Hiding a Logistics Center in the Apocalypse - Episode 25
(The Knights of Camelot (2))
The twelve knights belonging to Camelot.
There were two ways to make use of them.
One was to pay Magic Stones and Enhancement Stones to appoint them as knights who fought in actual combat.
And the other was…
“It means they can be used as specters themselves.”
Of course, it wasn’t omnipotent.
There was a limit to their detection range.
But in that bullets and bombs couldn’t harm them, specters were the supreme scouting means that surpassed drones.
“…Then how should we move?”
I slowly organized the news the Joint Chiefs of Staff had delivered.
The 56th Division, which had been placed under the 1st Corps, and within it, the 220th Brigade, had established a long defensive line starting from Kookmin University below Bukhansan Mountain and leading to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies along the Jungnang Stream.
“For now, we need to go a bit further in.”
Our current location was near Anguk Station on Line 3.
I needed to move close enough to their defensive line for the specters’ detection range to reach.
Fortunately, at Sookmyung Women’s University and Korea University located further down, government troops under the Joint Chiefs of Staff—not the 1st Corps—were stationed.
Having already coordinated with Operations Headquarters Chief Yoo Seong-cheol, I decided to move there first by helicopter.
And so,
Thump-thump-thump…!
In contrast to the clear sky reflected in the helicopter window, the brown-hued city below was dyed with spots of ruin, each its own destruction.
It took less than ten minutes to reach the destination.
It was safe airspace secured by the government forces, so no significant attacks came.
We merely thrashed the occasional wandering wyvern.
Upon arriving at Sookmyung Women’s University, a Capital Defense Command officer guarding the place snapped to attention with a crisp salute.
Two oak leaves indicating a field-grade officer rank were pinned to his beret.
Come to think of it, every officer I met was saluting me first.
From him, I could confirm the whole story of the incident.
“Welcome, Colonel Kim Jeong-gyeom.”
“…??”
Apparently, the Joint Chiefs of Staff had bestowed upon me the honorary rank of colonel.
Since I had refused from the start, it was merely an empty shell with no real command authority, but orders had come down to treat me with full courtesy from all military forces.
“So this is…”
This was the tearful ass-kissing spectacle that Operations Headquarters Chief Yoo Seong-cheol was putting on to keep me tied down.
A reserve staff sergeant being made a colonel—the apocalypse had clearly struck the military rank system too.
It was absurd, but I had no time to complain.
I immediately headed with my party to the lecture hall rooftop he provided.
I had to send the specters toward the defensive line.
As if finding it hilarious, Kim Sol and my older sister repeatedly saluted me, spouting words of loyalty and allegiance, but…
I deliberately ignored their playfully crooked salutes and called out the specters.
Hwoosh.
Hwooosh.
Hazy specters rose around me.
They were the remaining knights, excluding Lancelot, who had been appointed as a knight.
Shwiiick!
I sent them all flying at once.
From Kookmin University below Bukhansan to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies beside the Jungnang Stream, I deployed the eleven specters at regular intervals.
If I could confirm their strength, I might be able to break through the weakest point.
Of course, what I was aiming for was quite the opposite.
“What are they hiding?”
I recalled the operations chief’s words that they were obsessively blocking reconnaissance.
The secret was likely hidden where their forces were concentrated.
Those with guilty consciences usually ended up exposing their true nature while trying to hide the stench.
Shwiiick!
The specters dashed swiftly.
Those fellows rampaging through enemy lines with their hazy spiritual bodies.
Before long, I could share the eleven perspectives they each sent.
Switching scenes as if pressing a TV remote, I surveyed the overall enemy movements.
And as expected…
Camera 2 captured an anomaly.
It was Percival, the specter that had headed toward Seokyeong University to the right of Bukhansan.
Huts decorated with wood, bone ornaments, and old red cloth came into view.
And a building with a shamanistic feel, flames rising from its center.
It was clearly nothing of this earth.
The interesting point was that the otherworldly structures were mixed together with the military’s temporary tents.
What was seen there…
“…What the hell is that?”
Pointed ears and a grotesquely drooping nose.
Mud-like green skin even.
It was a widely known imaginary creature.
“…Goblins?”
This was a place where orcs, wyverns, and skeletons roamed about.
It was nothing new.
However…
“Why aren’t they fighting…?”
