After sensing the presence of the monster horde, we dug a suitable pit, lay down inside, and covered ourselves with a camouflage tarp.
It wasn't just any camouflage tarp but an Ark-grade tarp equipped with level 4 protection and concealment capabilities.
"This way."
Although there was a bit of bickering at first, once the order was given, the trainees moved in perfect unison as they had been trained.
Of course, once the task was completed, they returned to their usual selves.
"...It would be ridiculous if we ended up crushed to death by those trash. Betting our lives on the judgment of that barbarian..."
"Hmph, a man who knows nothing of a warrior's honor dares to criticize Carl's judgment?"
"A lowly barbarian talking about honor?"
Kurilta and Dmitri clashed again.
Judging by how they acted, it seemed they had been butting heads throughout their time in the training camp.
Although Kurilta initially opposed my opinion, in the end, loyalty naturally sided with kin.
"Quiet, all of you."
Of course, the fight ended there.
As the monster horde's presence grew closer, Lieutenant Imosha stepped in to suppress the conflict.
"...Understood."
"Consider yourself lucky, barbarian."
Although the level 4 tarp provided soundproofing comparable to 60 cm of concrete, monster senses were far sharper than those of ordinary humans.
It would be foolish to carefully hide and then get detected just because of internal bickering.
[They're coming…]
[Hehehe...]
[Why... hide?]
The surrounding ether stirred.
But I was the only one here capable of sensing that ether.
Even within Ark, ether-compatible individuals were exceptionally rare.
'No... There's one more.'
Hildegard's shoulders flinched unconsciously.
Thanks to her Insight Eyes, it seemed she could faintly perceive the movement of the ether.
If her proficiency with the Insight Eyes improved, she might eventually be able to fully discern ether—but for now, it was still clumsy.
["They're coming. "]
'I see them too.'
Following Esther's warning, the monster horde approached within 300 meters of our hiding spot.
But there was no need to worry.
Our location was about 200 meters off from the usual path taken by the monsters, so they wouldn't likely reach this far.
Grrrr...!
Kyahhh!
The monster horde arrived at our position.
It looked like they were searching for us.
'If it comes down to it, I'll have to activate Ankelenth's Domain... but I'd rather not.'
I could activate Ankelenth's Domain without the others noticing.
However, the unique wave generated when activating the domain couldn't be completely concealed.
Unless it was a dire situation, I had no intention of using it.
Grrrr...
Ruff! Ruff!
The movement of the monster horde, numbering in the thousands, lasted quite a while.
'Their direction of travel... seems to be roughly from the west to the southeast.'
It was rare for such a large horde to be on the move right after a wave. Something must have happened.
'Hopefully, it's not related to Ouroboros.'
Even if it led to a confrontation with Ouroboros, I wasn't particularly worried.
I had already planted a fatal weakness within Ouroboros.
While lying under the tarp, lost in thought, the monster horde eventually moved past us completely.
"I think they're gone."
At Kurilta's words, Lieutenant Imosha responded.
"Let's wait a bit longer."
Dmitri sneered.
"Hmph, typical of a barbarian—no patience at all."
"I'm showing patience because it's an order. You ignorant fool who knows nothing of honor."
"What? You filthy wretch..."
"Want to fight?"
Since the monster horde had moved far enough away, Kurilta and Dmitri started clashing again.
Hildegard and Clint seemed used to it, not even bothering to intervene.
"Enough, all of you."
I had a feeling that Lieutenant Imosha's forehead was gaining more wrinkles by the minute.
It was amusing enough, so I didn't bother stopping them.
["You really are twisted, Master."]
'What do you mean?'
["That bald guy practically worships your words. You could stop them if you wanted, but you're just watching for fun. That's pretty twisted."]
'Our circumstances and positions are different. It's not my place to interfere.'
["You sure talk big."]
Esther chuckled.
Time passed.
When the monster horde had shrunk to a mere dot on the horizon, Clint, who had been nervously observing, cautiously spoke up.
"I think they're gone."
"Seems that way."
Hildegard agreed.
Lieutenant Imosha glanced at me for confirmation, and when I gave a slight nod, he nodded back and spoke.
"Resume movement."
At the command, we left the tarp that had sheltered us for the past two hours.
"Phew..."
As we stepped out of the stifling tarp, we were greeted by a refreshing breeze.
