The allied camp was thick with tension on the eve of the decisive battle.
The soldiers were busy sharpening their spears and blades, inspecting their armor, and making their final preparations.
Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and the generals under their command finished reviewing the final strategy and headed to their respective positions.
Inside the “safe carriage” at the rear, Minjun watched the scene through a gap in the window and swallowed hard.
“Wow... This is seriously no joke. All of them are enemies?”
Beside him was Jin Hye, courtesy name Munjeong, the overall logistics officer of Cao Cao’s army.
She was an obscure administrator who never appeared in the historical records, but she was a calm and capable female civil official. Having already heard about Minjun’s extraordinary abilities from Cao Cao, she felt considerable fondness for him.
“Lord Jamyeong, please don’t worry too much. Lord Cao has taken special care in arranging this location, so it should be safe. All you need to do is focus on stabilizing our supply units here in the rear.”
“Yes, I understand, Officer Jin. But... I want to help somehow, too....”
Jin Hye gave Minjun a gentle smile.
“You are already providing tremendous help in ways no one can see. Thanks to you, the awkwardness between our army and General Liu’s forces has disappeared, and cooperation has become smooth. The soldiers’ morale has risen noticeably as well. That alone means you are already playing a major role.”
Jin Hye’s words gave Minjun at least a little comfort.
‘That’s right. Even if I can’t pick up a sword and fight myself, I should do the best I can from where I stand. The key to this battle is how we respond to Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao’s sorcery. In the game, it was just an annoying debuff, but what will it be like here...?’
Minjun pretended to remain calm, but inside, he was wound tight.
As far as he knew, the outcome of this battle depended on how they broke that “sorcery.”
“Looks like they’re finally coming!”
At Jin Hye’s words, Minjun looked ahead. Beyond the horizon, a yellow tide had begun to surge toward them.
Along with a roar that shook the earth, the Yellow Turban rebels’ flags appeared, seeming almost large enough to cover the sky!
There appeared to be several times as many of them as there were allied troops.
Their fanatical fervor could be felt even from a distance.
“All troops, prepare for battle!”
“Hold formation and stop the enemy’s charge!”
Cao Cao and Liu Bei’s sharp commands rang across the battlefield.
The allied forces built a square formation with perfect discipline and waited for the approaching enemy.
A suffocating tension filled the air.
“Waaaaah!”
“The Yellow Heaven shall rise! The Azure Heaven is dead!”
The Yellow Turban vanguard charged like madmen.
Their eyes were filled with nothing but madness and a complete lack of fear toward death.
They rushed toward the allied camp like a massive tidal wave.
“Hold the square formation! Don’t let a single one of them through!”
Under Cao Cao’s cold, precise command, her army displayed an ironclad defense.
Countless Yellow Turban rebels fell before the wall of shields.
“Break through their right wing! Crush the enemy’s flank!”
At Liu Bei’s cry, her volunteer army began to move.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei opened a path at the front.
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade danced like a red dragon, while the Eighteen-Gadget Serpent Spear whipped around like a black storm.
Wherever they passed, the corpses of Yellow Turban rebels piled up like mountains.
Liu Bei herself swung her twin swords, encouraging her soldiers and driving into every opening.
A furious melee!
The clang of metal striking metal. The sound of flesh and bone breaking. The shouts and screams of soldiers.
The battlefield instantly turned into a living hell.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the allied forces fought bravely.
But then it happened.
From the rear of the Yellow Turban camp, ominous energy gathered as strange incantations began to echo across the field!
“By the name of the Yellow Heaven, I command you—blow, raging wind!”
“Arise, army of the Yellow Heaven!”
Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao had begun to unleash their sorcery in earnest.
Suddenly, the sky turned a dark crimson as violent gusts swept across the battlefield.
Boulders as large as houses flew in from somewhere and rained indiscriminately down upon the allied camp.
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
From the ground, skeleton soldiers and grotesque phantoms rose like fog and swarmed over the troops.
“What the hell is all this?”
Evil whispers that seemed to gnaw at the human mind endlessly circled their ears.
“Aaargh!”
“W-what is this...?”
“It’s sorcery! Demons! Run!”
The allied soldiers were swept up in unprecedented terror.
Even a veteran of a hundred battles would have struggled to maintain his sanity in the face of such bizarre, supernatural phenomena unfolding right before his eyes.
Defensive formations collapsed in places, and the soldiers began scattering with screams.
Their morale hit rock bottom in an instant.
“Get a hold of yourselves! Don’t let yourselves be deceived! Those are nothing but wicked tricks!”
“Heaven will not abandon the righteous! Take courage and fight!”
Cao Cao and Liu Bei shouted desperately as they tried to rally the soldiers, but the extreme terror that had already spread did not easily subside.
If things continued like this, the allied forces might destroy themselves. They were in a desperate, life-or-death crisis.
Watching this horrifying scene from near the rear carriage, Minjun felt the blood in his entire body turn cold.
‘Damn it... This isn’t just a game-level debuff! This is a real disaster!’
