Chapter 76

day.

It feels unfair to reduce 24 hours in the neutral zone to just those two letters.

After clearing the camp, we are ready to set out again. I said, frowning as I was.

“Keuuu, I just can’t get used to this. Is everyone’s nose fine?”

“I’m not fine.”

In order to move from the Northern Neutral Zone, you have to apply the secretion of a high-level monster that you used when camping.

To put it simply, it means you have to poop. That’s not an option, it’s a must. I even took out a new one and reapplied it every few hours.

Since the ecology of monsters is excessively overflowing, if you move while dealing with low and intermediate level monsters one by one, you will not be able to move less than 1 km even if the day breaks.

“How much is left?”

“I still have room.”

There are moments when the battle cannot be avoided.

In the Northern Neutral Zone, there are monsters that are not sensitive to smells, or if they are of the same level or higher level, the secretions are less effective.

“I was lucky.”

“is that so?”

“Usually, when you come this far, you run into high-level monsters at least twice, but I haven’t encountered one yet.”

O’Neill touched the dirt on the floor and said.

Every five minutes, he lowered his stance and looked at the footprints, but there were definitely traces of high-level monsters.

‘It’s not particularly good.’

There is no big change in the number of high-ranking monsters in this area.

It’s a matter of whether or not you encounter it, and if you don’t deal with it on this side, the number of high-level monsters approaching the barrier will increase anyway when the air strike begins.

This side’s strength is also quite high, so if possible, it is ideal to face each other one by one and defeat them individually.

It wouldn’t be a burden and would be nice if there were just five of them, no more, no less.

“Senior, are you okay?”

“… … so so.”

“I don’t need to move more after half a day, so be patient.”

Other wizards are also frowning, but Baeller, who has ‘Mysticism’, is naturally not immune to this.

It wasn’t necessary for everyone to apply it, so even Baeller didn’t have to poop, but he didn’t seem to have the strength to deal with the stench that seemed to shoot up through his nose and into his head.

“Can I help you?”

“that… … . no.”

Baeller looked at my face and shook his head vigorously. I can’t handle this even with level 10 charm.

This is why special abilities are not as good as combat abilities.

“don’t worry. There is nothing wrong with using magic.”

“Then I’m glad.”

There was very little conversation while moving. Everyone did not open their mouths easily except when casting magic due to the presence of monsters.

In the coniferous forests of the Northern Neutral Zone, which have been deserted for decades, there is nothing to call a road.

Occasionally, small, low-level monsters jumped out of the piles of fallen leaves, snakes fell on top of their heads, and bugs the size of fists stuck to their faces.

None of the 12 were taken aback by that.

If even one person screamed, an event that attracted the surrounding monsters would have occurred.

‘Still nothing special.’

None of the things I thought were variables happened.

While O’Neill and the other magicians of the special lease paid their full attention to their surroundings, I was watching the knights’ movements.

“Nine o’clock, five bastards.”

“Two at 1 o’clock.”

“It is out of sight. It looks like it will crash.”

Kang!

The sharp claws of the mid-level monster collided with the knight’s shield and made a sound.

Before long, the magic of the special lease flying from behind blew off the monsters’ heads.

“Whoa.”

The knight silently brushed off the blood on his shield and regrouped.

It’s just that high-level monsters didn’t appear. As they entered the depths of the Neutral Zone, the number of monsters that appeared increased dramatically.

The number of times they crossed swords to buy time to cast magic was not small.

‘It’s time to feel the pressure.’

Contrary to expectations, there was not an inch of hesitation in the steps the knights took.

I even sneakily asked.

“How are the knights? They say there is plenty of room, so if you feel tired, you can adjust the speed.”

“No problem. We will move on.”

“It’s good.”

It is unlikely that the strong knights will cause internal strife, and it is unlikely that they will abandon their formation and flee.

Things are very different with games.

‘Because I made a plan?’

The letter to Coltman was sent before the seventh episode even started. I had more time to prepare.

