The simplest way to defeat a strong opponent is numerical superiority or an ambush at an unexpected moment.
Whether in medieval Europe or ancient China, there are records of people being stabbed after barging into toilets.
Dying to a blade that suddenly leaps out from an unexpected place is proof that one is an active-duty soldier, no matter the era.
No matter how severe the gap, those who had climbed up had pinned their hopes on a sliver of possibility and drawn up an operation, but...
"Argh, you bastard! You obviously know I'm coming, so why the hell are you causing a landslide?!"
"Hey, I didn't do that on purpose! I just threw some rocks at the base of the mountain!!"
The strongest among them, Jeong Ilhwan, had outright tossed that opportunity to the ground.
No one could have imagined he would so openly throw away the one ambush chance they had managed to get their hands on.
Thrown into confusion by this sudden white-flag surrender spirit were the squad members who had climbed up with him.
"Hey!! What are you doing right now!! Are you really giving up like this when it might be our last chance?!"
The worth of their desperate climb—prepared to die, enduring even the landslide—disintegrated into thin air in an instant.
Staff Sergeant Jeong Chorong, her entire body trembling with a sense of betrayal at max capacity, shouted at their traitor, but...
"Who's that? Your girlfriend? You've got killer taste. Since when did the military allow enlistment for under-15s?"
"Sigh... No, it's... there's this newbie staff sergeant who got assigned right after you were discharged..."
The two of them looked at the superior with a teenage face who was under a massive delusion, their expressions pitiful.
"Why do you think she got solo reconnaissance permission?"
"...It wasn't because she had enough firepower to conduct recon alone...?"
"You were spotted even before you arrived. Why else would Jeong Ilhwan send a ceasefire signal the moment this bastard descended?"
He calmly announced the most important fact: 'The ambush itself was impossible from the start.'
"It's a good thing I checked if you remembered the old signal. I actually managed to see it from here."
The unique white light generated as the magnesium necklace hanging from Jeong Ilhwan's neck reacted with his burning finger.
The eyesight capable of scanning the bottom even from the peak where he now stood seemed more vivid than during his active-duty days.
"If I hadn't seen you, I'd have thrown rocks while you were climbing... Probably would've hit you and sent half of you falling off that cliff over there?"
To those who had climbed up with such effort, how terrifying those calm words were.
In reconnaissance, the most important thing is survival first. Survival second.
To ensure there's no need for one person to buy time while facing death so another can relay information, what must be done?
Obviously, one must have good eyes—good enough to spot the enemy from afar and flee before they even arrive, no?
Already keen eyesight, now wrapped with energy throughout the entire body, had improved to the point where even most birds of prey would struggle to compare.
Kim Chomok stared fixedly at the newbie staff sergeant's face, drowning in despair, and waved his hand dismissively.
"Quit your fussing. The situation will be over soon, so prepare to descend. Little miss in charge."
"...What?"
"Count yourself lucky Ilhwan recognized your face. I only save the bastards I dragged here; I don't really care whether officers live or die."
At such splendid rudeness never heard in her life, her face flushed red—but only for a moment.
"Alright, a flat rock about this size should do... Hup."
"...?!"
Kim Chomok planted five fingers into a large boulder beside him like anchors and effortlessly lifted it with one arm.
"Let's see... the bastards down there are roughly gathered over there... and another helicopter is coming from over there..."
After making a triangle with his opposite hand—index finger at the command center, middle finger at the helicopter—and calculating for a moment.
"Hey! Ilhwan, once this is over and you get leave, let's get a drink! I'm off!"
Whiiiish---!!
He hurled the boulder high into the sky while simultaneously focusing his overflowing reserve energy into his legs, shooting forth like a cannonball.
"Just like in some fighting manga, even if I can't ride the rock and fly around!"
Kwajajak!!
A boulder wide enough to serve as a foothold for a mid-air direction change.
"Uwaah, if that last one was a cannonball, is this a shotgun this time?! Dodge it--!!"
"...Sigh... If something like this happens again next time, I'm just gonna say I can't do it and run."
Shattering into pieces, it rained down above the evacuated command center's heads due to the law of action and reaction, and simultaneously—
"...Uh... uhh?! What, it wasn't a bird but a person?!"
"But THIS I can do---!!"
In the eyes of the helicopter pilot who had briefly descended to replenish ammunition and avoid the rocks.
What entered was a bird strike—no, a human strike situation approaching this way.
"Abandon belly... no, evade! Evade!!"
He urgently turned the aircraft sideways, and thanks to attempting to flee, barely avoided a head-on collision, but—
Kwajajajak!!
"Urk, warning lights are on! That crazy bastard punched through the armor plate!"
There wasn't enough time to avoid Kim Chomok's spectacular fist brake, which had even punched through the fuel tank armor.
"Hey! Pilot! If you can hear me, head toward the command center! Otherwise, I might accidentally flick my lighter!"
"...You crazy bastard!! Who the hell hijacks a helicopter mid-air--!!"
