Dark Moon
About fifty people died on this first mission. A considerable number of casualties, yet the military showed no reaction whatsoever. They didn't even hold a simple funeral. They simply, calmly, did what needed to be done.
The kids took it in stride as well. A few grieved for close friends who'd died, but most accepted the situation without a word.
The barracks were reorganized. Originally we'd lived in Barracks No. 11, but with the reduced numbers, everything was reassigned from scratch.
No. 205, the barracks leader of No. 11, had died on the first mission. A skinny guy with a good personality. Having talked with him a few times, he occasionally drifted into my thoughts. Well — that was partly because my social circle was so small.
Arriving at Barracks No. 1, I found a few familiar faces.
No. 212, who'd been next to me before; the burly No. 202, with whom I'd never been particularly close; and the famous No. 31.
Including me, twelve people total. Not randomly assigned… Looking at the women who always hang around No. 31, they must have factored in grades and relationships.
Four men. Eight women. A high female ratio. I couldn't shake the feeling they were accommodating No. 31.
My spot was already set. To the right, No. 212; to the left, No. 202. Directly across from me was No. 31's bed.
"I heard you'd become a cripple. Looking at you, you made it out fine."
No. 202 sneered.
Hearing his snide remarks after so long felt oddly welcome. I smirked and waved at him. No. 202's face twisted, and he turned his head away.
"Glad you're okay. I heard you made 2-Class?"
No. 212 greeted me with a smile. Whether her true feelings matched her expression, I couldn't say. Of course, having a different face and heart isn't necessarily a bad thing. By my standards, people whose insides match their outsides are the weirder ones.
"I got lucky. So who's the barracks leader? Already decided?"
Everyone's eyes turned to No. 31. It felt like I'd asked something far too obvious. Barracks leader — on Earth, it was roughly equivalent to a class president. A trivial position, but one that came with a bit of power and a few privileges.
"No. 211."
No. 31 called my designation. Everyone, myself included, focused on her. Strangely, she had the power to draw people's attention with nothing but her voice.
"I'd like you to take the barracks leader position."
Honestly, I wanted to refuse. There was almost nothing for me to gain by becoming barracks leader. The minor privileges were literally minor. All things considered, it was pure wasted time. But refusing No. 31 was difficult.
"Alright. I'll do it."
Better to accept a slight loss than risk whatever disadvantages might come from turning her down.
No. 31 nodded, sat down, and began reading a book. Looking at the cover, it was a 3-Class magic tome.
Sometime later, Instructor Vinous called for me.
"No. 211. Congratulations on becoming barracks leader."
"…Thank you."
I held back a bitter smile. I'd known they monitored even the barracks in this unit, but having it confirmed like this made me freshly aware of my slave status.
"You're the 1st Squad Leader."
"Squad Leader?"
"We've decided to operate in squad units with this barracks reorganization. As barracks leader, you're the squad leader."
I should have refused No. 31. I regretted it far too late.
Instructor Vinous handed me the shoulder insignia signifying squad leader.
"One thing. Serve No. 31 with the utmost care. She is fundamentally different from the rest of you. Understood?"
"I'll keep that in mind."
"You're smart, so I trust you'll do well. Oh — and have a drink before you go. My treat, to celebrate becoming squad leader."
Vinous set a can of cola on the table.
I knew from game knowledge that this world had drinks like cola and cider. But knowing and actually seeing them felt entirely different. Feeling a wave of nostalgia for Earth, I picked up the can. It was lukewarm. Just as disappointment was setting in, Vinous spoke.
"Cola is best cold. And a mage can put that truth into practice. As a 2-Class, you should be able to manage it."
"…I'll give it a try."
The thought that this might be a trap flickered through my mind. But the allure of cola was tremendous. I decided to compromise.
"Ice."
Cold air swirled from my hand. Half the cola froze solid. I deliberately made it look like I'd failed to control the chill.
"Not bad for a first attempt."
"…"
So this was a test too?
I raised the cola to my mouth. It was electrifying. Every cell in my body felt like it was waking up one by one. Maybe this world's cola tasted far better than Earth's.
After savoring that momentary pleasure, I set the can down. The frozen half was a shame, but it couldn't be helped.
A minor reward. Surprisingly, I might not mind it.
Instructor Vinous gave me a slight nod.
"You're dismissed. Don't forget what I told you."
"Yes. I'll take my leave."
As squad leader, I finished evening roll call and lay down on the thin mattress.
Damn it — I felt comfortable.
…Is it the caffeine from that cola earlier? I can't sleep.
And then I thought of Earth.
My mood soured. Because my memories of Earth were hazy. I couldn't clearly recall the faces of friends or family.
I drifted off after a somewhat restless night.
"…!!"
I jolted awake, eyes wide. The fluorescent lights on the ceiling were on. The digital clock on the wall showed 4:07 AM.
I'd had a dream.
A dream full of beautiful maids. In the dream, I'd mixed bodies with them. The moment I opened my eyes, the details vanished — but I could tell it was the kind of lewd dream that would make a priest faint. Among the many maids, I seemed to have regarded one as special.
