RPG has its own set of rules. They're like level design principles for game developers.
For example: When creating maps, diversify exploration options, but place the main path on high-visibility tiles to guide player progression.
These aren't strict requirements, but rather recommendations that are generally better to follow for convenience.
And Ivan, of course, knew all of this information.
Kim Seon-woo's lifetime hobby had been leaving 5,700-character "critiques" and "advice" on various forms of content. To properly advise creators, one must have fundamental knowledge, and his advice knew no genre boundaries.
That is to say, he didn't discriminate between games, comics, or web novels. He had spent his life leaving nasty comments on every piece of content he could access.
Therefore, he possessed extensive knowledge about these types of games.
Now, let's imagine a scenario.
Here we have a novice party with average levels between 5-10.
A party with an incomprehensible composition: Warrior, Bard (with Berserker subclass), Knight (with Thief subclass), and Wizard (Mind Sorcery).
They're complete beginners who haven't even learned a proper attack skill yet. They've barely made it through tutorial content.
In this situation, what enemies should they encounter in the hunting grounds?
"It would have been nice if there were goblins or something."
Ivan watched the orc horde while pressing a button firmly.
With a thunderous crash, trees collapsed, splitting the horde in half.
The screams of orcs could be heard in the distance. Watching them from afar, Ivan once again mapped out the situation in his mind.
Orc warriors specialized in close combat are difficult opponents for beginners. With that many in number, the current party could never win.
So here's how to apply "level design" principles.
First, random encounters should be limited to fewer than 5 creatures at once, with combat : rest : movement ratios balanced at 2:3:5.
Just enough intermittent encounters to facilitate growth.
And then...
"You're too strong to be a boss for this stage."
Ivan muttered quietly, looking down at an orc who was making muffled sounds through a gag in its mouth.
The orc looked up at Ivan with tears in its eyes. Fear of the incomprehensible, fear of the unknown was visible.
Perhaps this was natural. With their small brains, orcs would struggle to understand civilization and common sense. Ivan examined the orc's eyes while smelling the cortisol mixed with its scent.
Emotional vertebrates share certain common mechanisms. When the amygdala awakens survival instincts in fear, the hypothalamus gets stimulated, triggering physical responses.
Notably, pupil dilation, increased heart rate, muscle tension, sympathetic nervous system activation causing blood vessel constriction, which leads to pallor, trembling, and cold sweats.
Meanwhile, the endocrine glands begin secreting cortisol. That's when it starts—the distinctive smell of someone gripped by fear.
The Annihilation Squad called this situation "a state conducive to honesty." Ivan placed his hand on the orc's mouth while opening a potion.
"You must have many questions."
Ivan whispered while firmly gripping the orc's head.
One can imagine what it's wondering.
How was it possible to kidnap just him secretly?
And how long had he been lying in wait here?
How did he know we would come here and waited for us?
Well, it would be curious about such things.
The answer to all those questions is simple: "Common sense judgment." And he had neither the means nor the intention to teach such common sense to this subhuman.
Therefore, as an efficient agent, what he needed to do wasn't to answer, but to ask questions.
"I too have many questions for you."
Ivan had designed this scenario with only the certainty that "raiders" would arrive. This meant that even he didn't know who the raiders were or how they had managed to penetrate so deep into the southern region of Krasilov Kingdom.
Therefore, who opened the path for them? At what level are they collaborating with demons? How many more demon strike teams are there? Are the demons now building a unified alliance, or are they still divided?
How did they predict that the "Hero Party's children" would gather in this countryside at the start of vacation? Where did they obtain that information? This is actually a very serious issue.
He hadn't yet received approval from Elizabeta Kirillovna Krasilov for this operation.
His only superior in the approval chain is Elizabeta herself, and she's not someone who would share this information with anyone else.
So how on earth did these vermin burrow into the heart of Krasilov and brazenly parade around with close-combat armaments?
Thus, the counterintelligence command is fundamentally curious.
And unlike most other "curious pranksters," the counterintelligence command had various means secured for active information gathering.
Ivan released the frightened orc's head and slowly began unpacking his equipment.
Click, clack. While taking out tools that weren't suspicious at all.
"Fortunately, we have plenty of time."
Since the students' training was scheduled to proceed very slowly.
The orc tightly closed its eyes upon hearing those words.
"St-stop. Huff... gasp... the sun is setting."
"Already? Has it gotten that late? What time is it now?"
"No one has a watch... huff... Let's just, let's rest a bit."
The party members collapsed with disheveled appearances. Elfihera hesitated while trying to spark a fire in the chilly forest air.
When darkness falls, flames are too visible. That's common sense.
Elfihera muttered with a frightened face while fidgeting with her fingers.
"I'll set up some booby traps around the campsite."
"Do you know how?"
"I figured it out after being caught in a few."
Asidis Einarsdottir staggered to her feet and disappeared into the forest. Isabelle de Etoile nodded.
Indeed, setting traps around a campsite is common sense.
"Oskar, I'll take the second watch tonight."
"I'm still fine, Miss Isabelle."
"Come on, how can you say that? Have you slept even three hours?"
"...Thank you."
Taking turns for night watch duty at camp was obviously common sense. If someone had taken difficult shifts like the second or third watch, they deserved consideration the next day.
