The ground shook beneath the ruined warehouse.
The Abyssal Burrower roared as it struggled against Kane's blood chains. Its dark armor scraped against the concrete, producing a terrible grinding sound.
Destiny stood several meters away, breathing heavily.
[WARNING: D-RANK MONSTER]
[LEVEL: 22]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
The creature's armor began regenerating.
Cracks that had formed during its emergence slowly closed, and the damaged plates returned to their original condition.
"Commander, the chains won't hold it for long!" Kane shouted.
Destiny opened his system interface.
"Tactical Analysis!"
[TACTICAL ANALYSIS ACTIVATED]
[TARGET: ABYSSAL BURROWER]
[RANK: D]
[LEVEL: 22]
[ABILITIES:
- UNDERGROUND AMBUSH
- EARTHQUAKE STRIKE
- ARMOR REGENERATION]
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[WEAKNESSES IDENTIFIED:
- ENERGY CORE LOCATED IN THE ABDOMEN
- REGENERATION ORGAN LOCATED BEHIND THE HEAD]
[TACTICAL SUGGESTION:
DESTROY THE REGENERATION ORGAN FIRST. TARGET THE ABDOMINAL CORE AFTER REGENERATION HAS BEEN DISABLED.]
Destiny's eyes narrowed.
"Daniel! Keep its attention on the left side!"
Daniel immediately raised his rifle.
"Assault Squad, open fire!"
The soldiers fired at the creature's head and front armor.
The Abyssal Burrower turned toward them, releasing a deafening roar.
It pulled against Kane's chains.
The blood restraints stretched.
Kane gritted his teeth.
"Move quickly, commander!"
Destiny looked toward Brian and Ethan.
"Brian, target the creature's head. Ethan, use your electricity to weaken its armor!"
Brian fired several controlled bursts.
Ethan raised both hands. Electricity gathered around his fingers before shooting toward the monster.
The electrical strike struck the creature's neck.
Its body jerked.
Destiny activated Combat Prediction.
The world seemed to slow as the system analyzed the monster's movements.
The creature was preparing another Earthquake Strike.
"Everyone, get away from the ground beneath it!"
The Abyssal Burrower slammed its claws into the earth.
A powerful shockwave spread through the warehouse.
Concrete broke apart, and several soldiers were thrown off their feet.
Destiny jumped onto a damaged platform.
The creature's armor regenerated again.
[WARNING: REGENERATION ACTIVE]
"We need to destroy that organ!" Destiny shouted.
Kane pulled harder on the blood chains, forcing the monster's head sideways.
"Now!"
Destiny activated Power Burst and rushed forward.
He leaped onto a broken concrete pillar, then launched himself toward the creature's neck.
The Abyssal Burrower twisted violently.
One of its claws swept toward Destiny.
He narrowly avoided the attack, but the movement threw him off balance.
He landed hard on the monster's armored back.
The creature began rolling.
Destiny grabbed a gap between its plates.
[WARNING: HOSTILE MOVEMENT DETECTED]
He crawled forward as the monster twisted beneath him.
The regeneration organ was visible behind its head, protected by several overlapping armor plates.
Destiny drew his combat knife.
"Come on!"
He struck the first plate.
The blade bounced away.
The monster roared and began shaking its body more violently.
Destiny nearly lost his grip.
"Ethan! I need another electric strike!"
Ethan heard the command.
He gathered the remaining energy in his hands and released a powerful bolt.
The electricity struck the creature's neck.
Its armor flickered with blue light.
For a brief moment, the plates separated.
Destiny drove his knife into the exposed regeneration organ.
A strange purple fluid sprayed across the armor.
The creature released a piercing scream.
[REGENERATION ORGAN DAMAGED]
[REGENERATION EFFICIENCY: 35%]
Destiny pulled the knife free and struck again.
The organ cracked.
[REGENERATION ORGAN DESTROYED]
The Abyssal Burrower convulsed.
Its armor stopped repairing itself.
Kane's blood chains began tightening around its body.
"Commander! Finish it!"
Destiny jumped from the creature's back and landed on the ground.
His body ached, and his breathing had become heavy.
But the monster was finally vulnerable.
He opened his system interface.
