30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue
chapter-102

The laws of RPG exist. It’s like level design rules for game developers.

For example. When creating a map, make exploration diverse, but place regular paths with clear visibility for progress direction.

It’s not mandatory to strictly adhere to them, but for convenience, it’s better to follow them to a reasonable extent.

And naturally, Ivan was aware of this information.

Kim Sunwoo’s hobby during his lifetime was leaving 5,700-character ‘critiques’ and ‘advice’ on various contents. It’s a basic courtesy to back up one’s advice with proper qualifications when giving advice to creators, and his advice didn’t discriminate by genre.

It means he didn’t discriminate by genre in games, comics, and web novels. He lived by posting negative comments on all accessible content.

Therefore, he also had a profound knowledge of these types of games.

Now, let’s assume.

Here is a novice party with an average level of 5-10.

It’s a party composed of a warrior, a bard (subclass berserker), a knight (subclass rogue), and a wizard (mind sorcery), a combination that cannot understand alternative design philosophies.

They are novices who haven’t even learned a proper attack skill. They have barely passed the tutorial content.

What enemies should they encounter in the hunting ground?

“If there were goblins, it would have been nice.”

Ivan pressed the trigger while watching the orc horde.

With a clattering sound, the trees collapsed, splitting the horde in half.

Orcs screamed individually. Watching them from a distance, Ivan once again mapped out the plan in his mind.

Orc warriors specialized in group battles are formidable opponents for novices. With that number, the current party can never win.

Then, here’s the ‘level design’ that needs to be done here.

First, yes.

Adjust random encounters to less than 5 at a time, with a ratio of 2:3:5 for battle:rest:movement.

Just enough for occasional growth needs.

And.

“You are too strong for a boss of this stage.”

Ivan muttered under his breath while looking down at the whimpering orc with a muzzle in its mouth.

The orc looked up at Ivan with tears in its eyes. There was an incomprehensible fear of the unknown.

Perhaps it’s only natural. With their small heads, orcs would find it difficult to comprehend civilization and common sense. Ivan sniffed the smell of cortisol mixed with the orc’s odor and observed its eyes.

There are some common mechanisms among vertebrates that pretend to feel emotions. When the hypothalamus awakens survival instincts in fear, physiological reactions occur, such as pupil dilation, increased heart rate, muscle tension, activation of the sympathetic nervous system leading to vasoconstriction, resulting in paleness, increased trembling, and cold sweat.

Meanwhile, cortisol begins to be secreted in the endocrine glands. This is where it starts. It’s the smell of someone scared out of their wits.

In the extermination unit, they called this situation ‘easily verifiable state.’ Ivan tore open the mouth of the potion and placed his hand on the orc’s mouth.

“You must be curious.”

Ivan whispered while tightly gripping the orc’s head.

It could be expected.

How could he secretly abduct them?

And when did he start lurking here?

And how did he know we were coming and waiting here?

Well, those were the things to wonder about.

There is only one answer to all those questions. ‘Common sense judgment.’ And there is no way or intention to teach such common sense to such a different species.

So, as an efficient agent, what he should do is not answer. Just ask.

“I also have many questions for you.”

Ivan had only planned this move with the certainty that the ‘assailant’ would arrive. That is, it also meant that he didn’t know who the assailant was and how they could penetrate all the way to the southern region of Krasilov.

So, who exactly paved the way? From where do they cooperate with the demons? How many more demon strike forces are there? Are the demons currently building a unified system or are they still divided?

How did they anticipate the ‘hero party’ gathering in this rural area at the start of the vacation? Where did they acquire that information? In fact, this is a very significant issue.

He hasn’t received approval for this situation from Elizaveta yet.

His superior approval line consists solely of Elizaveta, and she is not one to share this information with anyone else.

So how on earth did these vultures penetrate into the heart of Krasilov, confidently strutting around fully armed with elite battle gear?

As such, the Counterintelligence Command is inherently curious.

And unlike most ‘curious mischief-makers,’ the Counterintelligence Command had various means for proactive information gathering.

Ivan slowly began to unpack his belongings, releasing the terrified orc’s head.

Tick, tock. Taking out entirely inconspicuous tools.

“Fortunately, we have plenty of time.”

Since the students’ training is expected to proceed very slowly.

The orc closed its eyes tightly upon hearing those words.

*

“Sto… Stop. Whoa… Phew… The sun, the sun is setting.”

“Already? Has it come to that? What time is it now?”

“No one has a watch… Huff… Anyway, just a bit. Let’s rest for a while.”

The party members slumped into disarray. Elpheira, attempting to ignite a fire in the chilly forest air, stopped abruptly, shivering.

When darkness falls, campfires are always comforting. That’s common sense.

Elpheira murmured nervously, fidgeting her fingers with a frightened expression.

“I’ll set up some booby traps around the campsite.”

“You know how to do that?”

“After being caught a few times, I figured it out.”

Ecdysis stood up with a chuckle and disappeared into the forest. Isabelle nodded.

Well, it’s common sense to set traps near the campsite.

“Oscar. Today, I’ll take the second watch.”

“I’m still okay, Isabelle.”

“Oh, come on. Did you even sleep for three hours?”

“…Thank you.”

Rotating shifts for campfire watches was, of course, common sense. If someone took on the arduous duty of second or third watch, they should receive consideration the next day.

As this was basic party etiquette, Isabelle casually dropped her backpack and pulled out a ‘nutrition bar’.

