The ride through the forest was uneventful. I caught glimpses of corrupted creatures in the form of husks, but those I spotted were either too far away or left behind as I sped past in the vehicle, too fast for them to even register my presence. That was about the great thing about this forest anyway. Other than that, it was the truest definition of boredom and boredness.

From David's description, I had braced myself for the possibility of taking a bullet or two. However, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Perhaps because this was a starter area, the likelihood of encountering hostiles was minimal from the outset.

Alright, just 900 meters to go.

The 4x4 handled the muddy terrain with ease, thanks to its raw power and the off-road wheels gripping and tearing through the ground effortlessly. Eventually, I reached the military checkpoint. It was far from boring, as the first clang hit the cabin of my pickup truck.

The checkpoint stood at the forest's edge, a chaotic assembly of Hesco barriers and military vehicles forming a blockade against whatever lay within. There was also the presence of burning military vehicles, suggesting the armaments that the husks carried.

Gunshots blazed from every direction as the military took cover behind Hesco barriers and sandbags. A number of injured soldiers were holding back their pain, strangely—or perhaps not so strangely—considering that the pain I felt was nothing more than a series of faint tickles by comparison. I already knew what was going on, husks.

“What the fuck are you doing? Get into the cover! We’re about to be overrun!” A soldier shouted.

I maneuvered my car behind one of the barriers, grabbed my rifle, and dashed toward the soldier. Despite the chaos, he managed to keep his cool, firing steadily at the incoming husks emerging from the grassland. They moved like zombies—zombies that could shoot back, that is.

“I don’t know who you are, but I think your timing is impeccable,” the soldier replied, reloading his 416 assault rifle before shooting back at the incoming husks.

“Name’s Ain, I’m your backup, what can I do?”

The soldier then gave me a quick gaze.

“A healer, huh?” The soldier glanced at me briefly before returning fire. “I’m Oscar. Look, I don’t have time to explain, but I could sure use an extra pair of hands here.” He gestured toward a group of injured soldiers huddled behind cover. “You’re a contractor, right? You sure as hell don’t feel pain like we do. Can you patch them up and get them back into the fight?”

The soldiers were hastily patched up with bandages, some still bleeding from head wounds. Bullet wounds dotted their bodies. It was clear they weren’t in any condition to keep fighting effectively. Many weapon emplacements around the checkpoint had been abandoned, likely due to a lack of personnel. In fact, only three soldiers seemed to be actively holding their ground—and one of them was somehow managing to fire two machine guns at once.

“I’ll manage.” I nodded.

“Awesome. Now go—just keep an eye on your… health bar, should I say?” Oscar quipped with a faint smirk, even amidst the chaos.

The checkpoint's Hesco barriers were scattered and divided into three segments. The soldiers in the first two segments were busy tending to their wounds, some struggling to stay conscious, while the soldiers in the rear were desperately holding off the relentless assault of the husks. Gunfire and screams filled the air as the situation grew more dire.

I sprinted to the injured soldiers in the middle segment, raising my hand and focusing on the spell on top of one of the soldier’s wounds. A warm, radiant light emanated from my palms, enveloping them in its glow. His wound began to mend.

“Thanks, healer,” he said. He then slowly moved his hand and picked up his assault rifle to continue shooting back at the husk.

"Hang in there," I shouted as I moved from one soldier to the next.

As I moved between the segments, a sudden blur of motion caught my eye—a husk had broken through the first line of defense. It dashed past the scattered Hesco barriers and leaped straight into my path, landing mere feet in front of me.

My instincts took over. I drew my pistol in a flash and fired. The first two shots slammed into its torso, staggering it slightly, but it wasn’t enough to stop it. Without hesitation, I aimed higher and pulled the trigger again. The bullet landed on its head, killing it instantly.

I then noticed what the husk was carrying on his back, a broken and empty RPG tube, no wonder the vehicle behind me was a burning mess. That thing would shred through its armor easily.

With the distraction dealt with, I resumed healing the soldiers. Moving quickly from one to the next, I placed my hand over their wounds. As if by instinct, the magic flowed—wounds closed, the bleeding stopped, and strength returned to their bodies. It was that simple.

