A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 74

“Then how are we supposed to move the destroyer?”

“We’ll have to pull it manually. The warriors will take turns rowing or swimming while dragging the ship through the water.”

Another hero chimed in.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to use a wizard’s magic to move it?”

“The wizards have many other tasks to attend to. They don’t have the magic or mana to waste on pulling a ship. It’s the warrior classes, who have relatively more leeway, that need to step up.”

Yet another hero asked.

“Then is it impossible to create an engine using magic stones as materials?”

“Where would such technology come from? Who would even think of taking a ship into a dungeon?”

The response came from another hero.

The idea of creating a ship from the essence was good, but the problem was that the research would take too long, so it was discarded.

Even if we started the research now, we wouldn’t be able to complete it before the dungeon raid was over.

For reference, this is also one of the projects that the future Lee Ye-eun will create.

I continued with the briefing.

“There are a total of 11 types of monsters inside the dungeon. The characteristics are well organized in the distributed materials, so please refer to them.”

“They look pretty strong, don’t they?”

“They’re grotesque. A monster with tentacles, really.”

“Why, they’re cute!”

“Cute? What’s wrong with their heads?”

The heroes each expressed their own impressions.

A party made up of S-rank heroes who had experienced everything from various countries.

They must have ruled their nations like kings and always led the charge in dungeon raids.

Their egos would be just as strong, and if they thought my opinions were unreasonable, they could easily rebel and dismantle the party.

It was impossible to assert authority and reputation in front of them.

I had to convince them solely through logic.

Could I persuade them?

This was the critical moment.

If I couldn’t convince them, the party would fall apart, and the raid would fail.

If that happened, my standing in the expedition would be over.

The result would lead to the collapse of America.

I had to convince them.

I needed to present my logic and make them follow me.

“I will now begin the detailed briefing on the dungeon raid strategy.”

* * *

Inside the strategy room.

Daniel, the head of the American Hero Association, watched Cha Eun-woo with interest.

“You can pass through the first two minutes without any crisis. The first encounter with the enemy will happen as early as 2 minutes and 10 seconds, or as late as 2 minutes and 30 seconds.”

“Very detailed.”

“Hmm.”

Cha Eun-woo.

The professor from the East, summoned by the guild master of the Unicorns.

Since Daniel became the chairman, the relationship between the Hero Association and the Unicorn Guild had reached its lowest point.

As such, Daniel did not regard him with favor.

Moreover, he knew that the professor had produced an impressive paper, but after all, he was just a mere professor.

There was no way he possessed the ability to achieve anything significant in a dungeon raid of this scale.

Thus, he had no intention of putting him in a high position.

But then──

“Communication magic? What is that?”

“It was created by that Korean professor.”

“How remarkable can it be to cause such a fuss?”

“It’s a groundbreaking tool that can cut the expected duration of this expedition in half.”

“Is it really that impressive?”

──That Korean professor had created something extraordinary.

Daniel was a born politician.

He was confident in his ability to make anyone look foolish.

Just as he had done with the Unicorns, he thought it would be easy to do the same with Cha Eun-woo.

“I should give that guy the most difficult task.”

“The most difficult task, you say?”

“I’ll assign him to lead the first raid party.”

The party members were inexperienced, and there was insufficient information.

No matter how talented he was, success was unlikely.

Tactics were about maximizing the party’s capabilities.

No matter how great one was, one could not create something from nothing.

Originally, this was a place prepared for that arrogant little brat from China, Zhuge So-yeon, but Cha Eun-woo’s presence was even more irksome than that brat’s.

“Heh, I’m looking forward to this.”

No matter how talented he was, it would be impossible.

There were times when he thought that way.

Yet, for some reason.

The situation unfolded in a strange direction.

“Here is where it gets important. You’ll likely enter the third zone between 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 21 seconds at the earliest, and at the latest, 25 minutes and 3 seconds.”

“Yes, yes.”

“At this time, the area-wide attack will come, so the dealers must not cluster together. Spread out as much as possible to disperse the aggro. Then, the two tanks need to take all the aggro. Can you do that?”

“It will be tough, but I’ll give it a try.”

“Good. I believe you’ll do well since you are S-rank heroes.”

Daniel, who was not an Awakened, didn’t know much about heroes.

However, as the president of the Hero Association, he had seen and heard a lot.

But this was a first for someone like Daniel.

Cha Eun-woo’s briefing was something special.

The way he meticulously broke down the time, analyzing actions to the second and designating tasks, was something he had never seen or heard before.

The orders that specified maintaining a few meters of distance between party members were almost a work of art.

“Just hearing it doesn’t make sense, but when you break it down, it seems like it could work?”

“Wow, that’s insane. It’s like he’s not even human, but some kind of machine.”

One by one, the raid party members showered him with praise.

