Chapter 409: Dilemma (1)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 409: Dilemma (1)

Luring the Dragon Slayer and his subordinates away was easy. After all, the scariest call was the kind that came from inside the house, right? We made Lighty, the adventurer from Noark who Jun had helped find the light, give them false information. They fell for the bait instantly.

"...There are about thirty royal adventurers?"

"Yes! I think they came over from Ice Rock!"

"You said you were secretly tailing them, right? Keep doing that until I arrive."

"Yes sir!"

Haha, fooled again, you moron?

I noticed this in the Labyrinth of Larcaz as well, but in some ways, this guy was naïve. If he had given up on Restrained Wish and refused to give me the time I asked for, he wouldn't have found himself in that position and had his sword taken away back then.

"Okay, let's move."

After luring away the Dragon Slayer, we headed south of the Dragon Pit. There was no need to worry about our paths crossing because we had Lighty.

"Current location?"

"Western region of the Dragon Pit."

"Looks like you're continuing to move west. Are they trying to get to Iron Falls?"

"Based on the direction they're traveling now, it seems so!"

"Okay. We'll head that way too. If they change course, contact me right away."

"Yes sir!"

At this rate, we would reach the enemy base by the time he arrived in Iron Falls. Even if he got a call for backup and tried to hastily return, we would be long gone.

"Group of Noarks ahead."

"Halt. We'll hide here until they pass by."

We continued our forced march for two days with minimal contact with either the enemy or monsters and a vast wilderness finally appeared before us. The flora limited our field of vision, so it was hard to see too far inside. Anyway, that wasn't the important thing.

"We're finally in Gray Field."

Gray Field was the area that served as a midpoint between the Dragon's Mountains at the center of the continent and the Dragon Pit in the northernmost region. It was also the place where Noark's spawn point was located, the one that allowed them direct access to the seventh floor.

"It's quieter than I expected. I thought there would be more people wandering around the base."

"That means the main unit is keeping them busy."

The plan this mission hinged on was a kind of diversionary operation. While ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the royal army entered the Dark Continent through the standard route and engaged in combat with Noark's main unit on the border of the Dragon's Mountains, we'd hit them from behind.

"From now on, we'll move as stealthily as possible, even if that means reducing our speed."

"I will instruct the scouts to widen their distance from the main unit. So that we can detect the enemy's presence from farther away."

"Yes, I'll leave the details of our formation to you."

We'd been moving with more caution since entering Gray Field but even so, combat continued to occur. That was because the labyrinth was full of monsters. Even if we could avoid people, we couldn't avoid them.

[You have defeated a Void Ant. EXP +4]

[You have defeated a Dark Crystal. EXP +6]

[You have defeated a Mynum. EXP +5]

[You have defeated a Hell Ghoul. EXP +4]

[You have defeated a Jambet...」

Various monsters crawled out of the wide-open cracks, which were reminiscent of a rice field during a drought. Among them were rank-three monsters.

"It's a Vol-Herchan!"

This monster was one of the ones that made it to the final version of my Shield Barbarian skill tree. Of course, the battle itself wasn't all that hard.

"What are you all doing? First time fighting one? Spread out first!"

"Warriors, just block it! The wizards will deal the final blow, anyway!"

In Ice Rock, we had to take down three rank-three monsters at a time. This was just one. Plus, our stomachs were even full now.

Boom!

It held out for as long as you'd expect from a monster with one of the highest levels of defense in the game, but the Vol-Herchan eventually collapsed and turned into flecks of light.

[You have defeated a Vol-Herchan. EXP +7]

There was no essence but I wasn't particularly disappointed about it. After all, I already had this guy's essence.

It is a bit ironic, though.

I never expected I'd end up getting this guy's essence before ever killing one. Unlike the steady progress I used to make in the game, in real life, the order I was completing my build was arbitrary.

Is this a snowball effect from getting my hands on an Ogre essence in the early stages?

The thought came to mind but when I actually thought about it, the place where all of this abnormal growth started had to be the Corpse Golem. If that essence hadn't appeared, I wouldn't have been able to kill the Vampire Duke Cambormere.

