Chapter 1103 – 1103. Dark Moon
The unit I belong to is officially nameless.
The Battle Mage Project is a secret project. Human rights are practically nonexistent in this world, but even so, with the advancement of civilization, a minimum level of human rights beyond the medieval era existed. No matter how much of a slave someone was, using humans for human experimentation was illegal.
‘But in reality, there aren’t many people in this world who follow the law.’
The biggest reason for hiding this project is to avoid being targeted by politicians. Ambitious politicians want to climb higher by gaining achievements, even if it means using the military as a sacrifice.
This unit doesn’t have an official name, but it does have an unofficial one. Unit 667. I don’t know what 667 means, but it’s a unit that exists solely for the Battle Mage Project.
I, a private in Unit 667, a slave, and a test subject, was looking at a map.
A map that Instructor Venus gave to each squad.
It depicted a portion of the terrain near the unit. The unit was roughly marked with a circle and a few words, as if to prevent us from properly understanding the facilities.
I retraced my memories and drew a virtual blueprint of the unit in my head.
There’s a shooting range to the south, and a medical room to the west. The project-related materials are stored in the west. Therefore, the western border is the most heavily guarded. In the center of the unit are the dormitories where we stay, the mana training grounds, and the cafeteria.
To the east are training grounds for martial arts, swordsmanship, and spear techniques. The morning roll call and morning run take place in the east.
The north is a place I don’t remember, but it’s presumed to be the living quarters for the unit’s personnel.
I memorized the terrain near the unit. Someday, this information will surely be helpful.
‘This map only contains information related to the mission. That means other squads have similar maps, but with different information. I want to see those maps, but… I’d be too noticeable to the instructors.’
CCTVs are installed throughout the unit, and soldiers on patrol move around periodically. I mustn’t forget that there are eyes watching everywhere. I had to move carefully to avoid suspicion as much as possible.
“Number 211. When are we going to have the mission briefing?”
Number 212 approached me and asked. She leaned her head slightly to look at the map in my hand.
This time, the instructors wouldn’t intervene. The squads had to plan the operation and prepare the equipment themselves.
“We’ll decide in a meeting after lunch. If you have any opinions about the operation, tell me then.”
The mission start time is after dinner, when the sun begins to set. There’s no training today, and we have quite a bit of time left.
“Okay. By the way, do you know what’s for lunch today?”
“I don’t know. It feels like it’s about time for seafood to come out.”
Number 212’s face scrunched up.
“I just hope it’s not fried fish. That’s really awful.”
I agreed with that opinion. And then, fried fish came out for lunch.
***
After lunch, we gathered in the dormitory and started the meeting.
I stuck the map on the dormitory wall and said,
“Our mission is to occupy this area and maintain it until dawn tomorrow. Tomorrow at dawn, the instructors will personally go around to assess the mission status and give scores. I don’t know the exact criteria. However, if we get a failing grade… you know what that means, right?”
Some of the kids trembled. Fear was etched on their faces.
Mana essence injection.
It was something that no one here liked.
I glanced at Number 31. She was also definitely going to receive the mana essence injection, but she didn’t show any change in expression.
And here, Number 31’s opinion is the most important. No matter how good the plan is, the moment Number 31 says she doesn’t like it, the plan goes down the drain.
Fortunately, Number 31 quietly watched the meeting. She didn’t seem to be planning to troll.
“Number 211. I heard you were excellent at sniping in the last mission. Will you be sniping this time too?”
“No. As you can see from the terrain, the place we need to occupy is near the top of a mountain. There aren’t any suitable sniping points nearby. We’ll all move together without splitting up.”
Mountains weren’t suitable for snipers. The dense trees would interfere with sniping. Unless we were in a high place, that is. This mission required us to climb the mountain.
‘Besides, today is the day of the dark moon. Moving alone is even more dangerous.’
The meeting about the operation lasted about an hour. Everyone had received the same tactical training, so the opinions were similar.
“What about equipment?”
Number 212 asked. Everyone gave their opinions. This is where the opinions diverged. Some thought it was better to bring as much equipment as possible, including bombs, while others thought it was better to bring only the minimum necessary equipment.
I sided with the latter.
“The key to this mission is mountain climbing. It’s better for the equipment to be light. And bombs are powerful, but they’re too loud. There’s no need to attract the attention of other monsters. Don’t forget that tonight is the dark moon.”
And of course, there was a backlash.
“I’m not saying we should fill our bags with bombs. I’m saying we should bring just what we need. In the worst-case scenario, we might need to wipe out the monsters with bombs to survive.”
Number 88.
He was one of the four men in Squad 1, including me, and a proponent of bombs. Usually quiet, he spoke with determination in his eyes, showing no sign of backing down.
Apparently, he had survived the last mission by using bombs to wipe out the enemies.
‘This is going to be a headache.’
I tried to think of words to persuade Number 88. Looking at his stubborn eyes, I’d have to persuade him for at least 30 minutes. It was tough being a squad leader without any power. If only I were of a higher rank, but everyone here was a private.
