STATUS
Name : Maximus Callahan
Race : Human(X)
Class : None
Origin : The Progenitor(Unascended)
Rank : Seedling(None)
Grade : Seedling(None)
Titles : - MageSlayer of the Inkaros Rebels(Temporary leadership)
Chaos Seed : —-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nodes : 8,534,430,002(Effective - 10,000,000,000)
Level : 1
EXP : 5100/10,000,000,000
HP : 15/20
MP : 05/05
STR : 8
INT : 9
VIT : 5
Def : 7
Skills : None
MISSIONS
BABY protocol
Trial 1/3: Combat
Phase 1/7
(Squad size reduced from 10 to 1)
(All aiding and information tools of the system except the Status window are switched off for the duration of the trials.)
(All trials need to be completed with an X rating or an extra penalty will be dealt)
(Your path is one that influences the path of Humanity. Thus you may only use race-specific skills during the trials. All other skills are banned.)
Time Left : 5 Hours 40 minutes 12 seconds
E - Mission 000 : Survive the battle and kill 10 soldiers.(10/10)
D - Mission 001 : Kill 4 captains. (2/4)
C - Mission 002 : Kill 100 soldiers. (14/100)
B - Mission 003 : Kill an Enemy Commander. (1/1)
A - Mission 004 : Kill all 4 Enemy Commanders. (2/4)
S - Mission 005 : Kill the Enemy General. (0/1)
X- Mission 006 : Lead and win the battle of Panawan Woods(0/1)
Rewards: Promotion to Initiate Seeker.
Penalty: Rewards withheld. No healing administered. Rating is F for the Origin Evaluation
Extra Penalty: Death
The title had suddenly appeared yesterday evening as he woke up. He had passed out from the pain after blowing up the mage and had woken up next day almost at night. Ivan and other bigshots had even included him in the leadership meeting. It had no benefits and its description simply read The rebels of Inkaros respect you and see you as one of their leaders. Although it was probably necessary to be considered a ‘Leader’ for the last quest to be completed.
Max looked solemnly at the status and mission progress. 5200 XP 2000 each from two commanders, 500 each from captains, and 10 each from soldiers. It appeared that for captains and commanders, there was a multiplier of 10 for some reason. But still, it did not even make a dent in the total he required. There was one other thing that was bothering him. He had somehow managed to kill two commanders. He had never been particularly lucky in his life. So was it just beginner’s luck or something more? For some reason, it felt like this had something to do with the Chaos Seed in his Status.
The other things of note were the fact that his strength increased by two and defense by one, probably because of the last three days of hell that he had faced. To use his mana he had tried casting stuff when alone but he couldn’t. And when I say couldn’t I mean couldn’t like he could not speak the incantations. Each time he tried the system would block his throat. It appears only what he can do as a ‘human’ was allowed. That is to say, all his power was his own two hands.
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He closed the window and looked up. It was the morning of his last day here and everyone around was preparing for a final fight. After the night raid as if in tacit agreement both armies were amassing at the opposite end of a massive lake. They were near enough to see the banners but too far too shoot a bullet. There had been almost no conflict between the two parties after that, which amazingly meant that Max was more worried about his C grade mission than he was about the rest. Of course, the other missions were tougher but 100 seemed like a very big number. Can he even load his musket 100 times in the next few hours.
As the news of the dead mages spread the rebel ranks had grown to about twice the size of the enemy standing at around 1700, while the enemy only had 800. But the perfect ranks and presence of 3 mages tipped the scales in the favor of the Enforcers. After all, luck like the last two times was usually in very short supply.
Slowly the rebel ranks started forming. Max gripped his injured hand. A dull throbbing still reared its head from time to time despite all those painkiller leaves he had shoved down his throat. He looked behind him as drums started from near the main camp.
Max was standing with the first wave. He had volunteered to lead the charge. Not because of glory or anything. It was a simple fact he had come to terms with, If he wanted to finish this mission, if he wanted to survive, he needed to kill as many enforcers as possible, as soon as possible. The rebel army had 3 canons left and they had designated one to each wave, They were planning to fight in 3 waves. A big first one, a small middle one, and a finishing final one. Almost all leaders were in the last wave. Which is to say they planned to run to ‘keep the resistance alive’ if things didn’t go their way.
They had invited Max but he had refused. There was no point. The penalty was death. He could not live to fight another day. He destiny was enclosed in the next few hours.
