The Allbright System - A Sci-Fi Progression LitRPG Story

Arriving at the eastern front with the rest of the day's reinforcements, Thea and Sovereign Alpha disembarked from the Sidoreno transporter that had delivered them.

Gratefully, the journey had been free of any psychic nightmares, a small mercy she didn't overlook as she shouldered her gear and led her squad into the dim, cramped underground tunnels leading to the frontline.

It had only been a few days since their last mission here, yet it felt like a lifetime had passed since she last navigated these oppressive tunnels under the ashen wastelands fronting the Stellar Republic’s Wall.

In truth, she didn’t want to be here.

None of Alpha Squad wanted to be here, to be fair.

Throughout the redeployment, the mood had been sombre; not a single Marine in the transporter had anything positive to say about the eastern front, where the UHF's forces continued to clash violently against the unyielding fortifications of the Stellar Republic's Wall.

Some Marines, already on their third stint at the Wall, expressed fear of exhausting their allowed lives in the assessment. Others simply hoped for less perilous assignments away from the relentless artillery barrages that kept hammering the frontlines since the first day.

Similar sentiments resonated within Thea and her team as well.

The initial assault on the Wall had left deep imprints in their minds, especially the IgT-artillery bombardment that had followed the UHFs initial push and the destruction of some of the massive anti-armour cannons through Thea and the specialised groups of heavies that had gone around to try and keep the UHF AD from losing too many pieces of heavy armour.

Karania’s injuries from that day were a constant and very real reminder—her arm now replaced with a cybernetic prosthetic after being horrifically burned off. Isabella, Desmond, and Lucas had all perished directly due to the shelling as well.

Thea’s thoughts darkened with the memory, ‘I really hope they don’t have any more of that apocalyptic stuff…’

Realising that she had no idea where Corporal Panteol might be situated, Thea grabbed the first Marine she spotted who seemed to know their way around the tunnels.

"Marine, where can I find Corporal Panteol?" she asked, her voice firm but polite.

The Marine, caught off guard, hesitated before answering, “Uhh... I'd guess one of the command rooms…? Follow tunnel F17 until you start seeing the L-numbered tunnels, then ask around. There should be command rooms nearby. Sorry, can't be more specific." His eyes darted around, clearly relieved when Thea released him from further questioning.

With a nod, she thanked him and led Alpha Squad down tunnel F17, her strides quickening with each step. The sounds of boots against the compacted mud, the hum of distant battle and countless busy Marines filled the air.

A moment later, she heard rapid footsteps catching up to her from behind.

It was Karania, her voice light and teasing. "Since when did you become so assertive, Thea? I thought socialising wasn’t your strong suit," she joked.

Thea felt a rush of warmth to her cheeks. The blush spread like wildfire, but she refused to let it show in her voice. "I can get things done when I need to, Kara. Thanks for the vote of confidence," she replied with a forced casualness, though her embarrassment was clear.

She heard muffled laughter from behind, clearly from Isabella and Karania, their playful teasing nearly making her falter in her brisk stride. But she kept moving, deciding against reacting further. ‘Don’t react, Thea. It’ll only give ‘em more satisfaction,’ she thought, a mix of annoyance and amusement swirling in her mind.

Her internal monologue churned with additional defensiveness as she pressed forward, ‘Also,I can totally be assertive when I know what I need to do! It’s not like I can't talk to people at all. They all just never see the instances when I do it right!’

Despite her internal pep talk, she knew deep down that assertiveness wasn't her strong suit and Karania’s words weren’t exactly wrong.

But she was learning. Or so she was hoping, at least…

Following the marine's advice, Thea led her squad deeper into the labyrinth of tunnels, navigating the network of intersecting corridors until they arrived in the area marked with L-numbered tunnels.

Spotting another marine, she didn't hesitate to pull them in.

"Could you point us to Corporal Panteol?" she asked immediately.

"Ehh… He’s likely in the usual spot? Probably command room C13 down L5. If he’s not there, your guess is as good as mine," the marine replied with a shrug.

As they continued, Thea couldn't help but give Karania and Isabella a smug look, pleased with her navigational success. Their raised eyebrows and mischievous giggles didn’t dampen her spirits—a win was a win in her book.

Their approach to the command rooms was met with heightened security.

The presence of heavily armed marines and imposing auto-turrets at each intersection underscored the importance of this area. Each time they were stopped, Thea presented Staff-Sergeant Venn's orders, and they were allowed to proceed without further issue.

Finally, they reached room C13.

As they approached, the blast doors swooshed open and they found Corporal Panteol busily commanding aides and marines around. As he heard the door open, he turned around to them and his expression broke into a warm, welcoming smile. "Well, if it isn’t Sovereign Alpha—or the majority thereof. It’s been a while!" he exclaimed.

“It has indeed. I hope things have been smoother since our last encounter?” Thea responded, pushing herself to engage in a bit of light conversation. This was her moment to prove she could handle social interactions just as well as the rest of them.

Panteol grimaced slightly, recalling their last disastrous mission. "Oof, let's just say it had to have gone better. That first day was straight out of a nightmare scenario. If every mission was like that, we'd all have been Zero’ed out by now," he said, managing a rueful laugh.

He shook off the unsettling memories with a visible shudder before his expression softened, looking directly at Thea. "Regardless of all that, I've heard that you guys have continued to excel; really impressive work. I’m excited to see how far you'll go in this assessment and beyond. Staff-Sergeant Venn is very impressed with you all, last I heard.”

Thea and her squad exchanged quick, surprised glances—news of their commendation from the Staff-Sergeant, who ranked as the second-highest officer they were aware of in the assessment, was both unexpected and highly encouraging.

"Now, go collect your last squad member; we're moving out soon. Keep an eye on your comms; a major order is coming through in the next few hours," Panteol continued, his smile taking on a somewhat predatory edge. "You’re going to be treated to some VIP seats to witness some of the UHF's full might in this Battlefield... I hope you’re ready.”

With that vaguely ominous statement, he waved them off, turning back to his command duties, barking orders and coordinating with aides and other marines.

Dismissed and slightly stunned by the rapid change of pace, Thea led the squad out of the command room.

Once outside, she turned to her team, uncertainty clear in her tone. “So… we need to find Corvus, right?” she asked, the enormity of their task dawning on her. With tens of thousands of marines stationed at the eastern front, locating any particular one seemed beyond daunting; downright impossible.

“Sounded like it,” Isabella replied with a shrug that was mirrored by Lucas and Desmond as well. “Maybe we could ask—”

In that moment, Thea’s comm device interrupted with a chime that caught everyone’s attention. Opening the new transmission, she couldn’t hide a smile.