Review their strategy

The twilight bathed the sky in a brilliant orange hue, a rare sight in my miserable life. A gentle breeze brushed against my face, and for a moment, I wished I could fully enjoy this fleeting beauty. But the stench of blood and burning flesh overwhelmed my senses, driving straight into my brain.

"This is revolting," I thought, grimacing.

I exhaled sharply, realizing that I had been holding my breath for too long, tension building in my chest. My emotions were mixed—anxiety mingled with the small victories we'd won on the battlefield.

Only moments ago, we were controlling the flow of battle. But when the variants appeared—larger, stronger, and more numerous than anticipated—everything changed. Our strategy had to shift.

The general and the officers led the charge, engaging the monstrous variants. Though it was difficult to take down even one, they managed to push them back beyond the breach, giving the mages crucial time to prepare a counterattack.

Lord Rakahn understood the situation well. Despite the rapid increase in his own strength over the past few days, he was still a newborn variant, far from being able to handle fifty creatures of such power on his own. Lacking the experience and mastery over his abilities, he turned to our last resort.

As we began evacuating the remaining soldiers inside the wall, the few surviving monsters tried to escape, only to be mercilessly picked off by the archers stationed above. Watching the bloodbath unfold, I swallowed hard.

Even after all these years, witnessing such brutality never sat well with me. I quickly averted my eyes, letting my gaze wander across the chaos until it landed on Katia.

The young elf with piercing blue eyes beckoned me to approach. I couldn't refuse her. She outranked me now. Strengthening my legs with essence, I leaped down from the wall, landing softly on my feet, and sprinted toward her.

Katia regarded me with her usual blank stare. No matter how often I found myself in her presence, her intense gaze always unsettled me, as though she could see straight into my soul.

"That's… unnerving," I muttered under my breath.

"I need your help," she said abruptly.

"With what?" I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.

She paused, staring at me longer than usual, which made the silence uncomfortable.

"Come on, there's no need for formalities between us," she said finally. "I might be a non-commissioned officer, but you lead the cleaning and supply team. You don't need to be so stiff."

"I—" I stammered, trying to protest.

"We don't have time for this." Her voice grew firm. "I need mana gems. The master prepared a large supply for us before we left. It's time we use them."

Indeed, the master had entrusted me with a significant amount of mana gems. Sir Akumu had discovered a hidden cache of mana stones during a search of the Ibara Clan's remains, and since they no longer needed them, they generously gifted them to us. The master had purified them, making the stones ready for use.

"Each mana gem can hold five times the energy of a typical essence stone," I reminded her sternly. "You know that improper use can have severe consequences. Make sure the mages understand not to overdraw from the gems."

"You worry too much." She giggled lightly. "Besides, you're the one distributing them, so it's your problem now."

"Great," I thought bitterly. "So, I'm everyone's errand boy now?"

"Exactly!" Katia said, smirking.

"Wait, are you reading my mind?" I asked, suddenly suspicious. "Is that your new trick?"

"Hardly." She shook her head. "You're just easy to read."

I stared at her, momentarily lost for words. I shook it off and headed toward the supply area, my mind racing.

As I made my way across the battlefield, unease settled in my gut. The sight of our leaders, struggling to hold the line against the monstrous variants, sent a chill down my spine. Their armor was torn, barely offering any protection at this point, and their bodies were covered in wounds.

But despite everything, they fought on with grim determination. If they couldn't stop the creatures from breaching the wall, no one else could.