A Regressor's Bucket List

Chapter 232 : The North (11)

In fact, strictly speaking, the path to the North wasn't limited to just crossing the 'Black Sea'.

Although, because the front line had been pushed below the Black Sea when the Black Blood Disease broke out, most of the Anti-Demon Fronts were positioned facing each other with the Black Sea at the center.

After all, at the northwestern edge, there was an Anti-Demon Front clearly connected by land.

The Orc Mountains (★★★☆☆).

It was the longest-lasting Anti-Demon Front in the northern continent and boasted the largest scale among all existing 3-star Anti-Demon Fronts.

A question could arise here.

Why, then, did the Order deliberately ignore a perfectly good land route and choose to kick off the Northern Subjugation War via a troublesome sea route?

The reason was simple.

It was because they had judged that it would be better to go by sea than to break through the Anti-Demon Front, .

In fact, from a common-sense perspective, it made no sense.

Fundamentally, in war, defense is more advantageous than offense, and this was even more pronounced in naval warfare.

Especially in a large-scale subjugation war that was bound to take a considerable amount of time, supply routes by sea were more vulnerable to external attacks.

Thus, the Guardian Cross Order's choice was inevitably quite far removed from common sense.

However.

Ironically, when the Order's Allied Forces announced their plan to first enter the 'Beautiful Reef (★★★☆☆),' no one in the alliance raised an objection by saying, 'Let's enter through the Orc Mountains.'

The reason was simple.

It was because they knew all too well that it was, in the literal sense of the word, 'impossible'.

Of course, on the surface, there was no difference.

Both the Orc Mountains (★★★☆☆) and the Black Sea's 'Beautiful Reef (★★★☆☆)' which the Order had broken through, were 3-star Anti-Demon Fronts led by a Demon of Baron rank.

If the ranks were the same for both, it was natural to think there was no reason to go through the troublesome and dangerous sea route.

But that was something one could only say without knowing the 'Orc Mountains'.

Those who had experienced it even once would assert that breaking through that dreadful place would be several times, no.

Tens of times more difficult than conquering the 'Beautiful Reef'.

Well, if asked for the reason, various answers would probably pop up.

The most crucial reason was that, unlike its assigned star rating, the Anti-Demon Front 'Orc Mountains' had already deviated from the trajectory of a 3-star Anti-Demon Front.

Yes.

To put it simply, although the leading Demon's title was 'Baron,' the power of the Orc forces, including their leader, had already far surpassed the 3-star level.

Of course, it hadn't been like that from the beginning.

If they had possessed such exceptional power from the start, they wouldn't have been classified as Baron-level, but Count-level.

In other words, a '4-star' Anti-Demon Front.

While it now boasted an unparalleled scale among existing 3-star Anti-Demon Fronts, looking back at its early days, it was small enough to be counted on one's fingers even among the 3-star fronts.

It was a tiny front that anyone would call 'small'.

Especially since the Orc race wasn't perceived as particularly strong back then, the Constellation overseeing the , 'Olympus's Ruffian', didn't take the front's existence very seriously.

Amidst his indifference, as he was simultaneously managing other Anti-Demon Fronts in adjacent regions, the Orc race expanded its forces.

Ultimately, the Orc Mountains, which had expanded based on their overwhelming reproductive rate, grew to a massive scale, ranking among the top of the 3-star Anti-Demon Fronts.

Only then did the Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', realize the gravity of the situation and pour in all materials and supplies, but...

Despite his efforts, their forces eventually grew to their current size.

Moreover, after being pushed beyond the Black Sea due to the Black Blood Disease outbreak, they were merely struggling to maintain the front line, so their exact military strength had yet to be assessed.

It was obvious without even needing to see it with one's own eyes just how much military force the Orcs, who possessed an overwhelming growth potential deemed 'exceptional' even in the long history of the War against Demons, were hiding among the mountains.

That was why.

The Guardian Cross Order had given up on breaking through the Orc Mountains.

The Orc race possessed an 'exceptional growth potential' even in the long history of the War against Demons.

Of course, the forces the Order's Allied Forces poured into this subjugation war were massive enough to face two or three legion-sized armies, so a direct confrontation wouldn't necessarily result in their defeat, but.

The problem was that the amount of damage that would occur in the process was unforeseeable.

The objective of the Order's Allied Forces was, after all, the 'Northern Subjugation' and the reclamation of the lost territories.

It wasn't to annihilate the Orc race.

Besides, as its name suggested, the 'Orc Mountains' was inherently rugged terrain.

Fighting in the Orcs' home ground could hardly be called a good strategy.

Having reached that conclusion, the 'Order's Allied Forces' plan was to first break through the rear along the sea route, then surround the Orc Mountains from the front and back to finally conquer them.

* * *

Needless to say, the advance of the Order's Allied Forces continued even after the conquest of the Anti-Demon Front, .

