“Don’t like change?”
Cha Sorim tilted her head in puzzlement.
“Little brother, change isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, it’s an essential part of the whole Plain experience.”
It was a rite of passage every user had to go through at least once. Sorim was pointing that out, but Ahn Hyun slowly shook his head.
“That’s true. Any user would have to go through it. But, sister… you know, I really hate this world.”
“Huh?”
“I mean it literally. Not once since I started all this have I forgotten Earth. So why should I be forced to fully adapt to this world? To kill people casually, sometimes even with a smile…”
“You’re naive. Why are you suddenly thinking like this?”
Sorim’s tone was teasing, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. After all, once summoned, everyone was on equal footing, and it was an unavoidable situation. In other words, what Ahn Hyun just said was nothing more than childish whining.
“I know. I know it’s unavoidable… but still.”
Ahn Hyun muttered, his voice a little deflated. He gulped down some cold water, then let out a cold sigh, his chest tight.
“Hey, sister, do you know something?”
“What?”
“When my brother first founded the clan, he mentioned the ultimate goal of this Mercenary clan.”
“The Clan Lord…? The ultimate goal…?”
Sorim asked, her face curious.
“It wasn’t anything special. He just said one thing: we’re going home.”
“Going home?”
“Yeah. Home. Someday, we’ll escape this miserable world and return to the world we originally came from.”
“Hm.”
Recalling that moment, Ahn Hyun closed his eyes calmly and smiled faintly. Sorim remained silent. Honestly, the wish to ‘go home’ was something every user had probably thought about at least once. Sorim was no exception.
“Do you really believe you can go back?”
“Of course. Maybe not now, but someday, someday we will. Even the angels said if you reach the edge of this world, you can return. So surely, the way will be revealed eventually.”
“Well…”
“When that day comes… no, until that day comes, I want to hold onto at least a minimum line. I want to be the kind of Ahn Hyun who won’t hesitate at all to go back to the original world, who won’t think, ‘Maybe I should just stay here in the whole Plain.’ That’s the Ahn Hyun I want to be now.”
Finishing his long explanation, Ahn Hyun looked at Sorim, silently asking what she thought.
Sorim stayed quiet for a while, then shrugged as if unsure.
“Foolish.”
She rose gracefully and lowered her gaze to meet his.
“But pure. You remind me of a gray man.”
“A gray man?”
“Yes. Someone who, given the circumstances, compromises just enough to survive but refuses to be black or white. A gray man.”
“…”
“Personally, I respect your thoughts. But I hope you also understand how dangerous those thoughts are.”
“Yes. That’s why I want to get stronger. If only I had a little more power this time…”
Ahn Hyun quickly spoke up, but Sorim slowly shook her head.
“That’s not what I mean. I’m talking about inconsistency in choices. That is, choices can change depending on the situation. If you don’t understand, may I ask you a question?”
Sorim’s voice was calm as she glanced at Ahn Hyun’s face and added, “If, by any chance, User Shin Jaeryong had died during this operation… or if User An Sol had died in a similar situation, would you make the same choice then?”
Her tone was loaded with meaning.
At that moment, Ahn Hyun looked speechless, as if struck dumb.
Sorim had hit the exact weak spot in his conviction.
A brief silence fell between them.
— Attention to the entire Southern Expeditionary Force.
Suddenly, a loud amplified voice echoed quietly throughout the fortress.
— We received word from the Northern Expeditionary Force 10 minutes ago. They will be arriving shortly…
At the unexpected announcement, Ahn Hyun and Sorim looked at each other almost simultaneously.
Finally, the Northern Expeditionary Force arrived.
The users arrived around noon, entering the fortress with disciplined precision and heading to the prepared tents to rest. On the surface, their military discipline seemed well maintained.
But that wasn’t the important part.
Whenever a new expeditionary force arrived, the standard procedure was to invite the commanders for a formal handover—sharing all the gathered data and explaining the progress. Even if all the materials had been sent in advance.
In other words, an official transfer of command required everyone to meet face to face.
However…
At Han Soyoung’s request, I attended the handover meeting. As the commanders of the Northern Expeditionary Force came in one by one, I couldn’t help but be stunned. The moment I saw the man who had come with Gong Chanho, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Because the man smiling and waving across the table was none other than my brother.
Kim Yoohyun.
Lord of Hamil.
Ruler of the western city Halo, and the supreme commander of the newly formed 4th Power Expeditionary Force.
But him coming with Gong Chanho…
I hadn’t expected it, nor was I informed.
More importantly, I hadn’t known. The Western Expeditionary Force was officially a support unit, not a main assault force. So, even if I tried to be generous, this situation was hard to understand.
Yet, until now, no word had come. We were told only the Northern Expeditionary Force was coming, and suddenly the Western Expeditionary Force showed up too?
Even if each expeditionary force operated independently, this was a surprise no Southern Expeditionary Force member could ignore. The communication crystals weren’t just for show.
“Before we begin… may I ask why the two of you, leading different expeditionary forces, are here together under the name of the Northern Expeditionary Force?”
Han Soyoung’s voice whispered in my ear. I shook off my distracting thoughts.
Right. Let’s hear them out first. We’ll understand once we do.
“…”
But no answer came. If Soyoung, the supreme commander, asked, then Gong Chanho, the other supreme commander, should respond.
Instead, Gong Chanho kept staring at me. Directly, unblinking.
When I briefly met his gaze, he grinned, baring his teeth.
