The Importance Of A Single Stroke (3)

What Baek Da-gyeong did first after secretly moving to Tsushima was not to reveal her power and launch an attack, but to look around and decide what to destroy and how to destroy it.

‘There are quite a lot of ships at anchor. I heard they seized fishing boats and the like to use when coming to our country….’

It was truly an absurd method of transport, but the reason Japan had done this was simple.

At present, Japan had warlord factions capable of building ships, and warlord factions that were not.

Because of that, they had no choice but to operate in a way that preserved their warships as much as possible, and since simply using warships to transport troops and having them run aground would result in irreparable losses, they were protecting the ships at all costs.

And that was not all.

In some regions, lacking ships meant literal isolation, which made the importance of ships stand out all the more.

Because of that, Baek Da-gyeong was naturally able to think of a method of attack, and she was currently searching for the ships of a powerful warlord faction in Japan, one that belonged among the leading factions and harbored strong ambitions of unification.

That was because she intended to make sure that at least that faction survived and was sent back.

Rather than destroying the weakest faction, the breakthrough Baek Da-gyeong had found was to let that faction survive and return as the central force, and after examining the phrases and insignia written on some of the ships, she began excluding several areas.

After that, having identified the factions hostile to that warlord and the groups aligned with them, she did not hesitate. She pulled out the Mobile Magic Tower, set it down on the ground, and activated it, and then from the huge structure that instantly expanded, many Awakeners poured out and began launching an offensive at the ships in front of them.

It was a surprise attack carried out under cover of night, and although those inside the ships somehow tried to grasp the situation and respond, the ships were helplessly swept up in the assault, crushed and broken apart. Pointing in another direction, Baek Da-gyeong shouted.

“We have to crush all the ships in this area. Only then can we deal a decisive blow.”

At that cry, the mages of the regional Magic Tower scattered, and with Baek Da-gyeong at the forefront, some of the black mages began raising undead against the Japanese forces rushing this way, buying time.

From the beginning, the black mages had been meant to target the ships together with Baek Da-gyeong, but the operation had been slightly changed because if many Japanese troops were waiting, black mages would find it easier than ordinary mages to hold off the enemy. Now, as they fully carried out that role, the coordination between the mages destroying ships with countless spells and the black mages driving back the Japanese army with undead was shining so brilliantly that it was almost lethal.

Reports of victory rang out from all directions.

Because of the aggressive strategy of the Korean regular army, the Black Mage Association, and the Black Tower, who were facing the main Chinese force, the Chinese Communist army suffered severe losses amounting to nearly 30 percent of their total and was driven back far beyond the border as if being pushed out.

As a result, the two large fleets that had attacked while aiming at the capital and Jeolla-do were annihilated, and by capturing most of the ships they had used for the invasion, Korea was able to secure enormous gains.

And that was not all.

Because of the surprise strike extending to Tsushima, self-destructive movements broke out within Japan, and most of the Japanese forces withdrew to Tsushima and entered a reorganization phase.

But it was not all something to celebrate.

In the fighting in the North, which was close to all-out war, more than 70,000 soldiers had lost their lives in only 7 days of engagement, and there were even reports that out of some 5,000 black mages, more than 700 had either died or been gravely wounded, dealing a serious blow.

On top of that, even in the area that had held the line against Japan while defending Gyeongsang-do, more than 100,000 civilians had failed to evacuate in time and had to suffer horrific fates, and the losses among Awakeners had still not been properly tallied, with estimates alone putting the number of casualties at around 100,000.

Furthermore, an additional announcement stated that Jeolla-do too had suffered losses amounting to 10,000, which somewhat darkened the mood, but the fact that all of this damage had been inflicted in only 7 days caused most of the nation to boil over in fury.

That very short war had created enormous devastation.

But then news followed of the damage we had inflicted on the enemy.

It became known that one carrier strike group and one large fleet, including those aboard them, along with Awakeners, had suffered over 30,000 casualties, and that in the North, the total losses inflicted on the Chinese Communist army by the regular forces and black mages amounted to 1.2 million ordinary troops and 160,000 Awakener units, figures effectively presumed dead.

On top of that, more than 100,000 Japanese Awakeners had also died, and as civil war broke out within the Japanese archipelago, various warlord factions were destroyed and absorbed by stronger factions, leading to predictions that the damage would continue to grow.

The war was not over yet, but the results up to this point were such that it would not be an exaggeration to say Korea had overwhelmingly dominated, and the whole world was astonished in shock.

-Thanks to you, I was able to bring representatives of the two countries to the negotiation table. -

After hearing Kim Dae-san’s words relayed to me, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Don’t talk as if I did everything. We need to properly reckon with the sacrifices and efforts each person made.”

