The Returner Wants Complete Victory

53 – 053. Missing (2)

We boldly undertook a rapid march at night.

As someone who had to find traces, I knew that going at night and going fast were both bad decisions, but considering the current situation, it was an unavoidable decision.

Because it is literally a race against time.

“If you go through everything, it will be late anyway. “Let’s look for traces of battle.”

The group members nodded at my words.

It may be okay if it is just a trace of movement or a stay, but if there was a battle, the traces are bound to be clearly visible.

Moreover, our troops are only sixteen, and the enemy is expected to have more than that.

“As for the battle traces, if there are no magic stones left on the chimera’s body, I will consider them traces not directly related to this disappearance and just exclude them.”

At least that means there was time to extract magic stones after the battle.

If it was an emergency, you would have been so busy running away that you wouldn’t have time to do that.

“Do you think there is a chance he is alive?”

Evan asked me carefully.

When I turned my head slightly and looked at his expression, it seemed like he already knew the answer.

“well. It seems unlikely, but we should assume it is and look for it. “You didn’t come out to collect the body or anything.”

I ended my answer like that.

Victor’s Joe, who first went missing, is likely already dead.

Even considering the 6-day limit that Evan had set, 4 days have passed since he went missing, and based on the date he was originally scheduled to return, 6 days have already passed.

The only one that has a chance of survival is the rescue team of Ellie and Hella, who went missing yesterday.

It seemed like there was a high probability that this person was also dead, but let’s assume that he survived.

As I said before, I didn’t come out to collect the body.

All inferences are made under the assumption that the person is alive.

From noble mtl dot com

If he survived, it would mean that the battle was concluded anyway.

Still, not being able to return to base camp… .

“There is a possibility that the enemy’s forces are greater than expected. “Keep in mind the possibility that it is not a unit of 10 led by a general commander entity, but a unit of a hundred or a thousand.”

The escape route was cut off, so I had no choice but to run to the other side.

Assuming he’s alive, this is the only possibility.

Unlike regular chimeras, which are divided into lowest, lower, middle, and upper grades, there are only two types of commander chimeras: normal and advanced.

Unlike soldier chimeras, whose rank cannot be guessed by their appearance, commander chimeras are clearly distinguished.

If you follow the appearance of a regular chimera, you are just a commander.

If it has two antennae on its smooth, octopus-like head and eyes that look like those of a dragonfly, it is a high-ranking commander.

The biggest characteristic of a senior commander is that all of his abilities are focused on commanding the unit, so his own combat power is poor.

The fact that he wears a robe like a robe as if he were a human wizard could be a characteristic.

In the first place, it is a monster outside the standard, the only species of the thirty that commands an army of tens of thousands of units and at the same time has a power far exceeding that of a high-level chimera.

“You may be unable to move due to an injury.”

One of the team members Evan brought with him said.

“There is a potion.”

I answered briefly.

However, Jo Won seemed to think that what he said was valid, and expressed his opinion again.

“Isn’t it possible that you may have suffered injuries that cannot be healed by the potion?”

“Didn’t they even give you mid-level potions?”

“Because the price is the price, we only paid three pieces per group. If it was lost during battle… .”

It was Evan who answered my question.

“That can’t be possible. “You know it well.”

Both Jo Won and Evan, who had questioned my words, kept their mouths shut.

I, too, was wondering if I was running the hope circuit too far, but these people are even worse.

Even the lowest level potion is excellent for simple trauma.

Low-level potions can reattach cut parts, and mid-level potions go further and provide complete resistance to substances such as poison.

You don’t have to drink it later either.

Just by drinking it in advance, you will be immune to incoming poisons for a few hours while the effect lasts.

So, for that to be true,

You must encounter a chimera of advanced level or higher that uses poison so powerful that it requires at least an intermediate level potion.

During the battle, all six intermediate potions, three of which should have been given to each group, should have been lost.

After the battle, many of the unit’s members must have been poisoned to the point where they could not call for support, except for the few who were still intact.

And at that point, it would have already been poisoned.

In the end, since mid-level potions were provided, it makes no sense to be unable to request assistance due to a simple injury.

“Of course, he could have been poisoned. It’s probably true that you’re isolated, whether it’s an injury or something. However, assume that there is a large Chimera unit. Because that’s the most likely.”

“Then shouldn’t we have brought all of our unit members?”

Hearing those words, another female member of the group standing next to him asked with a worried expression.

Who brought this asshole?

Instead of answering, I shifted my gaze towards Evan.

Evan said, scratching the bridge of his nose as if he was embarrassed.

“But he’s good at fighting. “Out of those three, he’s the best.”

“As long as a combatant fights well, that’s fine.”

“Yes, thank you… .”

“What are you talking about? “I think it’s my curse?”

A blonde-haired woman who had been listening to the conversation between me and Evan narrowed her eyes and said.

Still, you’re intelligent enough to understand what’s being said openly?