The tarp's excellent protective and concealment capabilities also meant exceptional insulation from the outside.
Naturally, with six people cramped together inside, the internal temperature had soared, making it unbearable even for well-trained soldiers.
Beads of sweat formed on Lieutenant Imosha's forehead, as well as on the other trainees.
The temperature inside the tarp was brutal, even for seasoned soldiers.
"As expected from you, Carl. Not even breaking a sweat in this heat?"
"Yeah. Pretty much."
The truth was, it was thanks to my level 3 ether ability.
For someone who had already reached the domain of emission, regulating body temperature was trivial.
'No need to mention that.'
Kurilta continued.
"Come to think of it, the chieftain was the same. Never sweated a drop, no matter how hot or cold it got."
"Chieftain?"
"The heir of the great soul. Just like you, Carl."
An heir of the great soul...
It was the same story Kurilta had mentioned before about Carl Marcus.
Unexpectedly, I was gradually gathering clues about Carl Marcus.
"Then..."
Just as I was about to ask more, Lieutenant Imosha approached.
"Carl Marcus, sorry to interrupt your conversation, but we need to keep moving."
"Ah... Right."
Regrettably, the conversation with Kurilta ended there.
Since we were already behind schedule, we had to make up for the lost time by moving quickly.
"Move out."
We continued on.
Honestly, the pace wasn't particularly fast.
"Carl Marcus, we might need to slow down a bit. The trainees can't keep up."
"Understood."
I wanted to maintain my own pace, but the current trainees couldn't keep up with me.
Although they were soldiers trained at Ark, they were still far from my level.
'Actually, there's no comparison.'
Not only in terms of physical ability but also in the manifestation of enhanced body functions through ether and the skeletal armor's support.
Their protective gear was at most level 2, with no physical enhancement functions.
"As expected from Carl! I won't lose either! Hyaaah!"
"Kurilta! Control your pace! We're not running a marathon!"
"No way! If Carl can do it, I can too! That's what being a warrior means!"
Kurilta caught up right behind me.
"That damn barbarian... You think I can't do it?"
Dmitri gritted his teeth and followed close behind.
"Hah! Don't overexert yourself. Why not just fall back and drink your tea as usual?"
"Ridiculous. If a barbarian like you can manage, so can I. Don't insult my potential, you lowlife."
Despite Dmitri's harsh words, Kurilta just smiled with that familiar, confident grin—completely unfazed.
'Hmm.'
As expected, in terms of physical abilities alone, Kurilta was the most outstanding among the trainees here.
'He might not be on Kalakin's level... but he definitely has potential as a soldier.'
At this rate, just as Kurilta once said, there might actually come a day when he's of use to me.
Well, strictly speaking, that day still seemed far off.
The journey continued.
If this were a standard tactical marching exercise, we would have walked for an hour and rested for ten minutes, but we didn't have that kind of luxury right now.
This was real combat.
Our lives were at stake.
We kept up a forced march, walking for three hours at a time and resting for only five minutes.
As we went on, darkness gradually began to blanket the sky.
"Traveling in the dark could be dangerous. I think we should make camp around here. What's your opinion, Carl?"
"I think that's a good idea. Pushing forward any further would only sap our stamina for battle."
"Then we'll prepare right away."
With a gesture from Lieutenant Imosha, Kurilta and the trainees moved busily to set up camp.
We didn't light a fire.
Normally, a campfire would be a good way to keep away wild animals, but in this damned world, it would only attract monsters and fiends.
Still, there was no need to worry.
The CD-type level 4 camouflage tents brought by the investigation team not only had level 4 protective functions but also temperature control, so there was no need to worry about freezing during the night.
Once the camp preparations were roughly finished, Lieutenant Imosha spoke up.
"The watch will be set in pairs for two hours each, using night vision equipment. Given our limited numbers, it looks like both you and I will need to take a shift, Carl. Is that acceptable?"
This was outside Ark.
Even if it seemed quiet right after a wave, this was still a danger zone where one mistake could cost a life.
The basic rule was to stand watch in pairs with no gaps.
"I don't mind."
"Thank you. Then, I'd like to have you and Hildegard take the first watch—does that work for you?"
"That's fine."
Considering that the first and last watches were the easiest, this could be seen as a small courtesy from Lieutenant Imosha.
