What is needed to face an army of unprecedented scale?
There are many factors to consider, but I chose rest above all else.
["...What are you doing?"]
"I'm going to sleep."
["Huh?"]
After a light soak in the hot spring, I lay down inside the tent within the hideout.
Considering the upcoming wave, it might seem excessively laid-back, but people just didn't understand.
Since the battle ahead would be a war far beyond anything I'd faced before, I had to rest properly while I still could.
"I'm going to sleep now."
["Wait... what?"]
Esther mumbled something, but I was too used to ether keeping me up at night to be bothered. By now, it almost felt like a lullaby.
Even so, despite being exhausted, I couldn't fall asleep easily—probably because my mind was too cluttered with thoughts.
'The Ark, the Shadow Order, the Wave, the Church of Morte, the Kronos Union...'
The Ark had many enemies.
And that meant they were my enemies too.
And what about the enemies within the Ark itself?
'Even though things are calm now, the internal conflicts will only grow worse with time.'
It wasn't just the schemes of the Shadow Order—there was something inherently divisive about the very structure of the Ark itself.
'But that doesn't mean unifying the lines is the right answer either.'
I had seen the consequences of unification countless times through the Shadow Order route.
Civil War. Death. Destruction.
Then how could I protect the Ark from this cursed world?
I had no answer.
I had never found the right answer to begin with.
Considering the future, the looming multi-wave crisis might end up being the least of my problems.
'...I don't know.'
No matter how much I thought about it while lying down, no conclusion came to mind.
Fragments of my past gameplay from The Defense floated through my thoughts.
Countless routes and outcomes.
But among them all, I couldn't find the name Carl Marcus anywhere.
'Who is Carl Marcus?'
Who am I?
For the first time since coming to this world, I found myself pondering that question.
Am I Carl Marcus?
Or am I someone else entirely?
Or perhaps...
"..."
With no clear answer in sight, my consciousness gradually faded away.
Darkness embraced me.
*
[Wake up...]
A voice echoed.
I didn't know whose it was.
But for some reason, it felt oddly familiar.
[Wake up...]
Upon hearing the voice a second time, I realized it was a dream.
Still, it was a strangely vivid dream.
[Wake up...]
When I heard the voice a third time, suspicion crept in.
Who was it?
It was definitely a voice I didn't recognize, yet it felt familiar.
What a strange dream.
[Wake up...]
The voice became clearer, more defined.
[Wake up...]
It was approaching me.
When I finally noticed it, something faint and hazy was rippling around me.
What is this?
It felt like I was drifting alone on a vast, open sea.
The presence surrounding me was so immense that I couldn't put it into words.
[Carl... Marcus...]
This sensation was definitely different from an ordinary dream.
A terrible nightmare.
Or something else entirely.
[Find me.]
The once faint voice rang out clearly—
And a colossal light flared.
*
With a burst of light, my eyes shot open.
The first thing I saw was Esther's face, staring down at me.
["Ahem, ahem..."]
When she noticed I was awake, Esther cleared her throat awkwardly, as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't have.
It was such a human-like reaction despite there being no need for it.
["You're awake?"]
"...Did you call me?"
["Huh? Oh... yeah. You wouldn't wake up, so I had to wake you myself."]
"Why?"
["I thought you might be dead."]
"What?"
I sat up.
I just slept—how could she think I was dead?
["No, seriously. You didn't move an inch for a whole day, so I thought you might've kicked the bucket."]
"A whole day?"
["Yeah, technically about 25 hours."]
"I slept that long?"
I couldn't believe it.
Ever since I came to this world, even with the help of medicinal herbs, I had never slept so soundly.
The insomnia and countless penalties plaguing my body wouldn't have allowed it.
'I slept for 25 hours straight?'
No matter how exhausting yesterday's battle was...
'...No, I've fought worse before. It doesn't add up.'
But the fact that I had slept that long was undeniable—my head, which usually felt heavy, was astonishingly light.
Not only that, but my entire body felt refreshed, filled with energy I hadn't felt in ages.
While I was still lost in confusion—
[You have heard the voice of the Great Spirit!]
[Ether resonance has greatly increased!]
[25 -> 28]
'...The voice of the Great Spirit?'
Only one thing came to mind.
That mysterious, bizarre dream from last night.
A dream that seemed both like a nightmare and a meaningless ramble.
'So, it wasn't just a dream?'
I didn't know much about the Great Spirit, but I knew one thing.
'Kurilta said that Carl Marcus is a descendant of the Great Spirit.'
Not only Kurilta's words, but also when I had looked into Carl Marcus's information long ago, I had seen similar phrases.
'I don't know exactly what's going on... but the important thing is that my Ether level is almost at 4.'
There were still countless questions, but I had no way to find answers right now, so I focused on the change that had just occurred.
