Chapter 213 Jetlag (VI)
After the battle had ended, and the dungeon gate became stable, the soldiers collected the crystal cores from the monster bodies. Some other soldiers were busy setting up tents around the battle site, preparing for much-needed rest after the draining fight.
Meanwhile, the awakeners gathered together to take a break and have lunch with the army rations. The atmosphere felt calmer now, and they could sense a bit of relief after the intense battle. Under the shade of a tree, Olivia seemed somewhat dissatisfied as she bit into a tough biscuit.
"This food is not for humans! How can biscuits be this hard!" Olivia whined.
Sitting next to her was Sylvia. She smiled and replied, "It's okay. What matters is that our stomachs are filled."
Joanna huffed, she still somewhat unsatisfied with her meal.
As they munched their lunch, Sylvia and Olivia watched their friends' activities around them. Joanna was busy assisting the wounded soldiers, providing care and distributing lunch. She also listened to the stories of the soldiers who had experienced the fierce battle.
Akio was soundly napping under the warm sunlight. His close friend, Michael, sat with other guild members, joking and sharing their lunch.
Meanwhile, Gavin gathered with some soldiers. He was famous in his country for his powerful lightning. The soldiers drew close to him with respect, placing high hopes on him.
However, Olivia was intrigued by the command tent.
"What do you think they're talking about in there?" Olivia asked.
Sylvia answered with curiosity, "I'm not sure. But it seems like they're discussing something quite serious. We'll find out more later."
Olivia nodded in response.
Inside the command tent, Captain Guzman was busy preparing two cups of coffee for his guests. Justin felt hesitant and tried to decline, saying it wasn't necessary to trouble Captain Guzman. However, Captain Guzman chuckled lightly and replied, "No problem. Making a coffee is my hobby."
While brewing the coffee, Captain Guzman shared an unexpected story from his past. He mentioned that before becoming a soldier, he once dreamed of being a barista and starting his own cafe. The story made Justin smile as he listened.
Captain Guzman then expressed his admiration for Justin, asking how Justin managed to recruit Gavin into his guild. Justin was a bit puzzled about how to respond, so he lied, saying that they were old friends with a long history of adventuring together.
After the light conversation, Captain Guzman became serious. He began providing information about the recent situation in the raid dungeon. He explained the number of awakeners involved, the amount of food supplies brought in, and which guilds from different countries were participating in the raid.
Captain Guzman sadly stated, "In the past two weeks, five hundred awakeners have entered this dungeon. We are truly facing a significant loss."
Justin tried to offer his perspective, saying that such a number was reasonable on a larger scale. However, Captain Guzman appeared serious and had a different opinion. He explained that America was different from Germany.
Captain Guzman continued, "Awakenings in Germany are very rare. In fact, there are only five S-Class awakeners so far. And you have one of them. We are fortunate that dungeon breaks rarely occur here. And when Germany lacks awakeners, we borrow from other countries, like we are doing now."
Justin looked deeply concerned hearing Captain Guzman's explanation, but Klaus remained composed in his response. In Germany, awakeners' crises were common things.
"I want you to see something," Captain Guzman said.
After retrieving a document from a shelf under the desk, Captain Guzman handed over a map and some very unfamiliar landscape pictures. Justin furrowed his brow.
"What is this?" Justin asked.
Captain Guzman replied firmly, "It's a map and terrain conditions inside the dungeon. We got these from the awakeners who entered the dungeon."
The answer left Justin surprised. As far as he knew, there was no technology that could bridge the gap between the dimension inside the dungeon and Earth.
"Hold on," Justin said. "Messages from inside the dungeon? You have the technology to send signals between dimensions?"
Before Captain Guzman could respond, Klaus calmly said, "It's not something new, Justin. Recently, the German government funded a project to create interdimensional network waves. Isn't that right, Captain Guzman?"
"Yeah, that's correct," Captain Guzman raised an eyebrow. "But where did you get this information?"
"I have a friend here," Klaus wingked as he said so.
Justin nodded in response, but he wasn't aware that Klaus was concealing an important piece of information. He didn't mention that the company responsible for developing this communication device was his own. Mors Industries had recently formed a secret partnership with a German technology company to develop this device.
