"Over there, set it up."
["Here?"]
"No, a little more to the left."
["Here then?"]
"That's it."
I could adjust the ether myself, but Esther's control offered better precision—so I left it to her whenever possible.
The work continued.
I calculated Opacum's projected movements and potential reroutes caused by the explosives, then resumed placing the charges accordingly.
'With the firepower of a TW-742 Thermobaric Bomb, this area will likely…'
It wasn't particularly hard.
Though I'd never deployed this many explosives in a single Opacum run, I had plenty of similar experiences to draw from.
"Dig here."
[Giggit!]
In several spots where the terrain wasn't swamp but solid ground, we dug pits and buried explosives—mainly aimed at crippling Opacum's lower body.
'Almost done.'
Once piled high like a mountain, the explosives were now nearly gone—evidence of just how frantically we had been working.
["Looks like we're finally seeing the end of it."]
"Good job."
["Whoa, what's this? A compliment?"]
"Don't make a big deal out of it."
Esther grinned.
["Well, shall we wrap this up then?"]
"I plan to… but…"
Unfortunately, just because the setup was done didn't mean the mission was over.
Anything set up needs upkeep.
'The beasts have backed off for now, but there's no guarantee they'll stay away.'
If I left the swamp, they'd surely return.
And in doing so, they might tamper with the explosives.
'Sure, I've installed some safety measures to prevent chain reactions, but… it's still risky to just leave them unchecked.'
That said, I couldn't stay in Opacum's swamp forever either.
Just being there constantly drained my gas mask's filters.
'Time to step out for now.'
I climbed onto Horus.
I wasn't abandoning the area—but I wasn't staying embedded in the swamp either.
It sounded contradictory, but I had another solution.
'I don't have to be in the swamp to watch over it.'
I tightened Horus's reins.
"Fly."
[Kihet!]
With powerful flaps, Horus began to ascend.
10 meters… 20… 30…
Once high enough, I pulled out Ankelenth's Spear and sliced away the tree leaves obstructing my view.
A necessary step for remote monitoring and maintenance.
"This side's clear. Circle around."
Riding Horus, I cleared the treetop obstructions around the planted explosives.
'That should do it.'
There was no need to monitor the entire swamp—just ensuring a clear line of sight from a distance was enough.
"Let's head out."
Once we exited the swamp's boundary, I ripped off the gas mask that had been suffocating me the whole time.
"Whew… now I can breathe again."
Even if Ark's gear was superior in comfort, a gas mask was still a gas mask—worn in a place like that, it was far from pleasant.
["Now what?"]
"Need to set up camp."
I nudged Horus with the reins.
"That way."
[Kihet!]
My destination? A rocky mountain just west of the swamp.
Typical for Ark's wasteland region—and it would now serve as my base camp.
Once we arrived, I claimed the peak.
It wasn't exactly livable, but making it suitable was hardly a problem for me.
"Janus."
[Giggit!]
Bone tendrils sprouted and began drilling the area—flattening the mountaintop for use.
Boom!
Rumble rumble…!
Soon enough, I stood on a nice, flat plateau.
'This should do.'
I opened my [Rift Space].
This was going to be my stakeout point for a while—I had to be ready.
['Rift Space' has been activated.]
I pulled out the gear I'd prepared: a DD-type tent, a small brazier for warmth, and a sleeping bag.
'Let's see…'
First up, I pitched the tent—but kept the entrance wide open.
After all, I'd be lying down with a rifle pointed outward for most of my stay.
["Wait, you're planning to sleep out here?"]
"Better than lying on bare rock."
["What are you doing, seriously…"]
Esther shook her head.
Ignoring her, I set the brazier to the left of the tent entrance and lit it with a lighter.
Fuel was prepped, so firewood wasn't a concern.
'And worst case, I could always use gunpowder.'
To me, bullets beyond the first shot were practically disposable currency.
Once everything was set, I laid down inside the tent and switched my Ark-34 into anti-materiel sniper mode.
It had been a while—lately I'd only been using it for mid- or close-range combat.
'Perfect view.'
Through the scope, I gazed down on Opacum's swamp—roughly 16 kilometers away.
But with the Ark-34 sniper mode, that distance was child's play.
'Now, I'll snipe every beast that gets near the charges.'
This was the beginning of sniper duty.
A boring, grueling shift.
["How long are you planning to keep this up?"]
"Shh."
