Chapter 152 – 152 – Lift Up. Today
Forest agents hid in the crowd. Long ears are hidden by pressing them down with a bandana or bandage.
Some of them think while scratching their folded ears uncomfortably. Isn’t it okay to be a little more bold?
After all, they are special warfare experts who have trained for hundreds of years, and aren’t their targets only those who are apt to be porters?
Except when you’re carrying something, you’re just an ordinary person, so shouldn’t you just run over and grab it? Is it really necessary to disguise yourself carefully?
“Wrong. There are few places where you have to be more careful about your actions than the transcontinental train and its stations.”
“Yes?”
“In fact, this place is no different from a forest of wild beasts surrounded by steel. If we cause trouble carelessly, a big guy might come out of any corner and knock us out.”
“What beast are you talking about?”
“Is there only one or two warrior parties waiting for the train?”
The young elf looked around and grumbled that he could only see poor-looking porters for traders. And when the team leader glared at him sternly, he quickly changed his words.
“Even if they saw us kidnapping a porter, wouldn’t it be difficult for them to pull out their swords just out of suspicion? If we start a fight carelessly, wouldn’t using the train be difficult?”
“On the contrary, it is said that the greatest punishment that the Transcontinental Railway Authority can inflict on passengers is to blacklist them so that they cannot ride the train. Of course, if they are not able to use the world’s largest railway, it will be difficult to make a living as an adventurer. “You will lose. However, many adventure entrepreneurs are romantics. They might go as far as to say they will retire if it means saving someone’s life.”
“I think it would be best to avoid unexpected situations where your identity might be revealed as much as possible, right?”
“Yes. Moreover, the real burden is not the porter, but the terrifying powerful people he has on his back.”
“A person in power? Ah. What person in power in the world is not a warrior but looks after a porter?”
The young elf was taken aback as his team leader stared.
“···Still, among them, there is no one as powerful as Your Majesty, is there?”
The team leader thought it would be better not to tell the truth.
This mission is crazy. No matter how great the king of Great Elan is, he cannot dare to touch the realm of dragons and tigers. Even if the opponent is the Armatam Empire, neither the Dragon Lord nor the Hanghaenggokju are people worth giving up in a battle of wits.
However, the king’s name is solemn. The best he could do was to snatch the porter who had left Hwangok without anyone noticing him as much as possible.
“Anyway, keep in mind. The process of securing him must be carried out as quietly as possible-“
Roaring soundIt rang. The careful and quiet operation seemed to have gone awry.
Perhaps it was the farthest sound from silence since the creation of this world.
The sound of steel plates being torn and rebar being torn apart. It feels like my soul is leaving my body. And even the screams that came one after another.
The two elves who were chatting while disguising themselves as travelers waiting for a train thought for a moment that they had lost their ears.
The elf agents instinctively lowered their heads and only realized the situation when the thick dust cleared.
It’s a disaster. ‘Leviathan on Earth’, one of only 20 transcontinental trains in the world, has just passed away.
The leading driver’s cabin and engine room are lying on the tracks as if their necks have been broken. It was horribly distorted as to what had exploded inside it. The long scorch marks left on the exteriors of the carriages that followed indirectly revealed how terrible the firepower of the explosion was.
And it made people have terrible imaginations. What would have happened to this station if it hadn’t arrived already exploded?
The elves were meditative for a slightly different reason than the rest of the crowd. Did you really set off that ugly bomb? What on earth happened on the train?
As if in response, a horde of eastern warriors broke down the train door and came out. The woman with her white hair in clumps shouted as if she were exasperated.
“Damn, that son of a bitch really exploded it. Injured first!”
“Jonmyeong!”
Soldiers in black uniform lined up neatly and guided passengers who were reeling from the disaster to the outside.
Those waiting for the train were scared and gathered at the edge of the platform. And the victims of the disaster were pulled onto the platform. Pretending to help with the task, the elf agents internally swallowed their frustration.
‘Shit. ‘You didn’t escape from Hwanhwagok, but you were being escorted by Hwanhwagok?’
