Ah, I found myself gazing down at the earth from an altitude of about five hundred meters. It was a truly magnificent view… if only it weren’t for the sandstorm directly below.
“Whoa—! It’s so high—!”
And then there was Prince Zahar beside me. He was flying next to me, riding on the back of Karl. Of course, there was a reason for this.
I possessed a skill I often used called [Appraisal]. This skill was extremely handy, but it couldn’t be used on someone too far away. The range of this sandstorm creator was beyond the reach of [Appraisal].
Because of this, previous investigations had failed since we were shot at from a distance before we could do the [Appraisal]. However, there were ways to use [Appraisal] from afar. One of them was the “Sage’s Spyglass” which was a magical tool possessed by Prince Zahar. This national treasure of Bigdarei was a rare item that had the useful effect of being able to [Identify] those who came into view.
But needless to say, the condition of “bringing them into view” was difficult. The thick sandstorm concealed its presence, making it impossible to fully use this national treasure.
“We can only see a silhouette… but it’s better than seeing nothing at all.”
Even from above, the sandstorm made it impossible to clearly see its shape. However, I could see something’s shadow in the heart of the sandstorm. It was quite large, perhaps five times the size of Karl?
The prince mentioned that a clearer view was needed for [Appraisal] to work. This meant we had to enter the sandstorm. Yes, it turned out to be a life-threatening mission.
So, we went down to the ground and planned a strategy with the three guards, but…they didn’t seem to be too tense. Incidentally, the reason Prince Zahar was riding Karl was that only the royal family could use the national treasure, and in this strategy, the three guards had to remain on the ground.
“Your Highness, it’s almost time…”
“Hmm! I understand!”
“Grrr…”
However, Prince Zahar, who was riding on Karl, was excessively excited. He seemed thrilled to be flying, but his excitement was rather noisy. Did he not understand that this was a life-threatening situation?
“Let’s go, everyone! The operation begins now!”
“””Yes!”””
Prince Zahar used a magical tool similar to a walkie-talkie to issue orders to the guards waiting on the ground. The one-shot scouting mission was about to start!
“Uooooohhh!!!”
In the first phase of the plan, the three guards charged forward with a loud battle cry. Naturally, this was a diversion tactic. They deliberately allowed themselves to be discovered and attacked to buy us time to remain unnoticed.
Barshushshush!!!
Have they been spotted already? It was a bit earlier than planned, but still within a margin of error. The moment they emerged from what looked like a small hill, something shot out at high speed from the sandstorm. This must be the mysterious needles that Mr. Booi had mentioned.
“Stone Wall!”
The mage orc countered the needles with a “Stone Wall” created using [Earth Magic]. The needles deeply embedded themselves in the wall but did not penetrate it any further. It seemed like a good defense on his part.
“Let’s go!!!”
The remaining two jumped out from the left and right sides of the wall while holding their shields. The needles flying towards both had visibly decreased in number and their accuracy had diminished. Moreover, the shields they wielded seemed to be of high quality, effectively deflecting the needles.
Meanwhile, the mage burst forth and joined the Boa Orc on the right. Soon after, the Boar Orc on the left also converged with the other two. They then used the Stone Wall, just as before, to block the incoming needles. Repeating this routine allowed them to gradually close in without getting harmed. This tactic had been established through numerous prior reconnaissance missions.
However, it was known from past experience that there would eventually be a limit. The power of the needles increased as the distance between them narrowed. Inevitably, there would come a time when neither magic nor shields could withstand the assault, and retreat would be the only option. Yet, this still served as a valuable delay for us to get close. We needed that time.
“Defense Boost, Defense Boost, Defense Boost, Defense Boost, Defense Boost, Light Armor, Star Magic Circle, standby… Prince Zahar?”
“Yes! Initiate the second phase! Let’s go!”
I enhanced Karl’s defense with [Enchantment] and [Holy Magic] and used [Magic Circle] to maintain the activation of a certain spell in a standby state in case of an emergency. It was only natural that Karl would have to bear the brunt of the attacks.
Then, Karl charged at the highest speed possible toward the shadow lurking in the sandstorm, and I followed desperately behind him. In just a few seconds, we plunged headfirst into the sandstorm.
Ugh! Does this sandstorm inflict damage? It’s only a bit, but my health is slowly being depleted! We can’t stay here for long!
“Guooooooo!!!”
The howling of the sandstorm merged with Karl’s fierce roar, resonating all around us. The enemy seemed to have noticed our presence and began firing needles in rapid succession. However, they could not penetrate the scales of Karl, whose defensive power had been significantly enhanced by me. It appeared that the hardness of a dragon’s scales was indeed tough to crack.
Still, I feared that eventually they would be penetrated. I hoped the [appraisal] would be completed before that happened.
“Your Highness! Is it done yet?”
“Just a little more! Almost there!”
“Grrraah!?”
Trouble had struck! The needles finally began to inflict damage on Karl. For now, they had only pierced his wing membranes, but it seemed imminent that they would break through his scales and embed into his flesh. I had no choice but to resort to my last resort!
“Cancel standby! Block them for me!”
