The Lone SF Transmigrator in the Otherworld Forum

Chapter 68: Million-Strong Army (1)

"N-Noonim, what happened...?"

Namgung Jin addressed her, not even paying attention to Neung Dogun leaving while grinding his teeth.

"Hm? Ah..."

Every single one of her reactions was incredibly fascinating.

To be truly honest, up until now, when he looked at Noonim, she had seemed like a walking corpse, or perhaps a walking disaster.

Of course, that didn't mean he thought of her, who was like a teacher to him, as unpleasant or anything like that.

But seeing her lively expression as she slightly furrowed her brow, he somehow found himself at a loss for words.

"Hmm? I suppose it's because of the Overhaul Rebirth? That must be it."

Huh? Overhaul Rebirth?

"Hmm. I definitely feel like something has changed."

"Uh, um..."

"How should I explain it... Like shedding the shell of my soul? No, words can't really describe it."

Although I don't understand what she means...

Namgung Jin's eyes wavered at the sight of Virdel, who somehow seemed more human-like.

"A-Anyway, Noonim."

"?"

Ah, what is this? I can't get used to this!

Namgung Jin tried hard to calm himself down.

I absolutely won't make any mistakes!

"A-About thatwar, what's going on with that...?"

"Ah."

Her lively expression turned quite serious.

"He gave me a separate task."

"I-Is that so?"

What kind of task did he give her, to involve war...

Gulp-

"It seems I'm still woefully inadequate if I want to follow him."

No, if Noonim is inadequate, then what about me...?

Of course, I haven't actually conversed with him, but...!

"Especially when it comes to war, I knew nothing, but now a good opportunity has arisen, hasn't it?"

Op... Opportunity?

It was the moment when the Imperial million-strong army was relegated to being mere teaching material.

"Anyway, I'll be busy for a while, so there's no need to come visit."

"...!"

Somehow, he felt left out.

Well, I guess…

Unlike me, who's just wrapped in expensive equipment, Noonim is the real deal.

"...I understand for now. However, if news comes from the government, I shall visit again."

"Do as you please."

She lightly acknowledged his greeting and then vanished.

What on earth is going on?

Namgung Jin swallowed his frustration.

Still.

The outcome is obvious.

He was just curious about what kind of task He had separately assigned her.

***

"Military Governor, have you been well?"

"Haha. I believe this is the first time we've met since the last banquet."

They sat with courtesans on either side, passing drinks back and forth.

"It seems the Chancellor intends to use this opportunity to push out the martial artists..."

"Well, we can't keep turning a blind eye to these ruffians who act without knowing their place, can we?"

"Only the Demonic Cult in Thousand Mountains is truly pitiful. They've caught unwanted attention."

"He's determined to sweep away all the bandits who disturb the country with their deceptions this time."

"I've heard such rumors too. They say the leader of the Demonic Cult is an incredibly beautiful woman."

They had heard the rumors. That a beauty at the caliber of toppling nations had taken the position of the Demonic Cult's leader.

Some even joked, wondering if she had risen to that position through her beauty alone.

"Oh... I think I've heard that rumor too. They say everyone who sees her loses their senses, even forgetting to breathe."

"Haha. There must be some exaggeration. But considering it's reached even our ears, she must be quite beautiful, right?"

"Moreover, His Majesty is fond of beautiful women, so those below must see this as an opportunity they can't miss."

"That's right. If they can just capture and present this new Cult Leader, they could receive both merit and His Majesty's favor, couldn't they?"

"Of course, whether His Majesty's grace would reach down to our level is another matter."

"Haha. That's for the elders to worry about. For us, isn't it enough to just make a name for ourselves by achieving merits in this war?"

"It's certainly true that such opportunities are rare."

For military officials, what better chance to gain merit than war? Moreover, this time the risk was low.

"Still, we can't underestimate the martial artists."

"Haha. The strategies that can be employed with a small number of powerful individuals are endless."

"But that's said without knowing our government army."

"Hahaha. That's right."

"To begin with, aren't the martial artists of Jianghu just a group that praises each other as the best in their small pond?"

"They're all talk. It's truly foolish. They seem to think that military officials who combine both literary and martial arts are just sitting around doing nothing."

"Isn't this situation created by their delusion that martial arts are their exclusive domain?"

Those who already knew, knew, after all.

"Can they even imagine a unit specially trained in martial arts? Haha."

"That's right. After all, the military is a group that will do anything to kill people."

"It seems the government has also decided to take action because of rumors that the Demonic Cult is using some unknown power."

