Chapter 77: Jake Anderson
The battle was over for now, and the long-awaited silence had returned.
I staggered back a bit, fell on my butt, then laid on the bare ground—ignoring the bewildered gazes the soldiers threw at me. My head still ached from pushing my [Door] talent beyond its limit.
Lying on the ground was a habit I picked up from living alone in a massive castle I once called home. Everywhere qualified as my bed.
This battle had been short, but exciting. I got a glimpse of what warfare was like in this world—and I have to admit, it wasn’t pretty. I can finally understand why this Earth was considered a prime realm. Even without my involvement, these soldiers would have won a decisive victory against the orcs.
In fact, I wouldn’t be offended if someone said I didn’t play a vital role in this war. What I did was quite negligible compared to Kenza.
"Clear the bridge," Kenza commanded coldly.
I heard her stepping forward, rifle slung low.
"We’re not losing war machines to a pile of corpses," she added—just as I expected she would.
If I had known we would be pushing forward, I wouldn’t be lying here lazing about. The entire purpose of this battle was to clear the bridge and create a pathway for our military vans, tanks, and other weapons to arrive. Letting countless corpses and broken gear litter the bridge would only hinder that goal.
This was where the normal troops came in. In a war where only Ascendants and Limitless could play major roles, powerless soldiers had been reduced to menial jobs like this.
Joining the military now gave only two options for a powerless human: you either man up and go through the Ascendant surgery—hoping you weren’t one of the 49 out of 50 who died from it—or you became a glorified errand boy allowed to wield arms you’d barely ever get to use.