This was basic party etiquette, so Isabelle casually put down her backpack and munched on an "energy bar."
It tasted fishy, bitter, and spicy, with an unpleasantly sweet and sticky texture that somehow still felt dry in her mouth.
It was a flavor too difficult to describe, but this was emergency food that required no cooking—field rations that could be eaten on the spot when fires couldn't be lit.
Now she understood why they had packed such things.
That madman...!!
-CRUNCH!
Isabelle unconsciously crushed the energy bar and looked up at the sky.
The sun was setting.
"What day is this now?"
"Three days... oh, five days since we entered this forest."
"This is really awful. Why hasn't the military come?"
"Well... maybe because this place is so remote that... they don't even know demons attacked here?"
Oskar de Satieon answered bitterly.
He was right. This was neither a logistics hub, nor a particularly large city, nor even a place with nearby civilian houses—just a remote mountain.
How many such mountains could there be in Krasilov? There wasn't even a military outpost in the vicinity.
That's probably why they chose this location for training, but conversely, wouldn't that make it an ideal environment for demons to infiltrate?
"How did the demons even get this far?"
"I don't know..."
"And what were they hoping to achieve by coming here?"
Isabelle's eyes were still fixed on the sky.
It was that time when the purple sunset gradually shifts closer to navy blue.
Counting the blue-tinted stars shining among them, Isabelle quietly continued.
"Oskar, what do you think? You took 'knight' classes at Tilles..."
"...Perhaps, it's us? If they're demons, they might want to eliminate the children of the Hero Party."
"How would they have known about that?"
The moment he heard Isabelle's words, Oskar felt his mind growing cold.
"Lord Yeremov, I mean, Ivan, wouldn't have disclosed that information."
"With uncle's personality, he would have split any demon's head open on sight."
"Yes, and Lord Yeremov probably holds a very high position in the counterintelligence command."
"Right. So..."
A spy within the counterintelligence command?
Or...
"What if we aren't the target?"
"Pardon?"
"Remember those orcs that attacked us? For assassins deployed on an infiltration mission, they seemed a bit too..."
"Conspicuous?"
"Indeed. How could they have painfully infiltrated all the way from distant demon territories in that state, only to try killing just the four of us? Doesn't that seem strange?"
"Miss Isabelle, our lives are probably more..."
"Valuable?"
Isabelle snorted. She silently gestured at their surroundings.
It was a gesture implying: if we're so valuable, why are we still in this state? Then, she soon turned her head with a smile.
"Even if you're right, why don't they attack all at once instead of coming in waves like this?"
"That's..."
Oskar berated himself for not having thought of such a simple idea.
It was obviously strange behavior. Assassins who had infiltrated deep into enemy territory would slowly attack their targets over several days, dispatching just two or three at a time?
Does that make any sense?
"This means these guys' target isn't us."
Isabelle turned to look at Oskar. Her eyes were glowing bright blue.
What if their goal isn't us but something bigger, more sinister?
What if we merely happened to encounter patrols while they were executing their plan?
If the demons are plotting something on this mountain...
And we and the counterintelligence agents got caught up in the situation by sheer coincidence...
And uncle has gone alone to stop the "demons' grand plan," which is why he can't rescue us now...
When her thoughts reached that point, Elfihera suddenly muttered:
"Once a seal is discovered, it will inevitably be broken soon after...?"
"What?"
"That's what Lord Yeremov said! Something about 'the common sense of seals'...!"
The entire party flinched at the mention of "common sense."
"If we've 'discovered' something... then..."
"An uncontrollable situation will break out soon?"
"It's not just us in danger. Lord Yeremov is in the same boat. Think about it. If Lord Yeremov had any leeway at all, would he have abandoned me—ah, no, us—like this?"
Even excluding the strange remark in the middle, it was a quite reasonable assumption.
Ivan isn't the type of person who would abandon the students he brought here to save his own life in such a situation.
So, the fact that Ivan hasn't appeared even after we've fought at least five fierce battles with orc combat groups...
Doesn't that mean he's in a situation where he can't appear right now...?
Having reached this conclusion, Isabelle quietly nodded.
"This time, let's rescue uncle."
"How, how can we possibly do that?"
Oskar's question was valid.
If demons have infiltrated and are conducting large-scale operations, and even Ivan, a powerful agent of the counterintelligence command, couldn't stop them...
Is that something four college students can resolve?
Perhaps it would be better to descend quickly as originally planned and call for support...
"Elfihera is right. If uncle taught us that as 'common sense,' there must have been a reason. We might not have much time."
"Those are all just assumptions, aren't they?"
"At least uncle doesn't have much time. He might even be dying right now."
Isabelle's eyes shone brightly. Anger, impatience, and worry flickered within them.
"Let's save him. Everyone here owes uncle at least one life debt, don't we?"
"..."
"Let's save uncle. And, Oskar."
"Yes?"
Isabelle, still with fiery eyes, smiled sweetly.
"Demons have appeared, and we have swords. Just like our parents did. Oskar, son of Gil Ber. Knight of Tilles. Let's wield our swords not for power, but for goodwill."
An agent listening from a distance completed his report while shedding tears, overcome with emotion.