CHAPTER 77: ENIGMA

The first step into Blackthorn Keep felt like stepping into another world.

The air, the atmosphere itself changed.

The ruined gates groaned under the push of the instructors, rusted hinges snapping as stone dust poured like ash. The Freshers filed through in tight platoon lines, their boots crunching on debris older than their great grandparents.

Inside Blackthorn Keep, the fortress smelled of rot and damp earth.

Vines as thick as a man’s leg coiled over shattered walls like snakes, and shards of broken Orc banners fluttered like torn skin, their sigils faded to little more than scars on cloth.

Staring at the state of disrepair of the ruined fortress, Kairo’s eyes squinted. ’To think all this was caused by a civil war...’

’Just how much do the Orcs love war? It’s plain foolish fighting against warriors of your own race’.

Despite his thoughts, Kairo stayed in line with his platoon as they entered.

The silence was worse than any roar. Even nobles who smirked outside now bit their lips, their footsteps echoing too loudly in the cavernous corridors.

The air was tense and full of the fear of the unknown. To the freshers, this was their first time doing a reconnaissance mission like this and despite the instructors from Captain Helios, they still felt on edge.

Kairo especially couldn’t shake the weight in his chest.

It wasn’t just the ruins pressing down on him, it was something else, something subtle and invasive. It was the same itch he’d felt back in the wild zone when danger crept close.

His instincts, sharpened by hunger and survival, hissed at him. ’This place is wrong’. His brows furrowed.

His instincts had always been sharp, but since becoming an Awakened, they became even sharper and Kairo already learned to trust it.

They passed the main courtyard where half-collapsed statues of Orc warlords glared down with empty sockets.

The ground was cracked, revealing black soil threaded with faint red lines that pulsed faintly. Kairo froze for half a heartbeat. ’Glyphs?’ He recognized them after all the lectures under Professor Voss.

Staring at the glyphs though, he felt a sense of déjà vu overwhelm him as he experienced a memory overlap with certain glyph lessons in the Demonology class.

He thought he saw something scratched into the walls and reflecting in the glyphs, something demonic, jagged, and wrong.

But before he could pay more attention to it, Mira nudged him forward, and the formation swallowed him back up.

"Don’t lag," she whispered, keeping her eyes forward.

’What was that?’ He thought, suddenly warier.

But then, he clenched his fists and obeyed, moving forward.

Not all the Captains stayed behind to rest; one of them followed him in, Captain Korran, and now, he ordered. "Platoons, spread".

"The first sweep begins now".

"Stay sharp, no shouting unless you see something. And remember, constructs don’t bleed, and tainted corpses don’t feel pain".

"Stay alert".

The words barely left his lips before a sound answered.

Clang!

It came from the left wing of the courtyard, a hollow metallic scrape like a blade dragging across stone.

The platoons froze, and eyes darted.

Ba-dump!

Kairo’s pulse spiked.

And then, another clang followed the first, this time louder. Then a hiss sounded, low and mechanical, echoing through the courtyard.

And then it emerged.

From the shadows of a collapsed tower, a hulking figure crawled into view, a twisted Orc construct, its armor fused with rusted gears and shattered steel plates.

Its single glowing eye locked onto the platoons like a predator’s gaze. The students froze as limbs of mismatched scrap creaked as it rose to its full height, nearly three meters tall.

The construct’s mouth opened, not to speak, but to vent steam in a bloodcurdling hiss even as the broken cleaver in its hand suddenly glowed faintly with mana residue.

"CONTACT!" Korran’s roar shattered the silence. "Platoons, engage!"

As soon as the Captain roared, the students reacted instinctively.

The formation rippled with fear, but training drilled in during the last two weeks snapped them into motion. Nobles barked orders at their entourages, even as commoners scrambled into position.

Kairo didn’t wait. His instincts screamed at him to move, and he did.

"Frontline, HOLD!" He bellowed, his voice raw but commanding.

Mira’s eyes snapped to him as she slid into place beside him without hesitation.

The construct charged, each step a quake in the broken stone as within a few heartbeats, its cleaver came down in an arc meant to split a student in half.

"NOW!" Kairo roared.

Then...

BOOM!

