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• Station One Main Conference Room – 15:30

At that moment, Howard Cloud was not the only one who sensed the presence. Several people reacted simultaneously, jolting upright in their chairs and pushing away from the large table in the stuffy conference room.

Almost at the same time, an alarm bell rang violently in the station building. The sound echoed from the watchtower, ringing out in five sharp bursts.

“Five times… Marcel! Get one more person to the watchtower! Gary! Get those downstairs to gear up. Use first grade battle equipment! Those who’re ready, go out and patrol the perimeter! Don’t move alone! I want you to move in groups of three at all times!”

Howard continued issuing orders while preparing to leave.

“Boss! This presence! Five rings are nowhere near enough!” Ryder, who had also sensed the presence, approached Howard and warned him in a hushed voice.

“I know. Ryder, you’d better get ready as well. Marcel! Tell the watchtower to look around the whole village, not just in the woods! Gary! How many members are in the station now?”

As Howard gave instructions, he began putting on his equipment, which he’d left for safekeeping at the station, with the help of those around him. He strapped boot-like shin guards over his slacks and fastened a breastplate that covered the left half of his chest over his shirt. His left arm was secured to the breastplate as he slid it through an integrated arm plate that extended up to the shoulder pad. On his right arm, he wore an arm plate that reached up to his elbow and a cuirass.

All of the armor pieces were lightweight yet solid, crafted from multiple layers of leather sourced from Demonic Beast. Between these layers, a laminated magic alloy plate enhanced both durability and magical efficiency. Intricate magical marks, resembling majestic ornaments, covered the surface of the armor. By channeling Mana into these markings, the wearer’s basic abilities were enhanced, and the armor’s defensive strength was significantly increased. Had Howard worn this equipment earlier in the summer, he would have defeated the boa instantly and without any issue. This powerful magical armor served as the standard equipment for the Amukham Village Guard.

Howard also had a large Zweihänder, which he carried strapped across his back, while his beloved longsword hung from his waist.

As Howard, Ryder, and the other high-ranking members finished equipping themselves, the alarm bells rang out once more. This time, the bells tolled several times—four times in succession, followed by two separate strikes.

“Report! Confirmed hostiles! A pack of 30 Shadow Dogs!” A voice echoed through the room, transmitted via a magic tool designed for voice communication.

“Four-two bells? Thirty? Gary! Prepare all available fence protections! Ryder! Take the lead! Marcel! Make way! I’ll look at it myself!”

After issuing a rapid series of instructions, Howard sprinted out of the room and scaled the watchtower ladder in a single bound. The watchtower, a three-meter-square structure, housed three young men who were startled by Howard’s sudden arrival. Their eyes widened in surprise.

“Move! I’ll confirm things myself!”

Without hesitation, he pushed past them and placed his right hand on the stone slab affixed to the tower. This was a stone tablet embedded with Search Magic—
a magical tool that allowed the operator to receive information from the survey magical tools scattered throughout the forest. Through this device and with the help of normal observation, the watchtower served to constantly give updates about the state of the forest. Howard concentrated fully, absorbing the incoming data from the slab.

Suddenly he noticed something, his eyes becoming wide.

“You’re not looking good enough! 30, as if! There are no less than 100! They’re coming from the sky as well!”

The person who’d been operating the tablet suddenly went pale, his hands trembling. The other two men beside him turned just as white, their expressions filled with fear. It was likely that the overwhelming number of enemies had exceeded the young group’s ability to process the search magic effectively. Their inexperience was showing. Howard, recognizing this, chose not to reprimand them. Instead, he placed a firm but reassuring hand on the trembling young man’s shoulder.

“Focus for now. Don’t panic, okay? You need to stay sharp and figure out what’s happening in the forest. After which, report everything to Marcel. Marcel wouldn’t have entrusted you with this if he didn’t believe you could handle it. Can you do it?”

His voice was steady and calm, his gaze locked onto the young man’s as if telling him an important story.

After a brief hesitation, the young man nodded vigorously.

“I’ll prove I can!”

Howard nodded in approval, and the other two followed suit.

“They’re coming from the sky! They’re headed here too! You two—protect him while keeping an eye on everything!”

Both men responded in unison, “Yes!”

“Marcel! They’re coming from above! Get three more people here! I want archers here now! And don’t forget the spears! Deploy the rest of the bows to the east and west! Take out every javelin you can get your hands on! Raise the smoke signal—three red! Type 3 Special Alert! Ring the bells!!!”

Howard shouted out a rapid series of commands, then placed a hand on the tower’s handrail and vaulted out of the building. The three men left behind to monitor the scene gasped in shock. Howard leaped off the five-meter-high tower, landing on the rooftop of the station below.