As he bit his nails, a faint memory of the game’s strategy guide flashed through his mind.
‘That’s right... Fire... It was fire and smoke! It said sorcery that used wind and illusions could be broken with fire and smoke!’
But how?
What could I do?
‘The Beloved by All trait won’t work on sorcery like that.’
Minjun anxiously looked around and spotted Jin Hye, watching the battle with a face as pale as his own.
‘That’s it. If it’s Officer Jin...!’
“Officer Jin!”
Minjun hurriedly ran toward her.
“Lord Kang! It’s dangerous right now! Hurry—”
Before Jin Hye could finish, Minjun spoke between ragged breaths.
“That sorcery! Could it possibly be the kind that creates wind... or makes people see things that aren’t there?”
Jin Hye furrowed her brow.
“It does seem that way, but... what are you suggesting we do?”
“I read about it in an old book a very long time ago....”
Minjun put on the most serious and earnest expression he could. Desperation filled his eyes.
“It said that evil sorcery and goblin tricks could be driven away by the powerful energy of fire. What if we piled up dry straw or oil in the direction that wind is coming from and set a huge fire to create as much smoke as possible...? Couldn’t it weaken these wicked winds and phantoms? I know it sounds like superstition, but... shouldn’t we try anything we can right now?”
Using an “old book” as an excuse, Minjun desperately offered up his “game knowledge.”
At first, Jin Hye looked dumbfounded. But then she recalled the fierce conviction in Minjun’s eyes, the desperate situation they were in, and the extraordinary things he had shown them before. Her resolve began to waver.
‘Lord Kang Jamyeong... Could it really be...?’
“Fire and smoke... I understand, Lord Kang! I’ll trust your word. This is the time to grasp even at a straw! I’ll report to Lord Cao immediately!”
Jin Hye summoned a messenger at once and ordered him to deliver Minjun’s proposal to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao was briefly surprised when she received the report, but she was a gambler who thrived in a crisis.
‘Kang Jamyeong... Is it you again? I have no choice but to trust that strange wisdom of yours one more time!’
“I command the entire army!”
Cao Cao’s clear cry rang through the chaotic battlefield!
“Gather every bit of dry straw and oil you can find! Calculate the direction of the wind precisely, then set fire toward the enemy camp all at once and create as much smoke as possible! Archers, prepare fire arrows and fire them indiscriminately into the air where that sorcery is being cast! Now!”
Cao Cao’s orders were carried out like lightning.
Dozens of massive fires blazed from the rear and flanks of the allied camp, illuminating the night sky.
The black smoke produced by burning even damp straw spread ominously toward the Yellow Turban camp and the air where the sorcery was being cast, covering the sky like a vast curtain.
At the same time, thousands upon thousands of fire arrows flew like rain and filled the air.
The effect was immediate. And astonishing!
“I-I can see them!”
“The phantoms... They’re disappearing!”
The boulders falling from the sky lost their force and either crashed down in the wrong places or vanished into dust in midair.
The skeleton soldiers and monstrous phantoms rising from the earth were struck by fire arrows or withered away helplessly within the thick smoke.
The evil whispers tormenting their ears also died down as if they had never existed.
“The sorcery’s been broken!”
“It worked! We won! Counterattack!”
The allied soldiers erupted in ecstatic cheers at the unbelievable sight unfolding before their eyes.
The terror vanished, replaced by burning rage and a premonition of victory.
With morale soaring toward the heavens, the allied forces rapidly re-formed their shattered ranks and launched an enraged counterattack against the Yellow Turban rebels, who were panicking and stumbling about in confusion.
“H-how can this be?! Our Yellow Heaven sorcery...!”
Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao were horrified, unable to believe that their secret weapon had been so absurdly countered.
Without sorcery as their trump card, the Yellow Turban rebels were no longer a match for the well-trained, high-morale allied forces.
Terrified, they threw down their weapons and began to flee.
Cao Cao gazed across the battlefield, now filled with smoke, flames, and roaring voices, then glanced back toward Minjun at the rear.
Her eyes held surprise, admiration, and even a hint of unease.
‘Kang Jamyeong... What in the world does that man know?’
From a distance, Liu Bei also saw the smoke rising and the tide of battle turning, and immediately sensed Minjun’s ingenuity.
Along with her relief, her heart burned with boundless pride and affection for her younger brother.
The battle ended in an overwhelming victory for the allied forces of Cao Cao and Liu Bei.
Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao barely escaped with their lives amid the chaos, but countless Yellow Turban soldiers were killed or surrendered and taken prisoner.
Yeongcheon Castle was finally freed completely from the terror of the Yellow Turban rebels.
“Long live the victors! Long live the victors!”
The people who emerged through the opened gates welcomed the allied forces as heroes, tears streaming down their faces.
As the cries of victory rang across Yeongcheon, Minjun unexpectedly rose to fame as the “prime contributor who broke the Yellow Turban rebels’ sorcery” and the “mysterious sage who possessed the wisdom of Heaven.”
“It really was just something I happened to read in an old book.”
He waved his hands and tried to make excuses, but no one believed him anymore.
