MEMORIZE Chapter 548

00548 Suspicious energy. ————————————————– ———————-=

After last night’s meeting, Lee Hyo-eul continued to worry all night long. Should I speak up? Should I not? As dawn came, he thought it would be a good idea to speak, and eventually he came out of the tent, but Hyo-eul Lee kept silent. For now, I have decided to respect Cho Seong-ho’s opinion to keep the details secret.

The night passed quietly like that, and the southern expedition departed early in the morning.

When the southern expedition team that had finally entered the Steel Mountains disappeared, Lee Hyo-eul returned to the tent with a faint sigh. He then took out a crystal ball with flowing light and poured his magic into it. It was a crystal ball for communication.

After a while, there was a little noise and a man showed his face.

(Is this Lee Hyo-eul?)

“okay. it’s me. “How is the situation now?”

(It looks quiet on the outside. However, there are many people who are agitated whether they know it or not. … We are trying to calm down as much as possible and accelerate the construction of the fortress.)

“What is your username?”

(I am in a state of severe shock after that incident. Nothing has changed yet.)

“Nothing has changed… .”

As Lee Hyo-eul gently trailed off and stroked her forehead, Jo Seong-ho slightly tilted his head.

(Now that I think about it, why did we communicate? Is there anything unusual?)

Lee Hyo-eul nodded.

“The Southern Expeditionary Force arrived last night and left early this morning.”

(Ho. Did you convey the situation?)

“Only what is revealed. But the Mercenary Lord seems a little suspicious. He said that yesterday. “It seems like the eastern advance distance is short.”

(I see. It’s strange that a man of that stature doesn’t notice.)

“Don’t you guys need to go in further? If you make a mistake… .”

(That is unreasonable. Our current expedition team is not showing the same solidarity as at first. So even if we have to go in further, that will only be possible after the southern expedition team arrives.)

Hearing Jo Seong-ho’s firm voice, Lee Hyo-eul decided not to say any more. This is because I know that once the man reflected in the crystal ball says that, he will never change his decision.

Jo Seong-ho must have sensed this as he opened his mouth with a slightly softened face.

(Lee Hyo-eul, don’t worry too much. I’ll have a good discussion with the Southern Expeditionary Force. By the way, did you say that the overall commander is Istantel Low Lord?)

“That’s true, but it’s a little, no, quite different from yours. “It is divided into three units: vanguard, center, and rear, and each unit has independent authority.”

(What about Mercenary Road?)

“Spawn. “The best among them.”

(Better. Anyway, I get it.)

“Cho Seong-ho! wait for a sec!”

It was then. Just as Jo Seong-ho was about to cut off communication, Lee Hyo-eul urgently called out to Jo Seong-ho.

(huh?)

“do not forget.”

After saying that, Lee Hyo-eul suddenly pressed her face into the crystal ball. Lee Hyo-eul’s face suddenly became infinitely more serious.

“In any case, strategy comes first.”

The whispering voice was so soft that it could be considered as a warning.

Cho Seong-ho, who stared at Lee Hyo-eul for a moment, then slowly nodded his head.

“Of course, strategy comes first.”

*

Although it was a bit cloudy, it was a beautiful, quiet morning.

no. If you look at the sun slowly rising into the sky, would it be okay to say it is around noon?

The weather was refreshing with the occasional breeze blowing, but the faces of the southern expedition users walking along the mountain range did not look very refreshing.

Of course, you won’t be able to laugh haha ​​since you entered the inside of the Steel Mountains, but even taking that into account, the faces of the users were definitely strange. Rather than saying it’s difficult, would you say it looks a little awkward?

As the southern expedition team passed through the Steel Mountains, Kim Soo-hyun, who had been walking fluidly at the front, gradually began to slow down.

A moment later, a woman ran forward, weaving through the users. She was a woman wearing thin leather armor with the symbol of Istantel Row drawn on her chest.

When the woman finally arrived, Kim Soo-hyun immediately turned his head as if he knew she was coming.

“Merchantry Lord. “This is a message from the Commander-in-Chief.”

“yes. Please speak.”

