34-034
Huh.......... Huh..........
Breathing raggedly, he gulped down the water he had taken from the bag.
I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.
Naotsugu, Nyanta, Koryu, and Rezaric are now taking a short break at the base of a pine tree, a short distance from the shoreline. But it's hardly a break.
The battle that began in the morning has been going on for four hours now, a grueling continuous battle under the glaring summer sun.
This was the third pause for Naotsugu and his team, but even the previous two were no more than 10 minutes. The target landing points for the Aquatic Green Demons (Safagin) were numerous, and the number of adventurers was small. Inevitably, the adventurers would have to fight their way around the landing points, but in order for the defenses to function effectively with a small number of people, the parties would need to work together. When adventurers gather in one place, the Safagin will invade through the "holes" that will inevitably open up.
If that happens, the town is immediately behind them.
Of course, I asked the mayor to shelter all of the earthlings in a building that I thought was well-defended, and the young men would be armed and ready for battle.
It's a good thing that you're able to have a great deal of fun with it.
In front of you, three groups of newcomers are repeating the battle on the beach. Indeed, from the eyes of 90-level Naotsugu, even though there were many poor points, it was a battle worthy of being called a valiant battle.
But still, it was still a mid-level sadness. Their defenses are sometimes frayed and almost broken.
It was inevitable. The power and range of their techniques are too different from those of Naotsugu and his team. The fact that they don't have the high-level magic items that Naotsugu and his friends take for granted is also a big factor.
In Elder Tail, there is a system called "Item Lock". High-level magic items can be made "permanent" (locked) when you acquire them. Most high-level magic items need to be made permanent in order to equip them. And only the adventurer who made it a regular item can use it.
The items will be adjusted to suit your needs. These items will be less likely to be stolen because there is no longer any point in reselling them, and they will not be lost if you die. They can also unlock hidden abilities.
Adventurers who have reached 90th level have a few high-level magic items in their possession, even if they are from a normal guild. A veteran adventurer like Shiroe usually has dozens of high-level items, even legendary items.
These magic items are not simply high-performance weapons and armor, but also have unique and special abilities, some of which can even rewrite the performance of the owner's "special skills".
In terms of direct succession, this is the magical sword Keios Schreeker that he uses. This weapon rewrites the range of his special ability, Towning Shout, which has the effect of turning monsters upside down, from 10 meters to 15 meters. This changes even the usefulness of the Towning Shout feat.
It was only natural that the mid-level adventurers, who were unable to use such powerful high-level magic items, would find themselves in a different situation than the high-level adventurers.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
"It's my job to rest now.
Nyanta told him in a rare, noncommittal tone.
Starting with Naotsugu, Nyanta, Koryu and Rezalic's companions were depleted of MP. There is no more than a sparrow's eye to recover MP in battle unless they are subjected to some special effect. Even if we returned to the battle now, the battle lines would collapse in a flash due to the lack of MP.
When I was fighting the goblins in the mountains, I could lurk in the darkness and take regular rests. This battle is a heavy rotation, where they can't even distribute the pace themselves, and they have to respond to Safagin's attack on the back end of the line.
Of course, that doesn't stop Naotsugu and his team from being able to support the front line for much longer than the rookie adventurers. But even so, there is a limit to this; even the 90-level fiercest of Naotsugu's MPs can't withstand a battle lasting longer than an hour.
Not to mention, this time they have a party of four people instead of six. Each one of them is moving 1.5 times as fast as usual to create a combination.
"Naotsugu-san. Come in.
I'm sorry.
I drink the potion that Rezarik gave me. The blue water potion is a drinking potion that restores MP, but its effect is negligible. In the Elder Tail, there are many methods of restoring HP, but methods of restoring MP are far less common, and the amount recovered is usually negligible. This potion is not an inexpensive item either, but its effectiveness is limited.
Naotsugu impatiently looks at Touya, who is fighting in front of him.
Touya has gotten stronger.
His techniques and fighting style are still rough, and although I can't say he's "gotten better", he's getting stronger. In fact, there would be no need for petty "skillfulness".
I'm not a good fighter, but I'm a good fighter. It is the "guts" that is used in words like "elated" and "elated". It is a positive attitude to do something. It is the attitude.
Touya has "spirit" in his battles. It is an invaluable quality for a warrior supporting the front lines. Naotsugu thinks that in order to protect his comrades, he needs to be brave enough not to fear the bloodshed of his own body, sometimes smashing the glass door with his bare hands.
(Touya is still growing...)
Isuzu and the sorcerer, who was called the Rundel House, are fighting there. Isuzu is a "bard," as I recall.
Unlike Touya, Isuzu has the same skill. Her positioning, her attacks, they all show an exquisite sense of distance and rhythm. To the untrained eye, it's hard to tell how skilled she is. Even the most seasoned combat expert would overlook her as an inconspicuous adventurer.
However, her steady following of her companions takes the various elements of combat - attacking, defending, moving and healing - to another level.
What's most notable is her combination with the young sorcerer. It's as if he knows exactly what the young man wants, and the timing and location of his support. The young man's low defense is not directly exposed to the enemy's attacks, but he is moving to keep his view of the battlefield intact so that he can round up the Safagins.
