17 You Are Within Range Of Attack!

The roar reverberated through the landscape, each wave of sound resonating through the bones of those within the proximity of the Bacuda extraterrestrial training center.

The air around them seemed to ripple, creating visible distortions as the sound waves traversed the expanse.

All ten MCs were shook to their very core as they found themselves unable to move any further.

'What the hell is this? I have never felt anything like this before,' Dennis was in utter shock as he spotted his thighs trembling.

His heart couldn't stop beating incredibly fast but this time it wasn't due to adrenaline.

As a field veteran who had contended with lethal forces even when the odds were against him, he had to admit that everything he faced on his previous earth was nothing compared to what he had just experienced.

He could see himself meeting a gruesome end that defied understanding. So much so that his body had decided to cease function.

It was way worse than General Gustav and Lieutenant Colonel Derrick explained to them.

Dennis couldn't help but think, 'If even I can feel this way, then how do the others feel?'

It was just as he thought, the others felt way worse and one of them even became unconscious on the spot.

The unconscious one was still standing but he was long gone. Dennis looked around and could spot the visceral fear on every one of their faces.

Lara seemed even more terrified as she stared on in horror while breathing profusely. Darrin who was known for his uncaring and expressionless look, wasn't spared. From what Dennis could recall, this was the first time Darrin had a look other than sleepiness on his face.

'That General is damn sly... he downplayed its effect,' Dennis said internally.

He recalled that General Gustav mentioned that the effect would last for five minutes but from what Dennis was seeing, it was very unlikely that anyone would be able to move even after ten minutes had passed.

'Hmm? Why am I the only one taking note of the other's looks... it almost seems like, it affected them to the point where they are unaware of what is going on in their surroundings,' Dennis's face bore a look of uncertainty.

'Either way... let me try to break out of this...' He closed his eyes and decided to focus.

No human was above fear. Fear was a necessary constriction that kept humans from performing foolish acts.

Dennis recalled a military chant from his past life that helped him stay calm in precarious situations and began to chant slowly.

No one was above fear, not even soldiers. When the odds were against him and he had to fight, he didn't go into the battlefield without fear. He went into the battlefield with bravery.

Dennis understood that bravery wasn't the absence of fear. Instead, it gave one the drive to move forward despite the fear.

He was someone who had embraced his fear a long time ago just like he had embraced the darkness within. It was also why he was able to move forward, no matter how bad things got.

'Contain yourself soldier... duty calls... if I perish on the field of duty... then I perished with dignity... I perish not as a pompous coward... my ancestors shall accept me into their bosom with open hands and not cast me away because, at the time of war, I didn't run to seek shelter... I stood my ground and protected my people... I put my life on the line so another might survive... I am...'

"Stop!"

A loud yell suddenly rang out from the east where General Gustav and Lieutenant Colonel Derrick were.

"Hmm?" Dennis paused upon hearing that and opened his eyes.

"Oh..." His eyes slightly widened as he realized he was right before the constrained mutated beast.

He had been taking steps forward subconsciously since he emptied his mind and focused on his chants. He didn't realize when he arrived before the creature.

One could almost sense the disbelief of the Gorritropod as its sixteen eyes focused on the human before it.

"You're within range of attack! Turn around now!" General Gustav's voice rang out again.

The instant Dennis heard that, he instinctively jumped backward.

Shhsshhh~

He slid down the sloppy terrain for a couple of feet but then realized there was no need for it. The creature didn't attack.

"How did he...?" General Gustav voiced quietly in confusion while they watched Dennis and the others from afar.

"I am just as shocked... It took him less than two minutes to escape the frozen state," Lieutenant Colonel Derrick mumbled.

"Having a high compatibility surely should not have given him immunity, right?" General Gustav felt it was ridiculous to ask such a question.

"If it gave him immunity, he wouldn't have been affected from the start," Lieutenant Colonel Derrick answered.

"Just as I thought," General Gustav's face dropped.

"This kid is truly something."

He took glances at the others who were still trapped in a frozen state and then stared at Dennis who was currently walking around leisurely.

General Gustav recalled taking exactly five minutes to break free from his frozen state when he encountered a mutated beast with a fear-inducing roar for the first time. This was considered the fastest time anyone had spent breaking free from it.

Regardless, it was more than enough time to be killed a hundred times over by the beast. The only reason he survived at the time was because the creature was chomping on his subordinates first and ended up eating one stacked with explosives. The explosives were triggered within its belly and the beast got blasted to smithereens.

Since then, he made sure to include this in training drills for soldiers heading outside the shelters on missions.

He had already gained immunity to the fear-inducing roar but to think his record could be broken by someone who was experiencing it for the first time... not to mention that it was a seventeen-year-old kid.

'How did he figure out that the way to break through the freeze isn't by trying to discard fear but by embracing it and moving forward with a brave heart?' General Gustav couldn't help but see Dennis as a fascinating enigma.

...

Hours later, the group of ten could be seen seated far from the beast looking fatigued. All except for Dennis.

"What have you nine learned?" General Gustav questioned.

"Nine?" Malik questioned with a tone of confusion.

"Dennis Slark exempted, what have you nine learned?" He repeated his question with a little modification.

The group stared at Dennis with expressions of puzzlement while racking their heads for answers.

"The beast roar affects the core of the heart and causes one to doubt themselves which brings about an illusionary prison of fear," Amidst heavy breaths, Cory Parsons voiced.

"True but what else have you learnt?" General Gustav questioned while looking at the others.

"That it's longer than five minutes..." Lara had a look of betrayal as she spoke.

"Five minutes was how long it took me to free myself for the first time. Didn't say it was going to be the same for you all," General Gustav iterated while shaking his head.

"Dennis Slark freed himself in less than two minutes," He revealed.

This revelation was like a bombshell that caused their jaws to drop. Now they understood why the General exempted Dennis.

'How the hell did he do that?' Lara couldn't hide her astonishment as she spun about to glare at Dennis.

He slowly raised his head and their eyes met again.

Lara swiftly turned to the side and let out a low, "Hmph!"

"Don't let it get to your head," She stated.

Dennis responded with a confused expression once more before looking elsewhere.

"The moment Dennis becomes immune, he will move to the next stage of the training. You lots will remain at this stage until you figure things out," General Gustav voiced before turning around to leave with Lieutenant Colonel Derrick.

They left them to find their way back to the shack.

The moment they were out of view, Malik bumped into Dennis and wrapped his arm around him.

"Yo, man! How did you do it?" He asked with excitement in his eyes.

"To be honest, I am not very sure... I guess I just tried to move despite the fear," Dennis responded with a slightly clueless look.

"I am sure we all tried that but it didn't work for us... there has to be something," Malik pointed out with a pleading tone.

"Hmm, this is what I think..."

While Dennis and Malik were chatting, the other MCs went about with dissatisfied looks as they wondered about what he must have done differently.

Regory kicked a piece of rock and with a slightly repressed tone asked himself, 'How can I as one of the strongest, lose in speed to the weakest?'

He wasn't the only one disappointed with how he had performed in the exercise. A couple of the others were still in disbelief.

Darrin on the other hand was unbothered. His usual expressionless face had returned. He knew he would figure it out sooner or later so he decided not to stress about it, unlike the others.

...