CHAPTER 186
My shattered body returned to me.
The breath that had been cut off was restored.
My vision returned, and I began to see my surroundings.

The first person I met eyes with was Aranseol.
She was looking down at me with an anxious, desperate gaze.

"Harua, you really..."

Aranseol looked like she had a lot she wanted to say, but this was a battlefield.
Furthermore, the specters were still lingering around us.
Though Danmyung seemed to be fiercely projecting its red aura to drive the ghosts away, this wasn't the time for a long chat.

"Where's Sohan?"
"He disappeared."

I couldn't exactly ask, Why didn't you chase him?
I didn't know what had happened while I was reviving. Plus, there was always the possibility that Sohan had laid a trap.

I thought he might not show up at all.

What was that bastard's intention in revealing himself?
For an attack aimed at us, it was far too meaningless.

"...Do you think he's trying to draw out our Master?"

Aranseol answered my unspoken question.
Soun was currently tracking Sohan. Sohan revealing himself on purpose to lure Soun in...
It was a solid possibility.

"Let's gather the rest and head back for now."

The situation was too urgent to chase after Sohan.
Since he could move freely among the specters, the danger level had skyrocketed. We needed to return and inform the others.

"Yeah."

Aranseol replied with a slightly subdued expression.
Since they had once been fellow disciples, she clearly had a lot on her mind.

"What is Sohan working with Black Dawn for...?"

At Aranseol's words, I lightly patted her shoulder and turned around.

"We can just catch him next time and ask him directly."
"...True."

At my simple and clear answer, Aranseol turned around, looking a bit more energized.
We collected Meiran's severed hand and immediately started heading back.
I worried about Sohan the whole way, but he was nowhere to be seen.

When we returned, inside the Soul Barrier...
I saw brilliant blue flames rising into the air.
Babiyen and Legolash were smoothly conducting the Cheondojae (mass exorcism).

"Harua-nim! Over here-ssumda!"

Lululio spotted me, threw her hand up, and waved energetically.
There were no signs of battle.
It seemed they hadn't been attacked by the black roots while we were gone, either.

I suspected those black roots were the vessel Black Dawn was creating. But for some reason, they hadn't shown any signs of appearing since.

"You're back."

Just then, Inferno welcomed us from beyond the barrier.
Colonel Bagel was standing right next to him.
It seemed the Resurrection magic had worked perfectly for both of them.

"I brought Lieutenant General Meiran."
"That guy, huh? Must have been a headache."
"Aranseol handled it well."

I pulled the hand out of my bag in front of the barrier and immediately began the Resurrection magic.
One by one, the physical body was restored.
He was completely butt-naked, but there was nothing we could do about that. Fortunately, Colonel Bagel used his spatial magic to pull out spare uniforms one after another.

"Since I'm staying by your side, Harua-nim, I made sure to prepare these."

Competent guy.
I pushed the newly revived Regular Army soldier into the barrier and stood up.

"Can we communicate with the outside?"
"It's completely dead."

Colonel Bagel swallowed bitterly.
They had no way to contact the outside.
For the Regular Army, if there was no contact from the inside for 30 minutes, backup troops would be deployed.
If things went wrong, the backup troops could be swept up by the swarm of specters, leading to even more possessed soldiers and massive casualties.

Someone had to deliver the information about what was happening inside.

"I will go."

Aigis stepped forward and volunteered.
Since we had saved the other Regular Army soldiers, she judged that we couldn't delay any longer.

"Will you be alright?"
"Yes. As the Paladin Commander, I cannot allow myself to be stopped by mere specters."

Aigis was the only one here who could move freely outside the barrier.
We had no choice but to trust her to deliver the information safely.

"We became utterly useless in the blink of an eye."

Inferno sighed, his face filled with an apologetic expression.
Even as Regular Army soldiers, they hadn't expected a situation like this to erupt from within. And their primary role wasn't fighting the undead, anyway.

"Once the Cheondojae is over, it will ultimately fall to the Regular Army. Save your strength for now."

Everyone has their own field of expertise.
Right now, we just had to do our absolute best in what we were capable of.

"Aigis-nim, Sohan is roaming around out there."
"The other disciple of the Sword Lord?"
"Yes. Please be careful. We don't know when or where he might appear."

Sohan didn't seem to be affected by the specters at all.
Because of that, she had to be extremely cautious.