Fortunately, the safety device worked properly and the casualties did not seem to be significant. Although some were broken or bleeding from their foreheads, no dead people were handed over to the platform. Relief began to bloom on people’s faces.
In other words, there is a high possibility that the porter in question, who may cause a diplomatic tragedy, is still alive…
“That looks like him.”
The team leader turned his head sharply at the whisper of a low-ranking brat. An androgynous-looking figure wearing a tanned and burnt skirt who resisted help and climbed onto the platform on her own.
The impression is as I heard. If you’re trying to determine that it’s a woman, the lines are thick, but if you’re trying to be sure that it’s a man, the lines are pretty.
And there is a high probability that he is a suitable porter belonging to the party. They consider their luggage like their lives and do not put down their bags even in emergency situations like this. If you’re wearing a backpack of that size in this chaos, you have no choice but to be a porter.
The team leader tightly held the anesthesia handkerchief in his arms. Even if the opponent is Hyanghyanggok or Cheonmu Shingyo, there may be a chance in a chaotic crowd…
But fate seemed determined to ruin their plan today. When another loud noise sounded, the team leader fell down and held his head.
The moment everyone on the platform screamed and lowered their posture, flames erupted from the two carriages in the front where evacuation had not yet been completed.
And, shockingly, the connection between the carriages behind it separated and it fell on its side. As the steel plate collapsed with a bang, this time there was a silence that was different from before.
Next, a murmur that no one wanted came out.
“There are still people in there.”
People near the edge of the platform focused their attention on the fallen vehicle with blank faces. It’s as they say. That soft scream coming from the fire…
Even doors that are crumpled by impact do not open. The earnest noise of pounding on the iron wall made everyone’s hearts shrivel.
Urgent gazes turn to each other. And soon, all eyes focused on those who decorated their sword sheaths beautifully. The warriors became stiff.
What are you doing? Are you planning on staying still? Aren’t you given the hero aptitude to step up in times like this?
Hey, a monster has appeared, so if you ask it to fight, of course it will take the lead. But what should I do with hundreds of tons of iron?
We are combat experts, not lifesaving experts. And if there is a second explosion, you want us to die together? We are also the head of the household, and our bodies are our assets!
What about wizards? If you have water magicians, come forward! We can’t let you die!
Magic Engineering: Put out a fire with magic? Why don’t you put out the fire by pouring oil instead?
“Damn it.”
This is no longer an operation. Someone has to take responsibility for this shitty situation.
The team leader muttered gloomily and stood up. He then returned to his original position as Commander-in-Chief of the King’s Guard.
The knight commander rushed to the panicked station employee. And to make him come to his senses, he slapped his cheek.
“This is not the time, human teacher! Golem! Isn’t there a golem at the station!”
“Woah, a cargo transport golem?”
“That’s right. At least you can lift the vehicle-“
“Well, that’s not here.”
The team leader’s complexion turned pale.
“Don’t talk nonsense. There’s a golem for times like this-“
“I sent it to the battlefield of Greater Elan. The Empire’s Special Forces asked me to carry cargo from a dangerous area…”
“···Then what about other stations? Are there any at other stations? At least get in touch with them. I’m sure there’s at least one or two golems left somewhere!”
“Captain, captain-!”
When the retired lieutenant screamed and called him, the knight commander did not care about his attitude of revealing his true identity. There was an urgency in the adjutant’s voice that signaled that something that should not have happened has happened again.
“He went into the fire!”
The knight commander didn’t ask who that guy was. Instead, he held his head and looked back at the scene of the disaster.
“···And it came out again?”
The knight commander clutched his chest and was relieved. The target was walking out again.
In the gap between the piles of steel frames protruding from the collapsed train. With four or five people skillfully stacked on top of each other.
The knight commander thought it was strange. The target suddenly seemed huge. The skirt, which would have been laughed at by any man, had its hem torn and burned, looking like a warrior’s kilt.
When he tried to return to the fire, some of the crowd, who seemed to have no intention of doing anything, suddenly stopped the porter.
