General Magnus tapped a button on the remote in his hand.
The briefing screen changed to a grainy video feed.
Massive, grainy—almost shaky—footage played across the screen.
A hulking metallic figure moved through the smoke and haze of Sector 2’s border.
It dwarfed the surrounding buildings, and each of its steps sent tremors through the ground.
A deep hum came from its chest, and its glowing visor lit the ruined roads in red.
General Magnus spoke again. “This is why.”
“That… is a Sentinel.” Someone muttered from the crowd.
The room grew quiet. Even the more experienced Awakeners stopped murmuring.
Isaac narrowed his eyes as he studied the robot on screen.
He’d seen pictures before, in old database entries and reports given to him by Professor Catherine during the classes.
But seeing a Sentinel in motion—even just on screen—was something else entirely. It didn’t move like a machine.
It moved like it was alive.
“For the past four weeks,” Magnus continued, “this Sentinel has been patrolling the border of Sector 2. That’s the only reason no monster has entered or left Zone 2, thus keeping the Pollination under control.
“After all, Monsters instinctively can tell the strength of their opponents. They know not to mess with Sentinels.”
Someone let out a low whistle.
General Magnus gave a slight nod. “For those unfamiliar, Sentinels were created by the Lost Civilization. They’re ancient, nearly impossible to replicate, and almost as strong as a Level 50 Champion awakened with a high-rank species.”
Someone gasped from the crowd.
“But power isn’t the only problem,” General Magnus went on. “Defeating or even attacking a Sentinel flags you as an intruder. The city’s entire defense system will turn on you immediately. Only a Lord—someone with recognized city ownership—can override that and stop the targeting.”
Isaac understood what that meant.
Sentinels weren’t just defense units.
They were part of the city’s system. Fighting them was the same as attacking the city itself.
“Normally,” General Magnus said, “Sentinels rotate through each sector, patrolling on a fixed path. But the one here is old. Its maintenance has long been delayed, and as a result, its pathing has glitched. It’s been stuck in a loop, walking Sector 2’s border for days.”
That accidental malfunction had become their blessing.
The monsters inside Sector 2 hadn’t dared step beyond the line. And if a Metavore had spread Pollination spores beyond the hive, they likely hadn’t made it beyond Sector 2.
Isaac glanced around. Most of the senior Awakeners were nodding.
All of them had known the area around Sector 2 was unusually dangerous because of the Sentinel there.
After the explanation, General Magnus moved on to the tactical assignments. He broke down squad placements, deployment timelines, and fallback routes. Everyone was expected to be ready by dawn two days from now. That would be the battle day.
“The day after tomorrow, you deploy,” General Magnus said, finishing the final slide. “Prepare your gear. Review your squad assignments. And make sure you’re ready to fight.”
People started nodding. The tension hadn’t gone down, but it was no longer confusion or panic. It was clarity.
They knew the threat.
And now, they knew the plan.
One by one, the Awakeners began to stand and leave the briefing hall.
Isaac stayed seated for a moment longer, letting everything sink in. His attention shifted only when someone stepped closer.
“I will give you a ride back home.” Celia’s voice came from his side. “You wouldn’t have any vehicle to back since we came here by teleportation.”
Isaac looked at her.
Celia was standing to the side with a small smile tugging at her lips. Her tone was casual. But before he could respond, he felt it.
A stare.
Cold, and intentional.
Vale.
Celia’s brother was boring holes into Isaac’s back with his stare.
“Celia,” Vale interrupted, “Isaac probably wants to go back with his team. They’ve got a lot to plan. The battle’s in two days. Don’t disturb him.”
His tone was polite, but unmistakably firm.
“Come on,” he added. “You’ve got to prep too.”
Celia’s lips twitched.
She loved her brother but oftentimes, he was overprotective.
Everyone in the city and guild respected Vale. And that respect, mixed with fear, meant very few people ever got close to her.
Celia looked back at Isaac with a touch of regret.
“I’ll go then,” she said, voice lower now. “See you soon.”
He gave a small nod, watching as she met with her guildmates with Vale.
Once they were out of his sight, he stood up, adjusted the strap on his shoulder, and started heading toward the exit. Just as he reached the door, a voice called out.
“Isaac! Over here!”
Emily was waving from the far side of the hallway. Next to her stood Alice, along with Freya, Nero, Kael, and a few others from their group.
