Austronesia People's Empire, Imperial Majapahit, New Guinea, Western New Guinea, Somewhere in the Eastern Coast of Western New Guinea
1st Year of God, Wednesday, 2nd Week, 3rd Month Of Abraham.
Two days had passed since the Austronesians first clashed with the Orcs, and the entire eastern region of the Western New Guinea island had been reinforced with 48,000 additional soldiers stationed across four newly established outposts.
Each outpost had housed between 10,000 and 15,000 troops, and was designated as Alpha Company, Beta Company, Charlie Company, and Delta Company.
Beta, Charlie, and Delta Companies were tasked with defending different parts of the eastern coast of the Western New Guinea island, while Alpha Company was assigned to secure the mining facility, where the dungeon lay as they remained vigilant and felt wary of any potential monsters that might escape.
Meanwhile, thousands of fresh recruits had joined the Imperial Liberation Army stationed in Western New Guinea, as they prepared for their first taste of battle.
Out at sea, almost a dozen battleships patrolled the eastern waters to search for any signs of foreign vessels, especially Orc ships, as their surveillance technology, including their satellites, had somehow inexplicably failed to detect the enemy.
On land, teams of soldiers in fatigues labored to construct barricades by dragging sharpened logs and binding them together, with their pointed ends facing the beaches. The entire area was cleared of any form of cover that could be used, leaving a maze-like passage fortified with barricades.
Earlier, the engineering team had delivered a series of heavily modified laser point defense turrets. These fully armored turrets had been upgraded and enlarged, allowing a crew of up to four to comfortably operate the weapon system manually with ease.
One of the key features was the ability to load a cylinder cardboard filled with hundreds of lead pellets that can be loaded onto the carriage, like a giant shotgun shell. When fired, the dense pellets would burst out of the lighter cardboard container at high speed, scattering like grapeshot.
Another specialized ammunition was the discarding sabot round, equipped with a steel penetrator instead of denser materials. It was designed specifically for use against heavily armored creatures and magic beasts, even those at Level 8 or 9. The turret's ammunition lockers were capable of storing 42 grapeshot shells and 12 anti-tank sabot rounds.
For targeting assistance, a crude rangefinder and camera were installed, both shielded by two-inch-thick armored glass and connected to a display and fire control system inside the turret. Air pumps were also fitted, linked to pipes that ventilated the air inside.
To further enhance the turrets' defenses against offensive magic, the outer armor was coated with a layer of Orichalcum with a bit of mix of Adamantine, and a lightning rod was added to protect against lightning attacks.
Simple hydraulics replaced the electric servo motors that controlled the turret's rotation, azimuth, and elevation. The power cables were planted in the floors and protected by layers of concrete to prevent disruption of power to the guns.
With these turrets strategically positioned to cover the beach approaches, they could unleash a deadly spread of grapeshot at any enemy within 400 meters and effectively fire anti-tank sabot rounds at targets up to four kilometers away.
A recruit, who had just completed his military training, leaned against his shovel, taking a break from filling sandbags as he watched the engineers hoist the modified turrets into place.
"Damn, I want to fire that!" he exclaimed to another soldier, who was diligently shoveling sand into the bags.
"Maybe," the second soldier gave a simple reply as he focused on his task.
"Can't wait to see those Greenskins when you blast a massive shotgun in their faces," the first soldier grinned. "Revenge is best served with a shotgun blast to the face."
"I heard the Orcs have over 34,000 troops headed this way," another new recruit chimed in as he worked alongside them.
"34,000, huh? How many do we have?" the first soldier asked.
"We've got 48,000 in total. Charlie Company, which is us, has over 12,000 troops."
"Wait, wait, wait! Before we were called Charlie Company, what was the name of our division?"
"The Austronesian 352nd Infantry Division. Why?"
"Oh no, you don't! This is starting to sound a lot like that part of the Second World War."
"Which part?" The soldier paused his work, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Where 12,000 Germans from the German 352nd Infantry Division had to defend against 34,000 Allies on that one certain beach?"