“They said they would like to rest and wait in this place. “The rear unit is a little disorganized and needs time to collect itself.”

“It won’t be difficult. Everyone stop! “Let’s rest here for a while!”

Without any delay, Kim Soo-hyun raised his hand and shouted. Then, the users almost simultaneously stopped walking and began to individually take a break, such as sitting down or taking out a cigarette.

Meanwhile, if there is one thing in common, it is to be alert in all four directions depending on where each person is standing. Since you never know what kind of monster might come out of nowhere, you have to stay alert even when waiting or taking a break.

Of course, what made this rapid transition possible was the result of the training that took place during the three weeks of march after leaving the city.

As if satisfied with the quick processing, the woman smiled slightly and opened her mouth once more.

“ah. He also asked me to tell him that in the future, unless it is a special case like this, he would like you to make your own decisions regarding rest or departure.”

“All right.”

Kim Soo-hyun lightly nodded his head.

As soon as the woman finished her business and left, a man who had heard what she said grumbled inwardly and sucked down the tobacco as hard as he could.

Seven days have passed since the Southern Expedition left the outpost.

7 days.

It may be considered a short time, but at least the users passing through the Steel Mountains did not feel that way at all. It would be a lie if I said it felt short, as I had to spend every moment in great tension after coming in.

But that’s probably good. It was something I was prepared to do anyway since I participated in the attack, and it was a situation I was familiar with as I was a veteran.

However, the strange faces of many users, including the man burning cigarettes, were actually caused by another problem.

It was precisely in the way Kim Soo-hyun marched.

first. The march is too fast.

Of course, there are cases where the continuation was carried out, but that was only when the surrounding area was safely secured. Although it is following the traces of the east, the Steel Mountains cannot be considered a stable area yet. In other words, it was a method of marching that was not suitable for these areas.

second. Do not use archers.

Since ancient times, what is an archer? These are people whose specialty is quick feet with specialized agility. The same goes for abilities. Considering their abilities related to clairvoyance and tracking, they can be seen as users optimized for risk detection.

As such, it is standard practice to stand at the front and lead the group when marching, but Kim Soo-hyun does not do that. He was only occasionally used as a flanker, and he never once put an archer in the lead.

In other words, basic procedures known as standard are being completely ignored.

At first, it was an area affected by the aftermath of the attack on the world of fire.

After some time passed, yes. Still, it’s the Mercenary Clan.

I thought there must be something in mind, but the more I went, the more doubts the users had. On the contrary, rather than decreasing the marching speed, it was even showing signs of increasing.

In the end, wasn’t there a report that the rear unit’s arrangement was disturbed?

That’s why users think it’s strange. However, since I received the full support of the Commander-in-Chief, I couldn’t say it out loud and just kept quiet about it internally.

What if monsters suddenly appear in droves?

Thinking like that, the man rubbed the almost completely burned tobacco on the ground and sighed deeply.

It was then.

“Are you okay? “Your face doesn’t look good.”

Someone suddenly thrust their face in front of the man.

The man was startled for a moment and quickly looked away. Pure white robes and hair that slightly touches the shoulders. And the moment she saw the sword and shield pattern drawn under her bulging breasts, she knew right away that the man was her. You are a Mercenary Clan member.

“I think you look a little unwell. “Would you like me to cast a simple recovery spell?”

“Oh, no. it’s okay.”

“Oh~. Are you okay?”

“Yes yes. uh… . wait a minute!”

“yes?”

“Are you from the Mercantile Clan? So, that… . A priest of brilliance… . “I think that’s what I heard.”

Does he feel good that he has been recognized? Twitching. She tried not to show it, opening her eyes wide as if wondering how she knew, but she couldn’t stop one corner of her mouth from twitching up.

“Hmm. yes that’s right! “I am Ansol, the Priest of Radiance!”

“ah. okay. Well then, I have one question… .”

“Yes~. Is that so? “What are you curious about?”

“Uhm. I… . “Actually, it’s the commander of the vanguard unit.”

