Actually, Dad Was a Hero

Chapter 57: Conditions for Counterattack

Three people survived until the very end at the Hero Academy.

‘Sword Saint’ Jin.

‘Transcendent Magician’ Kane.

And ‘Angel of Holy Light’ Nell.

Jin was considered unmatched in swordsmanship, and Kane’s magic was known to far surpass the understanding of ordinary magicians.

However, the one considered the strongest among the three was Nell.

Nell was a genius.

Of course, all the children who entered the Hero Academy were those called ‘geniuses’ in their own right.

But even among them, Nell was an unparalleled genius.

The magic power she was born with was literally ‘endless,’ and her combat senses were beyond those of wild animals.

In fact, many people openly mentioned that ‘Even without Jin and Kane, if there was only Nell, there would be no problem in defeating the monster army.’

Although it was somewhat exaggerated, Nell boasted unparalleled strength.

What represented Nell’s strength was the technique she used.

Unlike Jin Beom-Min, who converted magic power into the form of electricity, Nell could convert her magic power into light.

And she covered not only her weapons but her entire body with this converted magic power.

It was something that could not even be imitated without innate talent for magic power utilization…… and without an enormous amount of magic power.

The armor of light created in this way was literally invincible armor that could not be scratched by ordinary attacks and could be restored in an instant even if broken.

She transformed her magic power to drape long wings of light behind her armor, and she could leap into the air as if flying using the magic power emitted from these wings.

Thanks to this overwhelming and beautiful appearance, she was called the ‘Angel of Holy Light.’

Nell didn’t even need a special weapon.

Just by covering an ordinary twig with her magic power, she could turn it into a weapon of light comparable to the best magic weapons.

So Nell always wore light casual clothes and carried only one old spear.

That alone was enough to make her the strongest.

At least until 28 years ago.

***

[It’s possible that Tyrel lied.]

Lee Sang-Jun’s expression reflected on the video conference screen was skeptical. He didn’t believe Tyrel’s words, who was captured as a prisoner, in the first place.

However, Jin Beom-Min shook his head.

“……I don’t think so. According to Kuen, most of the Loralt Continent has been occupied by monsters. If Nell were alive, that wouldn’t have happened.”

“But no matter how strong that person is, if the enemy outnumbers them, there’s nothing they can do, right?”

Reaper, who had been silently listening to Jin Beom-Min’s story, asked.

Jin Beom-Min thought for a moment and then asked Lee Sang-Jun and the Ghost Squad gathered in the conference room.

“Hmm…… Do you know how many monsters I’ve fought at most?”

“Well……? If it’s weak monsters like zombies, you easily dealt with hundreds of them……”

Jin Beom-Min spoke again at Reaper’s unsure answer.

“That was when I could only use 30% of my power. What about now? How many mid-level monsters like the Sphinx can I handle?”

Lee Sang-Jun and the Ghost Squad members all looked at each other and shook their heads.

The power Jin Beom-Min currently possessed was difficult even for them, who had fought alongside him, to easily gauge.

“As the difference in power increases, arithmetic numbers become meaningless. Just because I defeated the Sphinx with only 30% of my magic power doesn’t mean I can only handle three Sphinxes. To be honest……”

Jin Beom-Min blushed slightly, as if embarrassed, and continued.

“I’ve dealt with over 200 mid-level monsters like the Sphinx in a day. It was a long time ago, though.”

“200…… monsters……?”

Sandman asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

“There were about ten times more low-level monsters. And there were also two high-level monsters, Dragons.”

“……Alone……?”

“That was the training objective. To clear an ancient dungeon alone.”

Lee Sang-Jun and the Ghost Squad members were all speechless, just blinking their eyes.

It was understandable, as even Earth’s military couldn’t handle the low-level monsters that Jin Beom-Min didn’t even consider mid-level.

“If it’s a monster army mainly composed of low-level and mid-level monsters, I think I can handle about 10,000 to 20,000 alone. Maybe even more than that. But Nell……”

“……Is stronger.”

“That’s right. So…… the fact that the monsters won…… probably means Nell is dead.”

[Then……]

Lee Sang-Jun, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke.

[……The Legion Commander who killed Nell…… is stronger than Jin.]

A silence fell over the conference room.

The reason they had been able to defeat the monsters that had invaded Earth so far was because of Jin Beom-Min.

It was because of his overwhelmingly strong presence that they could minimize damage and even secure prisoners.

But if a monster stronger than Jin Beom-Min invaded Earth…… realistically, there was no way to deal with it.

All they could do was pour missiles and nuclear weapons, hoping they would work.

After a brief silence, Jin Beom-Min spoke with a slight smile.

“Well, we don’t know that yet. The stronger you are, the smaller the difference that determines victory. Actually, I’ve beaten Nell a few times in sparring.”

