The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations (light Novel)

A soldier of the allied forces yawned lazily atop the massive fortress.

“Yaaaawn... so boring.”
It had already been two months since they arrived at this place.
At first, everyone had been tense. Though the details were unclear, rumors of a massive monster horde and even a dragon had made their rounds.

But as time passed, tension gradually gave way to complacency.
Looking back on it, there really didn’t seem to be a reason to be scared. No matter how strong the monsters or the dragon were, could they really overcome this colossal fortress and its enormous army?
The soldier glanced over his shoulder.

“Damn... just looking at this makes me feel invincible.”
Over a hundred massive trebuchets stood in perfectly aligned rows.
That wasn’t all. Hundreds of knights and dozens of mages were stationed and on standby.

The sheer number of soldiers alone approached fifty thousand.
Hunters had also been assigned to each fortress, as they were veterans in dealing with monsters.
And now, Fenris Mercenaries, the largest mercenary group on the continent, had been summoned and deployed across all the fortresses.

Each fortress was armed to the teeth, with a concentration of forces that made it a nearly impregnable stronghold. Over ten such fortresses lined the base of the Shadow Mountains.
It was obvious that most monsters wouldn’t even get close before being obliterated.
With such overwhelming power in their favor, the soldiers had grown increasingly relaxed, chatting idly.

“Man, I thought we’d be going home after the war.”
“Right? Instead, they drag us here to fight monsters all of a sudden.”
“Well, it’s still better than the war, isn’t it? These monsters are weaker than I thought, too.”

Indeed, there had been sporadic appearances of monsters. However, they numbered only in the hundreds at most and were crushed by trebuchet fire long before they could approach the fortress.
Since there hadn’t been any real fighting, the soldiers had grown complacent over time.
One of the hunters clicked his tongue in disapproval as he watched the soldiers’ lax behavior.
“Hey, don’t get too comfortable. Monster waves aren’t something to be taken lightly.”

The soldiers scoffed at his warning.
“What are you so scared of? There are more of us than them.”
“At this rate, they won’t even get close to the fortress.”

“Aren’t hunters supposed to be experienced with monsters? Why are you more scared than we are?”
The hunter’s irritation was evident, but he continued firmly.
“This is the frontline fortress. When the monster wave starts, this will be the first place they hit, and the largest horde will come through here. So what’s so funny?”

This fortress was the closest to the mountain range among the line of fortresses. It was situated in a bottleneck where most monsters were expected to emerge.
In the worst-case scenario, this fortress would be abandoned. It was designed to buy time for the other fortresses to prepare if an overwhelming number of monsters broke through.
Because of this, there was a backup fortress stationed further behind. The soldiers here were expected to fight to the death, unlike those at the other locations.

Despite the hunter’s stern words, the soldiers remained nonchalant.
“Well, that’s why the largest force is stationed here, isn’t it?”
“Have you ever seen monsters get past an army this big?”

“You’re a hunter, so I guess you wouldn’t understand. This is the allied army that won the war.”
The hunters of Turian hadn’t participated in the war. Instead, they had focused on monitoring the monsters as they fought against the rift and hunted any that strayed from the area.
Afterward, they had been assigned to the fortresses, occasionally climbing the Shadow Mountains.

Julien and Marquis Gideon had only brought their regular forces to join the allied army, so the hunters were unfamiliar with the army’s might.
The hunter sighed. He understood why the soldiers were acting this way.
“Maybe they’re right. With a force like this, we might really handle a monster wave easily...”

Even he had to admit that he had never seen such a massive concentration of forces at a single fortress before.
A Fenris mercenary approached, patting the hunter on the shoulder with a grin.
“Don’t let it bother you. It’s just that our jobs are different, so we don’t see things the same way.”

The mercenaries, unlike the soldiers, remained tense. They trusted that Ghislain wouldn’t have ordered such meticulous preparations without reason.
And so, the soldiers, hunters, and mercenaries continued to stand by, subtly keeping each other in check.
Occasionally, monsters appeared, but they numbered only in the hundreds. The soldiers barely reacted when they saw them.

Screeech!
In the distance, monsters began creeping closer. What started as a handful soon grew to dozens, then hundreds.
“Ah, there they go again.”

“There are a few more today than usual.”
“So what? A few shots from the trebuchets, and that’s it.”
“They might as well come in one big group. Would save us some trouble.”

