Battle in the Ashen Forest

At dawn the next day, the 3rd Platoon marched toward the Ashen Forest. The hellish training we'd endured had left us exhausted, but at least our discipline was razor-sharp.

The forest was exactly as its name suggested. Trees blackened by ceaseless bombardment stood all around us, while gray ash on the ground puffed up with every step. There wasn't a trace of any living thing to be found.

I kept my eyes on the minimap, but no red dots—the markers for enemies—were visible.

'Is there really nothing here…?'

I also didn't forget to use [Status Analysis] on the platoon members whenever I had the chance. The skill, now at Level 2, was far more useful than before.

[Name: Gunter]

[Emotion: Suppressed fear of an unknown threat, vague trust in the platoon leader]

[Name: Kurt]

[Emotion: Sharp vigilance toward his surroundings, a sliver of doubt about the platoon leader's judgment]

Most of their emotions were within the range I'd expected. But one soldier's information window stood out in particular.

[Name: Hanna Meyer]

[Race: Human]

[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]

[Rank: Corporal]

[Status: Sensing a faint flow of mana, but confused because she is unaware of its cause]

[Emotion: Extreme anxiety, nausea caused by the unpleasant energy flowing around her]

[Hidden Trait: Mana Detection (Locked)]

'Mana Detection?'

She was the squad leader of 3rd Squad. I'd always thought of her as nothing more than a quiet, diligent veteran. I never would have dreamed that such a special talent lay hidden within her.

'It must be because Status Analysis reached Level 2.'

To briefly explain, magical energy, or mana, is the energy that forms the foundation of this world. It is said that only special beings such as mages and priests can manipulate it, while ordinary people live their entire lives without ever sensing its flow.

But a tiny minority of humans are born with an innate sensitivity to mana, and they can awaken that ability through training. They are the people with the [Mana Detection] ability.

Corporal Hanna possessed a talent even she herself didn't know about.

I immediately approached Corporal Hanna. Her brown hair was neatly tied back, but cold sweat beaded her deathly pale face. Her wide hazel eyes trembled with anxiety.

"Corporal Hanna."

She jumped at my call.

"Y-yes! Lieutenant, sir!"

"Are you feeling unwell? You look pale."

"No, sir! I'm fine!"

She answered reflexively, but I shook my head.

"Don't lie. Lying to a superior officer is a violation of military discipline. I'll ask again. What's wrong?"

My firm tone made Hanna's eyes tremble. She moved her lips for a moment before finally confessing in a small voice.

"…I don't know. It's just… ever since I entered the forest, my head has been ringing and I feel nauseated. It's as if I can keep hearing some unpleasant sound."

The sound Hanna was sensing was probably the flow of mana detected by her locked talent. Since it felt unpleasant, it was unlikely to be natural. My instincts warned me that it was very likely connected to the missing recon squad.

"Which direction does that unpleasant energy feel strongest in?"

"That way. Northeast, beyond the valley… That area is bothering me in particular."

"Well done, Corporal Hanna. That's very important information."

I gave Hanna's head a single pat.

"E-eh…!"

The unexpected touch made her let out a strange, hiccup-like sound. Her cheeks flushed a deep pomegranate red. I paid it no mind and turned toward the platoon members. This was an opportunity I couldn't let slip.

"Everyone, advance behind me."

*

With Hanna leading the way, we ventured deeper and deeper into the forest. Once we crossed the valley she'd mentioned, we began to sense a sinister presence. The air carried a fishy smell.

"It's getting stronger… It feels like my head is going to split."

Hanna said this while staggering. That was when it happened.

"Lieutenant! Look over there!"

At the spot one soldier pointed to, we found what appeared to be boot prints belonging to the recon squad. But something was strange. The tracks abruptly ended at a certain point, as if the people who had been standing there had suddenly shot up into the sky.

I immediately used the [Status Analysis] skill on that spot.

[Target: Faint remnants of mana]

[Grade: Unknown]

[Status: Traces of a 'spatial trap' that forcibly transfers its target to another dimension. It has lost its effect for now, but there is a high probability that similar traps are nearby.]

'A spatial trap…'

No wonder we hadn't found even a single corpse. The recon squad hadn't been attacked by orcs; they had been caught in this trap and vanished somewhere. And this wasn't something ordinary orc soldiers could have set up.

"There must be a shaman."

I muttered in a low voice. The soldiers who heard me grew agitated.

"Hey, did you hear what the platoon leader just said…?"

"H-he definitely said shaman…"

"Damn it, it was right there in the field manual that a single platoon can't take on an orc shaman head-on…"

"Silence."

The platoon members, who had all been talking at once, fell silent at my voice.

"Corporal Hanna."

"Ugh… Yes, sir!"

I looked for Hanna again. By now, she was trembling so violently that she could barely stand.

"Where does the energy feel strongest around here?"

"……Th-there."

After groaning for a long while, Hanna pointed in one direction.

