The Red Ore Gambit
At the Reyn Imperial Strategic Headquarters:
"General, the strategy you're proposing relies too heavily on luck. Excessive risk-taking is a liability, especially with our current resource shortage," an officer argued, his voice tense.
General Ironwood didn't flinch. "I have no intention of changing my mind. We move forward. I will not allow the enemy to seize the Red Ore Artifact before we do. Is that understood?"
"Yes, General!"
"The plan is simple," the General continued, pointing at the map. "We will order the 38th through 42nd battalions to ignore the retreat signal and keep advancing. If they are as strong as reported, they will act as a meat grinder, pinning down the enemy forces and dealing devastating damage while our main force circles around. Dismissed."
Life in the "Resort"
Magnus: Hello, my name is Magnus. Guess where I am? You'll never guess. I'm at a 'resort.'
Why do I call it that? Well, every morning you're woken up by a lovely BOOM BOOM sound. No, it's not an explosion—it's just the camp's way of saying, 'Rise and shine, soldiers!' Plus, we get free food and clothes. Sure, the food tastes like wet cardboard, but hey, it's better than nothing.
Occasionally, dragons appear in the sky and put on a show for us. They even drop 'gifts.' Sometimes those gifts hit the ground and explode, but I like to believe they were just crates of clothes and food that hit the earth a bit too hard. Yeah, let's go with that.
...WHO AM I KIDDING?! I'm losing my mind! I came here to move my goals forward, and I thought I had the patience of a saint. I was wrong. I've become incredibly restless. I'm bored to tears!
"Rina, tell me something. Anything. I'm dying of boredom."
"I don't have many stories, Master," Rina replied. "Why don't you tell me about your childhood?"
"I would, but whenever I told my mother I was bored back then, she'd say, 'Maybe we should get you married off?' So now, whenever I'm bored, childhood is the last thing I want to remember. It wasn't exactly a fairy tale anyway."
The warfare in this world is... peculiar. They have long-range cannons but no rifles. You'd think a war of swords and shields would last a day or two, but it drags on for years. Why? Because of the Magic Crossbows.
These things are the snipers of this era. They fire bolts tipped with Explosive Ore. The blast radius is identical to a modern-day grenade from my original world. So, instead of epic charges, we spend most of our time 50 meters apart, huddling in trenches and trading explosive bolts.
But today, the boredom ends. The 1st Lieutenant came in with a special order: Advance during the next melee and do not retreat, even if the signal is given. Breakthrough at all costs.
I'm not complaining. Anything is better than sitting in a muddy trench.
The Midnight Assault
Night fell like a heavy shroud. Our small unit merged with the rest of the 38th Battalion. We are ready. We strike under the cover of darkness.
"You nervous, Magnus?" Legend asked, checking the edge of his blade. "I've got a bit of a rush going. I'm itching for a fight."
"Not nervous," I said, my voice cold. "But this will be a good change of pace."
I turned to my shadow. "Rina, stay close. Don't get lost in the chaos."
"I'll be fine, Master," Rina whispered, her eyes glowing faintly behind her visor. "Just make sure your massive life force doesn't scare the enemies to death before I can get to them."
"Heh. Let's go!"