Chapter 1099

〈Chapter 1099〉 1099. Dark Moon

Clank clank clank.

The armored vehicle headed toward the mission site.

They called it the latest model, and aside from the noise, the ride wasn’t half bad.

In the armored vehicle seats, including myself, a total of six people sat in the chairs. Everyone except Instructor Belha was stiff with tension.

In just a few hours, we would engage in real combat against the thieves’ gang. A fight where lives would be taken awaited us.

I was tense, but I felt no fear. Facing humans instead of monsters was a first for me as a Hunter, but it was something I had prepared for even before becoming one.

“Don’t be so nervous, kids. You’re Grade 1s. On the other hand, the Neroth Thief Gang, with the exception of their boss Neroth, are ungraded. They’re just regular folks with a bit of real combat experience. You have an overwhelming advantage.”

Ungraded.

People who neither know how to use nor sense mana. That said, they can’t be completely underestimated. The guns they carry are weapons that treat everyone equally.

“Can you all use Barrier Magic? Even a Grade 1 barrier can easily block several dozen normal bullets. However, don’t blindly trust your barriers. Occasionally, there are those who use enchanted bullets instead of regular ones.”

Belha’s words didn’t change the atmosphere.

Barrier.

A neutral magic.

Since its incantation isn’t overly complex, any mage can learn and use it relatively easily. It’s one of the first magics learned when beginning magic studies.

Yet ironically, it’s also one of the spells affected by the complexity of the incantation. The more intricate and detailed the incantation, the stronger the barrier becomes. Furthermore, being neutral magic, it is highly influenced by Astral energy.

Simply put, if your spirit is unstable, the strength of your barrier decreases.

“…Hmph. Looking at your faces, I can’t trust you lot. Let me brief you again.”

Belha took out something resembling a camera from his coat, pointed it at the floor, and pressed the power button. A hologram of the mission area appeared.

“Lazman City. A city reduced to ruins seventy years ago during the war. Ninety-five percent of the city was wiped out by bombing, and only five percent remains now. It’s about the size of a slightly larger town.”

The buildings shown on the hologram were mostly two- to three-story structures. There were some taller buildings too, but their upper parts were either destroyed or missing.

“Your mission is annihilation. Don’t let a single person escape alive. Especially Neroth—make sure he dies.”

Belha growled like a beast. The students swallowed hard at his menacing tone.

He continued with the briefing on Neroth.

“This guy had the audacity to steal dragon essence that was being transported to the capital. There’s no evidence it was sold on the black market, so he likely used it himself. Be careful. Still, even if he did, he probably hasn’t adapted fully yet, so he’s likely around Grade 2 at best.”

Though Belha said it casually, we Grade 1s couldn’t underestimate a Grade 2. If Neroth really was Grade 2, it would take at least three of us working together to take him down. Ideally, all five of us should go in together.

After finishing this sixth repeat of the briefing, Belha told us:

“Check your equipment. If anything goes wrong mid-mission and you start whining, I’ll kill you myself.”

Including myself, the students checked their gear. Unlike the others, my equipment was slightly different. Our uniforms were the same, but our weapons weren’t. Theirs were assault rifles, while mine was a sniper rifle.

Among us, I had the best shooting skills, so I was assigned the role of sniper. Later…


In the room, I had already discarded the thought that just providing sniper support would keep me safe. I’m well aware of how perilous this world is. No room for complacency here.

‘And I must prove my worth here.’

Only then will I be treated with respect when I return.

Having checked all my gear, I took a deep breath and glanced at the other kids deployed on this mission with me. Around the same age as me—appearing to be between 15 and 17 years old. All five were male. I recognized them all at least by sight.

“We’ve arrived. The mission begins. I won’t intervene until you’re all wiped out. Keep that in mind as you carry out your duties.”

Kiiiiiing.

The APC’s door slowly opened.

“Just so you know, don’t let foolish thoughts creep in once you step outside. You’ll never escape from us.”

I instinctively looked at my right forearm. The slave mark hidden under my uniform flashed in my mind.

‘Just stepping outside doesn’t mean there’s an opportunity to escape. To break free from this hellhole, I first need to deal with the slave mark.’

Escape is a distant dream for now. Setting aside any lingering thoughts of freedom, I stepped out of the APC with the others.

Even after seventy years, traces of war still lingered here. The ochre ground was rock-hard, and whenever the wind blew, clouds of sand dust arose.

“Let’s stick to the strategy. 211, count on you for sharpshooting.”

Number 14 said.

“I’ll do my best.”

I replied formally. Afterward, we split up. Numbers 72, 54, 105, and 14 headed straight toward the ruins of the city while I hurriedly moved to my sniper position.

My sniper point was atop a pillar. Though wide open, making it easy to get sniped myself, the Neroth bandits don’t have any snipers.

Squatting atop the pillar, I held my rifle. The surface was too narrow to lie down.

I brought my right eye to the scope. Thanks to the telekinetic magic-enhanced scope, the ruined city over a kilometer away appeared crystal clear. My first task was finding the four teammates, which wasn’t difficult since I’d memorized their routes.

I tapped my radio.

“This is 211. I’ve reached the sniper position.”

“This is 14. Any enemies?”

“I’m checking.”

It was also my job to observe enemy movements through the scope.

“…14, at about the one o’clock position from your standpoint, there are at least three in a building nearby. They’re chatting and playing cards. They haven’t noticed us yet.”