The soldiers and officers of the 220th Brigade showed no reaction even as goblins draped in ragged cloth passed by.
No, rather, even they… were different somehow.
Because splotches of mud-like green skin were mixed over their smooth flesh-toned skin.
They were wearing military uniforms.
With the old-era rank insignia still attached, and even…
“You called, Brigade Commander?”
They began talking among themselves.
Using salutes and honorifics.
They were clearly human.
Probably still for now.
The brigade commander spoke.
“Is the altar installation finished?”
“Yes, it is finished. It would have been much easier if not for those government bastards interfering.”
“It can’t be helped. Who knew they would catch on so quickly? What’s done is done, but… let’s be especially careful.”
“Of course. I will relay the same to those below.”
Hoo.
The brigade commander flared his grotesque nose, leaning back in his chair.
“How’s the anti-air defense line?”
“We’re cleanly cutting them off so not even a single bird can pass. They surely have no idea.”
“Good. Keep buying time. Those bastards can’t push in openly, but… anyway, it’ll be troublesome in many ways if things here are exposed.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
Up to this point, it was a common conspiracy theory.
The commanders of the 220th Brigade who had transformed like monsters.
But with one word from the aide-de-camp, a scene like something out of a movie crashed into my reality.
“And as you ordered, we will begin procurement of human resources in Banghak-dong starting today.”
“Yes, starting close by means we can avoid unnecessary rumors and exposure… Well, the Uijeongbu side will handle things on their end.”
Banghak-dong, Dobong-gu.
It was where my older brother and his wife’s newlywed home was.
The phrase “procurement of human resources,” heavy with implication.
The brigade commander asked.
“How many are willing to join our side?”
“Not many. Well, it’s not like we forced them… and many harbor resentment because of talk about the sacrifices. Still, roughly four to five hundred are willing, and I’ve registered and placed them all.”
“A bit few. Well, it doesn’t matter… that just means we have many sacrifices.”
“That’s right. After all, it’s nearly over twenty thousand.”
The brigade commander tapped his desk for a moment before continuing.
“It’s right that those who are to be culled must be culled. The High Priest himself has given us the opportunity to be reborn anew, yet they don’t know how blessed they are…”
“It is the way of the world for a leading minority to guide it. You too seem to have demonstrated great foresight, Brigade Commander.”
“That’s enough, my friend. Such smooth talk, heh heh.”
The brigade commander’s laughter leaked out with wheezing sounds.
Along with that sound, their forms gradually grew hazy.
Hwooosh!
I retrieved the specters.
It was a puzzling conversation, but a few things were certain.
They were moving together with goblins, monsters from another dimension.
Furthermore, they were becoming goblins themselves.
And…
“…Did you say sacrifices?”
They were keeping other people captive to use as sacrifices.
I couldn’t tell what the purpose was, but…
it was clear they had abandoned their lives as humans.
To the point of offering fellow humans as sacrifices.
Moreover, their next destination was Banghak-dong, where my brother’s house was.
“…It can’t be helped.”
I too decided on a direction.
To sweep them away and push upward.
***
However, the method was the problem.
At first, I considered indiscriminate bombing from the helicopter using
But
Even with further enhancement, it couldn’t reach the range of the anti-aircraft guns lined up across Bukhansan and the defensive line.
“…Is there no choice but to break through by land?”
Of course, this wouldn’t be easy either.
They had firmly established their defensive line, and the area around Seokyeong University where the commanders were had several times more troops.
Then, a good idea came to mind.
I had just gained new forces.
“You called, my liege.”
It was Lancelot, a skeleton knight boasting outstanding combat prowess even among his kind.
He should be able to easily deflect the bullets and bombs they fired.
I intended to add one more force here.
An old-fashioned motel came into view… no, a fortress.
The twelve specters belonging to Camelot each had their own stories.
The cost to appoint one specter as a knight was 500 Magic Stones and one Enhancement Stone.
Magic Stones were plentiful, but I only had one Enhancement Stone in my possession.
----
[Enhancement Stone (D)]
Attribute: None
Options: [Penetration], [Strength Enhancement]
----
Lancelot gave me a brief introduction of them.
“Lionel and Gawain are…”
Now, what remained was deciding which specter to summon.
I needed to make use of each knight’s characteristics while also considering their compatibility with the Enhancement Stone.
