Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 255
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 255
56. The Beginning of Change (3)
It was a situation that defied common sense.
Japan attacking Korea?
Well, in the past, the military power of the two nations was roughly equal, so there might have been some chance of victory, but considering the military gap that opened up after the Great Disaster, it was nothing short of suicide.
What on earth are their commanders thinking?
'No, now isn't the time to dwell on that.'
I shook my head and brushed away the stray thoughts.
First, I need to save my parents.
I gathered Mana in my fingers and extended them toward the battlefield.
-Jiiiing!
-Crunch! Crunch!
"W-what!?"
Then, nearly a hundred Japanese soldiers who had been fighting were instantly crushed like they'd been pressed by a compactor, turning into bloody lumps.
They were just ordinary people holding firearms there was no need for casting to deal with them.
As a 9th-circle Mage, I can use 7th Circle magic without chanting.
Thanks to that, the Korean military personnel who had been fighting the Japanese soldiers stumbled back in confusion, and soon their gazes focused on us as we flew low toward the half-collapsed apartment.
"platoon leader! Over there!"
But I cleanly ignored their stares and snapped my fingers.
Then one of the apartment's doors was ripped off and flew away, revealing the familiar interior.
"Phew...."
As soon as I saw the inside of the house, I let out a sigh of relief.
In the middle of the living room sat a metal carrier, and I recognized it as the bunker I had gifted to my parents.
It looked like a small carrier that could be used as a carry-on, but inside it unfolded a space of nearly 30 pyeong, and its armor was tough enough that even a tank firing shells wouldn't leave a scratch.
In an emergency, it could serve well enough as a bunker.
The carrier was currently indicated as in use, and after confirming my parents were inside, I could finally be at ease.
I knocked on the carrier.
"Son, you're here?"
Then the carrier unfolded and Mother poked her head out.
It had a feature to see outside from within, so she had recognized it was me and opened the door.
"Son?"
However, it wasn't just my parents inside the carrier.
I could sense the presence of at least ten people.
At that, I furrowed my brow, and following Mother, I widened my eyes as I watched people carefully stepping out of the bunker carrier.
'Aunt? Uncle?'
Because among that crowd were Kang Min-hee's parents, who had gone to find my parents.
Moreover, most of the people inside the bunker were relatives.
I supposed they had come to visit our house, and when the war broke out, Mother had hastily shoved the relatives into the carrier.
Still, I'm glad the two of them are alive so Kang Min-hee doesn't lose her mind.
I immediately contacted Brangish, who was protecting Kang Min-hee.
I told him that Kang Min-hee's parents were here, so to bring her.
"Wait, sister, didn't you just say son?"
The relatives must be bewildered by the current situation.
The sudden Japanese attack was one thing, but there was also the sight of my parents possessing a shelter that was clearly abnormal by anyone's standards, and on top of that, those parents had just called me a white person their son.
"Mom! Dad!"
But that was only momentary thanks to Kang Min-hee appearing with Brangish, all attention shifted entirely to her.
"Daughter!"
Kang Min-hee, embraced by her aunt and uncle, burst into tears.
"I told you to stay in Reiers County."
The bunker carrier alone should have been enough to keep them safe, but for my parents' safety, I had given them a Teleport Artifact with the address of Reiers County entered into it.
The fact that they still hadn't moved meant there was a good reason.
"Things didn't look good there either."
"Is that so?"
I took out my smartphone from subspace with a surprised expression.
Fortunately, the carrier seemed fine there was a signal.
And when I connected to the internet, it was utter chaos.
[Reiers County hit by China's preemptive strike!]
[Due to entering war with China, Reiers County cannot provide Support to South Korea.]
After checking Reiers County's situation, I let out a sigh.
This seemed more serious than I thought.
"Still, let's go to Reiers County."
"Will it be okay? Isn't China's attack a bigger deal than Japan's? They have nukes too."
"Don't worry. We've prepared thoroughly."