"Schuitz, we've received word that the scouts have discovered their main base," said Kaislan.

After traveling through Gray Field for another day, we finally arrived near our destination. There was a giant tower-shaped structure standing there and about a hundred adventurers protecting it, so we were definitely at the right spot.

"...Their numbers are smaller than I expected."

"It looks like Regal Vagos took more troops to catch us than we thought," said Akurava.

"Really? That would be great for us, but since we don't know for sure if that's true, we'll start with information gathering."

"Then I'll send the scouts out again," said Kaislan.

"What should we do about the rest of the squad members?" asked Akurava.

"We're going to have to fight soon so tell them to rest and recover their energy as much as possible."

"What about Destruction of Evil?"

"Tell them not to use it, since the enemy might spot us if we do. We can't lose everything to avoid a little inconvenience. If there are any monsters, tell them to kill them as quietly as possible."

"Will do."

While the scouts, a.k.a the people with the highest Agility and best stealth skills in our group, went off to explore our surroundings, the rest hid near the bottom of the cliff to recover their energy. As did I.

"You look tired." As I rested my back against the wall, Amelia came up and handed me a piece of jerky.

Jeez, you didn't give me a single one in Ice Rock. Now you have extra?

[You have defeated a Hell Ghoul. EXP +4]

[You have defeated a Jambet...」

Various monsters crawled out of the wide-open cracks, which were reminiscent of a rice field during a drought. Among them were rank-three monsters.

"It's a Vol-Herchan!"

This monster was one of the ones that made it to the final version of my Shield Barbarian skill tree. Of course, the battle itself wasn't all that hard.

"What are you all doing? First time fighting one? Spread out first!"

"Warriors, just block it! The wizards will deal the final blow, anyway!"

In Ice Rock, we had to take down three rank-three monsters at a time. This was just one. Plus, our stomachs were even full now.

Boom!

It held out for as long as you'd expect from a monster with one of the highest levels of defense in the game, but the Vol-Herchan eventually collapsed and turned into flecks of light.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

[You have defeated a Vol-Herchan. EXP +7]

There was no essence but I wasn't particularly disappointed about it. After all, I already had this guy's essence.

It is a bit ironic, though.

I never expected I'd end up getting this guy's essence before ever killing one. Unlike the steady progress I used to make in the game, in real life, the order I was completing my build was arbitrary.

Is this a snowball effect from getting my hands on an Ogre essence in the early stages?

The thought came to mind but when I actually thought about it, the place where all of this abnormal growth started had to be the Corpse Golem. If that essence hadn't appeared, I wouldn't have been able to kill the Vampire Duke Cambormere.

"Schuitz, we've received word that the scouts have discovered their main base," said Kaislan.

After traveling through Gray Field for another day, we finally arrived near our destination. There was a giant tower-shaped structure standing there and about a hundred adventurers protecting it, so we were definitely at the right spot.

"...Their numbers are smaller than I expected."

"It looks like Regal Vagos took more troops to catch us than we thought," said Akurava.

"Really? That would be great for us, but since we don't know for sure if that's true, we'll start with information gathering."

"Then I'll send the scouts out again," said Kaislan.

"What should we do about the rest of the squad members?" asked Akurava.

"We're going to have to fight soon so tell them to rest and recover their energy as much as possible."

"What about Destruction of Evil?"

"Tell them not to use it, since the enemy might spot us if we do. We can't lose everything to avoid a little inconvenience. If there are any monsters, tell them to kill them as quietly as possible."

"Will do."

While the scouts, a.k.a the people with the highest Agility and best stealth skills in our group, went off to explore our surroundings, the rest hid near the bottom of the cliff to recover their energy. As did I.

"You look tired." As I rested my back against the wall, Amelia came up and handed me a piece of jerky.

Jeez, you didn't give me a single one in Ice Rock. Now you have extra?

I accepted it and was just starting to gnaw on it when Amelia said something ominous. "Schuitz, things are going way too smoothly."

"God damn it..."

You finally said it.