Unlike Kim Chomok, who would take no damage even if they crashed together, the pilot had no intention of achieving death and cremation simultaneously in broad daylight.
Driving a helicopter that was gushing blood, so to speak, he had to urgently begin his return flight.
Unlike ordinary soldiers who wouldn't consider fleeing the enemy camp shameful, they were proud pilots, but—
"Look at this, the fuel gauge... the remaining fuel is disappearing at a much faster rate than expected!"
"What? What do you mean! No matter how big the hole is... dammit, was it a maintenance failure?!"
Looking at the gauge where too much fuel was evaporating in real-time for a situation with just a human fist wedged in.
It seemed they weren't given any leisure time to play rodeo with that crazy bastard.
To begin with, unlike them, it was a bonus that that monster would probably be fine even if he crashed into the ground.
"Grrr... if those damned bastards had just done proper maintenance, I could've resisted to the end..."
The pilot gritted his teeth, feeling miserable at the reality he had no choice but to obey, but only for a moment.
"That's not important right now! Even if we have to dislocate the mechanics' joints later, for now, head to the nearest flat ground!"
"R-right! Let's get down first!"
With survival as their first priority, they urgently turned the aircraft toward where the command center was.
On top of failing to subdue the ability user, seizing helicopter visibility, and securing command center safety.
They had even created a situation where artillery fire would result in friendly fire.
To deliver a near-impossible failing grade report card to their superiors, clinging to a helicopter with one fist.
Kim Chomok, who had been flying while receiving a jet fuel shower that was never meant to be his.
"...Huh? What, I was just starting to worry about rebound time, but my energy is gradually filling up...?"
Before he could feel puzzled that his energy reserves, which had been depleting from so much movement, were gradually replenishing.
"Oh, I can see them! They were all gathered over there?"
Gazing at the crowns of today's wrong-answerers, gleaming in the morning sun that had already risen.
Whiiiiirrrrr....
"Hup! Hero landing!"
Kwaaaang...!!
Gathering the power of knee and fist to hammer the ground, performing the injury-prone landing of Hollywood heroes.
He poured half his remaining energy into the parking lot where their transport trucks and various cargo had been openly placed.
Rumble rumble rumble...!!
There was no way the ground alone could fully absorb energy equivalent to half a mountain peak.
It was inevitable that the ground—and unfortunately the underground water cavity beneath it—would instantly collapse, creating a massive sinkhole.
"Uwaah, abandon the vehicles--!!"
"Argh, the perks of being one of the few drivers who doesn't sleep in tents...!!"
A small number of drivers hiding in their seats to freeload urgently opened their doors and leaped out.
They hurled their bodies with all their might to save their own lives.
"...Ah, right. The vehicles..."
Of course, in exchange, the vehicles they had been resting in had to fall down below.
Countless trucks and passenger cars plunged into the darkened cavern below, roaring.
Ending lives of prolific elderly abuse—devoid of any retirement for themselves.
Perhaps because they followed the laws of real-world physics rather than movie physics? The fuel tanks didn't explode. Cheers to that.
"D-don't move!! Move and we'll shoot!"
Soldiers who had been preparing camp nearby approached in utter chaos, desperately thrusting their gun muzzles toward the rebel.
"See, I moved! What are you waiting for, if not to shoot? Do I need to do a head spin for you to fire?"
"......"
Would someone who'd been evenly hit by 12.7mm and 20mm rounds fear 5.56mm?
To begin with, they were young men who had even survived being hit by anti-materiel sniper rifles at Gyeongbokgung Palace, barely getting a bruise.
"If you shoot and a bullet ricochets, injuring someone, how will you transport them without vehicles?"
They were aiming their guns as per usual training, but there was no way any guidelines existed for this situation.
If they fired and, as that bastard said, someone really got injured?
Even if the vehicles were severely aged, it was obvious they'd be meeting the Lord while running to a hospital on foot.
"Grr... lower your weapons. Resistance in a situation where it won't work anyway, and if someone gets injured, it's our loss."
Thud! Clack! Clack!
One by one, troops with hollow expressions lowered their muzzles and threw their weapons at their feet, showing they had no will to resist.
They replaced their own positions from 'combat-capable soldiers' to 'lightly armed hostage group.'
"Hey! You big shots over there, look at me! Whether you croak or not, you should be thinking of sending these people back!"
With no need to worry about the soldiers here anymore, what remained was the command center's declaration of surrender.
"...Fuck. I should've prepared to retreat in advance if I didn't want anything worse happening, operation or not..."
Feet tied, morale broken, outmatched in firepower, and in a state with no food.
At this point, an ordinary commander would've experienced all the worst disasters possible.
"Well then, shall I send you the bill written in blood? You all have a hotline each, right?"
"...Haha, my damned life. Fine, this is a negotiation."
Surrendering to send the soldiers back in this situation wasn't cowardice, but beautiful acknowledgment of reality.
If you lose this cleanly, there's no need to argue about who's responsible.
From the standpoint of officers who would be dragged to a hearing after the fact, this was rather preferable.