Daniel felt a twinge of anxiety.

Everything seemed like it would unfold exactly as Cha Eun-woo said.

“Hmm.”

Daniel let out a heavy sigh.

With a worried expression, he turned to Christian.

“Commander Christian, what do you think the chances are that Professor Cha’s tactics will work?”

“…Every little detail has its reasoning. Everything fits perfectly. Their chances of success don’t seem low.”

“Ah. That’s quite good to hear.”

“Yes. It’s indeed a good thing.”

The smooth progress of the raid was good news for the president of the American Hero Association and the commander of the expedition.

But despite their words, their expressions were cold.

Raiding a dungeon was a good thing.

However, raiding a dungeon with the involvement of the Unicorn side was a terrifying prospect.

“I think we should wait a little longer.”

The atmosphere among Daniel and several key figures in America had dampened, but the morale of the other heroes soared to new heights.

Especially, the morale of the first raid party heading out reached its peak.

The commander of the raid, Liesaio, spoke.

“Brothers! We may differ in nationality and race, but we have gathered here with a common purpose! To protect humanity! Let’s go out and fight! And return victorious!”

As Liesaio’s brief speech concluded, the heroes ascended onto the destroyer.

The destroyer sliced through the water with ease.

The progress of the raid could be monitored by everyone through video magic.

They surged forward with the same momentum as at the start.

─In the first zone, we’ve encountered a giant octopus!

─Octopus cut!

─Current time: 2 minutes 40 seconds!

It was a good start.

The party members moved according to Cha Eun-woo’s instructions.

And just as Cha Eun-woo had said, monsters and traps awaited them.

─11 minutes 42 seconds. Entering the second zone!

─Be careful below! Just proceed slowly.

Everything moved exactly as Cha Eun-woo had designed.

It felt like running a well-crafted program.

“Remarkable. It’s really going just as you said, isn’t it?”

“Perfect, without a single error.”

However, the heroes of the raid were not as flawless as Cha Eun-woo.

They occasionally made mistakes.

─Right side is breached! Sorry!

─Uh, uh-oh! If we send it like that…

“It’s okay. Don’t panic.”

Cha Eun-woo held a mana stone imbued with communication magic.

His voice was soothing, calming the hearts of those who listened.

“Everyone, focus on your roles. If one person falters, it will be like a domino effect, causing everyone to fall. Kaeta, you only need to come out in 40 seconds. The northeastern defense that you were supposed to handle will be taken care of by Wang Sheng.”

With precise instructions, Cha Eun-woo minimized the impact of the mistakes.

His ability to strategize was not the only thing that stood out; his quick response skills were equally impressive.

─Look, I see red seawater!

─Professor, what should we do?

“Can we increase the magnification of the mana stone to observe the seawater in detail?”

─That much is easy.

“Try using synthesis magic. With purification magic and water attribute magic.”

─Will that really work? I’ll give it a shot for now. …Oh, what’s this? It’s disappearing so well, isn’t it?

Cha Eun-woo effortlessly solved even the unknown traps.

Everything was in the palm of his hand.

“I can’t believe there was such talent in Asia.”

“The sleeping dragon lying by the calm waters has begun to soar into the sky!”

Daniel’s intuition screamed.

This strategy was a success.

“A sleeping dragon, a sleeping dragon… Hmm, I need to change my plans.”

While everyone’s attention was focused on Cha Eun-woo and the strategy team, Daniel moved outside unnoticed.

Deep within the cabin, in a certain storage room.

There, the association’s executive, Andrew, was waiting.

“Andrew, what do you think of Professor Cha?”

Executive Andrew.

A man who had once served as an S-class hero in the United States before retiring and joining the Hero Association.

Meeting him was a great fortune for Daniel.

Thanks to Andrew playing the role of a bridge, Daniel was able to easily establish his position in the hero society.

Andrew was essentially the key figure who made Daniel the association president.

Moreover, he communicated with Daniel better than anyone else.

“Entrusting the first raid to the author was a mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“He should have been pushed to the back instead. Since he showed great results in magic research, it would have been better to say that the laboratory suited him more. Now he has become such a colossal presence that we can no longer touch him.”

Andrew looked very anxious about Cha Eun-woo’s success.

Daniel clicked his tongue.

Even Andrew, who seemed like the ideal subordinate, had one problem.

His thinking was too one-dimensional.

“Heh heh, why do you think Professor Cha shouldn’t succeed?”

“Well, he is a person of the unicorn, isn’t he?”

“Unicorn? Hmph. It’s nothing more than a shallow connection for now. It can be easily severed if need be.”

“Surely….”

“We’ll turn Professor Cha to our side.”

Stirring discord was one of Chairman Daniel’s specialties.

He had already investigated the relationship between Cha Eun-woo and the Unicorn Guild.