…Fuck.
My crotch was damp.
I didn't need to check to know what state I was in.
Never thought I'd have a wet dream.
Glancing carefully around, I headed for the bathroom.
"You made it back alive. Congrats."
Instructor Lexy clapped my shoulder as she spoke. As always, her uniform top was unbuttoned, revealing part of her ample chest. Recalling what had happened that morning, I became uncomfortably aware of her.
"…Thank you. I survived thanks to the artifact you gave me, Instructor Lexy."
I spoke with genuine sincerity. If it hadn't been for the 4-Class barrier of the artifact she'd given me, I would almost certainly have died at Neros's hands.
"You survived because you did well. More than that, I want to hear your impressions. How was it?"
"…What kind of impressions?"
"Your impressions of experiencing your first mission as a sniper."
"May I speak honestly?"
"Speak honestly."
"I felt the limits of a sniper."
Neros had easily noticed my sniping and deflected the bullet. If my reaction had been even slightly slower, I would have been done for.
Lexy calmly nodded at my words.
"I figured as much. I was the same. Now — today I'll show you the next level up."
Lexy handed me a rifle and pulled out bullets. These weren't ordinary rounds. Red, blue, yellow, green — multicolored bullets. Formulas were inscribed on their surfaces, and the material wasn't copper but some other metal.
"…Magic bullets."
"That's right. Bullets enchanted with magic. If ordinary bullets don't work, you use special ones."
"I understand magic bullets are expensive."
"Cheaper than your life, right? And this is the military. They support us to some degree. Well, I prefer the private stuff myself."
She giggled.
"May I take a closer look?"
"Go ahead."
I pinched a magic bullet between thumb and forefinger and examined it carefully. The depth of the formula carved into the surface was uniform — machine-engraved, not hand-carved.
The formula itself is simple. Fire element mixed with explosion? A mechanism that detonates on impact?
I narrowed my eyes. After simulating the formula in my head, this inscription alone lacked sufficient power.
There's naturally a limit to what formula you can carve on a small bullet… But in this state, it's barely usable. Did they carve the inside of the casing too?
After examining the magic bullet several times, I realized it wasn't just magic formulas.
The core of magic bullets is alchemy. The magic formula is just supplementary.
I immediately discarded the idea of making magic bullets myself. I had neither the opportunity nor the time to learn alchemy.
In my case, enchanting bullets with magic would be faster.
Of course, that would require bullets of special materials.
"Give them a try. Once you shoot, you'll like them."
At Lexy's words, I decided to fire one. I loaded a magic bullet, aimed at a target five hundred meters away, and squeezed the trigger. The round left a red trail through the air and struck the target.
A small explosion erupted. Small in size — but powerful enough to blow a person's head clean off. Then crimson flames clung to the target.
"Explosive rounds. Pretty pricey, but the performance is as you can see. Effective for breaking barriers."
She then handed me other bullets. Cold rounds that froze and slowed enemies; shock rounds for electrocuting foes or disabling machines; poison rounds that toxified whatever they hit; armor-piercing magic bullets with maximized penetration — and more. There were far more varieties than I'd expected.
The advantage of picking and choosing based on situation and target. Ease of use is another plus.
But I saw three drawbacks. One was the not-insignificant price. Then the fact that magic bullets were consumables — and that their power wasn't as impressive as I'd thought.
From my perspective, learning offensive magic would be better.
I felt my interest in sniping cool considerably. Considering my relationship with Instructor Lexy, I hid that fact and continued marksmanship training. I'd received things from her, so I intended to do what I could.
Lexy probably meant to show me a sniper's advantages by having me shoot magic bullets — but in reality, contrary to her plans, my desire for magic burned even hotter.
"You're doing well. You'll be the best sniper. Later, I'll teach you how to enchant bullets with magic."
"…Yes. Thank you."
"Second mission. Tonight, we clear out a goblin pack that's settled near the base without knowing their place."
Morning roll call. Instructor Vinous addressed us.
Our faces hardened.
Goblins were among the weakest of monsters. Even civilians could easily kill them with a gun. The No. 211 of my memories had also fought and beaten goblins as part of training. Goblins were clearly easy opponents.
If it weren't for tonight, that is.
"Tonight is a Dark Moon night."
Dark Moon was the game's main title — and one of its most important settings.
The Dark Moon was a black moon. A black moon that rose in the sky on a hundred-day cycle.
Whenever the Dark Moon rose, monsters became ferocious and stronger. Ghosts that normally never showed their faces wandered the cities, and those with monster-type factors had a low chance of mutating. The mana in the atmosphere also grew wild. And through the black moon, monsters from the Abyss could appear.
People of this world barricaded themselves indoors when the Dark Moon rose and minimized outdoor activity. Natural, if you didn't want to die — and that was common sense here.
But some people still went outside during the Dark Moon.
Because the higher the risk, the greater the potential rewards. In the game, too, the Dark Moon was a basic condition for special actions — special dungeons opening, opportunities to obtain rare items, and more.
"A good day for training."
Instructor Vinous said it cheerfully. Not a single person here, myself included, could agree with that.