Once Ether resonance surpasses 31, one becomes classified as a Level 4 Ether Adaptor.
Technically, my current Ether resonance is at 28, but with the [Path of the Hero] trait and the enhancement serum effects adding another 16, my effective resonance reaches 44.
In pure numbers, it's not just Level 4 but bordering on Level 5.
However, auxiliary effects like enhancement serums don't fundamentally raise the innate resonance, just the output.
It's like keeping the same engine but boosting the power output.
This principle doesn't only apply to Ether resonance but to all other stats as well.
'Still, it's not like the boost is useless.'
If a pure Ether resonance of 40 faced off against someone whose resonance was boosted to 40 through enhancement, the pure resonance would hold a slight edge.
But since the raw power itself is similar, the difference wouldn't be significant.
Whether it's through enhancement serums or the [Path of the Hero] trait, higher stats are always beneficial.
'Whatever the case... I just need to do what I must.'
The mystery of Carl Marcus lingered in my mind, but I pushed it aside and stood up.
["Are you moving already? Are you okay?"]
"Yeah."
["You don't have to push yourself this time. Just leave it to the Ark—"]
"No."
I cut her off, and Esther pouted with her lips sticking out.
Because of her unique appearance, the expression looked strangely cute, but I averted my gaze.
"Horus."
[Kieet!]
I mounted Horus's back.
Having slept for an entire day, I figured it was about time to get moving again.
["You're going back to that hell again?"]
"No. This time, it's different."
["Different how?"]
"I'm not the one going this time."
["...What? "]
Esther seemed to sense something was off and followed my gaze.
Countless dots were gathering in the sky beyond the horizon.
At first glance, it looked like a flock of migratory birds, but the problem was that their size far exceeded that of mere birds.
'Should I call this good timing... or bad luck...'
As soon as I woke up, the wave had begun to take shape.
Or maybe... I woke up because the wave was coming.
[Ugh, ugh...]
[They're coming. They're coming. They're coming. They're coming. They're coming. They're coming. They're coming. They're coming. They're coming. They're coming.]
[Kill them all.]
Sensing the war approaching, even the Ether within me stirred restlessly.
The more aggressive Ether types started to mix, different from how they had been before.
The sky, slowly turning black, gave way to the sight of the beast horde appearing over the horizon.
The fact that a multi-wave had officially begun meant one thing:
'It means they've gathered at least two full wave forces.'
Though I had cut down a significant number, the scale was still incomparably larger than before.
As the wave fully awakened, the Ark also began preparing for war.
It seemed that the warning I gave to Lieutenant Imosha had proven useful, as the fortifications looked even more robust than before, even from a distance.
At that moment—
[You have delivered highly important and significant information to the Ark.]
[Honor stat has increased.]
[1 -> 2]
[Due to the 'Path of the Hero' trait, all stats have increased.]
[(+1) -> (+2)]
'Hoo...'
Apparently, the rise in honor stats occurred only after my information was confirmed as accurate.
'If my information had been false, I would've lost honor instead.'
Still, that was unlikely to happen.
Despite everything, I was on the Ark's side.
I gripped the bone tentacle reins on Horus.
This time, I didn't plan to fight from within the Ark or Mount Noah's peaks. I would fight directly on the front lines.
'I've already prepared to some extent.'
The Grade-1 Insectoid: Queen Bee was dead.
The Grade-2 Aerial Beast: Red-Winged Wyvern and Grade-2 Rock Monster: Demon Statue Gargoyle were seriously injured.
Even if new beasts had joined the horde, not many would be able to challenge me as I soared through the sky on Horus.
'Even if they did join... if I can draw their attention, the Ark's frontline will be much more secure.'
Despite the risk, it was worth it.
[Kieeeek!]
Horus spread his wings wide.
With the beast horde approaching, there was no time to waste.
'I'll have to circle around the Ark's anti-air defense.'
[Kieet!]
The Ark's anti-air surveillance was fully activated.
Even though this was Noah's Heights, it was better to take a safer route.
With Horus's speed, even taking a detour wouldn't delay us much.
Before the beast horde reached the Ark's range, Horus and I arrived at their location.
["That's a ridiculous number."]
Esther grumbled, sounding genuinely fed up.
I couldn't agree more.
[Kraaaaaaaaah!]
[Grooooar!]
Looking down at the beast horde from the sky felt like staring at a massive swarm of insects.
Actually, that wasn't too far from the truth, since many insect types were mixed in.
'Let's start with a wide-area debuff.'
Before the real battle began, I needed to crush their morale as much as possible.
"Janus!"
At my call, Janus's bone tentacles trembled violently.
['Ankelenth's Roar' activated!]
The bone tentacles resonated, creating a massive reverberation.
[GROOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH────!!!!]
A colossal roar, born from Ankelenth, marked the beginning of this war.