And the young man who is being followed by the sorcerer is a veritable mass of spirit. The sorcerer's attack power is high. You'll be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for when you see it.
I'm not sure I'm going to be able to say that I'm going to be able to do anything about it, but I'm not going to be able to say that I'm going to be able to do anything about it, but I'm going to be able to say that I'm going to be able to do anything about it. It's a good idea to have a good time with them.
A girl named Serara, who had been pining for Nyanta.
She, too, has begun to change. Since the first time I saw her on the streets of Susukino, I could see her chanting speed and lack of hesitation, but now, even compared to that time, she seems to have more freedom. Unlike before, when all she could think about was recovery, she never forgot to call up nature spirits and let them run around in all directions, or use attack aid spells to support the party.
She would make a good recovery position (healer), Naotsugu thinks.
And then there's Minori.
Minori is the only one fighting Safagin, perhaps with a completely different vision. Naotsugu even gets goosebumps just from the "premonition" he sees in Minori.
At Minori's command, the party changes its formation and organically rebuilds the combination.
'Rudy-san, reduce the power output!'
Roger that, Miss Minori.
Hey, Serara. I'm going to make a recovery switch. I'm going to ask you to go on the offensive.
There's the Icicle Ripper on the left. I'm going to fire!
Naotsugu knows what she's doing.
She's been able to team up with Shiroe for a long time.
She's probably trying to figure out the MP consumption of all her companions. Naturally, in order to make that possible, she has to know all of the 'specialties' of not only herself, but also all of her companions. This includes not only their MP consumption, but also their performance and the circumstances in which they are used.
Furthermore, you have to know how your friends work together, their positions in relation to each other, the order of their encounters, and the order in which they are defeated.
In other words, you have to turn the "text" of defeating the enemy into the "text" of battle. This means that you have to reconstruct the "text" of battle into a "story" of tactics, and then "read" it.
Of course, battles are a series of happenings that unfold in real time. Reading" here does not mean to harden the battle as a static text, but to read it as a highly improvisational story, affirming all possible futures.
What Minori is trying to do, though still clumsily, is to mimic Shiroe's all-out control (full control) combat (encounters). That little girl is chasing after Shiroe's back.
-- in 1% increments, 30 seconds ahead of her, I think.
Shiroe once said that about "it".
Perhaps it means fighting the future for 30 seconds -- the 1% increments are to figure out how much MP is left of your companions.
Of course, understanding the environment around you is fundamental, even in high level combat. I understand that when I put it in direct succession. When you're in front of the battlefield, you don't have to check the party status screen to get an idea of your friends' remaining MP levels. But that's a good six kinds of things: full, still plenty of room, about halfway, about to be dangerous, less, and a good six kinds of karaoke. A lot of mid-level adventurers will often only make decisions based on about two kinds of things: "I can still go" and "it's about time for a break". If it's your own MP, or the MP of a fellow adventurer with a different profession than yours, that's about it in reality.
The Elder Tail was a game. So if you take it to the extreme, the elements that could happen there were fixed. If you were sufficiently familiar with the game, you could predict the movements of the monsters.
However, as long as humans are fighting in parties, they cannot be exactly the same at all times. It's not that I'm not a fan of this, but I'm a fan of the fact that it's not a good idea.
In this otherworldly Elder Tail, the contingency of battle has increased far more than in the days of video games. Even if you are Shiroe, it's unlikely that he still has the ability to see 30 seconds ahead. On the other hand, however, one cannot help but wonder if Shiroe would be able to do the same.
If such phrases as "30 seconds ahead of the enemy in increments of 1 percent" are not bravado, they are the end of an unbelievable amount of hard work.
Naotsugu understands this because he has heard it over the course of his long association with Shiroe. It is logical that Naotsugu fights at the front and concentrates on the enemy in front of him, but until now, he has not acquired this "sense".
He can read the "sentence" of defeating the enemy in front of him, but he hasn't been able to connect it to the "text" yet.
And the Minori in front of me is trying to get to that siloe.
(I wonder how many seconds ahead of me Minori can see.... What percentage increments do you see in your grasp of your companions? Twenty percent? (Or are you already getting a sense of 10% increments at that level...?
The moment Naotsugu stood up, thinking it was time to return to the battlefield and give the newcomers a break in turn, a sharp burst of sound could be heard from the north square of the town of Chowsi in the distance. That is the special attack spell of the forest spell-caster (druid), "Cry
Oh, um! Nyanta-san, do your best!
The five of them, who had retreated from the coastline before they knew it, ran north, leaving Naotsugu and the others to take over. Their backside, running out into the summer sunshine, was like a swallow flying into the sky to a straight line.
Minori turns to look at Kouryu and Rezaric, who reacts that they have to fill in the hole that Minori and the others have left out, and Naotsugu, who looks dubious. His expression was covered in sweat, but he was as serious as can be.
''It's the reaction of the spirit in place of the alarm I asked Serara-san to give you. It's probably the re-invasion of the goblin tribe from the mountains. This battle is better suited to us, as we have the Bard and the ability to continue fighting. --I'm going to have to go to the beach, please, Naotsugu-san!
