The moment the wave hit the outer perimeter, the sky turned black.
Not night.
Something worse.
A moving shadow layer crawling across the battlefield like a living storm.
Below the cliff, the Elf Kingdom's outer wall lit up with defensive runes.
Then—
Impact.
A mass of creatures slammed into the barrier at once.
DING!
WAVE PHASE 1: BREACH
Monster Type: Low-tier Corruption Beasts
Count: 2,000+
Objective: Hold Outer Wall
Rex's voice sharpened.
"Sam."
"They're testing defenses."
"This is not the main force."
I narrowed my eyes.
"So we don't waste energy yet."
"Correct."
I raised my hand.
"Ben. Frontline formation."
"Zora. Base synchronization—buff overlap with Elf defenses."
"Leon. Shadow perimeter. Kill anything that slips through."
"George. Reinforce weak wall points."
The army moved instantly.
No hesitation.
No questions.
Just execution.
Ben roared.
"BASE 101 — FORMATION!"
The Goblin Soldiers slammed shields together.
A glowing formation circle activated under them.
DING!
PARTY SKILL ACTIVE
March of Base 101
+20 Strength
+20 Dexterity
The Goblins surged forward like a living spear.
First wave broke through a side breach.
Too fast.
Too many.
Until Leon appeared.
A blur.
Three assassinations in under a second.
Bodies dropped before they understood they were dead.
Leon whispered.
"…Too slow."
On the wall, Zora slammed her staff down.
"Base Sync: OVERLAY!"
A pulse of energy spread across allied units.
DING!
SYNERGY BOOST ACTIVE
Elf Defense + Base 101 Synchronization
All Allied Units:
+15% Skill Efficiency
+10% Mana Recovery
Elf archers suddenly fired twice as fast.
Magic arrows turned into a storm.
Below the wall—
George laughed.
"This is my kind of problem!"
He swung the Hammer of the Forge.
The ground shook.
A line of weapons erupted from the earth—spikes, blades, barriers.
"Try walking through THAT!"
The wave hit Phase 2.
WAVE PHASE 2: ASCENT
Elite Corruption Units detected.
Flying monsters entering battlefield.
The sky broke open.
Winged beasts poured down.
Ben looked up.
"…We've got air units."
I stepped forward.
"No."
"We've got experience."
I raised my sword.
"Shadow Step."
My body vanished.
Above the battlefield—
I reappeared mid-air.
Surrounded by flying monsters.
"Vertical Instant Slash."
A clean line of light cut through the sky.
Dozens dropped instantly.
DING!
Vertical Instant Slash leveled up!
Rex spoke inside my head.
"You're adapting faster."
"This is good."
"But it gets worse."
I grinned mid-air.
"Good."
"I was getting bored."
Below me, Ben activated something new.
His body exploded with red aura.
"BERSERKER FORM!"
His axes blurred.
Every swing created shockwaves.
Goblin Soldiers followed him in sync.
They weren't just fighting.
They were flowing as one unit.
Zora's eyes widened.
"…Party synergy is increasing."
DING!
PARTY SKILL STACK DETECTED
Call of Strength
March of Base 101
Merged Effect Triggering…
The air vibrated.
All allies glowing faintly.
+120 Strength (Stacked Bonus)
George's hammer cracked the ground harder.
Leon's kills became instant.
Even Elf soldiers began matching Base 101 tempo.
Then the sky went silent again.
Rex went quiet.
"…Sam."
"That is not Phase 3."
I looked up.
A shape was forming in the clouds.
Too large.
Too dense.
Too structured.
Like something wearing the sky.
DING!
WAVE PHASE 3: COMMANDER UNIT DETECTED
Boss-Class Entity approaching battlefield
Designation: UNKNOWN
The Elf Kingdom walls trembled.
The air pressure dropped.
Even Ben stopped moving.
George lowered his hammer slightly.
Leon reappeared beside me instantly.
Zora whispered:
"…That's not a monster wave."
"That's an invasion commander."
I tightened my grip on my sword.
"So the real fight starts now."
Rex responded softly:
"Now you understand."
"This world doesn't scale for individuals."
"It scales for wars."
The shadow in the sky opened its eyes.
And descended.