Chapter 96: 96:The First Mission
An APC moved along the wide, ruined road toward the northern edge of the world.
Inside, a group of people dressed in black tactical gear sat quietly.
Looking at them, Reigns felt as though he were a part of some bizarre alien escort mission.
His eyes slowly swept across the group.
Two men and two women, led by a middle-aged captain.
Oh!
There was also the driver, a Tier as well, whom he had completely forgotten about.
It was a well-thought-out team.
The problem was something else entirely.
"Lovely ladies, I hope you aren’t feeling uncomfortable here."
A blond man flashed a charming smile toward the two women.
One was Gianna, an archer, and the other was a healer named Seon.
The blond man kept casting flirtatious glances their way, and both women responded with bashful smiles.
Reigns immediately made a disgusted expression upon seeing that.
’Yewwww... Why do people just melt like that?’
And when he said people, he was talking about both men and women here.
There was no gender bias.
The blond man smiled at them before turning his gaze toward Reigns.
"I didn’t expect to meet you again."
Reigns looked back at the handsome young man.
"Me neither. Though I have to wonder what made you decide to join this place. Looking at your face, you should try acting, Duster."
The blond man laughed helplessly.
"Scrap that. I want to be a singer. But with my bad luck, I had to start training for awakening early. Otherwise, who knows if I can survive this thing."
"You can still become an actor now. No one’s forcing you to jump into zones," Reigns said.
"Of course I will, after I gain a few levels and enough strength to protect myself. Popularity means nothing if I end up dead the next day."
"Whoa! That’s quite a noble thought you have."
Seon chirped with a soft clap and smiled brightly.
"You should already have some strength. That’s beautifully said."
She spoke and nudged her partner lightly.
"Isn’t it great, Gianna?"
Gianna also nodded.
"He’s right."
Her voice was soft and somewhat shy.
As their conversation continued, Reigns noted that Gianna was an extremely shy person.
She rarely spoke and mostly listened while the others talked.
Watching them, Reigns briefly wondered whether he should have persuaded Kellar and Lira to join the Federation.
But on second thought, it was a path they had chosen themselves.
Everyone had their own road to walk.
The group continued chatting, and the atmosphere inside the APC gradually became much more relaxed.
During the conversation, Reigns learned a few pieces of information, some of which were honestly crazy.
Seon wasn’t just a healer.
She could also cast curses.
She was closer to a mage than a traditional healer—a healer who could also inflict curses.
That was a deadly combination.
The group talked for a while longer until a sudden knock came from the front compartment.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
The voices immediately died down.
The front partition slid open, and the captain’s face appeared.
"Enough talking... We have reached the destination, but it seems a few things are blocking our path."
His words instantly put everyone on alert.
The relaxed atmosphere vanished almost immediately.
Hex was the team’s captain and an experienced Tier 3 veteran.
During his initial assessment, Reigns had discovered that most Federation veterans were Tier 3, which was roughly equivalent to Level 50.
Just remembering the sight of those Tier 3 veterans being tossed aside by Nyxara was enough to make him shudder.
He still didn’t know whether it was because of Nyxara’s monstrous strength or because the Tier 3 veterans had been holding back to avoid seriously injuring her.
Either way, it was absolutely terrifying.
Everyone quickly grabbed their weapons and prepared themselves.
The driver, named Rocks, pressed the brakes and grinned.
The APC slowly rolled to a stop.
"Step up, kids... It’s time to have fun. Go out there and enjoy yourselves."
********
SWISHH!
"GRR!"
"GRRR!"
The moment the door opened, several growls echoed from outside, the sounds low and feral.
It immediately put everyone on alert.
Reigns immediately tightened his grip on his weapon while the others carefully stepped out of the APC and looked toward the dark road ahead.
A snowy landscape stretched as far as the eye could see.
Cold winds swept across the white plains while thick mist blanketed the surroundings.
Then, from within the mist, various monsters suddenly emerged and charged straight toward them.
"GRRAAH!"
"ROOOAR!"
Their growls echoed through the frozen wilderness as dozens of creatures rushed forward.
Hex looked at the incoming monsters and immediately shouted,
"Open fire!"
Then he raised his rifle and added,
"Remember, we aren’t some primitives who just engage in brutal warfare."
A faint grin appeared on his face.
"You should know how to use weapons."
Following his command, Reigns grabbed his rifle.
He had already been briefed and trained beforehand. At present, his aim was still quite poor, but he was learning.
And here, with so many monsters charging toward them, the chances of missing were quite low.
Reigns dropped to one knee and supported the heavy rifle against his shoulder.
The weapon glowed faintly as energy flowed through its structure and gathered near the muzzle.
The next moment, a charged shot burst forth.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The entire squad opened fire heavily.
Energy rounds streaked across the battlefield while explosions erupted among the charging monsters.
Hex continued issuing orders without pause.
"Enemy incoming at three o’clock."
"Gianna, take down the runners on the left."
"Duster, cover the rear."
"Seon, prepare support."
"Keep formation. Don’t break ranks."
Everyone immediately followed his commands.
SWISH!
Gianna calmly drew back her bowstring. The moment her fingers released it, an arrow shot forward like a streak of light.
THUD!
One monster collapsed instantly.
Without even pausing, she drew another arrow.
SWISH!
THUD!
Her expression remained calm as each arrow claimed a life with deadly accuracy.
Even Reigns couldn’t help glancing at her.
For someone so shy, her combat style was frighteningly efficient.
Meanwhile, the creatures at the front were only low-level monsters around Level 10.
Under the squad’s concentrated gunfire, they were cut down with ease.
Bodies continuously fell across the snow-covered field.
But then several more agile creatures suddenly leapt ahead.
Their speed was far greater than the others’.
"GRRRR!"
The monsters rapidly closed the distance.
Seon immediately stepped forward.
Her soft expression disappeared as she extended one hand.
A dark glow emerged from her palm.
The air around her suddenly felt cold and unsettling.
The next moment, black mist erupted outward.
Several curse marks shot across the battlefield and landed on the incoming monsters.
The creatures instantly slowed down.
Their movements became sluggish, as though something heavy was dragging their bodies down.
"Nice one!" Duster shouted.
Despite the curses, the monsters continued advancing.
Seeing them draw closer and closer, Reigns and Duster finally put away their rifles and prepared for frontal combat.
Reigns glanced toward Hex.
The captain continued firing calmly while maintaining command of the battlefield.
He didn’t seem eager on taking action himself.
Reigns quickly understood.
’Want us to gain some experience, huh?’
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Very well!"
"BLOOM!"
The ground around him suddenly shook.
A dozen Splash Shooters emerged around Reigns one after another.
Wooden roots burst through the snow as glowing plant creatures quickly took formation.
Then two massive Dryads rose from the ground behind them.
Their towering wooden bodies cast large shadows across the battlefield.
The others immediately glanced over in surprise.
Reigns pointed toward the approaching monsters with a wide grin.
"Go and dismantle them."
POPP! POPP! POPP!
The Splash Shooters immediately opened fire while the two Dryads charged forward with heavy steps.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The snow-covered battlefield erupted into chaos once again.
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