Minori!
Minori waved her hands widely to Naotsugu who called out to her.
As it was, the girls ran off and disappeared into the town of Chousi.
◆
It was Rundelhaus who was leading the way.
He has been riding high on concentration since the morning, and the power of his spells seems to be increasing heartily.
The magic item obtained in the deepest part of the "Raglander's Company" is a magic item called the "Magician's Cage" according to a high level person's appraisal of it, and since it's a magic item that can be worn by a 25th level character, it's not very powerful from the point of view of the entire server Although it was not an item, it was the first 'magic item' that Isuzu and the other five had obtained by their own power.
Isuzu and the others looked at the pair of baskets carved with a slightly damaged, dull silver magic circle, as if they were looking at a treasure. There is only one of these items and we can't all equip it at the same time. However, Isuzu felt it would be very sad to sell the magic item they had found and then divide it up into a bunch after converting it into cash.
So Isuzu and the others discussed it and decided to have Rundell House use it. This item seemed to be exclusive to the magic attack profession, and he was the only magician in their group.
Rundelhaus was a bit reserved at first, but he was still interested in it. He wore it happily when he was able to proceed in layers.
The basket hand was stuck in both of Rundelhaus' hands as he ran in front of Isuzu.
It's a magic item that increases the maximum amount of MP. The amount is only about 5% of your maximum MP. It's only about the same amount as a single powerful offensive magic shot, but all of the Isuzu's team members now understand that the accumulation of that amount has a big impact on the battle. The red crystal stuck in the center of the basket hand flickered, indicating that it was filled with the flame magic used by Rundel House.
Isuzu changes the permanent aid song to Meditation Nocturne and Fawn March. The former increases the efficiency of MP recovery, while the latter increases everyone's movement speed, a special skill for support.
Thank you, Miss Isuzu.
Rudy, you need to slow your pace a little bit.
Isuzu points out to Rundelhaus, who thanks him. It's good to be energetic, but a paper-armored sorcerer running at the front of the line won't do you any good.
''Mm. Sorry.''
With that, Rundelhaus slows down, and Isuzu hands him a water bottle from her luggage. It's the water that the innkeeper's daughter filled for me in the morning. It's mixed with squeezed oranges, so even now that it's become lukewarm, it's somewhat refreshing to drink.
...So...are you okay with it?
What's that? Of course, all is well with me, Rundelhaus-Code. All is well with me, Rundelhaus-Code, and all is well. Ha-ha-ha-ha!
Rundelhaus puffs his water bottle before responding. I'm sure he's basically well-bred, after all. I'm sure you've heard of it.
Isuzu is convinced that it's because he looks like a big, slightly slouchy, golden retriever.
'They're good friends, aren't they?'
Serara chuckles, but Isuzu shrugs her shoulders and says, "Well, yeah! Isuzu responds lightly. To Isuzu, Rundell House is a friendly dog itself.
It is a handsome dog with a pedigree that is kept at a rich neighbor's house. He's a bushy golden retriever with long hair that often appears at the Isuzu's house, probably because it happens to be adjacent to their yard.
He has a pedigree, so of course he's radiantly handsome. He has a graceful face and a polite attitude. However, once he gets used to it, this is what makes him so silly. He gets so serious about playing with a ball that he runs around until he's exhausted, or he swings it so hard that the base of his tail hurts.
I don't know if you can call them dumb or natural. The occasional self-conscious, arrogant speeches that are mixed in with the occasional stupidity are just the surface of the stupidity, and they don't make me angry at all.
Isuzu and this silly doggy are already close. The moment he licked my proffered fingertips, they were already friends. So I can nod my head even to Serara's cold shoulder.
'Are we done? Hmm.
Receiving a water bottle from Rundel House and wiping it clean before putting it back in the bag is such a natural part of the process.
'I'm sorry,'
Chuckle. Brother Rudy, all you do is apologize.
I don't think so, okay? Miss Isuzu
Rudy talks back to Touya, who is the first to tease him, but Isuzu doesn't take it up.
'Rudy's a wizard, so it's okay to be a bit pompous and silly.
etc., and said to Rundelhaus, "What are you talking about? What an idiot, what an idiot! What an idiot to say! And so on.
It was absolutely bizarre.
I was a freckled, slender, country high school girl with few feminine virtues, and I had the impression that the prince-type Rundell house that looked like something out of a picture book like this, the dog that lived in the neighborhood... or worse, the naturalistic little boy, was a junior high school student. I can't believe you're hesitating.
Objectively speaking, it's probably a big deal and an apologetic thing to do, but Isuzu's cheeks are smiling.
That's when Isuzu opened her mouth and ran to say at least one more word of abuse. A second "Crying Mushroom Scream" echoes from not far away.
Isuzu and the others looked at each other, then turned the corner of the street and picked up their pace.
The shape of the town of Chowsi is unique. A single thick street runs through the center of the town along the great Zantorif River. All of the town's central facilities are located on this boulevard. In other words, it is a long and narrow city that is built along the river road. There are also back streets and crossroads that intersect the main street, but they are all auxiliary and short.
