First Mission (3)
The sky was still overcast. The damp, earthy scent of the forest stung my nose. It must have been from the rain that fell two days ago. Kalant and I returned to base immediately. The temporary outpost, built from several previous search missions, served as our base camp for this operation. Only two people were there: one soldier from the same squad as Garan, and Garan himself. Everyone else had gone out to their assigned search sectors and apparently hadn't returned yet. That meant Kalant and I were the first ones back.
"What happened?" Garan asked, his tone laced with curiosity. My return was earlier than expected.
"Shortly after we entered the sector, we engaged a pack of kobolds."
"And?"
Kalant made a troubled face. "Their numbers were abnormally high."
"......"
Garan's expression hardened. He closed his mouth and stared at us intently, so I continued the report.
"Would you take a look at this?"
I placed the spoils from the fight with the kobolds on the table.
"This is... a spear?"
"Yes. A spear. One made of bone."
Garan picked up the spear I'd shown him. "...Hmm. It's light, but sturdy."
The shaft had been lengthened by binding bones together with string. The tip was sharpened to a vicious point. The overall craftsmanship was crude, yet an unmistakable sense of unease radiated from it.
"This... doesn't look like something a monster could make."
"Exactly. It's clearly a weapon crafted with intent."
A weapon is a tool used for combat. It is an instrument through which one life pierces, slashes, and tears apart another to steal its existence. That is why weapons carry purpose. They are honed to be harder, sharper, and more lethal so they can kill the enemy more easily, more efficiently, more overwhelmingly.
"Binding the ends of the bones with cloth and string was likely done to extend the spear's reach. It would allow the wielder to maintain a safe distance while gaining an advantageous position to attack, or to maximize the penetrating power behind each thrust. And..."
I pointed at the sharpened tip of the bone spear.
"There are clear marks where the edge was ground down to pierce and tear flesh more easily."
Faced with a weapon that so obviously carried intelligence and intent, Kalant asked with a grave expression, "It doesn't look like something humans made, does it?"
"No. It's far too crude and sloppy for that. The chances are extremely low."
Perhaps because he understood what I was implying, Garan's face grew even more serious.
"Do you think kobolds could have made a weapon with this much intent behind it?"
"That possibility is... also low. But it's more believable than the idea that humans made it. The problem is... does this mean the monsters are evolving... or rather, changing?"
Garan faltered for a moment, cutting himself off. He had almost said the word "evolve." Changing it to "changing" was likely his way of trying to erase the disturbing thought that the monsters were growing stronger over time.
"It's a horrifying thought, but isn't it possible?" Kalant said, his face twisted in disgust as if he'd swallowed a bug. He clearly didn't want to accept it any more than Garan did.
Then how were we supposed to resolve the question posed by this bone spear? As long as this doubt remained, the thorn of unease in my chest would never go away.
"Have you never seen anything like this before?" Garan asked me.
"I haven't."
I had spent nearly three months drifting through this forest, but this was the first time I'd encountered monsters wielding weapons like these.
"Besides, this is my first time in this particular region."
"Hmm..."
Garan fell into thought. This was a change. A new weapon he'd never seen. Numbers that had doubled, along with signs of organization. If the monsters were beginning to learn, to form groups, to awaken intelligence... the situation would turn even worse for the allied forces and all of humanity.
"May I ask what you're thinking about?" I asked Garan, whose serious expression hadn't eased.
He had been staring blankly at the bone spear, lost in thought, but now he looked at me. He answered my question honestly.
"I'm debating whether we should return to base with this spear or continue the search."
"You're already considering pulling back?"
It had only been half a day since we started the mission. Not even a full day had passed.
"Mm... the situation is completely unpredictable. It might be safer to reorganize with another search team and come back with more personnel. That way we'd be better prepared for any unexpected variables."
I couldn't say I didn't understand. It meant the monsters were beginning to behave in ways we couldn't comprehend. If they were now capable of making weapons and acting with organized intelligence, it was no longer like fighting beasts driven by instinct. The conflict would shift from man versus beast to intelligence versus intelligence—human versus human.
There was precedent. Garan was weighing the scales in his mind. Between an unknown danger that couldn't even be measured, and the lives of himself and his subordinates. Should they press on with the mission, or return with the stain of failure to ensure greater safety?
"No, Squad Leader. If we head back to base before a full day has even passed, won't that completely ruin our reputation? Even if the Captain isn't the type to say anything, the other squads might start picking on us again."