"We'll be heading out again."

There were still many Regular Army soldiers possessed by specters.
We couldn't stop until we brought them all back.

"Harua."

Inferno smiled bitterly, his face full of complex emotions, and lightly patted my shoulder.

"Come back safe. We're counting on you."

In the past, I was someone they had to protect.
But before I knew it, I had become someone even a Lieutenant General of the Regular Army relied on.

I guess this change isn't entirely a bad thing.

"Yes, I'll be right back."

After exchanging goodbyes, I stepped out into the swarm of specters once again.
I wouldn't stop until I brought every last Regular Army soldier back.

Regular Army Sergeant Jo Seunghyeop.
He was a Transferee from South Korea who had suffered immensely on his first day before being rescued by the Regular Army.
Because of that connection, Jo Seunghyeop enlisted in the Regular Army to survive.

As a South Korean man who had already completed his mandatory military service as a Sergeant, re-enlisting was enough to make him want to vomit blood. But he had no other way to survive in this harsh, alternate world.

Still, life in the Regular Army wasn't terrible.
Having already experienced military life, his "second playthrough" wasn't too difficult to adapt to. Wherever people lived, things were mostly the same.
It was awkward at first, but whether they were locals or Transferees, as long as they could communicate, adjusting wasn't too hard.

Except for the fact that, unlike the South Korean military, he had to fight on the actual front lines.

It was an extreme environment where comrades could die at any moment.
He had nearly died several times on the battlefield and had shed many tears over the bonds of brotherhood.
Living a life where he saved others wasn't as bad as he thought, and building friendships with his comrades was quite rewarding.

But that was it.
Deep down, fear was always planted in his heart.
The fear that one day, he too would die on the front lines.

Unlike the flashy individuals ranked Colonel and above who dominated the battlefield, he was just an insignificant, ordinary Transferee.
His Ability was nothing special—just a strange power called "Firm Soul." There was no way he could keep surviving in this brutal world with such a meager Ability.

He knew his survival up to this point was purely based on luck.
Living day by day with those thoughts, a crisis finally arrived where he genuinely thought he might die.

The Black Dawn's Sky Castle.
It happened when the higher-ups ordered the assault on this place.

Ugh, I should have run away back then.

In an isolated corner by a wall.
He was crouched as low as possible, trembling uncontrollably.

The Northern Assault Team he belonged to had been making smooth progress at first. The Sky Castle was safer than expected, and there didn't seem to be any major threats.

But everything changed the moment a sudden explosion echoed through the halls.
Communication with other units was cut off, and suddenly, Regular Army soldiers turned on each other, swinging their swords wildly.

Some collapsed in a daze, crying endlessly.
Others screamed and ran in every direction.
Even a monstrously strong Regular Army Lieutenant General ended up slitting his own stomach while trying to stop his men.

It was a scene straight out of hell.
Watching that nightmare unfold, all Jo Seunghyeop could do was lie flat on his stomach and hide.

After hiding for a long time without even knowing what was happening, the other Regular Army soldiers eventually stumbled away somewhere.

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Even though the other soldiers were gone, Jo Seunghyeop couldn't move an inch.
For a while now, he had felt a strange, suffocating sensation—like sleep paralysis—pinning his body down, while sheer terror and dread constricted his heart.

Am I going to die like this? Really?

He had taken out insurance before dying, at least.
The famous "Saint."
Following his orders, every Regular Army soldier had cut off one of their fingers and stored it away.
He was an incredible figure who had revived the entire Regular Army in a previous battle.
Because of that, he was certain the Saint would revive the dead soldiers this time too.

But regardless of that, feeling terrified of death right now was inevitable.

Damn it, I'm so jealous. So jealous. If only I had an Ability like that.

Jo Seunghyeop felt a bitter sorrow inside.
A life where you just sat quietly in the rear, reviving people, and everything was solved.
How enviable was that?
From what he'd heard, everyone from the Regular Army top brass to the nobility clung to him, offering mountains of gold and treasure just for a single favor.

Meanwhile, he had to risk his life every single day with this useless Ability. It was so completely unfair.

Even in this other world, it all comes down to the silver spoon you're born with.

