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Marcus blinked, caught off guard by Varick's unexpected intervention. "But... I thought you'd be on my side in this."

Varick's lips curled into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Times change, dear cousin. I've decided it's high time we put aside our differences and learn from Elio. His technique is... intriguing, to say the least."

Elio observed the exchange, surprise and suspicion churning in his gut. Never in a thousand years had he expected Varick, of all people, to show interest in his technique.

"Marcus," Varick continued, "I believe it's time for a family chat about our priorities on the wall. These gentlemen will escort you."

Before Marcus could protest, Varick's men steered him away. Elio watched as Marcus cast confused and frustrated glances over his shoulder as he was led away.

Varick turned to Elio, his smile still not quite reaching his eyes. "My apologies for the interruption, Elio. I hope you can now continue your valuable training without further distractions."

"Thank you... Varick," Elio replied, still bewildered by this turn of events. "Are you genuinely interested in learning the technique?"

"But of course," Varick nodded. "I've been observing, and I must admit, it's impressive. I believe it would be... beneficial for all if I were to join the training."

Elio hesitated for a moment, but Von Lucien's words about the importance of preparing as many defenders as possible echoed in his mind.

"Very well, Varick. You may join us. But I warn you, the training is intense and requires total commitment."

"I'd expect nothing less," Varick's enigmatic smile widened.

In the days that followed, Varick integrated himself into the training group.

To everyone's surprise, he proved to be a dedicated and talented student, his mana control excellent as he quickly mastered the basics of the magnetism technique.

♢♢♢♢

Elio wiped the sweat from his brow as he sat on a wooden bench near the training field.

He had been teaching the magnetic throw and retrieval technique for hours, and it was finally time for a break.

A weary-looking soldier approached him, holding a water container. It was Taron, a man entering his forties with scars on his arms that revealed his experience in active patrols.

"Mind if I join you, Instructor Elio?" Taron asked, gesturing to the empty space on the bench.

Elio smiled and nodded. "Of course not. Have a seat, and please, just call me Elio."

Taron dropped heavily onto the bench, taking a long swig from his container before offering it to Elio. "I've got to admit, I'm impressed," he said as Elio gratefully accepted the water. "Never thought I'd see the day we'd be chucking our spears around."

Elio chuckled softly. "Quite the paradigm shift, isn't it?"

Taron nodded, his expression turning serious. "It is. And I can't help but wonder... How did you come up with such a technique? I mean, my whole life as a soldier, we've always been drilled to keep our spears firmly in hand. Throwing a level 3 spear...

well, we were always told it would just bounce off."

Elio leaned back on the bench, pondering the question.

"Well, it was a combination of necessity, curiosity, and a bit of luck, I suppose. Facing my first monster unarmed in the System's test... it forces you to think outside the box."

"No weapons?" Taron's eyes widened. "That must have been terrifying."

Elio nodded, a shadow passing over his face. "It was. But the one who taught me the strategy to win like that, made me think differently…

After that, I started experimenting with everything. One day, I stumbled upon magical magnetism and decided to figure out how it could be applied to weapons."

Taron scratched his chin thoughtfully. "You know, it reminds me of something I saw once. There was this veteran soldier in the family patrols. He could throw his level 4 spear."

"Really?" Elio leaned forward, intrigued.

"Yeah," Taron continued, his eyes distant with the memory. "He had to imbue it with the ice sacrifice metal and use a bit of mana to propel it. But he didn't do it often. Said it was an unnecessary waste of mana."

Elio nodded, understanding. "Makes sense. Nobody would want to waste our precious mana. With level 4 armor and groups of 10 soldiers, I guess they felt safe facing the Locus head-on."

Taron let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, well, those of us using level 3 ones don't have that luxury. Our armor weighs a ton and barely gives us 3 defense points, no extra resistance. And believe me, getting hurt is common."

"I've heard that Locus attacks inflict 4 damage points over total defense if you're using level 3," Elio commented, his voice laced with concern.

Taron nodded grimly. "That's right. And if you're unlucky enough to get your head bitten off... well, the armor's useless in that case."

Elio felt a chill run down his spine at the mental image. "It must be terrifying to face them like that."

"It is," Taron admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "Luckily, our squads are 20 strong. It's rare for a Locus to have time to kill someone before we bring it down. But still... we've lost good soldiers."

