Since we had our team, and everyone got along just fine, we decided to move around together.

We had been introduced to all the facilities of the base, but there were still some things we needed to know.

For one, we had to know about certain protocols. For the most part, they were standard. After all, this was the military. There would be very few times when protocols deviated from what was in the book.

Still, after we had some free time, the Commander came back and gathered us together. For the next few hours after that, he went over all the necessary protocols.

Specifically, he explained what we needed to do when missions arose.

For the time being, we wouldn’t be sent out by ourselves. Each squad would be paired with another soldier from the base who would primarily be responsible for navigation and general oversight. After all, the soldiers here knew the lay of the land much better than us.

When the time came for a mission, everyone would gather in the briefing room before being assigned a task that would involve us going beyond the walls and out into the wilderness.

After our briefing, we would be given supplies for the mission. This included packs of food, water, medical supplies, and other equipment we would need.

And after gathering everything we needed, everyone would meet at the gates for final preparations before heading off.

Then after returning, there was a process of taking damage reports. Injuries, loss of equipment, expenditures, and other miscellaneous things would be logged before we could retire.

That was basically the gist. I couldn’t really bother to hear the extensive details, and it didn’t seem like the Commander cared too much about making sure we knew. After all, this wasn’t our first rodeo.

With that, the day gradually came to a close.

Missions would be assigned in cycles. This meant that different squads would go out on different days. Also, not every mission would involve killing something.

Sometimes it would be a perimeter patrol, and sometimes it would be a search and destroy mission.

If things got really exciting, then this base would be raided by a wave of beasts and we would need to help defend. But the chances of that happening were low since this base wasn’t located on the true frontlines of the war front.

This place was merely here to fill in gaps and make sure that enemies didn’t slip through. We also needed to clear anything that tried to nest and develop itself between the cracks, making sure our allies in distant lands didn’t have to worry about being attacked from the sides or back.

So there wasn’t a whole lot of action. And while there were still frequent hunting missions, they would be split between all the squads, not leaving much for any single group.

Well, I was completely fine with that. I still had yet to kill a real Scourge beast. I didn’t need to jump straight into a frontal battle. Easing my way in was preferable.

Like that, we ended our second day uneventfully. The night concluded after everyone had eaten dinner and went back to the barracks.

The next day, we were supposed to receive our first orders. A schedule would be given, and the Puppet Master had said that the Elites were going to be some of the first to deploy on real combat missions.

So I went to sleep with excited anticipation. I wasn’t all that fearful, especially since my squad was damn powerful.

……

…

“...”

I woke up at some point during the night, not to my Aerial alarm, but to a weird feeling.

I didn’t really sense anything other than a faint omen in the back of my head. My heart was also beating pretty hard, enough to send noticeable tremors through my bed.

I sat up, remaining there for several minutes.

And then, I heard it.

*WHIRRRR*

An ear piercing alarm suddenly sounded through the whole base. Feiden instantly woke, as did everyone else who had functional hearing.

His eyes widened as he looked at me.

“That’s not good.”

“No shit.”

I frowned while jumping out of bed. I had a hunch as to what was going on.

There was really only one thing that could send this entire base into high alert.

Sure enough, I heard several shouts outside the barracks.

“Enemy attack!”

“All hands to battle stations!”

I could hear a commotion outside as all the soldiers on base instantly jumped to the call, rushing out to get ready.

I decided to arm myself for battle as well, equipping my standard gear for when I would train.

The coat was the last thing to go on as Feiden and I ran out of our room with the others.

“All students, gather here!”

I heard the Puppet Master shout, catching everyone’s attention with a light that appeared over his head.

Right now, the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon. It was dark, but just light enough to see clearly.

Still, the beacon drew us to him. The girls and boys gathered as all the soldiers ran past us.

He spoke with utter seriousness.

“This is not a drill! The base is about to come under siege, and all of you are about to become important defenders! It’s time to step up! Find your squads and gather before the gates for further instructions! Elites, stay behind! Everyone else, get moving!”

With his command, a vast majority of the students ran off toward the gates.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

As for us Elites, we stuck around as he gave out more commands.

“Listen up! I want all the Warlocks to head up the walls! I will be up there and will be your commanding officer for this battle, so listen to my orders! As for the Knights, you will report to the Commander and get ready to engage in close combat! So if you haven’t already, get your damn armor on and move! Go!”

With those words, everyone turned and ran off, including the Puppet Master.

Before we got far though, he shouted again.

“John! I’m giving you full autonomy, so get into the central tower and start raining hell!”

“Yes sir!”

“Umara, go with him!”

“Understood!”

We both smiled and ran off.

During our tour of the base, we had gotten familiar with the walls. They were designed to defend against sieges like this, and there were five primary towers spread evenly along the walls that acted as defensive shooting positions for warlocks.

And in the middle was the largest central tower. It had several levels and overlooked the entire base. It was the perfect vantage point for someone like me.

Umara and I rushed up there along with dozens of other soldiers. Many of them were yelling and screaming orders, and at some point, we could hear explosions.

After some time and squeezing through people, we climbed up the staircases and got to the top of the wall. That’s when we took a second and looked over.

In the distance, we could see a dark wave of beasts surging toward us. They were a thick tide that quickly covered any visible ground.

It was a bit overwhelming, seeing that many beasts rushing toward us. I really wondered what I could do here. In situations like these, warlocks who could cast area of effect spells were the most effective.

But I knew I was still valuable. That was especially when I saw some of the much bigger beasts in that ocean of monsters.

They would no doubt be my targets. My guns did a lot of damage but only to singular targets, so they would be the best to focus on instead of just firing randomly into the crowd.

