Kill the Dragon

“Let go of that hand. ”

Kuro said briefly and decisively. Intense will. There was a chilling psychic pulse. The dust around you rises.

Goooooooo!

I was sweating on my forehead. The tin bin next to him is dented. Quack, quack! The garbage can is compressed to the size of your fist with impulsive force.

“Oh, hey. ”

‘This isn't it. ’

The aura was bewildered. It was the first time Kuro was angry. He was the one who laughed and skipped even though the squad members were playing a mean prank. His personality made him forget one thing.

Kuro's psychic abilities are in second grade. Pure psychic ability is lethal.

“Get out of my sight. Periodic notation.”

Kuro's blue glare was like a scarecrow. The aura shuts up and nods. I thought I might die if I did something wrong. I sweated all over my body. The instinct called for danger.

“Ow, ow, ow. ”

Gigi sighs after escaping Kuro. I couldn't even breathe because of my massive psychic expression. That density changed even the flow of air.

"Pussy, you're gonna kill me for kicking a little pussy. ’

I also felt sorry for myself. I tried to provoke him, but I didn't know he was going to die that bad.

The next race was stolen from the simulated battlefield. Lee Han was the most confident sport. I have been familiar with it since freshman year. Lee gathered his squad members and briefed them on the operational overview. The squads are divided into three groups, each under the command of Ihan, Knut and Jose. The three squads take turns attacking the enemy headquarters.

“The enemy is the sixth squad. It'll be easier than the race ever. Too many casualties. They won't be able to form a squad. Maybe he's halfway through giving up. But vigilance is forbidden. Win a perfect victory. ”

Squad 6 was heavily injured in the last race. Lee doesn't miss a race, he checks thoroughly. The power of the sixth squad should be about half as strong as usual.

‘There is no reason to lose if there are no big mistakes. ’

Lee had no intention of fighting with a lazy tactic. I intend to take a thorough victory even if it takes time.

‘The instructors think I am an unstoppable man who has been intoxicated by my continued victories and successes. They think that if I experience defeat, my confidence will collapse and I will experience slumps. ’

Lee smiled bitterly.

‘I just don't like losing. Especially since I've already experienced it. ’

Lee had experienced countless failures. Every time, I paid a terrible price. The struggle that did not tolerate defeat took place in your bones.

“Let's go. Squad 13. ”

Lee said, standing at the forefront. A signal of the match has spread across the simulated battlefield. The battlefield darkens as the dome closes. I can barely see out of the light.

“Well, what the hell. It's night.”

“I can't see very well. ”

It was an environmental change I had not heard of before. It was a night environment. Lee reached out and set up the squad.

“Don't panic. Wait until the snow is ripe in the dark. If we don't have advance notice, so will the sixth squad. ”

This calm voice stopped the shaking of the squads.

‘What a natural squad leader you are. Never lose your cool under any circumstances. I understand that when a leader is shaken, the team is shaken. ’

The Instructors purchased Lee's Squad Leader abilities very high. They intentionally put in this unpredictable variable. His response to it was perfect. Over time, the boys who adapted to the darkness moved on.

- Knute Joe hits first. Jose, back up. I'll move to the flank and attack.

Yihan gestures. The squad members move according to the plan. Lee Han led his group to the side. As Knut engages and falls, Lee comes right in to finish off the enemy.

- Engaging.

A message came from Knut. You hear a shout from the edge of darkness. Lee Han breathed and moved on.

‘As expected, the 1st squad has fallen out and the disadvantaged 6th squad has taken up defensive positions. Defenses would have wiped us out and taken the flag. But I'm not gonna fight you head-on like I thought. Rather, it's dark and it's advantageous to ambush behind. ’

Lee looked behind him. I put the time machine in my own pair. Unlike Lee's worries, Gi-Joon took the race with a serious face.

‘He is also a sophomore at Arc. Not a fool. A flawed personality can do its job. ’

A fool who acts on his own impulses doesn't stay at the arc.

“Still waiting. When Knut retreats, we go in. ”

Lee Han bowed down and stood by. As usual, Knut must have missed it. This time, the battle grew longer.

- Knute, fall back.

Lee sent a direct message. Knut has no answer. Lee's eyes narrowed.

‘Whatever happens, Knut judges alone within the bounds of my orders and operations. I'm not in the habit of continuing to engage or charge. The fact that he's unresponsive means he's been hit or he's in a state of emergency. ’

A message came from José instead of Knut.

- Knute Joe is down. It was quick. Should we engage? Shall we join them?

Lee thought for a moment. He relayed the change of operation to Jose.

Jose, forward. Join in front of enemy faction.

