Luring the Dragon Slayer and his subordinates was easy. After all, the scariest call was the one coming from inside the house, right? We made Lighty, the Noark adventurer Jun had helped find the light, give them false information. They fell into the trap instantly.
«...Are there about thirty real adventurers?»
«Yes! I think they came from Ice Rock!»
«You said you were secretly following them, right? Keep doing it until I get there.»
«Yes siir!»
Haha, fooled again, idiot?
I noticed this in Larcaz's Labyrinth too, but in a way, this guy was naive. If he had given up Restricted Desire and refused to give me the time I asked, he would not have found himself in that situation nor would his sword have been taken away then.
«Okay, let's move.»
After moving the Dragon Slayer away, we headed south of the Dragon Pit. There was no need to worry about our paths crossing because we had Lighty.
«Current location?»
«Western Dragon Well Region.»
«They seem to continue moving west. Are you trying to get to Iron Falls?»
«Based on the direction they are traveling now, it seems that way!»
«Okay. We will head in that direction too. If you change course, please contact me immediately. »
«Yes sir!»
At this rate, we would reach the enemy base by the time he reached Iron Falls. Even if he received a call for reinforcements and tried to rush back, we would be a long way off.
«Group of Noarks adeling.»
«High. We will hide here until they pass».
We continued our forced march for two days with minimal contact with the enemy or monsters and finally a vast wasteland appeared before us. The flora limited our field of vision, making it difficult to see too far inside. Anyway, that wasn't the important thing.
«Finally we are in the Gray Field».
The Gray Field was the area that served as an intermediate point between the Dragon Mountains, in the center of the continent, and the Dragon Well, in the northernmost region. It was also the location of Noark's spawn point, which allowed them direct access to the seventh floor.
«It's calmer than I expected. I thought there would be more people wandering around the base».
«That means the main unit keeps them busy».
The plan on which this mission revolved was a kind of distraction operation. As the royal army entered the Dark Continent via the standard route and entered combat with Noark's main unit on the border of the Dragon Mountains, we would hit them from behind.
«From now on, we will move as stealthily as possible, even if that means reducing our speed».
«I will order the scouts to extend their distance from the main unit. This way we can detect the presence of the enemy from further away».
«Yes, I will leave you the details of our training».
We had moved more cautiously since entering the Gray Field, but even so, fighting continued to occur. That was because the maze 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 hellish Demon. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a Jambet...」
Several monsters crawled out of the open crevices, reminiscent of a rice field during a drought. Among them were rank three monsters.
"It's a Vol-Herchan!"
This monster was one of those that made it to the final version of my Barbarian Shield skill tree. Of course, the battle itself was not that difficult.
«What are you doing? First time fighting one? Disperse first!»
«Warriors, just block it! The wizards will deliver the final blow, anyway!»
In Ice Rock, we had to take down three rank three monsters at once. This was just one. Plus, our stomachs were full now.
¡Boom!
It withstood everything you would expect from a monster with one of the highest levels of defense in the game, but the Vol-Herchan ended up collapsing and turning into specks of light.
[Has defeated a un Vol-Herchan. EXP +7]
There was no essence, but I wasn't particularly disappointed. After all, he already had the essence of this guy.
Although it's a bit ironic.
I never expected that I would end up getting this guy's essence before killing one. Unlike the constant progress I used to make in the game, in real life, the order in which I completed my build was arbitrary.
Could it be a snowball effect from having achieved an ogre essence in the early phases?
The idea came to mind, but when I started thinking about it, the place where all this abnormal growth started had to be the Corpse Golem. If that essence had not appeared, he would not have been able to kill the Vampire Duke Cambormere.
«Schuitz, we have received news that explorers have discovered your main base», Kaislan said.
After traveling through the Gray Field for another day, we finally arrived close to our destination. There was a gigantic tower-shaped structure there and a hundred adventurers protecting it, so we were definitely in the right place.
«...Their number is less than I expected».
«It seems Regal Vagos took more troops to catch us than we thought», Akurava said.
«Really? That would be great for us, but since we don't know for sure if it's true, we'll start with gathering information.»
«Then I will send the scouts again», Kaislan said.
