A cold wind passed over the massive walls of the military base.
All members of the deployed team stood on the defensive wall, staring at the scene in front of them.
For the first time, they were seeing the fallen city with their own eyes. The city was much larger than what they had seen in the images.
Hundreds of buildings, half-destroyed towers, long streets, smoke still rising from different points. But something about this scene was wrong.
It was too quiet. Too silent. No sound could be heard, and by sound, they meant the noise and roars of monsters, which were not heard.
They could only hear the sound of the wind, passing through broken windows and creating a sound like the whispering of ghosts.
But why? If this city had fallen under monster control, then it was natural to hear the sounds of monsters. It was natural to hear their terrifying roars.
But surprisingly, there was nothing.
Lian stared at the city. He had a strange feeling. He felt that something there was wrong.
"Honestly... I thought the situation would be much worse." Next to him, one of the second-year students said quietly.
A few others also nodded.
All of them, when they had heard Professor Aldric’s words, had imagined a much more terrifying and worse situation in their minds.
But it seemed they had thought too much about it, and the situation was not that bad.
Cassian also sighed in relief, as if his worries had been meaningless and he had been overly worried. After all, the government would not send them to a dangerous place... right?
From this distance, the city looked almost calm.
But before anyone could say anything, a man’s voice came from behind them.
"When the sounds stop... you should be more afraid."
Everyone turned around. It was one of the base’s veteran soldiers. A middle-aged man with a scar-covered face.
His gaze was still fixed on the city.
"When monsters aren’t making noise, it means they are waiting."
No one answered, but a few people unconsciously swallowed. That weak sense of security that had formed suddenly disappeared.
A few minutes later...
Everyone gathered in the base’s command hall. The hall was full of holographic maps, information screens, and Federation officers.
In the center of the room stood a man who attracted all attention as soon as they entered.
Tall, broad shoulders, short gray hair, and a gaze that seemed to have seen hundreds of battlefields.
Above his chest, his name was written.
Commander Gareth Steel.
Gareth looked at the students for a few moments, as if evaluating them, and then quietly nodded... as if he was satisfied.
Then he went straight to the point.
"Welcome to the border base." His voice was calm, but there was a strange power in it.
"From this moment on, you will be under the direct command of myself and the operation commanders." He moved his hand.
A map of the city appeared in the air. Several different areas were marked on it.
"The city is divided into five main sections."
The southern section lit up.
"Southern sector. The only relatively safe area of the city."
Then another area lit up.
"Commercial sector."
Then.
"Industrial sector."
"Residential sector."
And finally...
The city center.
A dark area in the heart of the map. Gareth stared at it for a few seconds.
"No team has yet managed to reach the city center."
A murmur spread among the students.
"All teams that tried to get close were forced to retreat."
"Even professional hunters?" One of the third-year students asked.
"Even professional hunters. According to our estimates, the last survivors should be there. They have managed to hide in the city hall shelter." Gareth answered without hesitation.
"But all communication with them has been cut off, and we don’t know if they are still alive or not."
A heavy silence fell over the hall. A few moments later, another image appeared. This time, a video.
"This is the last recorded footage from the missing team."
The air in the room became heavier. The footage began.
Several professional hunters were moving through the city streets. Their levels were high, their movements professional, and they eliminated multiple monsters.
Everything seemed normal.
Until suddenly... one of the hunters stopped.
"Wait..." His voice came through the speakers.
All the surrounding monsters suddenly stopped. A wolf-like monster, two reptilian creatures, even a heavily armored giant. All became motionless.
As if they had sensed something. None attacked. None moved.
They just...
Stared at a point outside the frame.
The professional hunters seemed to realize something was wrong. It was clear they had also sensed danger.
"Oh my god! That--- that--- what is that?" Suddenly, one of them screamed.
And suddenly... a few seconds later, the footage started to show noise.
And then... it cut off. Completely. No enemy was seen. No attack was recorded.
Just silence. A silence that was scarier than any battle scene.
"As you can see, these are images related to the city center." Gareth looked at the students with a firm voice and said.
"This operation is not child’s play. It is not a joke. You must be ready for any scenario... even death!"
The students swallowed and were slowly starting to feel regret for coming.
"Don’t worry, everyone! With each other’s help, we will definitely overcome this mission! There is no reason to worry." Cassian, seeing the hopelessness of his group, turned to them and said with a confident and firm voice.
The students slowly calmed down after hearing his words and regained their composure. The atmosphere gradually improved.
"It seems we have a good sapling. What do you think, Commander?" One of the field commanders, seeing Cassian’s actions, was impressed and said to Commander Gareth.
But Commander Gareth said nothing. His gaze was focused on another student. A student who stood quietly but without any fear in his eyes in a corner, with two girls next to him.
From the moment this student had entered, he had been able to catch his attention... His instinct, gained from years of combat experience, was screaming... this boy is a real hunter!
He looked at the list in his hand and found the boy’s name.
"Lian Vonhelm...? A Vonhelm?" He whispered to himself.
After the meeting ended, it was time to divide the teams.
New images appeared on the screen.
"Forward team." Gareth said.
All eyes were fixed on the screen.
First name.
Cassian Dric.
Team leader, assault warrior, Level 15, core of the forward team.
Second name.
Lian Vonhelm.
Warrior, Level 10.
Then other members appeared.
Marcus Ironwall.
Third-year, Level 16. His class was in the warrior category, but his talent placed him in the tank category. A heavy warrior who opens the way and defends the team in situations.
A stocky boy with short brown hair.
Then.
Sarah Frost.
Third-year, Level 17, a Mage specializing in offensive magic.
Then.
Sister Claire.
Third-year, Level 14, a healer and team support.
Healers are relatively special because their leveling path is completely different from the other five class categories. Instead of killing, the more they heal, the more Exp they receive and the more they can level up.
Of course, the amount of Exp they receive depends completely on the person they healed and the extent of their wounds.
And finally.
Andreas Cross.
Second-year, Level 13, Archer class, the team’s sniper who follows the forward team from behind and makes sure no problems arise.
The combination was almost perfect. Tank, warrior, mage, healer, sniper, and operation leader.
Lian looked at the team members. All were powerful individuals. People who were easily stronger than most Academy students.
The other first-year, second-year, and third-year students were also scattered into different groups, such as search groups, support groups, and reserve groups.
Selina and Liana were both in reserve groups. If something happened to the members of the main forward team, they could take their place.
The main operation was scheduled to begin tomorrow morning. For tonight, everyone was stationed at the base.
The sun had completely set. Darkness had swallowed the entire city. The students slowly went to the tents that had been specially assigned to them to spend their last peaceful night.
But Lian stood on the guard wall. A cold wind touched his face. From this distance, the city looked like a dead creature.
He could not sleep like the others, and besides, he did not have a good feeling about this place.
He felt like something in the darkness was watching him.
A few minutes passed.
Then suddenly... something caught his attention. Very far away, perhaps several kilometers away, in one of the dark streets, a small point appeared.
Lian narrowed his eyes. With his current ability, he could not see such a distance easily. He had to pick up a pair of binoculars and look through them.
And his heart stopped beating for a moment. Two eyes. Just two completely white eyes, without pupils and without color. Exactly what Aldric had described.
Two white points staring at the base from the heart of the darkness.
Lian unconsciously took a step forward.
He blinked.
And that point... disappeared. As if it had never existed. But the cold feeling that ran down his spine... told him that he had really seen it.
And something in that city, in the darkness... was watching them.