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Chapter 28 - A Plan
🕑 Added 2024-10-12 23:34:01 +0000 UTC"Prepare! Prepare! Start the incursion!" Musk announced.
Several cadets began advancing with the command, descending from the hill to the riverbanks. Some, more fearful, stayed further back, avoiding the front lines of the battle. Many still remembered how difficult it had been to retreat after advancing too far.
However, those who aimed to climb the rankings didn’t have time to waste.
A boy with a large shield sprinted to the front line. Without stopping, even in the mud, he barreled through several Crabits, continuing to draw their attention. Oliver could tell that this cadet was definitely high in the rankings.
Kyle and Katherine didn’t wait long to advance either. But unlike the previous day, Astrid had changed her strategy. She was still attacking multiple Crabits at once. Still, she avoided pushing too far into the center of the hordes, allowing her to retreat quickly and reduce the number of opponents if necessary.
The battle was in full swing, but one person in particular had yet to advance. Oliver knew that diving into the middle of the hordes wouldn’t help him, so he decided to try a different approach. He scanned the battlefield, observing the flow of the combat.
The Crabits had their backs to the river, with a muddy field in front of them. The captains stood atop a low hill that gave them a clear view of the entire battle. To the north and south of the river, small trees along the banks prevented the troops from advancing further.
'Time to take the risk.' Oliver pondered.
Instead of advancing, Oliver returned to the hill, searching for the proper position. He wanted a spot where he could get a side view of the battle but with higher ground.
"Some place, some… just like that," the boy muttered to himself, trying to calm down. He found a spot that allowed him to see the cadets advancing against the Crabits side by side. Although it wasn’t as high as he had hoped, it provided a clear view.
Gripping his Energy Pistol, he searched for targets. Some cadets faced multiple monsters simultaneously, while others struggled to keep up with even one. The disparity in combat skills was glaring. In cases where the students couldn’t handle more than one opponent, the monsters would try to take advantage by biting or scratching from the flanks.
He waited when one of the Crabits was about to strike to shoot, reducing their chances of dodging. His concerns ranged from accidentally hitting his allies to whether his targets were within his weapon’s range.
[Observation] could help him track the flow of his opponents, but it wasn’t enough. It was time to use his other card.
He glanced thoughtfully at the pistol in his hands, avoiding looking at any part of his armor.
‘[Insight]' Oliver activated.
Just like the first time, Oliver felt a surge of information flood into his mind in a matter of seconds, from how to adjust the pistol to the correct hand positioning or how to control his shots. However, after mere milliseconds, the flow of information stopped.
The throbbing pain in his head persisted, but it hadn’t caused him to pass out or bleed.
'There’s missing information. Maybe the level of [Insight] is too low, or can I control how much information I consume?' Oliver questioned. ‘Anyway, that will have to wait another time.’
He hadn’t gained any details about how the weapon was created or how it appeared and disappeared. These weren’t pieces of information he needed right now, but it was clear that something was missing, like a book with pages torn out.
His vision was still blurry, and he felt like the world was spinning, but the more he breathed, the better he felt. Oliver had heard the sound of a notification from his gauntlet, but he hadn’t had the chance to check it yet. In the background, the boy could hear the sounds of battle continuing.
When he regained control, Oliver noticed he was kneeling on the ground, using one hand to steady himself. The ground was still damp from the rain, offering a bit of relief with the breeze that blew across the hill. It was the first time he could feel the wind and understand how it could impact each shot he would take.
Oliver took a deep breath and returned to his firing stance. He adjusted how he held the pistol, feeling better supported in his right hand, with his left helping to control the weapon.
‘Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…’ The boy repeated in his mind.
He could now recognize the limits of his range and predict where the shot might deviate. He kept his focus on his target, a Crabit poised to strike. This time, he wouldn’t need as much energy. Oliver felt he could control the output just enough to blow out the monster's side.
"Thum!"
The shot was thinner and faster than any he had fired before. The energy, sharp as a blade, shot across the hill and into the battlefield. Without hitting any cadet, the projectile continued to accelerate until it hit the side of the Crabit. The monster never saw the shot coming—it hit, causing an instant explosion of its insides.
The cadets near the Crabit were showered with blood and pieces, but the projectile didn’t exit the other side; the creature completely absorbed it.
From the top of the hill, Oliver watched it all. He could feel much more control over his Ranger Weapon. It was a new sensation that had appeared after using ‘Insight.’ He saw a notification on his gauntlet in the corner of his vision.
[Skill Upgrade!]
[Ranger Weapon Handling - Pawn => Knight]
A smile spread across his face. Oliver had theorized that this could be the outcome, but it was still a risk he had taken. After a few seconds, he resumed scanning the battlefield, watching for every opportunity. Every minute, the sound of his pistol firing echoed across the field.
"Thum!"
"Thum!"
"Thum!"
Some cadets were startled by the explosions, mainly due to the shower of guts and blood that followed each shot. As a result, several students tried to figure out what was happening. After a few more explosions, they realized it was Energy Pistol shots.
“Where were they coming from?” A girl asked the recruits close to her.
It didn’t take long for them to spot the young ‘sniper’ kneeling on the hill, waiting for the right moment to take out more Crabits.
The cadets at the top of the rankings didn’t have time to notice what was happening, but Oliver could see them clearly from his vantage point. One was dragging multiple monsters with a massive shield, while another seemed to teleport between enemies, attacking with daggers.
However, the ones he recognized most easily were Katherine and Kyle. Katherine was positioned near him but below the hill on the higher part of the river. Crabits surrounded her, but so far, she hadn’t had significant problems. Her agility allowed her to dodge most of the attacks, and even when she was hit, her armor absorbed the glancing blows.
However, the battle was taking its toll. Her armor was cracked in several places and stained with blood and mud. Her helmet had dents from the Crabit strikes, and the little hair visible through the gaps in her armor was caked with dirt, almost hiding the golden sheen of her hair.
The people who had the luxury of being out of combat had the chance to witness Oliver's new strategy. However, opinions were varied.
Even among the captains, there was no consensus. Some believed that staying out of direct combat was problematic, especially for cadets undergoing psychological testing. Others, however, thought that coming up with new solutions to combat was precisely what was needed in a war that had already lasted too long.
Though a traditionalist, Captain Musk had given clear instructions about the need to adapt. If this was the cadet's solution, he had done exactly what his superior commanded. Therefore, the captain would not interfere in the exercise.
As for the students, some were impressed by the ability to hit fast-moving targets from such a distance, but most were intimidated. Especially those vying for the top rankings, now they had one more competitor, one who was permanently out of harm’s way.
However, there was one person who was feeling the worst.
Damian had the misfortune of being in the same company as Oliver. Initially, he had hoped to finally see Oliver’s Boon in action and perhaps try to replicate his combat style to climb the rankings. But seeing him act as a sniper only added to the confusion.
‘Is his Boon related to long-range shots?’ Damian pondered.
He had never heard of such a thing, but anything was possible with countless Boons mapped. Still, this was a bad sign; there was nothing he could copy. Moreover, his combat style with a whip wasn’t optimized for fighting with allies, and with his luck, he was likely to injure a teammate and lose points.
Seeing this new development, Damian had to use what he had held back. ‘There’s still another option.’
He might not like this tactic, but it would completely change the game.
