How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 66 - Punitive Expedition (2)

Even though it was the northeastern part, it was still the northern region. As one moved upward, the drop in temperature became difficult to adapt to.

Early winter weather. Under the high sky, every breath exhaled turned into a faint mist.

Amidst the scattering mist, Carlyn watched the soldiers tending to supplies. Over the snow-mingled terrain, the red blood was slowly seeping in.

If there were many troops provided, then it was many; if there were few, then few.

Each with a thousand, a total of four thousand troops were on the move. Compared to what Carlyn had experienced in the game, the scale was much smaller.

In the game, punitive expeditions were large-scale battles that required over ten thousand troops, even if you caught the enemy lightly.

However, the troops at the moment were more than enough.

The scale of the punitive expedition was smaller since it was before the Devil Worshipers had gone rampant.

‘In fact, rather than a punitive expedition, it’s closer to hunting.’

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

In the game, since the Empire fell into chaos, the Dwarves had sprinkled Flynn Powder all over in haste.

Now, it was a matter of making it difficult for animals to become monsters and enter the mountains.

So, there were more beasts than monsters. (+) ^[1] TLN: Beast here means, something that turned into a monster (probably because of Flynn Powder). The author here put this word 괴인 and this 괴수. Which if translate into English has the same meaning as “monster”. I’m open to suggestions if “beast” doesn’t sound right or if you have a better word for it 🙂

As the number increased, monsters that were pushed back due to territorial disputes attacked the villages in the northeastern part.

Considering the game, it was relatively manageable, but it wasn’t completely safe.

If you encountered a large group, casualties were inevitable.

‘The quality of the troops isn’t great either.’

Four days since arriving in the northeastern region. The soldiers were starting to show signs of exhaustion.

Some were beyond experienced soldiers, bordering on retirement, while others were either too young or too old.

Still, they were Imperial soldiers, so their standards were not low, but the difference from the other princes was significant.

‘But they’re working hard, which is fortunate.’

Contrary to Carlyn’s concerns, there were issues with their abilities, but there were no issues with their attitudes.

The morale of the soldiers had also risen significantly.

Initially, the morale hadn’t been good either.

Soldiers weren’t fools either. They naturally knew that they had been pressured into joining the princess by looking around.

However, due to Carlyn’s guidance through Winds, things had slowly started to change as they carried out their tasks without difficult combat.

In four days, one was seriously wounded and three were lightly wounded. It was an excellent result. From the moment they headed north, their gaze had changed compared to before.

“Things are better than what we were worried about. Don’t you think?”

Emmet approached Carlyn as he watched the soldiers.

“Yes. At first, there were many worries, but still, the Empire is the Empire.”

“Yes, that’s right. Those old guys over there might have weakened, but they’re still remarkable soldiers. For them to age that much as Imperial soldiers mean they survived tough many battles.”

Emmet expressed his pride in response to Carlyn’s words from Haisen.

“Still, you deserve credit. I wondered what you were trusting to say something like that in the palace. Since you only pick suitable individuals, it’s too convenient.”

Emmet playfully tapped Carlyn’s shoulder.

“How do you manage to find them so well?”

“I told you. I have good eyes and nose. So, when I was a mercenary, I was the one who hunted.”

In reality, the princess was on the move.

Though Carlyn didn’t know the exact number, according to the results of his reconnaissance, she was at a level similar to the Third Prince.

If you had to rank them, she would be third.

The First Prince was overwhelmingly strong, and with a slight difference, the Third Prince and the princess followed, then below them was the Second Prince.

The First Prince’s assistance had played a significant role in this outcome.

The Second Prince, who was her biggest competitor, was in an area adjacent to her, constantly acting as a deterrent.

“So that’s why I was even more surprised. Among those who boast about being skilled hunters, I’ve never seen anyone as capable as you.”

“I have a no-nonsense personality.”

“Well, I know that. Still, even if I see it with my own eyes, it’s hard to believe. By any chance, do you have an elf among your ancestors?”

Emmet chuckled mischievously. It was a teasing joke, and Carlyn played along, matching the atmosphere.

At that moment, Carlyn sensed movement at the edge of his Winds’ range. Twenty-three monsters. They were approaching.

No, it wasn’t an approach. A moment later, a cavalry unit was caught in his sense.

They were being chased. To be precise, they were being driven.

‘The Third Prince.’

Monsters and beasts had intelligence beyond that of animals, so in an unfavorable fight, they chose to flee.