Among them is the process of selecting the escort forces to be drawn up for the operation.

There were not 3 magicians in the special lease, but 5 chosen and picked, so there was nothing to call it a crisis.

I mean, I’m anxious at times like this. Whenever things seem to be going well, unexpected variables arise… … .

It was then.

“Major. Let’s take a look at this.”

The mouth is square.

No, thinking about it makes me sad. You didn’t get it out of your mouth.

“What is it?”

“It may not be much, but.”

Keep your distance from the knights for a while.

O’Neill picked up the corpse of a dead low-level monster from the floor covered with fallen leaves. It was the gutter rat I saw when I came to Aindarok.

“As far as I know, no scouting party has ever been in this direction.”

I narrowed my eyes. There was a large hole in the abdomen.

“Something pierced me.”

“Yes. There are times when high-ranking monsters just kill and don’t eat them. I guess… … .”

“It looks like ‘protrusion’.”

“That’s right.”

Most monsters kill monsters in order to catch and eat them.

It is also curious that the body remains intact, but it was hit by something rising from the bottom up.

Considering the difference in weight class with higher level monsters, it should have been pierced from above or from the side.

“How is the ground?”

“The bottom is not open. Judging from the relatively good condition of the corpse, it appears to have been less than a day old.”

Nydus worms that roam the ground look like earthworms. It only has a big mouth, and there is no reason to pierce such a hole.

Furthermore, making something rise from the ground is a typical feature of earth magic.

“Was there anything unusual about the access list?”

“None. We just went to and from the outpost as scheduled.”

“Then never mind.”

It cannot be said with only this.

There were no human footprints on the way, and above all, who the hell would be able to roam this treacherous northern neutral zone?

“Would you like to inform me?”

“Even now, you must be under a lot of stress because you are paying all your attention to boundaries. You can’t worry about things you’re not sure about. It needs to be excluded to some extent.”

“Yes. I will follow the Platoon Commander’s opinion.”

That was my decision.

Even if things seem fine, the first priority anyway is to make sure the knights don’t feel insecure.

O’Neill obeyed my wishes and buried the body in a pile of fallen leaves.

Eventually, the scattered knights returned to inspect the area.

“How is the situation?”

“I can’t see it yet.”

“There are two high-level monsters in the direction we are going. Appears to be a mouthwatering predator and a mud spider, respectively. Shall we take a detour?”

“Two will break through. The topography is also suitable.”

Even if it’s a high-level monster, up to two familiar monsters is fine. Choose to break through to reduce the threat to the barrier.

“Break through.”

“Yes!”

Knights and wizards formed formations and moved in perfect order. It was a move without the slightest hesitation.

“We will stop the digestive juices with the [Wind Curtain].”

“I will believe you.”

“I’ll go right away.”

Baeller and I stepped back from formation, but that didn’t mean we weren’t engaged in battle. Even one person’s power is valuable.

After passing through a few trees, a large figure appeared.

A high-level monster that I’ve only seen dead during night raids. It was a mouthwatering predator characterized by its bloated and round body.

“From the left. Ready to cast.”

It’s a characteristic of it to shoot acid from a distance, so you have to deal with it before the mud spider next to you.

“”Wil Trore Ripe Tas””

“”Terra Fin Lipe Arfon Dura”

Gureuk!

However, as a high-ranking monster, it reacts quickly to magical power, and the magic of the special lease had not yet been cast.

The mouthwatering predator turned his head and put his mouth together.

““Will Les Lippe””

Pushy!

For a brief moment, the curtain of wind spread rapidly from the left and right.

A huge amount of digestive juices seemed to cover the knights, but not even a drop touched the shields they held out.

“I am surprised.”

“Because I listened to your lecture.”

Like me, Baeller’s wind curtain was an imaginary theory.

It was of a different size from the one used on campus, and the hemispherical curtain was more than enough to cover all the knights.

