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Chapter 36 - Sweet Reunion

"That was one hell of an entrance."

 

A boyish voice rang out just as William rolled across the dirt, kicking up dust and pebbles. His body ached from the impact, but he managed to push himself upright, brushing the grit off his arms.

 

In front of him, on a lonely bench, sat a person staring lazily into space.

 

"Um…" William started, then froze. The person's features were delicate yet rough at the same time; their voice was flat and androgynous.

 

He couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. After a moment of hesitation, he gave up trying.

 

"Is this the Unit Zero main base?" he asked instead.

 

"No. Never heard of it."

 

"…No?? Then what is this place?"

 

"This place? Yeah, this place is Hell. Never heard of Unit Zero."

 

William blinked. "???" His face went blank.

 

"…Then do you at least know where I can report to?"

 

"Ya."

 

"Could you bring me there?"

 

"Over my dead body."

 

William forced a smile. "…Fine, then could you just point me the way?"

 

The person lazily raised a finger. "Straight that way."

 

"Uh… thanks?"

 

Not waiting for another word, William hurried off. The stranger remained seated, staring into nothing.

 

He'd barely gone a few yards when a sharp crack split the sky. Something shot down at blinding speed and slammed into the ground. The explosion shook the earth, spraying rocks and debris that nearly knocked William off his feet.

 

The blast landed right behind him. Right where that person had been sitting.

 

Through the ringing in his ears, William thought he heard a human wail swallowed by fire and rubble. He froze, thinking whether he should run back to help or stay away.

 

Then he remembered the strange people he had already met from Unit Zero. Dangerous, unpredictable, but most importantly, strong. Knowing he was too weak to help, William turned and ran.

 

"…Not my problem," he muttered.

 

He pushed forward toward the cluster of buildings in the distance.

 

By the time William reached them, his nerves had settled slightly. The compound wasn't large—he could see nearly all the structures at a glance. Every building was made of the same harsh, windowless concrete, sharp-angled blocks that looked more like bunkers than anything else.

 

The lifeless gray walls, the empty streets, the silence—it all felt like a wasteland.

 

William followed the paved street instinctively toward the central building, the largest of them all. Standing at its massive door, sweat prickled down his back. His past experiences with places like this were… less than pleasant.

 

Before he could even touch it, the door creaked open on its own.

 

Light spilled out. To his relief, it wasn't dark inside.

 

The first thing he saw was a reception counter—empty. Behind it stretched rows of shelves stacked high, filled with weapons, potions, materials, and countless other supplies. The ceiling soared four stories above, and the shelves almost reached it.

 

William stepped inside cautiously, scanning the area. It was too quiet.

 

"Hello?! Is anyone there?"

 

His voice echoed. No answer.

 

He waited, glancing around, then tried again. "Hello?!"

 

A gravelly voice answered this time. "I heard you the first time, boy."

 

An old dwarf shuffled out from between the towering shelves. His hunched back bent him forward, his wrinkled face made him look centuries old, and the round glasses on his nose gave him the air of a scholar—or at least someone who thought himself wise.

 

"You are…? A new recruit?" the dwarf asked as he waddled up to the counter.

 

"Yes."

 

"Another lamb for the slaughter, I see." His blunt words came without hesitation. He didn't even flinch at his own cruelty.

 

William shifted uncomfortably.

 

"Scan your bracelet here," the dwarf said, pulling out a strange device.

 

William tapped it, and a holographic screen lit up with his information.

 

"Assistant healer? Hm. Boy, what's your main combat class?"

 

"I… don't really have one."

 

The dwarf stared at him with a flat expression.

 

"Stromholde, eh? That's a mage family, isn't it? You mean to tell me you learned nothing from them for seventeen years?"

 

Shame burned William's face. He bowed his head, unable to answer.

 

"Fine. If you don't have a class, pick one now."

 

With a flick, he flipped the holographic screen over. A full display of weapons appeared: guns, swords, shields, bows, spears, and more. Each option branched into sub-classes—sniper, swordsman, assassin, paladin, tank, machine gunner… the list went on.

 

William scrolled through them, overwhelmed. Minutes passed as he tapped back and forth, paralyzed by choice.

 

"Um, sir… I have no idea what to pick. Could you give me some advice?"

 

The dwarf eyed him for a long moment. "…Sure."

 

He stroked his beard, then asked simply, "Where do you feel more comfortable? Fighting up close, or from a distance?"

 

"Uh… from a distance?"

 

"Then you're a gunner."

 

William blinked. "That's it?"

 

"It's not complicated, boy. You're not binding yourself for life. You can change classes whenever you like. Start with what's comfortable, adapt as you go."

 

"…I see. Then I'll choose gunner."

 

The dwarf tugged at his beard again. "Try sniper. Gunners are fine for mowing down weak mobs, but you won't be fighting any of those."

 

***

 

William left the dwarf's building in a red-and-black ranger uniform, a sniper rifle strapped to his back.

 

The weapon felt heavier than he expected, the strap biting into his shoulder with every step.

 

On the map he'd been given, his next stop was another warehouse-like structure on the edge of the compound—the official training hall.

 

The word training made his stomach turn. Experience had taught him that inside a concrete building, 'training' was no different from hell.

 

He took a deep breath as he stopped before the entrance.

 

No turning back now.

 

He pushed the heavy door open.

 

Bright light poured through the widening gap. The first thing he saw inside was the white padded flooring, the same kind used in brutal combat drills he'd endured before. His throat went dry.

 

As the door swung fully open, his eyes locked on a figure standing casually inside. His blood turned to ice.