'It would've been better to stand watch with Kurilta, but... there'll be other chances.'
If I insisted, I could have changed the watch rotation, but I didn't feel the need to go that far.
'Besides... I'm curious why he deliberately paired me with Hildegard. Is there a reason? Or was it just a coincidence?'
I'd find out soon enough.
Lieutenant Imosha assigned the watch order to the trainees and then went into the tent.
He pretended otherwise, but he seemed quite exhausted from the day.
"Then, I'll be counting on you."
"Sure."
With those words, Lieutenant Imosha went inside to rest, understanding that pushing himself unnecessarily would only burden the entire team.
With our night vision equipment on, Hildegard and I kept quiet, vigilantly scanning the dark plains.
Since monsters or fiends could appear at any moment, letting our guard down wasn't an option.
Thirty minutes passed.
The sounds from inside the tent gradually died down until they completely vanished.
It seemed everyone had fallen asleep.
An hour passed.
Esther, who had been quietly enduring, finally grumbled.
["Yaaawn... This is so boring."]
'Now you say that? You don't even sleep.'
["That's when I'm free. Do you know how boring it is just staring blankly at the night sky like this? I'd rather have some cute little things show up."]
'If that really happens, I'll blast them with an experimental round.'
["...It was just a joke. Really, you don't get jokes at all."]
As I was bickering with Esther, Hildegard, who had been watching the opposite side of the plain, cautiously approached me.
"Um..."
"What is it?"
"I... I know this might sound weird, but... Ah, this is so frustrating."
"Just get to the point."
After hesitating for a while, Hildegard finally spoke.
"...Have we... met somewhere before? I just feel like I've seen you somewhere..."
"No. We haven't."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah."
Even though her face was hidden by the night vision goggles and mask, I could tell she was deeply confused.
Of course, I didn't show it, but I was just as caught off guard.
'Did she read me after all?'
Although she didn't seem fully convinced, if I showed even the slightest gap in front of her, my identity could be exposed.
'I'd prefer not to eliminate Hildegard if I can help it.'
Hildegard was one of the exceptional figures among the current batch of trainees, known as the Golden Class.
She would be a great asset to Ark in the future. If my identity were exposed, so be it—but killing her was something I wanted to avoid.
'I have to conceal what I can, as long as possible.'
In the worst case, I could hit her hard enough to induce amnesia, but that was more of a joke than a real plan.
'Esther.'
["Yes? What is it, you mean master?"]
'Can you possess Hildegard and manipulate her memory?'
["Hmm... I could have done it back when I had full power, but not now. That girl's got something troublesome on her."]
'It's the Insight Eyes, isn't it.'
Esther was right. If she had all her power, it wouldn't be a problem, but she was still in the process of recovering.
'It can't be helped.'
The best I could do now was minimize Hildegard's suspicions during this mission.
Erasing her memories or killing her would be the absolute worst option, and I wanted to avoid that.
Time passed again.
When there were only about thirty minutes left on the watch, I suddenly sensed a presence in the darkness.
'Esther.'
["...This doesn't feel good."]
Even Esther, who rarely showed signs of concern, seemed wary.
The most troubling part was that the presence was getting closer and closer to our position.
"Hildegard."
"Yes?"
"Something's coming."
"...What?"
Hildegard stared into the darkness, activating her Insight Eyes.
After a moment, she shouted without hesitation.
"Enemy attack!"
Within twenty seconds, Lieutenant Imosha and Kurilta burst out of the tent, followed by Dmitri and Clint.
Almost at the same moment, the presence rushing at us from the darkness closed in.
"Prepare for combat!"
Lieutenant Imosha barked the order.
Even Kurilta and Dmitri, who had been bickering earlier, immediately shifted to serious expressions and scanned the surroundings.
Then—
Screech, squeak—
A grotesque sound echoed from the darkness.
It was like a twisted symphony that grated on human nerves.
Kreek, kreeeak...
And I saw it.
A form clad in bony tendrils like armor.
A vicious aura oozing from every joint.
Humanoid in shape, but distinctly inhuman.
'That's...'
I knew that creature.
No, it was impossible not to know.
'One of the Turncoats.'
The Turncoat Knight.
One of the named Skull Turncoats granted a title by Ark had appeared.