Chapter 1111

〈Chapter 1111〉 Dark Moon

Just before sunrise, I woke up and stared at the blanket I had lain on.

Even though it was just a single blanket on the floor, it felt as comfortable as sleeping in a bed.

“The best part is definitely the bug prevention.”

Bugs don’t come near the blanket. It’s an enchantment with desirable effects.

I placed my hand on the blanket and channeled mana into it to examine the magical runes more closely.

“It seems like some other technology besides magic has been applied here. This isn’t just a simple enchanted blanket.”

As I inspected the runes, I soon furrowed my brow. The core rune formation was secured with a security lock. Another set of runes was layered over the original ones to obscure them. To break down the security runes and uncover the core formation, I’d need to disassemble this blanket.

“…If I tear apart the blanket and inspect the inside, I might get a better idea… but it belongs to Lexi.”

I gave up cleanly.

There will be another chance later. Besides, buying one for myself once I earn enough money wouldn’t be such a bad idea either.

Out of habit, I tidied up my sleeping spot and glanced beside me at Instructor Lexi. She was still asleep. With her arms above her head and legs spread wide, she looked overly carefree.

Though she was wearing her uniform, it was already completely disheveled. All the buttons on her top were undone, revealing her bra, and her bottom garment had slid down to her thighs. Her black panties, which covered very little area, were visible.

“I get it. It was hot yesterday, and while the magical blanket is comfortable, it doesn’t protect against the heat. She must have unconsciously taken off her clothes because of the heat.”

I was in a bind.

It feels weird to keep looking at her body like this, and if I go over to fix her clothes and she wakes up, she might misunderstand.

“Ugh…”

After pondering, I decided to pretend not to notice and turned away. But Lexi’s naked figure was vividly imprinted in my mind—her ample chest, her white and smooth thighs, and those small black panties.

My lust began to stir.

I quickly sought something to do.

Preparing breakfast.

Since the emergency rations we have only last three days, we need to find food in this forest. I walked around looking for edible plants.

BEEEEEEP!

The alarm went off. It was the magical alarm that Instructor Lexi set up last night—it detected me and rang. I didn’t panic. In fact, I intentionally triggered the alarm to naturally wake Lexi up.

When I turned my head back, our eyes met with Instructor Lexi, who had sat up. She waved at me with a slightly dazed expression. Her heaving chest was visible through her disheveled uniform despite wearing a bra. I was surprised by how much it moved and quickly turned my gaze away.

After gathering a few edible plants, I approached her. My legs hesitated. Even after fifteen minutes, Lexi’s attire was still disheveled. She blankly stared at nothingness with a vacant look on her face.

“Instructor Lexi.”

“…Call me sister.”

“Yes, Sister. Now that you’re awake, please get ready quickly.”

“I’m too tired for breakfast. And besides… it’s so hot.”

“We’re in the middle of a mission.”

“Let’s take it slow. Enjoy it like we’re on vacation. Though this place is far from ideal for a holiday…”

Muttering complaints, Instructor Lexi slowly got up and started tidying her clothes and bedding.


Indeed. Despite her half-asleep expression, her hands moved without hesitation. Her skill in unfolding the blanket was as sharp as a blade. No matter what, she was still a soldier.

She slipped out of her uniform jacket and placed it in her bag, leaving herself in just a thin t-shirt. The white shirt let the black of her undergarments peek through. I suppressed the sigh threatening to escape and tried not to look at her figure.

Using magic, we conjured fire and water to boil the plants we’d gathered, chewing them slowly. The taste was abysmal. It was the kind of flavor that would make even the strongest stomachs churn.

“For survival, there’s no choice.”

There was no room to be picky.

“Ugh, this is gross. Should we shower before moving on?”

“There’s nowhere to shower here.”

“We’ve got magic, though.”

“…We need to conserve mana. This is the Rumel Forest after all. We were lucky not to encounter any monsters or beasts during the early morning… but there’s no guarantee that luck will hold.”

Creating water with magic wasn’t efficient. For small amounts like drinking water, it might work, but producing enough for a shower consumed far too much mana.

“You’re right, can’t argue with that. You’re sharper than me, huh.”

After finishing our meal, we checked the map and confirmed our objective.

“Today’s goal is to check this point. Tomorrow, we’ll check the one next to it. Even if we move slowly, we should be done in five days.”

“What if there’s no Resistance after checking all the points?”

“Then the mission is a failure. Not our fault if the intel was wrong from the start. Let’s eat easy.”

Today, she took the lead, cutting through the vines as we walked. Watching her back, I absentmindedly scratched my head because her soaked white t-shirt revealed every curve of her waist. Her toned body made her silhouette look like a masterpiece.

“211. Let’s rest here. It’s not just the heat—it’s the humidity driving me crazy.”

Lexi raised her cup, filling it with magic-born water and adding a coffee tea bag from her pocket, chilling it with ice.

I declined the cheap tea bag she offered and drank plain ice water instead. It wasn’t my style.

“Grrrrr…”

A three-horned jaguar emerged—a mutant beast classified as a monster in this world.

“A Class 1 Triple Jaguar.”

“I’ll handle it.”

The moment I drew my pistol, the jaguar sensed hostility and charged at me. Its sharp claws and yellowed teeth glinted in the sunlight.

