The air was thick with the scent of rust and sweat. The red sands beneath their boots shifted uneasily, as if the earth itself knew what was coming.
Everyone was ready.
This mission wasn't just suicidal it was their only option. Every single one of them understood: they were no longer fighting for themselves. They had people friends, family, comrades who had placed their trust in them. Some were praying for their return. Others were just hoping they'd succeed.
Quitting now wasn't survival.
It was dying without ever trying.
Naran clenched his fists, his knuckles white. His breaths came in short, uneven bursts. He had nearly died earlier—would have, if not for Ji Ung. The memory of Ji Ung shoving him out of the way, taking the brunt of a wolf's claws, still burned in his mind.
"Don't do that again," Naran said sharply, his tone serious.
"Do what?" Ji Ung replied, turning around with a faint smile.
"Don't sacrifice yourself for me. I'm not worth saving," Naran said, voice low but full of emotion.
Ji Ung chuckled. "Naran, if you weren't worth it… I wouldn't have done it."
But Naran, still drowning in self-blame, looked away. "You're stronger than me. I'm not even a fighter… I haven't awakened. You dying for me would've just been a waste."
"You're weak everyone knows that," Ji Ung said bluntly. "But that doesn't make you less important."
Naran tried to respond, but Ji Ung cut him off.
"Don't make the whole situation about you, okay, princess?" he smirked and walked away to sharpen his blades.
Naran stood still, words caught in his throat.
Someone out there is willing to actually die for me Naran realized still in disbelief
Minutes passed, and everyone finished preparing. Tents packed. Blades sharpened. Weapons loaded.
"Everyone, gather 'round," Ji Ung called out, standing on the red sands, both blades in hand.
"We now know the exact location of the Lansing Steel. But there are obstacles The Wolves. The Corrupted. And the Giant Corrupted. If we go in head-on, we'll be torn apart. We need a plan."
"Ji Ung's right," Coroules said. "We need to handle each threat efficiently and effectively."
"How do we do that?" one of the surviving scavengers asked. He looked nervous. His younger brother was counting on him. If he was risking his life, he needed to know it wasn't in vain.
Ji Ung nodded. "It's not a simple plan. It's risky. But it's the only one that gives us a chance."
"We split into three units, each with a specific role. We'll approach from the side of the Wolves' Den."
Bonnds' Unit: "You'll clear the path break through rocks and debris blocking our way."
Micah and Coroules' Unit: "You're the main assault team. You'll engage the Wolves but don't go all out. Conserve your strength. The Corrupted might intervene."
"If we hold back, how do we stop the Wolves?" someone asked.
"That's where my unit comes in me and Naran," Ji Ung answered.
"What Naran did earlier gave me an idea. Instead of clashing with every wolf, we'll use the terrain just like he did. We'll use boulders. Drop them down, crush them, stun them, throw them into chaos."
"Not bad," Micah said, "but what about the Corrupted? That noise will draw them in. If they show up mid-fight, we're in trouble."
"That's our unit's job," Ji Ung said calmly. "We'll deal with the Corrupted and the Giants until we reach the Lansing Steel."
Still skeptical, the group quieted. They had to trust Ji Ung's word.
"What about the Steel itself?" Naran asked. "That thing is unstable. A mana pool waiting to explode."
"I'll handle it," Coroules said. "I'll use my mana to repel its energy."
"That means Bonnds' unit will need to assist in combat so Coroules doesn't exhaust himself," Ji Ung added. "Understood?"
Most nodded. Then Bonnds raised a hand.
"What about the giant mutated one? That beast's still active. If it shows up, we're screwed."
"Yeah," another voice chimed in. "Taking on all the Corrupted and that thing… isn't that too much?"
Ji Ung, voice steady, replied, "Like I said I have a plan. Leave it to my unit."
"But it's too risky," Coroules said, concern in his voice. "We don't know what that thing's fully capable of."
Ji Ung turned to him, eyes firm, calm but resolute. "Do you trust me, Coroules?"
Coroules hesitated, caught between fear and faith. "I do... but "
"Then let me handle it," Ji Ung said, and walked away to finish preparing.
As they began to move out, Naran called out, "Wait what about the boy?"
Everyone turned to the last remaining tent where the black-haired boy lay unconscious.
"He's still out cold," Naran said, frowning. "Even after applying the Senctus Ointment."
"You take him," Micah said mockingly.
"What? No! That's stupid it's too dangerous!" Naran snapped.
"You brought him. He's your problem," Micah added.
"No, he's not "
"Just take the boy and keep him safe," Coroules interrupted firmly. "Let's move."
Grumbling, Naran wrapped the boy in cloth and slung him carefully around his back. Great. Babysitter duty in a warzone…
They left the makeshift camp behind and began their approach this time from the side of the Wolves' Den, not the front.
They stopped at a pile of rocks and boulders one last wall before the battlefield. The units split.
Ji Ung led his squad up the steep wall that overlooked the Wolves. Their path was treacherous but strategic. The higher ground gave them an edge.
Down below, a massive horde of wolves hundreds lay sprawled across the sands. Some slept. Others fought or played. A sea of beasts.
"Why aren't they inside the den?" one member whispered.
Naran replied, "The Corrupted probably drove them out. The ones that didn't mutate got kicked out."
As Ji Ung's squad reached their positions behind the boulders, they spread out, surrounding the rocks, each person waiting for the signal.
Ji Ung raised his hand.
Crash! A thunderous rumble echoed as boulders tumbled down the slope, smashing into the wolf horde below. Cries and howls erupted as chaos spread.
The attack was sudden, brutal, and effective.
The wolves scattered in confusion.
That was the sign.
Bonnds rushed forward to break the rocks at the entrance but the pile was too much. His axe bounced off the stone.
"Damn it!" he cursed, raising his weapon again.
"Stand back!" Coroules shouted, raising his bow and arrow infusing his arrow with mana then.
BOOM!! A mana-infused shot exploded the barrier into pieces.
The path was open.
Micah and his unit burst through the crumbling gap, the last of the falling boulders still kicking up dust as they charged. The wolves momentarily stunned by the cave-in recoiled in surprise, giving the scavengers the opening they needed.
Micah's massive sword came down in a brutal arc, splitting the nearest wolf clean in half before the beast could even snarl. More lunged at him, but he twisted, his blade a blur of steel as he carved through them like wheat before a scythe.
No time to waste. His thoughts were sharp, focused. Cut them down fast before they regroup. Coroules needs to save his mana for the corrupted… and for the Lansing.*
Gunfire erupted behind him as his teammates opened up with their rattling gattling guns, bullets chewing through fur and flesh. But the wolves were quick too quick. As the dust settled, they shook off their disorientation, their yellow eyes locking onto the intruders with renewed fury.
"Hold the line!" a scavenger shouted just as a wolf launched itself at Micah's back.
A throwing axe whistled through the air, embedding itself between the beast's eyes with a sickening
Thunk
Bondds and his fighters surged forward, meeting the horde head-on.
But the wolves kept coming. More and more poured from the shadows, their numbers overwhelming. A scavenger went down with a scream, teeth ripping into his leg before another wolf clamped onto his arm. The pack was closing in, surrounding them, cutting off any escape.
Above, Ji-Ung's team hesitated. "We can't drop more rocks Micah and Bondds are too close!"