Chapter 131: On the Other Side of the War

The group split up, each member taking their assigned strategic position. In the distance, the hive loomed like a living monstrosity, and new ant hordes were already marching out.

Tension mounted, but Luke didn’t stand around waiting for orders.

He had activated [Meditation], and Princess Charlie was resting within his soul. Time passed, and little by little, she began to regenerate what she had spent.

He opened her system interface.

A new subclass skill was available to choose. Three options:

[Focused Leap (Rare)]: A swift and precise jump, with concentrated momentum that launches the pugilist directly at the enemy.

[Energized Push (Rare)]: A stamina-infused shove that knocks enemies backward.

[Concentrated Kick (Rare)]: The pugilist channels all their strength into a single point, delivering a devastating kick with brutal power. The strike can knock the target down, break their stance, and interrupt actions.

Each option offered a different approach: mobility, control, or raw aggression.

Luke made a quick assessment. Focused Leap was useful, but Charlie already had [Spectral Charge], which covered similar ground. Energized Push offered field control, but against a swarm, knocking back a single enemy was rarely enough.

Concentrated Kick, on the other hand, was pure force. A strike that disrupted, destabilized, shattered defenses. That was what she needed.

[Princess Charlie has acquired the Second Class Skill: Concentrated Kick]

She didn’t need evasive maneuvers. She needed to crush enemies before they crushed their allies.

The kick also fit perfectly with her hybrid combat style. Even with a sword in one hand and a spectral shield in the other, her legs remained weapons—allowing her to seamlessly alternate between Death Knight and Pugilist.

This way, both classes could level together.

He opened her status screen:

Name: Princess Charlie
Level: 12
Rank: F
Class: [Death Knight (Lvl 22)]
2nd Class: Pugilist (Lvl 5)
Race: Skeleton
Titles: [Servant of the Dark Lord]
Health Points (HP): 950/950
Mana Points (MP): 580/580
Stamina: 1060/1060

Stats:
Strength: 111 (151)
Agility: 65
Endurance: 81 (106)
Vitality: 95
Perception: 46
Intelligence: 58
Free Points: 4

It was too late to focus on mana or perception. Luke needed to make sure she could survive.

Stats Updated (Princess Charlie):

Vitality: 95 -> 99
Free Points: 4 -> 0
Health Points (HP): 950/950 -> 990/990

He poured everything into Vitality. Charlie needed to last longer in battle.

Luke walked up to Allison. She stood quietly, staring down a partially ruined street lit by scattered bursts of magic and makeshift torches.

“Feels like we don’t get a single day of peace in this place…” she murmured, eyes fixed on the scene.

He stood beside her in silence for a few moments, watching the same street, before finally asking:

“So… is it true? Are you really from the Rhiannon family?”

Allison hesitated. “I-I… had my reasons for keeping that a secret.”

“It’s fine. Everyone has their secrets. I’m not judging.” Luke shrugged. “Besides, you already told me your family worked for the World Government. I just… didn’t realize you meant that kind of important.”

He turned his head toward her, offering a slight smile. “To be honest, even if you had told me your last name, I probably wouldn’t have known what it meant.”

Allison let out a soft laugh. “And you? Are you really just a regular guy from Maine?”

“Yeah. Just a regular guy from Maine… who wants to know what happened to his mother.”

Luke turned his gaze back to the street, his expression growing serious.

“That’s why I agreed to be integrated into the system. I always wanted to meet someone important. Someone with real power. And to do that… I had to stand out. Survive. Make it back to Earth.”

He looked at her, his eyes steady and direct.

“But now that I know who you are… if we make it out of this place alive… would you help me find out what happened to my mother during her tutorial?”

Luke tried to lighten the weight of the moment with a soft smile.

“I promise to give you my entire peanut butter stash. Assuming the ants haven’t eaten it all.”

Allison lowered her head slightly. “I… I’m sorry, Luke. If your mother died during a tutorial, that kind of information isn’t accessible to regular humans. The World Government only learns anything if someone actually makes it out.”

Luke sighed. “Yeah… I figured as much.”

She looked at him with more softness in her eyes.

“My family serves a god. But representing a god doesn’t mean we have direct access. Sometimes, the most we get is a message from an apostle—or not even that, just vague instructions. These gods came from other worlds. They’re not as reachable as people think.”

There was a pause, and then she added:

“But if we ever make it back to Earth… I’ll try. I promise. If there’s even the slightest chance to find out something, I’ll look into it. Consider it a debt I owe you.”

“Thank you,” Luke replied.

They stood in silence for a while, taking in the scene around them—the crumbling buildings, scattered ant corpses, the dark sky of the Safe Zone trembling with the distant booms of magical explosions.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“So this is it,” Allison said. “All we have to do now is kill a Beast General. Easy, right? You already did it with the orcs.”

She glanced sideways at him.

Luke gave a quiet chuckle. “That was pure luck. But I have a theory.”

“What theory?”

“Have you noticed Beast Captains always have higher levels than Orc Captains?”

Allison nodded slowly.

“Then… it’s very possible that the Beast General is stronger than Morvat.”

Before she could answer, screams echoed through the streets. Fighters scrambled into position. The sound of chitin striking stone, weapons being raised, and shouted commands filled the air.

The ants were coming.

Even the non-combatants from the Haven were firing support arrows, trying to ease the mana and stamina load on the main group.

The time had come.

Luke and Allison joined Angelica and the others, moving quickly toward the target.

They advanced side by side, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. The ground below trembled with the stampede of insect legs. The roars of battle were already rising.

And in the distance, looming on the horizon like a black tumor on the land…

Stood the hive.

***

Ahead, ten archers moved in tight formation, eyes sharp, every step calculated. They weren’t just support—they led the frontline, guided by Perception-based skills that turned each arrow into a homing missile. Living radars in motion.

“Another group incoming!” one of them called out.

Combatants summoned spears from their storage items, mana-charged weapons gleaming in the light, perfect for knocking enemies off buildings without closing the distance. A mage raised his arms, and spectral limbs burst from the ground, cradling chunks of debris like offerings to the sky. Then they launched—stone meteors crashing into ant clusters with devastating force. Warriors swept in behind, blades carving elegant arcs through chitin and muscle.

Allison leapt forward, katana drawn. Ice formed in the clouds above and then fell—a rain of crystalline stalactites, sharp enough to pierce steel.

But something shifted.

Arrows flew fast.

“Down!” an archer shouted.