“Pfft, exactly. It’d be better to finish them off all at once.”
Laughing casually, they began loading the trebuchets.
Even the officers didn’t reprimand the relaxed soldiers. For them, too, life in the fortress had become monotonous.

“Fire!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At the officer’s command, the trebuchets unleashed their payload. The monsters were obliterated before they could get anywhere near the fortress.

The soldiers grinned triumphantly as they watched.
“Man, sometimes I feel bad for them.”
“Yeah, why do they keep coming when they don’t stand a chance?”

“Monsters are dumb. The real chore is collecting more rocks for the trebuchets.”
Collecting stones was indeed the hardest task for the soldiers. Though Ghislain had ordered a massive stockpile of boulders, they were required to replenish any they used.
Boom! Boom! Boom!

The attacks went on longer than usual. The monsters at the front had long since been reduced to pulp.
As the dust settled, one soldier frowned.
“Hey, there’s a few more coming.”

Grumbling, the soldiers launched another volley of boulders.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Wait, there’s more behind them?”

“Yeah, there really are more today.”
“But it’s just a few dozen, right?”
Boom! Boom! Boom!

More trebuchet fire followed. Slowly, the soldiers began noticing something strange.
“More… are coming?”
“Why... why don’t they seem to be decreasing?”

“What the hell is that?”
It wasn’t as if their numbers had suddenly skyrocketed. Yet, no matter how many they killed, the monsters just kept appearing.
To get a better look, the soldiers paused the trebuchet fire and turned their gaze toward the approaching horde.

Initially, it had only been a few dozen. But in the short time they had watched, the numbers had swelled to hundreds, then thousands.
The writhing mass of monsters seemed to stretch wider and wider, spreading like a living tide. Within moments, the horde had grown to tens of thousands.
Unlike before, their numbers were increasing at an alarming rate.

For the first time, tension began to creep across the soldiers’ faces.
“Are... are they multiplying?”
“They’re growing way too fast!”

“Inform the officers! Quickly, alert them!”
By now, the monster horde had ballooned into tens of thousands. The writhing, churning mass of creatures stretched as far as the eye could see, consuming the horizon.
Each blink of an eye brought a terrifying expansion of the living tide, as though it were a single, sentient organism.

Screeech!
Roooar!
The earth trembled as the monstrous roars reverberated in every direction.

The deafening cries, wild and feral, felt like they could freeze the hearts of those who heard them.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Massive ogres, mountainous trolls, and snarling bugbears moved, each step shaking the ground beneath them. Their weight uprooted trees and pulverized boulders.

Screech!
Winged predators such as wyverns and griffons swarmed the skies, forming a dark, oppressive cloud that blotted out the sun, plunging the land into shadow. Their sharp claws, talons, and fangs gleamed ominously, casting a pall of death over everything.
Below, countless smaller monsters surged forward like an unstoppable tidal wave. ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) They covered the earth like a living carpet, consuming everything in their path.

It was an apocalyptic sight—an all-encompassing disaster barreling toward the fortress.
"Emergency! Emergency! It's a monster wave! The monster wave has begun!"
"Everyone to your positions! Move quickly!"

"Full offensive! Stop them before they reach the walls!"
The voices of commanders rang out across the fortress as soldiers scrambled into position, their faces pale with fear.
Until now, they had thought little of the monsters, dismissing them as insignificant. None of them had ever faced a monster wave in Turian Kingdom before.

Reports from other fortresses had spoken of fewer forces being able to hold off such waves, which only bolstered their overconfidence.
The hunters watching the approaching horde muttered grimly to themselves.
"This is… nothing like what we've seen before."

"Someone earlier said they wished they’d come all at once... How unlucky of them."
"Once again, the Duke of Fenris was right."
This was unlike any other monster wave. It felt as if every single monster in the Shadow Mountains had erupted at once.

Had such a wave occurred in the past, the fortresses would have been annihilated long ago.
Watching the endless tide of monsters, the hunters felt a shiver run down their spines.
"And to think… this isn’t even all of them…."

The Shadow Mountains stretched far and wide. At every chokepoint guarded by a fortress, hordes like this were undoubtedly surging forth.
Those further back would take longer to arrive, but they would come eventually.
Even seasoned hunters were stunned into silence by the sheer scale of the advancing horde.