"Alright, got it."
Both South Korea and Reiers County were in equally serious situations, but at least for protecting my parents, I judged that Reiers County, my own territory, would be better than South Korea.
"Let's go."
"Huh?"
And I led my parents and relatives in teleportation to the Lord's estate of Reiers County.
* * *
Unlike before, we didn't use the ruin, and because we arrived on Earth with Kang Min-hee and Benjamin's help, the same time limit no longer exists.
So I'd intended to take my time surveying Earth, but the sudden war tangled everything up.
"Your Highness the King!"
At the Count of Reiers's shout, my parents' eyes went wide and they looked at me in shock.
The Count had spoken in Rondel, but since the artifact I'd given them apparently included a translation function, my parents understood his words too.
Though there was no real need to understand the language.
The moment I appeared in the Count's castle, not only the Count of Reiers but also the young Lord and countless Knights dropped to one knee and paid their respects.
It's only natural that my parents were startled.
I still hadn't revealed my exact identity to them.
I'd only told them I was an upper-class person living a wealthy life as a promising Mage in Rondel never that I was the leader of a nation.
Well, now I'm the head of an international organization leading all of Rondel, not just one nation, but still.
"Let's move somewhere else for now."
I took my flustered parents and my relatives, who still hadn't grasped the situation, and headed to the Count's office, the safest place in the Count's castle.
"Son, what's going on here?"
"I'm sorry for not telling you until now. I didn't think there was any need to brag."
"R-right?"
"Kang Min-hee knows my situation in detail, so I think it'd be better to hear it from her. And everyone here is my subordinate, so make yourselves comfortable."
I dumped the explanation on Kang Min-hee.
Kang Min-hee, who had thought her home was blown away and she'd lost her parents, let out a sigh of relief and took a deep breath, then nodded at my instruction and led my parents and relatives to a corner of the office.
There, a lounge area had been set up with a spacious table and sofas.
Turning my gaze away from them, I asked the Count of Reiers.
"I heard war broke out with China but it's quieter than I expected?"
"It is here, but just a little way out from the island, the fighting is in full swing. China keeps attempting landings and strikes on the domain."
"Is that so? Give me a detailed report."
Soon the Count of Reiers's explanation began, and after hearing it all, I had to furrow my brow.
"There have already been nuclear attack attempts!?"
"Four times, no less. Fortunately, thanks to the information on the nuclear missile bases that Korea handed over, we were able to intercept them in advance."
This wasn't some mere localized conflict it meant full-scale war.
Seeing how North Korea's nuclear missile was intercepted and still charging in so recklessly isn't that a let's-all-die-together mindset?
"Currently, among the four split Chinese states, New Balhae is pressuring Korea while supporting Japan, and the remaining three states, centered on the People's Republic of China under the Chairman's faction, are attacking our County without a Declaration of war."
At least thanks to the Vanguard, the Heaven-Piercing Fortress, the Spirit Tower, and the artificial satellite I'd gifted earlier, the balance was being maintained but it was by no means a favorable situation.
"We're winning the battles, but the enemy's numbers are simply too many. Moreover, with the Heaven-Piercing Fortress's energy recharge time approaching, there's bound to be a limit to how long we can respond with only the cards we have."
As expected, that damned numbers problem again.
I clicked my tongue briefly and asked if he knew South Korea's situation.
At that, the Count gave a small nod.
"South Korea is worse off. To the north, New Balhae is keeping them in check, and to the south, Japan is attacking, so their forces are split. The fighting seesaws back and forth without either side being pushed back unilaterally, but the problem is that the main battlefields are on South Korean mainland. They're struggling to protect civilians."
This is why wars should be fought on expeditions.
When war breaks out on your own land, civilian casualties pile up.
I nodded.
I'd roughly grasped what needed to be done.
"Let's clean up the war first."
At my proposal, my comrades who had been standing still all agreed, saying they understood.
But only one person.
