In the Name of God - vanish into fiction

I didn’t find it particularly strange that a Grade 3 Special Duty Officer was at this scene.

Since Daejeon had been converted into a Disaster Zone, it was only fitting that a talented officer of that rank would be designated as the person in charge of field deployment.

However, I hadn’t expected it to be Nam Ho-jin, whom I was already acquainted with, so I wore a slightly surprised expression.

“Hello. I didn’t expect to meet you again in a place like this.”

“Indeed.”

I felt Nam Ho-jin, who responded calmly, take a step closer.

“What happened to your eyes?”

“It’s nothing serious. I just overused my ability, so it’s a bit strained. It’ll be fine if I rest for a moment.”

“A moment’s rest won’t be enough.”

Lee Sunho, who had been staying quiet, added firmly as soon as I finished speaking.

I meant figuratively, man. Just figuratively.

“Let’s continue the detailed talk at headquarters. I’ll guide you, so Kang Chan-su, please handle the cleanup of the scene.”

“Yes, understood.”

Nam Ho-jin, calling the leader by his name and entrusting him with the rest, led us toward the Daejeon Convention Center. Since it wasn’t far from where we were, it didn’t take long to arrive.

Upon entering the lobby, Nam Ho-jin took us to an office.

Calling it an office was a stretch; seeing as it had a cot and even a small refrigerator, it seemed to be one of the spaces set up for waiting wounded.

I briefly used Hawkeye to scan the office, but Lee Sunho’s sharp glare pierced through me. When I avoided his gaze and deactivated the ability, the stinging look was finally withdrawn.

“The medical team is also here, so if there’s any area in poor condition, please let us know in advance.”

“I just need to rest for a bit…”

“He performed forced firing while his energy was at rock bottom. There might be issues with his fingers and arm muscles. His mana is also likely on the verge of exhaustion.”

Lee Sunho, who had sat me down on the bed, cut me off and relayed the symptoms on my behalf. Nam Ho-jin’s voice immediately turned serious.

“I see. I’ll call the medical team, so please wait a moment.”

“We also need a cooling pack to lower the heat in his eyes.”

“Understood.”

After Nam Ho-jin left the room with somewhat hurried steps.

“I told you I’m fine, so why are you bossing him around?”

I poked Lee Sunho and glared at him. I wasn’t sure if I was looking at him properly since my focus was out, but I turned my gaze upward nonetheless.

I felt like I might fall asleep if I made one wrong move, so I wanted to finish the report quickly and check on how the other Holy Lands were doing.

“Bossing him around? I requested it because it’s necessary.”

Lee Sunho, unaware of my inner thoughts, spoke while helping me off with my coat.

“You know that if it weren’t for the analgesic effect, you wouldn’t even have been able to lift your arms properly.”

“…”

Since it was the truth, I couldn’t bring myself to argue. Given the atmosphere, I felt that if I argued back wrongly, “Doom Sunho” might pop out again, so I decided to stay quiet for now.

Lee Sunho, who took my coat, smiled warmly and patted me.

“Stop worrying about me and listen to me regarding things like this, okay?”

“…Fine, so stop treating me like a child.”

Speaking grumpily, I felt myself being wrapped in a fluffy blanket and glared once more. A laugh escaped Lee Sunho’s throat.

Beyond that, I heard the sound of the medical team member and the returned Nam Ho-jin chuckling.

“You two get along well.”

“Because we’re partners.”

Lee Sunho’s voice, answering instantly, sounded quite satisfied.

Wrapped up like a larva, I had the blanket pulled back halfway and received a light check-up with the help of the medical team.

Since my eyes were nearly blind, I couldn’t tell what kind of expression the medical team was wearing. As the scene was turning quite hectically, they seemed to focus on emergency treatment rather than lengthy explanations.

The medical team, who wrapped bandages around my wrists, forearms, and even each individual finger, left after leaving instructions to absolutely get a precision exam later.

Lee Sunho tore open the packaging of the cooling pack he received from them and placed it over my eyes. The ice-cold, stinging sensation was quite pleasant. It meant my eyes had been that severely hot.

Nam Ho-jin, who had stepped out briefly with the medical team, returned quickly. He pulled up a folding chair in front of the bed where I was sitting and sat down.

“First, could you tell me in detail about the information on the monsters that appeared as the Holy Land collapsed and the strategy to defeat them?”

To Nam Ho-jin, who dove straight into the main point, I also opened my mouth without hesitation.

I delivered a short and bold summary, from the moment we reached the northern boundary of the Daejeon Holy Land to the moment everyone scattered, leaving Seong Do-wan behind, to suppress the monsters.

“Monsters made by the fragments of the Holy Land gathering…”

“…I see. It’s surprising enough that they are monsters made of Holy Land fragments, but the trait of infinite regeneration unless the central axis of mana is destroyed…”

His voice, tinged with a sense of difficulty, held a clear tension unlike before.

“It seems the central axis of mana is something even an Awakener like Seong Do-wan would find difficult to identify.”

“It wouldn’t be impossible if one focused on identifying it at close range, but there’s no way a monster would just leave you alone to do that. The location varies for each entity and the size is small, so it won’t be easy to target.”

Nam Ho-jin, who nodded beyond my blurred vision, asked as if he had just thought of something.

“You mentioned you handled the black golem that appeared at the promotion exam site the same way, right?”

“Yes.”

Regarding the black golem encountered at the promotion exam site, I had submitted a simple report before the team matches were entirely over. Even then, I had written a short entry stating, ‘It fell when I broke the central axis where black energy gathered and then spread out.’

Nam Ho-jin, who was lost in thought, nodded his head.

“Perhaps Mr. Seong Do-yoon has found a very important point. If the same thing happens, it will certainly be a decisive help.”