The Support Ate it All

Chapter 153: No.471 Great Eagle Escort Mission (3)

The core rule of the Great Eagle Escort Mission was [Escort].

And success was determined by whether or not the “object to transport” could be safely transported to its destination without being stolen by the enemy.

Of course, this was the most basic of the basics, and veterans always aimed for more.

To earn additional rewards, you had to pay attention to other factors.

The next most important thing to consider in the dungeon after the “object to transport” was,

People.

Specifically, the leader of the convoy, the convoy fighters, and the convoy porters who accompanied the object.

The number of people you could bring to the destination alive determined the extra rewards.

And it goes without saying that the stronger an individual’s strength is, the higher their chance of survival.

This was why the Great Eagle Escort Agency made such a fuss about selecting only the most skilled individuals, and now the results were clear.

Swoosh!

Woeful’s giant sword swung with incredible speed.

The man in black who attacked him couldn’t react to the unexpected speed of the weapon and was cut in half.

Ratty too relentlessly swung his dual swords at another enemy and finally drove them into his chest.

However, the enemies we were facing now were not the riffraff from the Great Eagle Escort Agency but highly trained elites.

Their mindset was not as light as it had been during the martial arts competition.

The man in black uniform, with his chest pierced, grabbed Ratty’s arm tightly.

A fierce determination to take Ratty down with him was visible in his eyes.

“Damn it…!”

As Ratty struggled to free his arm, another man in black aimed his sword at Ratty’s neck.

Bang!

In the next moment, the attacker was struck by my outstretched palm and was knocked back.

I had pretended to use a palm technique while secretly mixing in wind force to strike him.

Seizing the opportunity, Ratty freed his arm and crossed his daggers before slashing the man’s neck.

“Thank you, Brother Kim. Do you have experience in palm techniques?”

“I’ve only learned a few martial arts moves of my family. Just like you saw, they’re not very effective.”

“No, thanks to you, I survived.”

Swoosh!

Ratty expressed his gratitude as he cut down the next man in black.

This time, he was careful not to let his arm be grabbed.

This side seems to be stabilizing to some extent.

The three of us have formed a fairly solid defense, so now it was time to focus on other areas.

I started to secretly use magic, just like during the chaotic martial arts competition at the Great Eagle Escort Agency.

After surveying the battlefield, I saw that the mantis-like Ronin was in a dire situation. His life was in danger.

I cast a one point explosion in his direction.

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Booom!

The compressed mana exploded from the attacking enemy’s abdomen.

He showed no sign of pain, but he couldn’t help but lose his stance for a moment due to the explosion.

“……!”

The mantis-like Ronin’s eyes gleamed as he seized the small opening and swiftly beheaded the man in black.

I immediately targeted my next opponent and cast wind force.

Whoosh—

The wind imbued with physical power caused another man in black to stagger briefly, making him an easy target for another Ronin.

I continued to discreetly cast wind force, twister, and one point explosion like this while looking around.

Let’s see how Go Hyeon-woo is doing.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The area around Go Hyeon-woo was littered with the torn bodies of men in black.

Even the usually fearless men in black were hesitant to approach him.

To top it off, Go Hyeon-woo was overwhelmingly pressing against the leader of the men in black.

Soon, his iron sword flashed a gray light, and the leader’s head rolled off his stationary body.

Whistle—

Then, a sharp whistle sounded from somewhere.

Soon, the men in black retreated in the same order as when they attacked, and in an instant, they collected the corpses of their allies and left the area.

The place became desolate as if the attack had never happened.

Only the bloodstains scattered on the floor revealed that what had just occurred was not a dream.

The dazed people were brought back to their senses by head guard Jo’s shout.

“No time to dawdle! Clean up quickly and move out immediately!”

The guards and porters began to move briskly.

Meanwhile, head guard Kang looked at Go Hyeon-woo with admiration.

“You’re even more skilled than I thought.”

“You flatter me.”

“No, really. It seems you held back when we sparred at the martial arts competition.”

Head guard Kang praised Go Hyeon-woo. He even said that if he had shown his true skills, the match would have been decided in just a few moves.

Go Hyeon-woo gave an awkward smile and subtly changed the subject.

“Fortunately, the damage seems minimal.”

“Indeed. Considering how fierce the battle was, there are few injuries.”

Head guard Kang nodded his head in agreement.

There were no casualties, and only a few were injured.

On the other hand, since the men in black had taken all their corpses, it was impossible to determine the exact number, but it was clear there were quite a few casualties on their side.

It could be considered a great victory.

These are the best among the best.

Generally, the skills of Ronin were somewhat inferior to those of martial artists who had received structured training in sects.

However, if only the most skilled among the hundreds of Ronin were selected, they would all be capable of holding their own.

