Luring the Dragonslayer and his n out of their base was easy.
There's a saying that the most dangerous enemy is the one inside your own ranks.
We had 'Enlightened', the Noark explorer who had been converted by Jun, send a false ssage to the Dragonslayer, and he took the bait imdiately.
[...You're saying there's a group of thirty explorers from the royal faction?]
"Yes! They must have crossed Ice Rock!"
[You said you were following them, right? Stay put. I'll be there soon.]
"Yes, sir!"
He fell for it again.
He was a naive one, in a way.
Back in Lalkas's Maze, if he hadn't given up on 'Tempered Desire' and given ti to recover, he wouldn't have lost his sword.
"Alright, let's move."
After luring the Dragonslayer away, we headed south, towards the Dragon's Lair.
We didn't have to worry about running into them.
We had Enlightened.
[What's your current location?]
"We're in the western region of the Dragon's Lair."
[Still heading west. Are you going to Ironfalls?]
"It seems like they are, sir!"
[Alright. We're heading that way too. Let know if they change direction.]
"Yes, sir!"
By the ti the Dragonslayer reached Ironfalls, we would be at his base.
Even if he received the ssage and turned back imdiately, we would be long gone.
"Enemies ahead."
"Halt. We'll wait for them to pass."
After two days of forced marches and minimal combat, we arrived at a vast plain.
Our vision was limited by the darkness...
But that wasn't important.
"Finally, the Gray Plains."
The Gray Plains.
The central region of the Dark Continent, located between the Dragon's Mountain Range and the Dragon's Lair.
And...
The location of Noark's base.
"It's surprisingly deserted. I expected more activity around their base."
"It ans the main force is doing a good job distracting them."
Our mission was a diversionary tactic.
The royal forces had entered the Dark Continent through the Ghostly Canyon and were engaging Noark's main force near the Dragon's Mountain Range.
Our role was to strike from behind while they were distracted.
"We'll slow down from here and move stealthily."
"I'll have the scouts spread out. We need to detect them early."
"Alright, I'll leave the details to you."
We moved cautiously through the Gray Plains, but couldn't avoid all combat.
The labyrinth was full of monsters.
Even if we avoided the explorers, we couldn't avoid the monsters.
「Void Ant defeated. EXP 4.」
「Dark Crystal defeated. EXP 6.」
「Minum defeated. EXP 5.」
「Hell Ghoul defeated. EXP 4.」
「Zambet defeated...」
「...」
Monsters erged from cracks in the barren ground.
There were even 3rd-grade monsters among them.
"Vol-Herchan!"
It was the monster I needed for my final build.
But the battle was easy.
"What are you all waiting for? Spread out!"
"Warriors, focus on defense! The mages will finish them off!"
We had fought three 3rd-grade monsters at once in Ice Rock.
And we were well-fed.
Boom!
The Vol-Herchan, known for its high defense, put up a good fight... but it eventually fell and turned to light.
「Vol-Herchan defeated. EXP 7.」
It didn't drop an essence, but I wasn't disappointed.
I already had one.
'It's ironic.'
I never imagined I would get the essence before killing it for the first ti.
The order of things was different in reality.
'The snowball effect from absorbing the Ogre essence in the early ga?'
That thought crossed my mind, but the true starting point was the Corpse Golem essence.
If I hadn't absorbed it, I wouldn't have been able to kill Vampire Duke Cambormier.
"Schuitz, the scouts found their base."
We had been marching for about a day through the Gray Plains when we finally received a report.
A giant tower, guarded by about a hundred explorers.
It was definitely their base.
But there was one problem.
"...They're outnumbered."
"It seems the Dragonslayer took more troops with him than we expected."
"I see... We'll gather information first."
"I'll send out the scouts again."
"What about the others?"
"Tell them to rest and prepare for battle."
"What about Purge Evil?"
"Don't activate it. They might detect us. We can't risk losing everything for a minor advantage. If we encounter monsters, eliminate them quietly."
"Yes, sir."
I sent the scouts, who had stealth skills, to gather information. The rest of us hid in a crevice and rested.
I needed a break too.
"You look tired."
Alia approached and handed a piece of jerky.
We had plenty of food now.
Crunch, crunch.
I munched on the jerky, and Alia said sothing ominous.
"Schuitz, this is going too smoothly."
"Damn it..."
She had to say that, didn't she?
I had been trying not to jinx it...
"...?"
"I wasn't talking to you. What's wrong? Did you find sothing suspicious?"
"Not really, but..."
Alia trailed off.
It didn't seem like she had any concrete evidence.
"Don't worry. It's not going too smoothly. We just prepared well."
"Prepared well?"
