The atmosphere was thick with anticipation as the entire hall buzzed with the energy of over one thousand recruits. Today was the final day for the third brigade, and the stakes were high. To advance, they would have to pass this year's test. The fifth general and all three colonels were present, their imposing figures casting long shadows over the recruits. Omen found himself sitting alongside his colleagues in their red brigade uniforms. Kol and Dahlia flanked him, while Virgo sat beside Kol, her presence a calming influence amidst the tension that filled the hall.
"This is going to be your last assessment," Lieutenant Kristen announced, her booming voice cutting through the murmurs of the crowd. The recruits fell silent, their eyes fixed on her. "If you pass this final test you will have the opportunity to advance in rank."
"The final test is quite easy," Kristen continued, her tone steady. "All you have to do is join a squad of no more than five. You will carry out one of the ten to fifteen missions prepared for you."
"If you can pass this simple test, you'll officially become an enlisted squad of sergeants under the second brigade. If you fail, you'll have to repeat the entire training program," Lieutenant Kristen stated firmly, her gaze sweeping across the hall filled with eager recruits. "A mission cannot be shared; every platoon has missions designated for the appropriate squad type, so choose wisely."
The hall erupted in applause, excitement buzzing in the air. Then, the General stood up, commanding attention with his presence. "In all my years, I've never encountered such a large number of talented recruits. Typically, I see five to ten special grade recruits, but today, I have fifty of you. I congratulate you all on your hard work!"
The recruits cheered, their spirits lifted by the General's words. "As my lieutenant said, once you pass a squad mission, you'll become a second brigadier. The missions vary in difficulty and time frames, they would only be easy if your squad is well prepared. You just have to choose the one most suitable for your squad. Remember, whatever squad you choose will be your main circle until your advancement into the first brigade. I wish you all the best of luck!"
After the speech, the atmosphere shifted to one of celebration. Food and drinks were served, and the recruits were allowed to check out the mission stands. It was an open event for all battalions, giving every squad a chance to choose their missions. Each day, once all missions were taken, they would be switched to new ones, keeping the excitement alive. To most of them who were born slaves, this was their first advancement of their status, but to those who came from the enemy ranks most of them were even considering changing sides, though there were people like Dahlia and Virgo who Omen knew would never let things die.
A few days later, Omen stood before the lieutenant with his squad members, the air thick with tension and anticipation.
"Are you sure about this?" the lieutenant began, his stern gaze piercing through the group. "You may be the highest-ranking squad in the entire battalion, hell, in the entire third brigade even. But regardless of your battle strength, you all are merely recruits and have only undergone less than three months of training."
"If it was that difficult, sir, the colonel wouldn't have put the mission there in the first place," Virgo interjected, her tone professional and unwavering. The lieutenant snickered, a hint of derision in his expression.
"It would have been fairly easy if you had access to your active ability, but without the general's permission, you'll have to take this mission without it. Are you ready for that soldier?"
"My squad is fully prepared, sir. Permit us, and we'll begin our hunt," Virgo replied confidently.
The lieutenant nodded stiffly, if the slaves were suicidal, it sure as hell wasn't his fault, if they failed the fifth general would be the one blamed, they passed and as his lieutenant, he'd get some contributions. Each member of the squad stepped forward, revealing where they had their slave imprints. The lieutenant produced a syringe filled with a green liquid and injected it into each of them. Immediately, the tattoos glowed dimly with a neon shade, a sign of the jade watcher's activation.
"We call it the jade watcher," the lieutenant explained, his voice steady. "With this, we'll always know where you are. Your enslavement imprints are held by General Arthur, so I wouldn't be able to know or restrict your whereabouts. Still, you have to be very careful out there."
"Understood, Lieutenant," Virgo said, her voice steady as she led her squad outside. The atmosphere was electric, the entire building buzzing with activity as other slaves departed for their various missions as well.
…..
The five of them were well-prepared, each equipped with different storage utility items to carry their gear and supplies. Omen, however, was the only one unencumbered, his dual blades sheathed securely behind him. They all wore sleek Mante black combat gear, each adorned with small red badges on their right chests, indicating their designation numbers. As special-grade battle slaves, they had the freedom to customize their mission gear, and Omen had taken full advantage of that, ensuring his attire reflected both functionality and his style.
Virgo turned to her squad, a confident smile spreading across her face. "Alright then, squad, let's go kill a rogue knight!"