‘Barrier.’

Clang.

Unable to break through the barrier, the jaguar was pushed back by the repulsion force and charged again. Aiming at its mouth, I pulled the trigger. A blue magical bullet pierced through its skull, releasing freezing cold air as it hit. The jaguar’s massive body collapsed, its head frozen solid.

“You used a magical bullet? That was wasteful.”

“I wanted to finish quickly.”

It was a magical bullet we’d stolen from the soldiers who chased us yesterday.

With a knife in hand, I butchered the jaguar, taking only the meat we could eat.

“Lunch and dinner sorted.”

“Barbecue sounds good.”

Before other monsters or beasts caught the scent of blood, we vacated the area.

Walking through the jungle-like forest, Lexi kept talking to break the monotony. I gave her occasional replies.

Suddenly, Lexi went silent. I realized she had spotted an enemy.

‘Detection.’

I cast a second-tier detection spell.

An invisible wave spread outward from me in all directions. I felt the structure of the trees, the shape of the vines. I deliberately ignored small animals and bugs to avoid overwhelming myself with information.

Currently, I could detect up to about 70 meters around me.

“…Three people are 50 meters away at two o’clock.”

“Right. Any other details?”

“They appear to be men, carrying rifles. They haven’t awakened to mana. Whether they belong to the Resistance or the 105 Unit, I don’t know.”

“Which side do you think?”

“The Resistance is more likely. If it were the 105 Unit, they wouldn’t have sent only three people.”

“I agree. They’re probably on reconnaissance or hunting. Hmm, what should we do?”

Lexi narrowed her eyes…


With the glow of the , it demanded my response.

“…It’d be better to either grab and interrogate them or stealthily tail them to find their base.”

“Since I’m not confident in interrogation, let’s go with tailing.”

“Yes, Lexi-nee.”

The title “Nee” (Elder Sister) made Instructor Lexi smile contentedly. She stepped closer to me and patted my shoulder.

“Well then, let’s get started.”

Despite sensing her sticky-sweet body scent, I nodded without showing any reaction.

We simultaneously cast Silence Magic and moved covertly.

The guys were moving slowly while checking their surroundings.

The three men wore mismatched clothing. Their sloppy outfits seemed to have only one advantage: ease of movement.

They held rifles in their hands—cheap guns easily obtainable just by walking around the city streets in this world.

‘They’re definitely the Resistance.’

Instructor Lexi and I trailed them at a distance of about 10 meters. If I wanted, I could kill all of them within 5 seconds.

There’s definitely a power gap. Loosening up slightly, I followed behind them with mild tension.

“Damn it. Why do we have to scout in this forest?”

“The army sent people to kill us, didn’t they?”

“We don’t need to go looking for them. If we throw out bait, the enemy will come running on their own.”

“I heard something about a sniper, right? If we find them before they set up, things will be easier. You know how terrifying snipers can be.”

“Yeah, but can they even properly shoot in here?”

“A skilled sniper could definitely manage it.”

They kept repeating the same reconnaissance route. After walking for about two hours, they suddenly changed direction, heading back to their hideout.

We quietly tailed them.

A cleverly concealed cabin appeared under a large tree. Armed guards stood around the cabin, but they weren’t doing a great job. They looked bored and annoyed as they half-heartedly scanned the area.

I used Detection Magic to pinpoint the exact number and positions of the enemies.

‘Normally, these kinds of camps would have countermeasures against detection magic… but there’s nothing here.’

Adding the three who just entered the cabin, there are a total of seven people. Five are inside the cabin, and two are guarding outside.

‘They’re definitely the Resistance, but the numbers are low.’

There should be at least 30 or more.

‘Considering the small size of the cabin… did they split the group from the start?’

Shaking off the complicated thoughts, I glanced at Instructor Lexi. No matter what I thought, she had the final say.

Instructor Lexi signaled with her hands—a wipe motion indicating extermination. Time to act.

She pulled the trigger immediately. Thanks to Silence Magic, there was no gunshot sound. The bullets cleanly pierced the foreheads of the two guards.

We rushed into the cabin. I went through the front door while Instructor Lexi took the second-floor window.

As soon as the door opened, three of them turned to look at me. Capturing them alive is necessary—they hold information about the Resistance hiding in the Lumel Forest.

“F***! It’s a Freesell soldier!”

“Take him down!!”

They aimed their rifles at me. Three gun barrels spat fire.

Tiiiiiiing!

The bullets bounced off my Level 2 Barrier. Their faces turned pale.

“M-Magic user! Draw your Magguns!”

They pulled out Maggun-loaded pistols from their coats, but it was already too late. I had prepared another spell along with the Barrier before opening the door.

‘Electric Whip.’

A long streak of azure electricity shot out from my palm. I swung the electric whip toward the enemies.

Their eyes rolled back after being electrocuted. They fainted due to the shock. Normally, ordinary people like them would die, but I tweaked the spell to lower the Electric Whip’s power to just enough to knock them out.

‘The two on the second floor… they’re already finished.’

At this range, there’s no need for Detection Magic. I can sense it clearly. I pulled out some rope from my backpack and tied up the unconscious men. I also didn’t forget to confiscate their Magguns.