Chương 67: Chapter Sixty-Seven: Boredom Gives Way to Complacency

The others talk amongst themselves about the battle. How many levels they have gained, how much progress they have made with their skills, and any other new information learned about the bugs or the citizens of this floor and their relative power levels. I can't seem to bring myself to care much though. My thoughts are still consumed by the war. I know every second I sit here is another in which the enemy gains another inch on our forces.

Every inch the enemy gets on our forces is a lower chance of surviving whatever Floor Two still has in store for us. The issue is that I can tell just how much my body needs this break. Even now, after only sitting here for maybe an hour at most, my figure has recovered considerably. The speed at which high leveled individuals can recover is impressive and the short break I've taken has resulted in equally impressive replenishment in my mana and overall strength.

Even with my endless stream of bullets biting holes into the bug's numbers, the production rate of my mana covers the cost and more despite me not gaining any more points in PWR due to the extended times between levels gained. I can tell my level has reached ridiculous heights simply through the observation of how my mind, body, and mana reacts to my activity. Everything is enhanced beyond anything I could have imagined when first arriving at this floor.

Healing magic might not be a part of my repertoire just yet, but as long as I manage not to sustain any grievous wounds, the superhuman replication rate of my empowered cells can take care of almost any injuries I sustain given enough time. Taking some more rest, I consume a few additional bowls of stew, take a brief run to the staircase to relieve myself, and drink nearly a gallon of water.

Wiping my face free of the water, sweat, and food smeared on my skin, I finally walk back to the edge of the platform where Sandra, Wade, and Angus now stand. During my break, they had taken back over for Nikki and Benny, and when prompted to pull back, Angus had refused. According to the others, he had taken the least amount of breaks alongside me, claiming that he didn't want to lose the progress created by his endless inscriptions.

One look at his face tells me he is just as invested in this war as myself, and the creeping dread in my gut is one we both share. I've seen the same expression on Vince's face as well, and although I've heard he has taken a few runs in the frontline under Brian's permission, the man is just as vigilant as I.

That's why he continues to stand between the Veil and our team, ready to protect everyone at a moment's notice despite his inability to assist in the ranged battle like myself or Angus given his physique focused skill set. Giving the sentinel a nod that he does not return given his intense focus on the horizon, I find my place next to Angus once again before taking manual possession of my spinning storm of projectiles.

Even with my small time to rest, I had never truly turned my attention away from the battle, which is why I immediately adjust my fire to focus on the retreating figure of Brian as he attempts to wade back through the piles of bugs to return to the wall. < Physique Builder – Lvl.??? > Regardless of my insane level gains, the man's identifier is still hidden from me, leaving me wondering just how high a level him and the rest of the Veil Guards are.

With me mowing down the opposition, the man's path back to wall is much easier to navigate, and before I know it, the bloodshot eyes of the wide guard meet mine from a few steps away when he lands back on the platform.

"Hmph." Is all he says through the battered remains of his helmet before making his way back to the command tent where Tobias emerges from only a second later. The two men say nothing and pat the other on the back before swapping out. With our ground commander out of the fight for now, the front-liners begin to falter underneath the pressure of the ceaseless wave of bugs even with my continued support.

Sensing the weakness in our formation, the Freylith live up to their renown and immediately double their efforts to bulldoze through our remaining frontline and reach the Veil. But just as planned, a familiar vibration builds in my chest, and the pressuring wave is engulfed in another blast of concentrated mana from our cannons.

Before the bugs even have a chance to capitalize on our opening, they are annihilated in an instant, making way for Tobias to lazily return to his station and begin raining metal death on the survivors to support the front line once again. The entire situation gives the commanders a whole new level of power in the eyes of the recruits, since their very arrival on shift signals the activation of catastrophe against the enemy.

I'm not any different than the troops however, as my initial thoughts about the Veil Guards' power level have been quashed over the course of this war. Clearly, Kira was just talking out of her ass during our conversation earlier this morning, since there is no way she would ever be able to join the Veil Guard after only one more wave. It is clear the platoon sergeants here and even the higher-ranking guards I haven't seen yet are not to be trifled with.

The only justification I can think of for their level of power is the idea that these guardians have fought through and survived at least five, if not more waves, to get to their current positions. A shiver works its way down my spine as I recall how casually I asked them their level back at the beginning of this floor. Who knew that what I had really been asking is the key to their overwhelming strength.

For a guard to give their level is like telling a civilian just how many waves they have painstakingly lived through and survived despite the odds. It's basically their entire life story rolled up into one question. A new level of respect has wriggled its way into my mind in regard to the countless guards protecting the Veil. Their career paths contain probably the highest mortality rate in the entire city by a wide margin, yet they continue to fight and watch over the Veil for as long as their bodies can allow.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. That's not to say I trust in Brian or Tobias's leadership now though. Even with this new information learned about the source of their might, I can't help but feel the men are taking this entire wave much too lightly. I know they do not have the knowledge of The Pillar and Squad Five's goal on this floor, but the inconsistent nature of the monster wave so far should be enough to put them on a higher guard than normal.

The mysterious high-leveled bugs we saw at the beginning, the ridiculously expedited timeline of the wave from the original six month hit times; It's not something that should be ignored so easily. I saw the way they were looking after sighting the legion of level 100+ Freylith standing at the foot of the wall- they were terrified.

I'm sure they have been doing their due diligence to spot the creatures while I was enveloped in my own mind earlier, but the lax behavior being displayed here is still a gross negligence of the risk at hand.