Aside from receiving help from Professor Cha once, there was nothing else.

This meant there was no basis to conclude that he belonged to the Unicorn.

After creating a suitable rift, it would be easy to entice him.

Positions in the Hero Association or high-ranking roles in major guilds, or even a professorship at a prestigious academy in the United States could be handed to him.

Then, Cha Eun-woo’s achievements would also become one of Chairman Daniel’s accomplishments, ensuring an easy victory in the next presidential election.

“Hehe, I’m looking forward to it. Edeline, I wonder what that wretched girl’s expression will be… Gah!”

His stomach felt hot.

For a moment, Daniel’s thoughts came to a halt.

He couldn’t grasp what was happening.

“What is… this…?”

Daniel discovered an arm protruding from his own stomach.

Even with his slowing thought process, he could easily comprehend the situation.

An arm is coming out of my stomach? That can’t be.

An arm had pierced through his back and emerged from his belly.

“How unfortunate. I thought you and the chairman would be on the same page.”

“Andrew… you little…!”

“I’m sorry, Chairman. If we leave Professor Cha as he is, this dungeon raid will end too blandly.”

“W-What do you mean…?”

“The raid on the Pacific Dungeon shouldn’t end easily.”

Chairman Daniel’s vision began to blur.

The last thing he saw was Andrew, wearing a ring engraved with the initials SH.

Ah, so that’s how it was.

The subordinate he had trusted, Andrew, had betrayed him.

No, perhaps he had from the very beginning…

“America, America is in danger…”

—

Those were the last words left by Chairman Daniel.

For the president of the American Hero Association, known as the guardians of the world, it was a pitiful end.

Chapter 6. Assault (1)

The first raid returned with outstanding results.

After completing the assault up to Stage 2, the raid finished setting up the makeshift gate.

The makeshift gate is a device that allows the next raid to move directly from the starting point to the location the raid has conquered.

Wow──

The returning heroes were greeted with thunderous applause.

Everyone joyfully welcomed their comrades who had succeeded and returned.

“The departure went very smoothly.”

“An SS-level dungeon is nothing special!”

“Great! Let’s keep this momentum going until the end!”

The first to approach me was Lieshao.

“Professor Cha!”

We embraced each other without a thought of who would go first.

“Thank you for your hard work. I believed you would make it.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Professor Cha.”

As Lieshao said, it was indeed because of me.

Still, I humbly praised their efforts.

“It’s thanks to all of you. This is an achievement we all accomplished together.”

One by one, members of other raids began to approach.

I embraced them just like I did with Lieshao.

“We couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Professor from Korea! You were even more amazing than we expected.”

“We will never forget your contributions.”

The S-class heroes, the pinnacle of each nation.

The bonds formed with them could be of help in some way in the future.

It was best to create a good impression now; there was no harm in that.

The last to arrive was Wang Sheng.

“Hey, little country… no, Korean professor. I, um, I’m sorry for ignoring you.”

I never expected that prideful person to utter an apology.

When I looked at him in surprise, Wang Sheng shouted back.

“What are you staring at? Acknowledging excellence is only natural.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. It’s just the way it is.”

As I chuckled softly, Wang Sheng quickly turned his head away.

Perhaps feeling shy, his face turned bright red.

The commander of the expedition, Edeline, also approached us.

“Great job, everyone.”

Edeline beamed a smile as bright as the sun.

She was genuinely happy that the assault was progressing smoothly without anyone getting hurt.

“To think we’ve already completed the assault up to Stage 2… This rapid pace was unexpected. At this rate, we might finish the dungeon before the monsters come through the gate.”

“It’s too early to say that. There are still countless variables in the dungeon.”

“But we have a powerful weapon to counter all those variables.”

“A powerful weapon?”

Edeline smiled and pointed at me.

“Yes. Professor Cha is here.”

The other heroes chimed in enthusiastically.

“Yeah! Professor Cha, if you lead us, we won’t be afraid of an SS-level dungeon at all!”

“That’s right!”

“Professor, even if you order me to stab Hansen, I would trust and follow you!”

“What? Crazy girl, why would you stab me?”

“Just saying it as a figure of speech. Just a figure of speech.”

The solid trust from the heroes made my shoulders involuntarily lift.

It was a more satisfying outcome than I had anticipated.

At this point, the Hero Association could no longer afford to disregard me.

President Daniel.

Given how things have turned out, his plans must have changed.

Now, he would want to draw me to his side rather than oppose me.

If the expedition returns successfully, Daniel’s power will only grow stronger.

Who could possibly refuse a leader who has successfully resolved humanity’s worst disaster?

The public knows nothing of what transpired during the expedition.

What they remember is merely the fact that they conquered an SS-grade dungeon, the achievement alone.

If I needed power, aligning myself with Daniel could have been a reasonable choice.