Stop!”

The other two men in the waiting room simultaneously shouted, standing up.

It’s amusing. Since Ivan’s aimed gun was hidden by the newspaper, from the outside, it would look like he had merely placed his hand on the man’s neck.

In other words, these three are in the palm of his hand.

But lastly, just to be sure, he needs to check.

Even though he said he didn’t need support, Elizabeth may have sent an agent.

“Where does your loyalty lie?”

“W-what?”

If this person is an agent of Elizabeth and loyal to the Krasilov royal family, there would be no doubt in this statement.

This was one of the first questions not only from the extermination unit but also from national intelligence officers.

It’s the equivalent of frontline troops saying, ‘Stop! I’ll shoot if you move!’ You must answer the first and perhaps the final question, even if you have to lie.

So, this guy is a mercenary who moves for money.

– Bang!

A bullet flew from the muzzle, cleanly severing the man’s cervical vertebrae.

The man caught by Ivan didn’t even react, crumbling instantly.

“Good Lord!”

“Shoot! Shoot that bastard!”

The vegetable vendor and the man reading the newspaper hastily got up, drawing pistols from their holsters.

This signifies several things.

Firstly, they are all in cahoots.

Secondly, they are amateurish.

Thirdly, they do not belong to the Krassilov monarchy.

And lastly, they’ve never faced a real powerhouse.

– Bang! Tang!

Reflexively fired bullets brushed past Ivan’s shoulder and head.

Seems like a mercenary who’s good at aiming but incredibly cheap for not knowing ‘angle detection.’

As they readjusted their positions to shoot again, Ivan was already swinging an axe towards the vegetable vendor and aiming the gun at the man reading the newspaper.

– Swish, Bang!

“Screaaam!”

A man, both wrists severed in a single blow, screamed horrifically as he collapsed, while another, with a bullet accurately lodged in his forehead, couldn’t even scream.

Wiping the blood off the axe blade on the fallen vegetable vendor’s coat, Ivan approached.

“Are you all there is?”

“G-g-gone… where did this monster come from?”

“Monster…?”

For a moment, Ivan wondered if he misheard.

A monster? For just this much?

To think those who intended to oppose the berserker Ainar would call him a monster seemed utterly absurd.

If Ainar had come himself, there wouldn’t have been any confrontation. He would have razed the entire lobby in one go.

“This, this wasn’t supposed to… supposed to happen…!”

The bleeding is severe. Without proper hemostasis when the radial and ulnar arteries in the wrist are severed, a guaranteed death within 5 minutes is certain. And now, with both hands severed, the situation is even worse.

The vegetable vendor trembled, her face already pale with fear.

Ivan sighed and searched the guy’s pockets. With no hands, he had to do it himself.

Pieces of tissue, a few Eastside coins in a worn-out pocket, no identification, and a small instrument with a strange button. The sensed magic was faint, probably a signaling device.

“If we don’t stop the bleeding, he’ll die in 3 minutes. Where are the others?”

“T-they’re by the tracks…”

“How many?”

“Fifteen… You can’t do anything alone…! I’ll, I’ll help! Save me! They’re all armed, and our leader, the captain, is there, a real monster!! If you save me, I’ll, I’ll divert their attention!!”

The vegetable vendor shouted desperately, trembling. Of course, she wanted to live. Anyone witnessing blood flowing in real-time would lose their composure.

Ivan nodded. The vegetable vendor’s complexion noticeably brightened.

“It was left for signaling the ‘captain’ when other variables arise. You guys are reconnaissance, right?”

“Y-yes! I’m useful, very useful!”

This guy was unaware of the existence of ‘angle detection.’ So, their leader would be of a similar level.

“Did you hear who’s on the train?”

“It’s the gold transport train…! Drona is sending a trade goods train to Krasilof. That’s what they said…!”

“Understood.”

“You’re saving me, right? I answered all your questions! I didn’t lie!!”

“No, there were lies mixed in.”

“No! Not really!!”

Ivan coldly stared at the man.

“Useful enough.”

“What…?”

These guys were nothing more than common thieves motivated by money. Torturing them wouldn’t yield any useful information.

If anything, it was the captain. At least, he could discern some connections.

-Thunk!

Ivan rose, wielding the axe to strike the man’s head.

Thunk. With the sound, the man’s body slumped.

He pressed the button on the communicator, tracing the direction where the magical line surged.

Not far.

Ivan wiped the axe blade on the man’s coat and sheathed it at his waist.

The time was 9:03. If the train operated according to schedule, it would arrive at this station by 10:00.

Within fifty minutes, a train terror incident would occur.

So.

“Quite leisurely.”

Ivan chuckled as he tidied up the corpses. It took about five minutes to erase the bloodstains and traces of battle.

Tracing removal was one of the most crucial aspects of the Extinction Unit’s training.

*

There was a reason for Ivan’s leisurely demeanor.

According to the Academy’s official stance, a train terror incident could never harm the ‘protagonist and main characters.’

When the train was attacked, the protagonist would escape unharmed with someone’s assistance and arrive at the Academy safely.

Ivan had never intended to thwart the train terror in the first place.

‘This is a tutorial.’

Ivan was running through the forest, occasionally pressing the button to check the magic lines of the communicator when they dimmed.

‘Tutorials are steps that help players adapt to the game.’

So, he hired such sloppy rogues to attack the ‘children of the hero party,’ perhaps to familiarize himself with combat from the low-level stages.

At first, Ivan pondered who the ‘protagonist’ among the hero party’s children might be.

He soon deduced the answer.

Everyone.

Everyone was the protagonist. Every member of these hero party children was a protagonist.

Let’s say a player creates their character when playing the game.

In that case, they are given ‘archetype’ characters. Those with unique storylines in the world. And crucially, characters with ‘entirely different traits or occupations.’

– Isabel, the daughter of a hero. Dual class: magician and warrior.

– Oscar, the son of a knight. Knight.

– Elphira, the daughter of a magician. Magician.

– Ecidis, the daughter of a light warrior. Presumably, dual class: minstrel and light warrior.

– Lucia, the apprentice of a rogue. Rogue or assassin.

If the player chooses one of them when creating a character in the game, they must resolve the ‘train terror’ as part of their tutorial.

Therefore, Ivan redirected his thoughts in a different direction.

‘If all the tutorials for each character have the commonality of the train terror, I can anticipate the terrorist group in advance.’

If you commit the same act six times, let alone once or twice, you will surely be caught.

Ivan dashed through the bushes and pressed the receiver again with a click.

This time, he felt the surge of magic nearby.

“I’ll leave the tutorial to the protagonist, I’ll eliminate the variables.”

There’s no stopping the train terror. After all, the train terror happening is a ‘constant’. Preventing it beforehand might just make things explode in a different way.

Then, perhaps it’s better to identify the group that caused the train terror.

And later, at the Academy, hunt down and eliminate any trace of that group.

Avoiding direct confrontation, conducting espionage from behind, and annihilating the threats. That’s the modus operandi of the Annihilation Unit.

*