If the platform was the center facing north, we would be at its 7 o'clock. {Perceive} much like {Code} varied from person to person. My vision felt superhuman, but compared to Jasmine, it was like I was blind.
I could see four times farther than normal, like the capability of a 4x scope. But she would be 10x. Like, bro, her eyes functioned like a fucking sniper scope! And that was before you even included {Aim}!
'How deadly would Jasmine be if she had a rifle instead of a bow?'
No matter how impressive her arm strength was, the longbow in her hand could never shoot past 250 yards. Meanwhile, the venerable M24, a typical sniper rifle, had a range of over half a mile. If she could not manifest a weapon, I should get her one as soon as possible.
For the rest of us, AR-15s would be enough, but for the African sniper, it would be a colossal waste. I should ask Bella later. I never got to enlist in the military. But I learned a lot about guns. It was primarily because I wanted to earn my drunk father's recognition.
"Uwah! Look at that! That's impossible to stop without a shielder column. They should already be forming one. Why haven't they made one yet when we are already six hours in?" Josephine complained.
Not missing a beat, her sister gave her two cents. "You need at least two dozen shielders for such a long battle line. Even if the commander is competent, without enough talent the best he would be able to do is form an arrow. Currently, they are using soulform reapers to serve as the tip."
Once again, I marveled at what these two spouted out when idle. Descendants were taught not only martial arts, but also military science and tactics. Their upbringing reminded me of children from militaries in fantasy stories.
When I scanned the area in front of the platform, I saw the towering black gorilla. The beast stood over 10 ft tall and looked as heavy as a tank. Around it, I saw half a dozen wolf-human hybrids with violet fur.
The humans gathered around the gorilla. It gestured as if it were explaining something.
'So, the gorilla is the leader? If we join them, would they welcome us? What will we do if they don't?'
Despite mulling over the same questions, I still had no answer. I thought it wasn't a good use of time. So, I switched gears and tried to join my allies' conversation.
"Jo, Jas, explain what this arrow thing is, if you please," I requested.
"Sure, Darling, basically, if you lack enough walls, the next best thing to do would be to create an arrow-shaped break wall. The shape would protect the sides and rear of those at the front. Meanwhile, the wings only focus on what is in front of them," she explained with a smile.
"If you had a large rear guard, you could place them inside the arrow so they could shoot unhindered. By adding either swordsmen or spearmen to the formation, you'd have a stronger force. It would be less vulnerable to being surrounded," Jasmine added.
"But it's not perfect, you know? If at any point one of the wings breaks, the whole thing will collapse. And without knowing everybody's abilities, it's a really big gamble, Darling."
'Hmm. I think I understand. Good thing I have some background in strategy games.'
The ape used the best option available to him with limited information. He seemed like a good guy if he took the forefront. But then again, even Bigfoots would be helpless in front of such a massive ape.
"Then won't they break the moment the boss comes? Such a formation would be for numbers. It's too rigid and hard to maneuver," Bella questioned.
"Indeed. This is why they divide reaper combat into two disciplines: Defenders and Assault. The former teaches how to protect the floors from being overrun. The latter consists of tactics for small elite groups that kill the boss and conquer floors. That formation is for Defenders."
Jasmine's answer lit up lightbulbs in my head. So, they copied the principle of a general-purpose army and a commando unit. That could be our ticket in. If we proved we were an excellent commando unit, they would need to think twice before throwing us away.
"Hmm. Personally, I think their commander is an ass. No Descendant would use the arrow formation like this. It is just stupid," Josephine rebuked.
Bella then chipped in before I could even wonder about the reason for Jo's poor evaluation.
"Is it because they are intentionally fighting at a distance from the platform? It seems like he wants his rear to take damage. If they fought with their backs to the platform, the entire thing would be stronger and more compact.
"If you have an elevated platform, there's no need to keep the ranged fighters in the middle. It's not like they are moving."
That made sense. I came here for the same purpose. To use the platform for shooting. They weren't charging, so why did they intentionally fight away from the platform?
'If you wanted your people to die, however, this would be the way to go.'
"Because there is probably a Descendant among them. The sponsors do not care about Reapers who only survive; they only exalt those that dominate. The ape is waiting for the boss to arrive.
"Once it does, he should abandon the formation with his assault team. Killing the boss gives honor to both the sponsor and the Reaper," Jas said with a troubled face.
So, the ape intended to use the entire group as zombie bait? What a smart way to do it! I would have probably done the same. I felt like this ape, and I would be great friends. Why die for a bunch of nobodies, right?
With a group like ours, if we joined them when it was quiet, it would bring too much focus. It would be better to go after the combat starts again, like when the boss arrives. That way, they have no choice but to accept us.
"Girls. Let's crash the party when the ape goes after the boss," I suggested.
"What? But why, Darling?"
"You intend to aim for the top honors? But you aren't even sponsored. Why would you take the risk?"
"Haha, as expected of Honey, I'm in."
With a smile, I grinned towards the sisters as I answered. "I am not here to only survive. I will become the strongest Revenant. If they are that hungry for achievement, how would they feel if they got shit on by the Formless?"
Jo and Jas couldn't even respond and had surprised faces. After a few moments, they replied in opposite manners.
"Hahaha! This is so crazy! I love it. Let's do it, darling! I will follow you!"
"You are a lunatic. A foolhardy imbecile who has not a shred of common sense. Yet, I believe you would actually do it."
Bella gave me a simple thumbs-up: "Make me fall for you all over again, Honey!"
The mob of zombies slowly moved toward the spear formation of the ape. There were so many that it looked like a tsunami, even though they didn't run. The ground trembled with their steps. Despite my bravado, I couldn't help but feel a trail of cold sweat running down my back.
"What the hell was that thing?"
As I gawked at the horde of undead, I saw a giant zombie. One so fucking huge the Bigfoots looked like Chuckies. His shoulders had large protrusions that looked like coral reefs. Its entire skin was gray. Like a lord over his realm, the very imposing monster walked with gigantic steps.
Jasmine then explained in a shaky voice, "Boss confirmed. Undead Brute. D-rank undead. Strong points: durability and near-infinite stamina. Weaknesses include slow movement and oversized shoulders. Normally taken down by a team of Phantoms."
"We need a new plan; if we go now, we will only die in vain," Bella added.
At that point, all three of the girls began to tremble from fear. I couldn't blame them. The Brute was even taller than a fucking elephant. What we had were just steel blades and my gun. With a build like that, it could easily flatten a man, like how one swats a fly.
The notion of killing this thing seemed hopeless; that was not even counting the army of undead around it. But while I did tremble, it was not from fear but excitement. The world of Reapers made no sense. So why should I limit myself with the logic of humans?
'How would it feel to kill this fucking bastard?' I thought.
Even if I died today, taking down such a freak would make me satisfied. Nothing in my life compared to this. I licked my lips in anticipation. I took out my gun and performed checks on it. With single-minded focus, I began to plan how I would fight the Brute.
'Right, this was it. My first roadblock. If I could not kill this fucker, my journey would end right here.'
I had over 500 souls, so I could {Rewind} a number of times. My aim, vision, and hearing were superhuman. The only question was whether all that was enough.
Without a word, I began walking forward with my gun, only to be stopped by a hand on my shoulder.
"Honey! What are you doing?!" Bella challenged.
"What? I'm going," I replied, annoyed by her question.
This time, even Jo and Jas grabbed my forearms.
"Darling. The brute is too strong; we can't!"
"Only Phantoms have the power to kill such a monster."
To their concerns, I replied with a large grin, "Then let's put that to the test."