"Listen to my words well. We will be building a simple fortress that we can use to defend against any attacking enemies."
The members of Squad 13 only carried their knives with them. However, they were psykers. Even though they didn't have saws, they were capable of carpentry. They broke and cut the trees and made sharp wooden swords and spears. They sharpened long, sturdy sticks to construct barricades that they dug into the ground, and set a trap by hiding them in forest foliage.
"It's a definite fact that werewolves wander in this area. They don't have high intelligence so setting traps and making a barricade should be effective enough for us to stop them. If you can find a boulder large enough, that would be good material for a cover. Kuro, it will be difficult, but please lend us your strength."
Kuro was responsible for the tasks requiring the most strength. Kuro suffered from bloody noses, but he didn't stop working. Han felt apologetic, but he didn't let Kuro rest.
"I wonder what happened to our drill instructor"
The squad members said. Kijo who had been listening spoke.
"The drill instructor already-"
Han pulled Kijo's arm. Kijo shut his mouth mid-sentence. Han whispered to Kijo.
"Don't tell them our drill instructor died. It will be better if they have a little bit of hope to hold onto."
Kijo nodded. After two hours, their trap and cover were beginning to take shape. He brought the barricade near the trap area.
'I heard werewolves are more active at night. The sun will go down soon. If there are werewolves remaining in this area, they will probably come to find us at night.'
The sun set quickly. A chilling wind blew across the forest. They set up an organized shift of night watch duty, but the youths found it hard to sleep at all. They were all so anxious that sleep was near impossible.
"What could the beam of light that attacked our planes be?"
"It should be something related to psychic energies."
"Maybe the Elu tribe?"
Only they were capable of commanding an organized army amongst the minions. They had no sclera to their eyes and their ears were pointed. Otherwise, they looked exactly like humans, and they had powerful psychic skills. They could easily defend against modern military weapons, like dragons. However, they didn't have limitless mana like dragons, and so long as one targets that weakness, it would not be impossible to take one down with modern military weapons.
Ta dak, ta dak.
The campfire burned. Werewolves had great night vision. Although the squad would be easily discovered, it was more advantageous that they could see the movements of their surroundings.
"It's ok, the rescue team will arrive to pick us up."
Half of the second years had made an emergency landing at the Sinuiju, dimensional crack. This was an emergency situation for Ark.
'However, even if we send an aircraft to rescue the students, if we were to be hit by that stream of light then…'
Han just imagined a frightening possibility. Would the rescue squad even know of their current situation? What if they rashly sent a plane and crashed similarly to what had happened?
'We are in a real war.'
Their enemy's identity was unknown. It was impossible to even begin trying to analyze their enemy's military strength. Our forces are but frightened youths. The future breakthrough of this place seemed bleak.
'Our military experience thus far adds up to nothing but child's play.'
Their battles were always held within the safety confines of Ark. As long as the rules were followed, lives would not be lost.
'In this place, my single mistake will result in many deaths.'
Han's eyes sank lower. His past suddenly flashed into his mind. He had been starving for over a week. As a last resort, Han had snuck into the security forces to steal their food provisions. He was caught in the end and transferred to the police. They beat him ruthlessly, but he tenaciously continued to try and escape. If he could not deliver food, then his younger siblings would starve to death.
'Our situation is no different from back then. The lives of others are in my hands. A single thing has changed though, and it's that these kids will fight by my side.'
Sssk, sssk.
The sounds of movement came from the forest. Everyone from Squad 13 who had been resting, bolted up. They didn't dare let out a breath. They stared toward the location of the sound.
"Squad 9?"
Familiar faces appeared from the forest. Squad 9 looked to be in a terrible state. They were a group of 17 people.
"Han, we were attacked by enemy forces. Four people have died in total. Our squad leader and drill instructor were among those who had died. We will be joining forces with you."
The Squad 9 members said. Squad 9 and 13 did not have the best relationship. However, such trivial things did not matter now. Whether they were rivals, allies, or sworn enemies in Ark, nothing mattered. At this moment, they had to fight against the same enemy.
"Was it a werewolf?"
"No, they were of the Elu tribe. Hunter type. It's possible that they will work together with werewolves."
The Elu tribe commanded small squads and they each had unique fighting strengths from one another. There were Elus whose main strengths included psychic powers, cold weapons, or arrows. The hunter types were of the latter. The Elu hunter types used werewolves like hunting dogs.
Squad 9 looked exhausted. A handful of them couldn't even talk properly. Their peers had died so ruthlessly in front of their very eyes.
"Our enemies are the Elus and werewolves. Unlike werewolves, Elus have high intelligence. They probably won't easily get caught in our traps."
Han gathered the group leaders together. The youths quickly set up a command structure within the group. The squad leader, Han, would be commanding, with the other youths grouped into three- or four-member teams.
"Stab the werewolves with your spears and push them into our traps. We have constructed traps and filled them with dried twigs. When you push the werewolves in, those with the power of ignition will set them aflame. The Elus will probably make the werewolves their vanguard and attack from a distance or flank us. Find a flat rock or wooden plank from your surroundings to use as an airbeat. Two teams will climb onto the surrounding trees and be on standby for a surprise attack against the Elus."
It was difficult to use a flat rock as an airbeat. Airbeats were robot drones that moved with streams of energy. Airbeats would stay afloat even without the aid of telekinesis. On the other hand, flat rock airbeats required a constant stream of telekinesis to remain afloat.
"Kuro, help assist the surprise attack team as a supporter."
Han said to Kuro.
"Okay."
Kuro nodded.
"Is there anyone here who is strong or is talented in telekinetic control? Anyone in squad 9?"
Han had a clear understanding of Squad 13's skill, but he didn't have a clear understanding of Squad 9's overall skills. Two people from Squad 9 stepped forward.
"We will be throwing the spears we have made ahead of time. We will teach you the methods now. We don't have much time, but try to get used to the movements as fast as possible."
Han picked out five people to throw the spears. They took turns to throw the wooden spears. Han took deep breaths and held a wooden spear.
"The control techniques are simple. Take deep breaths, and spurt out your psychic energy in a way that will help push the spear forward. You shouldn't wrap your psychic energy around the whole weapon like how we normally had trained to do. This will only slow down the speed which it is thrown. It's better to maintain a good push of energy from behind so that it flies out."
Han pulled his arm back and threw the spear. The spear that had been buffed by his telekinesis went flying at a frightening speed.
The spear penetrated into a tree and caused a violent tremble. One of Han's specialties was javelin throwing.
"Even if you lack the physical strength, the main force will be enough as long as you aim properly. The five of you will attack together into one point."
Han gave different jobs to all the members present. Han was probably the only person capable of coming up with proper roles and battle formation within the second years, in such a short period of time in a situation like this.
Han's leadership skills had already been long recognized by the second years. Squad 9 also acknowledged this. Everyone followed his commands without complaint.