However, the fact that soldiers who were spread out with a wide network of sense from his Winds were also caught clearly indicated a blatant pursuit.

Carlyn saw through the Third Prince’s intent and what would soon happen.

‘A useless bastard, he’s probably looking to take more than his share at this time.’

Thinking about the Third Prince in the game, it wasn’t an unusual occurrence.

A fool who was only good for physical activities. In the game, it was extremely rare for the Third Prince to ascend to the throne.

In a few cases, the fall of the Empire had been shockingly swift.

His current objective wasn’t to compete but rather to taunt Erendil, just as the First Prince was deterring the Second Prince.

‘Time is…’

A monster in a dying state disregards its life and waited to attack, making it safe to wait until it died without touching it.

Because of this, the corpses of monsters were scattered all over the plains, and the soldiers were also spread out widely.

Carlyn made a quick judgment. The opponent was a monster, and considering the speed, evading the entire formation was impossible.

It was an outright chase, and changing direction from here was difficult.

In the first place, the Third Prince was aiming for this and conducting the chase.

If they chose to evade recklessly, even more casualties would occur in the chaos.

Sensing the distance through Winds. Seeing or smelling it was impossible.

Carlyn urgently focused his attention on the ground, lowering his ears to listen.

“What’s happening?”

Even Emmet’s question was ignored by Carlyn. Three seconds. In truth, even this time was a waste.

Carlyn, who had risen in a hurry, shouted as he mounted his horse.

“Everyone! Prepare for Combat!”

The incident happened while they were talking, leaving Emmet flustered as he looked around.

However, there were no enemies in sight.

“Northwest! Prepare for formation!”

The soldiers who had been gathering supplies or resting hastily moved as they were momentarily taken aback by Carlyn’s sudden order.

But it was too late. The formation would only be complete when the monsters arrived.

“Several monsters and a large cavalry unit are heading this way. It seems like the Third Prince is conducting a chase from his side. First, let’s protect Her Highness…”

Emmet turned his head around in alarm.

All four of the escort knights had arrived, but during combat, Emmet was assigned to protect the princess.

Running ahead on his own, Carlyn focused on his sense through his Winds.

The oncoming monsters were all predators like bears, tigers, and wild boars.

‘The formation is strange…’

Whoosh- A wall of flames rose in the distance at the edge of his vision. It was stopping the monsters from trying to change direction.

Carlyn realized that some of the monsters were moving sluggishly. It meant they were injured.

They weren’t gathering wild monsters; they were releasing the captives they had taken over the past four days. And only powerful ones.

They had gathered quite a number. Carlyn gritted his teeth.

Even if some of them were injured, as long as they were predators and their numbers were that high…

‘The losses will be significant.’

Carlyn estimated that there would be at least eighty casualties.

In modern warfare on Earth, if around 20% of the troops became combat incapable, the unit was treated as destroyed.

This was because maintaining the unit’s combat capability through nursing and transport was more important than the number of fatalities.

It wasn’t much different here. Losing close to 10% made things difficult.

From the start, the competition for the emperor’s throne couldn’t afford to be distorted.

He had to deal with this first. Carlyn made up his mind and turned his horse’s head urgently.

The soldiers still hadn’t formed up. Only the cavalry unit had taken their positions.

After all, the cavalry didn’t take part in gathering supplies.

“Sir Shiren!”

Fortunately, the commander of the cavalry unit was a knight sent by a friendly noble to protect the princess.

Carlyn spoke hurriedly.

“We can’t wait like this! I’ll break through the front, so lead the cavalry and attack the rear!”

“What?”

Shiren couldn’t hide his astonishment. He wanted to break through the front alone? That was insane.

Given the current situation, it was customary for the soldiers to engage with the soldiers forming the perimeter and for the cavalry to charge in.

During that process, sacrifices among the soldiers were inevitable.

“We don’t have time!”

Carlyn turned his head without retorting. In a matter of moments, the group of monsters had already closed the distance to 400 meters.

The distance of the visible monsters was decreasing second by second.

The soldiers who were weaving the perimeter and were rushing in at full power were breathing heavily, their bodies shaking lightly.

Carlyn sped forward like the wind. His horse raced at a speed faster than that of a monster without the air resistance.

The group of monsters and Carlyn collided at a distance of 200 meters from the perimeter.

Thud-thud-thud- The intense vibrations with each stride didn’t even reach above his thigh.

Carlyn stroked the neck of his horse with his left hand.