["Huh?"]
Click—
Before Esther could finish, I pulled the trigger.
FWEEEEAAAAK────!
The bullet ripped through 16 kilometers of air and punched cleanly through a beast's heart.
[You have slain a Grade-10 Beast-Type: Tropical Savanna Raptor.]
[Damage against Tropical Savanna Raptor increases by 0.05%.]
No scream.
The distance alone made that a given.
["What the…"]
"Quiet."
That raptor was just the start.
Noticing my absence, beasts began creeping toward the explosive-laden zones.
Each one—potential chaos incarnate.
Naturally, I wasn't going to sit back and watch.
'Not so fast.'
Click—
Another shot fired.
FWEEEEAAAAK────!
But…
'Hmm?'
The standard bullet reached the target—but lacked the power to pierce its hide.
If it were any closer, I could almost hear the metallic clink it would've made.
'Tch… not enough punch, huh.'
It seemed to be a fairly high-level beast.
If that's the case, I just needed a different approach.
Click, click—
I swapped the magazine. This time, I loaded armor-piercing rounds—perfect for monsters with tough hides.
'Let's see if it can take this.'
But I didn't stop there.
"Esther."
["Yes?"]
"Help."
["I'm outta juice, though?"]
"Use my power."
["Tch…"]
Grumbling, Esther still didn't slack off.
[Shoot?]
[Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it...]
[Go, now...]
Ether rippled through Esther and converged at the muzzle.
The condensed target: the armor-piercing round.
And then the trigger was pulled.
FWWEEEAAAAAK────!!!!
This time was different.
The report of the shot came after the round fired.
It had broken the sound barrier.
The bullet flew straight and true—piercing the beast's skull in a single shot.
A far more decisive result than before.
[You have slain a Grade-4 Insect-Type: Giant Stag Beetle.]
[Damage against Giant Stag Beetle increases by 0.05%.]
I had taken down a powerful Grade-4 insectoid from 16 kilometers away.
And not even with explosive rounds—but with regular armor-piercing ones.
I already knew it, but once again, the Ark-34 outperformed its predecessor, the Ark-15.
'Now then…'
I peered through the scope.
Whether it was because a strong Grade-4 had been instantly wiped out or not, the other beasts near the charges flinched.
'Better to give them a clear warning.'
I pulled the trigger again.
Just to make sure no monster dared to approach my trap.
*
A week passed.
I held my position, sniping down any monster that dared approach the explosives.
Everything had gone smoothly—but fighting time itself wasn't easy.
["How long are we gonna keep this up? I'm bored."]
Esther's whining was understandable.
I was going insane too.
'…Yeah, this is rough.'
Even though my body far surpassed human limits, maintaining a prone sniper position nonstop was no joke.
Sniper purists will even take care of their business without shifting position—but I at least spared myself that by digging a latrine nearby.
'That's something to be thankful for, I guess.'
And it wasn't just monsters in the swamp that I had to worry about.
["Hey, something's been circling us for a while now."]
"I know."
A flock of flying beasts circled the mountain, clearly waiting for the moment I let my guard down.
'Tch.'
This past week had been a repetitive grind of monitoring the swamp and fending off flying predators.
Thanks to Ankelenth's Domain, it hadn't been too dangerous—but it was annoying.
'And Ankelenth's Domain isn't infinite, after all.'
Sure, it could be used semi-permanently with the right management, but even that had limits.
'In any case... it's time.'
What I meant was simple.
Time for Opacum, The Rotting Body to awaken.
That moment was drawing near.
'Maybe today. Tomorrow at the latest.'
I kept my eyes on the swamp, even while watching for ambushes from above.
When Opacum rose, I had to move fast.
["Master! It's coming!"]
Just as the flying beasts were about to descend upon me—
BOOM!
RUMMMMMBBBBLLEEEEE────!!!!
The world shook.
As if the planet itself were ending, a massive quake ripped through everything.
["M-Master! This is…!"]
Even Esther couldn't hide her fear.
And that was only natural.
The entity about to emerge would strike fear into even the highest-ranked phantom-types.
[GRROOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH────!]
A guttural growl echoed, deep and vast enough to consume the sky.
A sound that crushed the instincts of every living thing.
I knew, without a doubt—
'Opacum has awakened.'
The Tenth Wave.
The Boss Stage.
[GRROOOAAAAARRRRR─────!!!!]
It had begun—for real.