Therefore, if you turn the corner of the main street and go north, you are already in the countryside with fields. At this time of year, the green aubergines and tomatoes are swaying in the wind, or the wheat that has been sown in the spring is lush and green.
There were three or four shadows running through the fields.
Isuzu quickly chanted the Ballad of the Lazy Snail. The pace of the goblins slows as if their legs suddenly lose their strength. That chance was enough for Isuzu's reliable friends to capture the enemy.
''Brother Rudy, I'm sorry!
Touya shouts and drops his hips deep and twists his body into a full-body twist. This is not a "provocation" stance to draw the enemy in, but a more aggressive stance.
If the targets are so dispersed, the provocation specialties of the samurai are inefficient. It's a lot of work just to run around and gather the enemy in one place.
"Leave it to me, Touya! Let me show you the magic of my beautiful magic. Serpent Bolts!
As the name of the spell suggests, the bundles of blue-violet lightning released by the staff of Rundell House spill out into the fields like multiple bands. Generally speaking, it's a bad idea: a preemptive attack by a wizard.
Eight goblins rushed in from various parts of the field. The number was higher than expected, but Minori, who was waiting at the end of the line, calmly cast a damage blocking spell. Not on Touya, but on Rundelhaus.
As Rundelhaus sets up his staff in a light blue mirrored barilla, the first one attacks. Another one followed, swinging an axe and rushing at him. However, none of the attacks were blocked by the damage blocking spell Minori had applied.
The Damage Blocking Spell is a special type of recovery spell unique to the Shingi Kanagi, and can protect a character from a certain amount of damage.
The most common spell is the Misuse Barrier, but there are several others, and the one I used this time was called the Protection Barrier. The characteristic of this spell is the amount of damage it absorbs. It's a powerful spell that can nullify more than four times the damage compared to the Lansing Barrier, but of course the reuse restriction time is long, so it's not a technique that can be used comfortably.
(But.........)
Isuzu thinks as Isuzu hits the notes one after the other.
Minori's decision is correct. Thanks to that spell, the Rundelhaus of this moment has obtained a defensive ability that is superior to Touya's. And the goblins, angry at Rundel House's magical attack, are being dragged out in front of the eyes of Isuzu and the other adventurers in a hurry.
As the goblins gathered around, Touya's "Whirlwind Meizuna" was decided upon. While many of the goblins are paralyzed as if cut off, Rundelhaus, Touya and Isuzu slaughter the monsters by destroying them individually.
During the repeated battles, Isuzu and the other five were learning not only the basic ones, but also anomalous coordination. Anomalies are still anomalies, and although it is not a tactic that can be used on a regular basis, it can be very effective in certain situations. It can be said that they have more ways to solve problems.
This and that.
"Hey, Miss Isuzu! You've seen my brilliant magic!
It was because of this stupid young man who was swept away by this stupid young man.
Isuzu smiled and patted Rundelhaus on the head.
The magic just now is a great thing. I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this kind of products.
It's a good idea to have a good time. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
◆.
A mixed battle ensued.
The sun was no longer setting in the western sky.
It was only the five of us in sight who continued to fight with the town on our backs. Minori and the others were a lone defense force. The goblins had been severely damaged by the nighttime blows from Minori and the others, and it was likely that they had lost most of the strength of the medium-sized troops they had sent in the direction of Chooshi. At the very least, the chain of command should have been cut to pieces.
The effects of this were also evident in these sporadic raids.
The goblins were not acting in an organized manner, they just wanted to lay waste to the town of Chowsi, which had been flooded by the Safagin's raids, unharmed and plundered.
Minori and the others ambushed and defeated the goblins that attacked them from out of nowhere with disgusting and barbaric cries, mainly on the farm roads leading to the hilly countryside.
Serara's forest spellcaster (druid), the Scream of the Weeping Mushroom (Shreeker's Echo), has come in handy. Minori and her team make up for the lack of manpower by setting up many of these spells as alarms.
"Geez, Minori. Do you have a drink?
Minori hands the third water bottle to Touya, who groans. That much is to be expected. He casts an instant recovery spell (Instant Heal) on Touya, who is sitting at the base of a roadside tree because the battle is over.
The battle is over, so the resilience is probably being exercised. The wounds on the armor will continue to heal as long as they are not severely damaged. It's the same with Touya's injuries. However, Touya's sweat, which seemed to be covered with water, did not subside. I'm sure his body has become overheated from the long and intense battle. Perhaps that's why his breathing didn't quiet down easily.
Minori was worried about this, but she didn't say anything in words.
It is not possible for you to have a few days off right now, no matter what you say. And I'm sure Touya wouldn't want that either. It's not just a matter of time before you're ready to go.
All Minori could do was hand her a well-wrapped rag.
'Sancuna.'
Nodding at Touya's words and looking up, most of the group is also breathing and trying to regain some of their mental strength.
Minori's role is that of a battlefield patrol (field monitor). From this battle, he's taken it a step further by also taking on the role of everyone's information monitor (operator), and by taking on the burden of monitoring HP to Minori's side, Serara's reaction time for both recovery and support has increased considerably.