Kanta Yarasmok, a 32-year-old female porter, became disillusioned with such men. She was just like that to her fools who let her go until she fell to this point.
When he expressed his desire to have a part in the high-risk, high-reward Hero party, his friends pretended to help him and dissuaded him with appropriate words. She never held out her hand when something scary happened at her party and she needed her help.
Of course, there is no use whining. Didn’t everyone stop him at first? It is not her friends’ fault that she was deprived of her salary, molested by her, and cut on her back by her hero’s sword, forcing her to retire.
The same goes for her family who lost all of their hard-earned money while gambling. There’s a reason why everyone says it’s stupid.
So Kanta hoped that that idiot would listen to what others said. If she stubbornly tries to do something good for others, she will only end up getting hurt herself.
However, the famous brat ‘Lan Bantai’ who was featured in the newspaper turned around without even listening to the sincere advice.
However, the senior porter’s sharp eyes did not miss the trembling legs as thin as tree branches.
‘I’m not shaking because I’m tired, I’m scared. Actually, you don’t want to go, do you?’
And the trembling fingertips.
‘I guess I grabbed the red-hot iron plate with my bare hands. If my tendons were damaged, I wouldn’t be able to carry out my job as a porter. ‘Foolish bitch.’
The reason I added that she was a foolish bitch was also to encourage herself. Kanta Yara Smoke gritted her teeth and glared at her floor.
She managed to get a job as a station attendant, and the scorched prints of her shoes are on the floor she cleaned in the morning. Right where her face is reflected.
There I was, cringing after being stepped on. She must have been like that child at one time.
“Damn it.”
Kanta took off his station attendant’s jacket and put it down. The hat thrown behind her happened to hit the stationmaster, who was a superior, and the errant elf knight.
“Ka, Kanta? Where are you going?”
“It’s enough that I got fired because I lost to Golem in terms of cost-effectiveness. I can’t lose to a young girl like that!”
She jumped off the edge of the platform as the stationmaster and the elf watched her with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. She then tried to follow the porter walking towards the fire.
But someone blocked his path.
Jurgen, a 28-year-old male porter, had no last name. That’s not surprising. In orphanages, there are often children who are abandoned because they are not good porters.
He was unemployed. That’s not surprising. It is a common occurrence in any trading company office to hide that you are a qualified porter and join the company, only to be discovered and ostracized.
Yesterday, he emptied his desk, unable to bear any more taunts asking, ‘Why are you in the office instead of in the field?’ Today he had a plan.
Waiting for the transcontinental train with a bundle full of gloves made at my previous job tied to my back.
And jumping in front of the train at the right time. If an article about bloody gloves appears in the newspaper, the stock price will plummet and the bastards will scream.
Even if it doesn’t, there’s nothing to lose. Because he didn’t have the strength to sustain this life any longer.
So when the train arrived at the station half-assed, he was very disappointed. It seemed like the gods were not going to allow him a place to live or even death.
But a little while ago Jurgen changed his mind. The gods might have asked him for help. It may be absurd, but he was in a position where he was absolutely needed. He stood with his back full of things that were absolutely necessary for the place.
The huge Jurgen looked into his opponent’s eyes. The female porter whose path was blocked by Jurgen’s arm was looking up at him fiercely as if asking what he was doing.
Jurgen intuitively realized that the opponent was of the same species. A porter who is poor, hungry, overcome by evil, and angry because nothing in life is going his way.
Jurgen waved his arm as if to accept it. In his hand was a heat-resistant glove made to be sold to blacksmiths.
Kanta Yara Smoke gaped his mouth and looked behind Jurgen. He was carrying a sack the size of a house, stuffed with his gloves.
As one person went and two or three followed, several others slowly followed suit and stepped forward.
These are not the heroes filled with doubt that the elf knight commander spoke of. They are the type of people who live with evil rather than hope.
Those who were persecuted by the world, kicking, rolling and even spitting on them, but those who could not let go of the weight of life due to the tenacity embedded in their bones, walked out resolutely.
Perhaps this will not give them the compensation and praise they deserve. Maybe this will become a new challenge and add a crushing weight to their spines.
