Monsters were launched inside the fortress via catapults.
Not all of them managed to make it past the walls.
*Thunk!*
"Kiieek..."
Some crashed into the walls and bounced off.
“Intercept them!”
Marksmen and mages launched counterattacks, taking down more than half of the monsters mid-air.
But that wasn’t the end.
Several monsters managed to push through the barrage and land inside the fortress.
"Krk, krkk..."
"Hehk. Ugh."
They were already half-dead by the time they landed.
“Crazy beasts,” someone muttered.
“They were launched all the way from there. Even a monster’s body wouldn’t stay intact from that.”
Catapults.
A weapon not designed to throw living beings.
The impact alone would cause most of them to break something upon landing.
Only the stronger monsters managed to survive.
This tactic, however, had a clear goal.
“They must be desperate to strike the inside of the fortress.”
The fortress walls were solid and high.
The breached gates were securely blocked by the Lesser Dragon Soldiers.
Scaling the walls was impossible under the powerful barrage of arrows and spells.
The only way to succeed was to disrupt from the inside.
‘There are two reasons why the Dragon Soldiers can hold the gate.’
First, the Dragon Soldiers don’t tire.
Second, the narrow gate forces the monsters into one-on-one fights with the Dragon Soldiers.
The tireless Dragon Soldiers could fight endlessly.
But if monsters managed to attack them from behind?
‘Even the strongest warrior can fall when outnumbered two-to-one.’
If they could manage to take down a few Dragon Soldiers, it would leave a gap in the gate defenses, allowing the thousands °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° of monsters waiting outside to swarm in.
And if that happened, it would be as good as a defeat for us.
But...
“Do they really think that will happen?”
A smirk broke out.
Even in perfect health, their chances were slim. Entering in an injured state?
‘They’re underestimating us.’
The soldiers in the fortress, along with the awakened from the city who had pledged their cooperation, were all ready and waiting.
Just for a moment like this.
* * *
"Ugh...!"
The “Greenmane Warriors” that managed to breach the fortress via the catapults.
Even though they were injured, each one of them was still a formidable monster.
The city’s less experienced awakened struggled against them.
But they weren’t the only defenders within the fortress.
“Heh heh... hahaha!”
A maniacal laugh echoed through the fortress, drawing the attention of the awakened.
Standing at the source of the laughter was a massive soldier, almost inhumanly large.
And in his hand...
*Crunch!*
...was the crushed head of a powerful monster, one that had been overwhelming for the awakened to handle.
The giant soldier gripped another monster’s head, slamming it against the wall and grinding it down.
The monster let out a pained groan before falling limp.
“Come on! Entertain me more!”
The towering soldier laughed, surrounded by fallen monsters.
"Krrk..."
The “Greenmane Warriors,” who hadn’t cared about their injuries as they launched into the fortress, hesitated in front of the soldier’s intimidating presence.
The awakened looked on in shock.
“Is... is he human?”
While they struggled against each monster in groups of three or four, Corporal Jeon Gwang-il took down several monsters single-handedly.
Even the other soldiers were putting up a decent fight, but his strength was on another level entirely.
“He’s more of a monster than they are...”
A monstrous presence, indeed.
* * *
The Greenmane Tribe’s catapults launched more than just their warriors.
“This side is clear!”
“Hold on a second.”
The soldiers turned to the senior soldier who was eyeing something behind them.
“There are a few more over there.”
The senior pointed to a group of thin, wiry creatures, still clearly from the Greenmane Tribe, but with unusually gaunt, elongated bodies.
“What the heck are those?”
“They look like they’d break if you tapped them.”
“Hey, watch out...!”
The soldiers, underestimating the creatures, drew their weapons and charged.
But as they approached, the emaciated creatures placed their hands on the ground.
*Crash!*
“Ugh!”
The ground beneath them rose up, knocking the soldiers back.
An earth spell, a specialty of the Greenmane shamans.
The Greenmane Warriors quickly filled the gaps, shielding the shamans, who then launched their own attacks against the soldiers.
"Warriors in front, shamans in back."
This wasn’t like any of the monsters they’d fought before.
They’d realized back at the gate that these creatures were skilled in tactics.
“This is bad.”
“Yeah. Our soldiers can handle it, but...”
These veteran soldiers had seen everything under the sun, so they could hold their own even against tactical monsters.
“Damn it!”
“These beasts are forming ranks!”
The ordinary awakened, however, weren’t used to facing organized monsters and were visibly struggling.
Just then...
*Boom...*
“Was that... thunder?”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the source of the sound.
High above the fortress, a small dark cloud formed in the otherwise clear sky.
“What...?”
A lone thundercloud had appeared in broad daylight.
Before anyone could fully grasp the situation...
*Boom!*
A massive bolt of lightning shot down from the cloud, incinerating most of the Greenmane shamans protected by the warriors.
