Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Change (2)

After cleaning up the battlefield, the soldiers began making preparations to camp.

'Honestly, I feel like we could just head home.'

It's about a three-hour walk from the spirit stone quarry to Granfen.

Wouldn't it be better to push through a bit more and rest in comfort?

But the battalion commander insisted on camping at the quarry.

'No way... We're not seriously heading straight to the frontline after this, are we?'

A creeping anxiety began to nag at me.

Sure enough, the faces of the soldiers pitching tents didn't look too happy either.

Guess they're all thinking the same thing as me.

'Well, I didn't even get a chance to say hello properly myself.'

Come to think of it, I wondered if Plerine was awake yet.

With that in mind, I was about to open the [Inn] window when—

swoosh, a hardtack whizzed at me.

Seems it's my fate to always get interrupted right as I'm about to open the system.

"You think just because you're a platoon leader now, you don't have to do menial work anymore?"

Ralph, joking around, plopped himself down next to me with a thud.

"I don't have time for that kind of thing these days."

"Hmph. As if that's funny."

Ralph chomped on the hardtack in his huge jaw, saying:

"Getting stronger makes it easier to munch this stuff. Heh."

With a jaw like Ralph's, he could probably eat rocks without needing mana.

"Still tastes bad, though."

I pulled a candy from my pocket and tossed it at Ralph's face.

Ralph chewed it—wrapper and all. Ugh.

"Aah, sweet. So sweet."

Good old big-jaw big brother, always acting up.

It was obvious why he was acting like this.

"So? When did you become 4th-rank?"

He'd become 4th-rank and a company commander because of me,

but he hasn't said a word about it until now.

No way I wouldn't feel bad.

"Hm. The day I saw the duel between the battalion commander and Jeros."

Ralph continued, suddenly serious.

"That night, realization hit me."

After all, unlike in the game, you can ascend by meditation in this reality.

Especially with the Fragment of the Firmament in his eyes, Ralph probably saw more than most.

It wasn't strange to gain insight and ascend just by observing.

But—

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were busy prepping for the cooking competition. Battalion commander said to keep it quiet too."

He told Ruth beforehand, though, didn't he?—I almost snapped, but stopped myself.

Instead, I let out a sigh.

After all, Ralph had technically broken his promise to keep the minor Demon Realm a secret.

"Haaa."

But I couldn't really blame him too much.

Knowing his personality, it was a natural outcome.

'He probably thought he had to step up for the Duchy rather than keep our secret.'

I remembered Ralph shouting to save a dying subordinate in the minor Demon Realm.

And Alec, who worried about Ralph even as he was dying,

as well as Ruth, who sobbed when our team leader was sent to the frontline.

There was a reason they acted the way they did.

Ralph was more like a northern soldier than anyone and cared deeply for his men.

'That's why he wanted to take responsibility for his strength.'

Knowing all of this, how could I blame Ralph? Damn it.

I scratched my head and opened my mouth.

"Anyway, congratulations."

Ralph blinked his only eye in surprise.

Even I was shocked that I wasn't giving him any grief.

"Sorry I was too busy to properly congratulate you. Congrats."

"... It's all thanks to you. Really. Ahem."

Ralph got all sentimental—and nearly started crying again.

"If you're that grateful, die in front of me later on. Gotta recover your OOPArts—"

Thwack!

My head throbbed.

Maybe that joke had gone too far.

"You'd die before me, you know. No way a 4th-rank like me is going down first. Quit with the nonsense."

Statistically, he was right—so I couldn't argue, and decided to get to the real topic.

Up until now, I'd let things slide,

but I needed to be clear about something now.

"So, Ralph. You said the spirit stone quarry's been here five years, right?"

Ralph, still annoyed, glared as he munched another hardtack.

"Yeah. Soon it'll be six. Why ask suddenly?"

"How's the spirit stone yield been?"

Ralph gave me a "Are you kidding?" face, but this was important info for me.

Because—

'In my 10 years playing Belkhazium, a spirit stone quarry has never appeared in this area.'

Belkhazium's randomness was second to none.

Depending on the playthrough, a mine might or might not appear if underground resources were found.

But not once had a spirit stone quarry appeared on this land.

'And spirit stones are too valuable for me to be misremembering.'

Just how much was being mined here to justify putting a quarry in this spot?

"The yield itself is tiny. Almost nothing comes out."

"Huh? Then why is there a quarry of this size? Even outside miners keep coming."

"Almost nothing comes out, but now and then a transcendence-grade spirit stone appears."

His answer stopped me cold.

'Transcendence-grade spirit stones? Fair enough.'

No wonder most of the miners looked so shabby.

It was like a gold rush—work for the jackpot or bust.

Now that I think about it, in the dark years, most of the ones who starved and froze to death were miners.

'Hit it big? Or go bust? That's how it is.'

