Chapter 666: Fortress Defense (2)
Even counting Peace, there weren’t even thirty sapient beings here right now. My kid skill boosts stats and skill effects by a percentage equal to the number of people who hear the keyword. Thirty percent isn’t small, but it still feels a bit lacking. So.
‘Don’t block me, don’t block me.’
I linked the system over to Seong Hyunjae’s side. Maybe because this was an official bet now, unlike when we’d been farming, I couldn’t easily peek at the other side’s situation. And since my ability was weaker than his, if Seong Hyunjae decided to block me, I’d have almost no way to force my way in.
Luckily, he didn’t.
He had close to thirty people on his team too, so combined we’d get about a sixty percent boost. That much was enough to handle SS–class monsters—
[Rrrrrruuumble–]
A heavy vibration pounded not only my ears but deep into my chest. It wasn’t just some loud noise you could shrug off; it was the kind of resonance that made your whole body run cold.
The midday sky was clear. Almost no clouds, pure bright blue overhead—yet under that sky everything was black and red.
[Craaaaack!]
Thunder boomed in the bone–dry air. Between the deep, echoing booms that rolled one after another, a light flashed brighter than the sun. For an instant, you could almost think the sky had gone dark.
Unlike ours, their fortress was surrounded by extremely high cliffs. Sheer rock faces so tall that even most high–rank monsters would rather go around than try to climb or dig through them. Those cliffs cast deep shadows over the entire fortress, making the originally gray walls look pitch–black.
There, the man standing alone in front of the gate turned to look back at me. Our eyes met. A shiver ran down my spine. If I didn’t have Fear Resistance, my breath would’ve lodged in my throat.
And at the same time, I was excited. An opponent like that. I had the urge not just to grab him by the collar, but to seize him by the throat and crash into him with everything I had. I’d obviously be the one getting smashed, but even so.
Thunder rolled again. No monster survived inside that storm of light.
“…Your teamwork is absolute garbage. Are you seriously wiping them all out by yourself?”
[I’m at least taking some support skills.]
Seong Hyunjae answered in a flat voice.
[The rest would only get in the way.]
He was right. Even with the Teacher skill, it would be difficult for allies to stay unharmed inside that raging storm of lightning. And for Seong Hyunjae, whose skills were what they were, trying to fight while minding not just one or two, but a whole crowd of Hunters, would be horribly inefficient.
Director Song might be able to match his timing, block with Plunder, and protect himself while fighting, but for ordinary Hunters, even if they were S–class, that was a stretch.
Given that injuries and deaths were a minus to our score, it was actually more advantageous to funnel the support points into Seong Hyunjae alone and let him handle things himself.
The cliffs sealing off the fortress’s surroundings were probably for that reason too. For ground–type monsters, it might be easier to get here than crossing a wide valley, but in exchange, both ground and flying–type monsters had their routes of approach fixed. They basically had no choice but to come down from the cliff tops. Since they had to climb up high and then descend again, fewer monsters could dive in at once than on flat ground.
Plus, compared to those sight–blocking cliffs, a lot of monsters would choose to swing around and take the wide–open front, where the sound and light show was loud and flashy.
With that much, the Hunters inside the fortress would be able to hold off the monsters safely enough even without support from Seong Hyunjae or collaboration via the Teacher skill.
‘It’s not like it’d be impossible for him to command the sub team and fight together with them.’
He just had no reason to do it. It’d be like a sheepdog saying to the sheep, okay everyone, let’s go hunt wolves together. They were all high–rank Hunters, sure, but to the current Seong Hyunjae, they’d probably feel about that level.
That’s how big the gap was between the pre–regression him and today’s S–classes.
In any case, if things kept going like this, it looked like his side would be able to finish with minimal damage. I tore my gaze away from Seong Hyunjae and worked the system. I turned up the volume so everyone inside our fortress could hear and…
“Mr. Shishio!”
I opened my mouth energetically, but the embarrassment was already creeping in. Yuhyun was at least my kid brother that I’d raised, but Shishio… Shishio was older than me. How the hell was he “my kid”? And I’d already explained that the reason I could use the skill on him despite the age–thirty limit was because his trust in me was ridiculously high, which made this even more humiliating.
They were probably assuming it was because Shishio thought of me as his reincarnated mother or something. Damn it. Because it was a kind of childrearing skill, they seemed to accept that explanation way too easily. Damn it.
“Even if we had a bit of a difference of opinion at first and got into fights, right now I really, really trust Mr. Shishio!”
Even with the imposing presence of the approaching SS–class monster horde right in front of him, Shishio’s lips curved into a big, bright grin. He proudly threw his shoulders back. W–well. At least he was in a good mood.
“Thank you for helping me in all sorts of ways! And, uh.”
Compliments, compliments… mm. Anyway, all the skill really needed was for me to say the keyword! It’s not like we had time for a long speech, either.