I'd often heard that you speak things into existence, which was why I'd only been thinking about it in the privacy of my own mind.

I sighed and returned my attention to Amelia. "That wasn't directed at you, don't worry. So, what were you trying to say? Did you notice something strange?"

"No, but..." Amelia trailed off at my question. It seemed she didn't have any basis for her suspicions, either.

"Don't worry, things aren't going too smoothly. We just went through all the hard work in advance already."

"Went through it in advance?"

"We went through all kinds of things crossing Ice Rock, right? There was even a traitorous bastard in our midst."

"That's... true. Sorry. Forget about what I said."

It was too late for that since she had already made me extremely nervous, but I didn't let it show. I kept my thoughts internal.

A hundred people, huh?

Against a group of that size, we could accomplish the mission successfully and without difficulty. The scouts only saw the base from a distance, but there didn't seem to be any big names there.

This is probably because they didn't expect the enemy to come at them from behind.

Noark's main unit was dedicating all its energy to keeping the royal army from crossing the mountain. Of course, since it was a key base, they did leave some troops on standby with the Dragon Slayer, Regal Vagos, as their commander.

But that guy just led some of the troops out.

It was currently an empty house.

There are no Hanses around, either.

Now, the only problem was whether the scouts would throw us a curveball.

"Schuitz, the scouts have returned."

"What did they say?"

"They say there's no one around within a three-mile radius."

This confirmed there was nothing of note in the surrounding area to worry about. I was worried they might have set up some traps because things were going too smoothly, but I soon shook off the ominous feeling.

"Tell those who went out that they did a good job and let them rest. Though, they won't be able to rest for long."

"...Are we mobilizing?"

"Yes, get everyone ready."

It was time to end this long expedition.

***

I was standing still in the dark forest. Although I couldn't confirm with the naked eye in the darkness of the labyrinth, Noark's base was beyond it. I waited in silence for the right moment with the members of my squadron, ready to run out at any time.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Before long, a loud noise thundered through the darkness. Anyone with adventuring experience would recognize this sound as the footsteps of a large monster.

"D-Demons!"

"Everyone get out here!"

The quiet beyond the darkness started to get noisy. Although I couldn't see them with my own eyes, I could picture each one of their expressions.

I accepted it and was just starting to gnaw on it when Amelia said something ominous. "Schuitz, things are going way too smoothly."

"God damn it..."

You finally said it.

I'd often heard that you speak things into existence, which was why I'd only been thinking about it in the privacy of my own mind.

I sighed and returned my attention to Amelia. "That wasn't directed at you, don't worry. So, what were you trying to say? Did you notice something strange?"

"No, but..." Amelia trailed off at my question. It seemed she didn't have any basis for her suspicions, either.

"Don't worry, things aren't going too smoothly. We just went through all the hard work in advance already."

"Went through it in advance?"

"We went through all kinds of things crossing Ice Rock, right? There was even a traitorous bastard in our midst."

"That's... true. Sorry. Forget about what I said."

It was too late for that since she had already made me extremely nervous, but I didn't let it show. I kept my thoughts internal.

A hundred people, huh?

Against a group of that size, we could accomplish the mission successfully and without difficulty. The scouts only saw the base from a distance, but there didn't seem to be any big names there.

This is probably because they didn't expect the enemy to come at them from behind.

Noark's main unit was dedicating all its energy to keeping the royal army from crossing the mountain. Of course, since it was a key base, they did leave some troops on standby with the Dragon Slayer, Regal Vagos, as their commander.

But that guy just led some of the troops out.

It was currently an empty house.

There are no Hanses around, either.

Now, the only problem was whether the scouts would throw us a curveball.

"Schuitz, the scouts have returned."

"What did they say?"

"They say there's no one around within a three-mile radius."

This confirmed there was nothing of note in the surrounding area to worry about. I was worried they might have set up some traps because things were going too smoothly, but I soon shook off the ominous feeling.

"Tell those who went out that they did a good job and let them rest. Though, they won't be able to rest for long."

"...Are we mobilizing?"

"Yes, get everyone ready."

