Since the difficulty had increased, we needed to prepare more thoroughly to survive.
Sticking to my initial plan, I made a suggestion to Song Cheon-hye.
“Wanna trade some cards?”
“Can I hear what you’ve got in mind first?”
“Of course. We need [Displacement], [Piercing Spear], and [Sanctuary].”
“What about [Retreat]?”
“Probably won’t use it anymore.”
I hadn’t planned on using it during the midterm at all.
We just pulled that stunt earlier to mess with the Dragonwing Soldier.
Of course, we did it because of the side quest, but for most students, survival is the main goal.
[Retreat] is incredibly useful because it guarantees you can escape from a fight.
Song Cheon-hye nodded.
“If you’re not using it, we’ll take it.”
“What about [Campsite]?”
“We were short on that too… but not anymore.”
She gave a bitter smile.
The expedition team must’ve taken heavy losses.
While we were on the topic, I checked the survival counter.
▷ Current Survivors: 87
There were around 120 when we entered the central plaza, and already about a quarter had been taken out.
By evening, the number would probably drop even more.
Just like we planned, we traded all the [Retreat] cards and some of the [Campsite] cards for combat-type ones.
And of course, I didn’t forget to take a small fee for the synthesis service.
“Well then, we’re off. Good luck.”
We’d finished our business, so it was best to leave before Han So-mi showed up.
She might be a fool, but she’s sharp in her own way.
If they started piecing together everything they’d experienced, they might realize that we were the ones who took down the Dragonwing Soldier.
Just as I was saying goodbye and turning to leave, Song Cheon-hye asked,
“You’re really not coming with us?”
“Mhmm. I appreciate the offer, but this time we’ll be moving on our own.”
At this point, no matter how hard we struggle, the outcome of defeat can’t be changed.
That’s why we let go of that early on and focused instead on maximizing gains with a small team.
Song Cheon-hye asked again,
“When’s the next time?”
“Probably next year.”
Craft Haven was expected to return during the midterms or finals for second- and third-year students.
By then, everyone will have grown much stronger compared to now.
At the very least, we won’t go down so helplessly.
I grinned and added,
“Next time, a lot of things will be different.”
***
We turned our focus back to harassing the orc legion.
We set traps, then lured in ranged attackers and Dragonfang Soldiers with mortar fire before taking them out.
We repeated that all afternoon, and as a result:
[Draconic Soldiers Eliminated]
▷ Dragonscale Soldiers: 25
▷ Dragonfang Soldiers: 78
▷ Dragonwing Soldiers: 1
▷ Portal: 1
Even by my stagnant water standards, it was a satisfying level of progress.
Looking up, I could see that evening was approaching.
So I told the party,
“Let’s call it here and rest for today.”
Go Hyeon-woo and Hong Yeon-hwa relaxed a little and smiled faintly.
Back-to-back battles must’ve worn them out.
But surprisingly, Seo Ye-in who should’ve been happiest didn’t react at all.
“……”
She had been staring in one direction for a while now.
Following her gaze, I spotted a small, barely noticeable figure moving across the rooftops.
As it drew closer, its form became clearer.
It resembled the Dragonfang Soldiers in that it was a half-human, half-dragon and had tusk-like features.
But it was noticeably larger and had a smoother, sleeker body with no jagged parts.
Another difference….it was carrying a longbow almost as tall as itself in one hand.
Dragonclaw Soldier.
It was an enemy that usually didn’t appear until Day 4, but it had already been deployed.
Its rank was roughly B+.
The good news was that its fighting power was relatively low compared to others of the same rank.
It must’ve been created recently, so it didn’t have many skills, traits, or gear and most of what it had was offense-oriented.
The bad news was that the rank difference still couldn’t be ignored.
Even so, it’s probably on par with a low-tier third-year student.
Hong Yeon-hwa asked,
“Can we… take it down?”
“It’s possible. But for now, let’s not mess with it.”
Third-years only stood a chance when the [Fixed Zone] or [Slot] rules were in place. In a straight one-on-one fight with full specs, it was a guaranteed loss.
Even two-on-one didn’t give us much of a winning chance.
In other words, it would take all of us working together to take down just that one guy.
“And the fact that it’s a ranged type just makes things worse.”
Unlike the Dragonscales or Dragonfangs, Dragonclaw Soldiers each have different classes and use different weapons.
If it were a melee type, we could’ve lured it in and fought it up close. But since it’s ranged, we’d have to be the ones to approach.
“And there’s no way to know what else might be over there.”
Even if it’s just orcs or Dragonfang Soldiers waiting, that alone would make things tricky. And there’s a good chance more Dragonclaw Soldiers could be added to the mix.
In that case, we’d be the ones caught off guard.
On top of that, we were already in poor condition and in need of rest.
All things considered, it was better to avoid a fight for now.
At least, that’s what I was thinking when mana gathered above my head and a massive horn appeared.
Ba-ba-ba-bam-bam-bam—!!
It blared our presence loud and clear to the entire area.
All I could do was let out a hollow laugh.
“No wonder things were feeling too quiet.”
That damn handicap had triggered again.
And at the worst possible moment.
Seo Ye-in turned to look at me.
“We’ve been spotted.”
Sure enough, even from a great distance, the Dragonclaw Soldier had clearly locked onto us. I could clearly feel its hostility.
At this point, we had no choice but to fight.
But as mentioned before, charging straight in was too dangerous.
We needed to lure it out of its current position by making it pursue us.
So I led the group in the opposite direction from where it stood.
If worst comes to worst, I’ll use [Retreat].
We had already recovered a 4-person card while looting.
But there was no guarantee the new location would be any safer than here.
It was probably better to get through this with skill rather than relying on luck.
