"So, what should we do now? We can't possibly betray them, right?"
Aamon nodded. They were already trapped in that place and had become pawns meant to be sacrificed on the front line.
The only thing they could do was follow the mission given by the soldiers.
"We can't run. So the solution is to follow what they want."
"See! In the end we still don't have a choice. What's the point of talking nonsense?" another man snapped. Aamon's attention locked onto him.
"Obviously they have clothes, food, and shelter. We'll survive if we stay here and listen to those soldiers," the man's friend explained.
The two of them stomped away, leaving Aamon and the girl behind. The girl looked confused, unsure whose side she should take.
But her thoughts turned realistic when she remembered what the two men had just said.
In the end, she chose to go with them rather than stay with Aamon.
Aamon didn't mind. From the beginning, he hadn't really expected them to help him.
The world was in chaos. Monsters were roaming everywhere, and killing had become a common thing.
Only the strong could survive in a situation like this.
He walked away from the building and watched from the safe line where soldiers were fighting mosquito monsters with their abilities.
"Aamon?"
Aamon turned his head. Silvie had found him and called out his name. Without smiling, Aamon asked about his friend's condition.
Silvie said she was fine. The soldiers treated the young people better than the elderly.
Her gaze shifted to the black uniform Aamon was wearing. She had heard that several teenagers had been called by the soldiers to become elite members.
She had already guessed that Aamon would become one of the elite.
"Looks like you've joined the elite members, Aamon."
"Yeah. Those who have weapons and are skilled at using abilities can join," Aamon replied coldly.
"Then how can I get weapons and skills like you?"
"Try killing a monster."
Silvie froze in shock, then lowered her head in response. "Forget it. I'm scared of facing them."
Aamon stayed silent for a moment. Then he stepped forward and raised his hand, lightly patting Silvie's shoulder.
"Not everyone has to carry the same burden. You might be able to help a lot in other ways."
Silvie listened to what Aamon said. A wide smile spread across her face, showing that she agreed with her friend.
"I… I'll register as a medical volunteer. Maybe I can help more that way."
Aamon nodded with a small hum. He walked in another direction to prepare himself, especially since he would be heading to the second field after the first field had been turned into an emergency medical camp.
At the second field, Aamon practiced swinging his sword vertically and horizontally, performing slashing and thrusting motions.
Several people looked at Aamon like he was a freak. Everyone knew how to swing a sword. There was no need to train like Aamon was doing.
One of the women holding a bow stared sharply at Aamon. She was part of the first squad, assigned to attack the southern area.
Unlike the others, she kept watching Aamon's sword movements. They weren't improvised movements.
They looked like a technique with a structured pattern.
Three hours passed. The commander's adjutant arrived and told the three squads to get ready. Aamon listened, then left.
At the front gate of the army headquarters, the three squads were already prepared.
Their hearts pounded hard, and some of them even looked like they were trembling with anxiety and fear.
"This is your first mission. Don't overdo it. Come back if you're tired," the adjutant said firmly.
"Understood," they replied in unison.
Aamon glanced back. He hadn't seen the other three members of his squad training earlier. He was honestly curious where they had been during the last three hours.
The gate opened. People clapped and prayed for the best for the elite team. Many other teenagers wished they could join like them.
Aamon moved quickly to the front, leading his third squad. They turned and stood behind a concrete barrier where many soldiers were firing forward with precision.
"We can't—"
"Attack them!" one of the third squad members interrupted.
Aamon was surprised because they attacked without discussing a strategy first. Two men with spears rushed forward and swung their weapons.
But because they lacked experience, their spears often collided with each other and even got stuck.
The girl failed to cast her spell because she panicked. She was standing on the front line, side by side with the lancers.
That was clearly a foolish action.
"Hey, woman! Hurry up and help them!" several soldiers shouted.
The pressure from them made the girl nervous. Her mouth froze, unable to speak. Both of her hands trembled in fear, and her eyes widened.
"I… I…"
Aamon moved quickly, pulling the woman backward and throwing her into the concrete barricade.
The girl immediately snapped out of it, realizing that Aamon had saved her.
"Stay there, calm yourself, and activate your magic!"
"O-Okay, Aamon," the girl said.
The young man rushed forward again, running quickly between the two men holding spears.
He pointed his sword forward and activated his skill without any upgrade.
[Sword Skill: First Thrust!]
Aamon's blade glowed blue before he thrust it forward.
A small burst of energy exploded from the tip of the sword, forcing the monster's body to be knocked backward.
Aamon attacked again with a basic attack, demonstrating a simple sword technique to fight the monster, consisting of attacking, defending, and dodging movements.
Little by little, Aamon managed to reduce the monster's HP and eventually killed it. The monster fell to the ground, dead, green blood spilling out as it dropped an item.
He stretched out his hand and picked up the dropped item.
[Congratulations! You obtained drop items:]
[+25 EXP || +10 Contribution Points || +10 Coins || 1x Monster Core]
There were no valuable items.
One of the men from his squad walked over to Aamon's side.
"Should we push forward?"
Aamon looked back and saw the soldiers resting after the monster attack on the northern road had subsided.
Occasionally, a monster still appeared, but the number wasn't significant.
"No need."
"Go back and protect her."
"What about you?" the man asked.
"I'm going to scout."
Aamon ran into an alley and heightened his vigilance. He entered one of the houses, climbed the stairs, and reached the rooftop.
From there, he could clearly see the condition of the city.
Many monster corpses were scattered around with green blood pooling everywhere.
Flies and maggots had become a common sight that afternoon.
TING… TING…
Aamon narrowed his eyes sharply. The sound of a bell ringing echoed clearly in the silent city. He looked around before turning his gaze to the sky.
From the white clouds, a medium-sized airdrop box descended with a parachute attached above it.
An airdrop?
The distance was a bit far from Aamon's location, but since it was an airdrop box—whose item quality was better than the loot from level 1 monsters—Aamon still decided to go.
He went down and walked through a dirty alley, encountering a level 1 monster.
[Congratulations! You obtained drop items:]
[+25 EXP || +10 Contribution Points || +10 Coins || 1x Monster Core]
Aamon became increasingly skilled at killing level 1 monsters even though his only skill was First Thrust.
At first, it took him ten minutes to kill one monster. Now it only took him six minutes.
That efficiency in battle came because Aamon understood the situation far better than most people.
He avoided the main road and chose to move through dark alleys.
From the front, he could see the red airdrop box had already landed on the ground.
Aamon stepped out of the alley, finally stopping in front of the airdrop.
Just as he was about to touch the box, his eyes narrowed sharply and he glanced behind him before jumping away.
A slashing attack struck forward, missing Aamon and instead hitting the airdrop box.
The young man landed in front of the airdrop, his gaze directed at a woman holding a sword. She was the one who had just attacked him.
"That airdrop… is mine!"
Aamon gave a crooked smile, "Too bad…"
He placed his hand on the airdrop, and a panel appeared in front of him.
[Medium-Tier Equipment and Skill Airdrop Chest]
[1x Medium-Tier Weapon || 1x Lion-Fang Gauntlets || 5x Blue Sapphire || 1x Medium Skill Scroll]
The woman's face twisted with furious frustration, "You'll regret this!"