Chapter 76

The tremors shaking the floating continent intensified, making it a struggle for everyone to even stand. The forest rustled, and all we could do was endure.

As the tremors began to subside, the earth suddenly spewed out dirt.

Or rather, five columns of earth and one of water.

The shock was so great that those who were sleeping jumped up, and those who were awake were thrown into confusion.

"…What’s going on?"

"Damn, quite the elaborate show. Everyone, calm down and check the bulletin board!"

Claude’s angry voice silenced everyone, and they all checked the latest information on the bulletin board from their menu screens.

There, live chat footage was streaming from various locations across the field.

"Is this why we couldn’t find them no matter how much we searched?"

In one of the videos, a massive black mass, larger than a small hill, was visible amidst the swirling dust and sand.

‘What is that!?’ ‘Should we run!?’ ‘A respawn is about to happen here soon!’ ‘I’m running!’ ‘Is this a boss appearance!?!’

The scene at each of the six locations was similar, with the black mass gradually becoming more visible.

"…Wow."

I wanted to think that my exclamation was a normal reaction.

The black mass of flesh had several similarities to the Beast Devourers, but the scale was different.

The surface of the mountain-like flesh was covered with the agonized faces of what seemed to be human remains. Using its limbs like a quadrupedal animal, it crawled out of the hole it had dug, and a dissonant roar echoed from all six directions.

Furthermore, the weak points of the Beast Devourers, the eyes, were scattered everywhere—on the limbs, back, torso, and head.

All of these eyes were streaming blood tears, and they glared hatefully in all directions with dark, sinister eyes.

Just looking at it made me feel uneasy. The scene caused panic, and some people started attacking recklessly.

"Damn… We don’t understand the situation. Observe from a distance and then come back! Got it? Don’t push it!"

Ignoring Claude’s orders, I stared intently at one of the videos.

Those who attacked and those who cast spells all aimed at the weak points, the eyes, and they were easily crushed, oozing out a sticky liquid and a translucent gel-like substance.

"Ugh… What kind of show is this?"

The performance was so graphic that it made me feel sick. The uncomfortable feeling lingered in the game, where I couldn’t actually vomit, slowly eroding my mental state. Reiree, who was still groggy from just waking up, turned pale and looked away. Her age-appropriate reaction gave me a sense of misplaced relief.

The attackers, surprised by the lack of resistance, looked stunned. Then, their faces filled with joy as they launched more attacks.

The immobile black mountain showed no strong reaction even when its weak points were attacked.

"Disgusting, this kind of show isn’t necessary."

Ordinary enemies don’t bleed when cut, and their damage is shown by a decrease in the HP bar. But this enemy clearly prioritized visible changes.

Why—

The answer appeared before my eyes.

‘What!?’ ‘The eyes…’ ‘Could they be… born this way!?’ ‘Disgusting’ ‘This is bad, can we handle this number!?’ ‘It’s not too late. Let’s run!’

The scene before me: all the eyes attached to the body floated out, dragging the flesh and falling to the ground.

"Could it be… the Beast Devourers are born this way?"

The remaining eyes constructed bodies with the dragged flesh, and the predators were born all at once.

The respawn points were concentrated in several areas, and a large number appeared at once in those areas. This was likely done under a certain setting.

—The boss periodically spawns minions (Beast Devourers).

If the battle drags on, it will inevitably become disadvantageous. Under the black flesh, new eyes were busily moving.

Even with this, the situation was already panic-inducing, but an unexpected attack followed.

The eyes focused, and each one locked onto a player.

Among them, the one standing in the center of the video was fully armored, holding a large red-iron tower shield taller than himself.

His appearance, which emphasized defense, suggested that he could withstand any attack.

However, the white-hot beam of light emitted from the eyes pierced through his shield as if it were paper, stopping at a large rock behind him.

Those pierced by the white-hot beam, including him, were all brought to the brink of death.

The beams continued to pierce the backs of those trying to escape, and the surrounding Beast Devourers hunted them down.

Then, the white-hot beam turned towards us, the screen turned white, and the video cut off with a final scream.

"…"

The gruesome scene left me speechless. But soon, I remembered and checked my friend list. Are Mew, Sei-nee, and Taku safe?

"Ah… Good."

A sigh of relief escaped me when I saw that everyone on the list was safe and contactable.

Next to me, Claude let out a tired sigh and looked up at the sky, which was beginning to lighten.

"…The information is mixed. I want to verify, but—"

His muttering to himself was oddly unsettling.

After a while, half of the people who had gone out returned, and the other half were monitoring the Great Beast Devourer.

"Whaaat!? A baby appeared while I was waiting!? So jealous!!"

"No… Normally, you should be more dejected. My sister."

"But it’s rare and strong! I want it!"

Some people around us nodded in agreement, but that was beyond my jurisdiction.

"Consider yourself unlucky."

"Che… Then, then! We’ll do our best to take down that boss!"

"Alright, good luck."

Despite being up all night, her high energy was hard to keep up with. Is this the post-all-nighter high? No, it’s always like this.

Still, she must have really wanted a baby as a partner. Especially a cool, sleek one, like my Rui. Of course, Mr. Watanabe’s too.

"Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s consolidate the information. If you’ve noticed anything or have any insights, please share them here or on the bulletin board."

The strategy meeting, led by Mikazuchi and Claude, began.

Information on the Great Beast Devourer was gathered from the near-suicidal verification efforts of the monitoring team—luckily, no one retired—and confirmed. It took over an hour to summarize.

‘Great Beast Devourer—hereafter referred to as: Boss.