I hesitated for a moment. Should we turn back? Simply reporting the presence of an orc shaman would earn us a substantial amount of military merit. But since we'd come this far, I also thought it might be worth pushing a little further. Above all, the operation had only just begun. There shouldn't be any problem with pressing on.

'A shaman may be troublesome, but if we take the shaman out first in a surprise attack, we can win easily.'

I made my decision.

"3rd Platoon, prepare for battle and move out."

The soldiers took the rifles slung over their backs and began checking their magazines and bayonets. Metallic clattering rang through the air. Once I had confirmed that the platoon members were ready, I led them forward.

*

We were moving in the direction Hanna had indicated when I spotted flickering red dots along the edge of my minimap. At first there had only been one or two, but as we drew closer, the red dots multiplied until they were countless.

This was unquestionably the enemy's position.

Until now, the area had been outside the minimap's range, so we'd had to rely on Hanna. But now that we were close enough, I could use the minimap. From that point on, I guided the unit using it.

The minimap's cheat-like nature was fully on display. It didn't show differences in elevation or obstacles, but there was nothing better for identifying enemy positions and roughly predicting their routes. I watched the movements of the red dots on the minimap and led the unit by cleverly picking only the blind spots in their patrol routes.

After moving for quite some time, we reached an area where the red dots on the minimap were clustered together. It was a small basin surrounded by rocks and fallen trees. At its center stood a grotesque altar.

I halted the squad members with hand signals, then cautiously raised my head over the ridge.

More than twenty orcs had made camp in the basin. Most of them were sitting around the campfire or standing guard, but a figure in front of the altar gave off an entirely different air. Adorned from head to toe with animal bones and feathers and holding a staff topped with a skull, the figure was an orc shaman.

The shaman was performing a ritual atop the altar while chanting an unintelligible incantation. The ground around the altar had turned black, and faint mana, like heat haze, rose from it.

'All I have to do is take that one out.'

I immediately used [Status Analysis] on the shaman.

[Name: Grimtusk]

[Race: Orc]

[Affiliation: Ashen Claw Tribe]

[Rank: Shaman]

[Status: Expending tremendous mental power to maintain complex spatial sorcery. The shaman's guard against external threats is extremely lax.]

[Emotion: Deep concentration on the ritual]

'This is the perfect opportunity.'

Thanks to the [Strong Mind] skill, the excitement threatening to surge through me subsided, leaving my mind cold as ice. I immediately lowered myself and signaled to the platoon members. Everyone lowered their bodies in perfect unison and hid behind rocks and trees.

"Platoon leader… Are we really going to take on all of them?"

Corporal Kurt, lying beside me, whispered with a face gone deathly pale.

"We don't need to fight them all."

I answered quietly while scanning the platoon members. Who was best suited for this mission? My gaze stopped on one soldier. He was normally quiet and inconspicuous.

'Status Analysis.'

[Name: Klaus]

[Race: Human]

[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]

[Rank: Private]

[Status: Extreme tension, fear of combat]

[Emotion: Pressure from having to support his family, desperate desire to survive somehow]

[Hidden Trait: Eagle Eye - Innately exceptional eyesight and concentration. A talent specialized for sniping.]

'Found him.'

I immediately beckoned Private Klaus over. He crawled toward me with a terrified expression.

"Private Klaus."

"Y-yes! Lieutenant, sir!"

"Do you know how to handle a sniper rifle?"

"I… I only fired one during training."

"That'll do. From now on, you're our sniper."

Despair filled Klaus's eyes at my words.

"H-how can I…?!"

"You can do it."

I gripped his shoulders firmly.

"You have a family depending on you, don't you? If you want to make it back alive, you need to do your part now. See that shaman on the altar? Blow his head off. Can you do it?"

I deliberately used the information about his family that I'd read from his [Emotion] data. The effect was immediate. The fear vanished from Klaus's eyes, replaced by fierce resolve.

"…Understood."

Klaus gave a grim nod and began attaching a sniper scope to his rifle.

I then called over Sergeant Gunter and the other squad leaders.

"I'll explain the operation. The moment Klaus shoots the shaman, the 2nd and 3rd Squads under my command will throw grenades from the front, then unleash a volley of fire. Sergeant Gunter."

"Yes, Lieutenant, sir."

"Lead 1st Squad around to that ridge. While we draw their attention, strike them from the flank. Our goal is to maximize their confusion. Understood?"

"Understood!"

Gunter and the squad leaders showed their fighting spirit. I met the eyes of every platoon member one by one.

"Any questions?"

"None, sir!"

"Then let's begin."

I watched 1st Squad depart, then moved to the optimal position. Right beside me, Private Klaus was completely concealed as he aimed his rifle at the shaman's head.

"Fire on my signal."

I waited until 1st Squad had circled around and taken up position. I confirmed that the green dots on the minimap had fully moved to the flank of the red dots. Everything was ready.

I took one deep breath, then gave Klaus the order.

"Now."

Bang!

The forest's stillness was shattered.