Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 258

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Labyrinth Exploration 101 Episode 258

Uprising(2)

Thud———!

The train came to a jarring stop at the platform as if it had crashed headfirst.

“Ah….”

I came out, leaning on my staff.

Tap. Tap.

I can’t put any strength into my hands. It’s because of those damn egg bastards. My magic power is almost depleted too.

“…Where is this place now.”

The scenery that comes into view at a glance is a ‘port.’

Seagulls cry out as they circle the sky, and the fishy smell of the sea mixed with the scent of rusted metal carries on the wind. I can see massive warships anchored in the distance.

Just then, a status window appeared.

Zone 6: Battlefield

Safely return the soldiers who couldn’t come back home.

Return. I don’t know the details, but it seemed to be the objective of Zone 6.

I headed toward the warships. There were many soldiers. However, their equipment level itself wasn’t modern. Compared to my time, it was equipment from a generation earlier.

“You there. Stop.”

Suddenly someone grabbed me.

Two soldiers wearing helmets, and one who appeared to be an officer.

“Please show your identification. You cannot enter without verified identity.”

There’s no way I’d have identification, but I mustn’t panic. The best method in times like this is bluffing.

I lowered my voice deeply and asked back.

“…Identity?”

“Yes. Please show your identification.”

Fortunately, the other party’s rank is second lieutenant. Not all of them are like this, but second lieutenants have a high probability of being naive. It’s because they’re not yet familiar with the field’s systems and procedures.

I extended my hand toward him.

“Let me see yours first.”

“What-“

“Your identification.”

The man looked me up and down. I infused magic power into my gaze.

He seemed to contemplate, rolling his eyes, then took out his identification from his inner pocket and handed it over.

Name: Michael Grant (Oliver Michael Grant)

Rank: Second Lieutenant

Blood Type: A+….

I memorized the form of the identification.

“Second Lieutenant Michael Grant.”

While muttering and pretending to rummage through my pocket, I used experience points to create an identification.

Name: Seol Ha-woon

Rank: Lieutenant Colonel

Blood Type: O….

The rank is Lieutenant Colonel.

From experience, there were too many things I couldn’t do as a sergeant.

I’m young for a Lieutenant Colonel, but special positions like Mages or Warriors usually get promoted quickly. That mechanism will probably be the same here.

I returned Michael’s identification while taking out the one I just made.

“…Loyalty!”

Second Lieutenant Michael hastily raised his arm.

“Did you, did you come from Command Center!”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Right now, right now there’s a meeting in progress!”

“Please guide me.”

“Yes!”

The second lieutenant led the way. I followed his guidance and boarded the warship.

Thud, thud. The sound of footsteps on the deck, and soldiers hastily saluting whenever I walked by.

Honestly, I’m not used to this.

I wasn’t a rank that received such treatment.

“This is the place.”

[Conference Room]

I quietly opened the conference room door without making noise.

“…The situation is not good. One hundred thousand men are isolated at Lucan Coast alone, but air strikes are frequent, and supplies there are absolutely insufficient.”

A bespectacled officer was in the middle of briefing the situation.

“Many soldiers are starving during the retreat, so we might need to worry about starvation more than bombers.”

“…Yes. I know. The problem is the air strikes.”

Among them, the Major General who was the head spoke up. Three stars. A position I couldn’t even dare to look at.

These general-level officers were often at extreme ends.

Either very excellent people with outstanding abilities, or old monsters with exceptionally special political power.

“We can’t just send out warships recklessly. We can’t afford to lose our vessels too.”

This Major General seems to lean toward the latter.

After a briefing that air strikes are frequent, he states the obvious that ‘air strikes are the problem,’ and just lists problems again without presenting solutions.

Of course, I understand. Warships are that important of an asset.

“Yes. There are methods like targeting nighttime or waiting for bad weather, but considering the enemy’s current advance speed, we must start operations within at least four days….”

Thanks to that, I grasped the situation.

I watched them for a while, then quietly left the conference room.

“Uh, uh, where are you going, Lieutenant Colonel?”

Second Lieutenant Michael followed me out.

“I saw fishing boats on the way here.”

“Fishing boats? Why fishing boats….”

“We need boats to rescue them, don’t we.”

I arrived at the fishing village near the port.

A scenery that was a bit more homely but quieter, different from the dock where warships were anchored. Behind the fishing boats bobbing gently, fishermen were mending nets or smoking cigarettes.

I approached them.

“Nice to meet you.”

“…?”

All the fishermen turned to look at me.

I spoke directly.

“Would it be possible to borrow your fishing boats?”

Then the atmosphere instantly turned hostile. Bitter laughter and cigarette smoke drifted around, and soon one of the fishermen stood up. He appeared to be the leader.

