First Light of a New Age

Chapter 78: Mission Control

It's been two days since the Orc invasion of New Guinea. While humanity claimed victory, they paid a steep price as nearly five hundred men and women had lost their lives in defense of the Motherland against the Green Tide.

In the aftermath, much was learned from the battle with the Orc Horde.

First, there were the ethereal threats. Without the intervention of the Elven Queen’s magic, the newly-formed Omega-191 unit would have faced certain doom, and the necromancer that had possessed one of their own, without the Queen's aid, that menace could have been a new problem. Now, the entire government is focused on developing countermeasures to permanently neutralize such threats.

Despite their improvements in surveillance systems, they proved woefully inadequate during the invasion, as the Orcs had somehow disrupted them, slipping past unnoticed and leaving the defenders blind. The need to advance technology, one that can resist even these disruptive spells, has become critical, though such progress will take time.

Furthermore, the use of teleportation spells also poses a grave threat. It was this very magic that enabled the Orcs to launch their invasion undetected. The government has since begun working with scientists and elven magical experts to solve this problem and create jamming systems capable of preventing such spells from being cast on their soil.

However, no significant progress has been made on either front.

In response to the growing threat of necromancy, the government introduced a Mandatory Cremation Policy. To prevent the dead from being exploited by future necromancers, all deceased must be cremated. Additionally, they are racing to locate the remains of those lost during the last Demon Invasion to safeguard them from being reanimated.

After witnessing the battle with Riley's team and the inhabitants of this world, they noticed that their conventional bombs, shells, and munitions are not consistently killing enemies due to their passive magic shields. They urgently need to develop weapons that can more effectively pierce these defenses more efficiently, without relying on advanced armaments.

Fortunately, the newly invented Magic Rifles were the closest ones, but they have shown limitations. While they are effective against lower or mid-tier enemies, they have difficulty penetrating against higher-level threats above Level 7, particularly those above them, like the powerful Transcendents.

These magic barriers are proving to be a major issue. During the Tempest Scions’ recent mission against the necromancer, even the latest magitech guns were rendered useless by these spells. As a result, the government has shifted focus and invested more time and resources into research for long-term solutions to break through these shields.

On a positive note, scientists have made significant advancements in magical technology. Exosuits, such as the MK-I Armor, have been introduced, but their greatest achievement so far is the possession of magic rings capable of storing anything in a small pocket dimension. These rings allow a single soldier to carry enough ammunition and weapons to equip an entire small army, resolving logistical challenges that have plagued military operations for generations.

However, there remains a major problem with these Spatial Rings, which is that they require Spatial Magic to create, which is an extremely rare magic attribute even in the standards of the Third Civilization Zone. Neither the scientists nor the elves in their custody possess the necessary magic or resources to produce more.

The only viable option to acquire additional rings is through the markets in the Free Trade City of Aquarius. As a result, Riley and his team, the most experienced Special Operatives in that city, are scheduled to return there in the coming days.

Speaking about Special Operatives, it has now been two months since the nuclear submarines carrying the other teams arrived at their designated locations.