The war between monsters and humans. It was indeed a fierce battle. This became evident when viewed from a slightly distant location. Both sides—monsters and humans—were fighting desperately.
“That’s why it’s fun to throw a wrench in the works.”
“…You really are a villain, aren’t you?”
As I muttered to myself, timing my words carefully, Seventh Armor responded with what sounded like exasperation. Even though he was supposed to be in the form of a crow that couldn’t display facial expressions and emotion, I felt as though I was being looked at with disapproval. I didn’t question him for the reason, though. After all, I was well aware that what I was doing and what I intended to do next were indeed acts of villainy.
“Uwaa… that rush is brutal! It’s amazing how they keep repairing it.”
“They have the numbers on their side.”
“Ah! They’re increasing their offensive too!”
Beside us, the trio of girls in our party were watching the battle with enjoyment. Despite their differing personalities, it seemed they had become quite close through this event. However, only Usaji had a human-like appearance, so it wasn’t exactly easy on the eyes. Rather, the sight of a woman with horns, a mushroom with arms and legs, and a clearly vicious giant spider chatting was… perhaps too intense for the average person.
“Hmm… I have a feeling this is going to turn into a drawn-out battle, Isam-san.”
“That’s exactly why our trap will be meaningful. It’s always good to be prepared.”
The balance between the speed at which the gate was taking damage and the speed of its repair had collapsed. But even from afar, it was clear. It would take a considerable amount of time for it to be completely destroyed. Well, if the people of Illeves had been more incompetent, there would have been no need for us to step in, so I won’t complain.
“That’s right, Moth-san. Well then, shall we get started?”
“Alright! Time to march, huh? I’ve been waiting for this!”
As the final battle of the event approached, Sei began stretching with excitement. Although in this game, there seemed to be no need to limber up physically, such actions were more about mindset. If stretching helped him unleash his usual strength, then it was all fine.
“According to the plan, from now on we’ll split up into groups and act separately. Do as you please.”
“Will do. Don’t worry, I won’t be reckless.”
We were to divide into three groups from this point on. The first group, led by Usaii and including Ejii and Sei along with his familiars, would participate in the war. Their goal was to blend into the troll king’s army that was battling players and NPC soldiers. This would fulfill their objective of leveling up through combat.
“Muhahaha! Thanks to the map, we’re making great progress!”
“Just ride it out like you’re on a big boat!”
“I’ll try to steal as much as I can!”
Shiitake, Shishuu, and Wool’s roles were to plunder Illeves as much as possible. Originally, the plan was just to do so along the main roads, but thanks to Usuba, we had a map of the city showing the locations of all the shops, which was particularly helpful in finding the alchemy-related shops Shiitake was interested in, which were often tucked away in hard-to-find places.
I should be grateful to him… But, if I fail after all this help, won’t he mock me? Ugh, I hate that thought! Please let it be successful!
“Seventh Armor and Moth-san, I’ll need you to stick with me for a while.”
“Got it, Boss.”
“You can count on me to protect you.”
Meanwhile, I had my own things to do. I intended to entrust my protection to Seventh Armor and Moth-san. Initially, they were supposed to join Shiitake and the others in looting equipment, but they ended up getting roped into my whims. I had also asked Shiitake and the others to pick up equipment for them, but not being able to choose for themselves might be frustrating. So, if everything went smoothly, they were to join Shiitake’s group later on.
“Let’s start with a bang then. …Self-destruct.”
I had previously summoned and secretly positioned a Flame Ghost at a distant location, preparing it for self-destruction. Would it yield the results I hoped for?
Just as I pondered this, a massive explosion suddenly erupted right beneath the city gate. The blast, more powerful than expected, caused the gate and the surrounding walls to collapse. The troll generals and the troll king, who were right above, were injured and blown away in the explosion. It seemed my plan had successfully inflicted damage on both sides.
“Oooh, that was more powerful than I thought.”
“Leaving that aside. Did anyone see someone jumping down?”
“What? Really? Wool, did you see?”
“Nope~. I was watching the gate the whole time~, so I didn’t notice~.”
Was there really someone like that? I hadn’t noticed at all. But if there was, they might be respawning by now. I admire the courage of someone who would leap into battle alone! I say that even though I’m the one who caused the explosion!
Regardless, what I did was simple. Using [Earthen Magic], specifically the Earth Hole spell, I maximized its potential through spell adjustment to dig a tunnel underground and secretly approached Illeves. Once I reached right beneath the city gate, I planted all the dynamite entrusted to me by Usuba. After setting it up, I retreated, leaving the summoned Flame Ghost on standby.
I had asked Shiitake to reinforce the tunnel with her [Earth Magic] and Seventh Armor to summon some skeletons for additional support. This meant both of them had to join me in focusing on recovering our magical power. It sounds simple, but it was a bone-tiring task. And I am a skeleton, after all!
…Puns aside, during this process, my [Earthen Magic] level increased, and I even learned a new spell. This spell, Earth Fang, creates a fissure at a desired location, and then forcefully closes it.
