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Wilkis, in particular, frowned deeply.

His gaze was filled with a clear warning: say something foolish, and you’ll lose your head right here.

But Damian didn’t care.

This kind of atmosphere was—

‘Familiar.’

It had always been like this.

To those who thought a mere commander of a penal unit could never stand on equal footing with them, Damian’s defiance was nothing new.

There had always been people around him looking down, waiting to devour him.

Damian stared directly into Wilkis’s eyes and spoke.

“Let’s be realistic. Our current forces cannot withstand the upcoming monster wave.”

“I’ve already said there will be no retreat—”

“But,” Damian interrupted Wilkis.

“What if we form a special task force to destroy the magic-infused crystal before the second wave occurs?”

“Destroy the crystal?”

Basil’s eyes widened.

Tarion, his expression tense, looked at Damian.

“Do you really think that’s possible?”

“Yes, I believe it’s a choice worth considering.”

Damian’s answer was unwavering.

Homen, who had been quietly listening to the others, looked at Damian.

“Were there no other monsters around the crystal?”

“There were, of course.”

Damian recalled the monsters stationed around the crystal as if guarding it.

There were a few giant monsters that made the previously encountered Black Bears seem small, along with a dozen smaller creatures scattered around.

“We can’t defeat them all, especially those massive monsters, which likely possess strength greater than an Ogre’s.”

If those giant monsters were infused with magic, their combat power would be off the charts.

Wilkis’s frown deepened at Damian’s words.

“But rather than defeating them, if we can distract them long enough to attack the crystal, I believe we can succeed.”

“Hm…”

“So, we lure them away and destroy the crystal in the meantime?”

It was a plausible plan.

Of course, the risk was significant.

They couldn’t be sure of the giant monsters’ combat capabilities.

“Retreating would be the safest option…”

However, if they retreated now and more monsters became tainted by magic, it would be impossible to attempt another subjugation with a standard force.

They would need an entire army to deal with it.

“…May I confirm one more thing?”

“What is it?”

“Damian, bring Bex here.”

Tarion called for Bex, who had accompanied Damian on the reconnaissance mission.

Bex was known for his keen eyesight and excellent judgment, so Tarion wanted his perspective on the situation.

“Bex, what do you think?”

Tarion explained Damian’s proposed plan to Bex and asked for his opinion.

Bex turned to look at Damian.

This kid came up with that plan?

“…”

It was hard to believe this was the youngest member of the team.

Bex thought back to what he had seen and the plan Damian had suggested, then spoke honestly.

“I think it’s a reckless plan.”

“Hm.”

“…Is that so?”

The other officers sighed softly, feeling a spark of hope flicker and die.

But Bex wasn’t finished.

“But if there’s any way to lead this subjugation to victory… I believe Damian’s plan is the only one.”

Bex spoke with conviction.

Tarion pressed his lips together and nodded.

“I see.”

Tarion turned to Wilkis.

“The Neokalitz unit agrees to form the task force.”

“The Erkal defense unit agrees as well.”

With Tarion’s support, Basil also joined in.

Homen, wearing a resolute expression, spoke.

“We cannot spare many of our members, as our presence is still needed here. However…”

Homen stepped forward.

“I will join the task force along with Priestess Claire. Unlike regular priests, Claire possesses immense holy power, which will be of great help in this situation.”

With everyone in agreement, Wilkis nodded.

“…Fine, form the task force.”

Wilkis said.

He had no other options.

And after hearing the plan, it didn’t seem impossible.

“Select the ten most exceptional members from each unit. We will form a task force of thirty-two people.”

Wilkis turned to Damian.

“Do you think that’s enough?”

“I believe the number is sufficient.”

Damian replied.

There were three giant monsters.

The remaining ten or so were smaller creatures.

With thirty soldiers and two priests…

‘It’s possible. No, we must succeed.’

Though the subjugation was happening sooner than expected—

‘If we succeed, a significant portion of the credit will go to us.’

Furthermore, if the Hamel Trading Company came in afterward, producing elixirs that enhance magic would become much easier.

This was a crucial step in Damian’s path forward.

“Prepare immediately. Move quickly!”

Wilkis’s command echoed, and each unit began selecting their members.

Given the extreme danger of the mission, only the most exceptional soldiers were chosen.

And then—

“Damian, you’re coming with us.”

“Yes, sir!”

At Tarion’s words, Damian gripped his spear tightly.

* * *

The task force was quickly assembled.

Only the top ten from each unit had been selected.

“What the hell? Who’s that kid?”

“…He looks so young. He’s just a brat who hasn’t even fully grown.”

“Heh, which unit is he from? Neokalitz? Did they not have anyone better to send?”

The soldiers snickered as they looked at Damian, who was part of the task force.