And then, at that moment—
Swiiiiiiish—!
A piercing sound I’d heard many times before rang in my ears.
Cha Hyeon-joo was firing at the Dragonclaw Soldier.
She really does just bite first and think later.
She was like a rabid chihuahua, through and through.
Having a strong competitive streak wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
It was probably what had helped her rise to the level of a promising student.
Still, if only she had been a bit more composed.
Swiiiiiiish!
Even as arrows rained down, the Dragonclaw Soldier calmly raised its longbow.
The next moment, a flash of light sparked—
Boom!
Cha Hyeon-joo’s upper body exploded on the spot.
She had survived up to now through sheer tenacity, but she’d finally met her match.
Another flash of light burst out—
Boom!
A male student, seemingly part of Cha Hyeon-joo’s group, was struck down by a sniper shot.
Kang Hee-chan and the remaining others dove in all directions, and as they fled, the Dragonclaw Soldiers began hunting them down one by one.
Thanks to that, we were no longer their focus.
Hong Yeon-hwa muttered to herself.
“…She’s actually useful once in a while.”
Of course, there was still a chance the creature could change its mind and come after us, so we picked up our pace.
“Let’s get out of here.”
***
Once we got away, we looked for a place to rest.
The spot Lucky Radar pointed us to was an empty house.
Compared to the bedding shop we stayed in the previous night, it left much to be desired, but it wasn’t a bad place to spend the night.
[Using ‘Campsite (4-person)’]
The area was covered in a concealment effect, and we gathered at the center to have dinner.
As we ate, we checked over the cards we had collected today.
[Item Cards]
▷ Dragon Compass
▷ Handkerchief of Deception 4
▷ Card Synthesizer
▷ Survivor Counter
▷ Campsite (4-person) 1
▷ Campsite (1-person) 3 New!
▷ Displacement (A) 3 New!
▷ Displacement (B) 1 New!
▷ Retreat (1-person) 5 New!
▷ Piercing Spear (A) 5 New!
▷ Piercing Spear (C) 1 New!
▷ Sanctuary (S) 1
▷ Sanctuary (A) 2 New!
The [Piercing Spear] cards could’ve been fused into an S-rank, but I didn’t do it.
We had already taken down the Dragonwing Soldier, our original target, and the Craftsman Dragon couldn’t be brought down with just cards.
Even at S-rank, stabbing it once or twice with the Piercing Spear wouldn’t inflict a critical wound.
Rather than waste it pointlessly, it made more sense to use five A-rank cards to bring down a Dragonclaw Soldier.
For the same reason, I planned to keep [Displacement] and [Sanctuary] at A-rank as well.
Doom… Doom…
Even though night had already fallen, we could still hear the orcs’ horns and drums echoing from outside.
They were probably roaming the city without rest, casting detection spells around the clock.
If you didn’t have a [Campsite] or a comparable stealth skill, you’d be hunted down without exception.
And that wasn’t the only danger.
I warned the group.
“We might have to move again.”
“Why?”
Seo Ye-in asked, halfway into her sleeping bag.
“Because we don’t know where the Breath will land.”
We had purchased a [Breath Alert] the day before in a deal with the hooded figure.
But that only shared the targeted location. It didn’t mean the Breath would avoid us.
Go Hyeon-woo spoke up.
“Let’s hope it’s not anywhere near here.”
“Exactly. If it hits close, we’ll have to move right away. And set up a new campsite.”
Seo Ye-in’s face remained expressionless, but she was clearly annoyed.
“This is infuriating.”
“Hard to even get proper rest, right?”
“Mhmm.”
“We’ll have to punish it later, won’t we? The Craftsman Dragon.”
“I’ll remember that…”
Despite her words, Seo Ye-in fell fast asleep the moment she leaned back on her Kim Ho pillow.
The rest, however, stayed alert, eyes fixed on the window.
How much time had passed?
Part of the cityscape lit up in a crimson glow.
Go Hyeon-woo’s eyes sparkled.
“So that’s the alert, I take it?”
“That’s right.”
If a survivor who also bought the alert was inside that area, they were probably running for their life right now.
You had to get out of the radius if you wanted to live.
About five minutes later, a beam of light streaked toward the area.
Boooooom—!
With a massive explosion, the marked zone was completely obliterated.
Then another section of the city turned red.
And again, five minutes later, the Breath came down.
Boooooom—!
To the steady rhythm of the thunderous blasts, Seo Ye-in cracked open her sleepy eyes and groaned.
“Stop waking me up…”
“The Craftsman Dragon started it.”
“…I’ll remember that.”
The Craftsman Dragon fired its Breath two more times after that, and each time, Seo Ye-in would briefly wake up, growing increasingly resentful of the creature.
Fortunately, this area wasn’t within the blast zone.
Perhaps that was the last Breath for today. Though the orcs resumed their activity, the sounds of horns and drums faded again not long after.
Jingle… Jingle…
In their place, a soft bell chime rang out.
During trade time like this, even the orcs and draconic soldiers withdrew.
Hong Yeon-hwa stared at the hooded figure, then glanced over at me.
“…Are you going out?”
“No. There’s nothing I need.”
I shook my head firmly.
The list was the same as last night.
1. Talisman of Protection (12 hours)
2. Talisman of Protection (8 hours)
3. Servant’s Mark
4. Breath Alert
The only thing worth considering was the Breath Alert, but with tomorrow being the end, was there really a need to worry about it through the night?
The talismans and Servant’s Mark weren’t even worth considering.
Of course, that was our assessment based on knowing the full picture.
Others might think differently.
I checked the survivor counter.
▷Current Survivors: 51
How many of them would take the deal?
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