The plans for tomorrow were already set. For the first half of the day, we would dedicate ourselves to leveling up to increase our chances of winning. The other half would be spent traveling close to Illeves.
Although we would surely arrive after the horde of monsters, that didn’t bother us. After all, our goal wasn’t to destroy Illeves or, conversely, annihilate the monsters.
“Well, we’ll start leveling up tomorrow… but should we hunt down weaklings or face tough enemies to defeat them? It’s unclear which is more efficient, but we have only one path to take.”
“Of course, we should aim for the big ones—a giant killing, right?”
Eiji was full of enthusiasm, and I affirmed his approach. Since we planned to meddle in the defense battle of Illeves, we needed to get used to fighting against stronger opponents.
What’s more, there are always ways to win against stronger foes. I say this confidently, having defeated many stronger bosses myself. And if we can’t beat them, we can always run away. We should approach it with that level of ease.
“So, we’re heading north?”
“I don’t think there are any monsters that are strong enough to get close to Ilevus.”
“That’s right.”
The further we got from the city, the stronger the monsters became. It was quite game-like, which was fine by me.
Besides, even if we got a little far I had the [Space-Time Magic] “base teleportation” at my disposal. So, I could return here with everyone instantly. This allowed us to level up without any worries.
“How about we log out for now and leave the traveling and fighting for tomorrow? I’m starting to feel sleepy.”
“I agree. Staying up late in the game is fine, but we should do it in moderation.”
Seventh Armor and Moth-san made a perfectly sensible point. Indeed, I was also starting to feel sleepy. As one gets older, staying up all night for fun becomes more difficult. I could manage it for work, driven by a sense of duty…. but it’s a sad truth of adulthood that while one can push through work despite exhaustion, it’s harder to do the same for leisure.
“Lack of sleep is the worst enemy of beauty, so I’m going to call it a night too.”
“Yawn… Now that everyone’s saying it, I’m feeling sleepy too~”
“Eh, isn’t it too early?”
“That’s right!”
Most of my companions seemed to be succumbing to sleepiness. However, Sei and Eiji were still full of energy. Aah, the vigor of youth. This old man can’t keep up.
“If those who aren’t sleepy want to continue hunting, that’s fine by me. But remember, we have plans to travel in the afternoon tomorrow. Don’t come to me saying you’re tired then, okay?”
“I get it.”
“We can be sensible about that much!”
Well, if that’s the case, I have no objections. This old man is really sleepy now. Goodnight!
◆◇◆◇◆◇
――――――――――
Race level increased. Gained 1 SP.
Job level increased. Gained 1 SP.
The race level of your familiar has increased.
The job level of your familiar has increased.
The level of [Tail Strike] skill has increased.
Newly learned the martial technique “Tail Strike” of [Tail Strike].
The level of [Staff Mastery] skill has increased.
You have obtained the title “Insect Killer”.
――――――――――
Our leveling session had mostly come to an end. I believe we were able to successfully raise our level, even with some breaks in between. It was a fulfilling time.
However, I was startled when a notification about “The race level of your familiar has…” suddenly popped up. What was Karl doing? Was he leveling up on his own? Could that even happen? It made no sense to me!
The specifics of what was happening were unclear, but I decided to put that aside for now. More importantly, there was one thing I needed to correct. I had said that the western side of the forest was an insect paradise, right? That was a mistake. In reality, the northern side of the forest was under the dominion of ants. What? You think Lesser Ants would be a breeze? It’s not like that at all. Here are the stats of the insect monsters we fought the most.
――――――――――
Race: Worker Ant Lv21~28
Job: Worker Lv1~8
Skills:
- [Acid Fang]
- [Exoskeleton]
- [Strength Enhancement]
- [Defense Enhancement]
- [Agility Enhancement]
- [Physical Attack Resistance]
- [Earth Resistance]
- [Fire Weakness]
Race: Soldier Ant Lv25~29
Job: Soldier Lv5~9
Skills:
- [Acid Fang]
- [Exoskeleton]
- [Poisonous Stinger]
- [Strength Enhancement]
- [Defense Enhancement]
- [Agility Enhancement]
- [Coordination]
- [Physical Attack Resistance]
- [Earth Resistance]
- [Fire Weakness]
――――――――――
The ants, now without the “Lesser” in their race name, were incredibly strong. It wasn’t just about their high levels; these creatures were on a whole different level!
Even though they were all called Worker Ants, there was a 10-level difference within the same rank. They had become significantly more formidable in appearance, with sharp Stingers added to their exoskeleton, which made them look like something out of the demon realm. At this point, it was certain that all their stats had increased significantly. Moreover, what made them particularly troublesome was their skill, [Physical Attack Resistance].
Back when they were “Lesser”, they had [Slash Attack Resistance], so damage could be dealt through blunt or piercing attacks. However, now that they had [Physical Attack Resistance], the attacks of the vanguard were reduced across the board.
Furthermore, since they had become tougher and harder, inflicting damage on them was a real struggle. Fortunately, they still had [Fire Weakness], so we managed to get by me vigorously applying [Enchantment] on everyone.
“I’ve already evolved… How intense was this leveling?”
“But now~, we’re not a burden anymore~.”
The Ants outnumbered us, so we were at a disadvantage. But we had already optimized our strategy for fighting ants. Even though the ants had grown stronger, so had we. The initial struggle was brief, and soon we had the luxury of chatting while continuing our hunt.