As he spoke, the man quietly looked at the woman, or rather, Ansol. In fact, due to her strange rebellious spirit, she spoke out without realizing it, but she was also included in the vanguard unit. In some ways, the questioning of her unit commander has the potential to turn into something negative.

Therefore, the man decided to speak as euphemistically as possible.

“It’s nothing else. Vanguard Commander, why don’t you use archers at the forefront?”

“iced coffee. “That’s natural.”

Ansol responded immediately. She said it as if it was so obvious that even her man didn’t notice anything strange for a moment.

“okay. But the march doesn’t feel too fast… . yes?”

“Because there is no need to utilize it.”

Ansol spoke once more emphatically and then gave me a puzzled look, as if asking why I was asking such a question.

The man couldn’t believe his ears.

What now? No need to use it?

Before I knew it, the attention of those around me was focused on Ansol and the man. And the faces of the surrounding users were not much different from the man’s face. Ansol’s words a moment ago completely ignored the characteristics of each class.

Perhaps sensing those gazes, Ansol tilted his head and naturally opened his mouth.

“Do you know how to use magic detection?”

“Well, of course I know that.”

“Then would you like to try it? Then you might know.”

“… … ?”

For a moment, the man thought, ‘Is this making fun of me?’, but soon he silently developed a sense of magical power. She decided to just do as she was told for once.

But the man didn’t feel anything.

“… “I’m not sure?”

“Yes? weird. “I feel certain.”

“What do you mean by that? Right now, the sense of magic around here is out there… .”

“Oh~. You spilled magical energy onto the ground. Then, instead of targeting the ground, try going a little deeper. “It feels like it penetrates the ground.”

Ansol smiled brightly and stomped on the ground as if he had finally found out.

A puzzled look flashed across the man’s face.

It’s not that I didn’t understand Ansol’s words. Surely there is a way to transmit magic beneath the ground to detect it. But that method is rarely used. Although it has the effect of slightly increasing the accuracy of information transmitted through vibration, the consumption of horsepower is so severe that efficiency is reduced.

In the first place, magic power detection itself is an ability that requires the consumption of magic power, knowingly or unknowingly, so most users often just rely on the ability whenever necessary.

The man was still sighing, but as Ansol said, he let his magic flow deep beneath the ground.

It was that moment.

“Huh?”

For a moment, an intense exclamation came from the man’s mouth.

The reason I was surprised was because I could feel dozens of streams of magic power flowing out. Just like Ansol in front of him, dozens of streams of magical energy were moving in various ways in the front as well. All 31 Mercenary Clan members are using magic detection.

But that wasn’t the only reason the man was truly surprised.

A vast flow of magical power that completely covers all the flows felt before.

The flow was endless and elaborate enough to make you think that the man’s magic was like new blood. It was to the point where I thought it might be encompassing the entire area beyond these thousands of people.

“You see now, right? “We don’t need archers.”

Ansol must have seen the man’s mouth wide open and said with a grin. The man hastily closed her mouth and turned her gaze towards the leader.

At the front was Kim Soo-hyun. He kneels on one knee and places his hands on the ground.

The figure with its eyes gently closed looked as if it was feeling something.

*

Look around calmly but carefully.

“OMG. Bored.”

Meanwhile, perhaps because the day-to-day march was boring, I heard someone yawning and muttering behind me. Judging by the voice, it is clear that it is Yujeong.

I quietly looked away, gave a warning with a glance, and then looked forward again.

The landscape of the Steel Mountains, now almost shapeless, burned black here and there. According to Lee Hyo-eul, the eastern part continued to use the Hwagye plan thereafter, and it appears that this is true. It is only natural that the march is delayed like this.

Even as I quenched my appetite, I still remained alert to my surroundings.

Ahhh.

Some time has passed since I left the outpost. We continued our march without receiving any attacks. It was literally just march, march, march.

Of course, it is encouraging that we were not attacked, but if you think about it carefully, it cannot necessarily be seen as a good thing.

According to my memory, I should have already battled monsters dozens of times before getting here. But let alone a battle, the monster was not even visible.

The only thing discovered was, as Lee Hyo-eul said, a place presumed to be a village and traces of escape.