After the Korean military and police had waged war with those pseudo-state bastards up there.
"Alright, secure your surroundings! If you don't want a fist tattoo on your stomachs, behave yourselves!"
A nightmarish night where battalion-scale forces were neutralized by a single person, recording a historic defeat.
Chirp chirp chirp...
"Goodness, I've pulled an all-nighter. I'll have to add this to the bill as mental damage costs."
And so, it ended.
***
In this situation, there were young men who hadn't been included among the surrendering personnel.
Members of the ability user unit who had crawled all the way to the mountaintop with great difficulty, only for their capture target to vanish.
"...Let's all rest for a moment, then head back down."
Realizing that rather than having missed the ambush opportunity, the crisis where his life had nearly flown away had vanished.
While 'little miss in charge' Jeong Chorong sulkily ordered the squad members to rest.
A young man sulking from nicotine deficiency in his bloodstream, his fingers burning red.
"...I'm not saying this because he's my friend, but he's the type of person who lives with a mask flipped over his true nature."
"...Did you say a mask?"
"Yes, a mask. A mask that says 'I am a normal person.'"
Jeong Ilhwan badmouthed his friend who had gone down below, lay down, and placed a blanket pulled from his bag under his head.
The young man who maintained daily life and dutifully performed the tasks given to him was, through and through, a disguise.
He was a person who tried hard to become a proper, upstanding adult member of society, but beneath that lay such a nature.
“From what I’ve seen, abilities seem to end up being heavily influenced by a person’s temperament.”
If Jeong Ilhwan’s own quick temper was connected to an ability that made his body generate heat...?
No, what if, in fact, all abilities manifested under the influence of the thoughts one usually had during the process of awakening?
“...Then are you saying the person who put a hole through that guy’s thigh normally wanted to spray his allies?”
The junior, thinking his senior was spouting nonsense again to kill time, tried to refute him with a suitable example.
“I heard Chomok told him, during their first monster encounter, ‘Then spray it in every direction!’...”
—After encountering your first monster, wasn’t that exactly the sort of thing a soldier who survived without dying would keep lodged in his head?
Still, Doctor Jeong, devoted believer of his own pseudo-theory, pushed his hypothesis against that rebuttal.
“Come on, then what the hell is that guy’s ability? How much does he normally hate plants?”
—What, did he have some trauma from choking on seasoned greens as a kid? You’re talking absolute nonsense.
At that dumbfounded rebuttal, and at the joke his junior threw in with a touch of rudeness—
“Tsk, that’s not it either. That bastard doesn’t even complain much about side dishes...”
“See? It’s all just coincidence. Stop talking crap and start packing your things already.”
“Haa... Is it really? Now that I think about it, even when we ate school lunch in high school... school lunch?”
The human igniter, having lost the words to throw back, suddenly recalled a hazy memory from long ago.
Since a high schooler couldn’t live every single day doing nothing but studying, there was the PC café they attended without fail, skipping evening self-study.
“Hey! You cowardly bastard! Who the hell secretly expands on someone else’s expansion spot?!”
“Hey, what’s cowardly in war?! Even if it’s a dogshit move, winning makes you the expert!”
—If you steal the enemy’s food and resources and deal damage to them outright, doesn’t it hurt twice as much?
What they got most heated over was a war simulation in which they fought each other while consuming limited resources in a distant galaxy.
“...My God. That’s it! That was it!!”
“...What do you mean, ‘that’? Now that your time to go is getting close, you’ve completely lost it.”
What if the ability of that damned cheese-build master Kim Chomok wasn’t actually ripping energy from plants?
Fundamentally, humans were ultimately final consumers who had to eat something to survive.
The “energy” created using carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and all sorts of minerals and vitamins.
If you climbed further and further up to the most basic element that produced it, what would be left at the very bottom in the end?
“It’s not plants! It was something a little more fundamental than that!”
A black knight of famine in human form, embodying “you shall starve to death.”
Having realized the true nature of this ability, Jeong Ilhwan began to break out in a cold sweat.
“If all plant-based energy is considered a resource... then petroleum would fall within the scope of his ability too...?”
Fuel based on petroleum⁴ produced by phytoplankton, and plant-based food produced by photosynthesis alike.
The grass and trees on the streets were merely easy-to-access items; the efficiency would be far higher on the other side.
The higher the level of refinement, the more other substances would be mixed in, so it wouldn’t be possible to absorb it perfectly.
But considering the excess of modern society, a city, in a word, was no different from a Fastest Infinite map to him.
“...Wow. Thank God that bastard didn’t properly understand his own ability.”
A human disaster who, if he had truly run wild in the city, would obviously have killed half the citizens of Seoul through various factors.
Phew...
At the fact that this incident had ended so peacefully, Jeong Ilhwan let out a sigh of relief.
“...I hope my ability isn’t just making heat from my body either...”
—What happened to me before, again...
And at the same time, as a bonus, he found himself hoping that maybe he was not merely a human firestarter.