Chapter 132: Assembly and Mission (3)
"Hoo, a prestigious school is indeed a prestigious school. Everyone's gaze is quite impressive."
The players who had just arrived at the plaza where the cadets were gathered looked around the crowd with admiration.
As they were cadets, one might expect them to show some signs of laxness, but no such behavior was visible at all.
"I think things will proceed quite smoothly."
Oh Seok-jae of the Falcon Guild spoke while checking the cadets one by one.
The majority of the other players seemed to agree with his words.
"I quite agree. It is not as if this mission is a difficult one."
"According to the mission briefing, it is a villain group consisting mostly of those at D-Rank or lower, so there should be no problems."
Oh Seok-jae looked satisfied as he watched the players agree with him.
He thought to himself while looking at the gathered players.
'At this rate, I could probably act as the leader.'
Since the number of specialized villain personnel was so small, most of them knew each other's faces.
The information spread so quickly that they would even know if a newcomer joined a guild, so what more was there to say?
Thus, Oh Seok-jae could recognize everyone gathered there just by looking at their faces.
'I have the most experience here.'
He had sixteen years of experience as a villain hunter.
Looking at the faces of the players assigned to Class A, they were all individuals with less experience than himself.
'Of course, I am not necessarily the most skilled, but…….'
The most important quality for a leader of villain hunters was not skill.
It was the ability to form the right strategy for the situation and the quick judgment to respond to unexpected variables.
Oh Seok-jae felt certain that he was the best among them in that regard.
'Though I do not know much about that one person.'
Thinking that, Oh Seok-jae glanced to the side.
His eyes fell upon a man with light black hair.
'Did they say he was from the Cheonmyeong Guild?'
He had heard that the man had been active abroad and had only recently returned to the country.
Because of that, there was very little information available about him.
To open a conversation, Oh Seok-jae spoke to the man casually.
"Um… you said your name was Yu-yeon, right?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"How does it look to you, Mr. Yu-yeon?"
"What are you referring to?"
"This mission. Do you think it will proceed well?"
At Oh Seok-jae's question, Yu-yeon gave a faint smile and offered an answer.
"How would I know? Only the heavens know the answer to that."
"Haha… I heard you came from the Cheonmyeong Guild, and it seems you fit their style well."
"I suppose so. But if I had to give an answer to your question……."
The man who trailed off for a moment was Yu-yeon—or rather, Yu-hyeon. He finally gave his response.
"I think it is going to be quite an interesting progression."
***
Ten specialized villain hunters stood before the cadets.
Looking at them, I could not help but let out a sigh inwardly.
'Anyone would think he owns the place.'
Yu-hyeon was standing among the players as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Being flustered was something I had experienced once or twice before, but now I was not even surprised.
I was just speechless.
'No wonder he trailed off at the end back then.'
When I had said our next meeting would probably be a long time from then, Yu-hyeon had replied that one never knew.
It seemed he had the whole thing planned out since then.
'If that was the case, he could have just told me.'
It was not as if we were lovers; why did he have to show up like some surprise event?
As I was grumbling to myself, Ju Ha-yeon, who was standing nearby, spoke to me.
"That person over there is the one we saw back then, right?"
"Huh? Oh. Yeah, you're right."
The appearance Yu-hyeon had taken now was identical to how he looked at the party.
Therefore, I had no choice but to agree without denial.
"I see. It is true that villain hunters often hide their true skills……."
Ju Ha-yeon began to mutter something to herself at my answer.
It was likely the same thing Ryu Jin-oh had heard from Cha Yu-na.
However, what he had heard from Ryu Jin-oh was only a small part of it.
I wanted to ask more specifically about what she had heard from Cha Yu-na, but unfortunately, that was impossible.
"…Ahem."
Im Seong-cheol was casting a glance our way as a warning.
Thus, I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut and wait for what came next.
"Nice to meet you all."
Soon, a briefing about the mission began with the voice of one of the players.
"My name is Oh Seok-jae from the Falcon Guild. I have come here to assist Class A."
The cadets applauded at Oh Seok-jae's words.
Oh Seok-jae seemed to like the reaction, as he continued with a smile.
"I would like to chat more, but given the time, I am afraid that will be difficult."
"……."
"So, I will explain the operation immediately, divide you into groups, and then we will set out."
It was a clean progression.
This was much better than making unnecessary speeches just to set a mood.
"First, the location we are headed to is an abandoned cathedral located on the outskirts of the city. You can find the exact location by looking at the materials provided, so please refer to them."
As soon as Oh Seok-jae finished speaking, the materials were distributed.
The documents were quite detailed and even included photographs.
"I assume you have all checked it. According to the information gathered through prior investigation, this place is a villain hideout."
"……."
"The scale is about twenty people, and according to our own internal investigation, we have assigned it a D-Rank."
D-Rank, huh…….
'It is quite appropriate.'
I thought it was the most suitable rank for average cadets to face.
"I would like to explain the operation accordingly… but first, we do not plan on creating a detailed strategy."
At Oh Seok-jae's explanation, one cadet raised a question.
"Why is that? Isn't it safer to have a detailed plan?"
What a useless question.
The reason for not having a detailed plan was obvious.
However, Oh Seok-jae maintained his smile despite the pointless question and explained.
"In a situation where teamwork has not been properly established, a detailed strategy actually becomes poison."
"Ah……."
"If you end up forgetting the plan in a rapidly changing situation, it could potentially cause significant damage."
The cadet nodded in agreement at the short but clear explanation.