They were all soldiers from the subjugation force that had come down from the capital.

But then—

“That kid was the one who found the cursed object and came up with this plan.”

“…What?”

“No way.”

They turned to look at the man standing in front of them.

It was Bertos, Wilkis’s right-hand man and the de facto leader of the subjugation force.

Seeing the puzzled expressions of his subordinates, he spoke.

“We’re about to undertake the most dangerous mission here. From the way you’re joking around, I assume you have two lives to spare?”

“N-no, sir!”

“We’re sorry! We spoke out of turn.”

The men hurriedly apologized at Bertos’s words.

“We didn’t realize the mission was so dangerous… It’s just seeing such a young kid among us… We apologize.”

“It was our mistake.”

“Skill doesn’t care about age. If you don’t have the skills, you’ll die.”

Swoosh.

Bertos glanced at his subordinates.

“You’d better manage your lives well. Some of you… might not make it back.”

They had been warned how dangerous this mission was.

Perhaps staying behind would have been the safer choice.

The soldiers swallowed nervously at the sobering atmosphere.

Bertos then turned his gaze to Damian.

“…”

Damian, who had been watching the commotion, met Bertos’s eyes.

‘…There’s something worthwhile about this one.’

Damian quietly stared back at Bertos.

It had been a long time since he’d seen eyes like that.

Even in these peaceful times, did someone still have eyes like those?

‘Feels like I’ve seen him somewhere before…’

Damian tried to recall, just in case.

‘I don’t know.’

Perhaps they had crossed paths on a battlefield in his past life.

After all, he had fought in many places.

“If everyone is ready, let’s move out.”

Bertos addressed the assembled task force. Tarion nodded in agreement.

“Damian.”

“Yes, I’ll lead the way.”

Damian took the lead since he was the only one familiar with the route.

He glanced back at the group and spoke.

“I’ll guide us through a path with the fewest monsters, but it’ll be a rough trail. Please keep up.”

“Pfft!”

“A rough trail? Hahaha.”

“You think we can’t handle a path led by a kid?”

Several of the soldiers scoffed.

Damian ignored them and began running.

Tap!

‘From here on out…’

It was a race against time.

They needed to destroy the crystal before the main force fell.

Whoosh!

As urgency crept in, Damian’s pace quickened.

The expressions of the task force members following behind began to tense.

“…What?”

“What the hell, that kid.”

Several soldiers who had been laughing earlier were already breathing heavily, struggling to keep up.

Seeing this, Bertos called out.

“What are you doing? Are you planning to lag behind the kid you called a brat?”

“N-no, sir!”

“Gah…!”

They gritted their teeth and chased after Damian.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…”

Only Claire had already fallen far behind, unable to keep up with their rapid pace through the forest.

But then—

“May I assist you for a moment?”

Tarion approached Claire and asked cautiously.

Claire nodded immediately.

“Of course.”

Understanding Tarion’s intent, Claire agreed without hesitation.

And then—

“Eek!”

Tarion slung Claire over one shoulder.

Expecting to be simply carried, Claire let out a short scream, caught off guard by the unexpected move.

Tarion spoke.

“This is the only way to keep up. Please bear with it for a moment.”

“Y-yes! Don’t worry about me… Ugh!”

With every jolt, her stomach pressed against his shoulder, making it hard to speak.

Claire gritted her teeth and endured in silence.

After some time had passed, and they had ventured deep into the forest—

Swish!

Damian clenched his fist and lowered his stance as he ran.

The others behind him did their best to steady their breathing as they followed his lead.

Damian slowly parted the thick foliage, revealing an open space beyond.

“There it is.”

The clearing Damian pointed out.

It was unusual enough for such an open space to exist in the center of the forest, but what truly caught their eyes was the massive crystal.

“Huff… Huff!”

“What the hell? That’s a crystal?”

“…Damn, it’s huge.”

The crystal was nearly the size of a person.

A mesmerizing blend of purple and black, it exuded an eerie allure.

Both Homen and Claire’s eyes widened at the sight.

“It’s… enormous.”

“The power it holds is beyond reason.”

The strength of the magic was far greater than expected.

“If we break that carelessly, the backlash alone could be overwhelming…”

But there was no time to worry about that now.

Damian quickly assessed the monsters around the crystal.

Three giant monsters.

And the remaining creatures were—

‘Less than twenty.’

Nothing had changed.

In that case—

“Everyone, gather around.”

Bertos called the task force together.

With Wilkis absent, Bertos was the acting commander.

He looked at the crystal ahead and spoke quietly.

“I’ll explain the detailed plan.”

The success of this mission would depend on how they moved from here.

After hearing Bertos’s explanation—

“Understood.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.