It tasted corrupt, bitter, and unpleasantly sticky. It’s hard to describe the taste, but it’s emergency rations that don’t require cooking, suitable for field consumption in situations where you can’t build a fire.

Now I understand why this was packed in the luggage.

That lunatic…!!

-Zip!

Isabelle, unwittingly, looked up at the sky after tearing open the nutrition bar.

The sun was setting.

“What day is it today?”

“Three days… Oh, we’ve been in this forest for five days.”

“That’s really strange. Why hasn’t the army come?”

“Well… it’s such a remote place that, in reality… they might not even know that the demons attacked here, do they?”

Oscar replied bitterly.

He’s right. This place is the heart of nowhere, with no major cities or even nearby villages, just an isolated mountain.

How many mountains like this are there in Krasilov? There aren’t even any military bases nearby.

They probably chose this training ground based on those factors, but on the flip side, doesn’t that mean it’s also a favorable environment for infiltration by the demons?

“How on earth did the demons make it all the way here?”

“I don’t know…”

“And what do they hope to achieve by coming here?”

Isabelle’s eyes were still fixed on the sky.

It was the time when the evening, tinged with purple, gradually turned closer to navy blue.

Amidst that, counting the clusters of stars shining blue, Isabelle continued quietly.

“Oscar, what do you think? You took ‘knight’ classes in Tylesse.”

“Maybe… Could it be us? If they’re demons, they might want to deal with the hero party.”

“How could they know?”

The moment Isabelle spoke, Oscar felt a chilling sensation creeping over his head.

“Yermov. I mean, Mr. Ivan wouldn’t have disclosed it.”

“If he saw demons in your personality, he would’ve crushed your head without hesitation.”

“Yes, and Mr. Yermov is probably in a very high position even within the Counterintelligence Command.”

“Yeah. So…”

Are there spies within the Counterintelligence Command?

Or…

“If we’re not the target?”

“Yes?”

“Remember those orc guys who attacked us? It’s a bit too… to call them assassins deployed in an infiltration mission, given their… disruptive behavior.”

“Indeed?”

“After making a scene like that, how could they struggle to infiltrate from that distant demon-inhabited area to here, just to, at most, kill the four of us? Doesn’t that seem strange?”

“Isabelle, our lives are more…?”

“Valuable?”

Isabelle chuckled. She gestured around without saying a word.

If we’re so valuable, then why are we still in this mess? That was the sentiment behind her gesture, and soon she smiled and turned her head.

“If your theory is correct, then why didn’t they just attack all at once instead of coming in divided groups?”

“That… uh.”

Oscar chastised himself for not even considering such a simple thought.

It was obviously odd behavior. Assassins infiltrating deep into enemy territory, slowly attacking their targets over three days, even sending them in groups of two or three?

Does that make any sense?

“Then, these guys’ target isn’t us.”

Isabelle looked at Oscar. Her eyes were shining with a deep blue light.

What if their target isn’t us but something bigger, something more sinister?

And what if we’re just incidental, mere encounters during the execution of their plan, fighting patrol units patrolling the area?

If the demons are planning something here on this mountain.

And if both us and the Counterintelligence Command agents were unwittingly drawn into the situation by an incredible coincidence.

And if it’s because Mr. Yermov went alone to thwart the ‘demonic grand plan’ during that process, that he’s unable to save us now.

When this thought dawned on her, Elpheira suddenly murmured.

“Once a seal is found, it will be released within a short period…?”

“What?”

“That’s what Mr. Yermov said! It’s about the ‘common sense of seals’…!”

As soon as they heard the word ‘common sense’, the entire party shuddered.

“If we happened to ‘discover’ something… then…”

“An uncontrollable situation will erupt within a short period?”

“It’s not just us who are in danger. Mr. Yermov is in the same boat. Think about it. If Mr. Yermov had even a little leeway, would he have left me… no. Would he have abandoned us like this?”

Excluding the strange words heard in between, it’s a pretty valid assumption.

Ivan is not the type to abandon the students he has led in such a situation just to save his own life.

So, even after facing at least five skirmishes with the orc battle group so far, Ivan hasn’t appeared yet.

Doesn’t that mean he’s in a situation where he can’t show up right now…?

As Isabelle reached this conclusion, she nodded quietly.

“This time, let’s save Mr. Yermov.”

“What… what’s the plan?”

Oscar’s question was valid.

If demons have infiltrated and are conducting a large-scale operation, and even Ivan, a powerful agent of the Counterintelligence Command, couldn’t stop it.

Isn’t it something only four university students can’t handle?

It might be better to quickly descend as planned and call for backup…

“Elpheira’s right. If Mr. Yermov taught us that as ‘common sense’, there must have been some reason. We may not have much time.”

“But isn’t that just speculation?”

“At least Mr. Yermov probably doesn’t have much time. He might even be dying as we speak.”

Isabelle’s eyes sparkled brightly. Anger, anxiety, and worry were swirling within her.

“Let’s save him. We all owe Mr. Yermov our lives, don’t we?”

“…”

“Let’s save Mr. Yermov. And Oscar.”

“Yes?”

Isabelle still smiled with fiery eyes, but with innocence.

“The demons have appeared, and we have swords. Like our parents. Oscar, son of Jill Ber. A knight from Tylesse. Let’s raise our swords not for strength, but for righteousness.”

*

A field agent who had been listening intently from a distance choked up, tears streaming down his face as he finished his report.