The road from Zhuo County to Yingchuan.
Liu Bei's volunteer army had finally developed a semblance of military discipline. But it was still overflowing with human warmth and energy. Minjun's presence, in particular, was having a positive effect on the entire unit.
"Whenever I look at Lord Kang, I feel like I can keep going." "Tell me about it. There's just something strangely appealing about him...."
He was no longer merely a guest or a quartermaster. He was a counselor who listened to the soldiers' troubles and a troubleshooter who solved difficult problems. Above all, he was the unit's mood maker, bringing laughter even during exhausting marches. People were always gathering around him.
"Lord Jamyeong! Try this! My wife packed it for me, and it tastes incredible!" "Lord Kang! My kids absolutely love that squid game you taught us last time!" "Young Master Jamyeong, could you write a nice letter for me to send to the sweetheart I left back home? I hear your calligraphy is something special."
The soldiers had begun to see him as more than just a 'lucky bastard.' He was someone they could open their hearts to and rely on. His trait, Beloved by All, was doing more than simply making people like him. It was creating deep bonds between them.
"One little brother Jamyeong is holding our entire army together. He truly is a treasure from heaven."
Liu Bei watched the scene with a pleased smile.
"Lord Jamyeong may lack martial prowess, but no one can match his ability to win people's hearts. Perhaps that is the true quality of a hero."
Guan Yu, who had now become "Big Sis Yunchang" to Minjun, acknowledged his extraordinary nature as well.
"Hmph! He'd be perfect if he were any good in a fight! Still, I'll admit it! Our Jamyeong is pretty useful!"
Zhang Fei grumbled, but she made no attempt to hide her affection for Minjun. Minjun felt genuinely grateful to the three big sisters who cherished him like a little brother.
After marching for several more days, they finally drew near Yingchuan. From far away came black smoke rising into the sky and an endless chorus of shouting. There was no doubt a fierce battle with the Yellow Turbans was underway.
"Pick up the pace! We're going to support the imperial troops ahead!"
At Liu Bei's command, the unit hurried toward the battlefield. The closer they got, the horrors of war unfolded before their eyes. Burned-out homes, corpses abandoned along the road, and refugees scattering in terror.
'Ugh... This is horrible. I'm starting to feel sick.'
The stench of blood and the aura of death seeped through the Silk Robe of Eloquence, making Minjun's stomach churn. It was the weight of reality, utterly different from a game screen. Then a soldier who had gone scouting came running back, gasping for breath.
"General! We found a unit engaged with a massive Yellow Turban force up ahead! Judging by the banners... it appears to be the unit of Cavalry Commandant Cao Cao Mengde, dispatched by the imperial court!" "Cao Cao? Oh, Cao Cao Mengde!"
A sharp light flashed in Liu Bei's eyes. Cao Cao. A cunning hero of this chaotic age, a figure who would later conquer the north and lay the foundation for Wei. And in this world... she was, just as expected, an incomparable beauty and female warlord.
'Cao Cao?!'
Minjun felt his heart pounding violently. He was about to meet one of the final bosses(?) from the game in person.
'Cold, calculating, and beautiful. But she's showing up already? Well, I do meet her while putting down the Yellow Turbans in the Romance too. Still, this feels a little early. Clearly, not everything is going to play out as expected. I need to be more careful.'
Liu Bei looked at Minjun, who seemed lost in thought, and spoke.
"Jamyeong, let's hurry and go help Commandant Cao." "Yes, General."
Liu Bei immediately reorganized the troops and plunged into the battlefield to aid Cao Cao's unit. When they arrived, the situation was desperate. Cao Cao's army was on the verge of being surrounded by Yellow Turbans several times their number. Yet they moved with astonishing calm and precision, holding out with everything they had. In the eyes of every soldier was a fierce discipline and absolute trust in their commander. Guan Yu watched them and muttered in admiration.
"As expected of Cao Mengde's army... Their discipline is rock-solid."
