Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

144 – Speed Chess

 

With their equipment on, the members of Group C entered the real-combat test with tense expressions.

Their mission was to reclaim a city district attacked by monsters.

Although an armored vehicle was provided for transportation to the operation area, Luthando refused to board it.

“I’ll test the jetpack for mobility, so I’ll move separately.”

Lucas, the only civilian in Group C, tried to stop him.

“I’m sorry, but there must be a reason the Liberal Clan provided the vehicle. It might be best to refrain from acting independently.”

“I’ll handle my own business. You can take the car or run, whatever you prefer. Just don’t be too late, or I might handle everything before you get there.”

With that, Luthando used the jetpack on his back and the propulsion devices on his boots to fly across the city in an instant.

Seeing this, the other Awakener members also refused to board the armored vehicle.

“I’ll go separately too.”

“Me too.”

One Awakener member of Group C bent his knees, and blue light emanated from his shoes.

He then kicked off the ground forcefully, disappearing down the road as a streak of blue light.

Another Awakener member fired a cable from the equipment on his arm and flew into the air.

With nine out of the ten members gone, Lucas Gauthier, with his large bag on his back, was left alone near the armored vehicle.

The Liberal Clan staff member driving the armored vehicle asked Lucas, “Are you going to move separately as well?”

“No, I’ll ride in the vehicle.”

“A wise choice. Isn’t the bag heavy?”

“Thanks to the exoskeleton support I received with it, it’s not heavy at all.”

“It might still be uncomfortable to sit with it, so why not leave the equipment inside the vehicle for now?”

Following the staff member’s suggestion, Lucas placed the bag down and boarded the massive armored vehicle, which was the size of a bus, and they began moving toward the target area.

Lucas then asked the staff member in the driver’s seat.

“You mentioned it was a wise choice earlier. Was riding in the armored vehicle the correct decision?”

The driver smiled.

“Probably. Do you see the equipment loaded in the back seats?”

“Yes. I don’t know what it’s for, but there’s quite a lot of stuff back there.”

“This vehicle is not just for transportation; it serves as a base camp, supply depot, and evacuation area for the participants. So, knowing the vehicle’s location is advantageous for smooth operation.”

“An evacuation area?”

“It’s like a mobile fortress.”

Lucas didn’t ask why a mobile fortress was necessary.

He had a feeling he would understand the need for it as they approached the operation area.

As they arrived at the operation area and Lucas disembarked from the vehicle, the first thing he saw was Luthando, flying towards a building at a speed reminiscent of a meteor strike.

– BOOOOOM!!! –

Luthando, who had strengthened his entire body to resemble crocodile skin, looked more like a reptile than a human. However, the impact from the mock monsters was so powerful that even his skin, which could deflect .50 caliber sniper bullets, struggled to withstand it.

The bigger problem was that there were not just one or two of these monsters, but hundreds of them.

“Is the Liberal Clan trying to annihilate us?! With attacks that strong, we could be killed!”

Lucas shouted in panic, but the Liberal Clan staff member remained calm.

In fact, he even took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and smiled at Lucas.

“Huff… If it’s Luthando who crashed into the building earlier, he should be fine.”

“He flew like a cannonball and crashed into it!”

“The previous tests confirmed that he could withstand that level of impact.”

As if to prove the staff member’s words, Luthando, who had collided with the building wall, let out a roar and flew up.

He swung his fist at the gorilla-shaped robot that had sent him flying.

[Impact Enhancement Assist Device Activated.]

Flames burst from the gauntlets he wore, propelling his fist forward at an incredible speed.

Simultaneously, a knuckle-like component on the back of the gauntlet extended forward, launching a ‘Rocket Punch’ at full power towards the three-meter-tall mechanical beast.

– BOOOOOM!!! –

The mechanical beast’s body exploded, spewing countless mechanical parts and lubricant, as if a giant railgun projectile had pierced through it.

Other mechanical beasts clinging to the surrounding building walls screeched and charged at Luthando.

‘They said it would feel like real combat, but is this the level of ‘real combat’ the Liberal Clan is talking about?!’

Luthando felt his pride shattering.

Although he wasn’t a world-ranked fighter, he was considered one of the top strongmen in South Africa.

Even beyond South Africa, he considered himself one of the top strongmen on the African continent.

Having narrowly escaped death numerous times and successfully conquered countless gates, he had defeated an innumerable number of monsters.

However, the number and strength of the monsters prepared by the Liberal Clan for this ‘real combat test’ were unlike anything he had ever encountered in any gate he had conquered before.

It was as if they were saying that anyone who couldn’t overcome this level of danger didn’t even deserve the opportunity to enter the Awakener Academy run by the Liberal Clan.

Gritting his teeth, Luthando shouted at the swarm of monsters charging at him.

“Even if it’s training, hitting hard enough to break bones is really over the line!!!”

====

***

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“Struggling with just this level? It seems Group C might have a hard time.”

Byung-tae, who was observing Group C’s real-combat test from a private aircraft in case of emergencies, commented.

The mechanical horde pushing Luthando’s group to the brink of collapse possessed combat abilities that would be challenging for ordinary Awakener individuals to handle, but for Byung-tae and other Liberal Clan members, they were opponents they could easily annihilate alone.

What puzzled Byung-tae was precisely that.

As far as he knew, Soo-jeong had meticulously controlled every aspect of this test.

In fact, Groups A and B, conducting their tests in other areas, were not struggling like Group C.

Soo-jeong had carefully calculated the limits of each group’s abilities and deployed mock monsters at a level they could appropriately handle.

However, in Group C’s test, it seemed as if the level balancing was off, with monsters far stronger than the participants’ level being deployed, and Byung-tae found this puzzling.

“Miss Soo-jeong, didn’t you mess up the difficulty adjustment? The participants are getting overwhelmed. Should I step in?”