“Mr. Shishio, you’re always amazing and incredible and so cool! I love you! You got this!”
Seong Hyunjae tilted his head. The humans on his sub team started whispering among themselves. Cho Hwawoon was frowning like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. I hurriedly cut the connection. Damn it, whatever, it’s done!
[Indeed, Chief Han! I am the greatest Hunter of all!]
Shishio clenched both fists tight and shouted. Then he thrust one arm high up toward the sky.
[Flame Horned Lion Peace, grant me the power of fire!]
[–Grrrrng]
Peace let out a sighing kind of growl and breathed out. Hot flames shot out and wrapped around Shishio’s body. You’d think it was some kind of team kill, but—
‘Sprout in the Ashes.’
An S–class title Shishio had acquired from an achievement tally. A weakling who survived raging flames. Within the blaze, his wounds regenerated, his defense rose, and the stronger the firepower, the higher his attack power grew in proportion. To earn it, you had to survive three times after taking critical damage from a fire–attribute attack vastly exceeding your own ability.
And the attacker had to harbor genuine killing intent, so unless you were absurdly lucky, it was almost impossible to get. Looked like he’d nearly died twice more aside from that time with Yuhyun.
‘So that punk really had been trying to kill Shishio back then.’
Anyway, thanks to that, Shishio got a title like that, so it worked out in the end, I guess.
[Come at me!]
Wreathed in flames, Shishio charged forward. The tips of his hair and his clothes got a little singed, but that was it. Overall stats and skill effects up sixty percent, plus the area skill’s defense boost, Shishio’s own S–class defense skills, and his title’s additional defense boosts. On top of that, he was also being pummeled with every buff from the support–type Hunters.
Right now, his defense didn’t just surpass SS–class, it was close to SSS–class.
[Crash!]
His body was small compared to a monster’s, but tougher than anything. He slammed into the leading giant bear.
[–Gwooor!]
The bear opened its jaws wide and bit down on Shishio’s head. Between its fangs, Shishio bared his teeth in a broad grin.
[It doesn’t even tickle!]
His hands clamped down on the skin of the bear’s neck. Fur tougher than steel plate and sharp as needles crumpled like paper under his palms. Then he yanked hard and flung it aside. Thud! A spear drove into the bear’s neck where it crashed down.
[Keep them from reaching the fortress!]
Meanwhile, the remaining Hunters, even those who specialized in melee, drew their ranged weapons to stop the SS–class monsters from approaching the walls. Their attacks didn’t inflict critical damage, but the sting was enough that the monsters’ charge slowed drastically.
[Where do you think you’re running!]
With his strength boosted and his body hardened to something terrifying, Shishio hurled himself into the monster pack like a bowling ball gone berserk. Thud, thunk—bones snapped and scales shattered all around him.
His fists were tougher than SS–class weapons. His raised forearm bulged and then—wham!—he crushed a monster’s skull. Even for a fast SS–class monster, trying to flee was pointless. The area skill Mud Playground’s speed–reduction effect had also been boosted by sixty percent.
[Rrrrrrr–]
Then, with a rolling ground tremor, a truly enormous monster appeared. A toad the size of a small mountain moved sluggishly forward. The Hunters who had been firing arrows non–stop froze for a moment and stared up at the colossal monster. It would be their first time seeing one like this.
‘Grade–1 giant toad species, Babar, the Mountain Eater.’
Been a while. I’d faced that thing not long after regressing. Back then, it had taken a group effort to bring it down.
‘Now, Yuhyun could probably hunt it solo.’
He’d just melt Babar’s shell with his flames. I shoved aside the flood of old feelings and yelled into the mic.
“The back of the neck is the weak point! Peace, move Mr. Shishio!”
[–Kyarrng!]
Peace snatched Shishio up in an instant and soared into the air. Shishio shouted:
[Higher! Even higher! I’ll be fine! Drop me on the back of its neck!]
[–Kheung]
Peace glanced down at him, then shot up until they were dizzyingly high. Then he casually let Shishio go.
[Hyaaaaap!]
With a mighty yell, Shishio began to fall. He focused his defense into the fist stretched out in front of him. His body, made far heavier than it looked by the Small Rock (S) skill, plummeted straight down and—
[Kwooooom!]
—slammed into the back of Babar’s neck.
With a deafening explosion, the massive toad’s body lurched and pitched forward.
[–Gwooooh!]
Babar hit the ground with a crash that shook the earth and didn’t get back up again. Shishio leapt out from the crater carved into the back of its neck as if it had been struck by a meteor, completely unhurt.
[…Wow.]
[Holy shit, that was awesome!]
The Hunters who had been staring with their mouths open let out loud cheers. Shishio gave a slightly sheepish grin. Well, I had to admit, it was pretty spectacular.
“There’s a time limit. Don’t go too far out, Mr. Shishio!”
[Don’t worry, Chief Han!]
