[MEANWHILE]

[The Southern Continent: Dwarven Colony]

The Dwarven Nation was once revered as the hub of all smithing activities—the paradise for all technological advancement and construction.

Of course, that hadn't really changed much, but one look at the nation now and one could only see vestiges of the city's former glory.

The Dwarven Colony, brought under subjugation by Jared Leonard—head of the United Nations—now had the appearance of a slum setting.

Well, not quite.

Towering above the heads of the Dwarves were huge monoliths, and tall buildings called Forges. Factories littered the Colony, and they consumed most of the land. The remaining habitable areas were overpopulated by desperate Dwarves who wanted to survive.

Yet, even that proved to be very difficult.

Thanks to the thick smoke and toxic waste that came out out of the overcrowded factories, the skies that hung above their head was constantly grey and uncolorful. A certain fould smell constantly wafted in the air, and everything within the civilization was affected.

It became inevitable that the denizens would eventually begin to experience poisioning—sicknesses that were caused by the toxic waste they were forced to live with. In this sort of community, where one had to slave away and work in order to survive.. what manner of hope was there for these people?

Were they fated this sort of existence forever?

Well..

>VWUUUUUUUUSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!!!<

In the outskirts of the Dwarven Colony, a burst of bright blue portals manifested, revealing a myriad of entities appearing in the sky.

These entities consisted mainly of Automatons and Golems, and they numbered a couple hundreds of thousands in number.

At their center was an especially large Golem—about sixty meters in height. It looked geared for battle, with gleaming metallic skin, and a color combination of white and black radiating out of it.

Its golden eyes shone brightly, and it had wing-like thrusters that allowed it to be suspended in the air—though thrusters also existed at the sole of its foot and palm.

This Golem was Hugo. And operating it from the inside was none other than the only Magi-Tech expert in the Outgroup other than Neron and Jared.

"Haaa.. I'm so nervous.." Ana leaked out a worried sigh, seated right in front of the interface before her.

What would she do if she failed to work as efficiently as she could on this mission? She didn't want to be a burden to everyone, so she chose whatever task was given to her. However, now that she was in the field, she was beginning to have second doubts.

'Compared to everyone else, I am not talented in Magic at all. My Mana Output is low. I can ony help with Magi-Tech and Research..'

That was also why she was given Hugo to operate. She had no combat prowess, so she had to rely on the Ultimate Golem granted to her by the good Jared.

'I have to admit, though.. this is amazing.'

The Jared of this world also had a 'Hugo', and while she had never seen it in person before, she was able to extract footages of the Ultimate Golem by diligently scouting. She had also heard many informed statements of it.

'Based on my assessments, this one is better.'

Then again, she couldn't be so sure unless the other was right in front of her, and she could compare their functions. Simply put, Ana didn't have enough information.

'Haa.. enough about that! What now? I'm so nervous, I could die.'

She was seated behind the Golem Interface, and a large screen was displayed in front of her, showing her exactly what her Golem was seeing.

Its sight range was far higher than anything humans were capable of, so she could easily spot the Dwarven Colony from her distance. She could even see detailed activities going on there, including the sad lives the poor denizens lived.

'Jared, that monster!' Once more, she became reminded of how vile the evil overlord was.

Though, at some point, it became very conflicting to think of 'Jared' with hate when his doppelganger was a very nice and compassionate person.

They shared the same name and face—only different in hair color and personality. The latter made all the difference, but it was still difficult for her.historical

"Haa.. okay, enough thinking! I can do this. I can do this.."

"Are you alright there, Ana?" A voice sounded behind her, instantly sending her into a state of shock and panic.

"Eeeeeep!!!"

"Relax. It's just me." The young boy named Stefan was also taken aback by Ana's exaggerated response. His cheeks slightly reddened, and he took a few steps back while raising his hand.

"A-ah, sorry Stefan." Pink shades appeared on her cheeks as well.

Were the both of them so embarrassed? Or..

"S-so, why are you here?" She asked, looking away to stare at nothing in particular.

"W-well, I just came to see you one final time. We're commencing in a minute, and we probably won't see each other until its all over, so.." Stefan stopped nearly at the end of his sentence and leaked an awkward smile.

Stefan and his troops were in charge of emancipating the Dwarves, and defending them, while Ana and her troops were supposed to destroy the enemy forces. Since they had different missions, they would probably not interact much until they had finished their tasks.

"Y-yeah, you're right." Ana responded. "Thanks. I was a bit nervous just now, you know.."

"Me too. We're barely adults yet we've been given this responsibility." Stefan chuckled slightly, a distant glow appearing in his blue eyes.

However, not long after making this statement, his gaze deepened, and a stronger look of resolve formed.

"However, I believe we were chosen because we are capable enough. The only thing we can do now is to give it our all." With the warm smile on his face and the look of confidence in his eyes, Stefan blurted out his wods.

Instantly, Ana's eyes widened, and she found herself nodding in response.

"Thank you, Stefan.." A bright smile instantly formed on her face. "You just cheered me up!"

Her reaction garnered a shocked demeanor from Stefan, causing his cheeks to feel even hotter than before. Ana's words resonated in his head, and his heart suddenly began to race beyond his control.

"T-thank you too.." It seemed like steam was rising from his head as he spoke. Fortunately for him, Ana was leaking out the same steam.

Both of them looked at each other for a few more seconds, basking in the awkward moment.

>BEEP!<

Thankfully, Hugo's alarm system kicked in, saving the both of them anothe second of feeling intense emotions at the beginning of a nerve-wrecking battle.

"W-well, I gotta go then. Wish me luck!" Stefan quickly said, utilizing the Spell Card he was given to transport out of the Golem.

"M-me too. And good luck!"

Blue light replaced Stefan in his location, and in an instant, he vanished. Now alone once again, Ana held her pink cheeks and shut her eyes for a few seconds.

'Not now, Ana! Let's focus on the mission!'

With that in mnd, she manned her interface and prepared for her task.

'I won't let everyone down!'

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[A/N]

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