However, the existence of this device was still kept secret as it was in the developmental stage. Even Klaus had only found out about it when Director Logan provided him with information about the Elder Elf..
Suddenly, a soldier rushed into the tent. He reported that a group from another American guild had just arrived at the location. Hearing the news, Klaus immediately picked up maps and pictures from the table.
The soldier also conveyed that a guild master from the arriving group wanted to meet with the leader. Captain Guzman promptly gave the order to allow the guest inside.
As the tent flap opened again, a man wearing black glasses entered the tent. The guest was not particularly polite as he addressed Captain Guzman, speaking in a brusque tone and without using honorifics.
"Sorry to interrupt your lunch, but I want to meet with Captain... Captain whatever it is."
Captain Guzman remained composed despite the man's behavior.
The guest introduced himself as Jacob Blake, the leader of the American assistance squad. Captain Guzman discreetly glanced at Klaus, trying to confirm through eye contact if the man's words were true. Klaus nodded in response.
After introducing himself, Jacob Blake explained the reason for their late arrival at the dungeon scene. He said, "Sorry for our delay, Captain Guzman. We encountered extraordinary traffic on the way, and there were also some internal issues that needed immediate handling."
Captain Guzman tried to stay calm and replied, "We understand. The important thing is that you've come."
Jacob rolled his eyes at Klaus.
"Oh, Klaus! Justin! You're here," Jacob squinted his eyes behind his dark glasses. "You know, I've been looking for you at the airport. Because of that, we got stuck there for two hours just to make sure of your whereabouts."
"But you eventually found us, right?" Klaus raised an eyebrow, speaking with a touch of impoliteness. He was intentionally provoking Jacob in front of Captain Guzman.
Of course, Jacob was well aware of it. "Yeah, you're right. I hope you won't do that again. I'm your leader. Always report to me before you do anything. Understand?" His voice was low, but there was a strong sense of threat in each word.
Tension filled the air. Captain Guzman could sense the hostility between those two. He didn't know what had transpired, but he thought it best not to get involved and be dragged into the feud between these two formidable awakeners.
Silence enveloped them until Justin cleared his throat.
"So, when are we starting the raid?" Justin asked, changing the topic of conversation.
"Oh, right," Captain Guzman responded. "The monsters have already come out of the dungeon, and I need to schedule the evacuation of the civilians according to protocol. Please decide as soon as possible; the sooner, the better."
And then, the moods of the two men shifted. Klaus started to show a thin smile, while Jacob returned to a more casual demeanor.
"Of course, we'll do it tomorrow morning. But before that, Captain, I'd like to have a private conversation."
Captain Guzman raised an eyebrow. "Sure."
Smirking, Jacob rolled his eyes at Klaus. "You two, get out."
Hearing those words, Justin clenched his teeth. The man in black glasses was openly dismissing both of them. However, Klaus remained unfazed. Instead, he smiled and thanked Captain Guzman for the coffee before he exited the tent.
As Klaus passed by Jacob, he paused for a moment.
"I've dirtied my hands because of Vincent. Don't make me do the same to you," he whispered.
Naturally, Jacob widened his eyes.
"You!!!" He exclaimed, losing his composure.
Klaus simply walked away; his lips curled up as he stepped out. Justin didn't know what Klaus had said, but hearing the arrogant man lose his temper made him unable to help but smile.
Meanwhile, Captain Guzman furrowed his brow.
As the two of them exited the tent, Justin, with curiosity, asked Klaus, "Hey, hey. What did you whisper to him?"
"It's nothing," Klaus replied. "He's always acted recklessly, and I've let him. Giving him a little warning is enough to make him know his place."
Raising an eyebrow, Justin was still unsatisfied with Klaus's answer.
Klaus knew Jacob's entire plan.
Their lateness wasn't accidental.
Playing the hero was what Jacob wanted. If they arrived when the monsters attacked the village, the news that would make headlines would be American guilds saving the villagers. Of course, the one highlighted would be their leader, Jacob.
California had become boring for him, and he couldn't expand to other states to avoid conflicts with the Awakener Association.
Therefore, he wanted to use this moment as a starting point to spread his influence in Germany. Leveraging the dungeon break in Oberstdorf, he aimed to gain popularity as the first step in domination.
However, Klaus knew this plan, and he thwarted it right in front of Jacob's face.
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