5-3 Part 3
Building a Remote Fortress with Just a
Shovel
- Proving That the Shovel Is the
Strongest -
Translator : PolterGlast
I arrived at the South Gate. Telling the gatekeeper I only
wanted to go outside, I looked around from outside the village. When people
settle, the area naturally clears due to logging. If Goblins are hiding,
it would be in the forest beyond that plain.
"Now then. Are you really going to go along with
me?"
"I can't make a person a decoy for such a paltry
reward. If you're going to do it, show me..."
"Is that so. I won't take responsibility even if you
regret it; if it gets dangerous, run away on your own."
"What a guy. Hahaha, it seems we've called an
outrageous fellow..."
The concept of the moat was decided. Thrusting the steel Shovel
into the earth, I looked up at the wooden barricade. It deviates from the
guild's request content. But it is close to the Tome of the Evil Dragon's
condition to save the village.
If I can lure the Goblins just as planned, from there
on it's a brute-force interception battle. The current me, who fought Georg
to a draw, can do it. I won't die easily. I'll show that I can fight through
splendidly just like that Sigrun.
The power of Shovel LV 3 isn't just penetration power
against soil and stone. It makes the load and weight itself when digging as
light as a feather. When I actually swung the Shovel and started making
the moat, the speed of construction was enough to surprise even me.
The AGI brought by the Tome of the Evil Dragon
accelerated me, VIT enabled breathless continuation, and DEX
dexterously made me plaster the dug-up soil onto the barricade.
In short, it was sheer brute force. The moisture-rich red
clay, perfect for farming, yielded easily, melting away just like bavarois.
With superhuman work efficiency, I built the moat and reinforced the outer wall
all by myself. Lucky-san was speechless at my movements surpassing human
limits, simply watching my work in a daze.
"This... This is absurd... What in the world are you..."
"Shinza! I brought everyone from the Vigilante
Corps! Wait, eeeeeehhhh?!!"
Belatedly, Kachua gathered the Vigilante Corps
members. Then, climbing the watchtower of the South Gate, she screamed together
with the members she brought.
I had misjudged the potential of the Shovel. The Shovel
was more versatile than I thought, hiding a nonsensical power capable of
causing miracles.
"Whoa, I'm captivated. Amazing, Shinza is
amazing! Keep going! With a moat, we don't have to fear attacks anymore!"
"G-God..."
"Yer, yer a savior, ya are!!"
What an exaggerated bunch. The Vigilante Corps raised cheers
and started cheering for me. Those with swords and spears took position on the
barricade, and archers on the tower.
Thanks to their vigilance, I could immerse myself in the
work without worrying about my back. The Imperial Capital's Firefly
became a mole, building moats one after another around the South Gate.
From the lookout platform, Kachua cheered for me many
times. Her uncle Lucky stuck to me to prevent any surprise attacks. But
I returned neither reply nor gaze to them, silently immersing myself in the
work.
Strangely, it felt right. Silently, silently solidifying the
base's defenses like this, I even felt a strange nostalgia. It's what they call
déjà vu in words from another world.
A flashy summer story book said this is an illusion caused
by brain fatigue. By the way, there are 8 archers including Kachua; I'd
want more next time.
"Call everyone from the fields too! This—without a
doubt, they are coming!"
The higher the defense rose, the higher the Vigilante Corps'
tension rose. Even so, I continued the work single-mindedly. Extending the moat
as fast and deep as possible. That is the key to victory.
Thus, in the blink of an eye, I completed the moat around
the South Gate. Using the existing barricade as a frame and plastering it with
earth walls, it became a solid defensive wall.
Corin Village sits on a
plateau. To the west lie mountains, while the rest of the terrain consists of
gentle slopes. Almost all of it is enveloped in forest. Perhaps logging has
been insufficient since Goblins started appearing; the depths of the
forest are deep and dense. I felt like that deep forest shook slightly.
"They're coming, everyone! Direction, West-Southwest!
Bows ready!"
It seems it wasn't my imagination. When Kachua raised
her voice to warn, the archers nocked arrows one after another towards the
forest.
All are short bows. In this land surrounded by forest, long
bows would only be unwieldy. Still, to be able to spot something that far
away... I have to take my hat off to Kachua’s
eyesight.
"We’d better pull back to the gate before we get
surrounded."
"Do you really intend to remain as a decoy... Not just
in front of us, you performed a miracle in front of them too! If you screw up,
you'll be killed..."
"I'm just doing the requested job. If I lose to a
rabble of that level, I won't be able to survive ahead."
"You're weird! Absolutely weird, Shinza!"
A Goblin army charged all at once from the forest. In
response to that charge, Kachua and the Vigilante Corps released their arrows. Arrowheads cut through the air with a sharp whistle, piercing the dim-witted demi-humans, and death cries rose.
But they won't stop with just that. As expected, the target
is me. In that case, as long as I'm alive, they can shoot arrows and hunt as
much as they want.
"Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot! If you don't shoot, Shinza
and the Captain will die!"
That's right. If you don't do your best, I might die.
Retreating to the front of the gate, I entrusted my back to Captain Lucky
and stood at the front.
"Lucky-san, if you want to return behind the
wall, you can. I can manage even solo."
"Yeah, seems I should worry about myself... A person
who builds this much of a moat in a short time cannot possibly lose to the
likes of Goblins."
"Hearing you say that lessens the fear. No matter how
strong I become, scary things remain scary."
The archers whittle down the Goblin army further. The
guild's drunkards misjudged the request's evaluation. This request isn't a
shitty request. It's a super shitty request. The enemy forces exceeded 100.
"Looks like we missed our chance to escape. I leave my back to you, Captain."
"I don't want to die either, I'll manage somehow."
While doing so, we clashed with the vanguard. I mowed down
the first Goblin closing in with the steel Shovel.
Similarly with the second one that jumped in succession.
This is the gift of the Tome of the Evil Dragon, biased towards physical
ability development.
Now, sorry for this timing, but before departure, I was
taught the nature of Goblins by that receptionist. Goblins are
inferior to humans except in agility. But their fertility is strong, and they
are abnormally reckless. Therefore, they become a terrifying threat.
On the other hand, their weakness is sociality itself. Goblins
lack cooperativeness and originally do not establish a leader of the pack.
"Certainly a death ground, but compared to Brother,
it's still lukewarm!"
From atop the gate, the Vigilante Corps' spears, swords, and
slingshots supported us. It doesn't go as silently as digging holes, but I
dispose of the ugly green-skinned imps one after another.
Dodging stone blades with overwhelming agility, I snipe at
the dwarfed enemies' vital points. No matter how many I cut down, fresh waves
appeared. I couldn't get an exact count from here, but it looked like there
were still more than 100 remaining.
I want more STR (Strength). If I had muscle strength
on par with Georg, I wouldn't need to maneuver aiming for vitals.
Against such small opponents, skillful technique was necessary, but I also
wanted the forcefulness to twist them down with power.
By the way, the enemies aren't as stupid as bugs either.
Realizing they can't do anything as is, they took coordinated action, albeit
belatedly. Six of them signaled each other all at once and jumped at me.
"Shinza-dono!"
"—Sorry. Seems I almost died."
But Kachua's bow and Captain Lucky's thrust
stopped the ones I failed to intercept. The opponent's stone blade grazed my
upper arm, but it didn't reach the flesh. I turned the tables on them.
"Lucky, there should be a Hobgoblin
nearby; find it and have your squad snipe it. Also, I need you to fall back; I
want to trick them into thinking they only need one last push to finish me off."
"Fall back,
you say?! Shinza, what are you really thinking!?"
"Just go, it's for Corin Village."
"Kuh... You are brave, but one step short of a
madman... Understood, I'm going!"
With the help of the corps members atop
the gate, Captain Lucky left my back. Visibly, the enemies grew excited. They glared at me with hungry eyes, realizing that
if they surrounded me, they could kill me—and avenge their fallen comrades.
According to what I heard from the receptionist, there is a
distinct species that commands these Goblins—a dark sub-race known as the Hobgoblin. They have a habit of enslaving Goblins. By adding
a Hobgoblin to a pack of Goblins, it becomes an army.
"Come on, corner me like Brother Georg."
"Wait, Shinza, what are you doing!?"
Kachua's scream
reached me from behind. Well, I suppose that’s the expected reaction,
considering I just abandoned my rear and charged forward. As a result, I was
forced to fight for my life while surrounded on all sides.
"As expected, it's tough, huh."
I should have earned more status and levels. Naturally, I'm
out of breath. My muscles feel like cramping. Concentration is disrupted,
accuracy is lost, and dealing with all directions made me dizzy.
But finally, a chance came. Finally, the prey took the bait.
Different from a Goblin, a monster with a physique a size larger than
mine, a Hobgoblin, finally got impatient and charged in.
However, he probably never thought that I was aiming for
that. Just as he raised his huge broadsword to cut me down, arrows pierced his
chest in succession.
" Sorry to
cut your appearance short right after you showed up. Judgment is served!"
He should have been dead at that point, but for the final
touch, I whacked the Hobgoblin's head with the Shovel for dramatic
effect. Then the cursed, unintelligent imps raised shrieks, suddenly became
frightened, and began fleeing from the monster holding a Shovel.
I had slain the leader. With this, the enemy is routed; the victory
was ours.
— Table of Contents —
- 【Name】 Ashley
- 【Lv】 12 → 13
- 【Exp】 1375 → 1455
- 【STR】 26 → 27
- 【VIT】 100 → 103
- 【DEX】 90 → 93
- 【AGI】 77 → 78
- 【Skill】 Shovel LV 3
- “There
is no idiot like you in this world... I was so on edge I couldn't even
enjoy the spectacle, you fool! Don't ever fight like that again!!”
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