Only Lord Exceed, the reincarnation of Grand Duke Lucas, was frowning with his brow furrowed, brooding over something.
I knew why he was reacting that way.
"What happened with erasing the goddess's traces?"
He was currently in contact with his comrades.
But judging by his expression, the situation didn't seem to be going well.
"It failed. We managed to remove the poisoned lands somehow, but the temple inside is apparently impossible to destroy."
"Well, there's no way a goddess would be that easy to deal with."
But at my next words, he was briefly at a loss for words.
"By any chance, do you have any suspicions about the war currently unfolding?"
I phrased it indirectly, but it was no different from asking whether the current situation was related to the underworld.
The reason I suddenly threw out this question is simple.
It's because this war is far too beyond common sense.
Unless they intend mutual annihilation, the only meaning behind a country's leader ordering a war including a preemptive nuclear strike is that they're truly an idiot.
Moreover, since the war broke out while the plan to erase the goddess's traces in the underworld was being carried out, my suspicion was entirely natural.
After all, Reiers County itself could be called a trace of the goddess.
"Nothing has been confirmed yet, but this is not the situation we wanted."
"Then, if Heavenly Tribe or demon race members show up during the process of cleaning up this war, may I judge that it's unrelated to the underworld's will?"
Meaning, if Heavenly Tribe or demon race members appear during battle, I'll eliminate them.
To my words, he answered decisively.
"It is unrelated to our underworld's will, so handle it as you see fit."
"Understood. Then let's put an end to the war."
I don't need his help to end the war.
My trustworthy companions alone were enough.
This was tantamount to saying I still couldn't trust Lord Exceed, but he said he understood and respected my wishes.
* * *
"Mr. President!"
The Armed Forces Command and Control Room located underground at the Blue House in South Korea.
As the Korean Peninsula went up in flames from an unexpected invasion, President Kim Min-guk, whose mood had sunk to rock bottom, furrowed his brow and shot a warning look at the Chief Secretary who came running in with an extremely bright expression.
"What's so good that you're running around so innocently like that?"
"I apologize."
At that, the Chief Secretary acknowledged that he had been too lighthearted for the situation.
But at his next words, the President's face brightened as if he'd never been upset.
"We just received contact from Reiers County. They said the transcendent beings, including Grand Duke Lawrence, will drive out the invading forces. They requested that we be careful not to fire on them by mistake."
"Oh ho, is that so?"
At the Chief Secretary's report, the President recalled Adrian's power that he had witnessed before.
His presence, summoning a massive meteor with just a short casting.
Moreover, if his companion who split that meteor with a single sword was with them, they could easily deal with any number of enemies.
"If it's them, they'll be a great help. The question is how efficient magic and their supernatural abilities will be in this war."
No matter how much New Balhae harasses them from the north, there's no reason for Korea to be pushed back by Japan in ground warfare.
The reason they were struggling despite this was that the Japanese forces had managed a large-scale landing without being detected, launched a sweeping surprise attack that left no room to evacuate the citizens, and Japan had thoroughly stuck to urban warfare.
Surely, given time, Korea would win.
But cheering for victory in a country reduced to ruins could not be called a true victory.
For Korea, time is money.
They had to repel Japan with as little damage as possible, as quickly as possible.
"Mr. President! Th-this!"
And shortly after, the President came to realize what value Adrian and his companions held on the battlefield.
"Hah..."
Battlefield footage pouring in one after another.
The footage contained scenes of Adrian and his companions attacking the Japanese forces.
No, to be precise, it's hard to even call them scenes.
When something seemed to whoosh past, the Japanese forces would be bisected or turn to powder like sand.
And this was no different for enemies hiding inside buildings, and clearing a single area took no more than 10 minutes.
Normally, to completely deal with enemies hidden in buildings, you'd have to blow up the entire building or infiltrate and kill them inside, but for them, all of that was a skippable process.
Because of that, the people in the command and control room, including the President, let out hollow laughs and shuddered.