"Hey!" I yell over the clamor of battle at Tobias, who continues to sweep up bugs at a dizzying pace. His helmet was abandoned hours ago, so I can tell the man doesn't even glance at me with his grey eyes as his bow's draw flits back and forth in a blur.

"HEY!" I yell even louder.

"What is it?" He demands impatiently after finally hearing me.

"Have we spotted the high level Freylith from the beginning of the fight? They are the most dangerous, right? Were they already taken care of?" I ask. The man's eyes flit to me for a moment and I see his brows furrow.

"What the hell are you talking about? There has only been a handful of level 100 Freylith so far and they were taken care of swiftly." The tall man reports. His words leave me speechless for a second, and I can feel the dread in my stomach crawl up into my throat as I scramble to see if the man is simply pulling my leg.

"No! I'm talking about the legion of bugs that appeared before the wave ever arrived! The ones that spawned right next to the wall and stood there watching us until the rest of their kind arrived!" I shout.

"Stop worrying about bugs above your jurisdiction and leave them to your platoon sergeants. That's the entire reason we are here!" He huffs in annoyance.

"There were no goddamn bugs that spawned next to the Veil. We would have taken care of them immediately. Unless of course you are trying to say that some level 28 Fallen somehow managed to spot a bunch of high level Freylith before even our strongest guards? Don't piss me off, boy. Bugs don't spawn this close to the Veil and they for damn sure don't stand still like a bunch of scarecrows!" Tobias chuckles under his breath after completely shutting me down.

The archer turns back to the action while I fall into the depths of my mind as dread threatens to overwhelm me. I don't understand. What the hell does he mean the bugs never existed? I know for a fact I saw them- everyone did. I could never forget the feeling of terror their presence incurred upon the troops and the commanders themselves. So, what could cause this amnesia? It is a skill of the monsters' perhaps? If so, how did it not affect me?

Was the legion of elite Freylith nothing but an illusion or has their existence been erased from the NPC's mind? Whipping around, I plant my hands on Angus's shoulders, pulling the boy away from his concentration and causing him to flinch underneath my grip as if someone were attacking him.

"WHA- Oh, it's just you! What the hell was that?! You scared the shit out of me!" The boy says while brushing sweat-soaked brown curls out of his eyes.

"Did you see the high level Freylith that appeared before the wave started?" I inquire seriously. The boy looks at me strangely before quickly catching onto my tone.

"Yes. I've been trying to find them with my <Perceive> skill but I haven't had any luck at all. I didn't catch their mana signatures beforehand, so it's hard to pin them down with my skill now that no one can find them." He reported with a grim expression that matches my own. So, he saw them as well. He doesn't seem to have the same amnesia that Tobias does either. So, does this mean it was a targeted mind wipe skill? I need to confirm this immediately.

Leaving my station once again, I dart over to the campfire where Vince stands, watching me approach.

"Something's wrong? What is it?" The man instantly identifies to my nervousness. I repeat the same question I gave Angus, and Vince confirms that he saw the legion of bugs as well. Moving around him, I question the rest of the group and get similar answers. It's confirmed them; everyone in our group remembers the line of husked elites that stood near the wall. Instead of answering their questions on why I am asking, I march over to a random group of recruits sitting around another fire.

Some of them spot me coming, and one guy raises a flask of alcohol toward me while grinning.

"Good job out there so far Arsenal! Haha! Do you like your new nickn-""I need you to shut the fuck up and answer me. Do you remember seeing a bunch of high level Freylith standing near the wall at the beginning of the wave?" I interrupt.

"Er, uh, near the wall you said? No, I'm pretty sure we would remember seeing something like that, haha! You've been using mana batteries to charge your skills for a while now, right? Maybe your brain is going a bit screwy under the strain of using them all, haha!" Mana batteries? What the hell is he babbling about?

"What about the rest of you? Did you see them?" I question impatiently. The rest of the group shakes their head violently underneath my harsh gaze, and I take the data they provided and move to the next group.

"Where are ya hiding those batteries anyway?! Up your ass somewhere?!" The man's voice fades behind me as he continues to heckle me about batteries for some reason. Rushing through the next campfire's residents, they also deny seeing any such legion of roaches. The next group is the same, and the group after that as well.

I don't understand what's happening, and my mind is so engulfed by the urge to find any NPC who remembers the bugs that I have completely dismissed my improvised minigun construct and left the ranged support in the hands of Tobias. Why can the 'players' of this place remember the daunting enemies, yet the NPCs cannot? …

It finally dawns on me, and the dread filling my veins becomes infinitely more poisonous as I quickly pull up my notifications and desperately scroll back through the seemingly endless lines of text. I can hear Vince shouting at my side, trying to overcome the noise of the battlefield to ask me what is wrong. I don't answer him though. I need to confirm my fears before it's too late. <Fixation> is tuned to focus solely on reading the notifications as fast as possible.

Any extraneous information gained is in one ear and out the other while I search for the specific notification that I suspect lying deep within the mountain of others. Finally, I find it. < Congratulations! You have reached: Level 30 > < A change has been made. > < You have defeated: Freylith - Lvl. 61 > < You have defeated: Freylith - Lvl. 52 > My heart drops to my feet in a split second as I read the worst five-word notification I could imagine receiving in the midst of this war. I need to tell the others.

I don't know exactly what was changed but it can't be good. My head whips to the side at a speed that hurts my neck while turn to relay what I have found to Vince. For some reason though, he is no longer at my side like I had expected. Did he give up trying to question me? That doesn't sound like him. Where could he have go- The screams finally reach my ears.