Slowly like a behemoth rising from sleep, the rebel army started its advance in lines. The ranks weren’t perfect, the clothes weren’t uniform, and discipline was just subpar enough to make the front resemble somewhat like a line. But the power that rears its head when hundreds join forces and march towards death was palpable in the air. The rebels resembled a wild beast with low discipline, crude looks, and primitive claws that were their makeshift muskets, But lethal nonetheless.
The Enforcers marched in perfect formations in pristine uniforms that showed dust and tears if one looked closely enough. But from far, they looked like a trained hunter with measured steps and precise movements moving in for the kill.
As the two beasts neared each other a solemn shroud of silence took over the lakeside. The marching feet and enormous drums were somehow muffled in that silence. The captains started sweating. After all, it was who shot first at the correct distance in the first volley. Too soon and your vanguard will miss most shots and the enemy will charge. Too late and the enemy’s bullets would have destroyed your vanguard and you won’t be able to properly return fire.
Adrenaline raced and throats parched. Max could hear felt like he could hear his heartbeat somehow. It beat so hard that it hurt. Butt he still held. Not yet. The enemy army was only 100 meters from them. Not yet
80 not yet
60 not yet
50 not yet
40 not yet
30 “Hold!”
The beast stopped walking.
“Hold! Take Aim!” responded the enemy.
“Take aim, Fire at will!”
The phrase ‘fire at will’ is very famous and I’m sure you all have heard it many times over and you don’t find it surprising. But in reality using it after the first volley was almost insane. Fire at will generally means that the chaos has reached a point where none of our plans can take effect. So fight as hard and fast as you can and hope for the best. Being freed from strict command allows explosive manoeuvrability and response at the cost of giving up any later plans as your soldiers will be in different conditions with different amounts of ammo and equipment. If both sides do it, it then boils down to average soldier quality and quantity.
But it was the best move that Max could play. After all, he was not a general or any military man. He didn’t know how to read and navigate a battlefield. So he went with the simplest strategy of all. Their enemy was small in number. Let’s Explosively kill as many as we can so that strategies stop mattering at all.
You have killed a seedling enemy soldier. +10 XP
His gamble paid off. The rebels struck the first blow. The frontline of the enforcers was hit and more than half of them fell. “Fire!” As soon as he heard Max Ducked. In front of him was a heavy iron sheet that they were using to protect the canon behind him. He hadn’t fired it first as he wanted to save for the commanders. He started loading his musket.
Sounds of metal hitting metal echoed as screams rose. He stood back up to fire. He didn’t even have to aim much. The enemies were so many But he still tried to take out captains for his quest. The enemy was disciplined but waiting on commands, the rebels were firing at will. On net, damage dealt to both sides seemed equalish, as far as Max could tell at least.
From a bird's eye view, the soldiers were suffering. But two more volleys down the Rebels started losing the advantage. There was a good reason discipline was enforced. Firing rapidly and chaotically also tired you out. Max couldn’t know this but other veterans started noticing. And one of them decided to use the one plan of attack that requires no planning at all. “Charge!”
At first, it was just the rebels around them but slowly the whole rebel line crashed into the enforcers and a melee ensued. Max had been using one of his subordinates to load muskets for him behind the sheet on the cart to fire at twice the speed. But now he couldn’t do so as in a melee there was no visible wall of protection to the cart. He needed all hands on deck. But he had managed to fire 10 shots in the time it took for these 3 volleys.
In a melee numbers matter too much. In the chaos the more you are the more backs will be exposed to you. So both armies sent out their second waves. The enforcer's first line had been almost annihilated by the time the second wave reached. But instead of joining the melee, the running soldiers came to a stop. Annihilation meant no friend to accidentally hit when firing. So they chose to stop and fire. Meanwhile, a small number of them right behind the frontline set something to fire and hurled it over. Explosions carpeted the former melee site as blood, flesh, and intestines scattered all around. The rebels broke and started fleeing. Some had lost their muskets in the melee most had discharged them, and the enemy was too close.
Max’s squad on the cart could not move so fast and were at risk of being annihilated. So Max simply told the men to take off the sheet. He crawled back and set the wick on Fire. The enemy was still moving forward when the cart lurched and a blast blast blew up the closest enemy lines. The blast hit a bomb thrower who exploded in a bigger explosion and caused 3 explosions in his vicinity.
The retreaters had joined the second wave and had started turning around. The rebels re-raised the iron sheet to block bullets as two men loaded the canon again. “Ready” screamed the loader. “Drop!” Ordered Max while lighting the wick on fire. But before he could a fireball erupted right underneath the shield hurling them and their canon into the sky.