The vanguard conquered the three baronies in charge of the border region beyond the Black Sea, and the allied army's main force arrived, following the path they had opened.

Before them lay the 4-star Anti-Demon Front in the central part of the North.

.

This place, characterized by its unique, inwardly sloping wasteland terrain, was one that had given the Order's Allied Forces quite a hard time during the planning phase of the subjugation operation.

‘…….’

It wasn't for any other reason; it was simply a space where 'strategy' was ineffective due to its geographical features.

The vast, sprawling wasteland was terrain advantageous for neither defense nor offense.

It was, so to speak, a space made only for fighting.

Because the path from the outside to the center was sloped, it was easy to enter but not to leave.

The terrain was structured to be disadvantageous for retreat.

Of course, since the dwelling of the Tauren race in the center of the sloping wasteland also lacked any separate external passages, it was hard to say it was advantageous for them either.

This was consistent with the traits of the Tauren race, led by the Count of Excitement, 'Minotaurus'.

They were a race that, instead of any notable magical abilities, possessed unparalleled physical strength and excellent magic resistance, allowing them to simply endure and charge even when hit by magic.

Furthermore, Minotaurus's unique ability, 'Red Excitement', was a combat-specialized ability where their attack power and aggression intensified as more blood flooded the battlefield.

In a situation designed from start to finish for nothing but raw combat, the only strategy the Order's Allied Forces could devise was merely the deployment of their assigned troops.

Even that was expected to devolve into a chaotic melee if they got swept up in the Tauren race's characteristically chaotic fighting style.

As such, this was the very battlefield of the War against Demons that the Order was most prepared for.

While in other places they had prioritized minimizing troop losses, here, they did not consider them.

It was tantamount to a declaration of will, that they would endure whatever losses occurred.

From the perspective of the Order, which usually valued rules and discipline, it was, in its own way, a decision of very unconventional significance.

Of course, there were many concerns.

No matter how elite the troops, composed of war veterans, their survival could not be guaranteed in a 'chaotic melee'.

Regardless of winning or losing, the risk was too great.

It was also unknown how much strength the soldiers, who were accustomed to the Order's method of fighting strictly according to discipline, could exert in a chaotic melee.

…But on the other hand.

There were also people for whom such a battlefield was a better fit.

* * *

Bang—!

Amidst a battlefield echoing with the roars and screams of bull monsters covered in grotesque muscles, an unexpected gunshot rang out.

It was an uncommon occurrence.

While it was considered the ultimate weapon in combat between ordinary people due to its excellent lethality and convenience, it wasn't a very efficient weapon against individuals wearing Artifacts or monsters with tough bodies.

Due to the nature of firearms, which made it difficult to target a weak spot in a single shot, the shooter would likely be caught by the monster before them and torn limb from limb even after firing.

…So the nearby soldiers thought.

Click—

But for some reason.

What followed the gunshot wasn't a scream, but the familiar sound of reloading.

And.

Thud—

A Named Monster collapsed.

- That…….

- My god.

The attention of those nearby was drawn.

Although it wasn't easy to grasp anything on the noisy battlefield, when something so exceptional occurred that it defied common sense, people couldn't help but look.

Moreover, the timing was perfect.

The sound of reloading heard after the gunshot.

Along with it, the sight of a massive bull monster's corpse.

The strange scene created by this series of elements was a rarity in itself.

But what happened next was even more surprising.

Chwa-reu-reuk—

The man standing atop the fallen bull monster, holding a long firearm, looked around, spotted another Named Monster, and drew out a chain of Mana from his fingertips.

The extending chain wrapped around the horn on the monster's head.

And then again.

Chwa-reu-reuk—

Bang—!

With the distinctive sound of the chain, the man and the Named Monster instantly closed the distance.

Along with the ensuing gunshot, the monster collapsed once more.

Thud—

It wasn't just the Named Monster.

By some unknown means, the energy that pierced through the monster's head went on to instantly blow apart a dozen or so regular Tauren lined up behind it.

It was incomprehensible.

Destructive power capable of blowing up a Named Monster in a single shot and an attack range that could hit multiple targets simultaneously.

Furthermore, they had never even heard of a weapon that used the instant-fire method of a 'firearm'.

- …Isn't that thing broken?

- Is that an Artifact? That's almost on the level of small-scale magic.

It was so surprising that slang automatically slipped out of the mouths of the soldiers watching the scene.

That was no longer a battle.

It was a hunt.

‘…Is it this way?’

Was he used to the soldiers' reactions, or did he simply have no time to listen to such chatter?

U-jin looked around, surveying his surroundings.

Named Monsters and the like were not U-jin's target.

The method of blending into battle in a chaotic melee without picking his opponents was what U-jin was most confident in, but.

That was something he could do anytime while the Northern Subjugation War was ongoing.

What he had to do now was not such random combat.

Chwa-reu-reuk—

Once again.

U-jin extended a chain from his fingertips and leaped from his spot.