"Even so, isn't it better than having our squad members die during the operation?"
Garan placed the safety of his men above the completion of the mission. From the first time I'd met him, I'd sensed it—he was a superior who prioritized safety to an excessive degree.
That must be why he showed me such goodwill.
He had extended unreserved kindness to me, the one who had helped both him and his subordinates.
"Hmm..."
Kalant, the vice-captain, looked skeptical, but in the end he waited for Garan's decision as his superior.
"You're not going to argue against it?"
He simply shrugged. "Well, what can I say? It's not like I have a better idea. Our primary role is search and reconnaissance, not a specialized combat unit that hunts down every monster we encounter."
It was an undeniable fact that their combat ability was relatively low. That was precisely why they needed to assess the current situation accurately and make the most useful judgment. Their main objective wasn't to fight. The question was whether they should risk the dangers ahead to gather information on what lay before them.
"Sure, we'll get mocked back at the outpost for failing the mission, but if even one of the guys we've shared meals and danger with dies, none of us will be able to stomach our food for a while. On the battlefield, it's normal for people to die at any time, in any way."
"......"
"That said, if we become too afraid of what might happen and stop carrying out missions altogether, that's a problem in its own right. But what the Squad Leader is saying isn't 'We can't do it.' It's 'Let's come back with more stable numbers.' It's a bit overly cautious, but he's not wrong. And if the monsters really have gained intelligence and are acting with organization... that's genuinely terrifying."
After what seemed like long deliberation, Garan finally spoke.
"Recall all the squad members who were sent out on search. Have them return here."
"And then?"
"We'll share what we've learned. Instead of operating in pairs, the entire squad will maintain formation and continue the search together."
"Oh?" Kalant let out a small sound of surprise, as if he hadn't expected that decision. "What's gotten into you? Did you eat something bad?"
"Watch your mouth. In the past, I might have returned to base and requested reinforcements from the Captain. But..."
Garan looked at me as he continued.
"Now we have a powerful new recruit who just joined as the youngest member."
"Hmm. That's true," Kalant agreed, glancing at me as well. "Taking down six hounds single-handedly isn't normal. If this guy takes the lead... we should be able to handle most threats without too much trouble."
"Indeed."
"Can I trust you?"
It was a short question. I couldn't tell exactly what he meant by it or what he expected me to do. I simply nodded and gave a brief answer.
"Yes."
With that, Kalant raised his rifle toward the sky.
Boom!
The muzzle of the magic rifle spat light into the air. The fired round burst overhead, scattering green sparks. It was the signal to return to base camp.
Less than an hour after the flare went up, the scattered squad members began returning one by one.
"Current headcount?"
"One team hasn't returned yet."
"Where were they headed?"
"Here." Kalant pointed to the location on the map where the two missing squad members had been assigned.
Garan's face stiffened. It would have been ideal if everyone had returned safely, but an uneasy tension had already settled over the group.
"We'll have to go search for them. Everyone, move out."
The entire squad advanced in formation. As we walked through the humid forest, I caught a faint whiff of blood on the breeze. I was at the front of the line, so I raised my hand to halt the squad's movement.
"What is it?" Garan immediately stepped forward and asked me, trying to understand the reason.
"...There are traces."
I shifted my gaze in the direction the blood scent was coming from. Following the signs caught by my heightened senses, I moved forward. I scanned the ground as if combing through the underbrush.
"Over there..."
It was bloodstains. Along with footprints and marks on the ground and bushes that looked like something had been dragged. Not one set of traces, but two. After examining the shape of the footprints, Garan nodded with a heavy expression.
"It's them."
It meant the two squad members who had gone out on search had been dragged away by something.
"...Monsters?"
"No. Do normal monsters usually drag their prey somewhere?"
"What reason would they have to drag them? They'd just eat them on the spot."
"If it's not monsters, then what the hell is it?"
The other squad members were also exchanging opinions with serious faces. Why would monsters do something like that? Was it even monsters who did it? The atmosphere grew heavier with various theories until Garan spoke.
"...Resume the search."
The other squad members fell silent and followed behind Garan with grim expressions.
"I'm changing the mission priority. We will track down the two squad members presumed to have been attacked. Identify the attackers and confirm whether the two are alive or dead. Understood?"
"Yes."
The squad members answered their superior's orders in low voices. It felt like we were slowly stepping into an unseen darkness.