Sinner System-Chapter 490: Debrief

"Alright, let’s have a quick debrief and then all head home. How have you guys been holding up?" I inquired, as I slumped back with a weary sigh.

"U-Um, it’s p-pretty tough, but I-I’m starting to get used t-to it now," Responded Iqra, stifling a yawn.

"Yeah, that about sums it up, I’d say. It was pretty overwhelming at first...and, well, it still is. But I’m definitely starting to handle myself a lot better than before, I’m getting used to the intensity," Added Brid with a thumbs up.

It was the end of the day, we’d just return to the Sanctuary after wrapping things up for today.

I was currently at the Sinners Guild, along with the others who were involved in these raids. Aria and Cleo, of course, plus Iqra, Brid, Damien and Ferna. Wrest and Lector were completely drained and passed out by the time they got back.

So far, we haven’t had any casualties among the Sinners Guild’s members, and I’d like to keep it that way. I don’t know realistic that is, but even so...

"My last raid of the day got pretty dicey. One of the Ace Combatants leading the party got killed, and the rest of the party barely managed to survive. The HUC said they’ll be reducing the number of Ace parties by one or two, since some of the current parties have lost too many members to keep going, so they’ll be reshuffling us to even things out," Ferna informed me.

"The last couple of years really were just the calm before the storm. When the Dungeons became unpredictable, we struggled...and now, that feels like it was nothing compared to the current situation. We’ll die fighting...but we’ll die nonetheless," Sighed Damien, staring off into space.

"Come on, our defeat isn’t set in stone, you know. I mean, yeah, it’s an uphill battle-...," Began Aria.

"Uphill? No, that’s an understatement...what we’re attempting is closer to trying to scale a cliff, while upside down and backwards, with our hands and feet bound."

"Huh, that’s a pretty interesting visual. Gotta say, it’s pretty fascinating how your mind works, dude," Responded Brid with a bemused look on his face.

"If we’re all going to die anyway, we might as well just do whatever we want for these last few days, indulge in our every desire and go out with a bang," Damien shrugged dryly.

"I kinda get where he’s coming from. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t agree with what he said, but...this routine is pretty rough. Fighting endless swarms of Monsters for about fifteen hours, maybe an hour or two of downtime after that, then sleep, and then repeat. And I’m not even doing any actual fighting, so I’ve probably got it a lot easier than the rest of you," Spoke up Ferna.

"Well, some people seem to be sharing Damien’s mindset about this. There’s been a significant uptick in crime lately. The lower-ranked Hunters have been assigned to police it, but it’s starting to get out of control," I remarked with a grimace.

Can’t say I don’t understand it, though...this situation must be extra rough on those who don’t have powers, the people who are completely helpless against the impending threat facing us.

"There’s only three days left before the Stampedes, right? Thousands of Stampedes all at once, several million Monsters...yeah, why even bother?" Muttered Damien, letting out a wistful sigh.

"H-Hey, um...is this really the right course of action? I-I mean...we’re all so drained and exhausted. E-Especially mentally, I-I feel so burnt out. U-Um, thanks to the Enchanters, the f-fatigue is manageable, b-but I feel like my mind is about to break. I-It’s fine during the first three or four raids of the day, b-but after that, i-it just feels...too much," Chimed in Cleo quietly.

"Yeah, I’ve discussed this with Aria and the other X-Aces, they agree. We’ve raised the issue to the HUC, and they’re thinking about letting us ease off for the last day or two before the Stampedes, so that we’ll have some extra time to rest and get refreshed before shit hits the fan," I informed her.

"While it will make things easier the more Monsters we cut down before the Stampedes, it won’t make much of a difference if we’re too drained to fight at our best after that," Added Aria with a nod.

"It’s too bad we don’t have the weapons of mass destruction that used to exist in the era before the Monsters showed up," Mused Brid thoughtfully.

"Well, those weapons weren’t all that effective against stronger Monsters, Magic was a hell of a lot more effective," I pointed out.

I mean, nukes would probably do some damage, but if we blasted these Dungeons with a bunch of nukes, we’d get affected too.

I suppose it’s a moot point, seeing that nukes don’t exist anymore.

"The Union’s research teams are working on countermeasures, right? Have they made any progress on that front?" Cleo asked me.

"Last I heard...not really. They’ve got a couple of promising options in the works, but the question is whether they’ll actually be able to get those options in working order in time. We’ve only got three-...actually, more like two and half...-days left, after all."

"Well, that’s not particularly encouraging," Responded Brid, the atmosphere in the room starting to feel pretty bleak.

The collective exhaustion definitely isn’t helping with the mood.

"Yeah...we’re all gonna die," Sighed Damien, after a brief silence.

"I know this is easier said than done, but...let’s try to be a bit more optimistic about our predicament. Alright, let’s all head home now, it’s getting pretty late, and we need to get some rest," I suggested, feeling pretty damn sleepy.

"Sounds good, I can definitely use some sleep," Nodded Brid, as he got back onto his feet, his knees wobbling slightly.

"Don’t worry...soon enough, we’ll sleep for eternity, never to wake again," Responded Damien morbidly. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Well, to be fair...I suppose he isn’t really being any different to how he usually is.