The army has various branches, and Spacystro is no different. The more advanced the technology, the more diverse the roles become, leading to an increase in the number of branches, and even within the same branch, each person’s role can differ.
A has the Soldier (infantry) branch and wears a Battle Suit, which is a body suit, and uses equipment suited to their specialty. This significantly enhances physical abilities and allows for the use of various weapons.
However, due to differences in individual capabilities, there can be a significant variance in abilities within the same squad, making it less suitable for harmonizing with teammates.
Currently, they use the Assault Suit, a lower-tier version of the Battle Suit. It does not greatly enhance physical abilities but standardizes them to some extent and restricts the use of equipment, making it easier to coordinate with teammates who know what weapons they are using.
Back when A was in the maternal unit, they were part of a unit that used Battle Suits, and since the performance of the suits was good, the intensity of frequent training sessions was quite high.
“Have you checked the supplies?”
“It’s done. We just need to get the supplies allocated to each person and then we can be deployed.”
Before the training began, A’s squadmates were hurriedly preparing their final checks.
Although there were often discrepancies in daily routines, A was aware of being a soldier and had no intention of fighting when faced with an operation.
“Let’s confirm the route one last time and review the operation details.”
“Got it.”
Everyone responded to Klugger’s order, who was giving instructions within the squad. Despite having poor relations, they decided to focus on the training rather than let it affect their performance.
There was still an unresolved issue regarding the manual for handling the training scenarios within the squad, and everyone hoped they wouldn’t encounter an unresolved situation.
Every year, various trainings were conducted, and this time, each squad’s combat proficiency was being evaluated, making it a substantial training session for a unit-based exercise.
This was a training to evaluate the ability of a single squad to respond when a commander is absent and only one squad remains.
“A 2-night, 3-day training. This will be tough.”
Muttering to himself, A displayed the training content on a holographic monitor and confirmed it one last time. The training involved starting from a specific point and reaching another point within 2 nights and 3 days.
If it were usual circumstances, A would have flown using the Battle Suit’s flight function, but this was a training scenario assuming wartime conditions, and the host unit would conduct anti-airfire, making flight impossible.
“Make sure to check the enemy’s position accurately. If you scatter in the middle, knowing your position becomes crucial.”
“I’m not a child. I know that much.”
Responding to Siera’s comment beside him, A removed the displayed screen.
Though he didn’t show signs of tension, this being his first training with the unit, A was quite nervous. His squadmates felt the same. Even those who had been there longer also saw this as their first training, so everyone was tense and sensitive.
“I hope there won’t be any major problems.”
Despite A’s wishes, problems arose faster than expected.
Just two hours after departure, A encountered the opposing forces and intense combat began.
“Damn!”
Cursing while hearing the sound of laser shots flying over cover, A shouted.
“Swearing won’t change anything!”
A knew that swearing wouldn’t change anything. Without responding to his squadmates, A pulled out his gun and fired at the incoming laser shots.
“Who suggested using the forest path first?!”
“Would you prefer the open ground? We should have expected the enemy to be lying in ambush!”
“If we were going to go, we should have taken the higher path. What’s the point of going down?”
The squad, taking the lower path around the mountain, encountered the enemy who was ambushing from above. The battle started with a disadvantage due to the wider field of view the enemy had.
A wanted to find the enemy’s position by hiding behind cover, but the dense trees and rocks made it difficult to pinpoint their location.
“It’s already happened. Saying something now won’t change anything.”
Sighing at Klugger’s words, A activated the Battle Suit. Simply wearing the suit allowed its functions to be used, but fully activating it increased its capabilities several times.
As soon as the helmet was put on, A emerged from cover and charged towards the top of the mountain.
Running through the woods and up quickly, avoiding the trees and grass, A did not want to become an easy target by flying.
“What an idiot.”
Klugger frowned seeing A charge alone and also activated his Battle Suit.
Emerging from cover to support A, Klugger found himself facing a barrage of laser shots coming his way.
“Where did you go?”
Trying to find A, who had gone up, Klugger moved quickly through the forest.
A, who had gone up first, tried to block and avoid the incoming laser shots while searching for the enemy’s position, but felt like the distance to the enemy was increasing the more he went up, eventually stopping and hiding back in cover.
“This is A. Based on my estimation, the enemy’s position seems higher than expected.”
Hearing this, Klugger, who was below, observed the mountain from cover.
“Each team member should activate their suits and move up the mountain. Move in pairs to close the distance. Don’t underestimate the training rounds just because they’re not real. They can still cause serious injury.”
Even though the laser shots were for training, they weren’t harmless. The training was conducted as if it were real combat, and every year, people lost their lives during these exercises.
“I’ve sent the coordinates. Can someone closest to me provide support?”
A’s position was marked inside the helmet. The gap between A and Klugger was significant, considering how quickly A had ascended.
“I’ll go.”
Siera, who was confident nothing was wrong with A and Klugger, started moving after A. Knowing about the bad relationship between A and Klugger from their training days, Siera responded quickly to A’s communication, which reassured Klugger.
“Then A and Siera, move up together. We’ll support from below. Don’t just rush up blindly.”
“If we keep rushing, we could be wiped out.”
“The training won’t end if we get wiped out. Don’t just run around recklessly.”
“What?”
“Don’t fight!”
As the communication between A and Klugger escalated, Siera quickly intervened.
Although expecting it, the sudden situation made things more tense. Despite trying not to show it, the emotions they had harbored towards each other came to light, and A and Klugger, separated, tried to remain calm to resolve the situation.
“Alright. Then A and Siera, identify the enemy’s position from above. Just send the location, don’t chase after them.”
“Understood.”
As the communication ended, A hiding in cover noticed Siera approaching.
