The thunderous roar of engines pierced the dawn air as the military convoy rolled across the scorched plains of Earth. Massive buses, bearing the insignia of Fort Echelon, came to a rumbling stop at the war zone perimeter. The soil was dry, cracked under the weight of incoming conflict, and the sky above glowed with an orange hue as if warning the world of what was to come.
At precisely 0700 hours, the artillery and auxiliary troops disembarked in swift, disciplined motions. Uniforms pressed. Weapons charged. Armor plates clicked into place.
Dray Ballack stepped down from his transport vehicle, the weight of his Model-X Plasma Rifle resting against his shoulder. The moment his boots touched the ground, a soft mechanical hum filled his ears.
System Notification:
Side Quest Activated!
Quest: Hold the Line — Help Earth win the war against the Zanork-5 invaders.
Objective: Contribute meaningfully to your unit's survival and battlefield performance.
Reward: +1 Instant Level Up | Unlock 1 Free Skill from System Shop.
Penalty: Failure results in -1 Level Regression.
Time Limit: Until battle concludes.
Dray's eyes flicked toward the horizon. A dull wind blew across the deserted field separating the two armies. On the far end, obscured by haze and drifting ash, the Zanork-5 forces lined up—biomechanical suits glittering under the morning sun, their rifles elongated and curled with alien wiring.
Orders came quickly. Captain Rhal Merik, standing tall between Lieutenant Drahm and Lieutenant Joran Vekk, addressed the assembled units.
"Troops," his voice bellowed through the voice amp in his helmet, "the Zanork-5 have made it this far. That's on us. But they'll go no further. Today, we push back. Today, we defend what's ours. You do not break. You do not run. The fearless are the ones history remembers."
The soldiers let out a unified shout of affirmation. No ceremony. No excessive speeches. War didn't need poetry—just resolve.
Captain Merik pointed. "Artillery front. Lieutenant Vekk, position your men. Auxiliary form support line at 40 meters. Lieutenant Drahm, your unit holds the flank and provides suppression cover."
The split happened smoothly. Artillery troops moved with precision to the front line, setting up plasma cannons, rocket pods, and kinetic railguns. Auxiliary troops followed behind, each preparing for med-support, flank response, and mobility coverage.
Dray's unit took position near a shallow ridge, slightly elevated. His thermal bayonet was fixed, and his auto-adaptive energy shield buzzed softly as it calibrated to the environment.
At 0800 hours, everything changed.
The first explosion shattered the relative silence. A Zanork missile struck twenty meters from the forward artillery bunker, tossing debris high into the air. Plasma fire lit the sky seconds later. The war had begun.
Machine guns erupted in a chorus of thunder. Bazooka units responded. The ground shook beneath heavy footfalls, mechanical walkers advancing through the dust.
Bullets sliced the air with merciless intent. Shouts turned to screams. Medics rushed across the backline while scouts called out locations through static-laced comms.
Dray remained firm, his pulse steady. He fired short bursts from his plasma rifle, aiming with calculated discipline. A drone exploded mid-air from his shot. Another Zanork soldier dropped to the field.
System Notification:
+EXP Gained: 35 (Confirmed Hits x3)
+EXP Gained: 15 (Battlefield Assist)
Around him, other recruits struggled to maintain formation. Fear had a scent, and it was beginning to hang in the air like smoke. Dray noticed a young soldier beside him, frozen, trembling.
"Keep firing!" Dray barked. "You're already here, so fight!"
The words worked. The soldier snapped back into motion, shooting in tandem with the rhythm of the artillery units.
Dray moved with purpose—never straying too far from the line, never too exposed. His shield absorbed two impacts before recharging. His body ached, but his mind was clear.
Across the field, the Zanork-5 pushed harder. Beams of concentrated energy zipped across the sky, burning holes through anything unshielded. Some of the Earth soldiers fell. Some never even had the chance to scream.
It was chaos. Beautiful, terrifying chaos.
But Dray didn't falter.
He adapted.
He fought.
He survived.
And when the auxiliary line threatened to collapse under a heavy Zanork flanking push, Dray stepped forward, rallying three nearby recruits and counter-charged with suppressive fire. The moment gave the artillery unit time to reroute their cannons.
A direct hit followed, vaporizing the Zanork flank squad.
System Notification:
+EXP Gained: 75 (Tactical Maneuver – Leadership Bonus)
+EXP Gained: 20 (Enemy Squad Elimination Assist)
Side Quest Progress: 78% Completion
By 1100 hours, both sides had taken heavy losses. The field was now marred with smoke, bodies, and debris. The air was thick, and the sounds of gunfire barely paused long enough for breathing.
Lieutenant Drahm's voice came through the comm-link.
"Hold that ridge, Unit 47-C. Reinforcements are ten minutes out. Just ten more minutes!"
Dray wiped the sweat from his eyes and adjusted his aim. Another wave of Zanork approached.
He didn't think. He moved.
Plasma blade out. Slash. Step back. Fire. Cover. Repeat.
He was a machine of instinct. Built in fire, hardened in war.
System Notification:
+EXP Gained: 50 (Close Quarters Combat – Efficiency Grade B)
Side Quest Progress: 96% Completion
Reinforcements finally arrived—tanks, armored walkers, and hover-strike units from a nearby fort. Within thirty minutes, the tides turned. The Zanork began to fall back, pulled by retreat signals. The battlefield quieted.
Silence returned—not peace, but exhaustion.
Captain Merik's voice echoed through the comms.
"Earth holds the line. You all did well. Medics, retrieve survivors. Techs, clear the dead. The rest of you, debrief and recover."
Dray collapsed to one knee, his body shaking—not from fear, but from the weight of adrenaline crashing down.
System Notification:
Side Quest Complete!
+Reward: +1 Instant Level Up
+Reward: Free Skill Unlocked – Please Select from System Shop
Level Up: 7 -> 8
System Interface:
Name: Dray Ballack
Bloodline: Locked (Awakening Trigger Detected)
Race: Human (???)
Level: 8
Class: None
Strength: 8
Agility: 8
Endurance: 4
Vitality: 6
Skills:
• Night Adaptation (Passive)
• Blood Sense (Passive – Incomplete)
• Blood Echo (Tier I)
Inventory:
• Model-X Plasma Rifle
• Thermal Bayonet
• Auto-Adaptive Energy Shield
• Obsidian Data Chip
• Unknown Crystal (Bound)
System Shop: [Access Granted – One Free Skill Available]
Next Level: 410 EXP
Status: Fatigued
As the sun dipped behind the clouds and the field turned red from twilight, Dray stood amidst the wreckage. His face was covered in dirt and ash, but his eyes were sharp.
This was no longer training.
This was war.
And he had just passed his first true trial.