His existence was already shrouded in a mysterious veil.
“Brother Jamyeong! You were truly... truly incredible! If it weren’t for you, we all would have—”
Sister Hyeondeok gripped my hand tightly, too moved to continue speaking.
“Well... yeah... We owe you our lives this time. Thanks.”
Zhang Fei openly expressed his admiration this time as well, thumping Minjun hard on the back.
“Ow.”
Minjun looked like it had hurt quite a bit.
Guan Yu silently approached Minjun and firmly placed a hand on his shoulder, her eyes filled with deep trust.
Xiahou Yuan practically clung to Minjun as she shouted,
“Lord Jamyeong! How did you even think of that? Are you seriously a genius?!”
Minjun blushed again at Xiahou Yuan’s passionate reaction.
Cao Cao approached Minjun and stared deeply into his eyes for a long while.
Then, in a quiet but powerful voice, she said,
“Lord Kang Jamyeong. You are... truly a priceless treasure. Your wisdom saved us all today, as well as the people of Yeongcheon. I, Cao Cao Mengde, will never forget this debt.”
The light in her eyes had gone beyond simple curiosity. Along with respect, they now shone with a fierce determination to win him over to her side by any means necessary.
“I, Cao Cao, am not someone who makes empty promises. You there. Bring Lord Jamyeong a gift.”
At Cao Cao’s command, a soldier brought over a bundle.
“These are writing implements made by a master craftsman. I’m sure you’ll put them to good use, Lord Jamyeong.”
[Cao Cao is impressed by your abilities and presents you with a gift!] [Item acquired: Exquisite Four Treasures of the Study Set] * Exquisite Four Treasures of the Study Set: A set of writing implements—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone—meticulously crafted by a master using the finest materials. It is said to clear the user’s mind and sharpen their thoughts, helping with wise decisions and persuasive writing. While held, Intelligence +1, Politics +1.
“Thank you, Officer Cao.”
[Main Quest ‘Defend Yeongcheon!’—Outstanding Success!] [Decisive contribution: Yellow Turban sorcery completely countered!] [Experience explosion! Level up! (Lv. 1 -> Lv. 4)] [Reputation +++++ (throughout the Central Plains), reputation acquired: ‘Kang Jamyeong, the Strategist Who Breaks Sorcery’!] [Relationship with Cao Cao Mengde and Liu Bei Xuande has entered the ‘Fated Community’ stage!] [All stats +3 bonus!] (Level 1 -> 4, total increase of 3 levels) [Achievement unlocked: The One Who Broke the Sorcery!] [Intelligence stats increased by 3! (14 -> 17)] [Politics stats increased by 1! (19 -> 20)] [Title acquired: Battlefield Strategist (Apprentice)!] * Battlefield Strategist (Apprentice): You can read the flow of battle and suggest basic strategies. Your flashes of insight may occasionally provide a clue for breaking through a crisis. Your chance of having a suggested strategy adopted during battle increases slightly. Your basic battlefield analysis ability has improved.
Along with the system messages pouring down like a storm, Minjun felt new power welling up inside his body.
‘I went up three levels at once! This is incredible. And I even got a new title.’
[Kang Minjun] Courtesy Name: Jamyeong Level: 4 (25% EXP) Leadership: 9 (+3 from level-up) Might: 6 (+3 from level-up) Intelligence: 20 (+3 quest reward, +3 level-up) => 21 (+1 item) Politics: 23 (+1 quest reward, +3 level-up) => 25 (+2 item) Charisma: 103 (+3 level-up) => 105 (+2 item) (Beloved by All)
‘Intelligence 21! Politics 25! Level 4! I even got a title promotion! This is seriously... I hit the jackpot!’
Minjun barely managed to hold back the cheer that threatened to burst out of him.
‘And my base Charisma stat went over 100? What the heck? Was there something beyond that?’
While Minjun remained puzzled, a grand feast celebrating the victory was held throughout the night in Yeongcheon Castle.
As the greatest hero and a mysterious strategist, Minjun sat beside Liu Bei and Cao Cao, receiving everyone’s praise and respect.
“We would have been helplessly defeated without Lord Jamyeong’s strategy.”
“It was just something I happened to remember from an old book. Haha.”
Thanks to the charm of his Beloved by All trait, even his pointless chatter won people over, naturally improving the mood of the feast.
Perhaps because of that, Minjun also found himself mildly(?) tormented by the blatant attention and expressions of affection from several female generals, including Xiahou Yuan.
As the feast drew to a close, Cao Cao looked at Minjun with a satisfied smile and thought,
‘Kang Jamyeong... He isn’t merely a strategist. He may be an opportunity Heaven has sent me.’
Liu Bei also looked at Minjun with a proud smile and made a vow.
‘As long as I have Brother Jamyeong with me, my great ambition will surely be fulfilled.’
The overwhelming victory at Yeongcheon brought Minjun tremendous growth, fame, and deeper bonds with those around him.
But this was by no means the end.
Rather, it was only the opening act of this vast chaotic age.
An even fiercer storm was waiting for him.