Chapter 9 - The Chosen Children (3)
Chapter 9 - The Chosen Children (3)
'Is this the end?'
Seira's face had brightened at the thought that she had saved Leon, but Leon's face had turned pale.
His sword was broken, and his final strike had ultimately failed.
The Kabotoros was staggered by Leon's blow, but it was still in a state where it could fight.
If there was nothing left, all that remained was to run for his life.
"Look out!"
The eyes of the Kabotoros, which had been bewildered by Leon's disappearance from right in front of it, flashed again.
Leon shouted reflexively and pulled Seira, but it was too late.
The enemy's strike swung down once more, engulfing them.
"Ugh..."
It was Rosaria who blocked it.
The spear shaft, swung with all her might, managed to block the enemy's hooked claw once before snapping in two.
Rosaria, who had forced herself to muster the courage to stand against it with a trembling body, could not hold on any longer and collapsed to the floor.
'The rebound is coming too fast because I used my power too quickly. If only I had a little more strength.'
Leon gritted his teeth as he watched the enemy, which showed no signs of breaking.
His body, having already pushed beyond its limits, was becoming rapidly heavy and wouldn't even move properly.
With no one left around to assist them, they were on the verge of dying together.
"---?!"
It was then that the Kabotoros's head went pop from something that flew in without a sound.
Successive gunshots pierced through its exoskeleton, causing body fluids to spray everywhere.
"Did you get it!?"
"Not yet. Go and save the kids!"
A group of troops was running toward them.
Leading them, holding a large gun engraved with complex circuits, was the marksmanship instructor, Dike.
Leon sighed and closed his eyes as he watched the enemy staggering with its head half-blown off and the allies rushing toward them.
[Post: Hey, Leon survived? lol]
ㄴ Fake?
ㄴ No way, it was a facility raid event, and it was hit by the highest difficulty, a Swarm raid, and he lived?
ㄴ This is pure fanboying;
ㄴ It's confirmed. He's the one. Definitely.
He had clearly closed his eyes in front of a dying enemy, but when he suddenly came to his senses, all he could see in front of him was the community window.
It was bewildering, but he didn't rush. He also had a strong desire to just rest.
ㄴ So, can you continue now? What should we do next? After choosing Leon, that is.
ㄴ You have to build up the tech step by step. While creating settlements in the Corrupted Land.
ㄴ First, check Leon's proficiency and adjust accordingly. Did he just survive by luck? If not, I have no idea how high his proficiency is.
The Player asked for advice continuously, as if happy that they could continue the game.
The community users also seemed to still be very interested, as they were quickly posting comments.
Well, even back when I was a player, I used to watch the broadcasts of other people's unique plays or interesting units on the UltiField Gallery.
'Standard.'
The community's advice was standard, even by my standards.
Now, all that remained was to actually be chosen by the Player.
"Leon is awake!"
The moment I actually opened my eyes, having been lying quietly in the hospital bed.
Eisenblut, which had already been dealing with the aftermath of the chaos from the past few days, was in an uproar.
"Including Zeromorphs, hundreds of enemies simultaneously assaulted us through the air, causing dozens of casualties. Among them were even Legion Elites that are hard for active-duty Guardians to handle."
"It seems the damage is significant."
"It is, but it's small. It could have been much worse if not for the one who protected the dormitory and his peers, risking his life."
The battalion commander, who had come to visit me personally while I was sitting in the hospital bed, acted like a kind neighborhood uncle, telling me to rest comfortably, then smiled bitterly and pointed at me.
"Leon Reberk. I have already heard testimonies from everyone. You rallied those in chaos to make them fight properly, and you fought head-on against enemies that trainees couldn't handle, like the Xenomorph and the Legion Elite. Your contribution is immense."
He kept expressing his admiration, as if he still couldn't believe it.
"You might even receive a medal in the Imperial name. Even before becoming an official Guardian, you have already achieved a feat that overwhelms the majority. With this proud honor, you will be able to go anywhere you want in the future."
Medals, special treatment, honor, and so on.
He listed rewards that anyone in this world would drool over, talking as if it were his own business.
Of course, as the person in charge, I couldn't say he had no part in this situation ending this way.
'Isn't my fate already decided anyway?'
However, my attention was entirely focused on the Player right now, so the rewards and honor he mentioned didn't really resonate with me.
Even if he said I could go anywhere I wanted, it would be meaningless once I became a unit chosen by the Player.
"I only did what I had to do."
"As expected of a noble bloodline, your character is also excellent."
In this situation, the best thing to do is to talk my way into getting some benefits.
As I accepted it with composure, the battalion commander nodded, looking even more satisfied.