I released the spell I had kept in standby mode. It was the Holy Shield of [Holy Magic], a barrier that could withstand any attack, at least for a single blow, and five such barriers were now deployed. Though I knew that they wouldn’t be shattered by a single hit, they wouldn’t last long either.
Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga! Crack!
Damn! One of them shattered! But each barrier should buy us a few seconds! Karl was also trying to dodge by flying in complex patterns as he closed the distance! Keep going!
Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga! Crack!
Ga-ga-ga-ga! Crack!
Ga-ga-ga! Crack!
No! The intervals between the barriers breaking were getting shorter! And since we closed the distance, dodging became increasingly difficult. No matter how adept Karl was at flying erratically, his size made him too big a target.
“Alright! I’ve done the [appraisal]!”
Finally, it was over! I couldn’t see it with my eyes, but it seemed the appraisal, aided by the power of the magical tool, had somehow succeeded. Our mission was complete! Now, we just had to escape!
“Retreat, Karl!”
“Goaaaaaaaaa!!!”
At the signal for retreat, Karl unleashed his special [Dragon Breath] towards the shadow amidst the sandstorm. The beam emitted from Karl’s mouth was a black one and it was strikingly similar to the one I had used recently. As expected from a dragon who was born influenced by my magic power!
“Gigigigigiiiiiiiiiiii!?”
Karl’s [Dragon Breath] incinerated the incoming needles and pierced through the sandstorm, before striking the enemy directly. From beyond the sandstorm, a cry that sounded like a scream could be heard. Was it stunned? No more needles were flying our way! This was our chance!
Seizing that opportunity, we flew straight upwards, successfully making our escape. I thought I could hear the sound of the last Holy Shield breaking behind us, but that no longer mattered. Our primary concern at this point was to flee and bring back the information we had obtained!
“Gioooooooooo!!!”
The furious roar of the creature lurking in the sandstorm lingered in our ears as we hastily retreated.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
――――――――――
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.
――――――――――
Tonight was Saturday night. Now, I was about to head out with the Bigdareio army to subjugate the source of the anomaly. But first, let me summarize the events that led us here.
Based on the [Appraisal] done by Prince Zahar using the “Sage’s Spyglass” tool, the identity of the enemy was revealed to us. The monster’s name was the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord. And here were its status details:
――――――――――
Race: Thornshell Scorpion Highlord Lv83
Job: Highlord Lv3
Skills:
- [Hard Thorn Shell]
- [Strong Pincers]
- [???]
- [Sharp Tail Strike]
- [Earthen Magic]
- [Storm Magic]
- [???]
- [Strength Enhancement]
- [Muscle Enhancement]
- [Defense Enhancement]
- [Agility Enhancement]
- [Ambush]
- [???]
- [Thorn Regeneration]
- [???]
- [???]
- [???]
- [???]
- [???]
- [???]
- [Guardian of Sand]
――――――――――
I have many things I want to say, but what I want to say more than anything is that for the first time in a while, the [Appraisal] skill revealed several unknown skills. The “Sage’s Spyglass” is supposed to fully identify monsters’ skills up to level 70, but our current opponent is level 83. We should probably be happy that we were able to identify as much as we did, especially considering when I appraised Lord Agnasrelim before, I couldn’t see anything at all.
And regarding the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord, this creature was well-known in this region. It lived further south than Bigdareio and was known for its peaceful nature, attacking only if someone invaded its territory. That’s why there was such surprise when its identity was revealed.
However, many also found it understandable. This is because from the time of the attack on the oasis to the investigation up until now, there had been many injuries, but no one had died. Why it had moved north was unclear, but they speculated that the lack of casualties could be attributed to its nature.
From that point until today, we had been busy leveling up and assisting in the preparations for Bigdareio’s march. We were engaged in creating items and gathering materials for weapons, truly embodying the essence of gearing up for war.
It seems that these preparations were completed this morning. I say “seems” because I wasn’t logged in. Why? Because I had to work on the weekend! Just in the morning, though!
“Hey, brother! Did you finish your work?”
“…Yeah, somehow.”
“There’s no way Isam would just ignore a quest like this.”
Yes, we were participating in this war as part of a quest. We accepted it after completing the investigation quest and receiving our reward. The quest’s name was “The King Cloaked in Sand”. The objective was to liberate the oasis occupied by the raid boss, the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord.
This meant that we didn’t necessarily have to defeat the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord. Driving it away would suffice. If it kept getting attacked, it might decide it’s not worth staying. Though Jigoro seemed keen on fighting and defeating it.
“Anyway, let’s finish this quest quickly. We can’t keep everyone waiting.”
“We’ll be the last ones to arrive at the guild’s base. That’s too bad.” Usaji said.
Shiitake and the others, it seems, had already reached the Vetus Floating Island after using the “Ancient Travel Tower”. They were now following the map data I provided and heading towards Birdy Perch. As a result, Eiji and Usaji would be the last to arrive at the Vetus Floating Island.
“Everyone! It’s time to march!”
While we were discussing this, Eiji approached us from a distance while waving his hand. It seemed that the war was about to begin. After the siege battle, there comes an NPC raid boss battle… Umu! I’m looking forward to it!
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