What is this? A level-capped scarecrow?
Suddenly, such a thought crossed my mind, but I confirmed that the magic barrier I had deployed was completely shattered.
First and foremost, what I could confirm initially was that the magic barrier had indeed functioned properly.
It seemed to have successfully blocked Lieutenant Debra Bennett’s Solar Prominence, but as a result, it vanished without a trace.
Otherwise, how could that scarecrow still be intact?
However, I was still puzzled about how it had been blocked.
“Captain Enok Revendale! Did you cast some kind of magic?”
“I’m not the one casting magic, sir.”
“That’s impossible! The impact of Solar Prominence was absorbed entirely by a mere fourth-level magic barrier?”
Lieutenant Debra Bennett hurriedly ran toward the scarecrow. After carefully examining the scarecrow and the ground around it, she looked startled and then returned to me, saying:
“Hmm, it’s a third-level barrier… though its shape was quite unstable, the density was certainly at the third-level standard. You’re really a genius, aren’t you?”
“Does it matter if it’s a third-level barrier now?”
“Of course it matters. A fourth-level magic barrier can never block high-level magic. Even a third-level barrier can barely manage it.”
Then, what does this situation mean? An incomplete third-level barrier canceled out the high-level red magic, Solar Prominence?
I remembered Solar Prominence particularly among many spells because it was one of the most cost-effective attack spells in Haozhe.
No matter which branch of the military, any war or operation requires resources.
For infantry, they need food to supply the nutrients for combat and ammunition, explosives, etc., each time they engage in battle.
Cavalry, in addition to that, also needs to account for the cost of horses’ food and various riding equipment. Artillery was no different; gunpowder and shells couldn’t be reused.
Similarly, mana was consumed when operating mado soldiers.
Without mana generated from the core, mado soldiers would just be weak infantry A with nothing special.
In fact, they were even more strategically flawed than regular infantry. Would mado sorcerers run mountain patrols or dig trenches?
Just look at our battalion compared to K-army barracks life—it’s paradise itself.
Even the camouflaged soldiers in Pyeongtaek and Osan, who smell like honey, wouldn’t live such a life.
Maintenance is done through magic, and personnel generally spend their days either sleeping in their rooms or focusing on research if there’s no other work.
The battalion commander, responsible for the entire unit, mostly spent his time arranging the battalion or visiting other units for socializing.
Shooting practice?
That happens only during specific periods.
Individuals can train anytime if they wish, but only if they want to. Without much desire, they might only fire a gun once or twice a year.
In an actual combat scenario, without mana, they’d essentially be civilians with guns.
Thus, mana was considered more precious than bullets for mado soldiers; it was practically their life.
Solar Prominence, despite being a high-level spell, did not consume much mana.
It condensed mana into a ball-like form and launched it, causing fierce flames upon reaching the target.
This made it one of the most frequently used spells by mado soldiers throughout the game, treated as a universal and efficient attack spell.
“But it’s still strange. It was clearly tilted at a 45-degree angle, and the upper part wasn’t even properly configured.”
Debra Bennett couldn’t easily accept what happened before her eyes. I felt the same confusion.
“Could it simply be due to the inefficiency of my core, as Edward mentioned last time?”
He said my core took an extremely inefficient form, storing a large amount of mana but unable to control it, leading to wild mana usage.
If that were true, after deploying a third-level magic barrier, I should have started feeling unwell. But I felt fine.
What’s going on?
Neither Debra Bennett nor the platoon members watching silently could offer a satisfactory explanation.
Claude Rain, who had been silent and folding his arms, finally spoke:
“It’s a slope.”
“What?”
“The magic barrier was tilted at a 45-degree angle earlier, and Solar Prominence is a direct attack spell.”
“Oh!”
‘Slope armor.’
Slope armor refers to the technique of angling armor on tanks, aircraft, vehicles, etc., to maximize defense against direct attacks.
But can this be applied to magic too?
“There was a similar situation during the Quernen War. Thanks to that, we survived the shamans of Azoff.”
Claude spoke in a distant, nostalgic tone, recalling the past.
“Most lightning and fire attribute spells are fired directly. Therefore, deploying a slanted barrier naturally increases mana density.”
Debra Bennett sighed at Captain Claude’s interpretation and added:
“Ah, so why hasn’t this doctrine appeared until now?”