“I agree with Number 211’s opinion. Let’s do as Number 211 says.”
Number 31, who had been quietly watching the meeting, spoke.
“O-okay.”
Number 88’s eyes lost their intensity. He glanced at Number 31 and then lowered his gaze. My feelings were complicated. I was grateful that she helped me, but I was no different from Number 88. If Number 31 started trolling, I wouldn’t be able to stop her.
After the meeting, everyone had their own personal time.
I wrote down a list of necessary equipment on a piece of paper and met with Instructor Venus. Instructor Venus quickly scanned the equipment list and nodded.
“You’ve planned it efficiently. However, you cannot use grenades or any other explosives. The same goes for flashbangs.”
I had requested grenades for emergencies, but it was rejected. Instructor Venus explained that loud attacks were not good during the dark moon. I didn’t think that was the reason, but I just nodded.
“…Understood. I’ll be going now.”
“Wait. I have something to tell you.”
Instructor Venus took out a cola and handed it to me. It was lukewarm.
“…May I use ice magic?”
“It’s fine. I hope your skills have improved since last time.”
“I’ve been practicing.”
I opened the cola can and used ice magic.
Last time, I had frozen half of it, but this time, I froze 20%. I gulped down the cola. The intense carbonation hit my throat. With this feeling, I wanted to drink cola every day.
‘To be in a situation where I can’t even drink a cola as I please… it’s really depressing.’
I put down the cola can. Instructor Venus was still quietly watching me, a twisted smile on his lips.
“Your Squad 1 will be under my supervision.”
“…I see. So the instructors will be following us.”
It was only natural. What would they trust the slaves to do? It was obvious that the slaves would have supervisors. Supervisors who wouldn’t step in even if the slaves died.
“Let me be direct. If something goes wrong, protect Number 31 with your life. I don’t ask for much. Just hold out until I arrive. You only need to hold out for 30 seconds. You have the Level 4 Barrier Artifact you received from Sergeant Lexi, so it shouldn’t be difficult.”
Blatant favoritism towards Number 31. By now, I didn’t feel anything about it.
“As ordered, I will protect Number 31 at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing my life.”
“That’s the answer I wanted to hear. Number 211, I think you are capable.”
Instructor Venus handed me two six-packs of cola cans. Twelve in total. It meant I should share them with my squad members.
“This is a reward for your efficient planning and equipment support. Share it with your squad members.”
“…Thank you.”
Whether this was really a reward was beside the point, I took it since he was giving it to me.
‘Am I giving the cola to Number 31?’
My prediction was correct.
As soon as Number 31 took the cola, she used ice magic to chill it and drank it. It seemed like Number 31 liked cola.
***
After dinner, we went outside the unit.
A total of 156 people.
That was the number of privates in Unit 667. When I first entered the unit, the number was close to 300, but it had decreased by almost half. They died because they couldn’t withstand the mana essence injection, died in the mission area, or died for insubordination.
‘Probably more than 30 will die in this mission too.’
I had no intention of being one of those 30.
‘In that sense, it’s fortunate that I’m in Squad 1. Because Number 31, the strongest among us, is with us. Just her being there increases our survival rate compared to other squads.’
We looked up at the sky and waited. The blue sky gradually darkened, and a round, white moon rose.
Originally, it was supposed to be a half-moon cycle today. But today was the dark moon. Regardless of the moon’s cycle, a full moon rose.
The moon settled in the center of the night sky. The white surface of the moon turned black. It was a dark night sky, but strangely, the dark moon was clearly visible.
“The dark moon has risen.”
Instructor Venus said with a smirk.
I swallowed my breath.
The mana in the air, which had been calm until just now, was now raging wildly.
The astral plane opened, and the mana road was stimulated. I felt a strange desire rising within me.
‘Is this the dark moon…?’
Looking around, it seemed that I wasn’t the only one affected. Number 31’s reaction was particularly intense. A faint smile appeared on her usually expressionless face, and her cheeks were flushed.
Was it the influence of the dark moon? I felt curiosity about Number 31. I lowered my gaze to the ground and suppressed my curiosity.
It was not good to be deeply involved with her. That thought was still the same.
“Start the mission. I wish you good luck.”
Instructor Venus said.
Everyone moved out like a tide.
I led Squad 1 and stopped at the foot of the mountain. It was to put on our equipment.
The most important equipment for this operation was night vision goggles and silencers. The key to the operation was to move stealthily, find the goblin village first, and quietly eliminate them.
I put on the night vision goggles and started climbing the mountain. I carefully stepped on the fallen leaves and moved forward.
I didn’t focus only on sight. I heightened my senses to use hearing and touch. It would be best to sense the surrounding mana, but the mana in the air was raging due to the dark moon, so I had no choice but to focus on my physical senses.
I, who was walking ahead, raised my hand. The squad’s movement stopped.
