Western District
Knight Barracks
5:00 PM
In a dimly lit room, two feminine figures faced each other.
One sat behind a desk, while the other floated lazily in the air.
The figure behind the desk was the Captain of the 9th division Captain Seria, while the floating figure was Rei Varion a 1-star Hunter and a high-ranking leader in the Hunter Association Branch. Rei was unimaginably strong despite her rank, but her laziness hindered her from advancing. The Hunters Association couldn't promote her due to her insufficient amount of mission completions and contributions.
Rei Varion had long black hair with purple edges tied back in a single braid and purple eyes. Fair skin and an attractive body, She wore an armored dress.
(Rei Varion Image).
"So why are you here, Rei?" Seria asked.
"Nothing much, just here to give some heads up," Rei said lazily.
"I thought hunters weren't allowed to talk because of that incident?" Seria inquired.
"Don't play dumb with me, Seria. You know us well enough," Rei retorted.
Seria shrugged.
"The manager said we couldn't talk until the crisis started, but he didn't say that we couldn't during the crisis," Rei explained.
"Okay, understood. So, what's the news?" Seria asked.
"One level 9 monster and a 450 million-strong horde are coming," Rei said casually.
"What!" Seria shouted in disbelief.
On a small hill near the knight barracks.
On top of the hill where a single tree stood, a man dressed in a red cloak sat against its bark. This man was John.
After his date with Luciada, they both returned to their duties—Luciada to the medical camp and John to the Knight Barracks in the destroyed west district.
Many forces gathered here again, but their numbers were abysmally lower than in the two previous battles against the horde.
They waited for the upcoming battle. The atmosphere was tense, and most forces from different countries showed no emotion trying to calm their restless nerves.
The hunters, from Professional Hunters to Star Hunters and Hunter Soldiers, were relaxed like they were on a field trip.
Many adventurers and knights felt dissatisfied and had mixed feelings toward the Hunters. Despite being saved by them, they felt indignation, insult, mockery, or even hatred, especially the nobles leading their nation's forces.
Veterans and the strong shook their heads at those ignorant about the hunter's strength.
Later, an ancient voice carrying authority and power spoke out of nowhere, heard by everyone in the barracks and its surroundings.
"All who receive a letter from a dove, come to the meeting room in the basement. I expect everyone there in 10 minutes," the voice commanded, leaving a shocked and bewildered crowd.
"A debriefing again, huh? Aren't they tired of doing this every time? Whatever, I wasn't involved with that gathering, just sleep for now," I muttered, making myself comfortable under the tree for a nap.
My eyes slowly closed, and my consciousness drifted toward sleep, but before I could fall asleep, a hard, heavy object hit my stomach.
"Ugh!" The impact almost made me puke.
My sleepy consciousness woke up instantly. I opened my eyes and saw an angry crow pecking my stomach.
Between the crow's beak was a black letter.
I reached out with my left hand to receive the letter. The crow released it and flew away.
I opened the letter and when I saw what was written, my face twitched. I asked myself how I could be so forgetful. I had hidden my face while fighting, but I forgot someone was watching me from above.
"Whatever, just go with the flow."
In the wide room of the Knight Barracks basement.
Over a hundred people gathered here, and I was among them.
On the opposite side of the crowd was a stage where five people sat. I recognized Captain Seria on the stage. The rest were most likely captains from other divisions.
Captain Seria stepped forward and started the debriefing.
She informed us that this would be the last Horde we would face, and it was much stronger than the previous two.
According to her, the upcoming horde was over a hundred million strong and led by the Queen of the Horde the Ambist Queen, a level 9 monster. After hearing this, the gathered people became silent, most turning to statues out of fear.
After a few minutes of silence, an uproar erupted. They started screaming nonsense and proposing solutions for the upcoming disaster.
Surprisingly, no one thought of running away, likely knowing that even if they did, there would be nowhere to go. Level 9 monsters were known to destroy continents with a single attack. Only a level 10 or ten level 9 individuals could hope to defeat it, with at least half dying in the process while the former receive severe injury. But there is some exceptional and secretive existence that could easily kill this entity.
The uproar continued, and many plans emerged but were shut down by Captain Seria due to their hidden flaws.
Amidst this chaotic scene, I didn't realize I had fallen asleep.
While I was deep in sleep, I felt many gazes on me.
I slowly opened my eyes and saw everyone staring at me.
I looked at the stage and saw Captain Seria and the other four captains also looking at me.
"Sweetie, I see you're very relaxed. Can you share your strategy that makes you like this?" asked a purple-haired beauty with a hot body and provocative attire.
If I remember correctly, the purple-haired beauty was Erisa Tonuley, captain of the Second Division and a level 7 individual. However, I felt her level was a lie. She was a level 8, similar to Seria. Both girls were hiding their levels. All the captains were hiding their real levels, detectable only by those of similar strength.
I yawned and replied without hesitation.
"A level 10 and a bunch of monsters numbering in the hundreds of millions, that's the horde we're facing, right?" I asked while cracking my neck.
Captain Erisa smiled and nodded.
"Well, my strategy is simple, put me in the front, and I'll do the rest," I said honestly.
Silence permeated the room, followed by laughter and ridicule aimed at me. Amidst the laughter, I noticed the powerful ones, including the five on the stage, remained silent.
Erisa only looked at me with her seductive smile. (Her Image).
Seria nodded at me, showing interest. (Her Image).
The orange-haired man, who looked like a delinquent, smirked. (His Image).
The green-haired man paid no attention, focusing on cutting his nails with his one-handed axe. (His Image).
The last one was a beautiful girl wearing glasses. Her black hair was styled in a bob cut, and her curvaceous, hot body was hidden under a black long robe, typical of a magician. She, too, paid no attention, focusing on her book. (Her Image).
The ridicule and laughter lasted a minute before Seria's authoritative tone stopped it.
Silence dominated the room again.
Captain Seria looked around before saying, "Let's continue."
Several minutes later, people left the debriefing one by one. I was among the first to leave.
I pondered the information for a while before deciding to take this opportunity to build my image as an adventurer.
"What should I choose, be the phantom or become the Red Berserker?" I mused.