As the Steel Mountains were indeed an area inhabited by many different creatures, it was not particularly pleasing that their distribution had been disrupted.

That’s not all. There is also the problem of fraud. If the march continues, users become bored and exhausted. Monsters need to come out here and there to balance out the initial sharp momentum, but I felt like I was becoming more and more dull as the days always followed the same pattern.

But as of now, there is no other way. After all, once you come in, there is no going back. First of all, we must move forward constantly.

With that in mind, I increased the density of magic detection scattered around me and walked even faster.

Around sunset on the 9th day.

We were finally able to reach the point where the eastern expedition stopped.

Before I knew it, I could see the camp, which I was embarrassed to even call a fortress, slowly getting closer. We finally joined the eastern expedition team that departed two weeks ago.

“The Southern Expedition has arrived!”

“We will open the door!”

I had already contacted you before I arrived. Soon, the door, which seemed to have been improvised out of wood, opened wide, making an unpleasant noise, and hundreds of users were seen standing left and right inside.

In the very center, a man stood alone, waiting for us. Goryeo Clan Lord. It was Cho Seong-ho.

“Thank you for your hard work. Mercenary Road. “Welcome to join Musa.”

“It was nothing. Congratulations on successfully completing your first attack.”

After entering the door. When he gave a formal greeting, Cho Seong-ho shook his head.

“no. It’s rather embarrassing to hear this from the Mercenary Lord. Hmm. By the way, the Commander-in-Chief of the South… .”

“He’s probably near the center.”

Cho Seong-ho’s gaze glanced over his shoulder. Cho Seong-ho opened and closed his mouth once or twice before nodding and lowering his head.

“okay. Anyway, you’re probably tired from coming all the way here, so let’s come inside first. Although it is still embarrassing to call it a fortress, the site is large enough to accommodate more than 10,000 people. haha.”

Jo Seong-ho laughed. But was it my mistake to say that he felt that the smile was forced?

no. It wasn’t just Seong-ho Cho who was like this.

There is a subtle, unidentifiable energy flowing between Eastern users on the left and right. On the outside, it looks like it’s welcoming, but it looks like it’s somehow uneasy. It felt like the entire fortress was sinking.

Thinking that Soyoung Han was probably feeling this energy, I calmly gathered myself. First, let’s listen to the story.

“All right. then… .”

“Oops. Mercenary Road.”

It was then. Just as I was about to ask about the meeting, Cho Seong-ho stopped me.

Soon, Cho Seong-ho pointed to a direction far away.

“The tent on Mercantile Road has been set aside. Even though it’s nothing special, it’s still better than other tents.”

The tent pointed to was a conspicuous tent with a white center.

“Then, I will speak with Lord Istantel Low for a moment.”

After saying that, Cho Seong-ho immediately turned and walked into the center.

Let’s talk and come back.

It was a meaningful tone that was too meaningful to just pass over.

I tilted my head, but soon walked towards the tent that Cho Seong-ho had pointed out.

*

midnight.

I lay down on the rickety, shabby bed and looked at the dark tent.

Even after joining the East, nothing much happened. The much-anticipated commander’s meeting was also postponed until tomorrow morning at the request of Dongbu.

After finishing a simple meal and scolding the kids who were complaining about how boring it was or that it wasn’t the Steel Mountains they were looking forward to, everyone went into their tents and got some sleep to prepare for tomorrow. Of course, there are users who need to be on guard, but I am not included in today’s turn.

Close your eyes gently.

It’s monotonous. It’s monotonous, but it’s so monotonous.

So much so that it feels very suspicious that the strategy is going so smoothly. It’s not all smooth sailing. Something seems tangled… . no. I don’t know. It’s just an unsettling monotony that can’t be expressed in words. It feels like it’s going to explode anytime soon.

Suddenly, a stuffy feeling fills me.

“shit. “What on earth is going on?”

It feels uncomfortable for no reason, and I don’t know anything. So there is nothing you can do.

Finally, I jumped up. Then, after lowering the curtain to cover the entrance, he lay down on the bed. Rather than continuing to worry like this, I thought it would be better to just sleep.