Instead, Minori has taken on the role of paying attention to the physical condition of her surroundings and allies, or in other words, battle information, all by herself. At first glance, it may seem detached from the battle, but it's a role that is quite a burden.
(It's still sweet, though...)
Minori checks the level of recovery while also keeping in mind the differences in everyone's MP remaining recovery speed. During the battle, Minori understands the MP trend of his companions in 5% increments. Based on that information and the trends of the battle, he "reads" the battle while making predictions of attrition and constructing the future 5 or 10 seconds in advance. The accuracy of this prediction is not yet 100% reliable, but it is clear that this ability to predict is useful in avoiding unnecessary consumption of MP.
Minori's battle management skills are constantly being improved in the mindless continuous battle of defending your base, which is different from a normal dungeon attack.
Minori himself, who was walking towards his goal of Shiroe, saw his control as a child's play with all kinds of gaps, but if Naotsugu had heard him say that, he would have been stunned.
Most players have the skill to know how much MP they have left in other people's hands: full, half full, and empty.
You are able to predict the number of times someone will use magic, for example, "I should be able to fire two more medium-sized recovery spells" in 5% increments, which means that you can predict the number of times they will use magic at a specific level.
This is lightly beyond the scope of insight that a thirty or so level adventurer can have for others.
Hey, guys, earlier in the fight, I just got a call from Marielle.
After regaining his composure, Minori reports.
Because he was conducting battle control, Minori often stands by with himself as a backup force. It's a good idea to monitor the situation while refraining from firing spells that you want to fire continuously and being patient.
Thanks to that, I was also able to notice the telepathic story.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get the best out of it," said Marielle, "I've heard that 'Occupy' - a special unit from the city of Akiba - is heading this way by boat. They're supposed to arrive in the evening.
Speaking of the evening, it's almost dusk.
Yes.
Hmm, I'm a little late for that.
Minori twists her head. Well, it's true that the sky is still blue, but it's almost late in the afternoon in terms of time. Of course, there's still some time for it to get dark.
I've heard that they're going to come by boat and conduct a landing mission. If the force is reinforced on the coastline, they will send replacements to the fields over here, too. If we can hold out for another three hours at the most," he said.
Isuzu and Serara's faces lit up in a flash of light. Rundelhaus and Touya still seemed to be pulling themselves together to keep their guard up, but they were certainly relaxed, like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders somehow.
In half a day of battle, we killed nearly 30 goblins.
Not a lot in total, but it's a stressful battle. We didn't have time to relax, as we were beating the goblins that attacked us in a wide area with no idea where they were coming from, relying only on the crying mushroom's screams to beat the whales.
The Screaming Mushroom Scream is useful as a sensor, but it's not perfect. In fact, I couldn't help but wonder when it would leak out through the gaps in its net toward the city. In fact, there were cases where some of the goblins had slipped towards the city, leaving Minori and the others to rush back to defeat them.
The reason they were fighting while patrolling the perimeter of the town was because of the distance back to the center of Chousi to defend if the defensive line was breached, and in that sense, they couldn't push up the defensive line.
Fortunately, the goblins have lost command and control, and if they had a good commander, they would have used disturbance tactics such as the burning of the fields. Minori and the others were worried about that, but they had managed to get away with it so far.
'That's right. If the ships come, people will come around here too, right?''
Serara nodded persistently.
It's clear that the root of the current bitterness is the dispersal of troops due to the two-front operation. The goblins and Safagin are not that strong of an enemy on their own now that they haven't thrown in any large magical beasts.
''We're almost there, let's all do our best!
Touya took the opportunity to use his voice as a springboard to stand up with some momentum.
The afternoon breeze was still as hot as a frying pan, but the news that they could get reinforcements if they could get out of it a little longer was enough to bring life back into everyone's faces.
It had been fifteen minutes since they resumed their patrol.
Minori and the others were hoping that the time would pass without incident, but as they had expected, they were going to be disappointed.
The huge crushing sound came from the main street behind Minori and the others. It's not just a matter of time before you get to know them, it's a matter of time before you get to know them.
The two direwolves were accompanied by a platoon of goblins with signs of violence.
It was a bad fight, too.
"You don't have to!
Once again, Touya applied an assault (rush) to check the direwolf attacking Isuzu. However, the assault inevitably resulted in giving the Iron-body Green Demon (hobgoblin), which Touya had been holding back, the freedom to act.
After repeated battles, most of the members' major moves with long reuse restrictions are now out of seed. With the presence of Isuzu, the Bard, Isuzu has some extra MP, but that alone is not enough to break the situation.
The hobgoblin swings the large swinging hammer in both hands like a baseball bat and slams it into Touya's defenseless side.
(Huh! It's not enough.
And then the attack hits the Formosan Ward with a crushing sound that can never be heard in a baseball game. The strange sound that makes the thick glass crumble together will continue to refine the durability of the light blue glowing personal wards.
