This morning, I planned to meet Commander Gruzhnil to ask what I should do to prepare for the upcoming expedition to the realm of terror. I felt that my preparations would not be too extensive, considering my experience surviving there.
Perhaps I would only be made into some kind of "tour guide" for the expedition in the realm of terror later.
I could actually provide some of my knowledge to the soldiers who would be selected later regarding the terrain conditions along with its monsters. However, it seemed that The Graendall already had information about those hellish monsters from previous expeditions.
What I feared was the possibility that the expedition might instead be thrown into Azkerath's territory. His domain the most dangerous compared to the other rulers.
As I recall, the vanguard of the expedition would be The Graendall's elite forces. There would be non-elite soldiers assigned to logistics, but they would still be selected from those with solid combat experience. If I think back, Hellraider and I took part in the fourteenth expedition.
The rulers of the hell regions, Zigurath and Myslyn, had already been defeated by Hellraider, while Mareketh still remained.
I wondered if during the next expedition we might encounter Banasphate, who had managed to escape from that mirror sphere and only recognized me.
I remembered that the last time we met, he called my name. Did that mean Banasphate had acknowledged me? But if I were to meet him again later and had already become part of The Graendall, would he still view me favorably?
I requested to meet Grelmure or Commander Gruzhnil at the guard post. The soldier contacted Gruzhnil's office and then told me that Grelmure was available to see me. I was escorted back to the office and met Grelmure. I received information from him that Gruzhnil had not returned since accompanying Hellraider in crafting a special weapon for him.
Ohhh… Commander Gruzhnil was truly dedicated to helping Hellraider. Unlike me, they might not be able to rest all night long.
"Sir Grelmure… Do you know what role I will play in the next expedition? Do you perhaps know what I should prepare for joining the expedition later?" I asked.
"Of course I know, Johann… You will serve only as an observer. Most likely you will be positioned within the logistics line. Your knowledge of surviving in the realm of terror has already proven itself to us, so you will not be given much additional training," Grelmure said.
I had already expected that answer.
"Has The Graendall fully understood the conditions in the realm of terror?" I asked again.
"I cannot be certain whether it can be called fully understood. Knowledge about the realm of terror has only been obtained from records of previous expeditions. Later you will receive additional briefing materials. Most likely you can share your knowledge from surviving there with the others," Grelmure said.
In my opinion, this was a good opportunity. I had knowledge and understanding that might be shared to reduce the casualty rate among The Graendall forces themselves. I believed that the ultimate success rate rested entirely in Hellraider's hands.
"I actually want to meet Commander Gruzhnil and Sir Hellraider. Can we go there today?" I asked.
"Ahh… what a coincidence that you came first. I also want to go there to meet the commander. Let us go together," Grelmure said with a smile.
We then went together to the weapons complex by riding a gokart again.
"Oh yes… through what will the troops enter the realm of terror later? Is there some kind of portal or something similar?" I asked again along the way.
"If you have studied the history of the Grivendal Empire, you would know that there was the darkest event—the demon invasion from the realm of terror in which the twin brother of the first emperor Grhemolus, Commander Grhemus, was killed. The Graendall discovered a portal that was the source of that invasion and then sealed it with massive Starstone energy. Every time The Graendall wishes to begin an expedition, that seal will be opened again," Grelmure explained.
"One more question: is there a special ritual before the troops embark on an expedition into that realm of terror?" I asked.
I was confirming that the expeditionary force did indeed perform a specific ritual, as according to the lore, anyone who enters the realm of hell while still alive becomes undead.
"Ummm... I don't think there's a special ritual, Johann. Usually, we're just given prayers by the Priests. For the elite troops who fight directly on the front lines, their armor is imbued with starstone energy, which increases their survivability," Grelmure explained.
"Ohhh… I just learned that…" I said while nodding.
Actually, I still have a nagging feeling about why the humans here seem a little more special than those on Earth. Is this something the game developers intentionally created? I've always felt that the main point of The Mayhem is the Hellraider character himself, not the explanation of why others are this and that.
Upon arriving at the weapons production building, Grelmure and I entered. We were greeted by the manager there and immediately taken to the place where Hellraider was crafting his weapons. After arriving, the manager explained that this was the research and development room. Since yesterday, the room had been used exclusively for Hellraider's purposes. Commander Gruzhnil was also still inside.
The manager had already informed Gruzhnil that we would be visiting. We entered and indeed Gruzhnil was inside supervising, along with several assistants and Hellraider, who appeared busy with his weapon. I realized that the weapon he was working on was The Obliviator, though its color had slightly changed into dark blue with a thin layer of gold as decoration.