Lee ran forward sending a call. You see the enemy's defensive force. In front of that, Jose is engaged. Squad 6 is also swarming with wounded. It seemed that the targeted situation was worse than Lee Han's expectations.

‘Knut was easily defeated by the wounded squad of six. What for?'

Kuro, standing behind Lee Han, suddenly blinked. The blue light flashes on Kuro's pupil. The short-term predictive capability was developed.

“Ehan, get down! ”

Kuro presses his head against the ground. Jihan's torso sank to the floor. Something went over his head.

Aaaaah!

The sound is sharp. Lee only raises his eyes. The man in the skull mask is wielding a pair of knives.

‘If Kuro hadn't pressed my head, I would have been. But I'm pretty sure the enemy was nowhere near my sight. Who's this guy in the mask? Was he in the sixth squad? ’

Lee Han's head quickly rolled. I've never heard of such a sophomore who wore a skull mask.

“Surround. Keep your distance. ”

The squad has surrounded the Skull Mask. The skull mask stands relaxed. The psychic energy in his body fluctuates.

Pa!

The skull mask disappeared in an instant. Lee Han had a cool back. He swings his spear behind him.

Blame!

The skull mask stood behind Lee's back one day. Lee sent him away with instinctive judgment.

“What, what! It's gone and it's here!”

The squad members roar. Lee raised his eyes in the direction of the instructors.

‘Goddamn instructors. Whoever that skull mask is, it's not usually sophomore year. He's a teleporter. His range isn't that long. ’

“Everyone's standing in front of each other. Be responsive to enemies whenever they show up! ”

It was quick and accurate. Movement Talents target the enemy's rear. The squad members kept each other in sight and kept a reactive distance at all times.

Pot!

The skull mask moves away from Lee Han. The psychic vision is blurrier than before.

‘teleportation uses a lot of psychic energy. It is not the ability to flirt. ’

Lee's eyes looked around. Tension tightens his brain. It was a short while, but arrogance struck his mind. The clue to victory shines faintly.

“I'll stop that mask. The rest of you join Jose. ”

Lee stood in front of the skull mask. He swirls his spear. The arm that was broken a few weeks ago was firmly fixed. I've been reluctant to train as squad leader, but I'm not in bad shape.

Tilt.

The skull mask stared at Ethan without saying anything. The gesture was obvious.

“You're stopping me by yourself? 'I think you're saying. ”

The skull mask nods.

“You forget, the flag is taken away from you in this conspiracy war. I don't have to beat you here. I win. ”

The skull mask flickers. Lee is convinced of the reaction.

‘This Skull Mask is not Commander type. I don't care about tactics and fighting. Then….'

Lee rolled up his mouth.

‘The winning side is our 13th squad. ’

He's kept his distance from the Skull Mask. I got as far away as I could. The skull mask approaches with two consecutive teleportation moments. It's because I was nervous when I heard what Lee said.

‘The maximum distance he can travel at one time is 15 meters. ’

Lee Han purposely drives a series of moves away to determine the target's ability. He doesn't panic and observes the opposing team.

Pa-ah!

If you listen closely, the teleportation moves with an increasing sound. In the first note, the skeleton mask blinks and the enemy appears in the last tone. The psychic energy shifts by the distance it travels in a matter of seconds.

‘Focus to identify the point of movement. ’

Lee opened his eyes. Stubbornly stopped the Skull Mask. The skull mask was embarrassed.

“Take me down and go. Mr. Skeleton.”

How did you pinpoint exactly where I was moving? You don't think I know what I'm capable of in such a short time? ’

The face behind the mask shook. Skeleton masks engaged Ihan. There was no reason not to win. Has advantageous teleportation abilities in combat. Even if you know the location, you are ahead of maneuverability. Above all, the skeletal mask's combat skills surpassed the sophomore level.

‘I feel strong. I feel like I'm fighting Instructor Wei. Defenses alone are distracting. ’

The skull mask wields its twin swords like a storm. It was an unprotected attack day.

Kang!

Lee's spear, which had been defending, fell out of his hands and stood in the air. The skull mask stabbed Yihan's abdomen without mercy. The day did not stand, but it was a twisted shock on the inside.

"Concentrate, ehan! ’

Lee opened his eyes as he shouted to himself. His eyes glow blue. With his mind, he lowers the spear in the air. A spear with gravity and acceleration strikes the skull mask's neck.

Puck!

The skull mask falls to the ground. His consciousness has been temporarily turned off.

“Ha, ha. You just knocked him out.”

Lee said, breathing heavily. Meanwhile, the 13th squad breaks through the defense lines of the 6th squad and steals the flag. The 6th squad no longer has the strength to stop the 13th squad's riders. The 13th squad wins a signal.