«What do we do with the rest of the squad members?» Akurava asked.
«We're going to have to fight soon, so tell them to rest and regain energy as much as possible».
«What about Destruction of Evil?».
«Tell them not to use it, as the enemy could discover us if we do. We cannot lose everything to avoid a small inconvenience. If there are monsters, tell them to kill them as quietly as possible».
«I will use».
While the explorers, also known as the people with the highest Agility and best stealth skills in our group, went to explore the surroundings, the rest hid near the bottom of the cliff to regain energy. Just like me.
«You look tired». As I leaned my back against the wall, Amelia came over and gave me a piece of jerky.
Gosh, you didn't give me a single one at Ice Rock. Now do you have enough?
I accepted it and was starting to gnaw on it when Amelia said something sinister. «Schuitz, things are going too well».
«Damn sea...»
You finally said it.
I had often heard it said that you speak things to make them exist, so I had only been thinking about it in the privacy of my own mind.
I sighed and refocused on Amelia. «It wasn't addressed to you, don't worry. So what were you trying to say? Did you notice anything strange?»
«No, but...» Amelia interrupted herself at my question. It seemed that she also had no basis for her suspicions.
«Don't worry, things aren't going too well. We have already done all the work in advance».
«Did we do all the work in advance?»
«We went through all kinds of things crossing the Ice Rock, right? There was even a traitor bastard among us.»
«That's true... true. I'm sorry. Forget 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.
One hundred people, huh?
Against a group of that size, we could accomplish the mission successfully and without difficulty. The explorers only saw the base from a distance, but there didn't seem to be any big names there.
Probably because they didn't expect the enemy to attack them from behind.
Noark's main unit was devoting all its energy to preventing the royal army from crossing the mountain. Of course, since it was a key base, they left some troops on standby with the Dragon Slayer, Regal Vagos, as their commander.
But that man only led some of the troops out.
Currently it was an empty house.
There are no Hanses around either.
Now, the only problem was whether the scouts would throw us a curveball.
«Schuitz, the explorers have returned.»
«What did they say?»
«They say there is no one within a five kilometer radius».
This confirmed that there was nothing to worry about in the surrounding area. I was worried that they had cheated because things were going too well, but I soon got rid of that ominous feeling.
«Tell those who came out that they did a good job and let them rest. Although, they won't be able to rest for long».
«...Are we mobilizing?»
«Yes, let everyone prepare.»
It was time to end this long expedition.
***
He was motionless in the dark forest. Although he couldn't confirm it with the naked eye in the darkness of the maze, Noark's base was beyond. I silently waited for the right moment with my squad members, ready to run away at any moment.
¡Bum, bum, bum, bum!
Soon, a loud noise thundered through the darkness. Anyone with adventure experience would recognize this sound as the footsteps of a great monster.
«¡Demonos!»
«Everyone out of here!»
The silence beyond the darkness began to become loud. Although I couldn't see them with my own eyes, I could imagine their every expression.
«Damn, what the hell is going on with these numbers?!»
Bewilderment.
«Ugh, damn our luck. What are you doing? Take out your weapons».
MOLICE.
«How did all these monsters get here?»
Suspicion.
«Wake up! It's the enemy! Someone brought these things here!»
Of course, among them, some even had the right answer. Was it because they were from Noark, where they studied all kinds of looting strategies? They were fast.
Of course, it was no coincidence that hordes of monsters came from all directions. After confirming that there was no one within a five kilometer radius, I sent the scouts to corner all the nearby monsters. Now that the charge had passed to Noark's fighters, the scouts should have activated stealth to return.
"¿What?
«HahEl with mego. .? »
«Damn, are those people Vagos was talking about?»
«Hurry up and ask for support!»
Who do you think you are asking for support? It's going to be over by the time they arrive, anyway.
«Kaislan.»
When I said his name, Kaislan raised a flag with the royal family's coat of arms and shouted: «Shoot!».
At this moment, the wizards, archers, and special ability users who had finished casting fired their finishers at once.
¡Kabooom!
The attack occurred in the middle of a monster invasion. A section of the enemy formation was immediately annihilated, creating a hole, and the cunning monsters did not miss the opportunity to attack.