I didn’t fully understand how it worked, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that each healed soldier picked up their weapon and rejoined the fight, bringing us closer to holding the line. The sight of them operating the weapon placements again was a sight that I preferred over them screaming in pain on the ground.

The tide began to turn as the husks were methodically pushed back into the grassland. The soldiers fought with renewed vigor, their defensive line slowly but steadily advancing. Still, I knew it would take more than healing four soldiers to secure the checkpoint. Determined, I moved toward the first segment of the Hesco barrier, scanning for any remaining soldiers.

At the front line, I spotted three soldiers, one of whom was grappling with a husk. The creature was trying to drive a crude blade into him, and the soldier was barely holding it off. Without hesitation, I raised my G36, took aim at the husk’s head, and fired. The shot landed perfectly, and the husk collapsed instantly, its lifeless body falling onto the soldier.

“Who are you?” the soldier asked, still catching his breath.

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“I’m your backup,” I replied, extending a hand to help him to his feet.

“Thanks,” he said, dusting himself off. “A healer, huh? Are you one of those wandering ones?”

I shrugged, a faint smirk crossing my face. “Maybe.”

A sharp whistle cut through the air, and I felt a stinging prick as a bullet grazed just past my ear. I whipped my head toward the grassland, my breath catching as I saw them—an overwhelming tide of husks pouring out from the tall grass, with their rifles aimed toward us.

“Oh boy, that’s a lot of them,” I commented.

“Handle the others, I can handle the husks,” the soldier added.

“Sure thing, boss,” I replied, a hint of excitement in my voice.

I dashed toward the remaining two soldiers, assessing their conditions as quickly as I could. A glance at my psionic bar made my stomach sink—it was dangerously low, barely enough for one more heal. Judging by how severely wounded these soldiers were, there was a good chance I’d run out of psionic energy before I could finish healing even one of them.

Well… I could always sacrifice my own health. What could possibly go wrong? I shook off the hesitation and knelt beside the more critical soldier.

Her condition was grim—her abdomen was riddled with gunshot wounds, blood soaking through her uniform, and her breathing so faint it was barely audible. Shrapnel was lodged dangerously close to her vital organs, glinting under the harsh light. Honestly, it was a miracle she was still alive.

“Fucking husks with RPGs,” she rasped, her voice weak but laced with bitterness. “I shouldn’t have stayed on the damn turret.”

“Save your strength,” I said, placing my hand over her wounds. As the familiar warmth of the healing spell surged through her body, I braced myself for the toll it would take.

This time, the pain was... real. It hit me like a freight train, blossoming in my chest as the spell drained me. It was as though my body was actively pulling the agony from the woman’s shattered form into my own. A soft heart attack—that’s the only way I could describe it.

Relief washed over her face, and I staggered back, clutching my chest, my heart still hammering from the strain. "You’re good now," I muttered.

“Do you have IFAK?” She asked.

“Yeah, why?” I asked her back.

“I can handle Jacob, can you help hold on to the other husks?” She asked me again.

I handed the woman a first-aid kit from my inventory, my hands still trembling from the lingering pain. She gave me a faint nod of thanks before crawling over to the remaining soldier. I watched as she pulled out a strange vial from her gear, injecting its glowing solution directly into the man’s arm.

The effects were almost immediate—the bleeding slowed, then stopped entirely. However, the man was still far from stable. His body jerked and writhed as he fought against the intense pain, his eyes fluttering open and shut.

“Trixanemac Sorbutal,” she replied through gritted teeth, her hands steady as she adjusted the man’s position. “Works fast but... yeah, it hurts like hell.”

I’d never heard of that medicine before, but then again, this was another world, and it seemed like anything was possible here. Shaking off my curiosity, I shifted my focus to the grassland ahead.

Raising my MRAD sniper rifle, I quickly deployed its bipod on the nearest surface for stability. Machine guns and grenade launchers roared, their deafening cadence carving through the approaching horde. The ground trembled under the barrage as I scanned the field, searching for high-priority targets.

Every target was fair game. Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger of my bolt-action rifle. The shot thundered through the air, the recoil pressing into my shoulder as the bullet tore through the distance. It hit its mark with brutal precision, ripping a gaping hole through the husk’s torso. The creature crumpled to the ground instantly, lifeless.