The most striking sight of all was Cao Cao herself, riding through the battle, personally swinging her sword while encouraging and directing her soldiers. She had a small but sturdy build and wore practical black armor instead of anything ornate. Her sharp eyes shone brightly, like the morning star in the night sky. The intense charisma radiating from her entire body and her coolheaded command proved that she was none other than Cao Cao Mengde.
'Her charisma is seriously no joke.'
Even while Minjun stood in the rear, half out of his mind as he watched Cao Cao, she continued cutting down enemies while constantly assessing the battle and issuing flawless commands. Watching her, Liu Bei also made a decision.
"Yide! Yunchang!"
Liu Bei raised her twin swords overhead and shouted.
"Break through the left flank and help Commandant Cao!" "Yes, Sister!" "As you command!"
At Liu Bei's cry, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei charged into the Yellow Turban ranks like a black dragon and a crimson dragon. Zhang Fei's Serpent Spear whipped through the enemy lines like a storm, while Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade flashed like lightning, claiming the lives of enemy soldiers. Liu Bei followed behind them, swinging her twin swords.
"You treasonous bastards. I'll slaughter every last one of you."
The sudden arrival of such powerful reinforcements changed the battle in an instant. One side of the Yellow Turbans' encirclement began to collapse. Cao Cao seemed momentarily surprised as she swept her piercing gaze over the unfamiliar unit helping them. A commander in shabby clothes, yet somehow giving off an extraordinary air. Two generals displaying martial prowess that seemed to transcend human limits.
'Who are they?'
Cao Cao put the thought aside and began coordinating with Liu Bei's army to attack the Yellow Turbans from both sides.
Meanwhile, Minjun was still pacing anxiously near the supply carts in the rear.
'I can't fight, but I have to do something....'
Just then, several Yellow Turban soldiers who had been routed in battle fled toward the rear in search of a way to survive and stumbled into the area where Minjun and the supply troops were stationed. Seeing Minjun and the others, who were poorly armed and looked terrified, they decided they would be easy prey and charged.
"There! Some weak-looking bastards! Let's take whatever we can and run!" "Eek! Stay back!"
Minjun screamed and instinctively hid behind a supply cart. The supply soldiers had never properly handled spears or swords, so they panicked and milled about in confusion. At the desperate moment when the Yellow Turbans drew their blades and charged with bloodshot eyes, Minjun shouted without thinking.
"W-Wait! Everyone! Let's talk instead of fighting, okay? Who benefits if we get hurt fighting like this? You need to think about the families waiting for you back home!"
It was an utterly absurd thing to say. But in that moment, a miracle happened. The power of Beloved by All in Minjun's voice (Charisma: 100 + Silk Robe Charisma +2!) and his sincerely worried expression momentarily shook the hearts of the Yellow Turbans, who had been filled with murderous intent. As if hypnotized, they stopped in their tracks and stared blankly at Minjun.
"W-What the hell is this guy...?" "Families...?"
While the Yellow Turbans hesitated in confusion, Liu Bei's soldiers, who had belatedly realized what was happening, rushed over and subdued them in an instant. Minjun's legs gave out, and he slumped to the ground.
"Whew... I really thought I was dead.... But this actually... works?"
Just then, a clear voice came from behind him, cold yet carrying a hint of curiosity.
"Who in the world are you, to ask enemy soldiers charging at you with drawn swords to have a conversation? You are a truly peculiar man."
Minjun spun around in surprise. The battle had apparently entered a lull, and Cao Cao was looking down at him with an intrigued expression. Her armor was stained with blood and dust, but it did nothing to conceal her beauty. If anything, the heat of battle gave her an even more intense and captivating presence. Her gaze was deep and sharp, as if she meant to see straight through him, but it held something beyond simple curiosity—a strange interest and attraction he couldn't identify. Could the effect of Beloved by All be working on her, if only faintly?
Minjun hurriedly stood and bent at the waist at a ninety-degree angle.
"I-It's an honor to meet you, Commandant Cao! My name is Kang Minjun, and my Courtesy Name is Jamyeong! I'm currently serving under General Liu Bei... uh, helping with various odd jobs!"
Cao Cao looked him up and down with evident interest.
'He doesn't look like he has any combat ability at all. So what was that bizarre air that momentarily nullified the enemy soldiers' murderous intent?'
