Trials And Awakening!

The uniform marching of well-trained soldiers reverberated through the empty, titanium-clad halls of the mechanical room. As they fell into formation, Lieutenant Sands, a man in his thirties with his clad military suit, scowled.

He said, "You guys are up," to the captain of squad 7. Today was unexpected, the guys in the command center spotted monsters. It was another day in the relentless fight for humanity, but to monsters, another day to play.

However, the soldiers before him didn't seem overly concerned; they had seen far worse in their lives. The impending mission couldn't compare to the horrors they'd already endured on the battlefield.

"It's protocol Omega. Squad 7 will provide backup to the awakened heroes. And remember, if they make any fishy moves..." The lieutenant didn't need to finish his sentence to convey further orders. His soldiers nodded, silently checking their equipment.

***

[MB-35, Area 2]

Meanwhile, in another room within the same base, the heroes prepared for the upcoming conflict.

"Hey, Miralda. Pass me that sword, too," Jake, the newly appointed leader, requested.

"Why? You're not a dual wielder," Miralda replied.

Jake insisted, "It never hurts to have more weapons at hand, you know, in case we need to throw some."

Miralda sighed and complied, passing him the sword.

"I don't want to go outside," one of the heroes muttered.

The sentiment resonated with everyone in the room. Thirty-two people adorned in medieval armor, clutching swords and shields, none of them with battle experience, faced an uncertain fate.

**[Trial 5: Survive the Wave of Night Hounds] - [Number of hounds killed: 0]**

The message hovers in front of each of them, urging those reluctant people to get up.

The first four trials were nothing special, they were expected to do simple things like finding food, finding shelter, memorizing the battle tactics, and surviving another day, but this would be the first battle against monsters.

"...This damn system. Only a fool would believe that such things will make us heroes. They don't, for Christ's sake. This is not some movie; it's reality."

"And it's hell."

Amidst all this, the soldiers took their positions on the titanium floor. The room fell silent, disrupted only by the footsteps approaching. The sound of these newcomers grew louder as they neared the stage where Sands was waiting.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Among the soldiers, a peculiar sight unfolded. Amidst modern weaponry, surrounded by the army of well-trained American soldiers, a group of individuals who seemed to have walked out of a fantasy novel stood out.

"Looks like the world is finally in need of our strength," Jake, the leader of the heroic party, greeted, waving to Sands. His longsword was a stark contrast to the soldiers' firearms.

Sands raised an eyebrow. "Don't get cocky. We still aren't sure if any trace of humanity still rests within you or what side you fight for anymore."

He only said that because some chosen humans received supernatural strengths and stamina, after the apocalypse. There were many theories about how they were connected to the apocalypse, but some believed them to be against humans. Stating, they are not what they once were.

"Ah... Who cares? Anyway, it looks like we'll be working together from now on. Nice to meet you, Lieutenant Colonel." Jake insisted on a handshake.

'Who does he think he's kidding?' It was plain as day that the uneasiness in his heart was eating away at him. He didn't want to be part of this fight, but they had to protect this base.

"It's Lieutenant General."

"Yes, sir... Haha."

Jake, wearing a pair of heavy gauntlets, extended a hand for a shake, but Sands ignored it. He had no reason to act chummy.

Sands decided to take a glance at the new team. He wasn't certain how useful they'd be against monsters that even bullets and missiles couldn't easily defeat.

"We're moving out. You people will be the ones to take the lead on this one."

"Huh? Wait, hold on..."

It seemed like they were being used as a meat shield. Jake couldn't help but wonder, 'Are they serious about this? Isn't that a bit much?'

The displeasure was clearly visible among them, and the heroes had long since been through their breaking point.

"Open the hatch!"

Sands commanded in a fiery tone, ignoring the glares of people in front of him like he does with flies and dust.

Jake wasn't sure whether he should feel good or bad about such developments, and he knew that if they voiced their complaints, the treatment would only get worse.

"Guys, let's take our positions. We just have to repeat what we did in the tutorials. Let's believe in our gods, I'm sure they'll save us. We were given these powers for a reason."

Clenching the gauntlets further in his hand, Jake tried to hide the fear in his heart.

"I'm sure will survive this trial just like the other four. There are 32 of us. We can do this quest."

The vigor in his voice was a facade he had to keep until he was leading them to fight.

He tried to get everyone in good spirits and be a good leader. And despite the failed attempts, he was determined to fight.

After all... Every single one of the heroes was just an ordinary human just three months before the apocalypse began.

Every one of them had families inside the base they wanted to protect.

***

It wasn't the first time that Kai had done something as blatant as infiltrating a military base. In fact, spying and espionage came as naturally to him as breathing, as long as it didn't involve killing.

Yet, in his heart, he always felt it was something wrong, something he wasn't supposed to do.

People don't become criminals just because they can or because it's easy. Some do it because they have no other choice, and it is the same for Kai.

Crawling inside the rectangular tubes, connected like a maze, the ventilation system in the base was a difficult place to navigate. But Kai knew where he was and where he was going, as if there was a map inside his head. He crawled fast and silently, with a clear destination in mind.

After what he thought was far enough, he placed his left ear to hear the sounds of footsteps. It was awfully silent, despite the uproar caused through the base just minutes ago. Through the gaps below him, he saw two armed guards in front of a room with a steel door closed tight.

[Control Room]

It wasn't written anywhere, but just looking at the door and the guards, anyone with common sense would've guessed there should be something important inside.

"So far, so good. I hope everything goes as easily as I pictured in my head," Kai thought.

But his inner mind begged to differ.

[Yeah, right. As if anyone could pull off what you're about to do. I bet even the great Agent ZeroSeven would die like a dog here. I'm telling you, Kai, it's suicide. Just give me the wheels, and we can get out of here.]

It was harsh. But it was reality.

[You can't turn back after this. You know that, right?]

Hearing the cynical voice inside his head finally showing a leaf of worry about him was heartwarming. But Kai knew it only worrying about himself.

Because after this, even he wouldn't be able to get himself out of the trouble he would be involved in. Even if he gave the chair away to his cynical friend, there was no saving him.

So Kai only scoffed as he gave his answer.

"And you know that we've long since passed the point of no return three months ago, right?"

[...]

"It's now our turn to throw the dice and hope for the best. If everything goes well, we might get to live with a few more days, with two or three limbs still attached..."

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