It was a very obvious point.
'Does he think it is easy to stay in sync during a real battle?'
He probably asked such a question because of what happened during the midterm exams.
Whatever the case, the result back then was that they had successfully repelled the villain attack.
However.
'Back then, we were able to block them because the villains attacked individually rather than as a coordinated group.'
I could guarantee that if they had attacked with a planned coordination, there definitely would have been fatalities.
It was that difficult for people to work in sync.
Even in games or sports, pros who have practiced together countless times still have their teamwork fall apart or make mistakes.
And yet, they wanted to make a detailed plan when they had never practiced together for a life-or-death battle?
'That is just asking for everyone to die together.'
If one person is breached, two people get hit; if two people get hit, four people die.
It was as clear as day even without seeing it.
'Well… I suppose it cannot be helped in a way.'
Normally, a cadet would not have said such a thing.
This kind of tactical knowledge was something they learned in academy classes.
The reason that cadet spoke that way was likely that his confidence was overflowing due to the midterm exam incident.
The events of the midterm had been that impactful.
Therefore, I decided to understand the cadet's feelings and continue listening to the player's explanation.
"The operation will simply consist of instructions for attack, waiting, and retreat. The rest will be left to your individual capabilities."
"……."
"However, even if we do this, there is still a possibility of problems. Unexpected situations always arise once a real battle begins."
He was right.
Attack, wait, and retreat.
Even if only those three things were instructed, there was bound to be room for confusion.
One cannot perfectly grasp instructions while a blade is at one's throat.
"So, I would like to divide you into groups. Since there are ten of us, we will divide you into a total of ten groups."
As Oh Seok-jae said that, he began to count the total number of students in Class A.
"Let's see. There are fifty-one of you in total. Then, each group will have five people, and one group will have six. Are there any objections?"
"None, sir!"
"Great. Then you may form the groups yourselves. It would be best if you grouped up with those you are close with."
At those words, the cadets began to hesitate for a moment, wondering if that was really okay.
Of course, that hesitation did not last long.
'He just talked about the importance of teamwork.'
Wouldn't it lead to a much better result to group up with friends rather than with people you aren't close to?
The cadets were likely thinking the same thing.
'Then I should find a group too.'
Everyone was looking for partners, so it would be a bit awkward to just stand there alone, wouldn't it?
I tried to find group members to join, but my actions were soon intercepted.
"Yu-seong, come over here!"
It was Kim Su-hyeok, who immediately called my name.
"Got it. I'll be right there."
Of course, just because I was intercepted didn't mean I was offended or intended to refuse.
I had planned on being with Kim Su-hyeok from the very beginning anyway.
…It is a bit of a sad story, but it is not as if I have a lot of close friends, right?
'Thinking about it again, it really is a sad story.'
Whether in the past or now, the fact that I have few close friends remains the same.
As I moved to where Kim Su-hyeok was, I saw that he was not the only one gathered there.
"Is everyone here?"
Except for Do Gang-ho, who was in a different class, there were Kim Su-hyeok, Ryu Jin-oh, Oh Jin-eon, Ju Ha-yeon, and even Ha Eun-ha.
Five people were already gathered.
It seemed I was the last one.
"Yep! We are of one heart and mind, aren't we?"
"Tsk! Who is of one heart and mind? Do not include yours truly in that."
"…Please leave me out of that too. It is a bit embarrassing."
Ryu Jin-oh and Oh Jin-eon immediately countered Kim Su-hyeok's energetic words.
Watching them, I felt… how should I put it…….
'…They are close, right?'
A question arose as to whether this was truly okay.
'Well, they only act that way on the surface.'
They bickered outwardly, but when you looked closely, they were all perfectly in sync.
Besides, they must have practiced together while staying at the Horizon Guild this time.
Therefore, the doubt I had for a fleeting moment quickly vanished.
I knew they were all loyal fellows, even if they acted otherwise.
"Yours truly shall take the lead in this mission. Everyone else, do not get in my way and just follow me."
…I knew they were.
"Hmm, I do not think that is a good idea. Isn't the main point for everyone to work together?"
"Tsk, do not talk back to me."
"Haha! Jin-eon and Jin-oh, you shouldn't fight. We all have to work hard together and cheer each other on!"
I kno…….
"All three of you, be quiet. Stop saying useless things. And Eun-ha, you follow right behind me during this mission. Got it?"
"Hmm? Ha-yeon, I am not a dog……."
Thinking about it again, maybe things aren't okay…….
Ugh, I don't even know anymore.
Whatever happens, happens.
***
About ten minutes had passed since we were told to form groups.
The group formation was finally complete.
As soon as Oh Seok-jae confirmed it, he spoke up in a loud voice.
"It seems everyone has settled on their groups. Now, the players who will be in charge of each group will be assigned."
"……."
"If there is a player you would like to be with, please speak up. If not, we will handle it ourselves."
Despite Oh Seok-jae's words, the cadets could not easily make a choice.
While they recognized the names of the guilds, they did not know much about the individual players within them.
However, that was not the case for everyone.
"We would like to be with the player over there!!"
Kim Su-hyeok raised his hand and voiced his opinion as if he did not care about the atmosphere around him.
But if there was a problem…….
"Hoo. Are you referring to me?"
Wasn't the problem that the person Kim Su-hyeok chose was Yu-hyeon?
Yu-hyeon replied with a slight smile at Kim Su-hyeok's request.
It seemed that getting involved with that guy was already a foregone conclusion.
Damn it.
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