Chapter 159

**Defeating the Megabase**

The news that the symbol of despair that had driven the world to ruin had been defeated caused an enormous stir.

“Edu, could you say a few words!”

“Colonel! I heard you were active again! Tell us more details—”

“Colonel Edu! Are you listening? Hello!!”

Voices echoed in front of the lodging at the forward base.

“…Hey, could you move up a bit?”

[Beeep. /⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝]

The view rises.

I sneak a glance outside.

“Ugh….”

A voice escapes without thinking.

I flinch at the crowd gathered in front of the lodging.

There’s a tripod-mounted camera set up blatantly, and I see reporters and cameramen moving as if introducing my lodging.

I know that defeating the Megabase is an astonishing event from this perspective, but the number of people is different from the scale of reporters I’ve seen so far, causing beads of cold sweat to form.

Wait, is this really a forward base?

Why are so many people gathered here at the front line, where it could be dangerous?

And it’s only been a day since—

I overcame a great hardship, had a good sleep, and woke up to this trial that came without warning.

People often say that negative news spreads like it has wings, but this doesn’t even feel like that, leaving me with a sense of unfairness.

Or is it just that good news spreads quickly?

“Hm, it seems like all the reporters from the surrounding Fangju have gathered…”

It’s obvious what would happen if I went outside like this.

So I make a monumental decision to escape.

What I need right now is stealth and collaborators.

“I’ll have to move secretly, so I’ll use that method, but who should I ask for help?”

Nisia and Seoli would draw attention, so they’re out of the question, along with the Dean and Freya for the same reason.

Friends like Edward or Clarissa have become quite well known since the friendly match, so excluding them naturally leaves—

“ID, can you hear me?”

[Code check, please give the command, Edu.]

“Could you contact Banetta?”

….

Creak—

The lodging door opens, and the gazes of those gathered all turn in the same direction.

“Yawn.”

Banetta yawns with her arms stretched wide, looking tired.

When she sees the people looking at her, she drags her suitcase and starts to move.

“Could you step aside?”

People back away at Banetta’s words.

Casually acting, she makes her way out of the lodging towards the deck where Jason is.

[Welcome, Master Banetta.]

“Yeah.”

She boards the ship heading towards the living area.

As Banetta arrives in the room and lets out a sigh of relief while opening her suitcase, a beautiful girl with white hair suddenly pops out.

Edu Nimbusday.

The most popular girl in Fangju and the center of attention.

“Yay! Escape successful!”

Edu beams as she points to the air.

Watching Edu, Banetta has a look that says, “This actually works.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Banetta.”

“It’s nothing, but you really thought of that idea well.”

“Hehe, knowing yourself and knowing your enemies leads to victory, right?”

A great escape that utilized my body’s tactical size to the fullest.

The result was a great success.

“However, don’t we have an interview to do later anyway?”

I flinch at Banetta’s insight.

I want to deny it with all my might, but realistically, she is right.

“…Probably.”

I barely move my mouth to respond.

But now that I’ve just managed to escape, I don’t want to talk about gloomy things, so I quickly change the subject.

“That aside, Banetta.”

“Yeah, do you have something you’re curious about?”

“Yes, what happened to the remaining Invaders?”

With the Megabase defeated, their ground forces have come to a complete stop, and in that process, a large number of Invader weapons have come into our hands.

“Edward is working hard on recovery.”

“…Edward?”

The name of a friend comes out unexpectedly.

But rather than trust, there’s a strange unease.

“Is that… okay?”

“Don’t worry, Edu. I know him best, and I know he’s a weirdo.”

Saying that, Banetta smiles gently.

Phew, thank goodness. It seems like there’s a plan—

“I’ve got a gag on him so he can’t do any weird stuff or lick anything.”

“…”

I imagine Edward recovering Invaders with a gag in his mouth.

…Oh my God.

“…Were there no other candidates?”

“There’s no one else as twisted as him.”

A direct answer.

After hearing that, I feel like Banetta’s point is also valid.

Even if he does some strange things, Edward is generally diligent.

“That makes sense.”

For Edward, Invaders and Cryptids are the best bargaining chips.

If Edward were to refuse a proposal, perhaps the number of Invaders or Cryptids offered in exchange was too low.

“Right? But don’t worry too much. We’ve got our crew attached to him, so nothing will go wrong.”

“The graduate students?”

“Oh, Edu, don’t say ‘the students.’ Graduate students are like tools, they don’t have rights.”

I flinch again.

Looking at Banetta to see if she’s serious, I catch a playful smile on her face.

Phew, that’s a relief.

“Anyway, getting back to the topic, he is still in the process of recovery, but he has a lot to go through, so it might take a while.”

“I see, what about the Megabase?”

“I’m planning to recover that too, but it’s so large that I’ll have to think of ways to move it. Oh, right. There’s something I need to tell Edu too.”

“Something you need to tell me?”

“Yeah. ID, show me the screen I saved earlier.”

At her instruction, a small hologram screen appears near my wrist.

“This is it.”

Banetta moves her arm towards me.

As the small screen gets closer, the image contained within becomes clearer.