Okay. Because swallowing bitterness and holding on is what they do best.
Someone came running carrying an armful of ropes and tools. Someone cleverly carried a huge water tank and sprinkled it on the bodies of their comrades.
They lift up debris to create a path, and they stick to gaps where people can escape and pull up people who are tangled at the bottom.
Someone shouted that they could no longer get it out through the window. Those who laid down the rescued people and administered first aid thought that the rescue operation was over.
It’s a shame, but they did their best. No one could blame them for not being more helpful.
But the porters thought differently. It’s not over yet.
They cannot shatter everything with their fists. Lightning cannot strike a dry sky.
Some people laugh at the question, asking why in a world where heroes exist, why are they needed in the first place? Clearly, they are not superhumans who are three to four times stronger than ordinary humans.
However, in just one event, they are no less inferior to the warriors.
They can lift heavy things.
“Push-!”
————–
The vehicle, whose flames were extinguished, returned to the track slowly, very slowly.
It was really heavy. In comparison, tearing down the door and rescuing the rest wasn’t difficult.
Now all we can do is done. The rest is up to the healers who stick to the critically ill patients like bees.
The reason most people survived was thanks to Shinkyoju Yeongrak and Garam’s ability to remove the rings from the engine room compartment and cabin compartment in time. So that the fragments of Edin, cornered by the pincer attack, explode alone.
Compared to the number of lives those two warriors saved today, the hundreds of people our porters saved by clinging to the burning metal just now are less than a handful.
But it was worth the plunge.
My whole body was tingling and my eyes were blurred with dust. While the porter who rushed to the scene poured water on my head, I sat on the wreckage of the broken train and stared blankly at the platform.
I may or may not hear a commotion. Are people clapping this way? My tinnitus is so severe that I can’t hear distant sounds very well.
I don’t know. I’m tired now. We shouldn’t keep getting caught up in big things like this over non-combatants.
“···I will kill that bastard who says he is Danar or something.”
Of course, nothing will change if I try to kill you or save you, but I will still kill you.
[Thank you to all our users.]
An announcement is heard along with a crackling noise from under the buttocks.
Apparently, the part I was sitting on was the speaker. It’s no big deal. The fragments of the broken train let out announcements like groans.
[HeroI hope you all have good luck.]
“Damn.”
———-
Same time, Dae Elan
Rough hands removed the hood. The gaunt-faced elf was taken aback by the sudden flood of light.
The moment his focus returned, what he saw were the women in question who had bombarded him with cheeky questions at the dinner party.
The moment he panicked and tried to pull his body away, he realized that his body was restrained by something. Two golems were squeezing his limbs like they were holding a chicken by the head.
Danar Numen Evennarsson was mesmerized by this absurd situation.
“Hello, motherfucker. Good night.”
Eshen Taiga grinned, shining a light into his eyeballs.
“Billena, tell your golem to lift it higher.”
“I’m willing.”
As someone manipulated the small device in the darkness of the secret room, the golem lifted its limbs as if to hang it from the ceiling.
Isilun Sunstorm blinked his eyes and muttered in a crawling voice.
“This seems crazy. Can we get behind this?”
“Is that okay?”
“I see. But it’s better to go crazy with a crazy person than to let him harm your colleagues, right?”
“Well, if you’re that worried, tell me to take responsibility for it. This Lord of Hyanghwagok will make a place for you in the east. It’s beyond the desert where even the transcontinental train can’t go, so these people who hate hot weather won’t even dare to visit.”
“Cha-am is reassuring…”
“You guys, no way.”
Danar said in a dazed voice.
“Did you kidnap me? Because I didn’t answer your questions?”
“Then what do you think? Are you just calling me here for a slumber party?”
Danar’s eyes shook with a crackling sound. Eshen hit the man on the head with the lantern and grabbed him by the hair before Gnar could even notice the blood flowing down.
Then, with an eerie smile, he repeated the question he had asked at the banquet hall. In a slightly rougher tone.
“Where did you put our hero? You bastard?”