Of course, some struggled against the men in black, but I subtly used magic to compensate for that.

Naturally, no one but Go Hyeon-woo could have noticed this.

And now, head guard Jo became more confident and convinced that his prediction was correct.

“What did I tell you? Our forces are strong enough.”

“Hmm… Certainly.”

“After showing this level of strength, they won’t dare challenge us for a while. Let’s keep pushing forward.”

---

However…

Contrary to their expectations, the men in black quickly regrouped and pursued us.

Another battle ensued.

Everyone was amazed by the enemy’s organization and persistence, but soon they reignited their fighting spirit and faced the battle head-on.

We still had the strength that had just overcome the recent attack, so we could defeat the enemies again without much difficulty.

The newly appearing leader-like man in black was also directly struck by Go Hyeon-woo’s Clear Stream and was cut to pieces.

Whistle—!

Then, as if on cue, a whistle blew and the enemies retreated as quickly as they had appeared.

While the guards and porters were tidying up the area, Woeful furrowed his already troubled brow even more deeply.

“This is strange…”

“What do you mean?”

In response to Ratty’s question, Woeful gestured toward Go Hyeon-woo with his eyes.

“I don’t mean to belittle that young man’s skills, but didn’t the supposed leader fall too easily?”

“Now that you mention it, it does seem that way. It also feels like they are being used as disposable pawns.

If the previous two men in black had truly held important positions in their group, they wouldn’t have been sent out so haphazardly twice.

That meant,

“They are used as focal points, but they are not the real leaders.”

“I think the same. So…”

“Aren’t they more like squad leaders or something much lower?”

“Probably.”

The Ronin who had been nearby were also listening to their conversation with tense expressions on their faces.

The fact that the man in black who had just fallen was not a “leader” but a “squad leader” was a very big problem.

It meant that the group we were facing was several times larger than it appeared.

And at that moment,

“This!”

At someone’s shout, everyone’s heads turned simultaneously in that direction.

When the guards gathered there, they saw a Ronin staring down at an arm lying on the ground.

It was one of the pieces cut by Go Hyun-woo’s sword energy, apparently left behind by the men in black.

Of course, to martial artists who lived by the sword, a severed arm was not a big deal.

Nevertheless, since the Ronin had spoken in a startled voice, there had to be a reason. Everyone looked closely at the arm.

“……!”

And soon, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

On one side of the arm were the characters for “King of Hell” branded like a mark.

“The King of Hell Squad…!”

The Heavenly Demon Cult which had been defeated and scattered after being defeated in the Great Demon War.

The King of Hell Squad was one of the martial factions of that cult, but it had appeared in this remote mountain.

This explained how the men in black had been so ruthlessly trained and able to push back even the skilled Ronins.

“……!”

“……!”

For a while, a heavy silence fell over the scene.

Then, Ratty suddenly lifted his head from the severed arm and trudged towards a specific spot.

His steps were directed towards the carriages carrying the goods.

The Ronins immediately noticed his intention and followed him.

They wanted to confirm it.

What was the true nature of those goods that the Heavenly Demon Cult pursued so persistently?

However, when they approached the carriages, they were blocked by head guard Kang and the other escorts.

“Stop.”

“Let us check the goods.”

“You cannot.”

“We are risking our lives to protect these goods. We believe we have the right to know this much.”

Head guard Kang firmly shook his head.

“Your argument is valid. Even so, we cannot tell you, and we ask for your understanding.”

“Then at least explain why we cannot.”

“…”

Gead guard Kang was silent for a moment and his face hardened.

He seemed to be contemplating for a while, then sighed as if he had no other choice and answered.

“…If what’s inside is revealed, everyone here would have to be killed to keep it a secret, including us.”

“…Shit.”

“We’ve really stepped in it this time.”

The Ronins cursed under their breath.

Only then did they realize why they had recruited so many Ronins instead of experts from other martial sects as temporary escorts, and why the reward promised in case of a successful escort was so large that their eyes would pop out.

Head guard Kang continued in a calm tone.

“Listen to me. What’s important isn’t what the goods are. What’s important is that, regardless of whether we see inside or not, the Heavenly Demon Cult will try to kill us all.”

“…!”

“So, for now, set aside your curiosity and let’s work together.”

“…Understood.”

“I apologize for deliberately avoiding the topic. However, I assure you there is no lie about the reward.”

Head guard Kang declared confidently.

If the escort safely reached its destination, the promised reward would be paid in full, and the head of the agency Jang had pledged this with his name.

At that moment, one of the Ronins keeping watch at the rear shouted.

“They’re coming again!”

From afar, shadows began to close in. They were the men in black uniforms.

The King of Hell Squad had quickly regrouped and launched another attack.

Everyone gripped their weapons tightly and got ready for battle.

However, their expressions were noticeably darker and heavier than before.