I Became an Officer in Another World in Just 5 Minutes - Chapter 248

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 248
Fire
“Aaaahhhhh!”
“What?!”
As the mana bomb detonated and the tremor rippled through the structure, screams erupted from above.
However, since it hadn’t struck a critical point, the damage fell far short of what would be needed to collapse the Iron Bridge.
“Where did that come from?!”
“They’re pulling tricks on us. Eliminate them quickly!”
Shouts exchanged in response to this unexpected variable.
But I was just as caught off guard as they were.
‘An explosion… why did it happen?’
Based on the location, it had to be one of the devices we’d planted.
But the detonator was definitely taken from us.
So the enemy triggered it?
That was a possibility I didn’t even need to consider.
‘Could it be….’
A single hypothesis crystallized in my mind.
It was the interaction between mana and Manastones.
‘That actually makes sense.’
Magical Devices activate when mana begins flowing along the circuits inscribed on the Manastone, and mana bombs normally remain inert until a pin is pulled or a switch is pressed—essentially a detonation mechanism.
‘But if I sent mana into it… could it have activated instead of the switch?’
Once I organized the logic, the possibility seemed quite plausible.
“Hurry up and deal with them! They’re scheming something!”
“What are they doing?!”
The Assassin Squad, rarely flustered, accelerated their pace.
And then.
Colonel Eden’s voice came from inside, where he’d been modifying the circuits.
“It’s done.”
“Really?!”
I’d been wondering if I should gamble on this.
Fortunately, it seemed I wouldn’t need to.
“So now you jump. You’ve worked hard enough.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
I naturally assumed he’d jump with me, but Colonel Eden’s response was different.
“Unfortunately, the only thing I can modify quickly is the detonation itself, so only you can jump, Colonel.”
“What?”
I heard it clearly with both ears.
And despite understanding the meaning, I couldn’t help but ask again.
“The person who proposed the operation should take responsibility for it. Now go. We need to detonate it before the enemy can interfere.”
“The person who suggested the plan should take responsibility for it. Now go. We need to detonate it before the enemies interfere.”
How could anyone speak so casually about such a dire situation, as if it were nothing?
“You call that an order right now?”
“I’m taking responsibility! We don’t have time, run—”
“I don’t understand, sir.”
The moment Colonel Eden raised his voice.
Without giving him time to react, I rushed forward and kicked him in the abdomen.
Thwack!
“What are you—”
A surprise attack he could never have imagined, even in his dreams.
Colonel Eden’s body went limp as he flew off the iron bridge and plummeted vertically into the river below.
And in that same instant, I threw myself into the river as well.
A sharp exhale.
My body fell at tremendous speed.
But the moment I focused all my concentration on the tip of my blade, the world around me began to slow.
I can do this.
Since I’d activated my mana at the first strike, it began gathering at a speed beyond my expectations.
Simultaneously, I diverted a small portion of mana separately, concentrating all my strength into my right hand.
A deep breath.
Once all preparations were complete and I opened my eyes.
The iron bridge was far more distant than I’d anticipated.
Could I even reach it?
No—even entertaining such thoughts was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
And it wasn’t a matter of “could I,” but rather I had to.
Otherwise, Colonel Eden would surely beat me senseless down below.
A primal roar tore from my throat!
A single sword strike that would determine everything.
I twisted my entire body as I swung the blade, and simultaneously, brilliant azure mana erupted in radiant light, surging upward toward the bridge.
A breath of relief.
Contrary to my fears about insufficient power.
The mana maintained its vivid hue all the way until it collided with the iron bridge.
A piercing metallic ring!
After imparting the slightest tremor, the mana dissipated like wind-scattered dust.
There was no explosion like the magical projectiles I’d envisioned—only silence.
Damn it all.
Just as despair flooded through me and an unbearable weight of responsibility crashed down.
A miracle occurred.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!!!
Explosions so deafening they felt like they’d split my eardrums.
The magical devices that Captain Alpen and the Intelligence Agency operatives had planted erupted in brilliant light.
“What—what is this?!!!”
“Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!”
“It’s collapsing! Damn it! Hurry across!!!”
Dozens of magical explosions detonated, and the Iron Bridge crumbled helplessly.
From atop it came the anguished screams of the Aditz Army.
“It’s done.”
A success that felt like a dream.
The moment I took in that sight.
Splash!
As my body plummeted into the raging river, consciousness slipped away.
* * *
Boom! Booooom! Boooooom!!
“The…the Iron Bridge has collapsed! This is our chance! Push the enemy back!!!”
Major General Gadus drew his sword and roared until his voice tore.
“The enemy has no retreat! Push forward!!!”
The morale of the Lyckan Empire Army, which had been helplessly retreating, soared to the heavens.
Conversely, the momentum of the once-confident Adits Imperial Army transformed into despair in an instant.
“Aaaahhh! Save us!!!”
“Damn it! Help!”
The screams of our comrades who fell into the river as the Iron Bridge collapsed.
It was only natural that the hands of the Aditz Army on the ground trembled violently.
“Why…why is the Iron Bridge suddenly collapsing?”
