Chapter 2 – War Never Sleeps

The air was thick with smoke and the acrid stench of burning oil. Ryo's hands still trembled around the rocket launcher as the battlefield fell into an eerie silence. The cheers of the soldiers around him felt distant, like echoes in a dream he wasn't fully part of.

He had just taken down a War Walker.

He, an 18-year-old model kit nerd with zero combat experience, had just crippled a mechanical monster straight out of a dieselpunk nightmare.

> "Well, hero, you sure as hell made an impression. Look at them—grateful, relieved, completely unaware that you're still a clueless dumbass."

Ryo exhaled sharply, gripping his rifle as the system's voice rang in his head again.

> [LEVEL UP!]

Current Level: 2

New Ability Unlocked: Tactical Analysis

> Tactical Analysis: Highlights enemy weak points and provides strategic insights in combat.

"Wait, I can level up?" Ryo muttered.

> "No, I'm just handing out free power-ups for fun. Of course, you can, dumbass. You think you're surviving this war on pure luck?"

Before he could process that, a gruff voice snapped him back to reality.

"You! The hell's your name, soldier?"

Ryo turned to see a mountain of a man striding toward him, clad in a patched-up officer's coat. His face was weathered, lined with scars, and his sharp eyes locked onto Ryo with an intensity that made him stand at attention out of sheer instinct.

"Uh, Ryo Kisaragi, sir," he answered, before realizing he had no idea if that was the right response.

The officer narrowed his eyes. "Kisaragi? You're not from around here."

"No, sir, I—" Fuck. What was he supposed to say?

> "Don't break, rookie. Bluff it out."

Ryo clenched his jaw. He couldn't just say, Oh yeah, I got isekai'd here while trying to buy a model kit.

"I was… transferred from another regiment," he lied. "Got separated. This was the first trench I found."

The officer studied him for a long moment. Then, with a grunt, he nodded.

"Doesn't matter where you came from. You just brought down a Hellion War Walker with a single shot, and that means you've got balls." He clapped Ryo on the shoulder—hard. "Name's Captain Vos. Welcome to the 32nd Ironclad Infantry."

Ryo swallowed. "Thanks, sir."

Captain Vos turned to the rest of the soldiers. "Get moving! The Hellions don't retreat for long. We need to set up a defensive line before they send reinforcements!"

The men scrambled to obey, but as they moved, Ryo felt the ground tremble again.

A deep, rhythmic thud-thud-thud echoed in the distance.

His blood ran cold.

> "Ah. Well. This is unfortunate."

> [WARNING: HEAVY ENEMY PRESENCE DETECTED]

Across the war-torn plains, another War Walker appeared on the horizon.

No. Not just one.

Three.

No Rest for the Damned

Ryo's hands tightened around his rifle as the War Walkers advanced, steam hissing from their joints, their ironclad forms reflecting the burning sky.

The soldiers around him froze.

Vos cursed under his breath. "They're bringing in Shock Walkers already? Shit. We need heavy artillery—"

"Sir!" A scout ran up, gasping. "The 7th Battalion is supposed to be holding the artillery line, but—" He swallowed. "There's been no response from their outpost."

Vos's expression darkened. "They were our only artillery backup." He turned to Ryo. "If we don't take out those walkers before they reach us, we're all dead."

Ryo's mind raced. The Mystery Blueprint he had earned from the last fight—maybe it had something useful.

> "I was wondering when you'd remember that, dumbass."

> [ITEM UNLOCKED: EXPERIMENTAL DEMOLITION CHARGES]

Description: High-yield explosives designed for anti-mechanized warfare. Requires manual placement.

Ryo's stomach twisted. Manual placement.

That meant getting close.

"Captain," he said, forcing down his fear. "I think I have a way to take them out."

Vos raised a brow. "You better explain fast, son."

Ryo lifted the blueprint the system had displayed in his mind. "I can rig demolition charges on their legs, but someone has to get close enough to plant them."

Vos studied him. "That's suicide."

"Maybe," Ryo admitted. "But if I can cripple even one, our chances improve."

A grim silence settled.

Then Vos smirked. "You're either the bravest bastard I've met or the dumbest."

Ryo shrugged. "Little bit of both."

Behind Enemy Lines

Night had fallen by the time Ryo and a small squad of volunteers moved out. Crawling through the mud, they advanced toward the enemy position while the rest of the battalion prepared a diversion.

Every step felt like walking a tightrope over a pit of knives. The War Walkers' searchlights swept the field, illuminating wreckage and corpses. The closer they got, the more oppressive the air felt—like the very world wanted them dead.

> "If you get caught, don't expect a respawn."

Great. Thanks for the encouragement system.

When they reached the base of the first War Walker, Ryo's breath caught in his throat. Up close, it was monstrous, its steel plating scarred with battle damage. A moving fortress of death.

> Tactical Analysis Activated.

Weak Point Identified: Knee Actuator.

Bingo.

Ryo motioned for the others to cover him as he pulled out the demolition charge. His fingers trembled as he activated the timer. Forty seconds.

He pressed the charge against the joint, its adhesive fusing it to the metal.

> "One down. Two to go."

As he turned to move, something cold pressed against his neck.

A Hellion soldier.

Ryo froze. The man grinned, his uniform bearing the same crimson gear emblem as the War Walkers. His rifle was pressed against Ryo's throat, finger twitching on the trigger.

"Nice try, rat."

Ryo's mind went blank. Shit. He was dead.

Then—

A gunshot.

The Hellion's head snapped back, blood spraying as he crumpled to the ground.

Ryo turned, wide-eyed. One of his squadmates—Karin, a red headed sharpshooter—lowered her smoking rifle.

"You good?" she asked.

Ryo exhaled. "Yeah. Thanks."

"No time for thanks. Timer's ticking."

Right. Thirty seconds left.

"Let's go!"

They moved. The second charge went on. Then the third.

By the time they set the last charge, the Hellions were alert. Sirens blared. Gunfire erupted.

Vos's voice crackled through the radio. "They're onto you! Get out—now!"

Ryo's pulse skyrocketed. He bolted through the mud, bullets whizzing past.

Ten seconds.

His lungs burned. His legs ached.

Five.

A War Walker's turret locked onto him.

Three.

He dove into a trench just as the charges detonated.

BOOM!

The shockwave sent him tumbling. He barely had time to register the deafening roar as two War Walkers collapsed, their legs ripped apart.

The third began retreating.

The battle had turned.

As Ryo lay in the mud, gasping, the system chuckled.

> "Not bad, rookie. But you should probably get up before someone shoots you."