However, Soo-jeong’s voice over the communication suggested they observe a bit longer.

[There’s no problem with the power balance. The issue with Group C is that the team members aren’t receiving support from the key member.]

“The key member…?”

[The man near the support vehicle, watching the tablet.]

“The blond white guy with the big bag?”

[Yes.]

Soo-jeong continued.

[The key to Group C’s test lies not with the other Awakeners but with the non-Awakener man. The equipment he has can significantly enhance the party’s abilities if matched with the right talent.]

Byung-tae muttered as he looked at the man with the large, mysterious bag.

“That…??”

Even as Byung-tae muttered, the man with the bag remained focused on his tablet.

====

***

====

“At first, it was a bit unclear, but now I can see it clearly. The strategy these monsters are using resembles the Zwischenzug strategy in chess.”

“Zwischenzug?”

“Also known as the ‘in-between move,’ it’s a strategy where, instead of responding to the opponent’s immediate threat, you present a greater threat to limit their moves. For example, if the opponent is about to capture your bishop, instead of moving the bishop, you use another piece to threaten their queen, thereby protecting the bishop.”

“Why do you think that?”

“They’re playing with our team exactly like that.”

Although the overwhelming strength of some of the mock monsters overshadowed it, not all the targets were composed solely of powerful Grade 6 or higher monsters.

Just like pieces on a chessboard, a significant proportion of the mock monsters were of Grades 4 to 5.

In such situations, the strategies available to the attackers typically narrow down to two options.

Either quickly reduce the number of weaker monsters to isolate the stronger ones or prioritize dealing with the stronger monsters first, leaving only the weaker ones.

However, the monsters here seemed to read their minds. When they targeted the stronger monsters, the weaker ones swarmed and attacked. If they switched to attacking the nearby weaker monsters, the stronger ones charged in, toying with Group C’s members.

“Moreover, when it seems inevitable that one piece will be sacrificed, they always move other pieces around to exploit the gap immediately after the sacrifice, similar to the desperado tactic in chess.”

“Desperado?”

“Also known as a s*****e mission. It’s a strategy that forces you to lose one piece for every one you capture.”

“Interpreting combat with monsters through chess strategies is quite a unique perspective.”

Lucas smiled as he listened to the Liberal Clan staff member.

“It’s a bad habit of mine. But the good part is that the opponent’s moves are more predictable than you’d think. For now, I need to reorganize our formation before all my pieces are captured.”

Lucas pressed a button on the back of his glove, causing the large box mounted on the rail on his back to drop to the ground.

It then began transforming rapidly, resembling a toy that changes shape.

The equipment transformed into a large diorama-like board game table, with a 3D model of Liberty City’s buildings implemented nearby.

Lucas, seemingly uninterested in the nearby fight, sat down on one of the four chairs that unfolded around the table.

Then, as if giving a command, he shouted towards the table in front of him.

“Control Head Enhance Strategy System, ‘CHESS.’ Activate.”

[CHESS activated. Combat support system on standby in the vicinity. Available support sets are: 2 Knight sets, 2 Bishop sets, 2 Rook sets, 1 Queen set, 8 Pawn sets, and 1 King set.]

“I’ll start with 1 Knight, 2 Bishops, and 1 Rook. Assign Awakener Lucas Gauthier as the Knight, Emily Thompson as the Rook, Takahashi Yuki and Kang Ye-eun as the Bishops, and the remaining five as Pawns.”

[Command confirmed. The positions of the requested Awakeners have been identified. Deploying standby support equipment.]

At that moment, numerous doors opened across the buildings in Liberty City, and a vast number of mechanical parts were simultaneously launched.

These deployed pieces soared through the sky like rockets, heading towards their designated Awakeners.

Then, the radio chatter from teammates on the brink of being overwhelmed by the monsters began to echo from the table where Lucas was seated.

[Ahh!?! What is this?!!]

[What the heck is going on all of a sudden!?]

[Help!!! The machines are attacking me!!]

Their reactions were understandable.

In the midst of fighting bizarrely powerful mechanical beasts, suddenly having mechanical parts attach to their bodies was alarming.

Without time for a detailed explanation, Lucas urgently addressed his panicked teammates.

“Don’t be alarmed. My name is Lucas Gauthier. I’m a fellow Group C participant. The equipment that just flew to you is sent by me.”

Lucas quickly summarized his abilities. He explained that the equipment he had received was support gear that could independently operate unique performance-enhancing parts or be equipped by party members to execute specific strategies.

[So, the equipment attached to me is specialized for mobility and charging, and it’s called the ‘Knight’ support gear, right?]

[The equipment attached to me is specialized for positioning and long-range sniping, called the ‘Bishop’?]

“In a nutshell, yes.”

[So, what do you plan to do by turning us into chess pieces? From what I hear, the equipment’s operation time is only 3 minutes, and over 30 seconds have already passed. Time is still ticking.]

“That’s why I’m asking you earnestly. Please, just for 2 minutes, entrust everything to me. If you lend me your strength for just those 2 minutes, I’ll use you as chess pieces to completely dismantle the opponent’s strategy.”

[Damn it. We’re going to be annihilated at this rate anyway, so let’s do it!]

[Can you really do it? In just 2 minutes? There are still mountains of enemies left. If this attempt fails, there’s no turning back. We could all fail the test together.]

Lucas smiled at the words of Kang Ye-eun, one of the only two female Awakeners in Group C.

“Two minutes is enough.”

Then, with utmost confidence, he addressed everyone.

“My specialty is ‘speed chess,’ a type of chess where you have to defeat the opponent as quickly as possible.”

In Lucas’s mind, already in speed chess mode, the battlefield whispered that even ‘2 minutes’ was more than enough time.

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