The damage blocking spell is a special form of recovery spell that can be given in advance to nullify a certain amount of damage. It is the ultimate defensive spell that completely eliminates damage below the amount absorbed, but if it exceeds the amount absorbed, it peels off regardless of its duration.
Minori, seeing the shine of the ward shattering like glass, is intuitively convinced that the damage is not enough to kill it.
''Shihohai!
Minori quickly casts an emergency damage blocking spell. This spell has a category of emergency use, so it costs almost no MP cost, is quick to chant, and brings almost the same strength of defense to all of Minori's companions around her as the Conceptual Warding spell. However, everything couldn't be so convenient.
(........Now, this move is no longer available.
Minori bites her lip with a bloodied face.
The emergency spell, as the name implies, is a stopgap measure. As a price, it demands almost half of Minori's HP, and the reuse restriction time is so long that he can't use the same move for another 24 hours.
''Stop! Stop!
The vines that had been stretching the walls of a large nearby warehouse tangled around the direwolf as Selara activated the Friendly Willow (Willow Spirit). The direwolf let out an exasperated yelp and began to claw at the earth as it struggled to get out of its bindings.
This was already the third time that Serara had used this spell. With a body as big and powerful as a direwolf, she could tear off the commandments of plants and other commandments. So this is not a waste of time. The spell will stop at least one of the direwolves so that Touya and his team can focus on other enemies.
But on the other hand, it also means that Minori will have to follow up on her area of responsibility, the recovery spell, because Serara will be left alone with the direwolf.
'I won't let her! I'm telling you, man!
Touya swung the sword he held at the ready as hard as he could.
It was a forceful strike, with no technique or anything else, but it sent one of the goblins flying off and engulfed the hobgoblins in the direction it was traveling.
The hobgoblin used its superior physique to push the goblin away and then charged at Touya again.
The Iron-bodied Green Demon (hobgoblin) is a subspecies of goblin. However, even though they are a subspecies, their abilities are higher than those of their parent goblins. They were originally a race of goblins that lived in packs, but their lives were not as disciplined as they might have liked. They are a chaotic sub-human tribe that loots other people's property and spends their time with violence.
While the Orcs of the South, a sub-human race, are wickedly militaristic and nation-building, the Goblins are more chaotic, with a strong preference for chaos.
Hobgoblins are a sub-species that take on the characteristics of goblins, but have a strong desire to follow others. They are often more intelligent than goblins, and they can master the armor they steal from humans.
These hobgoblins are also quite a formidable foe, wearing clunky pieces of sheet-metal armor and handling a metal sledgehammer, as if they were stolen from a knight somewhere. Can he reach level 30? To be honest, there was a good chance that this was too much for Minori and the others to handle right now.
That hobgoblin is accompanied by two direwolves and four goblins. The only reason Minori and his team managed to counter them now is as a result of their knowledge of the geography of the town's main street, which allows them to fight while defending their rear line from siege, and their recent training, which has allowed them to learn how to breathe among themselves.
Minori and the others are fighting in a realm beyond their capabilities.
'Touya, switch! Keep the wolf and the boss at bay!
However, the spirit of the game cannot last long beyond its limits. The trend of the game is wavering on a dangerous balance. If that's the case, we should now make the most of the benefit of the emergency spell we've used.
Minori made up her mind and jumped to the front line.
The Four-Way Worship deploys a Damage Blocker of the Lansing Warding class on everyone in the party. The time remaining for that was 32 seconds. In that 32 seconds, even Minori would be able to outrun the goblin attacks.
I jump out of the way with determination, but my legs are trembling and I'm about to lose strength. The dusty summer streets feel as fluffy as if they were made of a cushion. But as if to shake off that sense of unreality, Minori took an un-girlish stance and sent a front kick at the nearest goblin.
'Alright, let's go! Miss Isuzu!
Roger that, Rudy!
A cry of support rises from the back row, as if he had woken up. Just hearing the first verse of Rundelhaus' chant, Minori knows that his intentions have been accurately communicated.
Minori, in a defensive stance, surpasses the attacks of the goblins, who are laughing like crazy and attacking her. Relying on his own damage blocking spell, he only dodges the attacks that are aimed at the vital points, and uses a hard piece of leather armor to catch the rest. Instead of evading it, he dives into the attack himself and stops it with his body before the weapon is swept away.
While her sister acted like a madwoman, Touya did exactly the same thing against the hobgoblins and direwolves.
It's a good thing that the battle has already begun, even though the damage blocker is in place. The twins, with blood stains all over their bodies, caught the goblin's knives that looked like meat cleavers, and exposed themselves to the fangs of the ferocious demon wolf, as they worked together to build a front line.
The chanting would continue in the time the twins had earned.
It was one of the most powerful ranged attack spells known to Rundelhaus. Although the chanting was long, it was an icy spell that would not leave him without inflicting considerable damage if it hit him. Following it was Isuzu's support speciality that left a high-pitched ring to it.
Isuzu's voice decorates the voice of Rundelhaus, who cries out "Frigid Windu", exactly one octave higher than Isuzu's singing voice, and the spell, which becomes a circular chant, turns all the goblins into frozen statues.