Amid the chaos, however, some stood undeterred, ready for battle.
"Relax! Didn’t the commander already tell us this was going to happen?"
"He said we’d be able to stop them! Don’t lose your nerve!"

"I’m not scared. Are you the one who’s nervous?"
The Fenris Mercenaries were the only ones standing confidently, preparing for the fight ahead.
These mercenaries had gathered from all over, many of them strangers to one another. Yet, as members of the same Fenris Mercenary Corps, they shared a bond that strengthened their resolve.

In the eyes of the mercenaries, Ghislain Fenris was the greatest leader. He had invested heavily in them and supported them relentlessly.
Not only that, but their pride in being part of the largest and most renowned mercenary group on the continent fueled their confidence.
"All right! Let’s fight like hell today!"

"Wooooo!"
Someone’s rallying cry was met with a resounding cheer as the mercenaries raised their weapons high. Their confidence was infectious, lifting the spirits of the allied soldiers.
The Fenris Mercenaries trusted Ghislain completely. Many of them hadn’t even seen him in person, but his strategies had never failed.

Thanks to their fiery enthusiasm, the fortress forces regained some of their composure.
The soldiers, too, had gained plenty of experience through the war. Soon, they exuded a sharpened focus and determination.
"Fire!"

More than a hundred trebuchets launched their payloads in unison. Massive boulders arced through the sky.
Boom! Crash! Boom!
It was as if meteors rained from the heavens, crashing into the monster horde. Boulders smashed into the center of the advancing army, crushing dozens of creatures at once.

The earth trembled, and the air was filled with the dying screams of monsters.
Hundreds of monsters fell in an instant, but hundreds more surged forward to take their place.
"Magic! Use magic! Target the large monsters first!"

At the commander’s desperate orders, the mages began casting their spells.
Boom! Crack! Whoosh!
Pillars of fire, bolts of lightning, and spears of ice struck the giant monsters.

While many fell, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.
Ogres dragged their burning bodies forward, and trolls charged ahead, roaring even as they were struck by lightning.
"We can’t stop them all with magic!"

"Archers! Fire! Don’t hold back—use every arrow!"
Thwip! Thwip!
Arrows filled the sky, forming a black cloud before raining down on the monsters.

Smaller creatures were felled by the barrage, but the thick hides of the larger monsters rendered the arrows nearly useless.
At this point, strategy and tactics no longer mattered. The only thing that determined victory was the strength and volume of attacks.
"Don’t stop! Keep firing!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thwip!
Boulders, arrows, and magic rained down endlessly onto the battlefield.
Thousands of monsters died in moments, yet thousands more replaced them.

The soldiers’ faces turned pale. Even during the Rift invasion, they hadn’t faced anything like this.
Rift creatures were fast and strong, but their bodies were no tougher than those of human soldiers.
As long as they had the numbers, the soldiers could fight back. Magic, in particular, was devastatingly effective against Rift creatures.

But monsters were different. Many were far more resilient than Rift creatures, relying on brute strength and numbers to overwhelm their opponents.
Their raw physical power was terrifying. They didn’t hesitate or waver—they simply charged relentlessly.
"So this… this is what a real monster wave looks like…"

Someone muttered in horror. They had been warned about the scale of monster waves, but no one had expected this.
The attacks worked, but the sheer number of enemies rendered their efforts almost meaningless.
There was no strategy to employ, no fallback plan. All they could do was keep fighting.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The soldiers attacked relentlessly to survive. Archers fired until the calluses on their hands split open. Mages depleted their mana reserves.
Some trebuchets broke from the frantic pace of reloading. Even the stockpile of boulders was beginning to run low.

Then, the sky darkened.
Flying monsters reached the fortress before the ground forces.
Screech!

Various flying creatures began diving toward the fortress.
"Look out! They’re coming from above!"
A panicked archer’s shout signaled the beginning of a new wave of chaos.

The flying monsters descended like a whirlwind of death. Talons and beaks tore through soldiers, snatching them into the air or tossing them to the ground below.
The fortress was quickly thrown into disarray by the aerial assault.
Among the chaos, a lone crow flapped aimlessly, only to be snatched up midair by a diving wyvern.

"You insolent beast! Caw!"
The unfortunate crow’s protest was swallowed by the deafening cacophony of monster roars and soldiers’ screams.