System Awakening Era: I Have 10x Skill Effects-Chapter 12: Battle in The Early Morning

The man allowed Aamon to enter. Aamon stepped inside and looked around the military base, which wasn’t very crowded.

Many of the people living inside the complex were already asleep. Aamon’s steps slowed when five elite members looked at him.

"I’ve never seen him before."

"Maybe he’s a survivor from another city."

Aamon looked back at them, then continued walking when the man called his name again.

The two of them entered the headquarters building and stopped on the second floor, right in front of the commander’s office.

"Let’s just hope the commander isn’t asleep yet."

"Commander!"

The man called for his commander several times. His voice echoed through the quiet hallway.

But after calling several times, there was no response from inside the room.

"Looks like she’s already asleep."

"She?" Aamon asked.

"The City Army Commander is a woman. Why?"

"Nothing."

It was a bit surprising that a woman was leading such a large force.

Since the commander was asleep, the man didn’t dare disturb her. He invited Aamon to leave and walked toward the field where many tents had been set up.

They were emergency tents meant to house large numbers of people. Elite members and civilians were placed in the same area. There was no distinction.

"Captain Lucas?"

One of the soldiers approached and greeted Lucas, the captain of the frontline unit. Lucas’s arrival at the emergency camp clearly surprised the female soldier.

"He’s an elite member from Chicago. I wanted to bring him to speak with the commander, but it looks like she’s asleep."

"Take him to an empty tent. Give him food and a blanket," Lucas said.

"Understood, Captain."

Lucas turned and lightly patted Aamon’s shoulder.

"For now, rest here until tomorrow. I’ll come back to get you later."

"Alright. Thank you, Captain Lucas."

The man cleared his throat in acknowledgment and walked away while Aamon followed the female soldier who guided him to one of the empty tents.

The curtain was pulled aside.

Inside the tent were eighteen people: twelve elderly or middle-aged individuals, and the other six were elite members.

Only the elite members were still awake. The older people were already fast asleep.

When the female soldier arrived, the six elite members immediately stood up straight and saluted.

"He’ll be staying here."

"Yes, ma’am," they replied in unison.

Aamon stepped inside through the tent curtain. Two of the female elite members were briefly stunned by Aamon’s handsome face and pale skin, even though they realized he was still a teenager.

"Get some rest here. I’ll come back with food for you."

"Thank you," Aamon said.

The female soldier nodded and left the tent.

Aamon walked in and sat on the floor of the tent. Some of the elite members began asking about his identity.

He told them basic things about himself, like his name and his hometown. Aamon didn’t explain any deeper details, such as his class or the items in his inventory.

From what he heard, the six elite members had only been appointed earlier that day, officially promoted by the army commander.

They had killed monsters before to trigger the system and activate their loot. However, they had never actually fought monsters directly on the streets.

"What about you? How many contribution points do you have?" one of the women asked.

"I’ve killed plenty of monsters. That’s all you need to know," Aamon replied.

"Oh, really?"

Aamon nodded.

The female soldier returned and handed him a can of food. Aamon opened it and ate while continuing to chat with them.

Since they had just been selected today, there was a high chance they would be sent to the front lines tomorrow.

They looked excited, eager to kill monsters like in a game.

Aamon listened to their enthusiasm. He couldn’t really blame them. Hunting monsters was something completely different from their ordinary lives before all this.

After finishing his dinner, Aamon took a blanket.

"Get some rest. You all need it more than I do."

"Aamon’s right. We should sleep soon so we’ll be fresh and ready for the mission tomorrow."

They listened to him. Even the man, who was older than Aamon, obediently agreed.

Aamon didn’t really care.

He didn’t know what their future would look like, but he believed it was better not to interfere with their lives.

There was something important Aamon needed to do.

***

The next day.

Aamon woke up and found that the six people from last night were already gone. Most likely, they had already left the tent and begun their first mission as elite members.

He stood up, opened the tent curtain, and stepped outside.

There were many people moving around as usual, most of them elderly or middle-aged.

Among them, the female soldier from yesterday approached Aamon.

"So you’re awake, Aamon."

"What?" Aamon asked.

"Lucas can’t escort you. There was a wave of monster attacks this morning. The military and the elite members have been sent out to secure the situation," the woman explained.

"I’ll be the one taking you to Commander Nana’s office."

Aamon gave a short nod.

He followed the female soldier from behind, stopping several times as he witnessed battles happening on the city streets.

The number of monsters was far higher than yesterday.

Inside the military building, several staff members were busy with administrative work for the troops.

The female soldier stopped and knocked on the door to Commander Nana’s office.

"Only three hours have passed, and 13 elite members are already dead! How the hell did you train them?!" someone shouted from inside. It was a woman’s voice, sharp and furious.

From what could be heard inside, the commander seemed overwhelmed by the problems facing her troops in the city.

The door opened.

Aamon entered the room and saw five people inside—four men and one woman.

The four men stood there with their heads lowered, helplessly being scolded by the woman wearing military insignia and a commander’s cloak.

"Who is he?!" Nana demanded, her eyes sharp.

"He’s Aamon. An elite member sent from Chicago for a special mission," the female soldier replied.

"Chicago? So you’re reinforcements?!" Nana asked bluntly.

"No. Not exactly. My assignment is—"

"Good thing you came," Nana interrupted, turning toward the four men in front of her. "Assign him to the northern district. His focus is to assist the troops there." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"What?! You’re sending me to fight there?!" Aamon asked.

Nana turned back toward him.

"That’s right. Do you have a problem with that?"

"If you do, I can kill you right now!" Nana snapped harshly. "I don’t need cowardly men!"