POV Aeron

Having slain the horned rabbits, I knocked on the window and told the soldiers they were able to get out of the car.

Truthfully, the battle was easier than I expected. Shooting fireballs at them from a distance while constantly moving around using the cars as obstacles so they couldn't discover my location, I managed to kill 15 of them.

Wanting to conserve mana and spotting a fortunate find, a metal bat in the trunk of a nearby car, I decided to confront the remaining five rabbits head-on.

While a bit risky I knew I was a higher level than them and truthfully wanted to find out how much stronger I had become compared to before. In the trial, I couldn't really tell the difference as I had no base to compare myself with. But having fought the rabbits before I ever leveled up, I thought it would be a good indicator.

And I sure had improved with me bashing in the skull of the first rabbit that came after me, killing it in one hit. The others weren't as clean, and I almost got stabbed in the leg by one. But after a few hits and most of them already injured, it didn't take long before they succumbed to internal bleeding. At the end, even the baseball bat was dented.

Looking at the two military men cautiously exiting the vehicle, I couldn't help but frown, causing both men to panic and quickly exit.

The reason for my displeasure wasn't due to their slow movements or the fact that they were looking at me like I was some kind of monster, but because I hadn't leveled up even after killing twenty horned rabbits. While granted they were only level three, I thought I would get at least one level, but perhaps it wasn't enough.

Both soldiers had by now exited the vehicle, but with me thinking and them unsure if they should speak, an uncomfortable silence descended around us, until one of the men with a rugged face and a mustache decided to break it.

"Thanks for saving us, as you saw we were in quite the pickle back there.

By the way, I am Mark, and this is my comrade Jeff. We're part of the military rescue force sent for Dallas. If you don't mind us asking, what is your name? And why are you wandering around enemy territory?"

Hearing the question, my frown disappeared, returning to a blank expression. Thinking about how I should answer and seeing no good reason to lie, I decided to tell the truth, or at least part of it. "Oh, my name is Aeron, and I kind of just appeared in the sewers a few minutes ago. You see, after killing a few monsters, I was transported to this alternate dimension of sorts and had to survive a trial there for a few days before just poof appearing back here and running into you guys."

Hearing my, to be honest, nonsensical sounding story, the soldiers weren't as surprised as I thought they'd be and seemed to understand the situation as they visibly calmed down.

Seeing their response, I raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you know other people who have gone through similar situations?"

Mark appeared somewhat hesitant before responding, "Well, yes, at the base, we have three others who claimed to have experienced a similar situation. There are also rumors about a soldier vanishing during combat, even though his squad was next to him, so it's not hard to believe. Truthfully, I thought it was bullshit, but it explains how you could defeat the rabbits," Mark explained before Jeff interjected.

"But how did you save us? Although I know you guys are apparently more powerful, how did you shoot those projectiles?"

Knowing this question was likely to pop up, I answered, "Well, I got this skill from the trial, which lets me blow up things from a distance."

Both men looked surprised as Jeff asked, "Wait, so you can just conjure up some projectiles, like a wizard?"

"They're actually fireballs, but I guess so."

By now, both men were no longer apprehensive about me, recognizing that I was a regular human being and appeared to become more curious than cautious.

Seeing that the atmosphere had improved, I asked the question that had been lingering on my mind, as I gazed back at the ruined city, "So if you guys are with the military force to free Dallas, then why is the city still overrun by monsters?"

Both men looked a bit downtrodden when I mentioned it, causing Jeff to somewhat angrily respond though not to me, "Although we can't explain the exact reason as it is confidential, but let's say we had a lack of information and rushed in blind. However the problem should be resolved soon as reinforcements should be arriving shortly."

Having no idea what happened, but looking at their facial expressions, I could only guess there were a bunch of casualties in the initial assault, leading them to retreat and prepare for the next attempt.

Seeing the mood had soured, I decided to change the topic, "So you guys have a base nearby… mind if I join?"

"Of course, it's part of our orders anyway to escort any civilians back to base."

With that assurance, the soldiers realized we had been staying out in the open for a while. Jeff remarked, "The journey should be about a 2-hour trek from here, our camp is at a big golf site."