Isaac made his way over. Emily looked too excited to stand still. Alice, on the other hand, didn’t even glance at him. She looked angry.
“…?”
Confused, he opened his system window and cast Inspect.
[Status (Emily): Excited to tell you she completed her Quest today itself.]
Just as expected. She’d probably been waiting all day to tell him about it.
Then he glanced at Alice. Her first status was the same as always and he checked her second status.
[Status 2 (Alice): Angry at herself.]
His brow furrowed.
’Angry at herself? Why?’
She wasn’t looking at him. Her gaze was focused somewhere else.
He followed her line of sight, only to realize she was looking at the corridor Celia and Vale had just walked down.
’What? Why would…?’
It didn’t make sense. Isaac could understand if Alice was irritated because of Celia, maybe even a little jealous. That reaction wouldn’t be surprising. But angry at herself?
He was still thinking about it when Emily grabbed his wrist.
“Come on! I’ve got good news. But I’m not telling you here. Let’s go home first!”
Alice gave a nod, still silent. Her expression remained unreadable, but she didn’t argue.
Isaac looked at her once, then turned to Emily and nodded. He left after saying goodbye to Kael, Nero and others.
They made their way toward the parking bay, where the same jeep Emily and Alice had arrived in earlier was waiting.
Emily took the passenger seat beside him, while Alice sat in the back, leaning slightly against the window.
As the jeep rolled out of the lot and into the smoother roads of the central sector, Emily started talking again. She was practically vibrating with energy.
“You won’t believe the day we had,” she said. “We were scouting near the Sector 3 outskirts, and out of nowhere, this Champion-rank lizard jumps out. Before I could react, another two popped up from behind. One of them even had acid breath, which would’ve been bad if Alice didn’t—oh right, Alice just charged at them, and beat them up.”
Isaac glanced sideways. “You were ambushed by Champion-ranked monsters?”
“Yeah. There were four, actually. Two insect-types and two reptilian ones. We think they were working together.”
“Did you get injured?” Isaac asked with concern.
“Of course not,” Emily replied with a casual shrug. “If it was really dangerous, Professor Catherine would’ve stepped in.”
Isaac blinked. That didn’t make sense.
Professor Catherine was with them? But she was with me the entire day.
He didn’t voice his thoughts.
Instead, he reached over with one hand while keeping the other on the steering wheel and gave Emily a quick pat on the head.
“Good work.”
She closed her eyes immediately, leaning into the gesture like a lazy cat. Her shoulders relaxed, and a soft hum escaped her lips.
Then, as if remembering something important, she suddenly sat up straighter.
“Oh! I forgot!” Her eyes lit up again. “I reached 100 in Agility today. And I got a title for it too!”
Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Not bad. What’s the title?”
“It’s called Wind-Kissed. I don’t know the exact effects yet, so I will test it tomorrow.”
“I see.” He smiled before adding, “You’re growing fast. Keep it up.”
Emily smiled sheepishly, clearly enjoying the praise. She slouched a little in her seat, looking satisfied.
Isaac, meanwhile, finally let his gaze drift to the rear-view mirror. Alice was still looking out of the window at the blurred scenery passing by.
Then he looked back at Emily.
Emily noticed his gaze.
That was what he wanted.
His message was clear.
’Why is she pissed?’
Emily let out a quiet, troubled smile. A small exhale followed, barely audible over the hum of the engine and tires on smooth road.
Then Alice’s voice cut through the silence.
“You can ask me directly if you have any questions.”
Isaac glanced back at the rear-view mirror.
Alice was no longer watching the window. She was staring straight at him, arms still crossed. Her voice was calm, but he could tell she was trying to suppress her anger.
“I’m just frustrated because I haven’t unlocked a single Talent Skill,” she sighed. “I’m still Level 3, and the way experience scales up between levels…
“I don’t think I’ll reach Level 5 before the Metavore Brood Hunt. I will be useless there even though everyone is depending on me.”
Alice was Apex-rank species. It made her extremely powerful. After all, she could already fight Champion rank monsters.
But the problem with an Apex species was simple.
High EXP demands.
Even high-rank species only saw a mild increase in EXP requirements. It didn’t get absurd until you stepped into Apex territory.
There, every level-up took multiple successful monster exterminations. With four Champion-rank monsters under her belt, Alice had leveled up only once.
He could imagine how frustrating that was.