“Heh, finally looking my way, Mercenary Lord.”
Just as I was thinking that, Gong Chanho spoke in a rough voice, almost metallic.
“Heh heh. It’s been a long time… I’m genuinely glad. But the Mercenary Lord looks pretty upset.”
“…”
“Could it be because of Lord Hamil? Your beloved brother standing here with me? Heh heh heh…!”
“…What?”
I couldn’t help but retort in disbelief. At the same time, I felt my eyes harden.
Ignoring Soyoung’s question and speaking to me like that was a huge insult. Fortunately, Soyoung kept her composure, but some of the Southern Expeditionary Force commanders who had come with us looked visibly uncomfortable.
I was no different.
I spoke quietly.
“Maybe you got hit too little. You’re still spouting nonsense.”
Suddenly, the low laugh that sounded like a beast’s cry stopped abruptly.
“Well, you’re not entirely wrong. I do judge people by their appearance.”
But he wasn’t done. With a casual air, he continued, slowly raising the fiery energy of the Suramachang. I could feel Gong Chanho’s unique battle aura intensifying.
“…What?”
“Honestly, it means you’re not my type.”
“Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Oh, don’t you remember? I clearly recall at the User Academy, after you kicked me away, begging me not to go, Kim Soohyun, pleading desperately for me…”
At that moment, an ominous, unseen energy surged toward me. I didn’t need to check to know it was the Suramachang’s aura.
In that instant, I smirked inwardly. I had no idea what he was thinking, but if this was a battle of wills, I was more than ready.
Hwaruk, hwarreuk!
Since I had prepared in advance, I immediately summoned my own fiery energy to counter. Of course, focusing on Gong Chanho.
“Ugh!”
Crash! Bang! Thud!
Gong Chanho let out a harsh groan and collapsed.
“Mercenary Lord!”
“Soohyun!”
Soyoung and my brother called out to me almost simultaneously.
“Me, Mercenary Lord…”
Soyoung gently wrapped her arm around mine, her eyes pleading. It was a silent ‘It’s okay, don’t do this.’ But the Southern Expeditionary Force commanders who had looked tense earlier now showed expressions of relief.
My brother’s face flushed slightly, looking extremely troubled as he…
“No, why are you looking at me like that? What I just said wasn’t serious. So don’t look at me like that. You’re misunderstanding.”
“Heh… That’s electrifying.”
It was at that moment.
“You’re still the same… truly impressive. Yes, this is it. I like it a lot…!”
Amid the surprised onlookers, Gong Chan-ho slowly got to his feet, chuckling hoarsely. His expression was one of pure satisfaction.
My eyes narrowed instinctively. Unlike before, when he’d charge at me like a wild boar set loose by a forest fire after taking a hit, now he was smiling.
So, does that mean he knew this would happen and still chose to take me on? Why?
“User Gong Chan-ho, you’re coming across as extremely rude right now. Please calm down.”
After a moment, I spoke as Chan-ho sat back down as if nothing had happened. He shot me a sideways glare.
“Are you ordering me around?”
“And if I am?”
Chan-ho growled in a threatening tone, but I didn’t back down either. My face hardened instantly, and I shot back with a cold voice.
Yeah, that’s the look I want to see from you. I wish you’d look at me like that more often.
The tension between us held for a while, but in the end, Chan-ho was the first to back down. Suddenly, he smirked, shrugged his shoulders as if to say “do whatever you want,” and then turned his gaze back to me, baring his teeth in a grin once more.
…Is he an idiot?
After a brief sigh, my older brother finally spoke.
“First, I’d like to apologize on behalf of the earlier commotion. I’m Istantel Low Road.”
“It’s fine. We admit we may have overreacted just a little. But I won’t be apologizing.”
Han So-young nodded in response to my brother’s calm voice. It was clear she intended to let the matter drop. …It felt like ice clashing against ice.
Anyway, is this finally where the real conversation begins?
“Yes, of course. Then, would it be alright if I spoke on behalf of User Gong Chan-ho?”
“…I don’t mind. But are you sure your side is okay with that?”
Han So-young tilted her head, then looked toward Chan-ho, since he was the overall commander.
“……”
But Chan-ho kept staring only at me.
“……”
Honestly… I can’t show it on the outside, but this is insanely uncomfortable. I don’t even know why he’s acting like this all of a sudden.
In the end, I decided it was better to just ignore him and focused back on my brother’s words.
“That’s fine. From the start, I’ve held all authority over this operation, including the actual strategy.”
“…Excuse me?”
Just as Han So-young questioned, my brother continued without skipping a beat.
“To get straight to the point… before we begin the third assault…”
His voice carried on immediately.
“We’ve decided to form a Northwest Alliance limited to the Steel Mountain Range operation.”
…What did he just say?
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Starting from the next chapter, we’ll dive into the full-scale third area assault. In fact, within the Steel Mountain Range, this will effectively be the final region to conquer.
What’s interesting is that one reader actually predicted this development. Even though I threw out a red herring about the East, West, South, and North operating as independent expedition teams, they said, “Given the circumstances, it has to turn out this way.” When they focused on the post-war situation across the northern continent and the inevitable divisions, it sent a chill down my spine. It felt like they’d peeked inside my head! Haha. If you think about it carefully, you’ll realize there’s one expedition team that’s playing things pretty sly right now. :)
I know what questions you all have, and I plan to address them step by step in the next chapter. Thank you for your patience.