“Let’s go.”

Umara pulled me along, helping me focus.

Like that, we rose to the top of the central tower. From there, I could overlook everything.

“Who are you guys?! Where is your commanding officer?!”

Not long after we got there though, we were suddenly yelled at by a soldier.

He seemed to be someone with a high rank, a powerful warlock from my guess. But I didn’t know him and didn’t particularly care right now, so I responded succinctly.

“We’re students under the Puppet Master’s command! He’s ordered us to be here and give long range support!”

“Puppet Master… Fine! Just don’t get in the way! Otherwise I’m sending you down!”

“Understood!”

Glad that this guy wasn’t making things difficult, I moved with Umara over to an empty window.

The inside of this tower was built with warlocks in mind. So not only did it have a great vantage point, but the firing windows were large and plentiful, yet built in a way that would still protect us.

There wasn’t a single part of the battlefield that I wouldn’t be able to shoot.

Like that, we set up and got ready.

Even as the monsters approached, I could see dozens of spells being launched into the distance. All of them exploded inside the monster tide, most creating flames and disrupting their momentum.

Not only that, but there were special weapons used along the walls, cannons to be exact. Of course, these weren’t generic cannons but special ones utilizing magic.

They were built with enchantments and could launch huge balls of fire that would explode like a bomb. Of course, it couldn’t fire quickly, but they lined the walls and were operated efficiently.

Like that, holes were punched in the advancing armies. Still, they blindly charged forward.

Up above, I took out my sniper, getting into a comfortable position and looking through my scope.

I took a close look at the monsters.

And they were grotesque.

They looked like mutated abominations. Tigers with spines shooting out of their backs, bears with bone spurs jutting out of its body, lizards with irregular scales that made them seem like a bed of razors, and many other monsters I couldn’t recognize.

Of course, some looked more normal than others, but it was clear that the Scourge really was just a monstrous collection of unintelligent creatures. They thirsted for nothing but destruction and human flesh.

Some were more mutated than others, and these were the stronger creatures. Not only that, but a larger size generally meant more power, so there were many large monsters that stood a few heads above the rest.

It was clear that the Puppet Master dialed down the grotesque looks for us in training, but otherwise, they looked and operated exactly how I’d known. Otherwise, what use was his special training?

After finding the familiarity, I calmed myself and spoke.

“Umara.”

“Yes.”

“How long can you kill the sound?”

“If I focus on nothing but that spell, I can do so for several hours.”

“Could you?”

I asked, not doubting if she actually could, but if she was willing to do so.

To simply cast a single spell for several hours was no doubt boring and tedious. It might be fine for the first hour, but after that, she would end up just sitting by me and doing nothing but supporting me.

But without her spell, I would draw too much attention. It didn’t matter how much was going on. My guns were simply too loud and pulled the attention of everything within a mile. That meant this tower would be attacked and I wouldn’t be able to work.

But if nothing could hear me, then I would be a silent killer. The battle would continue as normal while I simply killed everything I laid eyes on.

I felt bad asking her for this, but thankfully, she didn’t seem to mind much.

“Sure. I’ll support you. Just do what you’re good at.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled at her, and after getting a smile in return, I turned around and focused in.

A moment later, I heard the surrounding noise turn muffled. This was the normal effect of her sound spell, especially when she confined it to a small space. After all, I was the only person she needed to muffle.

The windows in this tower were placed nicely. I was actually able to lay down and aim through some windows near the floors. These windows were meant to provide a line of fire down toward the base of the walls.

Steadying my weapon on the ground and pointing the barrel through the window, I took aim at one of the big enemies. It was several meters tall, towering over the others nearby, and making it a large but tough target.

And without empowering any of my shots, I fired.

*Zip*

My subsonic rounds produced untraceable sound as they pierced into the face of that behemoth. The massive beast had naturally tough armor that almost looked like rock, so I aimed for its only vulnerability.

Several spells had already exploded on its body harmlessly, the beast continuing to truck forward.

But as soon as the bullet landed, it recoiled in shock.

*ROAR*

It let out a pained bellow as the round scrambled its fleshy face, shattering what little armor it had around its eyes and mouth. However, it didn’t do any real damage, that much I realized.

So with that shot as the gauge, I empowered the rifle and corrected my aim just slightly.

*Zip*

*SCREE*

This time, the beast let out a scream as the bullet accurately hit its eye. Blood exploded from the wound as it thrashed around in pain.

I didn’t let up, firing more into its face with increasingly powerful shots.

And after around a dozen more bullets, the beast finally fell, crashing into its surrounding army and crushing several of its kin.

I took a long breath after that, settling myself before finding another.

As time passed, the army in the distance only grew. Even though I could see the end of it, there were still thousands of these beasts moving toward us.

And among those armies were a few dozen massive behemoths. They marched alongside the smaller ones, giving off a grave presence.

That one behemoth I killed took a good amount out of me. Empowering that many shots, especially ones that could kill a beast such as that, consumed great amounts of my Psyka. But after I had created the Spark with my cultivation in dreamland, I had gained a great amount of passive Psyka regeneration.

The Spark initially only seemed to boost my cognitive power. But Psyka was directly tied to the mind and its thoughts. This meant that, the more powerful my mind, the more powerful and plentiful my Psyka. So the Spark, which acted as an engine for my mind, afforded me greater power regeneration.

I hadn’t gotten the chance to really test it since I immediately left for this trip, but now, I would be putting it all into action.

Without much rest, I took aim and fired at another behemoth, working to bring it down.

And without realizing, I happened to be helping this base much more than I initially realized.