Victor spent more than an hour reading through the military files inside his temporary office. The deeper he read, the grimmer his expression became. What initially appeared to be a routine battlefield assignment slowly revealed itself to be a deeply unstable region filled with dangers far beyond ordinary monster outbreaks.

The Northern Battlefield was not a normal military zone.

The wilderness was divided into multiple sectors controlled by different military bases.

According to the files, there were seven major sectors surrounding the Northern Battlefield. Each sector possessed different levels of danger and monster density. Some were relatively stable and only contained lower ranked creatures, while others had already become death zones where even experienced awakeners hesitated to enter carelessly.

Among all those sectors, Sector 12 and Sector 13 were considered the most dangerous.

The reports described those places with alarming detail. Monster sightings there were unusually frequent, and several scouting teams had disappeared over the years without leaving behind any trace. Even military satellites struggled to monitor those territories properly because of strange energy interference spreading across the region.

Basecamp 3, where Victor was currently stationed, was located near Sector 9.

Compared to the others, Sector 9 was considered the least dangerous area in the Northern Battlefield. However, the word "least dangerous" was only relative. Even weaker sectors regularly experienced monster swarms, mutated beasts, and sudden environmental abnormalities capable of wiping out ordinary soldiers.

Furthermore, all seven sectors were connected closely enough that disasters from one zone could easily spread into another.

Victor slowly closed one of the files before opening another classified report.

This one immediately caught his attention.

Three years ago, an incident had occurred near Sector 10.

A military squad consisting of thirty awakeners had vanished during a routine exploration mission. According to the records, the team had been composed primarily of Adept and Elite ranked awakeners. Such a lineup was already powerful enough to suppress most medium scale threats in the wilderness.

Yet only two people had survived.

Victor narrowed his eyes while reading the testimony written inside the report.

The surviving captain claimed that the squad had discovered an underground tunnel hidden beneath collapsed ruins near Sector 10. Strange symbols had covered the walls of that tunnel, and several members believed the markings resembled relics from the Second Civilization.

Then the massacre happened.

According to the captain, something hiding inside the darkness dragged people away one after another. The soldiers could not even properly see what was attacking them. Panic spread through the entire squad, and by the time they escaped, almost everyone had already disappeared.

What disturbed Victor the most was the final statement.

The survivors insisted the creature had not been chasing them physically.

It had been moving through shadows.

Victor leaned back slightly before looking toward Luke, who stood nearby respectfully.

"Hey Luke, what is this about?" Victor asked calmly.

Luke immediately stepped forward and glanced at the report in Victor’s hand.

"Sir, this matter is still considered a true mystery," Luke explained seriously. "After the incident happened, the army dispatched several investigation teams to search the area again. However, the underground tunnel completely vanished. Nobody could locate it afterward."

Victor tapped the table lightly with his fingers.

"Is that so? What is the opinion of the higher authorities? What do they believe this thing was?" he asked.

Luke hesitated briefly before replying carefully.

"The official theory is that it might have been an ancient ruin from the Second Civilization. The surviving captain said he saw symbols matching old records from that era. Some researchers believe the tunnel only appears under certain conditions."

Victor nodded slowly.

The Second Civilization was one of humanity’s greatest mysteries. Ancient ruins from that era often contained terrifying dangers, but they also possessed unimaginable treasures, lost technologies, and forbidden knowledge.

Naturally, Victor felt interested.

However, interest alone did not mean recklessness.

He understood his current strength clearly. Investigating mysterious ruins hidden beneath a monster infested battlefield was not something he could attempt carelessly right now.

Just as Victor fell into thought, Luke’s communicator suddenly buzzed loudly.

Luke glanced at the screen and immediately frowned.

"Excuse me, sir. May I take this call? It appears to be urgent," he said.

Victor nodded once.

"Go ahead."

The moment Luke accepted the call, a panicked voice rang through the communicator.

"Vice Commander, there is large scale monster movement near Sector 9!"

Luke’s expression instantly sharpened.

"How many?" he asked calmly despite the urgency in his eyes.

"Thousands," the scout answered quickly. "Most of them appear to be lower level monsters, but their movement patterns are abnormal. They are fleeing from something."

Luke immediately asked another question.