As he spoke, we set off on our way.

While walking, I asked, "So how many people are there at base?"

"Collecting data is a bit of a challenge at the moment, but there should be around a hundred thousand."

"…"

Seeing how I stopped talking a bit bewildered by the humongous number, Mark, with a downcast expression, continued.

"It might seem like a lot, but considering 10% are soldiers, and with Dallas having a population of over a million, it's actually a lot lower than you might think. Although we assume there are still a substantial number of people hiding in buildings and such, but as food runs out, those odds are only getting lower. Even at the base, food is being rationed, although for you, it might not be an issue."

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"It seems top brass has taken an interest in you guys and is giving you certain privileges."

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Looking skeptically at them, I pressed, "Should I be worried? They are not going to experiment on me, right?"

Mark brightened a bit at the question and chuckled, "Don't think so. We don't have time for that right now, maybe after Dallas is rescued."

Not sure if I should be reassured, Jeff interjected, sighing at Mark's comment, "No, I have even seen one of those people walking around camp, so it should be fine."

As he said this, we just passed a few vehicles coming to the sight of my previous battle with the bunnies, seeing the gruesome scene both soldiers looked dazed again, while they had seen the exploded corpses, seeing some of the rabbits with their heads bashed to the extent you could see brain matter and a bloody bat in the middle, reminded them that the human next to them wasn't normal.

Mark getting passed the uncomfortable feeling, spotting two of the rabbits in good condition, retrieved a capsule from a pocket in his military gear. Unfolding it, the capsule transformed into a sizable sack. He then asked me, "Do you mind if we take these two rabbits with us back to base? While we can't give you money for them right now, it would help out a lot for research, at least that's what the higher-ups are saying."

Shrugging, I agreed, having no use for them anyway, causing both men to take out a sack which they placed the rabbits in before swinging it over their shoulders. Looking around at the other bunnies, I enquired, "You don't want those?"

Mark responded, "Well, they prefer to get ones in good condition, with the hide unbroken, and we don't really want to drag corpses all the way back either. They weigh like 30 kilos each. So normally, we don't take 'em back; it also hinders our ability to respond to threats."

"And what has changed now?"

Both men looked sheepishly at me as they scratched their necks. Jeff answered, "Well, we're kind of out of bullets anyway, and you seem strong, so we thought you would protect us."

Sighing at the answer I said, "Fine, but at least give me one of your knives," Jeff complied, handing over his dagger, and we proceeded towards the base camp.

Coincidentally enough, the camp was located in the direction I would have headed originally.

During the trip, I learned a few interesting things. Apparently, the military had already found out the source of the monsters, and it were strange gate's that looked like swirling blobs of blue energy that connected this plane to another, like a small pocket dimension of sorts. This was the source all the monsters were flooding out of, and many similar gates had appeared across the country, throwing it into turmoil.

According to their knowledge, the military had already secured 5 big cities and through their endeavours figured out that to halt the flow of monsters, one needed to travel inside the gate and exterminate a gatekeeper that protected it.

Afterward, the dungeon would cease flooding out monsters. They also noticed that monsters coming from these gates tended to stay nearby, which was why Mark and Jeff weren't concerned about monsters going outside of the city.

This was the extent of the information they knew about gates, or at least what they were allowed to tell me. But another piece of news that intrigued me was that although those monsters were alien to Earth, apparently wildlife had also begun transforming, with some animals becoming bigger and mutating.

Unlike the monsters pouring out of gates, these creatures didn't attack humans and weren't significantly stronger. Still, they advised caution, which was why I hadn't had the chance to look at my status and review the class I had received, opting instead to remain vigilant.

After a two-hour uneventful walk, standing on a hill, I could make out long rows of metal fences securing a wide area, along with soldiers patrolling them.

From where I stood, I could see inside the camp, hundreds of tents and people covering and scurrying about green hills, which were previously a golf course.

Returning the dagger to Jeff as I no longer needed it, Jeff and Mark brought me to one of the entrance points, telling me to wait a moment as they said something to the soldiers standing guard.