-I know. I only wanted to say it because the achievements you secured were the most extraordinary. -

There was only one reason Kim Dae-san was coming at me in such a low posture.

Because I had gained a power he could not control.

Up to a 7th Circle Master, somehow or other, one could still handle things according to one’s own will.

Kim Dae-san himself was also an extremely powerful Awakener, enough to be called a hero.

Among physical Awakeners, he was unquestionably one of the top three strongest, and many people trusted and followed him.

In terms of raw ability alone, he was in no way inferior even compared to a 7th Circle black mage, which meant that until now he had tried to control many things as he pleased.

But now the situation was completely different. It was no longer a war that had broken out right after the Great Cataclysm, so he could not manipulate the media to his taste, and it was ending in a way that could not even really be called a fiercer-than-expected war.

The fact that he had brought representatives of both countries to the negotiation table alone made it clear that this war would end as a war of attrition drenched in immense bloodshed.

We would give up nothing on our side, and instead, in regard to the parts where we had been invaded, we would likely obtain many concessions from both countries.

Moreover, if they did not follow his will, Kim Dae-san was the sort who would try to seize what he wanted through force. As such, the card called ‘me’ was an extremely necessary resource to him, and I was certain he had contacted me in advance to lay the groundwork for that very purpose.

“It is always the one with more regrets who ends up losing.”

-That sounds like a tone implying you already understand everything. -

“Isn’t that exactly what I am? A man who calculates.”

-Hoo, even just what I already agreed to give you would be enough to shake the country. We’re in a situation where subsidies must be provided, you know. I hope you’ll understand that giving more is difficult. -

“I’m hanging up.”

-Are you really going to be like this? -

“I have no great desire to associate with a man trying to kick away his own chance to build a better relationship.”

There was no answer for a moment. Then Kim Dae-san let out a deep sigh and spoke.

-If you help us obtain things properly in the negotiations…. I will promise 10 national-treasure-grade relics, and within 3 years, 100 trillion won in support for you personally, as well as for the Black Mage Association and the Black Tower. -

“I’m hanging up.”

This time, I really did hang up the phone.

He had been trying to get everything on absurd terms.

The very conditions Kim Dae-san had just mentioned were exactly the baseline I had intended to extract from him from the very beginning. So for any additional request, I had been thinking of doubling it, and with helping in these negotiations on top of that, tripling it.

But if he started off like this, then it was only right to make him desperate.

‘He must have been thinking of offering even more conditions from the start. He only brought that up as a basis for bargaining.’

On top of that, the fact that he was speaking while lumping in the Black Mage Association and the Black Tower was something that would require separate coordination of views.

I figured that if he secured war reparations, he would likely get dozens of times more than the terms he had offered me, so I thought he was being absurdly stingy, and Go Yu-jin, who had been listening beside me, asked with a baffled expression,

“With those terms…. the value is beyond imagination. Is it really okay to reject it like this?”

“It’s more correct to think of it as a mere pittance. You know how much compensation various organizations have received from the country over the years, don’t you?”

The Awakener Association had been promised more than 100 trillion won in support every year, and along with many conveniences, it had even obtained the authority to distribute compensation for those who had been sacrificed in war however it saw fit.

That did not mean the Awakener Association was full of corruption.

Up to now, there had been too many eyes and ears on it for it to be easily corrupt, but even that would quickly rot away with time.

“And yet the group that rendered the most brilliant service was ignored, and simply by forming an organization, we were subjected to surveillance. Moreover, the victims were not even given minimal subsidies. At best, they were only helped little by little to maintain their livelihoods with funds run through donations gathered by the Black Mage Association. Shouldn’t all of that be taken into account?”

At my saying that the excessive checks and restraint imposed on us were what had hardened my heart to this degree, Go Yu-jin seemed to agree and fell silent.

Just then the phone rang, and after confirming that the caller ID was blocked, I picked it up, only for Kim Dae-san to start talking terms right away.

-More than 100 trillion won every year, and 50 relics. That is the maximum compensation I can put on the table. Any more would be impossible. -

It seemed that quite a lot of discussion had taken place in that short time.

So I raised the point that needed to be clarified.

“They have to be national-treasure-grade relics, not just relics in general. Correct?”

-I do not care much for word games. -

“That doesn’t mean you never play them.”

-What a vicious man. Come to the negotiation table. If you do, you will get the picture you want. -

“I intend to take that picture with the mountains and rivers, and even the ten symbols of longevity, all painted into it, so make sure you support me properly.”

Kim Dae-san replied that he understood and hung up, and then I looked at Go Yu-jin and said,

“Should I really twist that old man’s insides up and open a relic exhibition hall or something?”

Go Yu-jin covered her mouth and laughed, and that smile made me feel as though my heart had eased a little.