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It wasn’t because the Morc were strong.

It was because their ambush was too perfect.

Thwack!

“Arghhhh!”

Morc’s sharp claws pierced through the armor and dug into the soldier’s body.

The soldiers’ screams echoed.

“Surround them! We outnumber them by far! Shield bearers, crush them from both sides and immobilize them!”

The officers shouted, directing the soldiers.

Responding to the commands, the soldiers quickly raised their shields and blocked Morc’s movements.

Morc struggled fiercely against the pressing shields from both sides.

Thrust!

Taking advantage of the gap, spearmen stabbed their spears into Morc’s body.

“Screeeech!”

The impaled Morc flailed its claws wildly but couldn’t reach the soldiers who had struck.

And then, at that moment—

A flash!

The priests’ prayers spread holy power around the battlefield.

“Screeee!”

“Grrrrr!”

The holy power began to weaken the Morc.

“Now’s the time! Push them back!”

With renewed vigor, the soldiers started taking down the Morc one by one.

There were already fallen comrades due to the Morc.

Thus, the soldiers, with eyes full of fury, swung their swords and spears at the Morc without mercy.

“Die!”

“Kill them all!”

Thrust! Slash! Splatter!

“Graaah!”

Thud.

Soon, the forest was filled with the soldiers’ shouts and the Morc’s screams.

One by one, the Morc started to fall.

After some time had passed—

“Huff…”

“Huff… Huff…! Are they all dead?”

The soldiers panted as they looked at the completely annihilated Morc.

The commanders, ensuring there were no survivors, ordered another check.

The soldiers made sure, stabbing their spears into the corpses of the Morc.

And with that, the battle was finally over.

“Check the casualties and treat the wounded immediately.”

It was not a long battle.

However, there were quite a few dead and injured.

A disastrous result from an unexpected ambush.

Stomp, stomp.

Then, Wilkis, the commander-in-chief of the subjugation force, dismounted his horse and walked towards Tarion.

His eyes burned with rage, his expression trembling as if he might start cursing at any moment.

Wilkis approached Tarion and slapped him hard across the face.

Smack!

“…!”

“What, what?!”

It was an unexpected situation, to say the least.

The Neokalitz unit members nearby frowned at Wilkis.

What kind of nonsense was this?

But…

“What exactly are you people doing? There was no information about this!”

He looked at the Neokalitz unit members and said.

“How can you handle things so poorly that this situation arises?”

Reports indicated that over fifty soldiers from the subjugation force had died.

Including the wounded, the number easily exceeded a hundred.

Wilkis, unable to contain his anger, glared fiercely at the Neokalitz unit and the Erkal defense force.

He seemed ready to draw his sword at any moment.

But Tarion, looking at Wilkis calmly, said,

“Morc is a solitary monster. They do not form groups, nor do they set traps like this.”

“Then how do you explain this?”

“We cannot predict phenomena altered by magic.”

“Is saying you don’t know all you can do? You should have scouted ahead! Is this how you perform your role, failing and then making excuses?”

Wilkis glared at Tarion as if he wanted to kill him.

“You dismissed the need for reconnaissance, claiming that mere monsters could simply be pushed back.”

Tarion glanced at the bodies of fallen soldiers around him.

There were casualties not only from the subjugation force but from other units as well.

Clenching his fist tightly, Tarion’s hand trembled.

Though he had come in place of punishment, all of these were like family to him.

Tarion spoke.

“This situation was created by you, Commander.”

“What did you say? Are you saying you want to die?!”

Wilkis shouted loudly and grabbed his sword.

But just then—

“That’s enough.”

Claire, who had been observing, intervened.

She looked at Wilkis and said,

“Commander, this forest is tainted with magic. This means the entire forest might have developed a consciousness of its own.”

“Developed consciousness? What do you mean?”

“With the intrusion of a massive force like the subjugation team, the forest might have perceived us as enemies.”

“Is that even possible?”

Not only Wilkis, but the other officers also couldn’t hide their surprise.

If this hypothesis were true…

“It means we might face many things here that defy common sense.”

“……”

Everyone fell silent at Claire’s words.

They knew she was indicating how much more dangerous the situation had become.

But…

“That doesn’t mean their errors are erased.”

“Commander, that’s…”

“If you interfere further, I’ll formally lodge a complaint to the temple after this subjugation.”

Wilkis warned, his eyes wide open.

The palace and the temple maintained a relationship of non-interference.

Hence, Wilkis was willing to stop at this point.

“…Understood.”

As Claire stepped back, Wilkis turned to Tarion and said,

“Punishment will be decided after the subjugation. From now on, perform your duties properly. Otherwise, you might not survive afterward.”

“…Understood.”

Tarion nodded in response.

Wilkis turned his body.

“Hurry up and collect the bodies of the fallen! And move to another location to prepare for camp.”

Wilkis glanced at Tarion again.