There was a moment of silence as both men reflected on the harsh realities of their work.

"That's why your technique is so revolutionary," Taron finally said with admiration and a touch of disbelief. "It gives us the option of not having to get close… 2 or 3 mana points is a fair price, also not like we face them every day. And from what I've heard, it could even reduce squad sizes."

Elio nodded, a spark of hope in his eyes. "That's the plan. With this technique, we could reduce squads of 20 soldiers with level 3 equipment to just 10. And the 10-soldier squads with level 4 equipment could function with just 5."

Taron whistled, impressed. "That's... incredible. But how does it work exactly? I mean, how did you manage to get level 3 spears to damage the Locus?"

Elio smiled, excited to share the technical details. "It's a combination of several things, I guess it's similar to what the soldier you mentioned did. First, we cover the spear completely in nickel, with the tip being the most important part. Then, we apply a bit of magnetism to repel it in flight."

"But doesn't it need a level 4 or 5 mana spear to apply the thrower's damage?" Taron asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"That's the trick," Elio explained, leaning forward enthusiastically. "As long as all the spear is in contact with the thrower's mana, its level doesn't matter. The total damage applies in full."

Taron blinked, processing the information. "Wait, are you saying we could have been throwing our level 3 spears all this time?"

Elio nodded, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.

"Theoretically, yes. But to reduce the teams, you need precise control of magnetism. Being able to easily recover the spear is essential to avoid any mishaps. Another disaster... Imagine losing it on the other side of the wall, the replacement cost alone would be crippling."

Taron leaned back on the bench, shaking his head in amazement. "That would be... costly. But I understand that the best part of being able to throw is not getting close to the monster. To think of all the lives that could have been saved if we had known this before..."

Elio placed a hand on Taron's shoulder. "We can't change the past, but we can ensure the future is different. That's why it's so important that we master this technique."

Taron nodded, determination glinting in his eyes. "You're right. I'll give it everything I've got."

"Glad to hear it," Elio smiled. "We'll need every trained soldier we can get. The situation's getting worse."

"How so?" Taron's expression darkened.

Elio gazed towards the horizon, his voice low and somber. "The breaches have been increasing, right? It seems it won't stop soon. Deaths are becoming more frequent, and the Locus are emerging less damaged, stronger. This technique could be the difference between survival and extinction for our city."

Taron followed Elio's gaze, his face a mix of concern and resolve. "Then we've got no time to waste, do we?"

"None at all," Elio agreed, standing and stretching his tired muscles. "Ready to get back to it?"

Taron rose as well, a defiant smile on his face. "More than ready. Let's show those monsters what we can do with our flying spears."

♢♢♢♢

As weeks passed, more level 3 squads joined the training.

The city wall hummed with activity, defenders practicing the new technique in shifts. Breach defense efficiency improved markedly.

Elio watched with pride as his technique spread, creating an almost impenetrable barrier against breach monsters.

One afternoon, while overseeing an advanced session, Elio noticed Varick instructing novice recruits. His technique was flawless, his explanation clear and concise.

"Never thought I'd see the day," Zara remarked, approaching Elio. "Varick's actually proving useful."

Elio nodded, still somewhat wary. "He's progressed quickly. His help in expanding the training has been... valuable."

"Do you think we can trust him?" Zara asked in a low voice.

Elio pondered for a moment. "I'm not sure. But as long as he's contributing positively to the city's defense, I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt."

As the sun set, Elio gathered his core team for evaluation.

"You guys have done an incredible job," he began, looking at each one with pride. "In just a few months, we've managed to train most of the level 3 soldiers in our technique. The city's defenses have never been stronger."

"The stats are remarkable," Ren chimed in. "Casualties in defender squads have decreased by 82.8% since implementation."

Kriz whistled, impressed. "That's... wow. We're really making a difference."

"We are," Elio nodded. "But we can't let our guard down. The breaches keep increasing, and we need to be prepared."

"Elio's right," Micah added. "We must continue improving and refining the technique. Who knows why the breaches are so active lately."

Brok stretched, cracking his neck. "Well, whatever it is, we'll be ready to face it."

Elio smiled, feeling a wave of affection for his team. "Exactly. There's no bug we can't take dow…"

The breach alarm sounded, interrupting Elio, but that was normal... Until several alarms began to blare one on top of another.