Before long, a few more soldiers gathered, to which they handed over the rabbit corpses and returned with a young soldier I didn't know, as Jeff told me, "Aeron, this soldier here will escort you to your lodging so you can settle in.

We would have done it but have to give our reconnaissance report to the higher-ups, and by the way will be sure to tell them of your contributions, which should probably give you some extra benefits. And as a heads up, brass would likely want to meet you pretty soon."

"Alright, thanks, I guess?"

Hearing my response, Mark answered determinedly, "No, we should be the ones thanking you; you saved us, and nothing we do could repay that."

After saying his piece, Mark and Jeff turned around, with Jeff saying, "See you around, kid," before they left.

Standing alone with the unknown soldier, before I could speak, he uttered in a formal tone, "Please follow me, sir."

Nodding, I followed him as we began walking through the campsite. First, we passed a myriad of small and large tents that seemed to be used exclusively by the military, as I could only see men in gear exiting and resting in the area.

After walking for ten minutes, we transitioned into the civilian sector. Here countless small tents that everyone seemed to use dotted the landscape, each being occupied by two or more people.

A few distinct tents did stand out, designated for specific purposes like dispensing relief supplies, medicine, water, or food. Behind them were long rows of people, but what was a common theme among the place was the undercurrent of dread and anxiety marking people's faces or at least the adults, as even in such a place, I could see children playing around, one kid caught up in a game of tag even almost bumped into me.

Seeing the scene, it reminded me of Lily, which prompted me to ask the soldier who was still leading me deeper into the camp, "Would it be possible to find someone around the camp? We kind of split up during the second day of Armageddon?"

Furrowing his brows, the soldier responded cautiously, "Currently, we haven't managed to register everyone's names. But If you provide a name, I can check the database. However, it will only indicate whether the person is at the base, not where in the base. So what's the person's name?"

"Lily"

"Last name?"

"…." I drew a blank, realizing I had no idea what it was. Seeing that I had no idea, the soldier said, "Well, if you don't know her last name, it's going to be a bit difficult, as there are likely multiple Lilys at the base, so it's not going to tell you much even if I look it up."

"Alright, I'll just look around the camp later then."

The soldier, understanding the challenge, offered a sincere, "Good luck", knowing that it would likely be impossible with the sheer amount of people in the camp. Even now we had only traveled a small section.

As we walked further, I could eventually spot a luxurious building that was likely the country club of the golf course. The building maintained an air of pristine orderliness, and the surrounding area, was conspicuously free of tents. As I neared, I could sense the gazes of people outside staring at me, although most were simply out of curiosity, some of them hid envy.

Entering through the doors, I encountered several officers of probably a higher rank, lounging and discussing. Walking past them, I was brought to the east wing.

The air here was eerily silent, the surroundings appearing desolate. Amidst the quietude, I encountered a random old man strolling in our direction, greeting us with a warm smile.

Continuing on, I was guided into a room that served a dual purpose, having been transformed from a conference room into a dormitory. Ten militaristic beds were meticulously spaced within.

"You can choose one of these beds, sir, although two of them are occupied," informed the guide.

Curious, I inquired, "Oh, so I have roommates. Did they also experience the trial?"

"I believe so, sir."

Nodding, I understood what was happening here as they seemed to be gathering us up together. There were many potential reasons, such as public safety, limiting information, control, surveillance, or maybe to make us feel more comfortable although I highly doubted it but for now, I saw no reason to not comply, the allure of the bed too tantalizing to resist

"If that's everything, then I will take my leave, sir."

"One question before you go, do you know if there is a shower nearby? And some new clothes?"

It was obvious why I asked the question as I was still wearing my torn and blood stained clothes.

"At the end of the hall, there should be a shower. As for clothes, I'll send someone to bring you a new pair."

"Alright."

"Then I shall leave now, sir."

Having no more questions and surprised at the borderline hotel level hospitality the soldier showed, I nodded, causing the soldier to turn around and leave, as I stood alone in the room.

Although I at first didn't notice, the fact that he was calling me sir was pretty strange, especially since he was older than me. But dismissing it as common military lingo, I didn't linger on it as I chose an unoccupied bed in the corner of the room.