“Um, what’s your name?”

“Charlize. Charlize May. “You can just call me Charles.”

“Yes, Charles. “I have one command for Charles.”

“yes.”

“Charles, please don’t talk to me directly from now on. If I have something to say, I always go through Evan. “You know.”

“yes? What do you mean?”

I didn’t answer Charles’ question as if it was true and just kept my mouth shut.

I didn’t want to waste time trying to convince the idiot that I wanted to drag all 80 people out for a search operation.

A giggling sound came from behind, followed by the sound of a fist being struck on the arm.

─ Eup! hey… !

─Are you laughing? funny?

Those on the receiving end suppressed their screams of pain, perhaps aware that it was a nighttime operation.

After that, I heard Charles’ voice sounding slightly angry, as if he was crying.

─ Stop it, both of you. Did you come out to play?

─ Sorry.

─ I’m sorry… .

Evan spoke in a reprimanding tone, and the two who were playing around appeared to apologize obediently.

It was a joke in a situation where a colleague who was eating a meal together might have died… .

This may be because they believe that when they die, they all return to Earth.

By the way, I had no clue as to the identity of the enemy.

I guess I’ll have to get some evidence.

*

The day gradually dawned.

After the sun rose, Evan showed off his field of view so wide that he could see all the way to the horizon on flat ground, as if to show off that he was an archer.

When you climb a rocky hill or mountain, the range of vision increases.

Due to the characteristics of archers, there is a need to invest a little more in senses and agility, and through training, vision-related characteristics also develop.

“There’s a chimera corpse over there.”

Evan said, pointing in one direction with his finger.

Several black dots seemed to be visible almost across the horizon.

“Venerio.”

I called one name.

The prosecutor who had taken the hunters’ test at the plaza last time ran out in the direction Evan had pointed.

Even after the man ran away, we continued to march.

Some time passed.

“It’s a disaster.”

Benerio, who returned, naturally joined the group and said, matching his stride.

Instead of answering, I just nodded roughly.

“There were also no signs of blunt force. It appears they engaged Victor’s group.”

Again.

The dawn rises and it’s already the fourth time.

A pile of Chimera corpses was found, but not a single one had any magic stones left.

There wasn’t even a trace of the blunt weapon that was presumed to have been used by Eli’s group.

I expected that it would be difficult to find a body without a magic stone, but I did not expect that I would encounter difficulties in discovering Ellie’s traces.

Several hours passed like that.

The sun, which had been gently poking its head out from the edge of the horizon, had already reached the center of the sky and was slowly preparing to set to the other side.

“I found it. “It appears to be traces of a rescue team.”

The 22nd group of chimera corpses discovered.

Benerio, who had taken his turn, said something other than ‘gwang’.

“Let’s go.”

We immediately moved in the direction of the chimera body that Venerio had identified.

“These are signs of a rescue team.”

When I saw the arm of the armored monkey dented as if it had been hit with a blunt object, I said as if I were asserting.

According to Evan, no one in Victor’s group used blunt weapons.

As a result of detecting magical power, it was possible to detect magic stones that had not yet been extracted from the armor monkey’s body.

This was almost certain.

“The traces… .”

“Come this way.”

As I trailed off, Evan pointed in one direction and said.

There was a blue aura in his eyes, as if he had started using magical powers.

“Let’s move.”

We started walking as if we were running.

*

“The trail ends here.”

After traveling for a while, we arrived in front of a rocky mountain.

While moving here, I came across several more groups of chimera corpses, and they all still had magic stones in their bodies.

The assumption that they were chased by a specific enemy is now almost a given.

“It seems like it’s hiding somewhere on this mountain.”

The fact that the traces that had been continuing all of a sudden disappeared means that someone intentionally disrupted the area.

Of course, the subject would be the rescue team, the one being chased.

The fact that it was necessary to erase traces from this rocky mountain naturally leads to the conclusion that it is hiding somewhere on this rocky mountain.

“Let’s shoot.”

It was a word without a subject, but Evan must have been thinking the same thing as he had already opened his backpack and taken out a flare.

Piyuwoong─

A green signal fires into the air.

We haven’t been secretly chasing the other person to kill them, so what’s the need to act by pointing out traces that have been erased?

And if the flare drew the enemy’s attention, that was fine too.

At least if they have been wandering around looking for someone to rescue, they will stop what they are doing and come to us.

Piyuwoong─

A yellow signal flare flew up from somewhere on the mountain.

“It looks like he’s alive.”

Evan’s expression brightened when he saw that.

I guess he was worried that an accident had occurred on his team.

He seemed to have a strong sense of responsibility, and he was active in improving performance to the point where he was the first team leader to come to me.

“Let’s move for now.”

I said that and walked away.

But what is the identity of the enemy that drove them here?

And where did they go?

The biggest question has yet to be resolved, but it will be answered if we join the survivors.