The foundation of humanity's power was the Phantoms, specifically their Evolution Tree and the force of their genes. However, a human body without an Initial Gene, there was no way it could become as strong as a K0-Phantom, it was simply physically impossible.
No matter how experienced a military man was, no matter how dense and large his muscles were, it was simply not enough, as the difference in strength was too great.
It was like a man trying to defeat a bear with his bare hands. The bear was superior to the man in everything - speed, strength, defense, and arsenal. The man had only fists and muscles, while the bear had sharp claws and an incredibly powerful jaw.
However... Everything changed dramatically if a man had a weapon, for example: a gun. One shot was enough to defeat a beast several times bigger.
People were sure that sooner or later, they would be able to defeat monsters with large-caliber weapons, bombs, or rockets. However, they quickly realized that even White Threat Level monsters were too durable.
They seemed to be protected by the genes, absorbing some of the damage onto themselves and blocking the rest with their tough skins. In the end, even supersonic fighter missiles were ineffective.
Laser turrets showed that killing monsters was possible, but they were too energy-consuming and immobile. Turrets were only on walls, powered by generators the size of entire houses.
In the end, the development department came to the only true solution - they tried to copy the power of the Phantoms but with technology instead of genes. Thus, the first prototypes of exoskeletons and FNs appeared.
Sure, it was still a long way from the Phantom level, but it was hundreds of times better than stationary turrets.
After all, if the military could defeat White Threat Level monsters on their own, it would make the Phantoms' job easier and raise the control of territories to a new level!
'Hmm... Looks like they didn't succeed here, what every military man dreams of.' Adam inwardly pondered, staring intently at Layla.
He could sense that her aura as a being had hardly changed. It was clear from her gaze that she had killed monsters before, as the military previously conducted tests and battles to show the public the finished result.
However, she was unable to become a Phantom, neither an Artificial one, much less a Natural one. It was obvious that it was impossible to ignite Spark by killing the monster with the Exoskeleton and FN.
'Well, it's even a little sad. Some military men spend more time training than Phantoms, but without genes, one can't become seriously strong.' Adam pondered with a deep gaze.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
The triple-horned Buffalo was trying to break through the ice cage created by the Phantom. Slowly, the monster succeeded, and cracks began to form in the ice bars, but the military had plenty of time to prepare for the fateful battle.
The man's pupils narrowed as he put his sword out in front of him at the last moment for defense.
The spiky tail curled around the sword, snatching it from the man's hands in a sharp motion and tossing it aside.
Then, the Triple-horned Buffalo attacked the man, but he dodged the tail that flew over his head and ran for his sword.
The monster realized that this wasn't supposed to happen and was about to ram the man, but... Layla was already here!
She hadn't entered the battle yet, so it was time for her to show what she was capable of.
Bam. Bam. Bam.
Layla unleashed a hail of blows at the Triple-horned Buffalo's head, each time using more energy from the generator.
Unlike the two men, she actively used the generator - first channeling the energy into her legs for speed and now to her arms for maximum damage.
Soon, the Triple-horned Buffalo exhaled a puff of steam through its nostrils and slammed its hooves into the ground, forcing Layla to take a few steps back.
She was about to continue attacking, but the Triple-horned Buffalo made a run-up, quickly pointing its horns at her.
Whoooooooosh.
The energy transferred to her legs again, giving Layla acceleration. At the last moment, she was able to dodge the monster's dangerous attack, which would have surely hurt her badly. After all, the exoskeleton didn't offer impenetrable protection.
"Look out!" The man with the shield exclaimed, trying to get to the Triple-horned Buffalo as fast as possible.
The monster wasn't going to stop, moving straight towards the First Ring - to Adam. Triple-horned Buffalo had to hit something or move a very long distance to stop, so... a collision with the iron fence was inevitable.
Trici's eyes narrowed at the sight of the monster bearing down on her, however, the rapidly building fear was gone when she saw Adam step forward.
He reached out his hand with a calm face and grabbed the middle horn of the Triple-horned Buffalo, stopping the huge monster instantly.