In terms of absolute power, Nell was stronger than Jin Beom-Min. However, when limited to the field of swordsmanship, Jin was stronger than anyone else, and he had even subdued her depending on the situation.

Of course, it wasn’t a real combat situation, but a sparring match where they both suppressed their power.

[……Anyway, for now……]

Nodding, Lee Sang-Jun continued Jin Beom-Min’s words.

[……Since the Legion Commander remains as the mastermind, it’s highly likely that the attacks will continue.]

“Probably so. But not immediately.”

“Well, then nothing changes, does it?”

Ogre spoke cheerfully.

“We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing, and beat them as they come, right?”

[Well, that’s true. After the Sydney incident, the WECRO budget has increased significantly, and we’re receiving support from all over the world.]

Lee Sang-Jun was right.

Five days after the Sydney incident, WECRO’s budget had increased more than tenfold.

Countries around the world, realizing the danger of monster attacks through the situations in France and Sydney, competed to donate funds.

Not only that, but human resources also increased significantly, to the point where WECRO suddenly became the largest organization under the UN.

Furthermore, the UN peacekeeping forces, and the world defense forces that would be newly organized in the future, were also scheduled to operate under WECRO’s command.

Although the scale couldn’t be felt yet, it was clear that it would be of great help in future activities.

“……That’s true, but…… actually, I have a suggestion.”

While Lee Sang-Jun and the Ghost Squad members were discussing future countermeasures, Jin Beom-Min spoke cautiously.

“Suggestion? What is it?”

When Lee Sang-Jun asked, Jin Beom-Min continued hesitantly.

“……We attack Jindar first.”

“Huh?”

“It might be impossible right now, but…… we can’t just keep defending passively forever, can we?”

At Jin Beom-Min’s question, Reaper replied in agreement.

“That’s true. There’s also a saying that the best defense is offense.”

“Even if we can’t inflict damage on the enemy, we can still gather a lot of information about them.”

However, Lee Sang-Jun shook his head and objected.

[……That scroll is important research material. We can’t use it recklessly.]

The ‘scroll’ Lee Sang-Jun mentioned referred to the scroll Jin Beom-Min obtained after defeating the High Orc in Seoul.

That portal scroll was currently being kept at the Monster Incident Response Headquarters and thoroughly analyzed by scientists, including Dr. Oh.

“Then there’s also the option of using the item we obtained during the Vietnam incident.”

[That’s being kept by the Vietnamese government. We can’t do anything about it.]

In fact, Vietnam was exerting considerable influence over WECRO through the scroll and the remains of the Troll and Lizardman they had secured from the previous incident. There was no way they would easily give up their precious assets.

[And…… above all, is there a way to return?]

“That’s…… Once we get there, we’ll find a way somehow.”

[Then it’s even more impossible. We can’t send you to a place where we don’t know if you can return, when we don’t know when the monsters will attack.]

He was right. Jin Beom-Min understood Lee Sang-Jun’s words, but asked again with a feeling of regret.

“……Then, if we can just secure a way to return, we can go?”

Lee Sang-Jun stared at Jin Beom-Min for a moment. Then, as if he understood, he nodded and spoke again.

[……I understand. You heard that your comrade is dead, so you must want to find out what happened 28 years ago. However……]

Lee Sang-Jun continued slowly.

[……The identity of the thief Tyrel mentioned has not yet been revealed. If that’s not resolved, the monster invasion won’t stop. Until then, I can’t agree to returning to Jindar in any way.]

“……I understand.”

Jin Beom-Min sat down with a more gloomy expression.

[However……]

Lee Sang-Jun stroked his chin and continued.

[……The option of a preemptive strike…… seems worth considering.]

“Really?”

[Of course, not right now. But…… if the conditions are met……]

Suddenly, Sandman raised his hand and spoke.

“In terms of changing the battlefield, it’s definitely worth considering.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Sandman at his words.

“We can’t keep maintaining a defensive posture when we don’t know when and where the enemy will appear. To prevent civilian casualties, we need to fight where and when we want.”

Lee Sang-Jun and the other Ghost Squad members all nodded in agreement.

In fact, this was also a basic principle of war.

War is not a sport played in a ring.

From the beginning, war could not be fair, and it should not be fair.

When the allied forces overwhelm the enemy forces, the wisest strategy and tactic is to fight with a strategy that minimizes allied casualties in a place that is most advantageous to the allied forces.

In that sense, humanity had been waging a rather disadvantageous war.

“We need to think about how to gain the upper hand.”

After pondering Sandman’s words for a long time, Lee Sang-Jun frowned and slowly spoke.

[……That’s right. However…… we need to solve the problem of securing a retreat route that I mentioned earlier. And……]

Lee Sang-Jun’s eyes turned to Jin Beom-Min.

[Our attack options also need to be more diverse.]