“Hey, mister. Is that even reasonable to say? You’ve been blocking us from working all this time, and now you’re asking to borrow our boats?”

“What?!”

Suddenly, Second Lieutenant Michael Grant stepped forward.

“There’s a risk of bombing, so fishing shouldn’t be done in the first place! And what’s with calling me ‘sir’! What kind of manner of speaking is that!”

“Well, what amusing people.”

“What? What’s so amusing!”

I pulled Michael back. He wasn’t helpful for the operation at the moment.

“Colonel, let’s just issue a conscription order!”

“Quiet.”

“…Yes.”

I shut Michael up.

“Fellow fishermen. Beyond this sea, there are many people waiting for our rescue.”

I gestured toward the other side of the sea. The fishermen’s gazes briefly drifted in that direction.

“Let’s go save them together.”

Appealing to their sense of mission and emotions wasn’t bad either.

“Also, appropriate economic compensation and honor will be provided. We’ll compensate you for not being able to fish until now.”

It wasn’t my money going out anyway, and this was a labyrinth after all. Even if it was an empty promise, I just needed to convince them.

“…Hmm.”

The fishing village leader frowned. She seemed to ponder, then clicked her tongue and asked.

“But can we even get there with our boats? What if we get hit by an air strike on the way and die for nothing?”

“You don’t need to worry.”

I conjured magic power in my palm.

“Formulas will protect all of you.”

“Let’s go get the magic stones.”

Right after gaining the fishermen’s cooperation, I put Michael in the lead.

“Yes!”

The Michael I met today seemed strangely loyal to me.

Anyway, one of the biggest consumers of magic stones is the military. They hoard them as strategic assets but act stingy when it comes to actually using them in operations.

But indeed, the rank of colonel is different.

“3 tons of magic stones.”

I obtained 3 tons using my rank. Taking along soldiers to transport them, I headed back to the fishing village.

Magic stones are very important for maintaining formulas permanently. They supply magic power so that effects continue even when the formula’s owner isn’t nearby.

I attached duct tape to the fishing boats for maximum maintenance and repair, and applied defensive formulas using magic stones as catalysts.

“Now let’s test it.”

I gestured to Second Lieutenant Michael.

“Yes!”

The second lieutenant took up a machine gun and emptied the magazine refreshingly.

Rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat!

The barrier installed on the fishing boat easily deflected the bullets. Michael looked back at me with a deeply impressed expression.

“It blocks gunfire! But will it be okay against aerial bombing?”

“Fishing boats are small. Bombing has a high probability of missing.”

Aerial bombing mostly targets large objects, namely warships.

Small fishing boats are hard to hit, so the only threat is fighter aircraft machine guns. Machine guns can be sufficiently blocked by my barriers.

“More importantly, we need personnel to serve as captains right now.”

I looked back at the fishermen. Their faces looked pleased since the fishing boats had been tuned up quite nicely.

“Would that be possible?”

I asked the fishermen.

“…Well. We can do it. As long as you pay us.”

I nodded and ordered Michael.

“Second Lieutenant Michael. Go get the supplies to load on the fishing boats first.”

“Supplies…?”

“You heard it in the conference room. That medical supplies and food would be severely lacking at Lucan Coast.”

Im Hae-jun, Yoon Hwa-rim, and Lee Jong-soo walked briskly through the makeshift barracks a little distance from the coast.

Actually, there wasn’t much to call barracks. Most soldiers were just sitting on the ground, occasionally repeating evacuation drills where they moved to the coast in unison.

“…This is terrible.”

Wounded soldiers with severed limbs crying out for morphine, deep sighs from exhausted soldiers. The smell of excrement mixed with filth. Even at a glance, the condition was far too poor.

“Hey, guys! Over here!”

Just then, Seo Ji-woo waved her hand. She was with some officer.

“These are the friends I mentioned.”

Seo Ji-woo gestured to the three people.

“This is Colonel Kaine.”

Colonel Kaine explained the current situation to them.

“First, the shortage of supplies is absolute. Food has run out, and medical supplies are also insufficient, so wounded soldiers are dying.”

The colonel spoke honestly and stepped forward.

“Follow me.”

They arrived at the coastline. The traces of bombing were heavy. Craters were carved out, and strange smoke rose from the charred sand.

The dock was also destroyed, with only debris scattered about.

“Ships won’t even be able to dock.”

“It’s okay. I can make a dock.”

“Ooh~ As expected of Ji-woo~”

“As expected of you, sis~”

Yoon Hwa-rim and Im Hae-jun exclaimed in admiration.

“What do you mean by making a port?”

Kaine asked back with a tired face. Seo Ji-woo extended her hand toward the sea. Blue lines intertwined in the air, forming a solid magic power dock.

“Like this.”

“…I see.”

