My Students Regret It After I Retired

39 – The Difference Between Leos and the Empire

Leos simply posted on the Interrunner.

Content related to the Red Gate vortex.

[LEO]

[Title: About the Red Gate Vortex Transfer Phenomenon]

[Body: After its initial occurrence, the Red Gate vortex spreads to the surroundings after a certain period, creating new Red Gates. It’s similar to how cancer spreads. The more Red Gates there are, the faster the transfer occurs. The only way to stop it is to eliminate the source. The only way is to seal the Red Gate.]

ㄴ Fuck…we’re really screwed, are we gonna die now?

ㄴ Leos, what do we have to do to survive?

ㄴ Is the center of the Red Gate vortex really safe?

Various comments were posted, but Leos ignored them. Nevertheless, this time too, it reached the top spot as a popular post, and Leos’ points began to accumulate at an overwhelming speed.

Current Points: 7,200P

‘Just 2800 more points and I’ll have it.’

The reason I bothered to leak even a little information was, of course, for the points.

The value of a superior artifact had already been overwhelmingly proven by the spirales I’d crafted. Leos needed to move in earnest soon, so before starting his activities, he wanted to make one more superior artifact, if possible.

[Views have exceeded 300,000.]

[Point bonus +100]

[Comments have exceeded 1,000.]

[Point bonus +100]

[Recommendations have exceeded 10,000.]

[Point bonus +200]

I didn’t know the exact criteria, but one thing was certain: as views, comments, and recommendations increased, points accumulated exponentially. Leos, seeing the points increase faster than before, re-evaluated his plans.

‘Make one more superior artifact, then we move out.’

He also pondered whether to leak additional information. To reach the top of the popular posts, Leos had to release special information that others didn’t know. But then, he decided against it.

‘The value of information changes in real-time. I need to post it at the moment people need it most, that’s when I can gain an overwhelming number of points.’

Leos wasn’t posting to help people. It was clearly for his own points. And the reason he was trying to get those points was to craft superior artifacts, increasing his companions’ odds of survival.

‘If I’d released information about the Red Gate vortex transfer before the transfer occurred, it would’ve been buried without any real response.’

Leos had plenty of bullets. Bullets of information that could be exchanged for points whenever a problem arose. He shut off the Interrunner, checked his equipment one last time, and spoke.

“Herisia, Bendict, are you both ready?”

Bendict patted his massive bag with a loud thump and said,

“Yep, boss! I’m ready to run out anytime!”

Leos snatched Bendict’s bag and put it in his inventory.

“I’ll take it out for you if you need it. This isn’t the kind of place where you can afford to lug around such a huge, heavy load.”

“Thank you!”

Benedict, feeling lighter, started striding forward, and Herisia looked at Leos. She was lugging heavy baggage, seemingly because even her inventory couldn’t hold it all.

‘Probably all artifact-related stuff.’

Leos thought this and, without a word, put Herisia’s things into his inventory.

“Ah…thank you…if you put both Benedict’s and my things in, there won’t be much room left in your inventory, Leos…”

“It’s a high-level inventory. Don’t worry about the capacity and just go.”

“Huh? High-level, you say? Really? What kind of inventory is high-level? Can I take a look for a bit? It’s my first time seeing a high-level inventory…”

Herisia, surprised, approached Leos, but he pushed her head and forcibly moved her outside.

“I’ll show you later, just move it. Everyone’s waiting.”

“Ah…the Execution Squad people you were talking about?”

“Yeah.”

When Leos, Benedict, and Herisia all stepped outside, the Execution Squad was already waiting. Leos, watching Lacarte slowly approach, said,

“So, you knew the location of the bunker.”

“Of course. Though, thinking you might be concerned, I haven’t been anywhere near here today, nor have my subordinates, other than today, so as to avoid misunderstandings. Today’s the day we’re abandoning the bunker anyway, so I came to see you off. I also wanted to quickly introduce you to your future comrades.”

Paron, on guard, scanned Lacarte from behind, and Lacarte shook his head at Paron’s actions.

“Paron, if you react like that, won’t they hold a grudge?”

“My apologies.”