The party members who were in their 20s were close to reaching level 30, and even the pair with the lowest levels, Shishu and Wool, were approaching the late 20s. Indeed, the two achieved their second evolution through this event alone.
Shishu evolved from a Big Killer Spider, a creature resembling a mass of killing intent, into a Big Massacre Spider. Wool evolved from a Sleep Sheep, a monster specializing in inducing sleep, to a Dream Sheep, further honing his sleep-inducing abilities. They were sure to excel as stronger attackers and disruptors.
“We got a new title… which is great, but…”
“To have this as our first title…”
After slaughtering countless ants, we all earned the new title of “Insect Killer”. The description of the title was as follows:
――――――――――
“Insect Killer”
Awarded to those who continually slay insect-type monsters over a short period of time.
Increases damage dealt to insect-type monsters.
Requirement: Defeat a certain number of insect-type monsters in one day.
――――――――――
The exact number required for this “certain number” was not specified, but it’s a fact that we had defeated a tremendous number of ants. It made me think that if there’s an “Insect Killer”, there might also be titles like “Beast Killer” or “Undead Killer”. You would get these titles naturally if you kept hunting monsters of the same type for certain items.
This title was useful for gaining experience, collecting materials, or making our adventure easier. However, if asked to do the same with other types of monsters, I might hesitate… though I’d probably end up doing it anyway.
Receiving a title should be a moment of celebration, but it didn’t seem too popular with the female members of our group. The wording… it kind of sounds like pest control workers.
“So, shall we start heading south?”
“Yes, let’s do that. It’s sad to be too late for the ‘festival’, after all.”
◆◇◆◇◆◇
As we began our journey southward, the journey turned out to be surprisingly easy. We followed the path taken by the attackers of the western fortress, which we had helped. Countless monsters had cleared the bothersome trees and compacted the ground, making our travel considerably smoother. Though it was not comparable to a well-maintained road, it was certainly much easier than traversing pathless terrain.
As we proceeded without encountering any significant battles, we eventually heard the distant sounds of intense combat. Ah, it seemed the war had already begun in earnest.
“Anyway, let’s first assess the situation. Seventh Armor, Moth-san, can I count on you two?”
“Sure thing! Leave it to us!”
“Understood.”
After all the covert operations we had undertaken, a blind charge was out of the question. We needed to carefully observe the situation and choose the best strategy. Therefore, we had the two individuals who could fly and were hard to spot due to their small size to survey from above.
A few minutes later, Seventh Armor and Moth-san returned with a clear picture of the current situation. Firstly, Illeves was a circular city protected by walls, with gates to the north and south. The monsters were concentrated and swarming at the northern gate.
In front of the north gate, a bloody and intense battle was unfolding. Numerous trolls were clustering around the gate, trying to break it down, while the defenders rained down magic spells and arrows from the walls above onto the monsters.
Although the gate was being protected by the fierce onslaught from the defenders, the trolls clung stubbornly to it, thanks to their healing abilities. At the same time, other monsters were not idle. Magic, arrows, and stones were being hurled from the ground, and some were even gripping onto the slightest protrusions as they tried to climb the walls.
In this situation, it was impossible to focus solely on the gate. The presence of climbers meant there was a risk of enemies scaling the walls from unwatched areas.
At first glance, it appeared that the monsters had the upper hand. But was that really the case? Perhaps the defenders of Illeves had some secret strategy up their sleeves. However… pondering over such possibilities wasn’t going to help much…
“So, what do we do from here?”
“Ah, that’s right…”
“Hold on a second. There’s something over there.”
Just as I was about to explain to Seventh Armor what to do from here, Sei whispered quietly. We all looked at each other and then turned our gazes in the direction Sei’s staff was pointing. There, we spotted a group of about twenty players.
We knew they were players because of the color of the human player markers and the fact that there were several armed monsters among them. They were likely monster players who had joined the main event. While they could have been familiars of Tamers, their conversational behavior suggested they were indeed players.
“What’s that…?”
“A surprise attack unit, I guess. Judging by their appearance, they seem to be more than just a disruptive force. They’re probably planning to cause havoc from behind the enemy lines.”
I agreed with Usaji’s prediction. These players included not only scouts who were good at stealth but also heavily armed warriors and robed mages. Their intent wasn’t just to disrupt, but to launch a surprise attack from behind to deliver a significant blow.
“Surely, there must be others, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“If I were in command, I wouldn’t limit the surprise attacks to just one location. I’d cause disturbances in at least three places to create chaos. Wool-kun, you agree with me too, don’t you?”
“Yeah~!”
Moth-san further explained to Shishu, who seemed somewhat puzzled. If it were me, maybe I’d balance the stealth and striking power of the surprise attack units and send in at least eight units? The disturbance needs to be significant enough to unsettle the monster horde at the gate.
However, I thought the actual number that was sent by the city would be somewhat less than that. If so, the seeds of distrust I had sown were probably beginning to sprout.
“For now, if this surprise attack succeeds, they’ll control the flow of the initial battle. We need to avoid that.”
“So, what do we do?”
Everyone looked at me with eyes full of expectation. I opened my mouth in response.
“In order to make the surprise attack fail, we’ll launch a surprise attack of our own. Now, ladies and gentlemen, let’s wage a war in high spirits and have some fun!”
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