Its damage potential aside, the real value of this spell lies in its ability to trap enemies in the ground. [Earthen Magic] has the impression of being mostly a support type, but this spell is versatile and useful for both attack and support. I can’t wait to use it in real combat!
“It doesn’t matter which idiot got turned into minced meat; our task doesn’t change, right? Let’s get going then.”
“Usaji is right. Let’s start the operation!” I said.
“”””””Oooooooooh!””””””
◆◇◆◇◆◇
(Pov Eiji)
“It’s here, right?”
After parting ways with Isam-san and the others, we were hiding in a forest near the western side of the city walls, close to the monsters clinging there. The monsters on this side were from the same unit that had conquered the fortress we had attacked. In other words, this was the unit that easily captured the fortress thanks to Isam-san and the Persona guild’s strategy.
That’s why they had the least damage and the most numbers. Blending in and fighting among them, or even entering the city with them, seemed to be the safest approach. Isam-san might describe himself as “just cowardly” or “just crafty” but I think what he does could also be called military strategy, right?
“The numbers on our side are high, but so is the resistance.”
“Charging in without a plan would surely lead to death.”
The large number of monsters on this side meant that Illeves had to respond accordingly. The number of soldiers and players defending was quite large. However, it seemed like the monsters’ offensive had weakened compared to the beginning, perhaps because some of their forces had been diverted due to the destruction of the city gate.
Therefore, while there were many monsters, no ladders had been set up to climb the city walls, and attempts to scale the walls were failing. Without ladders, there wasn’t much I could do, so I was hoping for some change…
“This isn’t getting us anywhere. I’m going to check things out. You two wait here, please.”
“Eh?! Wai-!”
“Hey, wait up, Leader!”
And just like that, after saying that in a casual manner, Usaji dashed off! Agreeing to wait was one thing, but couldn’t she at least tell us what she was planning to do?!
“I won’t be able to do anything if only that dim-witted orc is at a high level. Is this enough running to start?”
I couldn’t quite hear what Usaji said since she was farther away, but she was probably mocking someone. She seemed to have a habit of provoking others.
“Alright, here goes… and up!”
“No way!?”
“She climbed it all in one go?!”
I-I wonder if I’m dreaming. Usaji suddenly dashed out from behind cover and ran towards the city wall at an incredible speed. Then, in one swift motion, she scaled the wall. Could she really perform such acrobatic feats?
“I never thought my [Acrobatics] skill would come in handy one day besides in swordsmanship.”
I heard later that Usaji possessed a skill called [Acrobatics]. It appeared this skill enabled her acrobatic swordplay, but this time, she used it to accomplish the feat of climbing the wall.
She also said that she used the surplus SP from her furious level-up rush to acquire [Dance] and another skill called [Charm] whose effectiveness was mysterious and was limited to female avatars. I couldn’t help but wonder what Usaji was aiming for.
“Hey, she’s climbing up!?”
“Kill her, quick!”
“Let’s stir things up.”
Somehow, Usaji managed to climb the wall all by herself. I thought she would be overwhelmed and crushed by the surrounding enemies… but that didn’t happen. She was leaping across the battlements of the city wall, effortlessly dodging and outmaneuvering the soldiers.
Although she seemed too preoccupied with evading to counterattack, hitting Usaji seemed almost impossible. It was astounding how she could hop around so easily on the uneven surfaces that felt like a balance beam. I knew my avatar couldn’t do that, and even if I switched to her avatar, I wouldn’t have the courage to attempt such feats.
“Hey, now’s our chance!”
“Thanks to someone, though I don’t know who!”
“Gaaaaaaaaaah!”
The appearance of Usaji momentarily stunned the monsters, but they quickly sprang into action. Players and NPC monsters among them seized the opportunity, rapidly setting up ladders. The Illeves side scrambled to respond, but Usaji hindered them, running around and casting spells to disrupt their efforts.
…Her tactics seemed to have become quite underhanded. Was she possibly influenced by Isam-san?
“Uooooo! Chaaaaarge”
“Whoa, that monster talked! Is that a player?”
“Guooooooooo!”
“Destroy them! Take it all!”
Thanks to Usaji’s disruption, an opening was created. Finally, ladders were in place, and players and NPC monsters surged over the walls. Wow! It looked just like a real war!
“Hey, Eiji! Stop spacing out and let’s go! Even Usaji must be getting tired by now!”
“Oh, right!”
That was close! I got so caught up in the scene, it was like watching a movie! No matter how agile Usaji was, her defense was low. That’s why our party pair worked so well before—her agility complemented my defense.
“Hey, Sei-kun. In times like these, acting like a monster is the right move, right?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
To attack people as monsters, speaking human language would be out of character.
“Basically I mean like this… Bugaaaaaaaah!”
“Uwa, shut up! Uh, wait a minute!”
I intentionally mimicked the battle cries of the NPC orc monsters as I charged into the fray. Alright, I’m going to take down as many enemies as I can!
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