American Isekai - Chapter 103 (Patreon)

“Congratulations. Your Auras are sharper than ever. Now you just need to learn how to do that Vigor blade thing.”

“I’ve been working on that for years.”

Feiden mumbled, picking at the plate of food in front of him.

After sleeping for a full day, we all gathered in the cafeteria. Any injuries they had suffered from my guns were completely healed, making me far less sympathetic to their plight during our training.

If I could eat bullets like that, I wouldn’t mind getting shot every day.

Well, not that what I had in mind for them was much different.

Since I wanted to continue that training but couldn’t be so focused on it, I decided that I would just shoot them periodically throughout the day. I hadn’t started yet, but as soon as we were done eating, I would be.

Besides, I had to train too. I couldn’t sit around for hours like that every day.

I glanced between Feiden and Vetsmon.

“You two should keep dueling. Find each other’s weaknesses and exploit them. Get down and dirty if you have to. Just do what you need to do to get better. Maybe even Tana can join in.”

“You say that like I couldn’t hold my own against them.”

Tana quipped from the side, to which I tossed her a side eye.

“Can you?”

“Probably!”

“Well, your Aura is certainly better, but that only helps with survival, at least at the level you are now.”

“You know, I’ve been wondering about that myself. How come you’re so good? You make it seem so easy and have the skill of a professor. Where did all that come from?”

“Experience.”

I answered while taking a bite out of some bread.

“Umara knows this, and Vetsmon does too, so I now find it easy to tell you that my job is dangerous. I don’t work much anymore, but when I did, I was fighting for my life every damn day. In that kind of a situation, you either get better, or die. I suggest you treat this situation the same.”

“Your job as a delivery man, you mean? How is that dangerous?”

“Because I have powerful clients who have me move valuable cargo. And there are a lot of people who want that cargo but don’t want to pay for it. So since I was the only thing standing in their way, I was always the target of no small amount of hostility. And then after I killed enough people, I gradually made the target on my back even bigger, attracting attention from more unsavory individuals, and later dipping my infamous toes into some deep waters which is currently making some waves back in the capital. I don’t regret it, but it doesn’t make my life any easier.”

“...Which means...”

Tana narrowed her eyes, her brain chugging along to a conclusion she couldn’t seem to find.

I sighed.

“I work in the black market, you dingus.”

“...I knew that.”

“Uh-huh. Anyway, I’ve got plenty of experience and am more than qualified to tell you that you still have a lot to work on. All of you do. The enemies we have to worry about are no longer just animals. They’re smart, and if you aren’t capable of sensing the danger before it comes, then we’ll all be sorry. So please heed my warnings and focus on training. I’ll do what I can for myself, but I’m not the only person I have to worry about anymore. I’ve got a squad to watch over and I’m certainly not going to lose anybody just because I was negligent.”

“Come on, you don’t think we’re incapable of pushing ourselves, do you?”

Vetsmon smiled before his tone became serious.

“Besides, how can we leave watching over the squad to one person? We’re all responsible for each other and ourselves. At the very least, I’ll be damned if I’m complacent. No matter what enemies we’re facing, it’s our job to make sure we can at least survive. You’re not the only one who needs to step up. We also need to watch over you. If I can’t protect my summoner then I wouldn’t be much of a knight, now would I?”

“Hm.”

I shrugged with a smile, causing him to chuckle and tap his fist against my shoulder.

It kind of hurt.

“Don’t worry John. We’ve all been training since we were kids. And we’ve been training furiously since entering the Magisterium. Going on these trips during the fourth year was something we’ve been working toward since we entered. It’s what everybody works towards. Along with that, we’ve had the Puppet Master’s training as well as the tutelage of our parents and teachers. There’s a reason no Elite has ever died, and trust me when I say that you’re not the first the Royals have tried to kill.”

Feiden gave his spiel, to which I pondered for a second before refuting.

“Would I be the first summoner?”

“...Maybe. I’ve never heard of one quite like you before, and it’s extremely rare for one to be in the Elites anyway. I think that one other summoner who was on it with you just recently dropped to the bottom of the list…”

“The point is that we’re capable and you shouldn’t worry so much.”

Umara suddenly chimed in, striking down my refute.

“You need to worry more about yourself since you’re the one being targeted.”

“Believe me, I wish I could just relax since I’m doing pretty good right now. But it never feels like enough.”

I let out a long breath, feeling the suffocating stress my Aura never let me ignore.

But then I shook my head and zoned in.

“Nevermind. Just focus on training and we’ll be good. And speaking of, I have an advancement formation to work on.”

With those words, I brought out the second layer of my formation, going straight into studying it.