"Errrm… I never read that much history."
"Seriously!? This is just like the battle of Omaha Beach!"
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Austronesia People's Empire, Imperial Majapahit, Western New Guinea, Jayapura Papua, Jayapura Mining Station, Dungeon Level 1, Boss Room
1st Year of God, Thursday, 2nd Week, 3rd Month Of Abraham
Sergeant Dice sat on a stone outcrop and carefully stripped his rifle down into their individual parts. He started cleaning the barrel and the bolt of his weapon, while the rest of his platoon did the same, a routine they had all become accustomed to.
Today, Platoon 2 of the 1st Battalion, Alpha Company, had been tasked with clearing the dungeon, along with two of Odysseus' Earth Golems. They had learned through experience that allowing the dungeon monsters to recuperate for a day or more yielded a more optimal amount of resources to be harvested.
If they entered the dungeon immediately after the monsters respawned, the quality and quantity of their harvest would be lacking. However, waiting a few days resulted in a doubling of both the monsters' quality and quantity.
Many scientists and researchers in Magic Research theorized that the newly respawned creatures were at Level 1, like in a video game, having not yet gained any experience points (XP). By allowing the dungeon ecosystem to run its course over a day or more, the monsters would level up, thereby increasing their value.
This explained why their first exploration of the dungeon, which they had expected to be easy, turned out to be far more challenging due to the monsters inside having had decades to increase their levels. If the Spider Ants and Desert Centipedes hadn't reached their maximum growth cap, the exploration could have been even deadlier for them.
Despite this, Alpha Company's 2nd Platoon had easily cleared out the Spider Ants and Desert Centipedes, even taking down the Queen without needing to use any explosive armaments, and without even suffering a single casualty.
However, they hadn't encountered any champion-rated monsters this time. There were no new treasures, as they hadn't respawned, and the Spider Ant's nest seemed emptier than the first time Eurylochus explored here.
As several soldiers along with two Earth Golems cut away bundles of raw silk cocoons and stacked them onto a pile for transport out of the dungeon, Dice glanced over at the door to the next level. It was positioned against the 'throne' of the Queen, whose carcass was noticeably smaller than the one he and his team had previously defeated.
An hour later, the men of Platoon 2 had rested, resupplied, and now stood before the large double doors. Dice nodded to one of the section leaders, who signaled his team to form up beside the door. The other section leaders quickly arranged their men behind cover and aimed their weapons on the entrance as it slowly swung open.
Beyond the doors was a flight of stone stairs descended into a hallway, where another set of double doors stood ahead. A couple of support technicians moved in, carefully unspooling a coil of cables down the stairs.
They dug a small trench to allow the cables to slip under the doors and buried them in concrete to protect against any monsters that might try to chew through or destroy the power and communication lines. The techs then attached lamps and comms arrays to the ceiling to make sure that the platoon would have both light and connectivity.
As the techs worked, the entire platoon remained on high alert, weapons ready. Once the techs finished, Dice tested the comms and Wi-Fi signal, making sure everything was functioning properly. Satisfied, he ordered the platoon to prepare for the next step, which is entering Level 2.
The double doors creaked open, and beams of light penetrated through the darkness, revealing a vast hall filled with towering pillars and numerous doors leading deeper into the dungeon.
"Set up security. Ensure the room is clear of hostiles," Dice ordered, and Platoon 2 fanned out across the pillared hall.
The room was dominated by nine massive stone pillars on each side, each intricately carved with dragons, griffins, giant birds, and other mythical creatures. The craftsmanship was exquisite, with every detail expertly cut into the stone.
Dice paused before one of the pillars, craning his neck to look up. The pillar was at least six stories tall, and its girth was so immense that it would take six men holding hands to encircle it.
"Clear right!"
"Clear left!"
"All Clear! Room Secured!"
"Sarge! We've got two doors on each side of the hall, no hostiles reported," the Section 1 Leader called out.