I couldn’t deny the grim satisfaction of watching the spectacle. With practiced ease, I pulled the bolt back, ejecting the spent casing with a metallic clang, and chambered the next round. My scope quickly found another target—another husk closing in with alarming speed. I pulled the trigger again, and It exploded its leg, then, a 40mm grenade landed right next to it, exploding it into multiple small pieces.

“Hey, healer, if you don’t mind, try to target anyone holding something explosive, if you get what I mean,” Oscar shouted from behind.

“Roger that, Oscar,” I shouted back.

My scope swept over the chaotic grassland, where the grotesque forms of the attackers surged forward. Among them, I spotted one with an RPG slung over its back. Lining up the shot, I steadied my breath and squeezed the trigger. The rifle barked, and the bullet struck true. The RPG touched the ground, and it somehow exploded, killing the husks surrounding it.

“Nice one, healer!” Oscar shouted.

My scope caught another threat—this one lugging what looked like a jury-rigged satchel charge. I fired, hitting the husk square in the chest. It stumbled, dropping the explosive, and the resulting blast took out another cluster of enemies.

"Keep it up, Ain!" Oscar’s voice cut through the noise of the clang clang and thump thump of the weapons nearby.

Suddenly, my scope locked onto a hulking figure pushing through the horde—a brute-like husk wielding an enormous ballistic shield, a heavy machine gun gripped in its other hand, and clad in what looked like a bomb suit. My heart sank for a moment.

A juggernaut. Just great.

"Oscar! We’ve got a big one!" I shouted, my voice rising above the chaos.

"I see it!" he yelled back, immediately shifting his fire. "We’ll cover you! Take it out before it gets too close!"

Acknowledging his command, I steadied myself, my rifle trained on the monstrosity. My first shot hit the shield with a sharp ping, barely scratching its surface. Then, the brute aimed its machine gun at me, peppering my direction with bullets.

Each hit of the bullet sent a small prick, but a sharp decline on my health bar, forcing me to take cover. What kind of machine gun was that? I inspected my torso, looking at my shattered armor and blood slowly gushing out.

Just great.

Alright, you wanna play rough? I muttered under my breath, adjusting my aim. My scope darted to its shoes, where the bulky armor left gaps at the joints. I squeezed the trigger, and the rifle kicked back as the round slammed into its exposed soft shoes.

The impact staggered the brute.

“Oscar! Now!”

“All personnel, focus your fire on that fucking thing!” Oscar shouted.

The soldiers rallied immediately, turning their attention to the juggernaut. A hailstorm of bullets and grenades rained down on the brute, the combined firepower finally forcing it to a standstill. The beast raised its shield, bracing against the onslaught, but the relentless barrage began to chip away at its defenses.

"Keep it up! Don’t let it recover!" Oscar yelled, his assault rifle spitting rounds at the juggernaut’s exposed leg.

Through the scope, I saw its movements grow sluggish. Eventually, the amount of fire peppered its ballistic shield, and the sheer amount of fire shredded its armor. With the armor taken care of, I then pulled the trigger and shattered the juggernaut’s torso, killing it instantly.

“Good one, healer!” the soldier shouted.

We held our ground, tirelessly defending the checkpoint from the relentless waves of husks. I kept my hands steady, firing bullet after bullet, magazine after magazine, ensuring no husk carrying explosives got the chance to use their weapons. Slowly but surely, the tide of battle shifted in our favor.

Eventually, the onslaught ceased, and an eerie silence fell over the battlefield. The once chaotic scene was now littered with discarded equipment, shattered weapons, and piles of lifeless husks. The air was thick with the stench of smokeless powder and blood, but we had done it.

It was nothing short of a miracle that the checkpoint hadn’t run out of ammunition. Somehow, against all odds, we had managed to hold the line.

[Provide Medical Support and Defend Southern Checkpoint: 1/1]

[Quest Complete: +120,000 UC, +4,000 Exp]

[Exiting Combat: +16,000 EXP]

[Level Up: 5 → 10]

[80 Status Points Available]

[10 Skill&Perks Points Available]

[Class Upgrade: Guardian Healer → Adept Guardian Healer]

Ok… It seems I got double the amount that I was supposed to get.