It was time to end this long expedition.

***

I was standing still in the dark forest. Although I couldn't confirm with the naked eye in the darkness of the labyrinth, Noark's base was beyond it. I waited in silence for the right moment with the members of my squadron, ready to run out at any time.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Before long, a loud noise thundered through the darkness. Anyone with adventuring experience would recognize this sound as the footsteps of a large monster.

"D-Demons!"

"Everyone get out here!"

The quiet beyond the darkness started to get noisy. Although I couldn't see them with my own eyes, I could picture each one of their expressions.

"Fuck, what the hell is with these numbers?!"

Bewilderment.

"Ugh, damn our luck. What are you all doing? Take out your weapons!"

Annoyance.

"How did all these monsters flock over here?"

Suspicion.

"Snap out of it! It's the enemy! Someone led these things here!"

Of course, among them, some even had the correct answer. Was it because they were from Noark, where they studied all kinds of looting strategies? They were quick.

It of course wasn't a coincidence that hordes of monsters were pouring in from all directions. After confirming no one was within a three-mile radius, I sent the scouts to round up all the monsters nearby. Now that the aggro had passed onto Noark's fighters, the scouts should have turned on stealth to return.

"What?"

"The enemy...?"

"Damn it, is it the people Vagos was talking about?"

"Hurry up and request support!"

Who do you think you're calling for support? It's going to be over by the time they get here, anyway.

"Kaislan."

When I said his name, Kaislan lifted a flag with the royal family's coat of arms and shouted, "Shoot!"

At that moment, the wizards, archers, and special ability users who had finished casting fired their finishers at once.

Kabooom!

The attack was made in the middle of a monster invasion. One section of the enemy's formation was immediately wiped out, creating a hole, and the clever monsters didn't miss their opportunity to strike.

"Damn it, where are they?! Where are you?!"

"Aaagh!" Monsters crossed the collapsed front line and attacked their middle.

"Block that area first!" The enemy scrambled to regroup but there was no way we would sit by and watch that happen.

"Kaislan, one more time."

We dedicated all our firepower to long-range bombardment as soon as everyone was done casting, and the enemy figured out our location soon after.

"That way!"

"The bastards are over there!"

Even if you know that, what are you going to do? You're too busy fighting monsters, anyway.

Kwaaang! Bang! Whiiiiiip!

Long-range artillery fire continued like that for a while, and in the middle of it all, the message stone I kept on me vibrated.

Jiiiiiing!

It was obvious who was calling. The entire way here, only one person had called on this message stone.

Click.

I had nothing else to do right now other than watch so I accepted the call.

"You! Where are you right now?!"

The voice on the other end unleashed its anger on me as soon as the connection was made. Come to think of it, we told him to head to the edge of the continent during the last call.

"I'm at the spot you mentioned and no one's here! There are also reports that a battle is taking place at the Eye of the Sky."

The Eye of the Sky was the name given to the mana wave emitter that served as Noark's transmission tower.

"Fuck, what the hell is with these numbers?!"

Bewilderment.

"Ugh, damn our luck. What are you all doing? Take out your weapons!"

Annoyance.

"How did all these monsters flock over here?"

Suspicion.

"Snap out of it! It's the enemy! Someone led these things here!"

Of course, among them, some even had the correct answer. Was it because they were from Noark, where they studied all kinds of looting strategies? They were quick.

It of course wasn't a coincidence that hordes of monsters were pouring in from all directions. After confirming no one was within a three-mile radius, I sent the scouts to round up all the monsters nearby. Now that the aggro had passed onto Noark's fighters, the scouts should have turned on stealth to return.

"What?"

"The enemy...?"

"Damn it, is it the people Vagos was talking about?"

"Hurry up and request support!"

Who do you think you're calling for support? It's going to be over by the time they get here, anyway.

"Kaislan."

When I said his name, Kaislan lifted a flag with the royal family's coat of arms and shouted, "Shoot!"

At that moment, the wizards, archers, and special ability users who had finished casting fired their finishers at once.

Kabooom!