“D…damn it, don’t joke around.”
We were clearly an army of ninety thousand.
With the connection severed, only thirty thousand remained at best.
The future was painfully obvious.
“If we hold our ground here, the Commander-in-Chief will find a way to cross! Draw your swords!”
“We are also sufficient! Do not lose heart!”
Though the officers shouted with conviction, their words never reached the soldiers’ ears.
Rather, it only bred resentment.
“Stop spouting nonsense! How are we supposed to cross?”
A long river.
Most knew that without this Iron Bridge, they would have to take a long detour.
“Are you…are you refusing orders right now! Attack! Attack!”
A Colonel barked the command like a threat.
But what attack?
They were already struggling to defend against the Lyckan Empire Army’s assault.
“D…damn it.”
The Lycan Army pressed forward by the second.
In a situation where death was certain if nothing changed, the decision was simple.
“I have to survive!”
One Soldier, the first to devise a method, reversed course before anyone could stop him and threw himself into the river below.
Splash.
“Ha…haha! I’m alive! I’m alive!”
No matter how high the fall, the bottom was still water.
The Soldier who had thrown himself down screamed with an expression of pure elation.
It became the detonator for mankind’s most primal survival instinct.
“Damn it! We’ll die like this! I have a daughter at home!”
“Y-you bastards! Have you lost your minds! Fight! You are soldiers of Aditz….”
The commanders drew their swords and tried desperately to stop them.
But reversing a momentum once set in motion was an impossible task.
“Damn it! Why isn’t anyone sending reinforcements!”
“Damn it! Is wanting to live a crime?!”
“Aaaahhh!”
The moment they turned their backs, tens of thousands of Aditz soldiers were slaughtered in an instant.
And the 50,000-strong army on the opposite side could only watch helplessly as their comrades were massacred.
* * *
“Ugh, cough!”
As consciousness returned, I felt a foreign sensation and retched, expelling water from my lungs.
“You’re awake.”
At the familiar voice, I turned my head and saw Eden sitting with his back against the cave wall.
“Yes… I’m conscious now.”
Barely conscious, though.
My body wouldn’t obey me.
‘I really did drain myself completely.’
Even I had to admit I’d pushed too hard.
Not only had I expended my mana, but I’d split it further and unleashed an instant-kill technique on top of that.
‘I never expected to lose consciousness like that.’
It was fortunate that Eden was here.
Without him, survival would have been difficult.
“I see. Rest for now.”
Eden said this and closed his eyes, leaning against the wall.
As I rested briefly, I heard voices from outside the cave.
“Hey, what do we do now?”
“What else? We cross to the other side and rejoin the main force.”
“Won’t we be punished?”
“Punished for what? How will they tell if we fell from the bridge or if we deserted under orders?”
“True enough. Besides, everyone who could testify is already dead.”
“Right, we just lay low and move on.”
They passed through the cave, discussing this rather interesting matter.
From what I gathered, it seemed that when the Iron Bridge collapsed, the Aditz soldiers desperate to survive had jumped into the river.
‘Since they said the enemies were completely wiped out, it looks like we’re winning after all.’
Well, of course we should be winning.
I risked my life to destroy the Iron Bridge, after all.
“They’re gone.”
“Yes, it appears so.”
Once Colonel Eden confirmed the footsteps had vanished, he released the tension from his sword hand.
“Ugh.”
Lying there any longer felt awkward anyway.
I braced my core and stood up, leaning my back against the wall just as Colonel Eden had done.
“You could rest a bit longer if you wanted.”
“The ground is too hard. Could you at least put something down for me?”
“I save your life and you’re already making demands.”
Colonel Eden shook his head with a frown.
“There’s a saying about ‘while you’re at it,’ isn’t there?”
“So that’s why you kicked me while I was falling?”
“Well, about that…”
When the outcome is good, we should just let it pass.
Colonel Eden brought up what had happened beneath the Iron Bridge.
“I never thought I’d get kicked by a Lieutenant Colonel in all my life.”
“How was that a kick? It was an action that saved your life.”
Suddenly acting like some kind of hero, declaring you’d sacrifice everything and die with the bridge.
Would you listen if I just talked to you?
I had to push you.
“I see. So how did you manage it? The switch was definitely in the enemy’s hands.”
“Ah, well, perhaps by good fortune the enemy accidentally…”
“If you’re going to lie, at least put some effort into it.”
Come on, just let it go.
His gaze was sharp as a blade.
“Ugh, this…”
While I was desperately racking my brain.
Colonel Eden shook his head as if he’d made a decision.
“If it’s difficult to explain, just don’t. Everyone has secrets. Besides, I benefited from this too.”
“Yes, sir.”
Colonel Eden really is something.
We can actually communicate.
“If it’s something you can’t tell, the real issue is how to report this to headquarters.”
“Well, couldn’t we just say the switch they stole was a fake, and that Captain Alpen pressed the real switch after being cured?”
I said it without much thought.
Colonel Eden looked at me in disbelief.
“Your mind really does work remarkably well when it comes to these kinds of things.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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