Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #38
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 38: The Most Wary Enemy
The first thing I
felt when I descended to the lowest floor was a sense of discomfort.
The killing intent
that would normally come at me the moment I set foot on the floor was
completely absent.
It was as if we were
the only ones on this floor...... and this illusion made me more cautious.
"...Yuki, can you sense any signs?"
"There's no reaction so far. But I can definitely
smell the lycanthrope."
.....As I thought. That means that this time's Boss is a
single strengthened type...and maybe it's an assassin type with presence
blocking.
The assassin-type
boss was one of the most alarming enemies an adventurer should be wary of.
They sneak up on you
without making a sound, deliver a powerful blow, and then leave the scene. Its
stealth is such that even those with presence detection skills cannot notice it
at close range due to field correction of the dungeon, and since it is also
single-unit strengthened by the dungeon, it also has a high attack power.
What you should be
especially wary of is a direct attack on the master, and if you don't respond
correctly, there is a possibility of total annihilation.
I once had a battle
with an assassin type in this dungeon, and to be honest, I might have lost a
few D-ranks if it weren't for Renge's [Spiritual recurrence]. That's how strong
an opponent they were.
『The flight team is to
stay in the air, and Yuki is to follow me with presence blocking. Suzuka and
Eliza will be my guards.』
After giving the
instructions through the Link and making sure that they approved, I stepped out
of the safe area.
The night forest that
I should have grown accustomed to had changed drastically just because the
enemy had become an assassin type.
Every time I took a
step, I was on guard for enemy attacks, and even the sound of branches I
stepped on gave me the illusion that I was a character in a horror movie.
After a few minutes
of cautiously looking around, when I began to have some doubts about the lack
of enemy attacks, I finally found the location I was looking for.
It was on the shore
of a small lake that sprung up in the middle of the forest.
We took up positions with
our backs to the lake, relieved that we had reached our desired location before
the enemy attacked.
In a battle against
an assassin type, being surrounded by forest trees is suicidal.
In the forest at
night, when visibility is poor, it was impossible to find the assassin who had
concealed themselves behind a cloak. And with the addition of 3D maneuvering
using the trees, the situation would be even more hopeless.
However, on the shore
of the lake, visibility was clear to some extent, and the direction of the
attack could be narrowed down to the left, right, and front.
Even if they tried to
go around to the rear, the sound of the water would be impossible to muffle.
Nevertheless, we had
to be alert about the lake during the first few minutes of our arrival.
Because there was a
possibility that they might be diving in the lake just before we arrived and
looking for a chance to take advantage of the situation.
After a few minutes
of watching the lake and making sure no air bubbles were rising, we began
preparing to intercept the Lycanthrope.
We strung wires and
small bells in the trees surrounding the open space, and rolled marble-sized
paintballs haphazardly around our feet. I also asked Renge to use her
[Spiritual recurrence] and buff the others.
With the huge size of
the Lycanthrope, it would be impossible to get through the gaps in the wire.
Even if they tried to forcefully jump over the wires using the trees, they
would inevitably generate some noise, and above all, stepping on countless
paintballs would leave footprints.
This was my own
countermeasure against the assassin type after the last time we encountered
one.
After all the
preparations were complete, all that remained was to wait for the enemy to
attack...... but...
『……Still not coming, Master.』
『Hmm.... Any reaction
to scent and presence detection?』
『So far, nothing.....』
『Hmmm ......』
It had already been
twenty minutes since we had entered the lowest floor.
I had challenged this
dungeon many times, but this was the first time it took this long for us to
battle the Boss.
If this was a golem
or some other type with dull senses, it might not have spotted us, or it might
not have moved a single step from where it appeared, but lycanthropes are
different.
Its habit was to
eliminate intruders who entered their territory. Its sense of smell exceeded
that of a dog, and they never let their prey go.
It was common for
them to attack us as soon as we set foot on the lowest floor,.......
At that moment,
Suzuka seemed to whisper,
『Hey~ Maybe~ the Boss
is already been beaten by another adventurer?』
『Uh?!』
W, well, there was a
possibility...
It wasn't impossible
that the person who came one step ahead of us had already defeated the Boss...
Even though I thought
so, I was somewhat skeptical.
This dungeon was an
unpopular type, a night forest. I was surprised just to meet that adventurer
yesterday, and for there to be other people diving here, and on top of that,
for them to defeat the Boss before us...
At that moment, my
consciousness was divided into thoughts rather than vigilance.
"Master!"
"Huh!?"
Yuki's sharp voice
rang out slightly earlier than the sound of water splashing behind me.
Before I could turn
around, I looked behind me through the sensory sharing Link, and what I saw was
a black shadow rushing out of the lake.
Naturally, it was me
who was the target of the arm that could snap even a large tree.
That's ridiculous! Why? It can't be! You've
got to be kidding me!
——A split second before such a
thought cold ferment more, there was a golden shadow that made a move.
Eliza, who had used
her [Protect] skill as per the 'pre-determined plan', appeared in front of me
at a speed that could be described as instantaneous movement, and caught the
werewolf's blow.
The werewolf's
full-force blow was diverted from its original target and struck the ground,
but in return, Eliza's arms were snapped off like twigs and her body was blown
backward like a rubber ball.
It would be impossible
for her to return before the werewolf, who had regained its stance, struck a
second blow.
That leaves me with
only two D-rank cards, Yuki and Suzuka, to defend me. They cannot be relied
upon in the face of this Boss, who is a strengthened single-unit type.
But there was no
problem.
Because the 'chain'
had already been activated.
"Gh?!"
A werewolf with black
fur glared at me with golden eyes. The moment it drew its arm back and was
about to tear my body apart, it slipped on something.