All that talk of training made me overeager to do so. I felt restless when I wasn’t making progress, so I decided I didn’t need any more food and needed more studying.

……

…

Four more days passed, filled with nothing but constant improvement. I practically had my face buried in that formation layer while the others were working on their own training.

Vetsmon and Feiden were in constant battle, duking it out on the sparing grounds any chance they had. It seemed they had taken me seriously and were more than driven enough to follow through with my suggestions.

And it proved to be a great burden off my back. I was still worried, but their effort meant that I wasn’t more so. It was the same with Umara, who was constantly improving her elemental affinity using my knowledge.

I also had some fun shooting the knights throughout the day. Especially during their spars, where I would simultaneously test my aim on Feiden to see if I could actually hit the jittery bastard.

Other than that, I felt that I was quickly growing my power.

With every new understanding, I was able to unveil another step in the process and push the ocean of my mind to move with stronger currents. This allowed me to accumulate a bit more Psyka as well as improve my ability to shoot through the depths of my 4th dimension.

And with each day, I could tell that I was getting closer to something.

It was one particular spirit, and it was powerful, that much I could tell. My Aura made it really easy to tell where it was, but it was so deep that I needed a lot of power to project deeper inside.

Still, it was good to know that there was something in there waiting for me, something that would undoubtedly help me. Perhaps it was another modified weapon, or a special one. I couldn’t be sure.

No matter what, I was doing everything in my power to both improve myself, comprehend the formation, and seek out that weapon which was rather close after several days of work.

At least my dreams were helping out massively. I felt like I was making leaps in comprehension nightly. My dreams were far more vivid than a mere few months ago and that only served to make it an even more powerful tool.

The feedback loop between my thoughts becoming faster, that causing my comprehension speed to increase, and then my thoughts becoming even faster as I comprehended more…

It was starting to compound, and for once, I felt like I would actually be able to blaze a trail and exceed Maxwell’s predictions.

It made me a bit more stressed since I was compelled to work even harder, but it also got me excited.

Nonetheless, after those four days had passed, the Puppet Master came to us with another mission.

He came to us a bit past midnight, calling us in for an impromptu briefing.

We all groggily made our way in, finding that there were some people already waiting for us.

A few officers and some higher ranking soldiers were standing around some tables, already geared up.

Once we arrived, the commanding officer, who I recognized from the last mission, got started.

“We just received intelligence on another encampment. It has a small but dangerous force including two Authority 7 Scouts and their escorts. There’s also a small force of other beasts and the possibility of Royals. That means for this, we’re sending out an equivalent but covert force. With the element of surprise, we’ll be able to cripple them before they’re even able to fight back. Our Chief Commander Warlock will be responsible for the initial bombardment while I, along with a small force of knights, will hit them in a pincer attack. If you look at the map, you’ll find the layout of the land and the entry points we’re looking to use…”

I zoned in once I realized that this was not just a briefing, but a full mission rundown.

We were moving with a significant force. In fact, in this operation, I was just the trigger.

My job was to sit on my vantage point and kill as many as I could before being exposed. As soon as the encampment was alerted, the warlock would begin the bombardment while everyone else moved in immediately after with ranged and melee support.

It was a four pronged attack utilizing two layers of surprise attacks. So even if there were Royals there, they would pose little to no threat. We should be able to eradicate the camp without issue.

But that was only if we could approach undetected. The only thing that gave me confidence was the fact that this was definitely not the first time they’ve run a mission like this.

I would even have some guards. They were treating me nice.

“Make sure we all keep an eye on the clock. As soon at we arrive at the first checkpoint, we’ll split and move into secondary positions. After 10 minutes, we all move from secondary positions into primary positions for the battle. 5 minutes later, John will begin, kill what he can, before the Chief Commander launches the bombardment. John, how many shots should we expect before moving in?”

I perked up when my name was mentioned, seeing a lot of powerful eyes landing on me.

I asked back.

“They’ll be alerted on the first shot by an explosive sound. So is it better to begin the bombardment sooner or later?”

“Sooner.”

“Then three shots. They’ll be alerted but they won’t yet have reacted.”

“Three shots, potentially three kills. Alright, everyone here knows that those three explosions will be the signal. You can’t miss it, believe me. John’s priority targets will be the Authority 7 scouts. He will be afforded a minute or so to acquire them and kill one. He’s done so before, so I have no doubt he’ll be able to do it again. Just be patient, and stay covert until it’s time. You all have an hour to prepare. Dismissed.”

Everyone rose with those words, including my squad.

On the way out, I met the Puppet Master, who pulled me to the side.

“I know there are some scouts there, but I don’t suggest trying anything. For one, you won’t be able to get anything unless you steal it. It’s military property. Second, you shouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the mission. Aim for the head, and kill them. Worry about preserving the lives of those you’re working with.”