"Get Platoon 3 to set up shop here and have the techs wire up the place," Dice commanded. "Once they're in position, we'll check out door number one." He pointed to the leftmost door on the left wall.
Shortly after, Platoon 3 arrived, hauling cases of ammunition, rations, water, medicine, and comms and sensor gear. The techs moved in as well, setting up lighting and communication systems.
Sergeant Eurylochus joined Dice, grinning as he took in the scene. "Wow, this is like that one treasure hunting movie, yeah?"
The soldiers began deploying spotlights, which lit up the hall and cast sharp shadows from the massive pillars onto the stone walls.
"I feel more like a grave robber, or some villain like the movies who is uncovering some super ancient weapon," Dice replied to him, gesturing around the room.
"Hahaha," Eurylochus laughed, giving Pice a hearty pat on his armored shoulder. "You know, let me tell you something, I've always dreamed of digging up or exploring some dark dungeon in hopes of finding a treasure or some sort."
"Yeah, treasure would be nice," Dice muttered. "But I'd rather not dig up some crazy mad god, another Demon Lord, or an ancient temple filled with robotic Egyptian skeletons."
"That would be bad, huh?" Eurylochus's expression grew serious. "Damn, you're a wet blanket."
"Heh," Dice grinned at Eurylochus's serious face. "Well, let's pray we don't."
"Just be careful out there," Eurylochus warned. "I've got your back here. If anything goes to shit, just call, and we will be there to pull your ass out of the fire."
"Sure," Dice nodded, "But don't be late!" He walked towards his men, calling for them to gather up.
"Alright, Platoon 3 is here, they will be in charge of holding the fort," Dice briefed his troops. "We're going to do this just like we trained, make sure to check every corner, including the ceiling. Ready?"
"ALWAYS READY, SIR!" the men shouted in unison with higher morale.
"Good. Section 1, you're up first, then 2, and so on," Dice ordered as the men arranged themselves lined up in front of the first door. "Ready? Go!"
The leading point man tested the door, finding no resistance, he pushed the door open gently, while his weapon was up and ready. He stepped cautiously into the doorway, his shotgun aimed left and right, the lights showing a corridor that ended in a right turn.
The whole place was covered in stone tiles, with roots dangling from the stone ceiling through the cracks. A cold and damp feel washed over the soldier as he stepped on the moss-covered stone tiles. Unlike the dungeon level above, there wasn't any glow moss in this place. His Section 1 teammates followed several steps behind him as they advanced deeper into the unknown.
As the private quickly rounded the corner, he suddenly found himself face-to-face with a giant brown-scaled lizard, which reared up in surprise as its eyes blinded by the sudden burst of light. It had been investigating the sudden light sources when it was suddenly confronted.
"SHRIEEEEEK!!"
"HOLY FUCK!!" the private shouted, startled as the panicked lizard split out its long tongue wildly. The extendable tongue impacted against the wall behind the soldier, cracking the stone with a loud impact, and the soldier squeezed the trigger of his shotgun in reflex.
Seven lead balls tore into the lizard's exposed chest, ripping through its soft underbelly skin, and blood and bits of flesh exploded outward, showering the walls in a gruesome display. But then the private screamed in pain as some of the creature's fluid splashed onto him, and the liquid started smoking and eating into his steel armor and skin.
He yelped as he frantically tried to wipe away the smoking acid on his armor, dropping his smoking shotgun as the barrel began to deform under the corrosive droplets, melting the metal. His section mates rushed over, quickly helping him out of his smoking armor and used water to wash the acidic substance away while others provided security cover.
"What the fuck is that?" Dice muttered as he came up next to the dead lizard, which is about the size of a horse.
It had two thin crests of bone on the top of its head and what looked like a frill or grills on the sides. The creature's short arms ended in claws and its powerful hind legs and tail hinted at its strength. The acidic substance continued leaking from its torn chest, smoking and slowly eating into the rock surface and gave off a pungent sour smell.
"That looks like some freaking dinosaur..."