Minori checks the status of her companions as she retreats from the ice statues, suddenly controlled by the cold air. What's the situation? Despite chanting a new damage blocking spell in the air above, Minori's complexion is not excellent.
With Rundel House's powerful attack spell, the goblins, who were small fry, were wiped out. However, in order to buy time for them, Minori went to the front line and Touya continued to take damage during the time lost there.
Minori casts a new Misogi no Warding on Touya, but the damage blocking spell does not recover the "lost HP". This is the fatal weakness of the Divine Guardian (Kanagi), which controls special recovery spells. The Divinity Guide, which controls the damage it takes, is not very good at recovering from damage itself, so-called normal recovery spells.
Minori herself also lost half of her HP at the cost of the emergency spell just now.
The situation is not good.
However, it's good news that the number of goblins has been reduced. The number of people who could join a direct attack was an advantage for the enemy. It's a good thing that you are not the only one who has a chance to win. Minori instructs Rundelhaus and Isuzu while casting her own inferior recovery spell and damage blocking spell at Touya. With those instructions, the two began to focus their attacks on the direwolf.
--When encountering multiple strong enemies, there are various possible strategies. If we are going to take them by surprise, it's also effective to defeat their strongest individual and discourage their morale. If we do it right, our cronies will escape. But otherwise, in a battle of mutual deadly force, the key is to reduce the numbers of the opponent's weaker individuals. You should ensure damage control by reducing the number of your opponent's participation in the attack.
The words Shiroe had taught me came back to me.
Touya continues to bleed. His precious brother, whom Minori is proud of, is hurt and his expression is twisted in pain. But that's why we should focus on reducing the number of enemies here.
While Touya is bleeding from his wounds and supporting the front line, Rundelhaus and the others should put a stop to the direwolf, and that will give Touya room to support the front line.
Minori, who faithfully followed Shiroe's advice, was now "reading" the battle exactly.
But then the wall of equilibrium collapsed.
Shaking off Serara's restraining spell, even the second direwolf attacked Touya. The two demonic beasts and the powerful hobgoblins. Against those three, Minori's projected barriers and other barriers burst apart in an instant.
Minori chewed up and calculated the newly jumped information in an instant. It's a somewhat unconscious feeling.
Nine seconds. --Yes, 9 seconds later, Touya dies.
Minori stares madly at her own magic chanting icon. The time until the Loudounouness of the Loudouness can be recast is eight seconds. However, as we saw earlier, this class of damage blocking spell is no longer able to stop the attacks of the three enemies in front of us.
''Not yet!
Serara's scream echoes. What is projected is "pulsation recovery". It's a special unique recovery technique possessed by the
The rate at which it is lost is faster than the rate at which it recovers. Even Serara's pulsating recovery only serves to prolong the time to death.
Recalculate, recalculate, recalculate.
Minori thinks as she desperately leans on the thin recovery spell. Even if he combined every recovery spell Minori has, and every recovery spell Serara has, he can't make the time until Touya falls longer than 35 seconds.
(In this.........)
A nasty taste spreads in your mouth and a sickening chill runs down your spine. Touya is the cornerstone of the vanguard. If Touya falls, it means that the possibility of all of us being wiped out jumps up. But that's not all; it was an instinctive disgust.
I can't breathe well.
It was as if the air had turned to liquid and wouldn't enter his lungs. Time grows sticky and heavy, and the feeling of frustrated helplessness only continues to be stretched out many times over.
A moment later, time re-accelerates as if played.
After slipping past Minori's side, Rundelhaus slammed his body into the direwolf and put his hands in its mouth.
''Rudy!
We'll take care of it. Miss Isuzu! I'm... I'm an adventurer! There's no way I'm going to get beaten up by this doggy style!
A huge wolf that is as big as a cow. Rundelhaus plunges its arms up to its shoulders into the fanged agito, which seems to bite even its own upper body whole. The direwolf stomps on its foot as if it were made of steel and swings Rundelhaus around by the neck and smashes it into the wall of the building.
''Rudy!
Isuzu's scream-like cry echoes, and the heavyweight spear in her hand is slammed into the direwolf, but it doesn't appear to have done any damage to the bristly hair-covered body.
''Calm down, Miss Isuzu. It's a gentleman...................always a nobleman. Haha.
Rundelhaus is pulled out into the street. The direwolf with a demonic glow of fire in his eyes exhales a beastly breath and tries to spit Rundelhaus out, but he remains mangled and mangled in mud and sweat, clinging to the direwolf's fangs and refusing to leave his face.
Every time his fangs clattered and the stench of murky blood spewed out in the area, Isuzu slammed his spear down again and again, but Rundelhaus held it back.
"If I leave, Koi-tsu will attack Touya again........... Even Touya can't take three of them.........
That's exactly what it is.
With Rundelhaus sacrificing himself, Touya is able to escape his mortality. The pressure of the attack damage has decreased and the situation is showing signs of improving.
''Because, Rudy!
"Isuzu! We were the aggressors!
Rundelhaus shoves it further into the wolf's mouth as if to give it his own arm as it is. Wolves are the dog family. It is difficult for them to attack another target unless they let go once it is swallowed deep into their mouths, due to their body structure.