[SKILL AVAILABLE: SOLDIER'S WILL]
Destiny activated it.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: SOLDIER'S WILL]
[ALL ATTRIBUTES INCREASED BY 100%]
[DURATION: 30 SECONDS]
A surge of strength filled his body.
The Abyssal Burrower attempted to dig into the ground.
"Not this time!"
Kane tightened his blood chains, holding the creature in place.
Daniel and Brian concentrated their attacks on the monster's abdomen.
The armor cracked, revealing a faint glow beneath it.
Destiny rushed forward.
The Abyssal Burrower opened its mouth and released a powerful roar.
Its claws struck the ground, but its damaged body could no longer generate the same destructive shockwave.
Destiny jumped onto a broken section of its armor.
He raised his combat knife and drove it into the exposed abdomen.
The blade penetrated the outer shell.
A glowing core became visible.
[ENERGY CORE DETECTED]
Destiny gripped his weapon with both hands.
"THIS IS THE END!"
He drove the knife deeper.
The core cracked.
A burst of energy spread across the creature's body.
The Abyssal Burrower released one final roar before collapsing.
The ground shook as its enormous body struck the warehouse floor.
Then silence returned.
[ D-RANK ABYSSAL BURROWER ELIMINATED ]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 4,000]
[MILITARY POINTS RECEIVED: 3,000]
[MONSTER CORE ACQUIRED]
[RARE MATERIALS ACQUIRED]
[LEVEL UP!]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 8]
[FREE ATTRIBUTE POINTS: 5]
Destiny dropped to one knee.
He had survived another battle against a powerful monster.
Daniel rushed toward him.
"Commander! Are you alright?"
Destiny nodded slowly.
"Just exhausted."
Kane released the remaining blood chains and walked toward the fallen creature.
"That was the strongest monster I've fought so far."
Destiny looked at the massive body.
"And it won't be the last."
***
The soldiers spent the next hour securing the warehouse.
They recovered the remaining construction materials and collected several useful parts from the Abyssal Burrower's armor.
Naomi reported that no additional monsters were approaching.
Destiny opened his system interface.
[OPERATION COMPLETED]
[REWARDS:
- 4,000 MILITARY POINTS
- ENERGY SHIELD GENERATOR BLUEPRINT
- RARE MONSTER MATERIALS]
[MAIN MISSION PROGRESS UPDATED]
[WOLF FORTRESS UPGRADE REQUIREMENTS MET]
[BEGIN UPGRADE TO LEVEL 2?]
Destiny confirmed immediately.
[BASE UPGRADE INITIATED]
[ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME: 8 HOURS]
[UPGRADE BENEFITS:
- SOLDIER CAPACITY INCREASED TO 200
- ENHANCED DEFENSIVE WALLS
- ADVANCED TRAINING FACILITIES
- ENERGY SHIELD SYSTEM]
Destiny smiled.
Wolf Fortress was finally becoming the military installation he had envisioned.
He distributed the five free attribute points, placing two into Strength, two into Agility, and one into Vitality.
[HOST STATUS]
[NAME: DESTINY]
[RANK: FIRST LIEUTENANT]
[LEVEL: 8]
[STRENGTH: 17]
[AGILITY: 21]
[VITALITY: 14]
[INTELLIGENCE: 12]
[MILITARY POINTS: 18,000]
[SOLDIERS: 16/100]
[BASE: WOLF FORTRESS - LEVEL 2 UPGRADE IN PROGRESS]
Destiny closed the interface.
"Load the supplies. We're returning to base."
***
The convoy reached Wolf Fortress shortly before sunset.
The soldiers were welcomed by cheers from the survivors. Word of their victory had already spread throughout the base.
Isaac hurried toward Destiny as soon as he stepped out of the vehicle.
"Commander! The system has registered the new materials. The fortress upgrade is progressing faster than expected."
"Good. What about the shield generator?"
"We've examined the blueprint. It will require additional energy research, but the basic design is possible."
"Then begin the research. I want the shield ready as soon as the upgrade is complete."
Isaac nodded and hurried away.
Destiny entered the command center.
A global ranking interface appeared before his eyes.
[GLOBAL MILITARY COMMANDER RANKING]
[PREVIOUS RANK: 4,216]
[CURRENT RANK: 1,392]
Destiny stared at the number.