Among them, one caught my interest.
A knight named Bedivere, who surprisingly had only one arm remaining.
Lancelot added.
“Bedivere was once an unprecedented prodigy of an archer. He could shoot an arrow to intercept another arrow mid-flight. However…”
In life, he belonged to a Duke’s direct knightly order.
But one day, the Duke’s concubine took a fancy to him, and the enraged Duke ultimately severed Bedivere’s left arm.
Intending to erase the fame Bedivere had accumulated through his daily merits.
It was a short story.
Though his remaining life, no longer able to live as an archer, must have been much longer.
Be that as it may, one word stuck with me.
That he was a prodigious ‘archer’.
.
.
.
I paid Camelot the Enhancement Stone and 500 Magic Stones.
Hwooosh!
Bedivere’s specter emerged from the castle.
Clack! Grind!
Rusty armor formed around him.
And not long after,
Thud!
The one-armed knight Bedivere prostrated himself before me.
----
[Bedivere]
Rank: [8th Order]
Description: [One of the Knights of the Round Table. Can be summoned through Camelot’s effect.]
Attribute: [None]
Options: [Penetration], [Accuracy], [Strength Enhancement]
----
Indeed, he boasted a right arm twice as thick as Lancelot’s.
On account of having no left arm.
According to Lancelot, even this was enough to make Bedivere a monster.
Because strength was already concentrated in one arm, and the Enhancement Stone had increased his strength even further.
With that thick arm, a mere sweep would likely send ordinary enemies to a miserable death.
He would be a reliable fighting force.
But the use I had in mind for him was something else.
“……?”
Bedivere looked at me with questioning eyes.
Because I held out an unidentified red ball.
[STORM ULTIMATE PHAZE Bowling Ball, 16 pounds, priced at 239,000 won.]
It was the pre-enhanced version, not yet ignited.
Now was the time for a practice demonstration.
He received the bowling ball in one hand using his sizeable palm.
“You remember what you saw?”
Bedivere nodded.
Having been in specter form until moments ago, he had carefully checked the positions of the anti-air base on Bukhansan and the guided anti-aircraft guns deployed along the defensive line.
And even now, he was taking in through his gaze the positions of the anti-aircraft guns where the remaining specters were scattered.
To confirm whether there was an accurate ‘hit’.
A prodigious archer.
A guy who even had [Accuracy] attached to his options.
I decided to pin my hopes on that mythical tale of him splitting an arrow with another arrow.
Even if he failed, there was no risk.
If they came out to catch me, that would be welcome in its own way.
As if finally understanding what I wanted, Bedivere nodded.
“I understand.”
“First, target number one.”
Thud!
Bedivere stretched the hand holding the bowling ball behind him.
A posture truly like that of a discus thrower.
Because he lacked one arm, he stretched his front leg long to maintain balance.
And then…
Pow!
He threw with all his might.
Shwiiieeeeek!
It was not a throw.
Rather…
‘…It’s like a cannon.’
The bowling ball flew accompanied by an ear-splitting artillery sound.
It was a speed incomparable to when sent out via
And so the bowling ball that flew…
struck powerfully approximately 100 meters to the left of the anti-aircraft base designated as target number one.
Kwaaaaaang!
The impact was so considerable that the vision of the specter Percival, who was capturing that scene, shook.
Weeeee—
They too realized an attack was underway,
and the air raid siren at the anti-aircraft base began to wail.
Whiiiir— Clack!
The anti-aircraft guns at the base mobilized.
Their stout gun barrels resembling Gatling guns raised their heads at a 45-degree angle, but…
Kaaaaaang!
Struck by the ignited bowling ball, they quickly lost their confidence.
The gun barrel soon traced a pitiful parabolic arc.
At its end, faint embers lingered like tears.
What had been thrown this time was the ‘Fire Ball’ enhanced for actual combat.
Its power had been further maximized by Bedivere’s throw, which boasted the greatest strength.
Now what remained were the other anti-aircraft base and the guided anti-aircraft gun batteries deployed in a long line along the defensive line.
A total of nine strike zones remained.
Paaang!
Pouring out fierce sonic booms, a dark-red meteor left Bedivere’s fingertips.
Those bastards who knew no fear of the heavens.
I needed to properly break their confidence.