Kenneth showed a surprised yet bitter expression. Seo Ji-woo could easily read his intentions.

“Do you think rescue won’t come?”

“Realistically, yes. Trying to save us might cause even greater damage instead…”

Then, the colonel suddenly looked toward the coastline. Seo Ji-woo followed his gaze.

Something was floating on the coastline. A small object visible under the moonlight. The whitish thing gradually grew larger. As if approaching this way…

Seo Ji-woo’s eyes widened.

“Wait, that! Isn’t that a ship?”

A small boat. But not just one.

Colonel Kaine hurriedly put on binoculars. Im Hae-jun looked in that direction and nodded.

“That’s right! It’s a ship!”

One, two, three, four, five… twelve.

A total of twelve fishing boats began approaching toward the port that Seo Ji-woo had just created.

I set up barracks in the fishing village shack. I made a large panel and hung up a coastline map.

Right now I only have one adjutant.

Second Lieutenant Michael Grant.

“All supplies have been loaded.”

I nodded at his words.

“Yes. The warships won’t move anyway. Not right now.”

The higher-ups are too scared. The risk is too great to move warships.

At this rate, they’ll probably just sit still until all our allies are dead.

“So we’ll start with ourselves first.”

We can’t move 100,000 people in an instant. Therefore, we need as many ships as possible, but even conscripting all fishing boats would only give us twenty at most.

“Come out.”

I went outside. Quite a lot of supplies had been loaded onto the fishing boats.

“Are you ready?”

The captains of the fishing boats each boarded their own vessels. They asked.

“We just need to go to the marked location, drop off the food supplies, and bring people back, right?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“We won’t be able to bring back many people though.”

The fishing village chief looked at me while fiddling with the steering wheel.

“That’s fine. What matters most is making a start.”

This is just the beginning. At the same time, starting is half the battle. Since the battlefield is a place where everything is uncertain, visible results are important.

Only then can we move the general’s heart.

Lucan Coast.

The fishing boats arrived at the dock. Soldiers who had rushed over gave the fishermen applause and cheers, pulling the supplies from the ships. They were boxes of food and medical supplies.

“Why such a warm welcome…”

“Hehe.”

The fishermen scratched the backs of their necks bashfully while receiving praise from the soldiers.

Colonel Kaine watched them quietly.

“So, you’ll keep coming like this?”

Seo Ji-woo asked the fishermen.

“I think so… but there are so many people, right? This boat can only carry about twenty people. It’s going to take quite a bit of time.”

Just then, Kang Hyeon and Lee Jun-ho approached.

“Then we’ll need to buy some time on the ground.”

“Oh, hyung! Me too!”

Im Hae-jun raised his hand.

“…Me too.”

Lee Jong-soo quickly joined in.

There were only four of them. But on the battlefield, the combination of a swordsman, warrior, and archer was sufficient to form a defensive line.

Seo Ji-woo said.

“Hwa-rim and I will help with the evacuation here.”

“Yeah… you guys use the cart instead!”

Yoon Hwa-rim got off the cart. The cart rolled over remotely and stopped beside Kang Hyeon.

That’s when it happened.

Screeeeech──!

Suddenly, an enemy fighter jet appeared from above. It seemed to be targeting the soldiers transporting supplies, but a flash of light blazed from atop the coastal cliffs.

It was a throwing spear.

A straight line of magic power broke through the sound barrier and pierced the fighter jet.

Kwaaaaaa──!

Seo Ji-woo looked up at the cliff, at the woman whose blonde hair was disheveled by the wind.

“…She was providing cover.”

“Right. That’s reassuring.”

Seo Ji-woo turned to Colonel Kaine.

“Let’s try evacuating!”

Colonel Kaine also let out a light sigh and nodded.

He shouted to the soldiers there.

“Move the wounded first! I repeat, wounded soldiers board the fishing boats first!”

Kang Hyeon and Lee Jun-ho headed to the opposite side of the coastline, with the cart following behind them.

The wounded soldiers were helped aboard the boats first. Seo Ji-woo watched them and muttered.

“…Ah, I wonder where that person is.”

No matter how much she looked, Seol Ha-woon was nowhere to be seen.

She thought he would have arrived first, but surely he didn’t actually get eliminated.

“It’s okay~ He’ll be somewhere.”

Yoon Hwa-rim patted Seo Ji-woo’s shoulder.

“Let’s just do what we need to do until that oppa comes.”

“The boat’s full now! Next time will be later! Later!”

Before they knew it, the fishing boat’s deck was packed with wounded soldiers.

Swoooosh.

Watching the backs of those turning the bow and departing, Seo Ji-woo let out a long breath for no particular reason.

“…Right, well. Je Mal-ol wouldn’t have been eliminated.”

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