The Great Army (2)
I first explained my thoughts to Azkai and Lulumiel.
"Our top priority is repelling those guys, but I want us to maneuver in a way that maximizes our gains during that process."
『Just give us your orders! We'll carry out any command without hesitation!』
"Yes. This Azkai is ready to leap into a pit of hellfire if it's Master's command."
At my words, Lulumiel and Azkai brimmed with fighting spirit, more fired up than usual.
Higher potential than normal.
What's up with these guys?
Maybe it's thanks to that hearty serving of nagataru meat we just ate.
Anyway.
"Our primary goal is repelling them, and the secondary goal is our growth... which means leveling up."
『Ah! You mean we hunt them down and use them as fodder for our level-ups?』
"Exactly."
"I understand too!"
At first, they didn't know the concept of levels.
So I explained that leveling up was a form of growth.
They caught on quickly.
Especially Azkai, who'd subdued monsters multiple times to help me level up—he grasped it even faster.
"I'm still weak right now, so I level up every time I kill one. But there's a daily cap on maximum growth from level-ups. So we'll harass them bit by bit without killing too many in one day."
"Heh heh. I've been bored—this is perfect."
Azkai lit up at the idea of tormenting them.
His eyes sparkled brighter than ever.
Yeah.
Let's squeeze every last drop out of this.
An army of over ten thousand?
It could be a blade threatening the Dragon's Lair.
But if we play it right, it'll be a walking treasure trove of experience points.
I explained to them exactly how we'd take them down.
"My magic won't do much damage to them anyway. So..."
I'd stick to support and debuff spells.
Shock Bind, Spark Disruption, Electric Trap, Grease, Sonic Burst, Fog Cloud, Slow, and so on.
Hang debuffs on them, and let Azkai finish the job.
That way, I'd get the experience points and level up too.
Of course, Azkai would level up as well.
And even Lulumiel could join in.
Why?
Because she'd buff me and Azkai.
This setup would let all three of us enjoy a level-up party.
Good thing we trained in the Arcane Chamber.
Before awakening the Dragon Heart.
While practicing combat spells there, I'd focused heavily on these debuff magics.
Considering the levels of monsters showing up here.
Regular attack spells wouldn't work unless I hit dying foes in vital spots.
So I'd drilled debuffs.
Let's add one more preparation.
As the saying goes, a superhuman's strength comes from levels, traits, skills... and gear.
Gear doesn't mean much to me right now.
Trap items to hinder their movement, even a little.
Those would do the trick.
Used right, they might contribute more than my magic on a massive scale.
Perfect.
I curled my lips into a grin, eyeing the dust cloud rising in the distance.
Karmarks.
He sat rigidly at the commanders' meeting.
Why?
This territory ahead was where Arachne—and the monster that killed her—lurked.
"From here on, no rushing. We advance slowly and steadily."
Karmarks scanned the gathered commanders and voiced his thoughts.
But.
"Karmarks, aren't you being too cautious? Our forces number over ten thousand. And look how many commanders are here—more than half of us. You want us skulking like cockroaches?"
The 4th Corps Commander.
Giant Hornet Queen, Vestiger.
She swept back her antennae, voicing her displeasure.
Karmarks' passivity looked pathetic to her.
In truth, she found him utterly pitiful.
How long do we humor this loser—who lost his entire corps—as 1st Corps Commander?
She'd never liked a mere mantis as 1st Corps Commander.
He'd claimed the spot only because he'd awakened corps-commander spirituality first.
Mantises were prey for giant hornets, after all.
Having a weaker one as top dog had always grated; this incident amplified it.
"Hmph. As a beetle, that's mighty offensive."
Karmarks had vented, but the retort came from the 11th Corps Commander, Cockroach King Reginics.
"When have we cockroaches ever slunk around peeking?"
Reginics spoke flatly.
But fury blazed deep in his eyes.
The mood soured instantly.
Vestiger, once a thug picking fights like she had light madness plague, filled with thoughts of this lowly cockroach daring to challenge me?
Kugrrrrr!
Unprecedented auras boiled from Vestiger and Reginics.
A clash seemed imminent.
Thud!!
Then.
A massive black cudgel slammed between them, unleashing overwhelming pressure.
"Enough infighting. That's not why we mobilized together."
A heavy bass voice.
Irresistible authority laced those words.
He was the 7th Corps Commander, Hercules Beetle King Titanos.
"Hmph."
"Eh, wasn't planning a real brawl anyway."
Vestiger and Reginics backed off at once.
They had reason to.
Titanos was deemed the strongest commander present.
He'd once beaten three others 1v3.
No one knew his power's true limits—the pinnacle commander.
"Continue the discussion."
Titanos eyed Karmarks.
A gesture acknowledging him as 1st Corps Commander and overall leader.
With Titanos' stance, even the subtly defiant commanders fell in line.
"Hmph."
Karmarks shot Titanos a grateful glance.
Then resumed.
"As you know, that monster slew Arachne. Never underestimate it."
He swept his gaze around.
"No solo actions. Stay within range of the main force..."
"Ugh, can't listen anymore. What authority do you have to ban solo ops?"
Then!
Vestiger shot up, shouting.
"I'm not your subordinate, Karmarks. My giant hornets move by my judgment. Got it?"
Bang!
She stormed out, slamming the door.
The others shook their heads ruefully.
Can't rein in that hothead.
"What if Vestiger really goes solo?"
Someone asked Karmarks.
"Giant hornets can fly, so solo ops pose low risk. If trouble arises, she bears responsibility."
Karmarks replied, thinking inwardly.
Good riddance. If her hornets run into that thing solo...
We can gauge its strength anew.
Fool. She has no clue Arachne fell in a day. Your arrogance will doom you.
I snapped up every Tar Bomb listing on the Superhuman Net exchange.
Tar Bombs slash mobility drastically—just brushing one coats you in sticky tar.
Especially.
For flying monsters, tar on their wings cripples flight fatally.
From afar, I spotted quite a few flying insects.
That was why I prepped Tar Bombs.
Our weakness: lacking anti-air power.
These would fill that gap somewhat.
Plus, we'd use them to create massive ground traps.
Enough to paralyze thousands at least.
Still need way more for that.
Time to post a bulk buy message.
Whoa!
What's this?
My nickname had an unexpected glow-up.
Just like they said, my name alone sparkled gold.
A totally unheard-of phenomenon.
No wonder everyone was baffled.
Some guessed it was from hitting level 100.
Nope.
I'm only level 80.
But...
Probably from absorbing the ★ and awakening my spirituality.
Reasonable guess.
I'll watch how this plays out in Gold Lounge going forward.
Check Platinum Lounge and Superhuman Net later too.
First things first...
Tar Bombs.
Secure the supply.
My glowing gold name pulled extra aggro—comments flooded faster than usual.
Trade requests poured in simultaneously.
Thanks to that, I stockpiled more Tar Bombs than planned.
Good.
Preparations complete.
Set traps at their approach path.
Then ready the first ambush.
Or so I thought.
Bwooooooom!!
Beings blotting out the sky, swooping in.
Giant hornets.