It’s a familiar chassis with a large turret mounted on it, the same type as the Dainsleif we fought before, and its twin weapon, Arondight.

The drooping plasma cannon pointing towards the ground gives off a desolate feeling.

“Uh? Isn’t this Arondight?”

“Exactly, one of the ones that attacked Forward Base 6.”

“Where did you find this?”

“It seems like the Dean and Simonia were managing a part of the special forces.”

“Aha.”

An unexpected windfall.

If I could utilize Arondight, a heavy armor weapon with powerful bombardment capabilities, it would be a huge boon to us.

Unintentionally, it feels like I’m collecting Invaders.

“Oh, right. The collection.”

As I think of that, I remember the collection matter I had put off because I was busy since I noticed it last time.

“Banetta, wait a moment.”

“Yeah.”

“ID, can you show me the stats window?”

[Code check, visualizing and displaying the status.]

——————————————————–

LV. 81 Edu Nimbusday *(■)

[ HP 103 / 103 ] *(■)

[ MP 4225 / 4225 ] *(■)

[ ST 95 / 95 ]

ATK 70 *(■) / DEF 65 / RES 70

STR 10 *(■)

DEX 12 *(■)

INT 1338 *(Growth Bonus x6)

CHA 1246 *(Growth Bonus x6)

CON 20 *(■)

LUK 1195 *(Growth Bonus x6)

SP 0 / SK 112 / EXP 254588

Appearance Traits *(■)

Character Traits *(■)

Bonus *(■)

Achievements *(■)

——————————————————–

‘Oh—’

Stats have skyrocketed as if I were using a cheat code.

Looking at the experience points alone, it’s clear that I’ve achieved exceptional growth as a result of facing a final boss.

But right now the stats aren’t what’s important, so I pass over that.

I glance down to check the bonuses once more.

——————————————————–

Additional Element – Collection.

The Eye of Truth – An additional element providing various bonuses by owning and storing equipment with shared attributes. Storage and unbinding of equipment is possible.

——————————————————–

‘Oh, this is what it was.’

Providing bonuses through ownership and storage.

It’s exciting to think that the functionality of the collections I’ve been using so far was just a part of this.

“Banetta, I want to check something for a moment.”

“Hmm? What do you want to check?”

….

As I’m carried by Banetta towards the forward base’s arsenal.

“Banetta, please come in—”

I try to greet them casually, but the eyes of the mechanic on seeing me widen in shock.

“Colonel, welcome!”

Is my presence already known even here? The mechanic salutes respectfully.

“Hello, I just came to check on something.”

“Yes! Please let me know what you need.”

“Um, where is the Fallen’s equipment?”

The mechanic blinks in surprise at my question.

“Pardon? Did you just say the Fallen’s equipment?”

Was my question that unexpected? A look of confusion crosses the mechanic’s face.

“Yes.”

“Hmm, what do you need it for—”

“What are you doing?”

“Captain.”

A stubborn-looking man approaches with a slow walk.

Short and bearded, he has a sturdy build that exudes a craftsman’s rigor.

Yet, upon a second look, he looks dwarven. No, is he really a dwarf?

“The young researcher and the little general, what brings you here?”

“I want to check the Fallen equipment.”

“That trash? You can go to the storage at the back. But I have one question.”

The bearded man strokes his beard as he speaks.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“There are clean Invaders coming in like new; how should we handle them? Can we dismantle them or mess with them freely?”

“Hmm—”

I take a moment to collect my thoughts.

After all, the amount of weaponry and equipment gained from this battle is enormous, and looking long-term, dismantling the Invader equipment and absorbing the technology is more beneficial.

“Yeah, I don’t think it would matter. I’ll relay the message to Freya and the Dean.”

“Thank you.”

“Just do keep Banetta with you when you do something.”

As I make that request, the dwarf-like man nods once.

“I’ll do that without saying. The researcher’s skills are undeniable.”

“Oh, and it’s fine if there are many of the same thing, but please be careful with the few rare ones.”

Like things such as Arondight.

I casually mention this because it would be incredibly disheartening if I accidentally broke such valuable power that I had just obtained.

“Don’t worry, then.”

Having said what I needed, the dwarf-like man walks away again.

“I’ll guide you; please follow me.”

Banetta moves after the mechanic.

As we enter the isolated storage at the far back, I see old vehicles patched with armor plates and weapons from the Fallen lying all around, alongside crude instruments centered on firearms from a past age.

“If you need anything else, just call me at any time.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The mechanic exits the storage.

The vast area is left with only Banetta and me.

“Shall we begin right away? Do I just need to go near that vehicle?”

“That’s right.”

Banetta approaches the Fallen vehicle.

“Using the collection.”

– Using collection function.

One by one, we start to store the vehicles.

Excluding those that look similar, she picks various vehicles to store.

At the moment we put in the last large truck, a thrilling notification appears.

– Collection of Fallen – Iron Legion completed. Collection completion bonus, Iron Legion unlocked. All vehicles of Iron Legion are permanently subsumed and will no longer take up space.

– The first collection completion reward strengthens the ‘Collection.’