The attack was made in the middle of a monster invasion. One section of the enemy's formation was immediately wiped out, creating a hole, and the clever monsters didn't miss their opportunity to strike.

"Damn it, where are they?! Where are you?!"

"Aaagh!" Monsters crossed the collapsed front line and attacked their middle.

"Block that area first!" The enemy scrambled to regroup but there was no way we would sit by and watch that happen.

"Kaislan, one more time."

We dedicated all our firepower to long-range bombardment as soon as everyone was done casting, and the enemy figured out our location soon after.

"That way!"

"The bastards are over there!"

Even if you know that, what are you going to do? You're too busy fighting monsters, anyway.

Kwaaang! Bang! Whiiiiiip!

Long-range artillery fire continued like that for a while, and in the middle of it all, the message stone I kept on me vibrated.

Jiiiiiing!

It was obvious who was calling. The entire way here, only one person had called on this message stone.

Click.

I had nothing else to do right now other than watch so I accepted the call.

"You! Where are you right now?!"

The voice on the other end unleashed its anger on me as soon as the connection was made. Come to think of it, we told him to head to the edge of the continent during the last call.

"I'm at the spot you mentioned and no one's here! There are also reports that a battle is taking place at the Eye of the Sky."

The Eye of the Sky was the name given to the mana wave emitter that served as Noark's transmission tower.

Welp, I guess the news already reached him.

I could see why the palace was so adamant about destroying the Eye of the Sky. More than a few of the losses they suffered could be attributed to Noark's extensive communication network.

"Are you ignoring me right now? Answer me! Where are you right now?"

There was no need to lie anymore, so I answered honestly. "Me? In your front yard."

Provocation, when appropriately applied, was undoubtedly a valid war tactic. I waited for an entertaining reaction but the caller was surprisingly quiet for a long while. The words that crackled through the stone as he checked if I disconnected weren't particularly interesting either.

"...Who are you?"

Jeez, cat got your tongue? No need to act all high and mighty.

"Why, are you going to come find me?"

"...So this was your plan from the start."

"Why are you stating the obvious? Hey, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'm busy right now so I'll see you later. Get a nice view of the ocean while you're there."

"Whoever you are, don't even think about dying a peaceful death. Even death won't be able to save you." His voice was full of murderous intent but I just picked my ears and tuned it out. Even death can't save me? He'd already used that line on me before.

"All right, do your best."

"What? Does this sound like a joke to you? I will make sure to—"

It was time to move on to the next phase so I hung up.

At that moment, a report came in from Akurava. "Schuitz, the monsters are almost all taken care of!" The enemies had fought desperately and already killed most of the monsters.

"Assault formation!"

"All lines forward!"

Before the enemy could regroup, we stormed the battlefield.

"Attack!"

Veteran warriors were positioned in the forefront of the formation. Noark created a wall of warriors to stop us—a basic shield wall used in battles between large troops.

"Stop them!"

"Die!"

The warriors at the forefront clashed with each other and a full-scale power struggle began.

"Woahhh!"

The victor of that struggle was, of course, us. Not only was the average rank of our warriors higher than theirs, but more importantly, their side had no priests.

[Niaro Campbell has cast Healing Wave.]

[Benjamin Orman has cast Moonlight of Regeneration.]

How could they stop our reckless charge when we weren't even worried about the risk of injury?

"We're through!"

The warriors broke through their front line with the force of one hundred soldiers, and our expeditionary force quickly plowed into that opening. Although their formation wasn't completely full of holes, the center was.

"Shield wall!"

We changed our formation to a circular all-around defense.

"Maintain formation as we move!"

Now the tables had turned and we were dealing with enemy troops coming at us from all directions as we made our way to the center. That was because our objective was not a massacre, but a strike.

"Th-the enemy is headed toward the Eye of the Sky!"

"Stop them!"

Realizing what our objective was, the enemy attacked us even more aggressively. It wasn't enough to break the hard-won, unified line we'd built by overcoming Ice Rock together. Plus we had a lot of priests backing us up.

"Halt!"