Just when I was trying to force myself to sleep, which wasn’t coming.

Rustling.

Suddenly, the sound of the curtain covering the entrance being carefully lifted was heard. Then, a black figure suddenly appeared.

When I saw that, I didn’t think it was an enemy. An assassin wouldn’t come in so confidently.

As the black figure slowly approached, I calmly raised my upper body. Even though I confirmed what had happened, Inyoung wasn’t that surprised.

Eventually, the user who looked down at me with a slightly tired face was none other than Cho Seong-ho.

“You’re awake. Fortunately, the.”

Jo Seong-ho spoke in a slightly husky tone rather than his usual clean voice.

“yes. But what happened at this time… ? “I heard the meeting is tomorrow.”

“The meeting was definitely postponed until tomorrow. Anyway, first of all, I’m sorry for coming to you at this time. Mercenary Road.”

“… … .”

“I didn’t come here for a meeting. … “There is something I want to show the Mercenary Lord.”

Is there something you want to show me? Not a story?

“Of course I want to talk. “Alone with the Mercenary Lord.”

Cho Seong-ho must have read the puzzled expression and immediately opened his mouth.

I stared at him for a moment, then quietly got up and got out of bed.

I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was out of the blue. However, to hear the detailed story here, Cho Seong-ho’s face looked too desperate. At the same time, there was also the anticipation that there might be a breakthrough that would relieve the feeling of discomfort.

Jo Seong-ho seemed to think that getting out of bed was permission, and left the tent with a gesture for him to follow.

It was still quiet outside. Except for the users standing guard, no one moves.

Since the commander’s tent was gathered separately, we did not walk for a very long time. This is because the eastern commanders’ tents were erected right next to them.

Jo Seong-ho entered the largest tent among them and suddenly stopped walking.

Because the light stone was not turned on, the interior was filled with black darkness.

However, there was one peculiar thing: there was another tent inside the tent. To be precise, it should be said that it is a secret space covered by several layers of curtains.

As I raised my eyesight, I saw Cho Seong-ho standing, holding the badge with both hands.

I stopped right behind Cho Seong-ho.

“Merchantery Lord… .”

Then Jo Seong-ho calls me in a soft voice.

“The Mercenary Clan is a mercenary clan, right?”

What does this mean again? Not Hongdukkae in the middle of the night.

But since it wasn’t wrong, I decided to say yes.

“Yes, but.”

“Then. As far as I know, mercenaries receive money to carry out requests and strictly follow the instructions. Isn’t it?”

“you’re right. But I don’t know why you say that in this situation.”

“… … .”

“And while we certainly participated as mercenaries, we also now have the status of expedition members.”

“… “That’s right.”

Cho Seong-ho brought up the word request. I felt a suspicious energy. When I hammered his nails in to indicate that the expedition would take priority just in case, Cho Seong-ho’s shoulders slumped as if he had lost some strength.

And after a while.

“But right now, the only place I can rely on is Mercenary Road.”

“… Koryo Road? why.”

“yes. You probably don’t know what you’re talking about. Actually, I don’t know either. It is also difficult for me to accept the current situation. So, I would like to ask for a request, or at least a little help, from Mercenary Road.”

“… … ?”

And that moment.

“first… . after. “I will do my best and show you first.”

Jo Seong-ho, who said that, spread his hands left and right before I could even open his mouth.

Saruk, saruk!

Eventually, the curtain lifts, and part of the scene, excluding the part covered by Cho Seong-ho’s body, becomes visible.

… Something strange smelled into her nose.

—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=

sorry. I posted this very late today, right? I ended up being quite late because I had to write such a long story. So, please consider this as an excuse and forgive me. ha ha ha.

ah. And I enjoyed the comments you wrote yesterday. I’m sure I was a little hasty in my thinking. Let’s think a little more about electronic cigarettes. Actually, I tried to quit smoking today, but I failed right after lunch. I couldn’t resist the urge. There were many people in the comments who said they had succeeded in quitting smoking, and I thought it was really amazing. ㅜ.ㅠ

fantasy,