Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 269
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 269
58. A New Era (5)
After nearly dying to the ogre, First Lieutenant Lee Geunseok's special forces squad trudged out of the hunting grounds, every one of them wearing a dazed expression.
"Let's never get cocky again."
"Yes, sir."
At First Lieutenant Lee Geunseok's following words, the squad members nodded with bitter expressions.
The reactions were especially strong from the tanker who had nearly been killed by the ogre and the spearman who had been reduced to a bloody pulp and died.
The ogre had been terrifying.
But the sight of Adrian lifting hundreds of such ogres into the air like killing insects and crushing them to death just by clenching his hand he didn't feel like the same species as them.
They had felt the terror of the ogre, but Adrian had made them feel just how insignificant they were.
These people, who had felt a certain pride and superiority as special beings who had obtained Gifts, resolved to live humbly from now on.
Should it be said that they didn't just learn there is a sky above the sky, but that there is a great cosmos above the sky?
"Salute! Special 2nd Squad has returned."
"Good work. Everyone, come see me for a moment."
"Pardon? Ah, understood."
Shortly after, when they returned to their unit and reported in, the major who served as the company captain of the special forces requested an interview.
At that, First Lieutenant Lee Geunseok's squad members tilted their heads and followed the company captain, and upon being guided to the regimental commander's office, they couldn't help but feel anxious, wondering if the fact that they had nearly died had been reported through the Blue House Secretary's Office.
'Surely they're not trying to punish us, are they?'
But a situation they never could have imagined unfolded.
In the regimental commander's office were not only the regimental commander, a colonel, but also the division commander of their division and the Capital Defense Commander.
"Salute!"
Thanks to that, First Lieutenant Lee Geunseok's squad, tense as could be, saluted as loudly as trainees.
Whatever the situation was, it didn't seem like a place prepared for punishment.
"Congratulations. You've been chosen."
Then the Capital Defense Commander clapped his hands and approached, saying something incomprehensible.
"Thank you, sir!"
Whatever the Commander was saying, in the military where rank is king, there was no way they could talk back to a three-star general offering congratulations.
Figuring that explanations would come soon enough if they just waited, they quickly gave their thanks first.
"As of this moment, you are assigned to the 1st Guard Brigade."
The 1st Guard Brigade is a unit under the direct command of the Capital Defense Command that carries out Blue House security duties.
But even if it was a unit under the direct command of the Command, they had never heard of Gift users being organized into the Guard Brigade, so they had to inwardly question it.
"You will be participating in an experiment from now on."
"An experiment, you say?"
They had held out well until now, but at the word "experiment," they couldn't help but object.
It was a word that gave off a bad feeling.
"Ah, rather than experiment, it would be better to call it research. Gift enhancement research, that is."
Just because the expression was changed from experiment to research didn't mean they could be reassured.
However, the Commander's next words were shocking enough to make them forget everything that had come before.
"Chairman Adrian El Lawrence proposed the research, saying there is a need to confirm to what level ability enhancement can be achieved through magic stones. Knights composed of Rondelians, Mages, Spirit Masters, spell casters, and Gift users will participate in the research. In other words, it means you have come to represent Earthling Gift users."
Whatever else might be the case, the name Adrian was deeply engraved in their minds, making First Lieutenant Lee Geunseok's squad members flinch.
To them, that name evoked both reverence and fear.
"Your abilities will likely increase greatly. You may even come to be called the strongest among Earthling Gift users. Naturally, the nation and the military intend to treat you accordingly and spare no support."
It was content that anyone might be tempted by.
But these people were not.
They thought that if they could refuse, they wanted to refuse.
Had they not seen Adrian bring even the dead back to life?
They had a feeling that his experiments would be merciless.
So, representing the anxious squad members, First Lieutenant Lee Geunseok took the lead and spoke.
"Is there no way to refuse?"
"...."
The commanders reacted by saying that if they had heard the story properly, there was no way they could refuse.
However, the Commander of the Capital Defense Command, who had been briefed on the full circumstances, answered with a hearty laugh.
"That is not possible. That person personally selected all of you. Though South Korea may be a democracy, you are soldiers. You must follow orders from above."
Now it was clear that they had no say in the matter whatsoever.
Because of this, First Lieutenant Lee Geunseok and his squad members turned pale.
"Do not worry too much. That person can even bring the dead back to life what could possibly go wrong with all of you? Think of this as an opportunity for the sake of the nation, and focus solely on strengthening your abilities. Great honor and power will follow."
With that, the Commander unilaterally ended the conversation.
His demeanor conveyed a stubbornness that brooked no disagreement.
In the end, First Lieutenant Lee Geunseok and his squad members exchanged glances and soon nodded as if they had given up.
"Understood. We will do as you say."
Their lives would have been lost anyway if not for Adrian.
They thought that following Adrian's instructions might be the natural course of things.
"Good. In that spirit, I will give you a gift. A very big gift a double-rank promotion."
"Thank you."
Why was it?
Perhaps because they were terrified, but to First Lieutenant Lee Geunseok, the words "double-rank promotion" felt like treatment reserved for the war dead.
* * *
"How peculiar. Not only firearms and machines used for hunting, but even Rondel's artifacts interfere with hunting."
To hunt monsters and obtain items in the hunting grounds, one must fight with cold weapons.
This means that shortcuts using firearms or machines are completely blocked.
What's funny, though, is that this rule also applies to items from Rondel.
Whether treated the same as firearms, Vanguard equipment such as force swords and artifacts that assist in combat items did not drop from monsters when using such equipment.