“Sergeant Lee Minjae!”
Without a word, Sergeant Lee Minjae turned back to the wall and resumed casting spells on the monsters outside.
The task of the archers and mages was to eliminate the creatures crowding outside the walls, but it seemed he’d lent a hand inside just for a moment.
“Holy...”
“He summoned a thundercloud.”
For the ordinary awakened, it was a shocking display.
Some of them remembered that cloud.
Back when the city was still encased in a water barrier, a massive bolt of lightning had struck the heart of the water-locked city.
‘And that... that was the soldiers?’
Only a small group of the awakened who had joined the dungeon raid knew about the “divine judgment” that day.
Today, its true source was revealed.
* * *
“Ugh. I’m dying here!”
“Damn it, why are there so many here?!”
“Guess we’re just unlucky!”
The monsters launched into the fortress from the catapults.
There was one area where an unusually high number of them had landed by sheer chance.
“Reinforcements...”
“Do you think other places are any better? We’re on our own.”
“This is nuts.”
Even for the hardened soldiers, the sheer number of enemies was overwhelming.
Then...
“Wait, who’s that?”
“Looks like one of the new recruits?”
“A recruit? Are you kidding me?! Hey! Get back here!”
One figure moved forward, stepping out of formation and walking straight into the heart of the enemy forces.
‘Are they insane?!’
Even the weakest soldiers had considerable strength, thanks to their gear and the guild skills that enhanced their abilities.
But this battlefield, with monsters packed in such numbers, was no place for a rookie.
“Damn it, grab...!”
“I’m sorry.”
The new recruit spoke up.
“I tried to hold back... but seeing them... I’m just too hungry.”
“What?”
The soldiers were baffled.
Hungry?
Everyone had eaten the buff meals prepared by Sergeant Shin Youngjun before the battle.
“And they’re monsters threatening people, so...”
The recruit reached toward a monster, grabbing it with a seemingly frail hand.
*Rip!*
With the sound of tearing flesh, the monster’s arm was ripped off.
“They’re edible, right?”
“...”
A moment later, the soldiers understood.
As she devoured the green-skinned monster, her right arm turned a shade of green.
* * *
The monster wave.
The fortress, the Dragon Soldiers, all these preparations were made to hold back an overwhelming tide of monsters.
If the numbers had been similar...
It would’ve been a crushing victory for the soldiers.
Each monster was strong in its own right and even showed strategic thinking.
But the soldiers had the upper hand in both force and strategy.
Inside the fortress, the numbers were nearly equal, or slightly in favor of the Greenmane Tribe.
But the battle was heavily skewed in favor of the soldiers.
It was then that something stirred.
A Greenmane warrior, over two meters tall, emerged from among the monsters.
Taller than the others, this massive warrior moved toward the soldiers.
* * *
*Crunch.*
*Thud!*
“Where did all that bravado go?!”
Corporal Jeon Gwang-il tore through the monsters.
Even without the buffs from the meals, he was stronger than most of the Dragon Soldiers.
And now, he had the benefit of Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s special cooking.
“Is this all you’ve got?!”
“Keeeek!”
Ordinary monsters didn’t stand a chance.
“Is he even human? He’s more like a monster himself.”
“He’s so calm usually, but once the fight starts...”
“We’re lucky he’s on our side.”
Corporal Jeon Gwang-il was undoubtedly delivering the highest impact in this battle within the fortress.
“Huh?”
“Corporal! Corporal!”
“What, are you my next target?”
“Huh? No, no, not me! Look over there!”
“Hm?”
Jeon Gwang-il followed his junior’s gaze.
In the distance, a towering figure approached—larger than any other Greenmane warrior he had seen.
“What’s that?”
“It’s massive. It’ll be fun to fight.”
Soldiers and awakened alike charged at the giant monster.
Big or not, it was only one creature.
But...
*Boom!*
A soldier struck by the monster’s weapon was sent
flying, crashing into a wall with blood spilling from his mouth.
‘...!’
Tension filled the air.
That soldier wasn’t weak—he was a high-level awakened from the elite 423rd Division.
Yet he was incapacitated in a single hit.
“A powerful enemy!”
“Form defensive lines! Hold them back!”
The soldiers prepared to block the creature.
But each swing of its axe sent another awakened flying.
Its immense combat strength was beyond what the average soldier could handle.
Most of them were drenched in cold sweat.
All but one.
“Hahaha! Finally!”
Upon seeing the monster’s strength, Corporal Jeon Gwang-il couldn’t hide his excitement.
“A real challenge has finally appeared!”
He let out a crazed laugh, dark energy emanating from his body.
*Madness*
This power allowed him to exceed his limits at the cost of his sanity.
*Thud!*
With a burst of speed, Corporal Jeon Gwang-il launched himself at the enemy.
The two-meter-tall figure shot forward like a bullet, hurtling toward the massive monster.