“I know, Puppet Master. Don’t worry about me. I’m more concerned about preserving my own life in the first place. I wasn’t able to sleep much.”

“Yes, I apologize for the late wake up call. But sometimes these special missions demand that of the valuable soldiers.”

“That’s not why I didn’t get sleep, but thanks anyway.”

I smiled before walking off with my squad.

“Wish us luck.”

……

Before long, everyone was gathered within a few trucks. It didn’t take long to speed out of the base under the cover of darkness.

My leg bounced as I sat beside Umara. I couldn’t help but keep clenching my jaw in overactivity.

I wasn’t feeling good.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. This mission is either going to go well or not so well. Fuck, I need to work. How long until we get there?”

“2 hours. Why?”

“...”

I didn’t respond, thinking before suddenly closing my eyes.

“Tell me when we’re at the first checkpoint.”

With those words, I suddenly dove into my 4th dimension and started Projecting.

I poured my energy into my little drone of Psyka, pushing it deeper into the dimension with reckless abandon.

My Aura was overactive. I wasn’t sure if I felt horrible about this mission or if I was really just that paranoid. There was no indication yet that I was going to be in danger, but the feeling in the back of my head had grown to the point that I couldn’t think of anything else.

I needed to get somewhere, to get something. Right now, my instincts were telling me to dive into my dimension in search of that weapon, so that’s what I did.

There was a lot of nothing, but I had made a lot of progress and the weapon wasn’t that far. I just didn’t think a mission like this would happen now of all times, so I had been thinking I could put it off for later. I was still tired from the previous day’s training, and even now I didn’t have my full Psyka reserves.

But all this stress had me thinking that I no longer had a choice.

I pushed forward, using my Psyka efficiently. That meant using enough to make good progress and pushing my passive recovery to its limits.

I devoted the whole power of my mind and Spark to that drone, seeking out the best path and making the best use of my Psyka. Everything else was closed off. I could barely even feel the rough terrain underneath as it rattled the vehicle.

In a way, it was almost like I fell asleep. It certainly felt like it, like I was only dreaming of the Projection.

And because of that, time flew a lot faster than I’d like.

*Tap*

“Hm?”

I zoned back in when I felt some tapping on my shoulder.

“We’re here.”

“Shit…”

I cursed and looked into the dimension.

It felt really close, whatever weapon it was. I had used over half of my reserves in the process, but it was only a small bit away.

Unfortunately, it was time to work.

There were five other vehicles. One stayed behind with us while the others all split off to head to their secondary positions.

We did the same, moving toward the vantage point.

That took about 5 minutes, which I used to push the drone just a bit further.

After that though, we left the vehicle behind and headed to the vantage point on foot.

My guards consisted of two Authority 7 knights and three Authority 6 warlocks. The knights were both at the same level as Captain Ignov who I worked with on the Tavera Convoy. One was a Captain himself.

We were all silent as we stealthily made our way to our primary position. It was a subtle spot with a small outcropping that was elevated above the camp. The only issue was that it was also almost 400 meters away from the camp.

I didn’t even speak to the others before crawling over and setting my Springfield, looking down the scope to see a bunch of little beasts walking around the camp.

It was too late to change positions, so I could only make do.

“And it's in the dark. They’re thinking too highly of me.”

I mumbled while looking around, stressing my sight as best I could in order to identify the beasts.

There were plenty of escorts, some looking like tigers and huge bears. And there were lots of scouts, most of which had a bunch of eyes on their faces.

But there were supposed to be two Cyclops Scouts, which I needed to focus on. Those were the most dangerous enemies.

I felt antsy just laying there, but it also served to make me a bit more hyperaware, so I used it to sift through and find one.

It was late at night, so all the beasts were sleeping. The only Cyclops Scout I found was lying against the large belly of a bear escort. It had one huge eye on its face, and I only saw it because the moon was illuminating its face.

Seeing that, I let out a long breath.

“Umara.”

“Mm.”

When I called, Umara deployed her sound barrier, the surroundings going completely silent.

From there, I blocked out everything else. All I could see was the Scout through my scope, and all I could feel was the gun in my hands and the breezy surroundings.

I took my time, even looking around a bit more, but I couldn’t find the second Scout. At the very least, I only needed to kill one to successfully do my job.

So since there was nothing else to say or do, I lifted my Aerial, seeing the clock and watching as the last minute ticked past.

Time to begin. Everyone was in position and waiting on my mark. I had guards to watch my back and everyone else would take care of the camp. I just had to fire three times and I would be done.

But that begged the question.

Why did I keep feeling like something was going to happen?