 

Captain Jack.

 

William's heart dropped. His legs moved on instinct—he spun around and bolted.

 

"What a coincidence, boy!" Jack's booming voice followed, filled with manic laughter. "Didn't think we'd meet again so soon!"

 

The sound of heavy boots pounded after him. William's chest tightened with panic. Sweat drenched his back as Jack's laughter echoed closer and closer.

 

'I'm going to die!' was William's last thought.

 

A minute later, Jack strolled back into the training hall, carrying William over his shoulder like a sack of grain. The boy was limp and unconscious, dangling helplessly.

 

Inside, two other trainees waited. One smiled faintly, as if this scene was nothing unusual. Another lay on the ground, charred black and unconscious, smoke still rising from her body.

 

"Was that necessary?" a cold, harsh voice asked.

 

The speaker wore dark shinobi garb—the same man who had saved William during Clara's mech incident.

 

Jack chuckled. 'No. When he ran, my body just reacted. Before I knew it, I was already chasing him.'

 

The man only stared, silent and unamused.

 

Jack laughed, raising his hands. "Alright, alright. I get it. I won't disrupt the training anymore." He dropped William onto the floor with a thud.

 

The man in black snapped his fingers. Yellow sparks of lightning shot across the floor, jolting both William and the burned trainee awake.

 

"Gahhh!!" William shot upright, heart hammering. His eyes darted frantically across the room—only to freeze when he saw Jack smiling at him from the corner. His body locked up instantly.

 

The shinobi ignored his panic. His voice was steady and sharp.

 

"This is the new trainee, William. The four of you will now work together. Your mission is simple—assassinate Captain Jack."

 

William's jaw dropped. "Wait, what?! I just got this sniper rifle today—I don't even know how to use it!"

 

"Then you'll learn as you go."

 

"!!?"

 

"You have ten minutes to prepare," the shinobi continued flatly. "Jack will enter the forest after that. Good luck."

 

Before William could protest further, the ceiling split open. A mechanical platform beneath their feet launched them skyward.

 

"Whaaa—?!"

 

They were hurled out of the compound like cannonballs, soaring high above the trees before crashing down into the distant forest.

 

The other two trainees landed smoothly, rolling effortlessly across the dirt as if they'd done this a hundred times. They immediately split off in separate directions, not even glancing at each other.

 

William, floating awkwardly down using gravity magic, was the last to hit the ground.

 

"Aren't we supposed to work together?!" he shouted after the burned soldier he'd seen earlier—the same one from the bench.

 

The soldier barely glanced back. "Yeah, but we're not winning anyway. No point sticking together."

 

"…What?!"

 

"Besides, if you team up with that witch, you'll just get caught in the crossfire. Best look after yourself."

 

Then the soldier leapt into the trees, vanishing instantly, leaving William standing dumbfounded with his sniper rifle clutched in his hands.

 

"…This is insane." His voice cracked with frustration. "Everything is so messed up."

 

With no plan, no allies, and no clue where Jack would appear, William did the only thing he could think of—he picked a random direction and ran.

 

Minutes crawled by. Then the earth shook.

 

Far away, a figure launched high into the air and came crashing down into the forest. The impact sent shockwaves tearing through the ground, flattening trees and hurling dirt into the air.

 

Jack stood in the crater, stretching his neck. His voice boomed across the forest.

 

"HERE I COME!!"

 

The shout was so loud it sent birds scattering from the canopy.

 

For a moment, Jack stood still, scanning the treeline. Then his eyes flicked upward, and he smirked.

 

"Huh."

 

A glowing red projectile plummeted from above like a meteor. It slammed into him with a deafening explosion, flames rushing outward in every direction. The forest floor lit up in a sea of fire.

 

But when the smoke cleared, Jack was still standing in the inferno. Flames clung to his body, licking across his muscles. He raised his arm casually and swung. The sheer force of the motion snuffed out every flame around him.

 

"Not bad," he muttered.

 

Another beam of searing red light shot down at him. Jack bent his knees and leapt, vaulting clear as it struck the ground.

 

"Good power," he said, dodging another blast. "But too spread out. You'll never hit me like this."

 

He darted deeper into the forest, weaving between the crimson beams raining from above. Every step he took shook the ground, every leap tore branches from the trees, yet he moved with inhuman agility.

 

Up ahead, Jack's senses prickled. Strange mana fluctuations pulsed through the air. His grin widened.

 

"Found you!"

 

Instead of jumping again, he dropped low and charged straight toward the source, smashing through trees and boulders as if they were paper.

 

He burst into a clearing. A young witch stood there, staff raised, face pale but determined.

 

As Jack closed in, the ground beneath him erupted. Circles of glowing red magic ignited, and a massive explosion hurled dirt and stone skyward, swallowing him in a sinkhole of rubble.

 

The witch took the chance to mount her floating staff and soar into the air.

 

But before she could escape, a massive hand burst from the ground beneath her. Fingers like iron clamped around the shaft of her staff, locking it in place.

 

The staff trembled violently, magic crackling as it fought to break free, but the grip didn't budge. Slowly, Jack's body rose from the earth, his muscles straining as he hauled himself up.

 

"Great effort, kid," he said, smirking through the dust. "But you're too slow against me."

 

With a brutal swing, he yanked the staff—and the witch with it—out of the air. She was hurled across the clearing, tumbling painfully into the dirt.

 

Jack examined the staff for a second, then tossed it like a spear. It slammed into her stomach, knocking the air from her lungs and sending her skidding across the ground.

 

"One down," he said calmly, rolling his shoulders. "Two more to go.

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