Perhaps because of the influence of Charisma 102, even the trembling Minjun appeared to Cao Cao to be introducing himself confidently without showing the slightest intimidation.
'And that attitude, introducing himself so boldly even in front of me... He's no ordinary man.'
She took note of his neatly worn clothes and the peculiar likability she sensed in his face.
"Kang Jamyeong... You don't appear to be a soldier. Why are you on this dangerous battlefield?" "Ah, well... I volunteered...."
Just as Minjun began fumbling for an answer, Liu Bei approached.
"Commandant Cao, I am Liu Bei, Xuande. I raised a volunteer force in Zhuo County. We organized this army to help, however modestly, in putting down the Yellow Turbans."
When Liu Bei greeted her properly, Cao Cao turned her attention to her.
'Oh?'
A bearing that was gentle yet unyielding. A sense of kinship from seeing another woman lead an army, just as she did. And the earth-shaking martial prowess of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who followed her and whom Cao Cao had just witnessed. Cao Cao instinctively realized that Liu Bei was no ordinary person. Although Liu Bei did not appear to hold an official rank, Cao Cao still addressed her respectfully.
"General Liu, without your help, we might have suffered a serious defeat today."
After studying Liu Bei for a moment, Cao Cao asked,
"But... is this Kang Jamyeong fellow with the strange talent your subordinate?"
Cao Cao pointed her chin at Minjun again. Liu Bei looked at Minjun proudly before answering.
"Yes, Commandant Cao. Little Brother Jamyeong is like a blood brother to me. His martial skills may not be exceptional, but he is a special talent who can win people's hearts and see through the world. We were able to raise this volunteer army largely thanks to him." "The ability to win people's hearts and see through the world...."
Cao Cao looked at Minjun with renewed interest. What kind of person was he, for someone as resolute as Liu Bei to praise him so highly? Alongside her intense curiosity about Minjun, she began to harbor a vague hope that he might somehow prove useful to her ambitions. That was the power of Beloved by All: planting positive seeds in the other person's heart.
"Hmm...."
Cao Cao fell into thought for a moment before speaking.
"General Liu, Lord Kang Jamyeong. Why don't we go to our camp, talk things over, and discuss what comes next? We have intelligence that the Yellow Turbans' main force will soon launch an all-out assault on Yingchuan Castle. I suspect we will desperately need your strength."
Cao Cao politely invited Liu Bei's group to her camp. Minjun followed behind Cao Cao, swallowing hard. The Cao Cao he had met in person—not an NPC from the game—was a dangerous woman with overwhelming charisma, sharp intelligence, and a bewitching charm that drew people in. And for some reason... Cao Cao's gaze kept landing on him. It made him uneasy, but he couldn't say he disliked it.
'Is this... some kind of huge flag being raised?'
But Minjun immediately warned himself.
'Get a grip. Cao Cao is the kind of person who'll toss me aside the moment I'm no longer useful!'
Beside him, Zhang Fei whispered in a voice still full of suspicion.
"Hmph! That woman's eyes are way too shifty! Sister Xuande, you absolutely cannot trust her!"
Guan Yu silently scrutinized the troop deployments and the condition of the soldiers in Cao Cao's camp, never letting down her guard. Liu Bei kept her gentle smile, but she stared intently at Cao Cao's retreating back, as if trying to discern her true intentions.
Liu Bei and Cao Cao, two towering figures of this chaotic age. And caught between them was the outsider Kang Jamyeong, who had to make his way through this world with his sole weapon, the trait Beloved by All! Their fateful meeting at Yingchuan heralded the enormous, unpredictable whirlpool of history that was about to unfold.
[Quest Update: Defend Yingchuan!] [New Objective: Cooperate with Cao Cao to defeat the Yellow Turbans' main force attacking the Yingchuan area.] [Cooperating Character: Cao Cao Mengde (Relationship: Curiosity, Slight Affection)]
Minjun steeled himself as he checked the new quest objective and Cao Cao's relationship status in his Status window.
'All right. I have to survive somehow... and do my part!'