It wasn't simple mud
that knocked it off my feet. It was caused by Mea's slip magic.
The werewolf seemed
to be slightly rattled, but as expected of a C-rank werewolf, its reaction was
quick, and it dexterously maintained its balance even on the ground that had
zero friction.
"--Aha~"
Then, Suzuka's
foot-sweeping motion was executed in a flowing manner. It wasn't enough to
damage the werewolf, but it was enough to knock it over, who had managed to
maintain its balance on the frictionless surface.
Taking that
opportunity, Yuki carried me to a safe place in the rear.
The werewolf, whose
body was covered in mud, glared at me with hatred for a moment, but then it
seemed to have changed its mind and turned around.
If the assassination
failed, they would immediately retreat and start rearranging the operation.
This high level of judgment was also a troublesome aspect of the assassin type.
However, once
entangled in the 'chain', the enemy will not be able to escape easily. A
glowing white magical threads was released from the sky and wrapped around the
werewolf's body as it tried to jump into the lake.
The threads, which
wrapped around the werewolf's body many times over, attached themselves to the
surrounding trees and ground, binding the werewolf as if it were an anchor.
When I stepped down
from Yuki's grasp to the ground, I found the werewolf completely bound and
unable to move even a muscle.
A relentless rain of
abnormal status and offensive magic poured down on the werewolf. Weakness,
Lightning, Paralysis, Sleep, Earth Pierce .......
Its physical strength
was drained, it became paralyzed, its body was burned by electric shock, and
its body, which fell asleep for a moment, was pierced by a rock spear.
I wiped the cold
sweat from my chin as I watched the Lycanthrope being decimated.
"Ah, that was dangerous... I had no idea it would
come from the lake."
I never imagined that
the lycanthrope would have the skills to operate underwater, and I was caught
completely off guard. Did it have aquatic skills?
Whatever it was,
...I'm glad the 'chain combo' worked out so well.
————The third stage of the Link,
the Chain. The technique of connecting and activating skills like a chain
through the Link.
Usually, skills are
activated after determining the situation, but with the Chain, you use the
activation of another card's skill as a trigger and link the skills at a reflex
level.
In this case, Eliza's
[Protect] was the trigger, and Mea's [Slip], Suzuka's [Martial arts], and
Renge's [Magic web] were the combo in the chain.
The Chain, which
eliminated thinking and activated skills at the level of reflexes, was a
double-edged sword: once it was set up, it could not be broken until the end of
the combo, but even a single misalignment of the gears can create a huge gap.
It was a difficult
technique to use, but if Eliza simply blocked the attack by using [Protect] on
me, the enemy would still be able to pull off the surprise attack in a
hit-and-away style and be able to escape, making it a difficult battle.
Therefore, knowing the risk, I decided to take a risk and capture the enemy
starting from the initial contact.
The result of the bet
was as you can see. Although Eliza was slightly wounded due to her defending me
against the first blow, her wounds were now completely healed, and the
Lycanthrope was unable to move even a single step due to the many abnormal
status that had been placed on it.
At that moment, I had
such faint hopes that I might be able to win easily.
“Master! ? ”
"...!?"
Suddenly, Yuki jumped
off with me in her arms.
What in the world? Sooner than my thought, a sense flowed to me through the
Link.
A 'white shadow'
swung its arm down toward where I had been just a moment ago.
Beyond the dirt
particles dancing in slow motion, my eyes met the eyes of a beast that
shouldn't have been there.
"No way......!"
I turned around with
astonishment to see the still bound 'black furred' Lycanthrope. Renge and the
others were also looking with shocked expressions.
A second one!? Wasn't it a single-unit strengthened
type?!
No, that's not it!
In the first place, it is strange when there are multiple
C-ranked lycanthropes!
What comes to mind at
first was the Water Tiger of before, but this time it was a different story.
There was no such
thing as a monster that can summon multiple lycanthropes.
In other words, this
is...
『Master!』
When I turned around
at the sound of Yuki's voice, there was the figure of a third werewolf with
'reddish-brown fur' waving its arms my way.
『Elizaaaaaaaaaaah!』
Without time for
unnecessary thoughts, it was our party's shield that I clung to with a
screaming cry.
She had already made
her move when the second attack was detected, and she stood in front of me just
in time.
"...Gaha!"
『Eliza...! 』
The red werewolf's
arm pierced through Eliza's torso.
As expected of her.
It would have been impossible for her to deflect or prevent the attack at this
time. But still, she managed to prevent the direct attack on me by putting her
body on the line.
At that moment, a
barrage of bullets rained down from Renge.
As if passing by the
werewolves, who dodged with quick movements, I was carried by Yuki toward Renge
and the others.
With this, I was able
to escape from death for now, but...
『Are you okay,
Eliza...! 』
『Yes, Master. ...But
I'm sorry. I made a mistake. The wound...it won't heal.』
『Kh......!』
Eliza's body, which
should be near invulnerable in the night field, would not ...... heal.
It meant that she had
been attacked with holy weapons.
Looking closely, the
new werewolves of white and reddish-brown fur were equipped with shining silver
claws.
The holy weapons were
crafted of silver weaponry processed by magical items, and were commercially
available as a countermeasure against undead monsters like Eliza.
These monsters were
equipped with commercially available weapons...that meant one fact.
————This is an attack by another adventurer.
[Tips] Chain
The technique of
linking skills between cards with a Link and activating them one after another.
If it is done well, it can launch a powerful coordinated attack against an
opponent, but it is a double-edged sword that can create a huge gap if the cogs
are slightly out of alignment.
Its use requires a
tactician's talent that is completely different from skill in linking.
***
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