''Only a...''
Bring them down!
The screaming Rundelhaus starts chanting, as if no more words are spared. The arm is no longer torn to shreds, just dragged like a lump of flesh connected from the shoulder. Still, he focuses the energy of the flames while forcing it into the direwolf's mouth. That magma spell, even before it was cast, was so close that it burned the guts of the direwolf.
The demon wolf couldn't bear the pain and managed to pull Rundelhaus off, but Rundelhaus clung to him as if possessed and never tried to free the direwolf.
No, the fibers of Rundelhaus's robe are tangled in the already sawed-off rows of fangs, and the elbow-length components of his magical cage hand are wedged in, making it difficult for him to pull them out.
'Don't lick it. I'm not!
A muffled voice echoed through the streets of the sunset as the sun began to set.
'I am Rundelhaus-Cord! I'm an adventurer!
You're not going to be able to do that.
The area was filled with the smell of burning.
The magic power of the Magician's Kagome, which Rundelhaus had let run amok, had burned through the direwolf's guts, as he had intended, and turned the right half of the hobgoblin's body into extinguished charcoal, driving its momentum.
The battle ended in a victory for Isuzu and the others.
But Rundelhaus, the architect of that victory and the man who was supposed to be laughing his brains out, is now lying in the mud in front of Isuzu.
''Nature Revive!
Serara's revival spell is ineffective.
That's no wonder, either. That complexion lying there was already so pale that it was stained with blood. Even though it was dirty, his eyelids were smooth like a prince's, like a child of a nobleman who had fallen asleep....
He is the "earthling".
''........I'm sorry.
A ragged, hot substance dripped into Isuzu's palm.
'Why can't you revive me? Hey, Minori, more!
Touya, who doesn't understand what's going on, shouts that. Minori nodded in agreement with his words and chanted the Soul Calling Prayer, but after all, the Rundel House did not return. That's just as it should be.
I'm sorry. Touya. Rudy is..........daichi.......jin........
Isuzu said sluggishly.
It was as if she'd let go of her hand if she admitted it, and she was terribly hard to speak. Out of the corner of her eye, she felt Minori clenching her fist and Serara muttering, "Oh no..." but Isuzu could only think that it didn't matter.
''-- Rudy is a 〈Daichijin〉. ...and Rudy is the earthling. So.........then........
--without.
Isuzu's chest feels like it's going to be crushed with pain.
It's not that I hadn't imagined this kind of thing.
That's why I tried to oppose the fight, and if I couldn't oppose it, I was going to cover for it, never letting Rundelhaus force me to do it.
But I couldn't stop him.
I should have stopped Rundelhaus that first time.
If only I'd said no when I found myself in the Forest of Raglander. No, you don't have to. If only I'd been honest with everyone, this could have been avoided.
In order to make Rundelhaus' dream come true, Isuzu cooperated with that lie. Rundelhaus looked too much like a child and said "I'm going to be an adventurer".
There's a difference between being an adventurer and being an earthling.
They are completely different beings to begin with.
There's no way I could ever "be" anything like that.
That's right. Rundelhaus was troubled and hurt, wasn't he? He blurted out that no matter how much he fought, he couldn't easily accumulate experience. He was frustrated that even half of Isuzu and the others hadn't been able to accumulate experience and hadn't been able to level up easily, and that was why he was so impatient to cultivate like that.
Isuzu had never seen Rundelhaus lounging around in his tent. Whenever he found a spare moment, even if it was only a few hours, he would practice rigorous training and meditation. He said it was a natural duty as a nobleman and a true desire of a boy, but it couldn't be that he didn't have a sense of urgency and frustration.
Isuzu knew and overlooked it.
(I'm sorry. I'm sorry..................
Because Rundelhaus is too young and innocently desires to be too young. Isuzu had a dream, too. Isuzu had a dream that the earthling could become an adventurer.
"My brother Rudy is... an earthling...?
Isuzu nodded at Touya's voice. If she nodded, the tears running down her cheeks would drip from her chin, but it didn't matter. This was the punishment given to Isuzu.
Rundell House, who had been so kind to her.
Rundelhaus, who treated me like a girl when I was just a country bumpkin and a sprawling man.
And to Rundelhaus, who always called me "Miss" when I was freckled and unrefined.
I didn't even stop him until the end, and he kept dragging me down.... And yet, you treated me like I was silly or doggy or whatever you wanted to call it.... It's my own sin for not telling him that I was happy to be spoken to, happy to be praised, happy to be treated like a girl.
''Ah.........''
Serara groans and mutters. Then she casts an instant recovery spell (Instant Heal), puts her ear to its chest, her expression clouded, and repeats the instant recovery spell (Instant Heal) again.
''Eh, no way........''
Isuzu found an impossible hope, and closed in on Serara.
''I don't know. My pulse is snatched, but I feel like I have a slight response when I heel.... But I'm sorry. I can't revive her...
Isuzu feels her hopes that she has regained are shattered. But there was one girl who had taken those words on strong.
''Not yet.''
What?
Help me. I need your help, Shiroe-san.