«Damn, where are they?! Where are they?!»
«Aaagh!» The monsters crossed the collapsed front line and attacked its center.
«Block that area first!» The enemy rushed to regroup, but there was no way for us to sit idly by.
«Kaislan, once again.»
We devoted all our firepower to long-range bombing as soon as everyone finished launching, and the enemy discovered our location shortly after.
«Out there!»
«The bastards are over there!»
Even if you know it, what are you going to do? You're too busy fighting monsters, anyway.
¡Kwa claim! ¡Bang! ¡Whiiiiip!
The long-range artillery fire continued like this for a while, and in the midst of it all, the message stone above him vibrated.
¡Jiiiiing!
It was obvious who was calling. All the way here, only one person had called this message stone.
Click.
I had nothing else to do but watch, so I accepted the call.
«You! Where are you right now?!»
The voice on the other end unleashed its anger at me as soon as the connection was established. Come to think of it, we told him to head to the edge of the continent during the last call.
«I'm in the place you mentioned and no one is there! There are also reports that a battle is being fought in the Eye of Heaven».
The Eye of Heaven was the name given to the emitter of mana waves that served as Noark's transmission tower.
Wow, I guess the news had already reached him.
He already understood why the palace was so determined to destroy the Eye of Heaven. More than a few of the losses they suffered could be attributed to Noark's extensive communications 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. «I? In your front garden».
Provocation, when properly applied, was undoubtedly a valid war tactic. I expected a funny reaction, but the interlocutor remained surprisingly quiet for a long time. The words that crackled through the stone as I checked to see if I was unplugging weren't particularly interesting either.
«...Who are you?»
Wow, did the cat eat your tongue? You don't need to act important.
«Why, are you coming to look for me?»
«...So this was your plan from the beginning.»
«Why are you saying 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 having a peaceful death. Not even death can save you». His voice was full of murderous intentions, but I just pricked up my ears and didn't pay attention to him. Can't even death save me? He had told me that before.
«Okay, do your best.»
«That? Does this seem like a joke to you? I'll make sure...»
It was time to move on to the next phase, so I hung up.
At that moment, a report came from Akurava. «Schuitz, the monsters are almost all controlled!» The enemies had fought desperately and had already killed most of the monsters.
«Assault training!»
«All lines forward!»
Before the enemy could regroup, we stormed the battlefield.
«Attack!»
The veteran warriors stood at the front of the formation. Noark created a wall of warriors to stop us, a basic shield wall used in battles between large troops.
«¡Deténganlos!»
«Die!»
The warriors in the vanguard clashed with each other and a full-scale power struggle began.
«Woahhh!»
The winner of that fight was, of course, us. Not only was the mid-range of our warriors superior to his, but more importantly, his side had no priests.
[Niaro Campbell has launched Curative Wave.]
[Benjamin Orman has released Moonlight of Regeneration.]
How could they stop our reckless burden when we weren't even worried about the risk of injury?
«We're done!»
The warriors broke their first line with the force of a hundred soldiers, and our expeditionary force quickly entered that opening. Although its formation was not completely filled with holes, the center was.
«Shield wall!»
We changed our formation to a circular defense.
«Keep training while we move!»
Now the tables had turned and we were facing enemy troops coming towards us from all directions as we headed downtown. That was because our goal was not a massacre, but an attack.
«The enemy is heading towards the Eye of Heaven!»
«¡Stop them!»
Realizing what our objective was, the enemy attacked us even more aggressively. It was not enough to break the unified line that had cost us so much to build by overcoming the Ice Rock together. Plus, we had a lot of priests supporting us.
«¡High!»
As we moved and dealt with our enemies, we soon arrived in front of the Eye of Heaven. We turned our backs on him and held the position desperately. We had to do something before destroying it.
Just then, Akurava shouted for me. «Schuitz! Come this way, quick! Hurry! There is a problem!»
¿And problem
«Gregson, Take this side»
«Yes, 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 Heaven around us, waiting for me with an obvious unease written on her face.
«What's happening?
«I have entered the communication coordinates they gave us and tried to contact the main unit several times, but I can't contact them!».
Hmm, that's kind of a big deal, actually.