As we moved and dealt with our enemies, we soon arrived in front of the Eye of the Sky. We stood with our backs toward it and desperately held position. There was something we had to do before we destroyed this thing.

Just then, Akurava shouted for me. "Schuitz! Come this way, quick! Hurry! There's a problem!"

What? A problem?

"Gregson. Take this side."

"Yup, leave it to me!"

I left my position to the warrior next to me and headed to the rear. Akurava was standing in front of the Eye of the Sky we were surrounding, waiting for me with obvious unease written all over her face.

"What is it?"

"I-I entered the communication coordinates we were given and tried contacting the main unit several times, but I can't reach them!"

Hmm, that's kind of a huge problem, actually.

Welp, I guess the news already reached him.

I could see why the palace was so adamant about destroying the Eye of the Sky. More than a few of the losses they suffered could be attributed to Noark's extensive communication network.

"Are you ignoring me right now? Answer me! Where are you right now?"

There was no need to lie anymore, so I answered honestly. "Me? In your front yard."

Provocation, when appropriately applied, was undoubtedly a valid war tactic. I waited for an entertaining reaction but the caller was surprisingly quiet for a long while. The words that crackled through the stone as he checked if I disconnected weren't particularly interesting either.

"...Who are you?"

Jeez, cat got your tongue? No need to act all high and mighty.

"Why, are you going to come find me?"

"...So this was your plan from the start."

"Why are you stating the obvious? Hey, I'm busy right now so I'll see you later. Get a nice view of the ocean while you're there."

"Whoever you are, don't even think about dying a peaceful death. Even death won't be able to save you." His voice was full of murderous intent but I just picked my ears and tuned it out. Even death can't save me? He'd already used that line on me before.

"All right, do your best."

"What? Does this sound like a joke to you? I will make sure to—"

It was time to move on to the next phase so I hung up.

At that moment, a report came in from Akurava. "Schuitz, the monsters are almost all taken care of!" The enemies had fought desperately and already killed most of the monsters.

"Assault formation!"

"All lines forward!"

Before the enemy could regroup, we stormed the battlefield.

"Attack!"

Veteran warriors were positioned in the forefront of the formation. Noark created a wall of warriors to stop us—a basic shield wall used in battles between large troops.

"Stop them!"

"Die!"

The warriors at the forefront clashed with each other and a full-scale power struggle began.

"Woahhh!"

The victor of that struggle was, of course, us. Not only was the average rank of our warriors higher than theirs, but more importantly, their side had no priests.

[Niaro Campbell has cast Healing Wave.]

[Benjamin Orman has cast Moonlight of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Regeneration.]

How could they stop our reckless charge when we weren't even worried about the risk of injury?

"We're through!"

The warriors broke through their front line with the force of one hundred soldiers, and our expeditionary force quickly plowed into that opening. Although their formation wasn't completely full of holes, the center was.

"Shield wall!"

We changed our formation to a circular all-around defense.

"Maintain formation as we move!"

Now the tables had turned and we were dealing with enemy troops coming at us from all directions as we made our way to the center. That was because our objective was not a massacre, but a strike.

"Th-the enemy is headed toward the Eye of the Sky!"

"Stop them!"

Realizing what our objective was, the enemy attacked us even more aggressively. It wasn't enough to break the hard-won, unified line we'd built by overcoming Ice Rock together. Plus we had a lot of priests backing us up.

"Halt!"

As we moved and dealt with our enemies, we soon arrived in front of the Eye of the Sky. We stood with our backs toward it and desperately held position. There was something we had to do before we destroyed this thing.

Just then, Akurava shouted for me. "Schuitz! Come this way, quick! Hurry! There's a problem!"

What? A problem?

"Gregson. Take this side."

"Yup, leave it to me!"

I left my position to the warrior next to me and headed to the rear. Akurava was standing in front of the Eye of the Sky we were surrounding, waiting for me with obvious unease written all over her face.

"What is it?"

"I-I entered the communication coordinates we were given and tried contacting the main unit several times, but I can't reach them!"

Hmm, that's kind of a huge problem, actually.