Chapter 65 Departure (3)

Being pressured by Mana pressure feels like being choked with a tight rope underwater. The only difference is, the water posses the same density as mercury—it is highly torturing.

Each time I breathe, it feels like taking in bricks, not air; my lungs are so stretched out, it is hard to circulate the Oxygen. My blood is also rushing madly through my veins, gradually turning my vision black.

"Grrr... This pressure..."

I grit my teeth as I openly turn my head to Velucan. I don't feel the need to be careful about attracting his attention anymore, because it is what I exactly want to do.

I didn't hear any mention about me, the new recruit, would be joining the other soldiers in the screening process. Looking at how unbothered Velucan's face is, it means that this doesn't happen accidentally, which irritates me.

I get that I will be joining the mission and it will be unfair to the others if I don't do the same, but they wouldn't be assigned this mission if it wasn't for me! Why should I be tested for something that I am obligated to do?

A thought about Velucan is in the process of killing me flits in my head, but it is so brief, I immediately forget it. In the end, I settle to face what I am currently facing to my best.

Drawing Mana from my Mana Pool, I coat my body with it. As the pressure is heavily bothering me, I can only coat my body with a thin layer of Mana that barely does anything to lessen the pressure I am enduring.

That, however, doesn't bother me, because I still have Rexorem that (I believe) can help me in this situation. Extending my right hand to the side, I channel my Mana into the Bond Seal that Rexorem and I have established.

Rexorem appears in a flash, and I immediately stab it in the ground to use it as a support for my body so I don't fall. Channeling my Mana into the red Magic Stone on Rexorem, a thin film of red light encapsulates my whole body in the next moment.

The pressure is instantly greatly lessened, but I can't do much thing other than straightening my posture. I can now, however, observe each of the faces of the people who are going through the screening process.

Using my brain's quick counting ability, I spot 63 people kneeling on the ground with 28 of them still hold their head high and 35 of them struggling to move their gaze from the ground to Velucan.

I, too, previously was like them. I had my knees above the ground however; I am better than them. Still, unlike them, if I didn't have Rexorem with me, I would have been face planted by now. So, in the end, they are still better than me.

Moving my gaze to the others, I find all of them standing straight. Some of them are having an expression of someone that has a severe constipation, meanwhile the others have a calm face but still full of sweat.

I can only find 10 people that are really unfazed at the pressure, and all of them are having a genuinely irritating face that is saying, "What the fuck am I even doing here?"

Out of the 10 people, 7 of them are Demons. Their obnoxious expression aside, the way they stand alone already screams trouble.

I am sure they are the Demons that are sent here to be punished. I don't know whether they are sent here because they have killed their fellow Demons or they hate Monsters in particular, but they are absolutely a trouble.

I don't need to get to know them to conclude that I won't get along well with them.

After another minute of enduring Velucan's Mana pressure, he finally alleviates the pressure he is putting on us. I also immediately retracts my Mana from Rexorem and stop coating my body with Mana.

"Huuh... That was crazy," I mutter to myself. "I have used 20% of my reservoir just to endure the pressure. I am not even sure if that all Velucan has."

I put Rexorem back in the Bond Seal, crack my neck once, then turn to Velucan. I blink my eyes at the same time Velucan blinks his when our eyes meet.

"Oh... Did you get caught up in the process?"

"..."

"I hope you are okay though. Hahahaha!"

'Don't laugh!'

I... Honestly don't know what to say. I have thought that was the part of the integration process—it looked like so from the way Velucan looked during the process—but it turns out to be nothing but a mistake that should've been easily avoidable.

Now, I think I understand why Ilschevar shook his head when I chose Velucan over Jovenus. This Garou is so stupid, I am afraid, he will order me to do something that is out of my league because he forgot that I am just a beginner.

"Alright, everyone!" Velucan beams at the soldiers. "Only those who could keep standing still with their head held high for the entire time are allowed to join the Conquest Mission!"

The air is filled with a disappointed sigh once again as tens of soldiers separate themselves from the qualified soldiers to return to the rank.

Only 298 soldiers are qualified to join the Conquest Mission.

"The rest of you can go inside the Barrack! Those who are with me are going to ask about the detail of our mission to our Demon King. March!"

Velucan immediately turns his back on the crowd, then walks gallantly toward Ilschevar who is standing side by side with Valeria. He looks awesome, but I really want to punch him in the face.

While the other soldiers, who are going to go to the upcoming Conquest Mission with us, are marching orderly, I don't know what to do. He didn't give me any instruction about whether I should walk beside him or join a specific row in the rank of the 298 soldiers.

"Psst... Here—you can walk beside me."

Luckily, there is a sweet Monster girl with blue skin who reaches out to me. She has a genuine smile on her face that radiates compassion and care—she is like no other soldiers who just march without minding me.

I, however, am allergic to sweet girls. My experience with a sweet girl was shit, so I am very careful toward this Monster girl; I inspect her thoroughly before walking beside her.

She giggles happily the moment I walk beside her, as if—

"You know, it's my first time to have someone willingly walk beside me."

—she is a loner.

... Well, it sometimes surprises me how my mind can always think of something that might happen, but always happens.

Still, no matter how genuinely sweet she seems to be or how pitiful her loner ass is, I don't have any intention to lower my guard against her. She, after all, one of the Monsters that have killed more than 15,000 humans in the recent war—she must be dangerous.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Vibiane. Nice to meet you, Layland!" Vibiane extends her hand at me, still walking.

I stare at her hand for awhile before shaking my head faintly. "We are in the presence of the King, we shan't act disrespectful. Let us know each other better some other time."

p "Oh...!" Vibiane widens her eyes in shock. "D-does that mean you are going to be my friend?!"

"... Whatever you like to call me."

"Yes! Let's know each other better."

Vibiane beams at me, meanwhile the soldiers in front of us glance at me then shake their head in pity. I also shake my head bitterly at what kind of trouble I have associated myself with, but I am still lucky she is no more than overly bubbly.

Once we are right in front of Ilschevar, Velucan orders us to stop. He kneels on the ground afterwards, prompting us to follow suit.

"We are ready to take on the mission, my Liege!"

"As usual... You bring less soldiers than necessary with you, Velucan."

"Power is everything, my Liege! These individuals behind me possess the highest potential among the others, and it will be better to force the rest of their potential out in the upcoming Conquest Mission."

"By forcing their potential out, do you mean forcing them to accomplish a close to impossible mission?"

"To be exact, to force them to overcome their limit, but that is correct, my Liege! After all, a person who can kill a thousand is better than a thousand who can only kill one person!"

It is fortunate that the only absurdly tall individuals in the rank are the three Minotaurs, so even though we are kneeling, I can still notice Ilschevar's weary look. He tries his best to smile at me, but I know, all he can say is good luck.

I am honestly a little bit desperate too after hearing Velucan's stupid way to force our potential out, but since I have chosen this path myself, I can't complain. All I can do is survive, and strive for the best.

"Very well. I hope as a wise general, you know not to waste your valuable soldiers."

"You can count on me, my Liege!"

Ilschevar nods his head lightly. "The area you and your soldiers have to conquer is Brontes Dukedom."

"... Yes, my Liege?"

I can't see Velucan blink his eyes, but I can say for sure, from the way he speaks, he is slightly surprised by the area we will be sent to.