Chapter 1111 – Dark Moon
I woke up just before sunrise and looked at the blanket I had laid on the ground.
Even though it was just a single blanket on the floor, it felt as comfortable as sleeping in a bed.
‘What I like most is the bug repellent.’
Bugs didn’t come near the blanket. It was a magic with a desirable effect.
I placed my hand on the blanket and channeled mana into it, wanting to examine the magic formula in detail.
‘It seems like other techniques besides magic were applied. It’s not just a simple magic blanket.’
As I examined the formula, I soon frowned. The core formula was secured. It was a method of covering the original formula by overlaying another formula on top of it. To dismantle the security formula and find out the core formula, I would need to take this blanket apart.
‘…I think I’d get a better idea if I tore the blanket and looked inside… But the owner of this blanket is Lexi.’
I gave up cleanly.
There would be other opportunities later, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to earn money and buy this blanket separately.
After tidying up my sleeping area as a habit, I turned my gaze slightly to the side and looked at Instructor Lexi. She was still asleep, with both arms above her head and her legs spread wide. She was excessively free-spirited.
She was wearing her uniform, but her clothes were already all messed up. The top buttons were all undone, revealing her bra, and her bottoms were down to her thighs. The black panties covering her private area were a bit small.
‘I understand. It was hot yesterday, and even though the magic blanket is comfortable, it doesn’t block the heat. She must have unconsciously taken them off because of the heat.’
It was awkward.
I couldn’t keep looking at her body like this, and if I went over to fix her clothes and she woke up, I might be misunderstood.
‘Hmm.’
After some thought, I decided to pretend I didn’t see anything and turned my gaze away. But Lexi’s naked body was vividly imprinted in my mind. Her voluptuous breasts, her white and smooth-looking thighs, and even her small black panties.
My libido stirred.
I quickly found something to do.
Preparing breakfast.
The emergency rations I had would only last for three days at most, so I had to find food in this forest. I walked around, looking for edible plants.
Beep beep beep beep.
The alarm went off. It was the alarm magic that Instructor Lexi had set up last night, recognizing me and going off. I wasn’t flustered. I had deliberately gotten caught by the alarm magic to wake Lexi up naturally.
When I turned my head back, I met eyes with Instructor Lexi, who had raised her upper body. Instructor Lexi waved at me with a slightly dazed expression. Her chest swayed between her disheveled uniform. I was surprised that her chest could sway like that even with a bra on, and I turned my gaze away.
I gathered some edible plants and approached her. My legs hesitated. Fifteen minutes had passed, but Lexi’s clothes were still disheveled. She was staring blankly into space with a vacant look.
“Instructor Lexi.”
“…Call me ‘Noona’.”
“Yes, Noona. If you’re awake, please get ready quickly.”
“Mornings are hard. And… it’s too hot.”
“We’re on a mission.”
“Let’s take it easy. Like we’re on vacation. Although this is the worst place to enjoy a vacation…”
Instructor Lexi grumbled and got up. She tidied up her disheveled clothes and sleeping area. Unlike her dazed face, her hands moved swiftly. Her skill in folding the blanket was like a knife. No matter what, she was a soldier.
She took off her uniform jacket and put it in her bag, wearing only a thin t-shirt. The t-shirt was white, so her black underwear was visible. I suppressed a sigh and tried not to look at her body.
I used magic to create fire and water, boiled the plants I had gathered, and chewed them. The taste was terrible. If I had a weak stomach, I would have thrown up right away.
‘I have no choice if I want to live.’
I couldn’t afford to be picky.
“It feels sticky. Should we shower before moving?”
“There’s nowhere to shower here.”
“We have magic.”
“…We need to conserve mana as much as possible. This is the Lumel Forest, after all. We were lucky not to encounter any monsters or beasts during the early morning… but there’s no guarantee that luck will continue.”
Creating water with magic wasn’t very efficient. It might be okay for a small amount of water for drinking, but creating enough water for a shower consumed more mana than I thought.
“You’re right, I can’t argue with that. You’re better than me, you know.”
After finishing our meal, we looked at the map and confirmed our objective.
“Today’s goal is to check this point. Tomorrow, we’ll check the point next to it. If we take it slow, it’ll be done in five days.”
“What if we check all the points and there are no Resistance members?”
“Then the mission fails, I guess. It’s not our fault since the information was wrong from the start. Take it easy.”
Today, she took the lead, pushing through the vines as she walked. Looking at her back, I scratched my head. Her waistline was clearly visible through her sweat-soaked white t-shirt. Perhaps because she was well-trained, her waistline was as beautiful as a work of art.
“211, let’s take a break here. It’s not just the heat, but it’s too humid, it’s annoying.”
Instructor Lexi held up a water cup. She filled it with water using magic, put a coffee teabag she took out of her pocket, and chilled it with ice.
I refused the coffee teabag she offered and drank ice water. Cheap teabags weren’t my taste.
“Krrrrrrrr…”
A three-horned jaguar appeared. It was a mutated beast. In this world, it was classified as a monster.
“A Class 1 Triple Jaguar.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
The jaguar, sensing hostility the moment I took out my gun, charged at me. Its sharp claws and yellow teeth gleamed in the sunlight.
‘Barrier.’
Clang.
