Actually, Dad Was a Hero

Chapter 13: Pursuit

In the southern part of the Loralt Continent in Jindar, the world where Jin Beom-Min lived, there was a vast tundra region perpetually covered in snow and ice.

Although this place was inhabited by various monsters, the most famous among them was the Iron Troll.

Resembling a typical troll but with iron-like, hard, black skin, this subspecies was largely unknown to the general public.

While ordinary trolls had regenerative abilities but soft and tender skin, the Iron Troll was different.

Their hide was tough enough to easily deflect blades and arrows, and coupled with the inherent regenerative abilities of trolls, any wounds they sustained would heal in an instant.

Therefore, Iron Trolls were dozens of times more difficult to deal with than ordinary trolls.

They possessed not only the monstrous strength characteristic of trolls but also high defense and regenerative abilities.

If one were to hunt an Iron Troll, skin it, and extract its essence through magic, a single piece of solid metal could be created.

Gathering thousands of these essence pieces would yield enough to craft a full suit of armor.

Naturally, hunting thousands of Iron Trolls was no easy feat.

However, even after painstakingly collecting the essence, it couldn’t be melted in a furnace like ordinary metal to create armor.

Although their hide was tough, Iron Trolls were still a type of troll, and trolls were vulnerable to fire.

Therefore, if exposed to high temperatures, the essence of the Iron Troll would burn away, losing all its properties and turning to ash.

Thus, to fuse these essence pieces into a single ingot, a skilled mage had to infuse them with powerful magic.

Once the ingot made from the essence of Iron Trolls was complete, it was time to craft the armor.

However, the ingot could not be heated and shaped in fire.

The only way was to hammer it millions of times in its cold state, gradually shaping it into the desired form.

Even after painstakingly shaping it, the process was not over.

To become a truly exceptional armor, its fatal weakness to heat had to be addressed.

A Magic Enchanter, possessing both magical and metalworking talents, would meticulously engrave intricate magic patterns on the inside of the armor, granting it fire resistance. Only then would a single piece of armor be complete.

Lighter than leather, stronger than steel, and bestowing the wearer with the regenerative abilities of a troll, the legendary armor, the ‘Iron Troll Breastplate,’ was born.

******

“……There are said to be three of these armors in all of Jindar. Two of them have been lost to the mists of time, so the one I’m wearing is currently the only ‘Iron Troll Breastplate’ in existence.”

“So……you’re saying you can heal from injuries like that troll we fought before?”

‘Reaper’ asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Yes. It’s not just about healing wounds; it doesn’t even leave scars. Even severed parts regenerate.”

Jin Beom-Min replied, taking his left hand out of his glove and holding it out in front of Reaper.

“These fingers, from my pinky to my middle finger on my left hand, aren’t actually my original fingers.”

“They……grew back?”

‘Reaper’ muttered, unable to believe it, and unconsciously fiddled with Jin Beom-Min’s fingers.

There was no trace of them ever having been severed. From the skin color to the fingerprints and wrinkles, they were perfect fingers.

“They grew back. A Lava Wolf chewed my original fingers off.”

While ‘Reaper’ was looking at his hand in admiration, ‘Wraith’ asked,

“So, even if your head gets cut off, it regenerates?”

“Haha, not quite. It’s more like it accelerates the natural healing and growth process. Since you can’t heal if you’re dead, it naturally won’t regenerate.”

“Then, if you’re killed instantly, the troll armor is meaningless, isn’t it?”

“Damn, why are you saying such unlucky things?”

‘Ogre,’ who was sitting in the front, chided him, but Jin Beom-Min replied with a smile,

“That’s true. But someone skilled enough to acquire and wear this armor is unlikely to be killed instantly, wouldn’t you agree?”

“That might be true in that world. But here……anyone can be killed with a single bullet to the head, right?”

“That’s enough.”

This time, ‘Sandman’ intervened. ‘Wraith’ raised his hands in acknowledgment and buried his head back in his tablet.

Jin Beom-Min smiled bitterly and replied,

“That’s why I really miss my helmet. It would have been great if I had it……”

“What kind of ability does the helmet have?”

Just as Jin Beom-Min was about to explain to the intrigued ‘Reaper,’ ‘Wraith’ interrupted,

“Wait, we’re almost at our destination. I see the volunteer camp 400 meters ahead.”

“Stop 200 meters out and approach on foot. ‘Jin,’ we’ll continue this conversation later.”

As soon as ‘Sandman’ gave the order, the group busied themselves checking their gear and lowering their masks.

It was time to work.

******

The medical volunteer camp was a makeshift encampment consisting of several container buildings and tents.

While the overall facilities were simple, the outer walls surrounding the camp were quite sturdy, made of sandbags and wire mesh.

Given that they were operating in a country with poor security, they seemed to have put a lot of effort into securing the facility.

However, such security measures were useless against monsters impervious to modern weapons.

Jin Beom-Min and the Ghost Squad members slowly entered the volunteer camp, cautiously scanning their surroundings.

Bodies in military uniforms lay scattered everywhere, brutally mutilated. Judging by their mismatched weapons and equipment, they seemed to be mercenaries responsible for the camp’s security.

The group thoroughly searched the volunteer camp, but they couldn’t find any survivors.

Only bloodstains, corpses, and medical equipment were strewn about.

While searching around the largest tent, ‘Sandman’ picked up a smartphone lying on the ground and looked around.

The place seemed strangely familiar. It seemed like the video he saw in Korea was filmed with this smartphone.

“This place is completely empty.”

‘Imp’ reported, and ‘Sandman’ nodded, placing the smartphone back on the ground.

“Look for any signs of where the monsters retreated. They wouldn’t have gone far. They have quite a few hostages.”