Feeling a sense of futility, Jo Seunghyeop bit his lip.
Then, he shook his head to clear his thoughts.
What was the point of thinking like this?
He wasn't the Saint.
What he needed to do right now was figure out how to survive.

Just as Jo Seunghyeop was wracking his brain...

Tap, tap—

He heard the sound of footsteps running toward his direction.
Jo Seunghyeop's face drained of color.
He was the only one here.
Naturally, whatever it was, it was coming for him.

Is it a possessed Regular Army soldier? Or Black Dawn?

He didn't know what it was, but it was definitely a crisis.
Jo Seunghyeop hurriedly stood up and gripped his sword tightly.

I will survive. I'll survive no matter what.

Just as he was trembling with that fierce resolve...

Step!

From around the corner.
A man appeared.

Pitch-black hair and pitch-black eyes.
A man with strangely pale skin.
And a white robe engraved with a unique crest.

Jo Seunghyeop knew that face.
How could he not, when he had just been thinking about the famous figure?

"Saint... nim?"

When he unconsciously called out, the Saint turned to look at him.

"Oh, you're unharmed?"

The Saint looked back at him with a surprised expression.
No, he was the one who was surprised.
Why was the Saint here?
Wasn't the Saint supposed to be in the rear, reviving people?

"Must be your Ability. Thank goodness! We were short on hands!"
"S-short on hands?"

Jo Seunghyeop was bewildered.
What did he mean, popping up out of nowhere and talking about being short on hands?
But the Saint, ignoring his confusion, checked his nametag and handed him a bag.

"Sergeant Jo Seunghyeop, please take this. It's the hands of the Regular Army soldiers."
"E-excuse me?"

Jo Seunghyeop freaked out.
What on earth was he talking about?

"We're collecting the Regular Army soldiers whose bodies have been taken over by specters. With Resurrection magic, I can pull the specters out and bring them back."

Specters.
Hearing that word, he finally understood why his comrades had acted so strangely.
And at the same time, he realized why he was perfectly fine.

That "useless" Ability of his had saved his life this time.

"Let's go!"

With that, the Saint started running again without a moment's hesitation.
Flustered by the sudden sprint, Jo Seunghyeop chased after him.

"S-Saint-nim, what exactly are you doing?"
"I just told you. We're going to save the Regular Army soldiers whose bodies were stolen."
"You're running out here yourself, Saint-nim?"

Jo Seunghyeop couldn't comprehend it at all.
Why was the Saint doing this personally?
At his question, the Saint looked back at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yes, because it's something I can do."

Because it's something I can do.
The moment he heard those words, Jo Seunghyeop felt something strike his mind.

"B-but shouldn't you be in the safest position, Saint-nim?"
"That's true."

The Saint didn't deny that fact. His Resurrection magic was just that valuable.

"But if there's something only I can do, shouldn't I step up?"

Jo Seunghyeop felt dazed.
And at the same time, he finally saw the state the Saint was in.

His robe was a filthy, ruined mess, and his clothes were torn in several places, as if he had been impaled earlier.
Furthermore, he looked terrible.
Even rolling in the dirt, it would be hard to look this grimy.

From afar, he had seemed like an incredibly high-ranking figure, radiating a halo of prestige.
Yet here he was, in a worse state than Jo Seunghyeop himself, running across this deadly battlefield as if it were entirely natural.

Moreover, he was young.
Probably younger than Jo Seunghyeop himself.
He looked like he had barely just become an adult.
He had heard the Saint was Korean, but seeing him up close, he was still just a kid.

And that kid was running on the most dangerous front lines without a shred of hesitation.
He was rolling across this dirt, fighting tooth and nail just to save people.

Why?
Strength slowly began to fill Jo Seunghyeop's body.
The foolish thoughts he had harbored just moments ago, along with a deep sense of shame, made him run even harder.

The Saint hadn't said anything particularly special.
He hadn't cast some miraculous magic on him, either.

But for some reason.
Something swelled up within Jo Seunghyeop's heart.

And he realized.
Ah, this is why this man is called a Saint.

"Sergeant Jo Seunghyeop! I will assist you with everything I have, Saint-nim!"

Shaking off his own shame, he shouted aloud, biting down hard on his lip.

It was a face engraved with the mission to save someone without running away, just like the man standing before him.

"U-Uh, yes, sir."

On this day, without Harua himself even knowing.
It was the day yet another devout follower was born.