The jaguar, unable to break through the barrier and pushed back by the repelling force, charged again. I aimed at the jaguar’s mouth and pulled the trigger. A blue mana bullet scattered cold air and pierced the jaguar’s brain. The jaguar’s heavy body fell to the ground. Its head was frozen blue.
“You used a mana bullet? What a waste.”
“I wanted to finish it quickly.”
It was a mana bullet we had looted from the soldiers who had chased us yesterday.
I took out my knife and butchered the jaguar, taking only as much meat as we could eat.
“We can fill our bellies with meat for lunch and dinner.”
“Barbecue sounds good.”
We left the area before other monsters or beasts appeared, drawn by the smell of blood.
We walked through the forest, which was no different from a jungle. Instructor Lexi kept talking to me to alleviate her boredom. I responded to her appropriately.
Then, suddenly, Instructor Lexi shut her mouth. I realized she had spotted an enemy.
‘Detection.’
I used a Class 2 detection magic.
An intangible wave spread out in all directions from me. I could sense the structure of the trees, the shape of the vines, and so on. I deliberately ignored small animals and insects. If there was too much information, the accuracy of the detection would decrease.
Right now, I could detect an area with a radius of about 70 meters around me.
“…There are three people 50 meters away in the 2 o’clock direction.”
“Right. Any other information?”
“They’re presumed to be male and are carrying rifles. They’re not mana awakeners. I don’t know if they belong to the Resistance or Unit 105.”
“Which side do you think they’re on?”
“There’s a higher probability they’re with the Resistance. If they were from Unit 105, they wouldn’t have sent just three people.”
“I think so too. They’re probably out on patrol or hunting. Hmm. What should we do?”
Instructor Lexi’s eyes gleamed as she urged me to answer.
“…It would be best to either capture them and interrogate them, or quietly follow them and find out their base.”
“I’m not confident in interrogation, so let’s go with following them.”
“Yes, Lexi Noona.”
Instructor Lexi smiled contentedly at the title of ‘Noona’. She came closer to me and patted my shoulder.
“Alright, let’s get started.”
I nodded without showing any reaction to her sweet scent that wafted over me.
We simultaneously used silence magic and moved stealthily.
They were moving slowly, checking their surroundings.
The three men were wearing mismatched clothes. Their shabby clothes seemed to have no advantages other than being comfortable to move in.
They were carrying rifles. In this world, they were cheap guns that could be easily obtained just by walking around the city streets.
‘They’re definitely Resistance members.’
Lexi and I followed them about 10 meters behind. If we wanted to, we could kill them all within five seconds.
The difference in power was clear. I relaxed a little and followed them.
“Damn it. Why do we have to do reconnaissance in this forest?”
“They say the military sent people to kill us.”
“We don’t need to go looking for them first. If we just throw out some bait, they’ll come running.”
“I heard they have a sniper? If we find them before they set up, it’ll be easier. You know how scary snipers are.”
“I know. But can they even snipe properly here?”
“Good snipers can do it well enough, right?”
They repeatedly walked the same patrol route. After walking for about two hours, they suddenly changed direction and headed elsewhere. They were finally returning to their base.
We quietly followed them.
A hut, cleverly hidden under a large tree, appeared. Armed soldiers stood guard around the hut. They weren’t even guarding properly. They were looking around with a bored expression, as if they were annoyed.
I used detection magic to determine the exact number and location of the enemies.
‘Usually, these kinds of barracks are prepared against detection magic… but there’s no preparation here at all.’
Including the three people who just entered the hut, there were a total of seven people. I had also identified all their locations. Five people were inside the hut, and two were on guard.
‘They’re definitely Resistance members, but there are so few of them.’
There should be at least 30 people.
‘Judging by the small size of the hut… did they split up the group from the start?’
I shook off the complicated thoughts and looked at Instructor Lexi. No matter what I thought, she was the one who had the decision-making power.
Instructor Lexi waved her hand back and forth, sending a signal. It meant annihilation. It was time to act.
I immediately pulled the trigger. Due to the silence magic, there was no gunshot at all. The bullets accurately pierced the foreheads of the two soldiers on guard.
We immediately entered the hut. I went in through the front, and Instructor Lexi went through the second-floor window.
As soon as I opened the door, three people looked at me. Killing them was easy, but I needed to capture them. I needed information about the Resistance members hiding in the Lumel Forest.
“Shit! It’s a Freesell soldier!”
“Shoot!!”
They aimed their rifles at me. Three gun barrels spat fire.
Tttttt!
The bullets bounced off without penetrating the Class 2 barrier. Their expressions changed completely.
“A, a mage! Take out the mana bullets!”
They took out pistols loaded with mana bullets from their pockets. But it was already too late. I had prepared another magic along with the barrier before opening the door of the hut.
‘Electric Whip.’
A long, blue current shot out from my right palm. I swung the electric whip at the enemies.
Their eyes rolled upwards as they were electrocuted. They fainted from the electric shock. Normally, they would have died, but I had slightly twisted the formula to lower the power of the Electric Whip to a level that would only cause them to faint.
‘The two on the second floor… are already done for.’
At this distance, I didn’t even need to use detection magic. I could feel it through my senses. I took out a rope from my backpack and tied up the unconscious men. I didn’t forget to take the mana bullets they had.