"Haha. They've even prepared a large number of Thunder Bombs, so that says it all."

"I hear that this time, even the Imperial Guards and the Eastern Depot¹ will be involved."

"I wonder if there will be any merit left for us. The competition might be too fierce."

They actually hoped the situation would escalate further. If the Murim Alliance also joined, it would greatly increase both the justification and opportunities to achieve merit.

"Have you heard about the Imperial Hound?"

"Ah... They say he went as an envoy this time, yes?"

The Imperial Hound.

It was truly a derogatory term, but the faces of the officials having this conversation showed no particular emotion.

How could one survive in the treacherous central government if they feared a mere dog on a leash?

"I hear he incurred His Majesty's wrath because of that incident..."

"The fact that he let someone go after witnessing them insult the Son of Heaven proves he's truly just a dog."

"Regardless, thanks to the Imperial Hound, a feast for gaining merit has been prepared, so let's not hate him too much."

"Of course! Hahaha."

"Ah... I heard Lord Hong will be leading the vanguard this time..."

There wasn't a trace of tension on their faces as they discussed the war. To them, this war was just like a feast.

"Haha. I'm truly looking forward to it."

***

Slash-

Virdel tilted her head as she looked down at her hand.

In front of her, a crack-like fissure was rippling in the void.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Hyun, who was watching from the side, swallowed hard and trembled.

Wh-What is this presence?

When the Cult Leader waved her hand and split the void…

He almost screamed and his legs nearly gave out. The pressure emanating from her when she cut the void was certainly not human.

Wh-What is that?

There was a crack in the void, like broken glass. The fissure that even caused optical illusions was slowly healing.

Is this reality? Am I not dreaming?

The sight of the world he existed in cracking like broken glass.

It felt alien.

And there was also a sense of discomfort.

Zhuge Hyun was quite a rational person. In fact, too rational to think this was reality even after seeing it right before his eyes.

Pinch-

He pinched his cheek, but nothing changed.

Zhuge Hyun barely managed to steady his breathing and calm down.

"C-Cult Leader. The preparations are complete."

And what about her beauty? Until now, the Cult Leader had always covered her face with a helmet. Even when not wearing the helmet, she always had messy hair and exuded a dark aura, so he had never thought about it.

What on earth did she do...

Dazzling skin and eyes like red jewels.

Hair that reflected light as it swayed.

Even her beauty didn't feel like that of a mortal of this world.

Zhuge Hyun forcibly shook off the feeling of being in a dream and calmed his heart.

He was the Vice Cult Leader of the Galactic Divine Cult.

This was no time to be distracted, with war against the government’s army looming.

"Cult Leader. I heard you won't be taking the field directly..."

"Ah."

She said indifferently while inspecting her body.

"Vice Cult Leader."

"Yes!!"

Zhuge Hyun snapped to attention at her clear voice, like the rolling of jade beads.

"Are you worried?"

"Huh?"

Well, you're probably someone who could crush a million-strong army alone, but…

"There's a limit to the forces the Divine Cult can mobilize currently. Moreover..."

When she succeeded as Cult Leader, most of the high-level Masters of the Demonic Cult lost their lives.

At the hands of none other than the current Cult Leader.

"We are severely lacking in the number of Masters. When it is not just a battle, isn’t the number of troops absolutely crucial in a war?"

At that, Virdel smiled lightly as she looked at Zhuge Hyun.

"Ah... That's why I'm looking forward to it. Vice Cult Leader. I heard you have talent in troop deployment?"

"Huh? Th-That's..."

"I think you'll probably show me the picture I want during the war."

"That..."

"I've excluded the most elite units as I have separate preparations for them, but don't you think it's not lacking?"

Zhuge Hyun was at a loss for words at her response.

It's not wrong, but...

Originally, war was about risking everything and fighting a life-or-death struggle with the opposing force.

However, the Cult Leader had excluded the most elite units and even prohibited the use of most weapons of mass destruction.

As such, the given troops were only about five hundred.

Five hundred against a million?

And even those five hundred weren't proper Masters.

They were warriors who had barely become familiar with their equipment, not even reaching the Peak Realm.

Although she said she would provide additional support as needed...

The crazy ones who could fly and strike down with energy beams had been taken away for the Cult Leader's special training.

What should I do...

"You can do it, right?"

Her clear voice broke Zhuge Hyun out of his thoughts.

"...Yes! I will not disappoint you!"

Zhuge Hyun had no choice but to reluctantly /genesisforsaken