Paron removed his hand from his sword and kept his body in a completely defenseless position. Lacarte, as if satisfied, then slowly walked and stood before Herisia and Benedict.

“Nice to meet you! I’ve already heard your names! Lacarte, leader of the Execution Squad!”

“It’s Lacarte.”

“Alright! Glad to meet ya, Custard!”

Heresia pinched Bendict hard on the back, and Bendict yelped, shouting,

“aaagh! What was that for!”

“Are you doing it on purpose? How can you keep forgetting a name that’s only four letters long?”

“Sorry, Larkart!”

“Just be quiet.”

“Are you looking down on me ’cause you think I’m dumb or something!”

Watching Bendict and Heresia bicker, Larkart chuckled and asked Leos,

“You’ve got some interesting companions. I thought you’d be more like them.”

Leos stayed silent, not really answering, and Heresia, sensing the mood, stepped forward.

“Nice to meet you. Leos told me a bit about you. You were in the Empire, and now you’re plotting a coup, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Just to let you know, we’re gonna drag Leos away if things get dangerous. Bendict and I, we owe our lives to Leos. To repay that debt, we’ll act for Leos’ sake if he gets in trouble. Even if we’re sticking together as a group.”

“Admirable.”

Heresia was taken aback by Larkart’s unexpected reaction, and Larkart spoke again.

“I don’t mind people being honest, to be fair. I’d rather someone be upfront and frank like this than some slick talker who stabs you in the back.”

Larkart then moved closer to Heresia and whispered,

“And usually, those who are honest like this won’t abandon those they’re with. I know that much too.”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

Given the fearsome reputation of the Empire’s extermination squad, Heresia spoke forcefully, trying to assert herself from the start. But Larkart, looking pleased, nodded and offered his hand.

“Let’s work well together from here on out. We, too, will prioritize Leos’s safety above all else. To be frank, as you said yourself, we desperately need Leos’s Red Gate sealing ability. I promise you, I will give my life to protect Leos.”

“…”

Herisia, without a word, extended a hand and nodded. It was hard to call it a lie; Lacart’s expression was too earnest.

“Let’s go.”

With Lacart in the lead, all the members of the Execution Squad began to move forward. The vagrants near the safe zone glanced at them, but the man didn’t react, continuing to walk.

“Is it alright to just leave them be? They could be a potential force.”

“Faron, don’t think so hastily. The vagrants gathered in the safe zone. They’re people who fled here out of fear of the monsters. They’re not fit to fight. Unless they come of their own volition, dragging them along will only turn them into dead weight.”

“My thinking was short-sighted.”

“Don’t worry. As time goes on, there will be those who come forward wanting to fight alongside us. Everyone here has been abandoned by the Empire. Once they steel their resolve, they’ll become a fine fighting force.”

The Execution Squad members moved in the lead, followed by Leos’s group, when suddenly Tedre and Teon came running up from behind.

“W-we want to go too!”

“We’ll help too!”

The little kids who almost got killed by the Execution Unit while grilling monster meat. Lacart looked at them and said,

“We’re going to a dangerous place. We won’t have the capacity to protect you there.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry about safety. You’ve become friends with the vagrants while you were here, so they’ll help you.”

“…We just want to be of help, too.”

“If that’s the case, stay here and become even closer with the people. Report any suspicious individuals among the new arrivals. It’s important work. Can you do it?”

“…Yes… We’ll definitely do it.”

As Tedre and Teon began to retreat, Lacart called out loudly.

“Tedre, Theon. Stay well. I’ll come back for you soon.”

Paron, puzzled by Rakart’s uncharacteristic behavior, tilted his head before nodding and saying,

“You seem to have softened a lot.”

“What?”

“Weren’t you just flaunting your familiarity with them, so the other strays wouldn’t get any bad ideas?”

“Well, it’s up to you how you take it.”

Leos watched Paron and Rakart, thinking,

‘I can’t read him.’

A cold-blooded killer who, under the Empire’s orders, had slain hundreds, thousands of people. The figure of the head executioner was nothing like what he was seeing. It was full of unexpected aspects.

‘It might be an act, though.’

Leos decided to stop judging and thought that to himself. Regardless, the fact was that they were necessary.

