Leo remained blissfully ignorant about the strange creature eyeing him.

He gave up on keeping an eye on the forest. The commander stationed their squad so far back it would be a miracle if they saw any action. Shifting his focus to his weapon, he admired the 'sniper'. It was a recent invention, created by the combined efforts of alchemists and engineers.

With the ability to hit targets 800 yards (0.73 km) away, it had the highest recorded range out of any personal weapon. Though it was nowhere near the enchanted weapons, it was better than nothing.

The communication rune lit up, bringing Caleb's voice. "Status?"

"The morning mist hasn't cleared, making it quite chilly. A warm blanket and a bowl of hot soup would be good. By the way, I am currently observing a beautiful pink flower blooming beside me," Ella babbled

" Why are you telling me all this?" Caleb asked in a dumbfounded voice.

"What else am I supposed to say when you keep asking me the same question every ten minutes? You were angry at the commander for assigning us to this area and stormed off, bringing us to the forest at the crack of dawn. I missed sleep, a warm bowl of oatmeal, and sitting still in the cold is turning me into an ice statue," Ella lamented, causing the others to start grumbling.

The mention of oatmeal made Leo's stomach rumble.

"If our job is important, I wouldn't have minded. But the only thing we do is keep an eye on the edge of the forest, and your genius self had the amazing idea of using snipers as lookouts."

"Of course," Caleb said in a proud voice. "I got it —"

"In a dense forest!" Ella added, shutting him up. "Apart from allowing me to get a closer look at the branches and leaves, it only hinders my vision. Someone can walk right past me, and I won't notice anything. Also, I don't think I can sit still any longer. My limbs are freezing, and the bark is biting into my ass."

Leo blushed when he heard her mention the word ass.

Ella was the other sniper in the squad. During training, she ranked first while Leo ranked third. She always rubbed it in his face. Given his personality, Leo didn't expect her jokes to bother him, but for some reason, they did.

Unlike his other squad members, Leo wasn't muscular. With his black hair and eyes, he had the typical look of someone born in the Heleon Theocracy. He wasn't good-looking, but he wasn't bad either. Apart from his talent in training, he was mediocre in every other aspect.

He ended up in Caleb's squad when the Brofot family recruited some of the best talents in the Nobur region and put them under Caleb's command. It was a common practice used by many families.

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The army allowed the practice as the Theocracy couldn't afford to fund every gifted individual. Using the powerful and influential families to raise skilled people meant the nation as a whole got more talents.

After joining the team, he discovered Caleb didn't have a high and mighty attitude. Everyone grew familiar with each other and became friends. That was the reason Ella complained without fear. Otherwise, her attitude was unthinkable.

"Everything clear on my side." Leo found it difficult to be as open as Ella, so he went with the protocol.

He heard a bunch of groans coming from the rune.

"If you aren't complaining, Caleb will consider us to be petty," Ella complained.

"Yeah. His decisions are based on his mood. If we don't protest, he will keep doing the same thing," Pearl said, supporting Ella.

Their voices were interrupted by an explosion. It was so loud the sound nearly broke his eardrums.

"What was that?" Caleb asked. "Anyone see anything?"

A purple light was pulsing in the distance, but the forest hid the source.

"It's not far from me," Leo said. "Let me go ahead and check it."

"Okay, but be careful."

He acknowledged the command. A weird sense of aversion and dread assaulted him as he got closer. His heart pounded within his chest, and his mind screamed for him to retreat. Tamping down his fear, he cautiously moved ahead.

A smoky substance in the shape of a squiggly circle twisted in the air. The center displayed a barren land visible due to a pulsing red light.

When he understood what he was looking at, he could no longer hold back his dread. "May the divine lady protect us!"

"What is it?" Caleb asked. "What do you see?"

**********

Cloneeye examined the soldier peering through the metallic weapon. "It's not him."

It retched, trying to get rid of the smells assaulting its nose. Everything about the world disgusted it. The sickly sweet smell, feel of the bark, bright green surroundings; it had the urge to destroy everything.

Beings born on Onterrath felt an aversion towards the Rift. Similarly, the corrupted were disgusted by anything to do with Onterrath.

The only difference was in the reaction. People preferred to run while the corrupted chose to destroy.

Reining in the destructive impulses, it looked around, discovering the remaining members of the unit. The trees did not prove to be any hindrance to its eyes, "It's not coming from them either."

The situation made no sense. Infiltrating deep into the enemy territory was dangerous. In case it was discovered, escaping would be impossible.

Despite the risks, the Rift energies originating in the area attracted it.

The overlord put a lot of effort and resources into the plan, and it was right on the cusp of success. Adding another party to the mix would complicate matters.

It patiently waited for the situation to unfold. When the explosion happened, it did not rush towards the disturbance.

Using its innate ability, it could see the unfolding event without moving. That made it into one of the best scouts and was also the reason the overlord entrusted it with the mission.

Noticing the portal, it cursed.

**********

"It's a Rift portal," Leo said with a shaky voice.

There was a moment of brief silence before everyone started shouting. Their voices overlapped, making it sound gibberish.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" Caleb bellowed. "Leo, Try to see if there is any movement within the portal. Don't get too close. I am going to inform the camp about the new development."

Leo fumbled with the gun, nearly dropping it in his nervousness, and surveyed the portal.

To his horror, he saw movement on the other side.