Arrangements For Those Left Behind (2)

Meanwhile, Jung Il-sung began full-scale security measures.

He had already exchanged greetings with the four members of Special One Guard he was contracted with.

As they exchanged brief introductions, two of the four female bodyguards recognized Jung Il-sung. And they made a fuss.

Up until then, he had struggled to adapt to the female bodyguards who still used military speech and maintained a rigid posture, but that day he confirmed for the first time that they were all women.

Anyway, when the sharp-featured female bodyguards squealed and expressed their admiration in high-pitched tones, Jung Il-sung puffed out his chest in front of me for the first time.

‘So what?!’

I wasn’t envious at all. The love or interest from those stiff and wooden women was really, truly, 200% not enviable at all.

After a simple introduction with the Special One Guard’s bodyguards, Jung Il-sung recruited three additional members. They were juniors who were the only ones who helped him when his daughter Joo-ah was sick and he was struggling.

When I received a separate investigation report on the three people, I was surprised in various ways.

First, they were in no position to help others.

All three had different discharge times but had recently left the military, and were living by bouncing between various jobs even after discharge. Naturally, their earnings were unsatisfactory.

Next was their specialties and abilities during military service.

I had heard from Jung Il-sung, but although they weren’t superior to him, they were already individuals with remarkable abilities. Especially one was an explosives expert.

Lastly, each of them had a family.

In other words, they had wives and children. They were in a tight spot. Those who had to leave the military without completing their tenure. And the families they had to support.

Nevertheless, those who couldn’t ignore their esteemed senior in distress, who might be considered foolish by today’s standards.

Among the many vacant houses in the residential complex, we arranged to contract and move into a house close by.

Mina and Jung Il-sung, the father with his daughter, planned to stay in the current house, and we acquired two additional nearby two-story houses.

An unbelievable salary was promised. The reactions of the three people who received an even more unbelievable house were varied.

Some were simply grateful, some pledged to work hard, and some worriedly asked if their job would involve killing people.

And the bewildered expressions when they learned their job was to guard a family and a 17-year-old girl.

After hearing the full story, they somewhat understood and promised to do their best, calling me their benefactor.

However, separate from the issue of hiring bodyguards, I taught Mina a martial art. It was called Carsona Jujitsu.

In the ‘Battlefield of Gods,’ the Rebound Legion I belonged to had many eccentrics.

Among them was a half-ogre who joined midway, a massive creature as expected, who was obsessed with jujitsu.

Among the various martial arts he learned, Carsona Jujitsu was suitable for women to learn.

The reason he made me learn this martial art was absurd; he felt sorry for me, always being scolded and beaten by Hyo-ju.

Mistakenly thinking I was a magical type agent at the time, he forced me to learn this martial art.

“The moment you learn this, you’ll be able to counterattack! Plus, it’s not like other deadly skills; it’s a martial art focused on subduing! If you succeed, even that sharp-voiced woman won’t dare mess with you!”

The martial art I was forced to learn under such grand promises was Carsona Jujitsu.

It was easy to learn and helped with flexibility, so I picked it up without any extra comments.

“But didn’t that guy even consider why I was perfectly fine after getting beaten up by Lee Hyo-ju?”

“Huh? What did you say, oppa?”

“Nothing. You’re doing well. Spread your legs more there.”

Carsona Jujitsu was useful for loosening stiff bodies and developing flexibility, so it was undoubtedly challenging for Mina, who had been bedridden for a long time.

Yet, Mina kept smiling broadly and did her best.

Even as sweat beaded on her forehead and dripped down her chin to the floor, she kept laughing, seemingly enjoying herself.

Mina didn’t lose her ‘hehe’ smile while I corrected her posture or praised her as she learned Carsona Jujitsu.

After finishing basic routines similar to yoga, we concluded the martial arts training with simple hand drills like judo’s grip techniques.

“Hing! I didn’t win even once today!”

“You did well. Really.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You have talent.”

Her face brightened up again with my compliment, and she smiled broadly.

In truth, she did have talent. If it weren’t for my inhuman stats, anyone with similar physical conditions would be thrown to the floor by Mina.

Mina’s schedule consisted of playful training with me in the morning and special tutoring from a teacher in the afternoon.

In about three years, Mina would be old enough to be considered an adult. Therefore, she was educated on the things that adults should fundamentally know.

It wasn’t about forcing her to study unnecessary subjects like national language, English, and math.

It was knowledge necessary for living. This included basic economic common sense and providing Mina, who was ignorant of crime, with at least some safety measures.

Moreover, since Earth is full of cunning and bad people, extra care was taken to educate her in those areas, and as evening came, the day would come to an end.

When told that I would be away for about three years for work, Mina initially made a fuss, crying and begging not to be abandoned.

However, I couldn’t take Mina to that muddy place, so I had to calmly explain and reassure her.

Mina gradually became healthier. On top of that, Joo-ah also recovered beyond her original health.

As a result, cooking became quite a task, so we needed to hire someone. The wives of the three bodyguards who joined later heard about it and decided to take turns helping out.

As Mina recovered and learned about the world, time passed.

In the meantime, I completed a total of nine Dives, and then there was less than a week left until the day I would enter the battlefield.

The remaining week was spent traveling with Mina, Joo-ah, and the families who started living together in the neighborhood.

We rented a camper van, traveled around, took many photos, and tried new foods.

Mina, perhaps because she had been sick from such a young age, cheered at the sight of the sea she couldn’t remember and was amazed at poking fresh sashimi with chopsticks.

In a place where green tea spreads like the sea, riding a small boat for the first time, Mina, who was experiencing almost everything for the first time, spent each day with endless laughter.

Listening to Mina’s unadorned, carefree laughter that burst like sunlight, we spent the remaining six days and returned to Yangpyeong region.

If I, as a Fons, die in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods,’ Mina and Joo-ah might suffer again. It was said that if I died, my causality would also vanish.

But there’s nothing that can be done about that. The path I must take is too distant to think that far ahead.

I can only do my best at every moment. As much as I possibly can.

After the tearful farewell with Mina, I was quietly looking at the contract in a hotel in Seoul, waiting for the time to come.

The time on the contract, which appeared to be made of paper, was steadily moving towards zero, and the number representing the time just turned to zero.

With less than an hour remaining. I take a deep breath and exhale even deeper.

As if trying to expel my tangled feelings.

‘Status, Skills.’

Preparations for Mina were complete, and I’d found even better skills than I planned.

Looking out the hotel window at the bustling morning scene of Earth, which I may never see again.

The hazy view of Seoul’s murky air and the sight of people hurrying along felt nostalgic.

Now, to face the harsh reality of the upcoming ‘Battlefield of the Gods’, I lightly stretched in place while waiting.

Changing clothes with the equipment gathered from roaming the game, the distinctive message of the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ loomed large before my eyes.

There weren’t any flashy effects. As before, it was just as if I had blinked, and the spacious hotel room surroundings changed in an instant.

A heavy pressure of divine power weighed on my shoulders, yet it wasn’t unpleasant.

Enormous trees that seemed out of place. And the rough aura of life felt in the air. It was truly a completely different place.

The starting point of the ‘Battlefield of the Gods,’ Monster Belt.

I took a deep breath in and exhaled. The clean and refreshing energy filled and left my body.

“Whew… Damn, this is too good!!”