WOOOOOOOO!
The alarm echoed throughout Wolf Fortress.
Soldiers rushed toward their assigned positions as the northern watchtower reported the approaching monster army.
Destiny stood inside the command center, staring at the holographic map.
Red dots covered the northern road.
There were at least sixty monsters moving toward the base.
[DING!]
[HOSTILE CREATURES DETECTED.]
[ESTIMATED NUMBER: 68.]
[F-RANK: 42.]
[E-RANK: 25.]
[D-RANK: 1.]
[THREAT LEVEL: HIGH.]
Destiny frowned.
"System, identify the D-Rank monster."
[DING!]
[ANALYZING...]
[NAME: IRONBACK BEHEMOTH.]
[RANK: D-RANK.]
[LEVEL: 16.]
[STRENGTH: 290.]
[AGILITY: 100.]
[VITALITY: 420.]
[DEFENSE: 450.]
[SKILL: IRON SKIN.]
[WARNING! EXTREMELY HIGH DEFENSIVE CAPABILITY.]
Destiny looked at the monster's image.
It resembled an enormous rhinoceros, but its entire body was covered in thick metallic armor.
Its horns were long enough to pierce through armored vehicles.
"That thing is going to be a problem."
Daniel stood beside him.
"Can we defeat it?"
Destiny examined the defensive walls.
"Not if we let it reach the base."
He immediately began issuing orders.
"Joseph, Samuel, take the northern defensive wall. David, use your earth ability to reinforce the barricades. Brian and Ethan, prepare ranged attacks."
"Understood, Commander!"
"Michael, stay mobile and attack any monster that breaks through the line. Naomi, monitor the enemy's movements."
Destiny turned toward Isaac.
"Can you activate the surveillance system?"
Isaac nodded.
"Give me a few minutes, Commander."
Destiny then looked at Grace.
"Prepare the medical station. I don't want anyone dying because we lack medical supplies."
"Understood!"
The soldiers moved into position.
Moments later, the first monsters appeared beyond the northern road.
They charged toward the base with terrifying speed.
"OPEN FIRE!"
Bullets flew across the battlefield.
Several F-Rank monsters collapsed, but the stronger creatures continued advancing.
David raised both hands.
The ground trembled.
Massive stone pillars erupted from the earth, blocking the monsters' path.
"NOW!" Destiny shouted.
Brian unleashed a powerful gust of wind, pushing several creatures into the stone barricades.
Ethan followed with a concentrated bolt of electricity.
CRACK!
The monsters screamed as electricity spread across their bodies.
For a moment, the defensive line held.
Then the Ironback Behemoth appeared.
It lowered its enormous head and charged.
BOOOOOOM!
The monster smashed through David's stone barricade.
A second impact shattered part of the outer wall.
"IT'S BREAKING THROUGH!" Joseph shouted.
Destiny activated Tactical Analysis.
[DING!]
[TACTICAL ANALYSIS ACTIVATED.]
[IRONBACK BEHEMOTH.]
[WEAKNESS DETECTED: UNDERBELLY.]
[SECONDARY WEAKNESS: EYES.]
Destiny immediately understood.
The monster's armor was almost impenetrable from above, but its underside was less protected.
"Everyone, target its legs! We need to bring it down!"
Joseph and Samuel charged forward.
They attacked the monster's legs with their weapons, forcing it to stumble.
David raised a stone platform beneath its front feet.
The Behemoth lost its balance and crashed onto its side.
"DESTINY! NOW!" Daniel shouted.
Destiny activated Soldier's Will.
[DING!]
[ALL ATTRIBUTES INCREASED BY 100%.]
He sprinted toward the monster.
The Behemoth opened its mouth and released a deafening roar.
Destiny jumped onto a broken section of the wall and launched himself toward its exposed underside.
He drove his combat knife into the soft flesh beneath its armor.
The monster roared in pain.
However, its enormous body suddenly twisted.
Destiny was thrown into the air and crashed onto the ground.
[WARNING! HOST HAS SUSTAINED DAMAGE.]
The Behemoth struggled to stand.
Daniel rushed toward Destiny and helped him up.
"Are you alright?"
Destiny wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Yes. But we need to finish this quickly."
He looked toward Ethan.
"Can you concentrate your electricity into a single attack?"
Ethan nodded.
"I can try!"
Destiny turned toward Brian.
"Use your wind ability to keep the monster's head lowered!"
Brian raised both hands.
A powerful wind blast struck the Behemoth's head.
The creature lowered its neck.
"ETHAN! NOW!"
Ethan released a concentrated bolt of electricity.
The attack struck the Behemoth's exposed underside.
CRAAAAACK!
The monster screamed as electricity spread throughout its body.
Destiny immediately charged forward.
He jumped onto its fallen body and drove his knife into the exposed wound.
The Behemoth convulsed.
Then its enormous body went still.
[DING!]
[D-RANK MONSTER ELIMINATED.]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1,800 XP.]
[MILITARY POINTS AWARDED: 1,200.]
[MONSTER CORE ACQUIRED.]
[HOST LEVEL UP!]
[HOST LEVEL: 7.]
[FREE ATTRIBUTE POINTS: 5.]
Destiny stood and looked around.
The remaining monsters began retreating.
His soldiers cheered.
"WE DID IT!"
But Destiny's attention was drawn to the system notification that appeared next.
[DING!]
[MISSION COMPLETE: PROTECT WOLF FORTRESS.]
[REWARDS:
- 2,000 MILITARY POINTS.
- BASIC DEFENSE TURRET BLUEPRINT.
- 1 RANDOM SKILL.]
Destiny opened the reward interface.
[DING!]
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED.]
[SKILL: COMMANDER'S AURA.]
[DESCRIPTION: INCREASES THE COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS AND MORALE OF ALL SOLDIERS UNDER THE HOST'S COMMAND.]
[CURRENT SKILL LEVEL: 1.]
Destiny smiled.
This was exactly what his army needed.
However, as he looked toward the forest, he noticed something strange.
The monsters had retreated in an organized formation.
They hadn't simply fled.
It almost seemed as if they had received an order.
Naomi approached him.
"Commander, I detected something unusual before the monsters retreated."
Destiny turned toward her.
"What?"
"They were receiving signals from somewhere beyond the forest."
Destiny's eyes narrowed.
"Someone is controlling them."
He looked toward the northern horizon.
The monsters were not simply invading.
They were being commanded.
And somewhere in the darkness, another enemy was preparing its next move.