I let out a breath and checked the points window. Thanks to the consecutive SS–class kills, the total was shooting up. Just a little more now.
[–Kraaa!]
[–Kyaaaa!]
[Dragonkin!]
The SS–class monster pack disappeared, and before long, as the sun tilted toward the horizon, dragons appeared. Even among S–class, dragonkin were stronger than other monsters. Fortunately, I didn’t see any SS–class among them. But a variety of S–class dragons began to fill the sky and the ground.
And my kid skill’s duration ended.
Shishio came back into position in front of the fortress, and a heavy tension settled over the Hunters.
‘…There’s no way an SS–class dragonkin is going to show up on top of this, right.’
Reflexively, I thought of Lautitars—that mangy lizard bastard. He was Grade–1 dragonkin, so he wouldn’t appear. Comet, who was S–class, was Grade–3. And even among dragonkin, she was on the weaker side, a wyvern–type.
[Damn, venom dragon!]
[Cold Resistance over here!]
A pitch–black venom dragon charged in hard enough to shake the ground, spewing toxic miasma. An ice dragon clinging to the fortress wall breathed glacial breath both up and down. I emptied another mana potion and focused even harder. With this many different kinds of dragonkin, there was bound to be…
“East–side healer Hunter! On the wall right above you!”
Sure enough, there was one using a stealth skill. Conveniently, Peace was nearby and slammed into the wall without hesitation.
[Thud!]
[–Kyeek!]
His fangs pierced the neck of the dragon that had been skulking invisibly, aiming slyly for the healer. As the dragon’s body whipped through the air, blood sprayed like rain.
“Detox in front of left tower number two! Center gate is low on mana!”
Potions were finally starting to run out. I kept my senses on high alert so the healers and support–types could move quickly, calling out as I checked.
[Urgh!]
A dragon’s claw raked along a Hunter’s forearm. A heavy battle axe tore through the dragon’s wing, and an arrow embedded in its head. We didn’t even have time to retrieve arrows anymore; the ranged Hunters had drawn their swords and spears.
Fatigue and injuries piled up. Potions and fortress repairs could both be supported with points. But just a little more, three more—now two more. One more!
[–Uuuuuu!]
A new monster pack’s roar echoed in. Unlike before, the next wave was charging in before we’d cleared out the previous monsters. The Hunters’ expressions darkened sharply. And then—
[Crack!]
The struggling wyvern’s head burst, and at last the points total I’d been aiming for was reached. I immediately hit the purchase button in the support window.
[Team Member Reinforcements]
Add one team member to the main team.
Yuhyun, Yerim, Liette—any of them would be strong enough. But right now…
“Noah Luhir.”
Under the blood–red sunset sky, light appeared. Golden feathered wings spread wide, and Noah’s skill descended onto the battlefield.
Nest Where Light Falls (SSS)
Like a new sunrise beginning inside the setting sun, faint clusters of light spread out. Within them, tens of thousands of little orbs of light floated up. Globes of light containing random buffs and healing effects.
[–Krrrk?]
Within the domain, SS–class and lower skills could not be used. The limit was thirty minutes, but since the effect applied individually the moment each monster entered the area, every new one that arrived would also be prevented from using skills.
[Huh? What is this.]
[My mana regen is almost doubled.]
Within the domain, allies’ mana recovery speed, defense, and speed all increased. On top of that—
Conductor of Mana (SS)
Smooth optimization of allies’ magic power use. The semi–transparent veil around Noah’s body fluttered in the breeze. The original Noah had still been immature, so he could only maintain the Nest skill for thirty minutes to, at best, a little over an hour. But thanks to the Veil of the Light Dragonkin, which strengthened Light Dragonkin skills, his maintenance time now more than doubled.
It would be enough to last until the sun completely set.
“…Mr. Noah really is busted as hell.”
Light orbs drifted around me like fireflies. When one brushed against my body and sank in, it suddenly became much easier to breathe.
The exhausted Hunters all recovered. They were actually more energetic than they’d been right after sunrise. If this were just about killing monsters, calling Yuhyun would’ve been better, but right now the important thing was that the sub team took fewer injuries and didn’t die.
Under these conditions, Mr. Noah was a walking cheat code.
Unlike the fortress overflowing with rippling light, the sky darkened quickly. The sun dipped, then dipped again. I leaned my head back against the throne. The empty potion bottles scattered around me blurred in my vision.
“…”
I could barely get my voice out. It seemed like they’d be fine now even if I stopped micromanaging, but I still had to maintain the Teacher skill until the very end.
‘…I’m tired enough to die.’
My eyes kept blinking shut. I’d overworked myself way too hard. A few more light orbs brushed against me, and each time I came to for a moment before growing drowsy again. I just wanted five minutes of sleep. How much time was left? Would stabbing my own palm count as an injury? I forced my heavy eyelids open.
“Withering away, are we.”
A low voice sounded right beside me. I almost jumped out of my skin.
–TL Notes–
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