Two tank-specialists slammed their shields forward, steel shrieking under the impact. The shockwave rattled their teeth, but they held for a heartbeat, long enough for Mira to dart in low, her dagger wreathed in a faint sheen of wind mana.

She slashed across its exposed gears, sending sparks flying as the construct shrieked in mechanical rage, jerking sideways.

Kairo’s eyes narrowed.

He activated Muscle Lock, his body hardening like tempered steel. Blood roared in his ears as he dashed forward.

BAM!

Kairo’s fist smashed into the construct’s knee joint before it could react, and its metal buckled. The creature staggered, its balance briefly broken.

They took advantage of its broken balance.

"PRESS IT!" Mira shouted.

Other Freshers followed instinctively, flooding in with blades, axes, and fireballs. The construct fought back savagely, cleaver whistling through the air, but every strike it made was slowed by Kairo’s interference.

Every stagger was exploited by Mira’s quick strikes.

Finally, one of the magic students, a trembling boy with flame affinity mustered the courage to unleash a fireball directly into its exposed core.

The explosion rattled the courtyard. The construct screamed, collapsed, and then fell still with smoke hissing from the gaps in its body.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then the reality hit; they’d done it. A platoon of barely trained 16-year-olds had just destroyed their first real threat in the ruins.

Breathing hard, Kairo wiped the blood off his knuckles. His chest rose and fell in a rapid rhythm, sweat running down his face.

DING!

The system chimed.

~----~

[Efficient Team Coordination: +0.2%]

[Battle Reflexes Sharpened.]

~----~

Kairo grinned faintly.

Exhaustion burned in his body, and hunger was already gnawing at his stomach, but his fists still shook with defiance.

Mira leaned beside him, breathing just as hard, her hair plastered to her forehead. She met his eyes and smirked. "Not bad... for a musclehead".

Kairo chuckled even as his body begged him to collapse.

They didn’t get to rest though because the next moment, from above them, deeper within the ruin, the echoes of more clanging metal stirred.

The first fight was over, but Blackthorn Keep was far from empty.

Helios pointed to the jagged gates. "Our job is to scout and clear the ruin to make sure the caravan passes safely".

"Not glory, not trophies, we just have to ensure this ruin poses no threat to the supply caravan". He looked at them. "This is what real soldiers do".

"You think you’re too good for grunt work? Try explaining that to the merchants and civilians who’ll die if we leave something lurking here."

The words silenced even the nobles.

"Make no mistake," Helios added, "the threat level inside should not exceed D rank. That means most of what you face will be F and E rank constructs or beasts".

"Alongside me, the instructors will remain on standby since we have to replenish our mana reserves and rest. But if you collapse, we’ll intervene though I doubt you lots are that useless".

"As long as you can breathe, you fight. That is the only way you’ll learn."

He paused, then his tone shifted, becoming colder. "And for those who still think this is just a game, remember... Contribution Points are awarded individually".

"Every strike, every assist, every kill, and every decision will be recorded. Slack off, and you’ll crawl back empty-handed. That is if you survive".

That earned the full attention of every student. The word "Contribution Points" hung like a spell for even the Monster Trio.

Helios finally gestured, sweeping his arm toward the blackened gates. "There are five platoons. Stay with your platoon, and keep formation".

"When you enter, maintain lines, trust your comrades, and above all..." His gaze swept over them like a blade. "Respect the ruin".

"It’s older than you, and it’s seen more blood than you ever will."

The caravan drivers began circling the wagons, unhitching beasts of burden, and setting up a temporary camp outside.

The real work was for the students.

Kairo adjusted his grip on his training dagger, his stomach tight even as his eyes blazed. The Keep loomed before him, more like a tomb than a fortress.

Mira elbowed him softly, whispering. "You scared?"

He smirked despite the sweat beading on his neck. "Yeah. Only an idiot wouldn’t be". He shrugged.

"Good," she muttered. "Means you’ll stay alive".

The platoons finally shuffled closer as they prepared to enter deeper into the ruins. Above them all, Blackthorn Keep waited, silent and broken, but not dead.

The instructors barked the final command.

"Forward platoons, step into the ruins!"

The Freshers moved, 16-year-olds carrying the weight of a mission older than their lifetimes as their footsteps was swallowed by the shadow of Blackthorn.