A Failure's hopeful Journey

The moon was contrary to how it looked from Metropia to be, cold, dark, and gloomy. The moon was called Lumos. The place where the airship landed was called Epoch Base. It was a strong metal castle. The sides were guarded with sentries. All of them are equipped with the heaviest and strongest weaponry the squad has ever seen.

Maddison led them out, had them all stand in a neat square arrangement. Then she spoke to the commanding officer present on the base. She was relieving the stationed troops. The two people exchanged a scroll. This scroll was the supreme authority on the base. It can control the world array and also can call over the elder of the council to help them if the plightful situation occurs. 

Maddison asked a corporal to show the squad their barracks. Males and females were separated because this place needed them to be completely focused. If the two genders are indulged in lustful acts, then they will die, weakening the whole squad. Such a thing will then lead to more casualties. 

Too paranoid, I know, but what would you do if you are in an area where you can be called to rush out, face demons, and other ugly stuff leading to their deaths? You Xi Wang and the others had no complaint and quickly got used to the accommodation. 

One squad, boys. The same room for girls as well. The people had just settled in when Maddison called out the Captain and the lieutenant rank officers for a briefing. You Xi Wang and the others reacted quickly and rushed. It took them two minutes to arrive. 

Maddison spoke in a cold voice, "First time, accepted, but the next time you are called. I need you to be here in one minute. I don't care whether you are sleeping, shitting, or dead from fapping in the bathroom. One minute is one minute or I will throw you out of the base with one weapon and no food. Get It?"

The officers reacted, "Sir, yes, sir." their voices were loud and clear. Maddison nodded and said, "You are all new, so I am not letting you go out alone. For the first week, you all will follow 9 captains present on the base and learn from them. Then you can go out and venture on your own."

She spoke after a pause, "The meals here are food pills, so forget about any lavish lunches. You have ten minutes to gather up your teams and report to the assembly grounds. You Xi Wang stay behind. The rest are dismissed."

The rest of the people left in a hub-bub. Maddison said to You Xi Wang, "Your battle prowess is good. But I need to you master the topology of this place. You are to take a buggy and venture out, you will be accompanied by Deputy Commander Rias." she pointed at a sturdy man behind her. 

You Xi Wang immediately saluted the man, who nodded at him. Maddison said, "DC Rias, you can take over."

The man nodded and stepped forward. He said, "Come, we leave now. Do you have your weapons and food pills on you?"

You Xi Wang nodded and the two people left the command station. Rias pointed at a lev buggy and said, "Are you capable of driving?"

You Xi Wang nodded as he said, "Sir, yes, Sir."

Rias gave him a card, "You drive, I navigate."

The boy did not hesitate and sat down in the driver's seat. The vehicle vroomed out like a bullet. The DC nodded at this. He gave You Xi Wang pointers, and the boy moved accordingly with no hesitation. Rias suddenly said, "Stop."

You Xi Wang pressed the brakes and waited for the next instructions. The sturdy men said, "The dark creature hotspots have three types, Alpha, Beta, Gamma. The difference is not the danger but the type of creatures you will encounter. Gamma is for bugs and swarms. Beta is where the monster beasts gather, and Alpha is Humanoids such as Demon minions and demon commanders. The spot we are at now. Is a Beta spot."

Rias pointed his fingers to small flags standing 100 meters ago from them. He said, "Those flags are the boundary of our base. Every time a team ventures inside they will carry such flags and when they clear up some area. These flags will be buried in the land. They are a set of small arrays which together form a greater array. No one may venture out for over 3 hours a day. Dark energy can corrupt people."

You Xi Wang nodded. Rias spoke again, "I will give you a map later, right now I need to see how much pressure you can handle. Okay? Go you have an hour, hunt as much as you can."

These words had just dropped and You Xi Wang rushed forward. His fists were shining with a golden light. The boy was fast and took out his spirit weapons. He had just crossed the barrier threshold and a black figure charged at him. His fists landed on the black figure. It was difficult to discern the shape of the figure, so You Xi Wang infused spiritual energy in his eyes. 

The dark fog in the environment cleared. In front of You Xi Wang stood an arachnid. The boy quickly took out his dagger and charged. The fight did not last long, but the battle was just starting. You Xi Wang used all his means except for his martial spirit. 

His movements were all under the scrutiny of Rias. The veteran was shocked to see a teenager grinding dark creatures with such ease and skill. In an hour You Xi Wang had dealt with over 50 beasts, the average time taken per beast was one minute and few seconds. Guess how big of a battle maniac he was. His actions were all cruel. At a point, he even stabbed his spear up a beast's ass. 

Then next moment he used a beast to fend off a sneak attack by leading the foe into it. This was what Rias wanted from him. If he was soft-hearted or mushy, then despite the recommendation of supreme commanding officer Victoria, he would have thrown the kid back on a ship heading home. 

You Xi Wang did not stop until Rias called him back. He patted his shoulder and said, "You are good, kid. Let's go back, I will tell you other things on the way back." 

The boy nodded and took up the driving position again. This time Rias did not navigate, You Xi Wang had memorized the whole way from where he came in one time only. The reason was simple. Here there were no roads. Only shortest and smoothest pass. They were navigated through with the help of landmarks. 

These landmarks were weird cliffs, mounds, and craters. They all had a human element about them. Yes, in the past the warring forces left them as signboards. They all stood out of the natural harmony because the humans manipulated with them.

Back at the settlement, You Xi Wang and Rais walked back to the Command Center. Rias had the boy follow him to his own office and there he was given a map, a rule book, and a list of things he was supposed to do when he was not venturing. 

Rias asked, "Do you have questions?"

You Xi Wang spoke, "Sir, do we not get to go to the ancient ruins here?"

Rias smiled as he replied, "The ancient ruins you speak about are the places the human experts settled back in the days. They started their own sects. The moon was like a training field for those experts. When the lost day took place they activated many defensive means in the sects but nothing could stop the massacre. The thing is that the defense is still going strong. So wait before you get your chance to look for a fortune. Go take a rest, you will be on call later."

You Xi Wang saluted and left the room.

As soon as he left, Maddison walked in to meet Rias. She asked, "How was it?"

Rias saluted as he replied, "50 beasts in a minute. I cannot explain to you how cruel he was, boss. Also, he now knows the way to the first Beta sector. A good seed. I have Igor leading him for a week. Do you think it is okay?"

Maddison nodded and said, "Good, I was thinking whom to allocate him to. Good job."

...

While the two were talking with such a fitness. You Xi Wang was dreaded to see his squad members who just returned from their scouting drill. The boy could do nothing but only sympathize with them. These dark beasts were difficult to deal with. His phantom team was still the better one, as they all just meditated.

You Xi Wang also sat down in meditation. He wanted to enhance his cultivation as he waited for an opportunity to explore the ancient ruins.