"We went through hell in Ice Rock, didn't we? And we even had a traitor among us."
"That's... true. Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
She apologized, but it was too late.
I was already worried.
'A hundred...'
We could probably handle it.
The scouts said there weren't many notable explorers among them.
'And they're not expecting an attack from behind.'
Noark's main force was busy preventing the royal forces from crossing the Dragon's Mountain Range.
They had left a reserve force at the base, led by the Dragonslayer...
'But he's out on a mission.'
It was the perfect opportunity.
'And there's no Hans around.'
The only variable was the information the scouts might bring.
"Schuitz, the scouts are back."
"What did they find?"
"No one within a 5-kiloter radius."
There were no unexpected variables.
I had been worried it might be a trap...
But I shook off my anxiety.
"Tell the scouts they did a good job. Let them rest. Well, it won't be for long."
"...Are we attacking?"
"Yes. It's ti to get ready."
It was ti to end this long expedition.
_______________________
I stood in the darkness of the barren plain.
I couldn't see it, but I could sense it.
Noark's base, hidden in the darkness.
"..."
I waited patiently, my body tense with anticipation.
The expedition force was ready to attack.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
We heard a deafening roar coming from the darkness.
Any experienced explorer would recognize it.
The footsteps of a large monster.
"M-monsters!"
"Everyone out!"
The silence was shattered.
I could imagine their expressions.
"What the hell?! How many are there?!"
Panic.
"Damn it, this is bad luck! Get your weapons ready!"
Frustration.
"Why are they all coming this way?"
And confusion.
One of them figured it out.
"It's an ambush! Soone's luring them here!"
Noark explorers were known for their resourcefulness.
He was quick to catch on.
"What?!"
"An ambush...?"
"Damn it! Could it be them? The ones Regal Vagos ntioned?"
"Call for backup! Now!"
It was too late.
"Kaislan."
I called his na, and he raised the royal flag.
"Fire!"
The mages, archers, and ability users unleashed their attacks.
Kaboom!
The enemy formation was shattered.
The monsters, sensing the weakness, charged through the gap.
"Damn it! Where are they?!"
"Aaaaargh!"
"Block them!"
They tried to regroup, but we didn't give them a chance.
"Kaislan, again!"
We bombarded them with ranged attacks, and they finally located us.
But...
"There they are!"
"They're over there!"
It was too late.
Kaboom!
Boom!
Whiiiiiish!
We continued our barrage.
Buzz!
My ssage stone vibrated.
I knew who it was.
He was the only one who had been contacting .
Click.
I answered the call.
[Where the hell are you?!]
He roared.
He must have received my last report, about our location.
[I'm at the spot you ntioned, but there's no one there! And I'm receiving reports of a battle near the Sky Eye!]
Sky Eye was the na of the mana wave emitter.
'So they've already attacked it.'
I understood why the royal family was so obsessed with destroying it. It had caused them significant losses.
[Are you ignoring ?! Answer ! Where are you?!]
I decided to be honest.
"Your backyard."
A little psychological warfare never hurt.
I waited for his reaction, but he was silent.
Then he spoke, his voice flat and emotionless.
[...Who are you?]
What the...?
"You'll find out if you co here."
[...This was your plan all along.]
"Of course. It's obvious, isn't it? Anyway, I'm busy, so I'll see you later. Enjoy the view while you're there."
[You won't die peacefully. I'll make sure of that.]
He threatened , but I ignored him.
He had already used that line before.
"Yeah, good luck with that."
[What? You think this is a joke? You think I won't—]
I ended the call.
It was ti for the next chapter.
Akuraba reported.
"Schuitz, we've cleared most of the monsters!"
The enemy had finished dealing with the monsters.
It was our cue.
"Charge formation!"
"Warriors, forward...!"
We stord the battlefield, our veteran warriors leading the charge.
"Charge!"
"Wipe them out!"
The enemy tried to block us with a shield wall... but it was futile.
"Ugh!"
Our warriors broke through their lines, and we poured into their formation.
They were overwheld.
"They're heading for the Sky Eye!"
"Stop them!"
They realized our target and tried to stop us, but it was too late.
"Kaislan, again!"
We bombarded them with ranged attacks while our warriors held them off.
"Halt!"
We reached the Sky Eye.
We ford a defensive circle around it, protecting it from the enemy's desperate attacks.
But...
"Schuitz! Over here!"
"Hurry! We have a problem!"
Akuraba called for .
What? A problem?
"Gregson, take over."
"Yes, sir!"
I left my position and rushed to the back.
Akuraba was standing awkwardly in front of the Sky Eye.
"What's wrong?"
"I-I've tried everything, but I can't contact the main force!"
This is bad.
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