"I shall take my leave now. Get some rest."
He seemed to be in a good mood, as he left the infirmary with a lighter step.
Now, the only ones left in this space were me, sitting on the bed, and Rosaria, who had come in with the battalion commander and had been standing there stiffly without saying a word.
"Even if my innate talent is lacking... I thought I could have the upper hand in true skill. Because I am older than you, and I started training earlier than you."
"It would have been impossible without [Strong Spirit]."
"Talent is also skill. That trait is part of you, too."
She shook her head.
I could roughly guess what she was feeling. For a talent who was still growing, the incident that had just occurred was too much of a shock.
The saying that trials make a person stronger only applies as long as it's within a manageable range.
If I hadn't been there, Rosaria would also have been rolling on the floor as a dismembered corpse, just like the peers who were killed.
"Still, the courage you showed until the very end was clearly your own skill. If you don't give up, you will become an honorable Guardian and get what you want."
I mentioned the moment she blocked the enemy's strike with her trembling body, which had already reached its limit.
It was an action that could never have been shown if she had simply been scared and broken.
Success beyond one's born status, honor and skill that surpass innate talent.
The things Rosaria wanted seemed to be well within her reach.
As long as she wasn't chosen by the Player, that is.
"Success... honor... that's true, but it was different. I wanted something else."
However, Rosaria, who was about to leave, spoke her true heart.
"I wanted to surpass my limits and become the best. Watching you."
In her voice, which sounded somewhat wistful, there was a heavy sense of regret from someone who had realized both her true desire and the fact that she could not achieve it herself.
Hearing that, I flinched for a moment.
Is it right to just let her go like this?
There would only be a few days left, after all.
"For the next few days, put down other weapons and focus on Sword Mastery."
In the end, I opened my mouth.
Her eyes, looking at me, went round with surprise.
'Maybe she'd be better than picking randoms.'
It's not just because all the attention is on me, but the Player can take up to 4 units at once.
Those 4 units would be the 'initial' units considered most important for gameplay.
The current Rosaria seemed to have enough to take that spot.
ㄴ Even if you pick kids who look good, the survival rate of initial units won't even be 10%. Most of them end up replacing their severed arms and legs with prosthetics, only to become meat chunks with completely shattered mental states, heading straight for the Trait Extractor.
Of course, as one user's comment said, the reality is that initial units suffer the most, yet they are used as materials for the reinforcements without ever properly enjoying their own achievements.
'I will never let that happen.'
There is only one reason I gave Rosaria a hint.
Because I will stop that from happening.
If I can't stop it, I'm dead anyway.
"Leon, it looks like you've fully recovered?"
"Are you resting until today?"
The day I came out after resting as told.
The atmosphere of Eisenblut, where the shock and sadness had faded a little, had changed once again.
For starters, more of my peers were acknowledging me.
Those who used to just watch from afar and keep to themselves were now at least acknowledging me.
'Is that a good thing?'
I don't particularly like drawing attention, but it was better than being treated like an untouchable rare species.
"Look at Rosaria."
"I heard she's been practicing without breaks lately. I guess the incident last time..."
But, of course, the biggest change was elsewhere.
Rosaria, Seira, and others who were wielding swords instead of spears and building up proficiency.
The gazes and attitudes of several trainees had changed.
They were pushing themselves as if they had trauma from the crisis that had just occurred.
[Post: Finally picking Leon. I'll pick the others appropriately as you guys advised.]
ㄴ What's his proficiency? What does he have equipped?
ㄴ No, what is this guy? He has the Martial God trait and only leveled up Sword Mastery like crazy?!
ㄴ He only dug one well for magic for ranged attacks, too. What kind of guy is this?
ㄴ I've been playing since this game opened, and this is seriously a first-time herbivore.
The Player's post went up not long after that.
More than anything else, my gaze went first to the screenshot the Player posted.
Honestly, I was curious about my own stats, too.
[Sword 25] [Magic 20] [Combat Experience 15] [Mental Strength 35] [Durability 10]
'...Is this for real?'
And the result was enough to shock even me.
It was said that even having one level 10 skill was enough when first acquiring a unit.
However, all my proficiencies were currently over 10. This was never something that could be gained just through training.
It was clear that they had skyrocketed while forcibly going through life-or-death battles that were hard to handle.
Even in the game, proficiency rose quickly when fighting enemies above one's level, separate from the unit's condition being shattered.
ㄴ Legendary. He's built different.
The reactions of other users were no different from mine.
As the comments began to pour in, I, who had been standing in the middle of the training ground, looked up at the sky.
The sky opened, and a beam of light was descending upon me.