The audacity of her words sent a thrill through the group. They shared a collective grin, the excitement of the mission igniting a fire within them.
The first mission was a daunting task: hunt down a rogue knight commander from the fourth general's army. This mission had originally been assigned to the second brigade of General Arthur's army, but due to their intensive training and the gruelling internal missions they faced, they were unable to take it on.
The mission required the use of powers, which made it particularly daunting for the third brigade, whose active abilities were sealed. However, the rewards were staggering. Completing this mission would not only elevate them to the pinnacle of the second brigade but also remove all active restrictions on their abilities. It was a tempting prize, one that many longed for but few dared to pursue.
The second mission was a submission to the first, one couldn't accept this without completing the first: retrieve a rare black dragon egg that the rogue commander had stolen from the kingdom's vault. The rewards for this mission were substantial—two hundred thousand contribution points for each of the squad and increased freedom to roam the kingdom. For battle slaves, this was a significant gain, but the thought of confronting a commander at his peak was daunting. Commanders possessed battle strength only inferior to colonels, and only lieutenants or powerful captains could be considered their equals.
The third mission, while the easiest of the three, came with its own set of challenges. It involved safely bringing back the dragon egg without a single crack. The fragile nature of the egg meant that any misstep could lead to disaster, and the stakes were high.
All three missions were interconnected, each one feeding into the next, but the difficulty level outweighed the potential rewards. The worst part was that these missions were not suitable for third brigadiers, who were still considered recruits. Yet, Virgo's squad was not just any random group of recruits; they were special-grade battle slaves. Even without their exogene usage, their passive skills rivaled those of medium-low grade battle slaves from the second brigade. Individually, they possessed strength capable of challenging a captain, and together, they could take on a lieutenant.
"Aren't you guys too complacent with this mission? I suppose I am the weakest of us four, but this is a knight commander we are tracking down." Kol said as they down the arena stairs and headed for the courtyard beyond.
Virgo turned to him with a slight smile "This mission would have been so much easier if we had activated skills, don't worry too much. Besides, you are the luckiest one; even if something terrible occurs to us, you will probably come out less scarred."
Kol looked at her in disbelief. "That does not make it any easier."
"You children worry too much." Dahlia giggled as she placed her hand on Omen's shoulders, "This would be easy."
Kol said nothing more; the three of them had known each other for much longer than he had. During the brief silence that followed, Omen finally spoke.
"The hardest part of this mission should be facing the knight itself, I and Dahlia can do that alone, but before that...", Omen turned to her and peacefully took her hands off his shoulders "It's much better you wash, your mouth after your meals, your breath is awful" Dahlia looked at him in disbelief "You bastard, just wait till I--"
Fortunately, nothing dramatic occurred as they began strolling across the palace grounds. Some staff members peered at them, but after seeing their uniforms and recalling that today was the evaluation exam, they let them go.
Dahlia continued to grumble as she sniffed her mouth, which was rather amusing. She was one of the most attractive and ferocious fighters in the brigade, and she was a young adult just like them.
"I have been meaning to ask, Dahlia, how old are you?" Kol enquired, perplexed as to why the werebeast always referred to them as children even though she was physically as young as them and the rowdiest.
"Do not you realise you should never ask a woman her--"
"Twenty!" she responded, interrupting Virgo.
"Really? "You look a hundred to me," Omen joked, but Dahlia did not argue, instead shocking everyone with her response as she said,
"Well, by human standards, I am 100."
The boys froze in shock as they stared at her with wide eyes, unfortunately their squad leader's mind was elsewhere so she interrupted them and changed the subject soon enough.
"It will be impossible to find one man, regardless of his popularity. we need information first but before that, our garments are too conspicuous" She turned and looked at each of them. "You all have this kingdom's currency, so grab yourself something adaptable and natural, see what you can find, and we will meet here at nightfall."
"That wouldn't work; I do not know much about humans, except that you are all hungry and lustful," Dahlia remarked quickly, her eyes darkening. Omen knew she was not furious with them, and so did Virgo, who instantly responded,
"Do not panic, we are just breaking off in twos. It is much safer that way," Virgo stated, before turning to Omen and commanding tersely. "Make sure Kol does not do anything stupid."
"Not a problem," Omen answered, ignoring Kol's expression of incredulity. "Let us go, Lucky Boy; we have a long day ahead of us."