“How should I know? Maybe the heroes of the Quernen War all perished, or the army suppressed them.”
Claude responded bluntly. Though he seemed kind for a moment, he returned to his usual self.
Speaking of Quernen War…
It was a term I had heard before. I pondered for a moment and recalled that Quernen was a region near the southern part of Okhraine, adjacent to the inland sea known as the Ad Sea.
And if it was a war, it meant there were conflicts between the natives of the Ad Sea and those in Quernen.
Indeed, there was a city-state called Azoff in the Ad Sea.
As a trading port, it could provide maritime bonuses if allied or invaded, making it memorable. It was a significant power that was quickly conquered or allied early in the war, not unlike Okhraine.
‘Claude must be a war hero who contributed to the war between Okhraine and Azoff.’
Claude’s past, shrouded in mystery, was slowly revealing itself. So, there had been a conflict between Okhraine and Azoff before the game’s starting point.
Of course, regardless of that, I couldn’t help but feel how weak this country truly was.
Losing a war against a city-state?
Impressive! Okhraine!
Naturally, multiple international relations needed to be considered, but considering it’s a duchy and has a population far exceeding that of a city-state, it was still impressive.
While I was lost in thoughts about the pitiful state of Okhraine,
“Captain Enok Revendale!”
Lieutenant Debra Bennett grabbed my shoulder tightly. Her topaz-colored eyes were filled with curiosity and excitement.
“You, let’s do something together!”
*
“What is it?”
Enok Revendale asked, looking puzzled. Debra Bennett, in an excited state, replied while pacing back and forth:
“Anyway, it’s the evaluation of our platoon, right? You know that when a higher-up unit conducts an evaluation, someone from a higher unit will come, don’t you?”
“Yes, I know.”
A higher-up unit refers to the superior unit of another superior unit.
That means the battalion is the superior unit of the platoon, and the brigade or regiment is the superior unit of the battalion. If we consider the 3rd Battalion, the Northern Corps would be the highest unit they belong to.
Northern Corps.
Given that the evaluation is conducted directly by a corps-level unit, at least someone higher in rank than Major Rockhart Cromwell would be sent as the evaluator.
Debra Bennett was certain that Colonel Viktor Zelensky, the corps magic advisor, would be coming.
After all, he had personally attended the platoon evaluations of the neighboring 2nd Battalion last month and criticized the officers harshly.
Colonel Viktor Zelensky was known for his interest in unique and practical things.
“To catch the attention of such a person, merely meeting the standard won’t cut it.”
Although Debra Bennett, as the facility management officer, had no direct connection to this platoon evaluation, she wanted to contribute.
Even if her promotion to captain was almost certain, being assigned to a rear unit or a coastal defense unit afterward would mean missing out on elite opportunities.
“That’s absolutely unacceptable.”
Debra Bennett had ambitions. As a military sorcerer, she believed she should earn at least three medals.
To achieve this, she needed a strong backing.
Like the lieutenant who grabbed the golden lifeline, Major Sony Chepelin, right after commissioning.
“As you know, the current 5th Platoon’s evaluation is terrible. Even with your arrival, the evaluators won’t think differently, right?”
Debra presented her argument logically. Enok remained expressionless, but she didn’t seem to mind.
“We need an impact. An impact that clears away all these messy past issues.”
“I agree, but may I ask what the main point is?”
“The defensive magic you demonstrated earlier. We’ll improve it and show it during this evaluation.”
Debra’s eyes sparkled.
“I’ll help. All you need to do is show the magic to the evaluator on the day of the evaluation and declare it as a barrier established jointly with me.”
In truth, she herself thought there was no reason for Enok to refuse her proposal.
Though the idea originated from Enok, the current unstable magic barrier required modification and restructuring. Adding training for the platoon members and preparation for the evaluation would be no easy task.
“Leave the development to me. You only need to help a little.”
She was willing to invest time and effort to make this happen.
It wasn’t just taking everything; she was willing to modify it so it could be used during the evaluation.
This was mutually beneficial—winning both ways.
Enok Revendale seemed to be considering her words. He roughly understood what she was thinking.
A brief silence followed, and Debra swallowed hard.
Her response was:
“I’ll give it a try.”
“Great!”
Debra raised her hands in excitement.