They were cast almost simultaneously and overlapped in the center with the same thickness and the same height. I mean, it was similar to me.

“My Highness or I. I asserted that people who reached 5 stars or higher with the existing system would not be able to do it.”

“It is not wrong. I couldn’t even practice the rest. I can only use the “Wind Curtain” you showed me.”

“Perhaps you can show me something else.”

“done. It means nothing.”

Baeller shook his head and said.

“I don’t know if I have more time.”

There is not much time left for Baeller Rongrd. There was no meaning whatsoever.

While the front was protected by the [Wind Curtain], the magic of the special lease tore the monsters to shreds.

Even high-ranking monsters cannot withstand the magic of five 5-star wizards in a row.

“I will move right away.”

It’s better to speed up when you can afford it.

Move, stop and look around, fight, move.

I repeated this under extreme tension, as a slight loss of attention could cause a big problem.

‘If you do that, you will become sensitive, and minor disputes will arise… … .’

I’ll try to block it as much as possible, but it’s a definite event in the first place.

Even if half of them were cut off, they thought it wouldn’t matter as long as Baeller was safe.

“Im here.”

If it was an anomaly, it was an anomaly.

“uh… … . Yes.”

“What shall I do? The sun is still far from setting.”

astonishingly.

Nothing happened.

As I remained tense, several hours flew by. Was it because the 10 escorts Coltman had selected were exceptionally good?

You’ve already arrived at the ambush site?

“Hey, are the knights out of harm’s way?”

“Yes! There is nothing wrong with power.”

He took off his helmet for a while to cool off the sweat, and he looked fine, not much different from when he started.

These are the faces that show a strong will to make the operation a success without anyone missing.

“Then, let’s slowly organize the surroundings as planned.”

“Yes.”

As well as securing line of sight, so as not to get in the way at the initial casting point.

Cut down all nearby trees. A wide and deep pit was dug to accommodate 12 people, and a wall was made to prevent the nydus from entering by covering the hole with cut trees.

“How deep do you dig?”

“It only needs to exceed 10m.”

「Blade Vortex」 is a magic with almost no downward properties.

If you dig into the ground and hide, the bottom is safe, so it’s good enough that it won’t collapse when monsters pass over it.

“It is complete.”

There were three mages of earth attribute, so digging the ground was not a chore.

Now, after two days or two days, the air strike will begin after only about 26 hours have passed.

At the right time, if Baelor escapes and casts a spell, waits in the pit until the mana of the magic core is exhausted, then returns to the barrier. That’s all.

“Wizards will endure to some extent, but knights do not have resistance, so seniors must control them.”

“I know.”

“How far has the monster approached?”

“Looks like we’ll be there in two hours. They have already flocked to the pitch black.”

The knight who climbed the tree to look around said.

“Then let’s go in.”

Hang the rope on the stake and go down one by one. After descending, the ceiling was covered again with magic, and inside the darkened pit.

I left the one brought magic light on, and twelve people sat in a circle around the light.

“… … Well.”

Only the chilly air flowed, and no one was quick to say anything, so I opened my mouth first.

“For now, we have arrived here safely. Half of it is already successful.”

“haha. Is it half?”

“It will be twice as difficult to return alive.”

“That won’t matter.”

said O’Neill, leaning his back against the wooden wall.

“We are here to make the operation a success, Platoon Leader. There is no one here who is not prepared for death.”

five knights. five wizards. Baeller Rongrt. All of them were prepared to die.

everyone except me

“My father clearly ordered me to come back alive.”

“That’s what the corps commander says every time. Of course, the story may be different for the platoon commander.”

“I don’t really want to die. Regardless of whether you’re prepared for death or not, the bottom line is that it’s better to live together. Isn’t it?”

“Yes… … .”

The group’s eyes turned to one place. This story does not apply to one out of twelve.

“You don’t have to worry.”

Looking down at the magic core in his hand, Baeller smiled quietly.

“I don’t really want to live.”

Fortunately.

everything was as planned.