The Boss is a quadrupedal giant, with a total of six bodies. They slowly move towards the center of the continent but otherwise show no significant actions. As an event boss, there is no penalty for cooperation.

It is estimated that the Boss spawns 100 minions every two hours, and thus has 100 weak points, the eyes. Half of the minions intercept enemies entering the Boss’s range, while the rest scatter across the field.

Currently, some eyes are crushed upon appearance, and the minions are partially hunted through verification, leaving about 20 per Boss. The number in the field is unknown. The longer it takes, the more difficult it becomes, so those who are free are currently reducing the number of enemies in the field.

The Boss’s attacks include tentacle strikes, entanglement, and thrusts, minion spawning, and the special attack, white-hot beam.

Tentacle attacks are not particularly threatening and are not a problem as long as healing and evasion are not neglected.

The issue is that only the weak points, the eyes, take visible damage, and each eye has high durability.

The white-hot beam is infrequent but dangerous. It cuts 80% of HP regardless of defense, making it an extremely malicious move. If a large number of minions attack while this is happening, it could lead to a repeat of the initial disaster.

The countermeasure is to use objects or similar materials to block the attack, as the beam does not pass through objects.

Examples include taking cover behind objects like trees or rocks, or using the Earth magic Clay Shield.

Attacks that are effective are slashing and striking. Magic attacks are effective against minions but not the Boss.

Plan—Eliminate new minions 30 minutes after their spawn, and start the strategy after the next spawn in two hours.

Simultaneous control of six locations. Eliminate minions while attacking the Boss.

Needed: People who can use Earth magic Clay Shield, healers, and those with attack methods that can reach hard-to-reach areas like the back.

—End’

‘The following thread is for casual discussion, questions, and inquiries about the strategy. Dedicated threads for each boss’s strategy are also available. A dedicated thread for production support is on the main bulletin board—’

Claude looked at the threads, which were created with great skill, and checked the bulletin boards.

"Hmm, there are more participants on the north side and fewer on the south. And… I can participate anywhere."

Earth magic users, ranged attackers, potion-based pseudo-healers, enhancers, and production support each have their advantages, but for safety, I’ll go with production support…

"Then, let’s prepare. Nee-chan."

"Let’s work together, the three of us."

"Hey, let go."

I thought I would just observe and check the bulletin board until the safe area was reached, but my sisters grabbed my arms.

And they squeezed them tightly.

"Why do I, a production specialist, have to go to a high-risk battlefield?"

"Well, the boss we’re handling is near the southern lake, and when it first appears, it comes out of the lake, and no one can do anything, so the minions are mostly left alone…"

"That’s why the turnout is low. Now, we’ve asked our guild and Mew-chan’s party, and Taku-kun’s group."

"Many minions and not enough people… But do I really need to go?"

I frowned and argued, but Sei-nee nodded.

"To be honest, we’re a bit short on manpower. We need even a cat’s paw."

"We want mages to enchant and increase the killing power because magic is less effective."

I grunted, crossing my arms. I don’t know how it was interpreted, but I got an even more blunt statement.

"To be honest, we expect an MP shortage, so we’re counting on you for MP potions."

"Hey! Am I an MP tank?"

"And we need Rui, so you’re two healers in one!"

"That’s too much!"

Mew added more bombshell statements, and Sei-nee laughed dryly.

Holding my head with a slight headache, I thought strategically.

Indeed, I have a stock of MP potions and high potions. When I accept a request, I get more materials than the potions I make. If this continues for a few days, it will be a significant amount.

If I get something in return, it won’t hurt me.

Also, if there’s a strategy for the boss, it won’t be a problem for me.

"…Sei-nee, Mew. What’s the strategy for the boss’s white-hot beam?"

"Use a bed wagon as a shield."

"Hey, that’s not its intended use!"

"It’s fine! It’s an object! Use whatever you can!"

I thought it was fine, but as the one being used, I felt a strange sense of familiarity with the bed wagon.

"Then, next. What’s the reward for the potions?"

"Hmm, how about an interesting accessory, like a bracelet that disguises your name?"

"One more thing."

"Then, how about a pat from Nee-chan?"

Stop joking. I sent a cold glare, but she started rubbing my head, then quickly switched gears.

"To be honest, how about a book Yun-chan doesn’t have and five accessories? How’s that?"

"Deal. I’ll try a bit harder for the service."

I headed towards a small hut, and the two rushed to stop me.

"Wait, are you going to sleep now?"

"No, no. I don’t want to be seen, so I’m preparing in a place where no one can see. See you later."

I entered the hut and took out the materials. Time was short. I processed everything with my skills and enchanted the gems as much as possible with the time and MP I had.

I checked the two types of Magic Gems, my items, and equipment, and then went outside.

I brought my partner Rui and Pomegranate and joined the others.

It was our turn to relieve those who were hunting the minions. We were going to the lake to tackle the boss that had appeared.

SP: 19

【Bow Lv24】【Eagle Eye Lv36】【Speed Boost Lv20】【Discovery Lv21】【Magic Talent Lv39】【Magic Power Lv41】【Enchantment Lv12】【Alchemy Lv27】【Potion Making Lv17】【Cooking Lv18】

Reserve

【Taming Lv1】【Synthesis Lv24】【Earth Attribute Talent Lv9】【Linguistics Lv10】【Crafting Lv27】【Swimming Lv13】【Production Knowledge Lv27】

When I mentioned my allergies in the activity report, many people empathized, which made me happy.

I’ll enjoy my days and keep writing, without letting my allergies get the best of me. The pace won’t increase, but please understand.