His military was still small compared to the forces of the world's most powerful awakened commanders, but his progress was attracting attention.
He wondered how many other people had awakened systems like his.
Before he could investigate, the interface flickered.
The room suddenly grew cold.
A new notification appeared.
[WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED]
[ENTITY CLASSIFICATION: UNAVAILABLE]
Destiny stood up.
"System, identify the entity."
[SCANNING...]
[ERROR]
[ENTITY LEVEL EXCEEDS CURRENT ANALYSIS CAPACITY]
A dark image appeared across the interface.
It showed a throne made of black stone. A massive figure sat upon it, surrounded by an endless sea of darkness.
Two red eyes opened.
A deep voice echoed inside Destiny's mind.
"So... the human with the Military System has finally grown stronger."
Destiny froze.
"Who are you?"
The figure leaned forward.
"I am the Monster King."
The words sent a wave of pressure through the command center.
Destiny clenched his fists.
"What do you want?"
The Monster King laughed.
"Your world was selected for conquest. The monsters you have been fighting are merely the beginning."
Destiny's expression hardened.
"Then I'll destroy every monster you send."
The Monster King remained silent for a moment.
Then his red eyes narrowed.
"Your confidence is amusing, human. Do you truly believe that a few soldiers and a small fortress can stand against my army?"
Destiny refused to look away.
"I'll build an army strong enough to defeat you."
The Monster King rose from his throne.
"Your Military System belongs to me. It was never meant to be used by a human."
Destiny's heart began beating faster.
"What are you talking about?"
But the figure only smiled.
"Enjoy your little victories while you can, commander. When the second phase begins, your fortress will be the first to fall."
The image disappeared.
The command center returned to normal.
Destiny stood completely still.
A system notification appeared.
[EMERGENCY ALERT]
[MONSTER KING HAS INITIATED THE SECOND PHASE OF THE INVASION]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
[NEW MAIN MISSION: PREPARE FOR THE MONSTER KING]
[OBJECTIVES:
- Reach Level 15.
- Recruit 50 soldiers.
- Upgrade Wolf Fortress to Level 3.
- Unlock Advanced Military Technology.]
[REWARDS:
- 20,000 MILITARY POINTS
- ADVANCED MILITARY COMMAND FUNCTION
- UNKNOWN REWARD]
Destiny read the mission twice.
Level 15.
Fifty soldiers.
A Level 3 fortress.
And advanced military technology.
The requirements were enormous, but he had no intention of surrendering.
He turned toward the window.
Beyond Wolf Fortress, the ruined city stretched into the darkness.
Far away, a low rumble rolled beneath the earth.
***
Deep beneath the surface of the planet, something ancient began to awaken.
A vast chamber lay buried beneath layers of rock. Strange symbols covered its walls, glowing faintly with a pale blue light.
At the center of the chamber stood an enormous stone structure.
It resembled a sealed doorway.
Cracks slowly spread across its surface.
A wave of dark energy escaped through the openings.
Far above, monsters across the ruined cities suddenly stopped moving.
One by one, they turned toward the same direction.
A voice echoed from beneath the earth.
"THE SEAL IS BREAKING."
The stone doorway trembled.
Another crack appeared.
Then a massive claw pushed against the other side.
***
Inside Wolf Fortress, Destiny watched the system's warning flash repeatedly.
[GLOBAL THREAT DETECTED]
[ANCIENT SEAL INTEGRITY: 71%]
[WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY APPROACHING]
Destiny's hands tightened into fists.
The Monster King had promised that the second phase would begin soon.
Now the earth itself was responding.
He looked toward the soldiers gathering in the courtyard.
Daniel was training the assault squad. Joseph was supervising the defensive positions. Naomi's scouts were preparing for another reconnaissance mission.
They were still weak compared to the enemies waiting beyond the horizon.
But they were his soldiers.
And he would not allow them to fall without a fight.
Destiny opened the Military System.
[MAIN MISSION: PREPARE FOR THE MONSTER KING]
[MISSION STATUS: ACTIVE]
He stared at the words for several seconds.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Let the second phase begin."
His eyes hardened.
"This time, humanity will fight back."