“Yes, sir.”

As ‘Imp’ moved away, ‘Sandman’ pulled out a large satellite phone from his backpack and dialed a number.

Unlike the Vietnam operation, they couldn’t set up communication equipment locally, so they had to rely on a satellite phone to communicate with headquarters. It was inconvenient in many ways, but there was no other option without the cooperation of the local government.

“G-Squad. Arrived at the scene. No survivors.”

Hearing ‘Sandman’s report, Jin Beom-Min asked,

“G-Squad?”

“Ghost Squad. A term we use when there’s a risk of communication interception. Satellite phones have a lower level of encryption, so they’re more vulnerable to eavesdropping.”

“Ah, so satellite phones are waterproof? You can use them when it rains?”

“No, not that kind of waterproof……! Eavesdropping on communication is called interception.”

“Aha.”

“Ugh, I hate explaining things.”

‘Reaper’ quipped, and ‘Wraith’ retorted,

“Well, you asked, so I answered!”

While ‘Reaper’ and ‘Wraith’ were bickering, ‘Sandman’ finished his report and gave his next order.

“We have orders from headquarters. There’s a small village about 2 kilometers east of here. They believe the monsters likely headed in that direction.”

“That seems likely. There are footprints and drag marks heading east from here.”

‘Imp,’ who had gone to look for tracks, reported, and ‘Sandman’ nodded, giving further instructions.

“Okay, we’ll leave the vehicle here. We’ll move to the village on foot, and in case of emergency, we’ll regroup here and retreat. ‘Ogre’ will lead the way, and ‘Imp’ will take the rear. ‘Wraith,’ send your drone ahead for thorough reconnaissance.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Got it.”

Under ‘Sandman’s’ smooth and skillful command, the Ghost Squad moved swiftly like a single organism.

Jin Beom-Min mentally added another plus point to his evaluation of the Ghost Squad and began to walk, matching their pace.

******

The shabby building walls, made of brick and lime, plastic and slate, exuded a mixture of exotic food smells and a faint odor of sewage.

Jin Beom-Min carefully moved forward, being careful not to disturb the scattered household items and debris on the streets.

[‘Reaper,’ position secured.]

A quiet voice came from the headset connected to the radio.

“What about ‘Wraith’?”

‘Sandman,’ who was walking three steps ahead of Jin Beom-Min, asked.

[Setting booby traps. Will be up shortly.]

“Understood. Stand by at your position. ‘Imp’?”

[I’ve arrived as well. I have a clear line of fire from this position.]

“Okay. Stand by.”

‘Sandman’ turned his head, made eye contact with Jin Beom-Min and ‘Ogre,’ and nodded. It meant that all preparations were complete.

The three of them moved slowly towards the corner of the alley, silencing their footsteps.

At the corner facing the main street, ‘Sandman’ raised his left hand with a clenched fist. It was a signal to stop.

A wide, single-story building made of cement blocks came into view across the street.

All the windows were closed and covered with dirty cloth, making it impossible to see inside.

However, Jin Beom-Min and the Ghost Squad knew that the monsters and hostages were all gathered inside that building.

‘Wraith’s’ drone had detected movement inside the building through its infrared thermal camera.

In this small village of about 40 or 50 houses, there were no other signs of life. Not even a stray dog was in sight.

The villagers had probably all fled after seeing the monsters that attacked the medical volunteer camp approaching.

As if to prove this, there were signs of hastily gathered necessities scattered throughout the village, and the ground was covered in footprints and tire tracks.

‘Sandman’ signaled with his hand, keeping his eyes fixed on the building.

‘Jin’ would breach the building, while ‘Sandman’ and ‘Ogre’ would provide support. It was as they had discussed beforehand.

With the monsters and hostages all gathered in one building, there wasn’t much the Ghost Squad could do.

Shooting their guns would be ineffective and could even risk hitting the hostages with stray bullets.

Moreover, using firearms recklessly inside such a flimsy building could even lead to its collapse.

Ultimately, Jin Beom-Min had to enter the building alone, confront the monsters, and secure the safety of the hostages.

‘Sandman’ and ‘Ogre’ would focus on securing a clear view inside once Jin Beom-Min breached and evacuating the hostages as soon as the opportunity arose. If everything went according to plan, the entire situation would be resolved within a minute.

Jin Beom-Min slowly drew his sword.

Once he entered the building, he would need to be ready to swing his sword at any moment, taking down as many monsters as possible.

Fortunately, there were no guards stationed outside the building.

This allowed the Ghost Squad to secure positions advantageous for support and retreat, and even gave them the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack.

Of course, there was the question of why the well-disciplined Bugbear horde hadn’t posted any guards.

But a question was just a question, and it would be foolish not to seize an opportunity when it presented itself.

Even if it was a trap, they had no other choice at the moment.

As Jin Beom-Min channeled magic into his sword, a faint high-pitched hum could be heard.

‘Sandman’ held up three fingers and folded them one by one.

Three.

Two.

One.

Breach.

The three of them dashed towards the building like projectiles.

Jin Beom-Min momentarily slowed his pace, staying a step behind ‘Sandman’ and ‘Ogre,’ and swung his sword at the door.

The hinges and lock on the rusty iron door were severed in an instant, and ‘Ogre’ grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open.

The door came off in his hand, creating a perfect entry point for Jin Beom-Min. ‘Sandman’ threw a flashbang, which he had already pulled the pin from while running, inside.

Bang!

At that moment, a deafening explosion and blinding white flash erupted. The flashbang detonated with perfect timing.

Jin Beom-Min increased his speed and rushed into the building. His sword, ready to strike at any moment, was brimming with magic.

However, what he saw upon entering the building was a completely different scene than what he had expected.