I now understood the Heroni obsession with this quarry—

but my head spun from how much it contradicted my game knowledge.

'But still... How could I play for 10 years and never know transcendence stones appeared here?'

So, it had to be one of two things:

Either the odds were lottery-level low and I just never saw it, or—

'Someone artificially planted tiny numbers of transcendence stones to turn this place into a quarry.'

And—

"......"

My hunch was leaning more and more toward the latter.

It was inevitable.

'Because even the minor Demon Realm at Spirit Stone Quarry Outpost #13 was made artificially.'

I'd thought it was a coincidence, but maybe not.

'Damn.'

Even Gardoc had been killed by an outsider.

Not just anyone, but an "outsider".

'If he was an outsider from Earth like me, he'd know the Stack Labyrinth would spawn here. He'd have seen it in the community.'

Shit. My deduction was coming together so well it gave me chills.

Six years ago, an outsider from Earth like me planted a transcendence stone, turning this into a spirit stone quarry.

That immediately led to war.

Countless lives in this region were sacrificed in advance.

And as if that wasn't enough, he created a minor Demon Realm here, too.

'Just to claim the artifact that's the final reward the moment the Stack Labyrinth appears?'

If my theory was correct,

the outsider who planned all this was downright insane.

And even more—

'He'd be unimaginably strong.'

He could get transcendence-grade spirit stones,

kill Gardoc,

and use the Fragment of the Firmament to create a minor Demon Realm.

My hands trembled. Why?

It wasn't fear or anxiety, nor nerves.

'I want to see that bastard's face at least once.'

Caught up in these thoughts, at that moment—

"Hey, outsider."

Ricky, the foul-mouthed special operations corporal, approached.

Ralph answered for me.

"Use his name. Ian is a proper platoon leader."

"Huh. You do know a special ops corporal counts as a platoon leader too, right?"

Ralph was about to snap at that arrogance, but I held him back and spoke up, standing.

"What do you want?"

"Why so informal?"

"We're the same rank now. No need for excessive manners."

"Even if we're the same rank, you owe your senior some respect. What, don't even know that, outsider?"

Ricky seemed desperate to rile me up, but

for some reason, I felt calm.

"So what do you want?"

A string of informal speech made Ricky's brow twitch.

"Cute."

He snickered and spoke.

"I'm bored. How about a sparring match? Up for it?"

As expected.

"Actually, I wanted to fight Pab, but he's injured. I heard you beat Pab?"

I nearly laughed.

This situation delighted me.

'So that's why my hands stopped shaking.'

All day, I'd only been spectating. It was frustrating.

I envied how the officers who ate my food had grown stronger.

I was frustrated that another outsider was far stronger than me.

But now, I could finally vent my competitive spirit.

I answered eagerly.

"Sure. But since we're sparring, let's put something on the line."

"Fine by me. What do you have in mind?"

"The loser has to use honorifics to the winner. For life."

Ricky drew his sword, grinning.

"You're a real piece of work, huh? Fine! Loser uses honorifics, and has to add 'big brother' after the winner's name every time. Deal?"

Instead of answering, I drew my kitchen knife and walked.

As we moved to a good open spot, onlookers gathered.

"Platoon Leader Ian and Corporal Ricky are gonna duel!"

"Hah, knew it. No way Corporal Ricky would let that slide."

"What are you doing? Take bets!"

As the soldiers surrounded us in a circle,

Ralph, standing between us, called out.

"Both of you—keep it reasonable. Don't get hurt."

He says that, but big-jaw big brother looks the most excited.

"Duel, begin!"

* * *

"Duel, begin!"

No sooner had Ralph signaled, than Ian and Ricky's bodies shot at each other.

Tadadak.

Ricky was secretly impressed by Ian's faster-than-expected reaction.

'No wonder he beat Pab—'

Thud!

"?!"

Ricky's mind went blank.

Just a moment ago, he was chasing after Ian's back—and now, black sky and three moons spun in his vision.

'Why am I lying down?'

He couldn't comprehend the situation.

He felt a chill at his neck.

Metal?

"You lost, right?"

The outsider's voice snapped him awake.

The kitchen knife moved away from his neck.

'What the hell? Damn it, what just happened?!'

He hadn't seen it at all.

They were both 3rd-rank. How could there be such a gap?

Ricky sprang up and shouted at Ian's retreating back.

"Where are you going! Again! Rematch!!"

Ian turned his face sideways.

"Mind your language."

Ricky caught his breath and forced out the words.

"S-sorry. Please give me a rematch."

Ian gave no reply,

and Ricky gritted his teeth.

"... Big brother Ian."

Only then did Ian turn around and smile.

"Good, little bro."

Truthfully, Ian wasn't satisfied with just one round, either.

"Come at me until you're satisfied."

As you'd expect,

Ian had grown far more than even the newly strengthened officers.

Kwoong!