# Line-of-Fire Detection
What is line-of-fire detection?
It's the most representative reason why superhumans are called superhumans. Simply having fast movements and strong power doesn't classify someone as a "superhuman."
Superhuman. The title that transcends the human realm means reaching a level that ordinary humans cannot dare to approach.
At the point where one gains near-perfect immunity to the most powerful weapons designed solely by human technology and wisdom to "hunt" other humans, that person is classified as a superhuman.
*Click.*
Ivan loaded his pistol and slowly exhaled.
The humans in this world are biologically identical to Earth humans. They don't have special internal organs for mana resonance like in Earth's fictional works, nor do they have special abilities functioning in their pineal gland.
Blood volume, muscle tissue, internal organ structure and function, and the operation of all limbs are identical to Earth humans.
Therefore, the fundamental reason why humans in this world can perform unimaginable feats with their bare bodies is simple: they possess a power unimaginable on Earth.
Mana.
*Hissss...*
Ivan took a deep breath, accelerating the mana through his neural network. This incomprehensible power is the driving force that transforms humans into superhumans.
As he once reflected, mana is a convenient power that can be whatever you need it to be. Therefore, most "otherworlders" took it for granted.
A power that anyone with talent can handle. A power that strengthens the body, weaves magic, and enables the production of peculiar manufactured goods.
But an Earthling shouldn't think that way. Someone who knows the absence of mana should consider "how" it works. After all, doesn't every phenomenon in the world have fundamental principles?
Therefore, since understanding mana during his long military service, Ivan had conducted all sorts of experiments.
How does mana strengthen the human body?
What are the limits of mana-induced enhancement?
What effects do excessive or significantly deficient mana show?
A kind of human experimentation on his own body. Plus numerous samples collected from the crossroads of life and death during war.
At the end of it all, he gained two things:
An excellent level of mana resonance ability and an understanding of how mana and the body interact.
It's only natural. It was a sense gained by pushing his nerves to their limits.
Therefore, Ivan is convinced.
Superhumans can be mass-produced if proper guidance and talent are supported.
Since a curriculum for mass-producing superhumans meant being able to replenish excellent agents without limit, Ivan confidently introduced this training program to the Annihilation Squad.
Unfortunately, the Annihilation Squad never exceeded a total of 800 members, and even those were all wiped out.
'Those kids are different.'
The bloodline of the Hero Party, with aptitude and talent proven to be top-tier over the past half year. Those youngsters definitely had sufficient qualities to complete his education.
To add one more point, Ivan was a reasonable educator, so he didn't commit the eccentricity of forcing students to experience things he hadn't experienced himself.
If he could do it with just a handful of mana even in front of demon tribes, there was no reason why those youngsters couldn't accomplish it in this incomparably more peaceful situation.
That's how merciful he is.
Ivan holstered his pistol at his waist and flicked his hand.
With the hand signal as a starting point, the action command began to spread to agents dispersed throughout the forest.
It's day one of an exciting summer vacation.
"Achoo! ACHOO!!"
"Why do humans have hands? Isn't covering your mouth when sneezing basic hygiene? Hands weren't made for playing in dirt."
Asidis sniffled and ignored Elfihera.
Ever since discovering that Elfihera had been dozing in the carriage while everyone else was suffering terrible things in the forest.
And on top of that, she had cast a warming spell just for herself when the campfire went out and slept soundly!
"W-why is this happening... ACHOO!"
"There's... a note..."
Oskar absentmindedly picked up a note lying on the ground.
The note was written in neat standard handwriting.
[Even small flames are highly visible at night. Don't light fires in enemy territory.]
"Since when did Krasilov become enemy territory?"
"Uncle secretly loves this stuff. Just understand that."
Isabelle muttered while pressing the corners of her eyes.
"So, should we go down or up? Anyone confident they can find the way?"
"Yesterday, when I was gathering firewood with Miss Asidis, the path happened to be in the direction of the descent route. I learned quite a bit."
"Huh?"
"Down there is hell."
Oskar's expression was terrible.
"There's a trap every three steps. If you find and disarm or avoid a trap, there's another trap set in that direction. I've heard about this... This must be the work of the Annihilation Squad."
Among the many special purpose military organizations of the United Kingdoms, Krasilov's military institutions were famous for their peculiar behavior.
Unlike other countries that focused on force and response capability regardless of their original purpose, Krasilov's military organizations had only one purpose as their basic principle of action.
To put it bluntly,
'How can we make the opponent more pissed off?'
To phrase it more elegantly, they were masters of psychological warfare. Pre-emptive information blocking, meticulous designs targeting only vulnerabilities, sometimes using explosives, sometimes biochemical agents, and occasionally even hostage situations.
Literally, an operational planning method dedicated solely to confusing the enemy command by pouring all available resources without reservation.
The legendary strike force of Krasilov. Rumored to have been in charge of reconnaissance for the Hero Party during wartime. And famous in the industry for its short existence period contrasted with its ominous rumors...