Oohhh… had he finally regained access to all of his former weapons?
Commander Gruzhnil then approached us with a smile.
"I am glad you finally came. But I want to tell you, especially you, Johann. Yesterday I witnessed something very unique and almost beyond reason…" Gruzhnil said enthusiastically.
He immediately explained that when Hellraider began selecting the weapon he wanted, he did not specify its shape or design. Instead, he went to the back room briefly and returned already holding his weapon.
Gruzhnil and several others there were very shocked at how Hellraider obtained it. It was also evident that his weapon was completely different from those produced there. After that, he went back again and showed all of his weapons one by one.
Hellraider only requested slight design adjustments to better match The Graendall's style. In addition, he requested ammunition reinforced with Starstones. Therefore, the people there were busy producing ammunition suitable for all of Hellraider's weapons.
Gruzhnil assessed that some of Hellraider's weapons actually had mechanisms similar to those produced there. However, he respected the weapons that seemed to have accompanied Hellraider for a long time. He was simply confused about where Hellraider obtained them.
Hearing Gruzhnil's explanation, which he considered very unique, I actually already knew that Hellraider possessed a kind of slot interface similar to mine based on the gameplay. Hellraider could summon his weapons just as I could summon equipment or weapons from my interface slot.
Of course, I would not reveal such a thing, because only Hellraider and I were allowed to know that this originated from The Mayhem game.
Did that mean Hellraider already understood that everything here, including himself, was part of that game? Then why would he hide this fact if he could summon or switch weapons at will in an instant?
I tried recalling the game's cutscenes or lore and found no scene where Gruzhnil was amazed by Hellraider's ability to store so many weapons and switch them so quickly. It had indeed been created by the developers merely as a "cool factor."
"I was very interested in this unique and the largest in size weapon among all. I asked how it worked and Sir Hellraider just said 'You'll see'," Said Gruzhnil.
I immediately knew that the one Gruzhnil pointed to was MKM-999. Indeed, this weapon was very interesting and at the same time the deadliest. Perhaps Hellraider intended to surprise Gruzhnil and all the expedition soldiers later by showcasing this weapon in destroying all enemies before him with a single shot. It was evident that MKM-999 had been modified in design to match The Graendall's style.
In total, there were indeed six weapons according to the number of his interface slots: The Obliviator, MKM-999, a double-barrel shotgun, a machine gun, the largest magnum pistol I had ever seen in my world, and a rocket launcher. All of those weapons had already been modified in their external design.
Hellraider, having noticed my arrival, only glanced at me briefly and continued finalizing his weapon.
One of the workers informed Gruzhnil that all the ammunition Hellraider required, except for the MKM-999, had been fully produced. Gruzhnil appeared pleased and conveyed this to Hellraider. He only nodded once without showing any expression.
Commander Gruzhnil then told Grelmure and me that Hellraider's work was nearly complete. We were allowed to return to headquarters first, while Gruzhnil would follow with Hellraider after receiving all of his ammunition.
We left the production building to the way back to headquarters.
"I'm still very confused, but also amazed at how Sir Hellraider managed to acquire so many of his own weapons..." Grelmure said.
"I don't quite understand either, sir. He's indeed a very powerful man, but at the same time, he's been very mysterious ever since I first met him at the beginning of the catastrophe in my world," I said, my words polished.
That night, while I was gathered with the other soldiers behind the room, suddenly a loud and long siren sounded. One of the soldiers said there was an emergency announcement and that we had to go immediately to the main hall of the barracks. We all hurried there. I wondered what event had occurred to trigger such an emergency announcement. I hoped it was not terrible news.
In the main hall, on the northern side, there was a large screen mounted high on the wall that was now lit. I saw Emperor Gregustus on the screen, about to deliver the emergency announcement.
"On behalf of the Grivendal Empire, I announce that on Planet Grohn an extraordinary event has occurred in which a massive portal has appeared at the main energy facility. The central headquarters of Planet Grivendal has coordinated with the central headquarters of Planet Grohn. The Graendall leaders on Planet Grohn have provided the latest information that monsters have already emerged from the portal, which has been confirmed as a portal from the realm of terror. I, Emperor Gregustus, hereby declare that from this moment onward, martial law is officially imposed across all planets of the Grivendal Empire. We will immediately dispatch military assistance as soon as possible to Planet Grohn…" declared Emperor Gregustus.
Instantly, my body became rigid upon hearing that news.
Nooo… not again…!!! Suddenly the hell portal event that once occurred in my world had now appeared again in this world…!!!