Their ability to manipulate public opinion alone made them an indispensable asset. They even held a vast amount of the Empire’s core documents and information, making them indispensable to oppose the Empire.

Leos walked slowly, then stopped when he saw the Red Gate in front of him.

“Leos, what’s wrong?”

Rakart asked, and Leos took out a small mace, saying,

“From now on, I’m going to start sealing the Red Gates one by one.”

“Why bother?”

“If we leave them unsealed, more Red Gates will keep appearing in this area. If we neglect it, it’ll be like mold spreading, with no room to step, filled with monsters and Red Gates.”

“That’s serious… If we seal them, will they stop spreading?”

“Yes. The Red Gate contagion only truly begins when a certain number of unsealed gates come within a certain radius. We’re going to create safe zones from now on, and establish our base, using them as hubs. We’ll be creating our own land, not owned by the Empire. The safest land in the world, one that no one can invade.”

Rakart wanted to ask for specific numbers regarding the quantity and range, but decided against it. He knew how crucial that information was.

‘Probably, Leos would know well enough.’

The man held Leos’s knowledge of Redgates in very high regard. In this new world, information was a weapon. Leos knew things that even the Empire couldn’t grasp, in overwhelmingly specific detail. Knowledge gained from experience, from actually breaking through, not just the information, but the experience itself.

‘But, can we really take on the Empire with this amount of force?’

Unlike the excitement he felt earlier, as the situation drew closer, a sense of helplessness began to wash over him. Could they really contend with all the Redgates spread around, and the countless Empire soldiers? Perhaps they were just moths diving into a flame, Rakart thought. However.

“They’re coming. Fall back.”

The moment the mutated monster appeared from the Redgate, Leos grabbed his mace and charged forward, then powerfully pushed off the ground and changed direction, slamming the mace hard into the right side of the mutated monster’s chest.

*Crack*

The mutated monster roared in pain. As a powerful energy began to condense in its mouth, Leos, as if he’d been waiting, charged at it and shoved it right back into the gate. He jammed the mace deep into the mutated monster’s mouth, forcing the monster to fall back into the gate, then applied crushing pressure.

– *KWAHaaaNG!*

With an enormous explosion, a violent storm of mana began to surge outwards.

“Lord Leos!”

Herisia came rushing inside the Redgate, her voice frantic, but Leos spoke calmly, covered in the mutated monster’s blood.

“Redgate sealed. Move to the next target point.”

Rakart chuckled to himself at the sight.

“Paron… did you see that? He used the mutated monster’s own energy to kill all the monsters inside the gate at once.”

“…”

Paron recalled the scene, stunned, as if not believing what he had just seen. He couldn’t even fathom how anyone could have survived that massive explosion.

– *Gulp*

Paron realized he was trembling. He then calculated how long it took for Leos to start and finish the fight including the seal.

“30 seconds…”

“What is it, Pharon?”

“It took Leos exactly 30 seconds to kill that mutant monster and seal the Red Gate.”

“A monster, indeed.”

Leos shook off the blood that was caked on him and moved to the next location. Leos stared quietly at the blood dripping steadily and thought.

‘Each time we seal a Red Gate around a vortex, we become safer, but it’s bad news for the Empire outside the vortex. Every time we seal one, a new Red Gate will appear for them. But what happens to them is none of my concern.’

*

Keltasar finally killed the mutant monster alone and looked around, blood dripping from him. Countless corpses. Knights, almost as numerous as the monsters, lay scattered on the ground, dead.

He shouted, looking at the monsters still swarming in.

“Report how many Red Gates we’ve temporarily sealed, and how many have died…now!”

“The lower and mid-level gates are completely sealed, but as you know, only Leos can seal the high-level Red Gates. Based on the high-level criteria, we have temporarily sealed 15 after killing all the internal monsters, for 24 hours…”

The lower and mid-level gates didn’t really matter, since mutant monsters rarely came out of them. So Keltasar asked again.

“How many died while temporarily sealing those 15 high-level Red Gates?”

The knight answered, despondent.

“500…”

“500…? That many?”

“One thousand five hundred… One thousand five hundred have died.”