The Annihilation Squad is an organization that left a significant mark on each country's intelligence units just with its combat records and military honors. As a member of the Tilles Secret Intelligence Bureau, Oskar knew about the Annihilation Squad.
"What's that?"
"It's this country's old intelligence unit, but it's not important. What's important is our current situation of having to deal with someone from there."
Oskar said with a bitter smile.
"There must be a reason why they told us to come up. Either the process itself is training, or the real training begins when we get up there. Then why did they say we could go down?"
"Because they know we can't go down anyway."
"That's right."
"Always like this, whatever."
Isabelle stretched and grinned.
"I wasn't planning to back out anyway. Whatever they've prepared, I need to land at least one hit to feel better."
Two hours later, the students were crawling on the ground with mud and fallen leaves stuck all over their bodies.
*BANG—!!*
Every time a gunshot rang out from a distance, they would shriek and drop to the ground. Though not live ammunition—they wouldn't be injured if hit—it still hurt like hell!
"Guns! They're shooting guns?!"
"They shot yesterday too! Get down!"
*BANG!!*
As soon as the gunshot was heard, blue sparks flew and Elfihera collapsed. Her protective spell had broken.
"I'm out of mana!! Stop shooting!! You crazy humans!!"
Elfihera wailed as she crawled on the ground looking for cover. She crouched behind a large rock, looked around, and cautiously peeked out.
"Are they gone...?"
"They're probably still there. Seems like they'll shoot whenever we let our guard down."
"What kind of training is this?! Isn't this just them doing their own shooting practice?!"
"It seems to be line-of-fire detection training."
Oskar said while scanning the forest from behind a tree.
"Surprise attacks with gunfire when we're not tense. It seems they want to awaken our line-of-fire detection by repeating this..."
"Do they really train like this in the military?"
"Of course not."
Oskar sighed with a miserable expression.
"Captain, Team 4 has returned."
"Good work. Put Team 8 on surveillance duty, and Team 4 gets eight hours of rest."
"Yes, Captain."
Ivan, looking at a map in the field tent, noticed that the reporting officer hadn't left after finishing his report, and looked up.
"Do you have a question?"
"Yes...! If it's not impertinent, I have an inquiry about the operation!"
"What is it?"
The officer gulped. Despite having at least five years of field experience, the figure before him was truly legendary.
The author of that hateful "training" plan from the Counterintelligence Command—the so-called Recruit Torture Manual. It's easy to imagine the fear he must be feeling now that such a person is directly training "civilians."
"I don't understand the significance of evacuating the civilian houses in the 12 o'clock direction of the operation area and withdrawing troops from that region for this operation!"
"Hmm."
Ivan scanned the operation map following the officer's gaze. The 12 o'clock direction from the center of the mountain.
It's an unremarkable mountainside with a small slash-and-burn farming village, and exactly opposite to the trainees' movement range.
In other words, it's an area the trainees would never reach no matter what they did. He's asking why they bothered to evacuate the civilian houses there, waste manpower, and then withdraw the troops deployed in that area.
The 12 o'clock area had literally become a "no-man's land." In a normal military operation, such areas shouldn't be created. At minimum, one surveillance outpost should have been assigned.
"Your name?"
"I-I'm Mikhail... Mikhail Soromovich!!"
"Excellent, Mikhail. What do you think?"
Although this operation is a training situation targeting students, that's no reason to disregard the learning of field agents.
A reasonable educator needs to maximize the learning capacity of all students under their charge.
At Ivan's question, Mikhail stiffly stammered his response.
"It doesn't seem to be for the internal trainees, but rather like a simulation exercise targeting an external hypothetical enemy."
"A simulation exercise."
"Yes, it's as if you've deliberately created a route perfect for enemy infiltration..."
"You pass. What's your rank?"
"Sergeant, sir!"
Ivan nodded with satisfaction. Rising from a commoner to sergeant in the Counterintelligence Command's strike force means he must have sufficient practical experience.
"After this operation ends, you'll be a commissioned officer. Report to the command office."
"I-I'm honored!"
"And to answer your question, your thinking is correct."
Ivan spoke softly, looking at the empty section on the operation map.
"A simulation exercise to lure enemies. That's right."
Excellent agents never establish operations with only one purpose at a time.
Even if the purpose of the operation is a training plan for students, they wouldn't have pushed for such a large-scale mobilization of personnel just for that alone.
Ivan slowly checked his armament status and answered.
"It's because academy retreats getting attacked is common sense."
"Pardon?"
The Crown Prince faction.
Remnants of purged nobility.
Demon tribes.
Or perhaps rebels from another country, or an international terrorist organization. Whatever it may be.
Let's see who comes this time.
Being a sensible person, Ivan also prepared torture plans when anticipating such attacks.
And right now, there were at least 50 more "Counterintelligence Command field agents" here to support him.