Similarly, seeing A hiding, Siera judged there was no time to calmly plan a strategy, and passed by A to head up the mountain.
“I’ll be going.”
A immediately left cover and headed up the mountain.
Running up the seemingly endless mountain, A aimed toward the direction of the incoming laser shots.
However, the distance wasn’t closing.
“Something’s off here.”
“Yeah. Too far.”
Siera felt the same way. Given the speed and elevation achieved with the suit’s enhanced functions, they must have climbed quite a distance.
Based on the knowledge, they should have encountered the enemy by now, but despite climbing, they couldn’t see any sign of the enemy.
“Down there!”
Hearing Siera’s shout, A crouched down and saw laser shots coming from where they had just passed.
“You were hiding all along? Planning to end the training right here?”
There were many more enemies than expected, and if they remained isolated, the training couldn’t continue.
“Be careful as you climb up! They’re surrounding us with stealth camouflage.”
Informing the squad members climbing up, A believed they would be isolated and wanted to prevent that.
Emerging from cover, A extended his hand and a large electronic cannon fitted onto his arm.
“You’re planning to fire from here?!”
“We can’t stay here!”
Ignoring Siera’s shout, A aimed the electronic cannon upwards and fired.
The massive cannon blast sliced through the forest and exploded atop the mountain.
The obscured view was instantly cleared, and A quickly located the enemy.
It didn’t take long to find them, but A’s expression was not bright upon spotting the enemy in the open space.
“Robots?”
The overwhelming laser fire directed at the squad was not from an enemy, but from robot-like devices disguised as trees and rocks, repeatedly firing while hidden.
“Let’s retreat!”
“Did you shoot the electronic cannon?!”
A’s and Klugger’s communications overlapped.
While the large electronic cannon had immense power, its performance required precise output control. Adjusting the output and firing accurately was difficult in enemy territory.
However, A, known for his quick thinking, could handle the electronic cannon effectively even in the midst of enemy forces.
But using too powerful a blast could expose their position to the enemy.
Knowing they were already engaged in combat, Klugger was not happy to hear A had fired the electronic cannon, as it could reveal their location.
“The enemy is confirmed to be using stealth-camouflaged cannons. Continuing this engagement will only lead to attrition.”
“This is madness.”
Clenching his teeth, Klugger grimaced upon confirming the nature of the enemy. Facing non-human enemies in one place offered no benefits. If reclaiming enemy territory was the goal, continuous combat might be necessary, but the current training’s objective was to reach a designated destination.
“Retreat! Move down the opposite way and prepare for attacks!”
The squad members, climbing the mountain, turned around. Knowing attritional battles were meaningless, they started moving toward the location indicated by Klugger.
“It was all for nothing.”
“We just needed to confirm the enemy.”
A, thinking they were wasting time against robots, Siera argued that identifying the enemy was a success and continued running, deflecting incoming laser shots with a shield.
Moving down the mountain via a different route, they headed toward the location designated by Klugger. As they descended, the frequency of incoming laser shots decreased.
Though no more laser shots came, they couldn’t relax completely. A and Siera kept checking their surroundings until they reached the designated spot and encountered the other squad members.
“You crazy bastard!”
Approaching the squad members, Klugger spat out a curse, advancing fiercely.
His eyes were filled with anger, and A frowned seeing Klugger openly showing an aggressive stance.
“Charging ahead and firing the electronic cannon. Do you have any sense?!”
“Would you rather stand there and get hit by laser shots and retire? With the enemy identified as robots, we could have retreated.”
A’s statement wasn’t entirely wrong, but their positions were slightly different.
“The enemy could have been identified from that location.”
“Wait for the enemy confirmation at the bottom of the mountain? The electronic interference makes the helmet’s vision useless.”
“Sudden energy drain. Exposure of position. Casualties! All because of your reckless charge, this happened in a short time.”
At the mention of casualties, A looked at another squad member sitting down, being diagnosed. Though it didn’t seem severe, the fact that someone was injured was concerning.
“It’s not a serious injury. Don’t worry. It won’t affect movement.”
“Our movement period is 2 nights and 3 days. Even minor injuries can drain energy.”
Given it was a realistic training, some casualties were inevitable. But the unexpected combat and A’s impulsive actions led to injuries occurring sooner than anticipated.
Seeing Klugger expressing anger with furrowed brows, A, about to react as usual, remembered Angelique’s words.
‘First, listen to Klugger.’
Though they were of the same rank, Klugger was in command of the squad. With the training underway, Klugger’s role became crucial. Realizing he might have forgotten in the heat of emotion, A exhaled deeply.
“I’m sorry.”
Acknowledging that his spontaneous action without orders was wrong, A apologized to Klugger. Surprised by the apology, Klugger, who had been frowning and angry, paused.
“…I understand.”
“What are your plans next?”
Deciding to follow Klugger’s lead, A asked about his future actions.
“The position was exposed due to the electronic cannon. Even though there’s no immediate pursuit, we can’t predict when we might be tracked. We need to start moving immediately upon confirming the casualties.”
“…Understood.”
The unusual response created an awkward atmosphere, which Siera noticed and approached.
“Let’s confirm the route. It’s significantly different from the original plan.”
Due to the hasty movements after the battle, it was hard to stick to the originally planned route. Even if they followed the planned path, repeated combat seemed inevitable, necessitating a new route check.
Nodding to Siera’s suggestion, Klugger unfolded a map.
Having taken refuge in a forest slightly away from the mountain, they used a map instead of a hologram to avoid revealing their position due to the hologram’s light.
“Come and check together.”
“Okay.”
Calling A, who was checking the squad members’ status, A approached closely to examine the map with Klugger.