Using his entire body’s strength to absorb the impact, he harnessed the momentum to sprint across the roof, then launched himself further, landing on the first-floor eave. Without pausing, he descended directly to the ground. The three watchers, who had witnessed the feat, stood frozen in wide-eyed astonishment.

“Gary! Bring the javelins!”

Howard planted himself with his back against the station, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the forest. The space between the station and the forest spanned approximately twenty meters, with a five-meter-wide path cutting through the center, leading directly into the dense woodland.

At the edge of the forest, on both sides of the road, a long stretch of defensive fences made from thick logs had been hammered into the ground, forming a barrier against the encroaching trees. Behind the station, a similar but much older defensive fence ran parallel to the forest.

The space between these fences represented the land the villagers had painstakingly reclaimed by clearing the forest over the past half-century.

The Amukham Forest stood at the edge of a vast magical landmass, where the ever-expanding Great Iroshio Forest relentlessly advanced. Without constant cutting down and the systematic extermination of Demonic Beast, the villages bordering the forest would inevitably be consumed by its relentless growth.

If no one held back the forest, this place could easily be swallowed by it. Left unchecked, the forest would eventually consume not just this village, but the entire country—and, in time, the entire continent.

Fifty years ago, the Amukham Forest had stretched all the way to the protective fence that now stood behind them. Now, the Demonic Beasts emerging from the forest were trying to reclaim the land that had been hard-won over the past five decades. But those defending the village had no intention of surrendering it.

Howard stood with his arms crossed, his expression hard as he stared deep into the forest. Around him, javelins were driven into the ground in preparation for battle.

A man in the prime of his life, clad in full leather armor, his black beard thick and well-kept, approached Howard.

“Boss, our forces consist of 21 low-ranking members, 10 medium-ranking members, and 7 high-ranking members, including myself and you, that’s a total of 38. More than half of our forces are low rank.”

Gary Meyers, Team Leader of the Tenth Group, delivered his report with a serious expression.

“Hm! Well, that means that almost half are in the middle to high-ranking groups!” Howard puffed absentmindedly, processing the information. At that moment, a voice crackled through the magical voice transmission device.

“Report! Shadow Dogs numbering 120! Brutal Bats numbering 70! 60 Shadow Dogs are approaching from the road upfront! Another 30 each are approaching from the east and west! 30 Brutal Bats are approaching from the front! 20 each on both east and west!”

“Alright! Well done gathering all that!”

Howard, despite the severity of the report, acknowledged the young scout’s keen observation with praise. From the top of the tower, a delighted voice echoed back.

“Thank you very much!”

At that moment, Ryder approached as well. “Boss, these numbers…”

“What do you think, Ryder, Gary? Could this be some kind of Demonic Beast stampede, or just them running amok?”
“No way! These movements are way too controlled!”
Gary dismissed the idea immediately, shaking his head. “Unthinkable.”

“If multiple species of Demonic Beast were running wild, that would make sense. But this group is operating under a command,” Ryder added, his expression grim as he studied the forest.

Howard nodded.

“I think so too. There’s intent behind this. The timing of the attack is too convenient—most of the village’s strongest fighters are gone. Henry is gone as well. The priests’ large protective wards, the ones they prepare at the altar, can’t be deployed. Is this all a coincidence? Yeah right! What do you think their goal is?”
“The eradication of the village… probably.”

Gary’s eyes darkened as he voiced the grim possibility.

“That is probably their ultimate goal. But wiping out an entire village with this force alone? That’s a stretch. No… the ones approaching us now are likely here to pin us down. Which means… The main force is still coming!”

At Howard’s words, Gary and Ryder’s expressions grew even harsher.

“I doubt that these dogs are all they have. But right now, our priority is to eliminate the incoming enemy as fast as possible and figure out where the real threat is coming from. That said… There’s no way we can hold them off across such a wide area.”

Howard exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders.

“That is why we’ll ignore the ones who manage to pass through. We’ll leave them to the villagers. Our job is not to chase after those who’ve passed through, but to try and take down as many as possible from the ones that are coming toward us!”
“Is that what the special alert is for?”
“That’s right! If anyone dares underestimate Amukham’s villagers, then we’ll let them know that we’re not to be messed with!”

Howard spoke with a wide smile. Gary and Ryder both followed, with smiles appearing on their faces.

“It may be a bit much for the low-ranking boys, but for the middle and upper-ranking ones, killing one each should be easy. So, if each of us takes 20, it should work. No biggie right?” Howard turned to them and asked with a smirk.
“You’re as strict as ever, Boss.”

Gary chuckled, scratching his head.

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