What was generally permitted inside the hunting grounds was the use of one's own pure combat power, or only artifacts obtained through hunting.
At least materials were not restricted.
This means that cold weapons made from Orichalcum, adamantite, or Dragonbone are permitted for use.
"It's also peculiar that absorbing magic stones you hunted and obtained yourself yields better efficiency."
"Right. Rather than easily buying magic stones using wealth, it seems the goddess wants us to improve our abilities by defeating monsters through effort."
Absorbing magic stones obtained directly through hunting was at least twice as efficient as absorbing magic stones handed over by others.
Moreover, with various institutions and corporations conducting research on magic stones, prices were set quite high.
However, I could easily discern that the price of magic stones would skyrocket even further.
The reason is that I immediately recognized the fact that electrical energy can be obtained from magic stones.
"The goddess was generous."
In any case, magic stones were expensive and would only become more expensive a system in which strengthening using others' less efficient magic stones required an enormous amount of money.
It seemed to be the goddess's intent that if you wish to grow stronger, you should go out and hunt yourself.
'Well, it's none of my concern, though.'
However, I am a person with the mindset that if efficiency drops by half, I can simply buy twice as many and absorb them.
I intend to pour magic stones into the strengthening experiments I will conduct this time without sparing any.
To do so, however, I need a large quantity of magic stones. Currently there are no Gift users at the level to obtain high-grade magic stones, so I asked some friends with free time to collect magic stones for me.
For example, figures like the Demon King and the Heavenly King.
[Cataclysm? Hundreds of lightning bolts are striking in succession on Langkawi Island, Malaysia, which has been declared off-limits after being known as a wyvern hunting ground. Among residents, rumors say an angel is cleaning out the wyverns]
[The Angara River in Russia, connected to Lake Baikal, which has become a sea serpent hunting ground, has been stained with blood. An unidentified girl annihilated sea serpents that were unaffected even by missiles.]
Reading world news on the tablet, I could see that they were carrying out their missions well.
I rose from my seat and approached Arcia.
"Shall we go to Rondel for a bit and rest?"
Now Rondel can be visited without Kang Min-hee or the ruin's help.
So, as if suggesting a light stroll, I recommended rest to Arcia.
"No, I'm not particularly tired. So please work comfortably."
At her words, I let out a slight smile and nodded.
There aren't any tasks specifically assigned to me, but there are a lot of people I need to meet.
'For example, Choi Young-seok, the head of Daehan Electronics, the core of my Earth connections.'
And I also need to decide who in Rondel to designate as enhancement targets.
Gifted individuals on Earth are unavoidable, but for the Rondel people, I plan to compose the group with people who will be helpful to me if possible.
'It would be better to deploy the people from Genius Hall, wouldn't it?'
Genius Hall is an educational institution I established by gathering talented people through Myriad Mirror.
The numbers have steadily grown since then, approaching 500, but unlike talents in politics or commerce, magic and swordsmanship don't immediately become combat power within a year or two, so they haven't yet been given important roles by me.
I thought it would be better to mobilize people from the Gifted Institute rather than searching far and wide for people whose abilities could be enhanced in expensive experiments.
"Your Highness!"
Just as my thoughts were organized and I was about to operate the terminal device.
I tilted my head at the sight of Count Reiers barging in without warning.
Currently, I had moved my location from the Blue House to Reiers County.
"What's the matter?"
"The command headquarters of Chase Kingdom's investigation team stationed in Egypt has been bombed by terrorists!"
Terrorists carrying out a bombing?
Do terrorists have fighter jets these days?
"Is that so? How bad are the casualties?"
"All the key personnel who formed the investigation team are dead, and only the team leader survived."
Chase Kingdom has declared Egypt as a territory under the Governor-General's jurisdiction, but I do not acknowledge it.
That's why I refer to Chase Kingdom's forces stationed in Egypt as an investigation team, not the Governor-General's office.
Anyway, the damage was greater than expected, and it was giving me a headache.
"No, are you saying Chase Kingdom's investigation team made no preparations at all against a missile attack?"
"Th-the weapons the terrorists used seem far from ordinary. It wasn't nuclear, but it seems a high-explosive bomb on a comparable level was used."
Something is strange.
If his words are true, isn't that excessive weaponry for terrorists to possess?
"Who is Chase Kingdom's representative?"
"It's Count Aeros."
"Count Aeros?"
"He is the prized disciple of Grand Master Duke Jeremy and an Aura Master."
And realizing that the person who was attacked was a bigger figure than I thought, I had to furrow my brow deeply.
"This is..."
I have a feeling Chase Kingdom will throw a fit.
No, it's not so much a feeling as it is a certainty.
'This is the situation I was worried about.'
If it's Egypt, it's a country where religion-related terror attacks frequently occur.
I easily recognized that those who attacked Chase Kingdom's investigation team this time were the Islamic extremists I had been worried about.
'Foolish.'
Even if it's for religion, the terrorists' actions were the worst possible choice, turning Earth into a battlefield.
"Gregory."
"Yes, liege lord."
So I summoned Gregory and gave an order.
"First, calm Chase Kingdom down and try to prevent them from acting rashly."
"Understood."
Gregory, who had suddenly risen from the shadows, disappeared back into the shadows.
"Will that be all right? This is something that will bruise Chase Kingdom's pride."
At Count Reiers's concern, I shook my head and said.
"We just need to resolve the situation, don't we?"
"Pardon?"
"I'll step out for a moment."
"Y-Your Highness, surely you don't mean..."
"I'll do a bit of terrorist cleaning as exercise."