“Find a space where we can set up camp quickly.”

“…Understood.”

When Tarion answered, Wilkis turned his back and walked away.

The remaining members of the Neokalitz unit exchanged no words.

“…Damn, this is such a mess.”

“That bastard. He’s the one who told us not to scout, and now he’s throwing a fit.”

They were seething with anger.

But they couldn’t protest.

For Wilkis, cutting their throats right here wouldn’t pose any problem.

He was a noble.

They were criminals serving military service instead of prison time.

“…Hurry up and collect our comrades’ bodies. Aaron, take some quick-footed guys and search for a campsite.”

“Yes, sir.”

Despite the unfair situation, they couldn’t remain idle.

The unit members began moving quickly.

“Let’s get moving too.”

Dianal said to Damian.

Damian glanced at the dead soldiers.

A bitter expression spread across his face.

There was sorrow in his eyes as he looked at them.

“…”

Quite a few soldiers had fallen on the first day.

Even among the Neokalitz unit, there were casualties.

The senior who laughed loudly in the barracks and the one who shouted for bets had also died.

“…Damn it.”

Damian bit his lip tightly.

A bitter taste lingered in his mouth.

“Are you okay?”

“…No.”

Damian let out a small sigh at Kyle’s question. But still…

“Let’s get moving too.”

“Yeah.”

Damian used herbs to treat the injured.

Meanwhile, the scouting party searching for a campsite returned.

“We just need to move a bit further from here.”

“Move out immediately! Hurry!”

Once the campsite was decided, the officers of the subjugation force shouted orders to the soldiers.

Staying here might attract other monsters due to the smell of blood.

Moreover, the sun was setting.

They needed to move quickly to the campsite and set up the barracks.

The subjugation force rushed to the campsite.

Thud! Thud!

Everyone hastily began building the barracks.

With so many people, a lot of materials were needed, but there were plenty of trees around.

“What’s with that guy?”

“Didn’t he say this was his first unit?”

The barracks were built by setting up a central pole and pulling thick fabric in four directions to secure it.

Not sturdy, but it could be set up quickly, making it useful in situations like this.

However—

“Did that guy practice setting up barracks outside?”

The speed at which Damian finished setting up his barracks amazed the other unit members.

“Phew, Kyle. Use what you just learned to help the other seniors.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll help.”

Damian didn’t stop at completing his own barracks; he went around assisting other seniors.

Thanks to Damian’s expertise, the unit members were able to set up the barracks quickly.

Soon, the barracks were finished.

Thus, the first night of the subjugation passed.

* * *

Rustle, rustle.

A place where a faint black light was flowing.

Rustle!

The budding plant bathed in that light began to grow several times larger, with black spots appearing on its leaves.

And the eyes of nearby animals and monsters turned red and gleamed.

Hundreds, no, thousands of monsters.

The number of monsters gathered around ‘it’ was sickening, like ants swarming a lump of sugar.

And soon…

―Kill… Kill…

A single command echoed in the monsters’ minds.

―Kill the humans who have invaded this place…!

“Kiieeeek!”

“Groaaaar!”

With a deafening roar, the thousands of gathered monsters began to move somewhere.

Their sole purpose was clear.

To exterminate the humans who had invaded their territory.

In the spot where the monsters had gathered—

The center, ‘it,’ shimmered and emitted light.

* * *

Fortunately, there were no further attacks during the night.

Waking up with the morning dew, Damian wiped his armor and weapons with a dry cloth.

They were slightly damp from the humidity.

“Polishing your gear first thing in the morning?”

“You should too. The handle might get slippery, so pay extra attention when wiping it.”

“Thanks.”

Kyle, who received the cloth from Damian, sat down to inspect his equipment.

Though he often complained, Kyle would follow through when instructed.

Damian chuckled at Kyle and stepped outside the barracks.

“Hmm…”

Nothing seemed amiss.

Even after scanning the surroundings, there was no other presence.

But still—

‘I feel… heavy.’

It wasn’t because he slept poorly.

The only logical explanation was one.

The magic poisoning the entire forest must have been affecting them.

If that were true, the soldiers’ conditions might not improve over time.

And worse…

‘It’ll only get worse the deeper we go.’

He suspected that the source of the magic, ‘it,’ was likely located at the center of the forest.

For the subjugation force, the priority was clear.

‘We must find the right direction.’

Lingering in a strange place could lead to continuous danger.

With each battle, the number of injured would increase.

‘And they’ll become more susceptible to the magic.’

They needed to move swiftly and decisively toward the forest’s center.

Swoosh.

Damian’s gaze shifted to the command barracks at the center of the campsite.

They seemed busy holding a meeting from early morning…

“They need to make the right decision.”

Damian mumbled to himself while starting to stretch.

But—

“…You want to go around the outskirts?”

Commander Wilkis’s decision was taking things in a different direction.