“Whoa-“

Horses were more timid animals than he had thought. If it was the first time riding a horse, it would have been impossible to charge at a monster.

It was based on the bond and trust they had built over the three days of combat and the time it took to come to the Northeast.

That said, it would still be insane to break through the front head-on.

Carlyn turned his direction diagonally to the right of the approaching group of monsters. It was a strategy to clear a path for the cavalry’s attack.

Because the fleeing monsters were not visible, effort was needed to attract their attention.

“Roar-!”

A tiger increased its speed alone and rushed toward the front.

Carlyn leaned his upper body back and simultaneously raised his sword. The leaping tiger’s belly was sliced open.

Schlack- The crimson blood scattered through the air as if it were splattering paint. The entrails fell towards the horse’s hindquarters.

Carlyn turned the horse’s head as it was.

It was a strategy to cut down the group of monsters diagonally. Now it was time to estimate the direction for re-entry.

‘The speed…’

The distance was now less than 130 meters. Given the cavalry’s attack, he only had one chance.

Carlyn moved diagonally once more and dealt with another monster. Only then did he feel the monsters’ gaze.

100 meters. He couldn’t get any closer. It was truly the last chance. Carlyn charged forward once again.

Roar!

As if unable to bear it, a large tiger from the center of the pack rushed forward. It seemed like a commander.

‘Oh no…!’

Whether it was due to its learning ability or not, this jump was different from the previous one. This time, the charge wasn’t aimed at Carlyn but at his horse.

Considering the horse’s traits, dodging was impossible. With his left hand, Carlyn roughly pulled on the reins and propelled himself into the air.

Crack- The sound of an uncontrolled force breaking the horse’s spine was eerie.

But there was no time to think about it. Carlyn’s body soared through the air, looking up at the sky.

The clouds hanging in the clear sky seemed close enough to touch. A momentary feeling of liberation. Soon, gravity pressed down on Carlyn.

Beneath him, the crazed tiger bit into the horse’s flank.

Carlyn grabbed the reins tightly and thrust his sword backward.

Puk- Moonlight pierced the tiger’s hide as if cutting through paper. Carlyn put force into his arm.

Since they were moving in opposite directions, their momentum was sufficient.

The blade that had pierced the back emerged from the tiger’s tail. The beastly tiger couldn’t rise again.

As Carlyn landed, he immediately turned and rolled once before quickly getting up and rolling forward again. Above his head, a bear’s front paw passed by.

In the blink of an eye, he was inside the group of monsters.

Perhaps due to the loss of the commander, or maybe it was because they couldn’t bear it any longer, the monsters closed in from all sides.

“Roar!”

Carlyn charged alongside them. In battles against multiple opponents, whether they were animals or people, what mattered most was space.

His field of vision was sure to be distorted, so Carlyn combined his sight with the sense of Winds to find his way.

The spaces between the monsters felt like an aerial view as he looked down from the sky.

Moving diagonally to the upper right, he slashed diagonally and then rolled on the ground before thrusting upward.

He targeted the relatively weaker ones. In this way, Carlyn literally found himself in the center of the group of monsters.

Monsters charging from all sides.

There was no space left on the ground to escape anymore. Carlyn stepped on the back of a struggling boar as he leaped into the air.

The jaws and front paws of the monsters flipped through the air, finding nothing.

As he landed, Carlyn thrust his sword in and rotated it clockwise. The movement, starting from his fingertips, traveled through his arm, waist, and beyond.

All the animals lined up along the blade were sliced open. While Carlyn’s skill played a part, it would have been impossible without a legendary sword.

Amidst the chaos, Carlyn created space once again and noticed the cavalry unit approaching.

Thud-thud-thud- The 200 cavalry troops arrived with the thunderous sound of hooves.

At the tail end of the monster formation that had captured Carlyn’s attention, the cavalry soldiers, brandishing their lances, made a fierce charge.

“Waaaaahhh-!”

The princess wasn’t just standing by. Having witnessed Carlyn’s unconventional feat, she had ordered the formation to advance.

Carlyn stepped aside to avoid the cavalry and caught sight of Erendil riding toward him in the distance.

It was practically the end of the battle.

• 1. TLN: Beast here means, something that turned into a monster (probably because of Flynn Powder). The author here put this word 괴인 and this 괴수. Which if translate into English has the same meaning as “monster”. I’m open to suggestions if “beast” doesn’t sound right or if you have a better word for it :)