Chapter 6

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 6

Chapter Title: Humanity's Greatest Force

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15 minutes.

Considering our current ammo and power reserves, it's tight, but not impossible.

"Everyone, listen up."

Sergeant Ellen looked around at her squad members.

One by one.

Meeting each of their eyes.

"We need to hold out for the next 15 minutes. To conserve ammo and rotate firing, we'll split into front ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and rear teams."

"Understood!"

"We're all going to make it back alive, so trust in me who trusts in all of you."

The squad members tilted their heads at her words.

"Doesn't that just mean we should trust you in the end?"

"Exactly. Now move, sharp and quick!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Recognizing Sergeant Ellen's joke as a way to ease our tension, I chuckled softly and moved to join the rear team.

'Humanity's greatest force is coming.'

Just those words alone made everything feel so reassuring.

"Kieeeek!!!!!!!"

The Type 1 Bugs surged forward again.

Sergeant Ellen raised her hand in response.

"Fire in sequence!"

Taking them down one by one wasn't hard.

The narrow canyon was acting as a natural barricade.

So this was the 'bottleneck tactic godtip' I'd seen on the SF Gallery.

Time ticked by as we dealt with the incoming Type 1 Bugs, and after 5 minutes, the front team's ammo was running dry.

"Rotate!"

Under the squad leader's command, the front and rear teams swapped places, and the firing continued.

With each experience gain, our bullets kept vanishing.

And the result?

"Ammo report!"

"70 rounds!"

"50 rounds!"

"30 left!"

The squad members' faces darkened again as our ammo dwindled.

Just 5 minutes remaining.

Only 5 more minutes to hold.

"Kieeeek!!!!!!!"

But instead of hope, despair arrived as those things used their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kin's corpses as stepping stones to charge us relentlessly.

The problem was they weren't just one or two.

The corpses piled up like a tower, eroding the canyon's advantage bit by bit.

If they kept stacking, in the worst case, Type 2 or even Type 3 Bugs could break through.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Kieeek!"

Thud.

"Ammo's almost gone!"

"Prepare for close combat!"

The moment the squad members drew their Ultrasonic Cutters...

"Kiiiiieeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A Type 3 Bug's scream echoed from outside the canyon.

We flinched at the sound, but listening closely, it wasn't rage—it was a voice laced with terror.

A cry mixed with agony.

"What the...?"

"What's going on!?"

As the squad members looked baffled...

Ruuuumble!

The ground shook.

Not like the footsteps of a Type 3 Bug—this was incomparable impact.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Vibrations rose from beneath our feet, like a meteor crashing from the sky.

"Earthquake!?"

"No."

And I knew.

This wasn't an earthquake.

"He's here."

The fact that he had arrived.

BOOM!!

The ground shook once more, and the Type 3 Bug's scream rose another octave.

"Kiiiiieeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!"

At the same time, the Type 1 Bugs flooding the canyon halted.

And turned around.

Not toward us, but fleeing from something outside.

"The bugs are... running away...?"

Platoon Sergeant Kallix said in a shocked voice.

In a way, it made sense.

Bugs fleeing from humans was a sight unseen anywhere in this world.

But things were different now.

The being outside wasn't 'human.'

KABOOM!

Rocks exploded apart, and light poured into the canyon entrance.

No, not light.

It was Miren-7's gray sky reflecting off black and bluish-gray metal surfaces.

Thud.

"Let's head outside for now."

"But the bugs are still..."

"It'll be fine."

At my words, the squad leader, platoon sergeant, and every squad member looked at me.

"He's arrived."

Humanity's greatest force.

I passed the tense squad members, stepping over the mountain of bugs to climb the corpse pile and exit the canyon.

And there...

A massive humanoid silhouette over 2 meters tall stood at the canyon entrance.

A gigantic humanoid weapon covered head to toe in black and bluish-gray metal.

The very existence that had been standing guard in front of the armory.

Full Cybernetics Soldier.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The sight of encountering him on the battlefield for the first time was indescribably awe-inspiring.

I nodded reflexively at his mechanical voice.

"One wounded, but mobile!"

The Full Cybernetics Soldier nodded at my response.

With that, he turned away.

And then.

Rooooar!

With a single leap, he vanished from sight, and simultaneously, the Type 3 Bug's scream pierced the air.

I whipped my head toward the sound and saw the Full Cybernetics Soldier with his bare hand piercing straight through the Type 3 Bug's head.

A Type 3 Bug.

A monster that required concentrated company-level firepower to barely take down.

And it died without even a whimper, from a single blow.

"Holy shit..."

Witnessing it in person left me shuddering.

The day I'd see a scene from beyond the screen with my own eyes had come.

Thump.

Thump.

Clutching my wildly pounding heart, I thought.

If before I'd only wanted to go home, now it was different.

I'd go home, sure—but after taking in everything this world had to offer with my own eyes.

And for that, I obviously needed power.

This could give me that power.

'Status window.'

Yes.

Yeah.

With those words, the system window changed.

No longer blue, it now gleamed gold.

Humanity's greatest force.

The being who'd just punched through a Type 3 Bug's head with his bare hand.

Become a Full Cybernetics Soldier?

That held two meanings for me.

Either grow strong enough to beat him 1-on-1, or become a body just like his.

'Are you insane?'

And the progress was a whopping 0.00%.

In other words, I wasn't even fit to kiss his feet.

What the hell did I have to do, and how much, to raise this?

Even in the game, Full Cybernetics Soldier was the pinnacle no player could reach.

The rotten old-timer realm, achievable only with all sorts of lucky breaks and cheat items.

Asking me to reach that height?

But it wasn't impossible.

The system wouldn't give me an impossible mission.

If it issued a quest, it meant it was achievable.

I stared at the golden window once more.

0.00%

Fine.

Everything starts at 0% anyway.

"Accept."

The golden window vanished with that single line.

The moment I tried to ponder my future plans, a voice called out.

"Lucas! What are you doing!? Hurry up!"

Sergeant Ellen's shout snapped me back; turning around, I saw the squad already boarding the transport vehicle.

Apparently, I'd been standing there dazed alone.

"Coming now!"

I hopped on, and Corporal Naga made room for me beside him.

"What've you been staring into space at?"

"I was thinking about what booze to drink back at base to empty Corporal Naga's wallet."

"What, you punk!?"

Corporal Naga chuckled at my retort.

"A rook already teasing his senior?"

"Sorry!"

"Eh, I'll let it slide this time."

He lightly tapped my chest with his fist.

"Go ahead, try your best to drain my wallet."

"Roger that!!"

As the vehicle started moving, the Type 3 Bug's remains shrank in the distance behind us.

The Full Cybernetics Soldier still stood there, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

From here...

I had to reach there someday.

...Come to think of it, there was the gallery, right?

I'd ask for help when I got back.

I'm a newbie now, after all.

Even if I'm a used newbie.

The moment we reached the barracks, I collapsed onto my bunk and opened the gallery.

"What's with all these?"

Checking the notifications, they were all asking if I was still alive.

The post hadn't even been up 30 seconds before comments broke 100.

So many people worried about me—an unfamiliar feeling.

Since I'd always been the one helping.

But first, let them know I'm alive.

Looking at the comments, these guys really were the hardcore vets of our game.

People who played for the romance alone.

And they weren't joking either.

If I revealed my location, they'd probably swarm here instantly.

Then an alarm rang out.

SF Gallery manager?

"Accept."

And the instant I saw the message pop up before me, I froze.