"What is the highest detected rank among them? Are the scanners detecting pursuit signals?"

"No, sir. The scanners cannot identify anything behind them. If something is chasing the horde, it is currently outside our detection range. The monsters are around E to C rank."

Victor suddenly spoke from beside Luke.

"Where are they moving?"

The scout on the other side visibly stiffened after hearing Victor’s voice directly.

"Sir, their movement is chaotic. However, based on current trajectories, a large portion of the horde may reach Basecamp 3 within forty minutes."

Victor remained completely calm.

"Understood. Continue monitoring from a safe distance. Do not attempt active investigation. Your priority is survival and reporting."

"Yes, sir!"

The communication ended shortly afterward.

Luke lowered the communicator and immediately looked toward Victor.

"What are your orders, Commander?" he asked.

Victor stood up slowly from his chair.

"In this base, you are the strongest combatant besides me, correct?" he asked.

Luke nodded immediately.

"Yes, sir."

Victor calmly adjusted his gloves before walking toward the exit.

"Then you do not have to do anything. I will handle them myself. Just remember to collect the corpses later.

And if an A Rank monster is behind this, then ask the other bases to prepare. They might need to dispatch an Epic Rank awakener," he said before standing up.

Luke’s eyes widened instantly after hearing those words.

Victor wanted to suppress the entire beast tide alone.

Normally, even medium scale beast tides required multiple squads and coordinated military formations to contain properly. Yet Victor was speaking about facing thousands of monsters alone as though it was something completely ordinary.

However, Luke could not fully doubt him.

Victor already possessed records of accomplishing impossible feats before arriving at Basecamp 3.

"But Commander, you do not have to shoulder everything alone," Luke said hurriedly while following him. "There are many soldiers here in this camp. You should rely on us as well."

Victor smiled faintly.

"I already read the reports. During every beast tide, at least one soldier dies. Sometimes several die. As long as I possess the ability to handle the situation myself, I refuse to let anyone die under my watch."

Luke almost felt emotional hearing those words.

Most commanders viewed ordinary soldiers as expendable resources. Casualties were considered unavoidable realities of war. Yet Victor genuinely cared about protecting every person under his authority.

Respect filled Luke’s heart immediately.

What he did not know was that Victor also had another reason for wanting to handle the beast tide personally.

Points.

Every monster originating from dungeon breaks granted points after death. Furthermore, during dangerous situations such as large scale beast tides, the system rewards increased significantly. The more chaotic the disaster became, the greater the rewards were.

To Victor, the incoming monster horde looked like a massive pile of points approaching his doorstep.

"Commander, do not worry. I will contact the nearby bases immediately," Luke said seriously. "Once we discover the source, we will ask them to move if an A Rank beast is truly involved."

However, he suddenly stiffened halfway through his sentence.

His eyes widened slightly before he swallowed nervously.

"Wait... are you saying that if the monster is only B Rank, you can handle it yourself?" Luke asked carefully.

The thought only fully registered inside his mind now.

Victor nodded casually while walking toward the exit.

"Yes. I recently learned a Legendary Rank spell. If the creature is only an ordinary B Rank monster, I am fairly confident that I can kill it."

Luke felt his mind turn blank.

Victor spoke about Legendary Rank spells as though they were ordinary techniques sold on the street.

Such spells were treasures capable of shaking entire nations. Even many high ranking awakeners spent their entire lives without ever obtaining one.

Yet Victor treated the matter casually.

Luke genuinely felt the urge to kneel and worship him at that moment, but he forcefully controlled himself.

Suddenly, the communicator rang once more.

Luke immediately answered the call.

The scout’s terrified voice exploded through the device.

"Sir, three B Rank Titan Wolves are chasing the monster horde! Contact the other bases immediately! This may become a disaster class beast tide!"

Luke’s face instantly turned pale.

However, Victor merely smiled.

That smile looked strangely terrifying.

"Tell him to retreat to a safe location immediately," Victor said calmly. "And inform every nearby base to prepare for uncertain combat situations."

Luke swallowed hard before nodding quickly.

"Yes, Commander."

Without wasting another second, he turned around and rushed toward the soldiers’ tents while emergency alarms began echoing throughout Basecamp 3.