“At least three, huh. Can you take them out?”

“Angles aren’t lining up except for one.”

“Understood. We’ll handle it. Check for other enemy positions.”

Team 14 stealthily infiltrated the building.

“Silence.”

Through the radio, 14’s voice came through.

Silence—a first-tier sound-canceling magic that removes all noise from the surrounding area. Combined with barriers, it’s one of the more efficient first-tier spells.

The downside? Through the connected radio, no sound can be heard. I adjusted the scope to assess the situation. The enemies were pierced by bullets, meeting their end swiftly. The fight lasted roughly six seconds.

“Cleared. Next?”

“From there, seven o’clock direction. Two guards near the building entrance.”

“Confirmed. Their position isn’t ideal for us to handle. 211, can you take them out?”

“I can.”

Holding my breath, I intensified my focus. Every slight tremor in the gun was gone. As soon as I was ready, I pulled the trigger, slightly adjusted the muzzle, and fired again. Two spent shell casings hit the ground. Crimson flowers of blood and brain erupted from the heads of the two guards on watch.

“…”

This was my first kill, counting both my life on Earth and as 211.

My fingertips trembled slightly. I exhaled softly, shaking off the trembling. That was it. Surprisingly, it felt much more detached than I expected.

Shake off distractions and focus on the mission.

As Team 14 trampled over the fallen enemies and dashed into the building,

The operation was nearly flawless until the tenth kill.

“…We’ve been spotted. Combat starts now. 211, cover us.”

“Got it.”

Even in this situation…


I had anticipated this scenario thoroughly. Bullets, we’ve got plenty of them. I pulled the trigger not to kill the enemy but to save my allies. To take down Neroth, the leader of the bandits, everyone, including those from Squad 14, needs to stay alive.

As I shifted my scope around to cover my comrades, I sensed an odd presence and lifted the scope upward. A man stood atop a building, looking down at our allies.

The guy was over 2 meters tall with a lanky build. His attire was practically rags, black as midnight, and his wildly grown white hair revealed emerald-green horn-like branches protruding from his head like tree twigs.

Just as Instructor Belha said—Neroth has absorbed the Dragon Factor and transformed into a Dragonman.

“…Neroth confirmed. Initiating sniper attack.”

“We’ve also confirmed. Is it the Dragon Factor? His presence is different. Can you take him out?”

“Guess I’ll have to try.”

In this world, there are these things called Factors: Dragon Factor, Monster Factor, Hero Factor, Animal Factor, and so on. Some inherit them congenitally due to extraordinary ancestors, while others awaken their abilities by injecting Factors into their bodies.

Neroth fell into the latter category. And the Dragon Factor is considered one of the top-tier Factors.

The only fortunate part is that he hasn’t fully adapted yet after injecting the Factor. If we’d arrived a week later, the chances of mission success would’ve been close to zero.

‘This has to end in one shot.’

I stopped breathing.

It wasn’t enough. To achieve a perfect shot, I restrained my heart with mana. My heartbeat ceased, all trembling disappeared.

Suddenly, Neroth tilted his head up. His eyes were locked onto mine. Suppressing any动摇 with sheer focus, I aimed for his forehead and pulled the trigger with a stiff finger.

Bang!

The bullet shot out. At that moment, everything felt flawless. I was certain the bullet would pierce his forehead perfectly.

But that certainty shattered like a dropped glass.

A flash of blue current ran through his emerald-green branch-like horns, and the bullet halted right before his forehead, then reversed its course toward me. The electric-charged bullet crackled ominously.

I discarded the sniper rifle and rolled to the side. My reaction was swift, but the reflected bullet was faster than expected. It obliterated the rifle and grazed my shoulder before I could dodge. I fell behind a pillar.

‘If I’d been just 0.1 seconds slower, my shoulder would’ve been shattered.’

Cold sweat trickled down as I rose to my feet.

“211! What’s going on?!”

“…The bullet was deflected. He pinpointed me from 1km away and reflected the shot. Don’t let your guard down. The sniper rifle is destroyed. Sniping is impossible. I’m heading your way.”

Pistol in hand, I sprinted toward the battlefield.

Fighting alongside Squad 14 was better than fleeing out of fear.

Over the radio, sounds of combat echoed. Boom, boom. Sounds of explosions suggested grenades were being used.

“Aaaaaaahhhhhh!”

“This is supposed to be Class 2… This guy’s skills are completely above Class 3!”

“M-my arm! My arm’s been cut off! Help me!”

“Graaaarrrr…”

Heart-wrenching screams filled the air.

Still, Squad 14 continued fighting. After a full-speed dash of 500 meters, I panted heavily. Damn it, my body lacked stamina compared to how much I’d trained.

Chichichich…

Static noise came from the radio. There was a high chance either Squad 14’s or someone else’s radio was broken—or Neroth was messing with us.

KABOOM!

Out of nowhere, a bolt of blue lightning struck down from the clear, cloudless sky.

My legs froze.

Heading towards that battlefield now would be pure idiocy. Dying here would be worse than failing the mission. Honestly, Neroth isn’t someone rookies like us should even attempt to fight.

“Damn it. Already Class 3? This guy must have at least a 70% compatibility rate. 211, 14. Gather any surviving allies and prepare to retreat. I’ll handle this bastard.”

Instructor Belha’s order rang out. Any plan to fall back and observe the situation vanished instantly.

‘Disobeying orders is serious… Guess I have no choice.’

I began running again.