“I won!”

The exhausted boys cheered. It was harder than I thought. Lee wanted to sit back and rest, but he walked like he was being evaluated by the instructors.

“What's that skeleton mask? ”

“Third grade, and a former sixth-grader. ”

“Did you say third grade? Weren't we in second grade? ”

“That's why the sixth squad only went to the seventh race. That third grade is three sophomores. ”

“That's just a pun. Sir, that's against the rules. ”

Lee said firmly, it is the third grade that should not be in the 2nd grade competition. He was filled with complaints. I almost lost.

“Rules? That's funny. We make the rules. Squad Leader Lee Han.”

The instructors returned Yihan coldly. But the instructors were surprised. They deliberately appointed six squads that were weakened in power to bring defeat to the 13th squad and brought them to third grade with finesse.

‘In a disadvantage game prepared for defeat, Lee beat Lee Hwan to Grade 3. ’

Greeman, a sophomore instructor, analyzed the video with other instructors. They had coffee and donuts stacked up in the archives. It is routine for instructors to analyze the video after the race. In the video, Ihan and Skeleton Mask repeatedly came out of the battle section of Silence.

“Crisis assessment is overwhelming. As soon as I saw Silence's teleportation, I gave the squad orders to keep each other in sight. ”

“Where did you learn that? ”

“I don't teach teleportation tactics anywhere. This is an improvised judgment. I've never fought a teleporter before. ”

Some of the instructors were purely impressed. I wondered how many of the instructors sitting here could show such judgment in that situation as squad leaders, and the inner instructors thought so.

“Is it the ability to lead victory among unknown enemies and variables that you know nothing about? Maybe I misjudged this squad leader. ”

The other instructors nod.

“I don't think a boy who excels at managing crisis and responding to variables will suffer psychological panic or atrophy. ”

“I don't usually trust data and profiles from first-grade instructors, except this time. I have to admit, there are cases that are better than profiles. What do you think? Silence.”

Greece asks Silence, the skeleton mask in the corner. Silence handed out letters in his electronic notebook.

- Disgusting, he's cunning. If I had fought one-on-one properly, I would have won.

The instructors look at Silence's electronic notebook and smile.

“I understand your anger, but... Silence, we're not athletes, we're raising soldiers to win wars. ”

As Greeman speaks, Silence hesitates for a moment and nods. He turns off the electronic notebook again.

- But this time I was careless. I will definitely win next time.

“There is no next time. Silence. Now get back to your quarters. Don't get involved in sophomore year. ”

“Silence!”

Jose shouts. Lee looks back in surprise. Lee was on his way to check on the wounded squad member who had stopped by the hospital. As soon as I entered the lodging, Jose rushed in.

“What? You want me to shut up? ”

“No, that's not it! Silence! That skeleton mask! ”

“What's Silence? Ah..."

Lee reminded me of something that had been passed on before. Kuro once told me about Silence.

[… and it's quite famous, but a part of his brain flew away during training. She can't speak because her dialect is broken, so everyone calls her Silence. Ironically, it is said to be a unique case of increased combat ability after brain damage.]

“Senior Silence! Skeleton masks are famous, so I know someone. We beat Silence! Thirteenth squad won the third grade! Even if it's just one. ”

“Somehow she was strangely strong. ”

Lee Han touched his silly hand. Silence was really strong when it came to skeletons. It deserved to be famous. There was just as much pressure as Instructor Wei.

‘I guess it's true that you're stronger than the feisty instructors. ’

“And Ihan, you won against Silence. ”

“I got lucky. In many ways.... ”

Lee was not very impressed. I didn't feel better than that.

“Why are you so exhausted? ”

“Knute Joe's hurt pretty bad. If it were real, Knut would be dead on my orders. ”

“No one expected this. It's a joke from the instructors. No one's blaming you. Hahn!”

Lee shakes his head.

“I don't care if it's a teacher's joke or a joke. I trusted the intel I had on the sixth squad. I started the operation without scouting or searching. The enemy was seven. I should have known there were fewer numbers, that it was weird. It was weird from the changes in the environment without prior notice. ”

Jose was frightened by what Lee said. Lee Han's perspective was different from that of ordinary boys.

“Do you want to be perfect? ”

“As much as you need. We have to go to war. At least I don't want to lose my team. If that's what a perfect squadron commander is capable of, I need to be perfect. ”

Jose pressed down on the stirring. He pretended to have a cheerful smile. I feel like a monster, even though Lee Han is the only friend I have.

“I really want to be on that team later. ”

I meant what he said. None of Jose's acquaintances were as good as this squad leader.