Chapter 77

During the march to the lake, we received instructions on positioning for party battles and group battles, switching roles, and communication. This is an area where my understanding lags because I usually play solo, and I have some anxiety about what to do, but it seems to be a matter of clear purpose and getting used to it.

So, I decided to set a clear purpose and act accordingly.

Without a set goal in the party, I have to judge the situation and act solo, so being flexible sounds easy, but if I miss the timing, I might as well not be there at all.

Then, when I arrived at the spot right on time, I groaned.

"Seeing it up close, it's really impressive."

"Yeah, it's huge. The shine and texture of the surface are a bit much, but we can't afford to say that."

Sei-san smiled wryly, as if to say, "I'm not good at this either."

The Great Beast Devourer, with its slow movements, had half its body resting on the shore of the lake, crawling up from the water.

A proper land battle.

It seems that the enemies on the lake, in a geographical sense, were not completely wiped out. There was no visible damage, and the number of minions was not particularly large, but they were firmly surrounding it.

And the problem was—

"As soon as it lands, minions are generated! This is the worst timing! Ugh!"

The flesh of the body was being shaved off, and the eyes that fell to the ground formed shapes. The eyes that quietly fell into the lake, dripping water and creeping closer, combined with the dark red body, created a splatter horror scene.

The players all had weapons in hand and stood firm in front of the enemy.

I also took up my bow, but my role wasn't that significant.

I had no experience with party battles or group battles, and I couldn't read the enemy's action patterns and immediately escape from the attack range.

What I could do was heal and support people within my reach and perform long-range attacks. That was the job I assigned to myself.

"Well, I'll aim for the hard-to-reach spots. Rui, take care of the healing. Zaku, handle the close enemies."

I aimed and drew my bow, setting my sights. It was about seventy meters away. The wall of people and monsters made it impossible to aim at the eyes at the boss's feet, but that was fine.

Originally, my target was the eyes in hard-to-reach spots.

The mountain-shaped shot at a sixty-degree angle drew a large arc and fell into the lake behind the target.

This wouldn't work. I adjusted my aim based on the surrounding voices and the situation, and prepared for the second shot.

"Alright!"

With a precise adjustment of strength, the arrow I released hit the back of the enemy. However, it hit the gap between the eyes, embedding itself in the black flesh. I sighed, thinking that point attacks with arrows were difficult in such situations, and changed my mindset.

"This is good. If you shoot enough, even a poor shot will hit... Next!"

As the third and fourth arrows flew over everyone's heads, the first clash began on the ground.

The front line, as planned, had parties of four to six people surrounding and killing one enemy at a time.

Each party was responsible for one enemy. The roughly twenty parties lined up efficiently, dealing with the enemies that flowed in at different times, maintaining the front line to the minimum.

"Ruka, hold it! I'll take care of it!"

"Understood! Hino, Tobi, hold that side! I'll take the front. Miu, from behind. Kohaku, Reira, support!"

"Sure... Watch out!"

...Well, some parties were handling two enemies at once, but it would be too much to expect others to do the same.

However, the simple fact was that there weren't enough numbers.

The uncoordinated movements of the minions, which came in with slight time differences, and the coordinated actions of the parties would likely result in the players achieving more results than the numbers suggested.

Each party moved with the priority of not being defeated, and so far, there were no noticeable gaps.

Still, it was impossible to hold everything back, and some would inevitably slip through to the rear. It was the job of the long-range mages positioned in the rear to suppress these.

The selected defensive wall players held the line beyond this point, dealing damage with magic.

They couldn't directly target the eyes on the back, but with the body enveloped in flames, carved by wind, and eroded by darkness, the damage would gradually but surely get through.

The wall was important, the magic was important, and I also had a role to play here.

"【Buff】—Defense! How much MP do you have left, everyone?"

"Ten percent left. Starting MP recovery!"

"Understood! Support, please!"

"Sure! Heal!"

The many but weak mages were divided into two groups: attackers and healers. The attackers concentrated their firepower and acted as damage dealers. When their MP ran out, the wall players would hold the line, and the healers would recover the damage.

"Rui, are you okay?"

I stopped shooting for a moment to check on my partner. She nodded, indicating no problem. The other partner on her back, stiff with tension and determination, made me smile despite the situation.

I quickly tightened my focus and looked ahead.

"Damn, the defense!"

"Don't let it through! 【Buff】—Defense! Rui, heal!"

I cast buffs and healing on a familiar lead-colored knight.

"Sorry! Yun."

"Kei, move your hands before you talk!"

Kei, with high defense, was pulled from Taku's party. Mami-san also moved to the rear. Taku's party of five, having lost two members, was still doing fine, I thought.

"Ha ha ha ha! Sweeter than a liquid cooked for two hours with sugar, honey, and maple syrup! Ha ha ha ha! A good Great Beast Devourer is a dead one!"

"Hey, calm down. You're making everyone uncomfortable. Ah, Minits, heal, please."

"Sure thing."

Three people were more than enough to handle it. In fact, Taku was standing at the front, deflecting all attacks with a single sword, which was incredibly impressive.

Ganz, the acrobatic fighter, was dashing to the weak points, the eyes, while making strange noises. These three, despite being fewer in number, were eliminating enemies at a pace equal to or better than others, making me feel foolish for worrying.

"Damn... Taku and the others are doing great. No need to worry."

"Yun, you were worried about Taku. Hehehe..."

"Mami-san? What's with that knowing smile?"

"Nothing."

Totally, I don't get it.

I shook off my distractions, surveyed the battlefield again, reloaded my bow, activated a support skill, and continued shooting arrows mechanically.

The arrows, dozens of them, pierced like a forest of spears. Among them, there were red lights that had disappeared and others that still shone brightly.

This was the effect of the skill 【Knowledge of Ingredients】.

A combat support skill that reveals the enemy's weak points, it was very useful in this situation. The body had several lights remaining, and some had disappeared from the back.

I shot another arrow. Another one disappeared. I had destroyed about ten of the most difficult spots on the back, and the back was about half gone.

Then, as the wall of minions thinned at the front line, and a strong push could overwhelm the Great Beast Devourer, a new movement was observed.

"Evacuate! The beam is coming!"

A player in charge of overall command in the rear shouted. This was a prearranged signal, and everyone was prepared to take cover behind objects.

While the front line retreated, some mages moved forward. They were earth mages like me, responsible for the defense this time.

"Clay Shield!!!"

Everyone chanted, and a wall of earth rose up. Everyone hid behind it, preparing for the incoming white-hot beam.

I was no exception, and I smashed a magic gem on the ground, chanting the keyword to activate it.

"Run this way!"

"Thanks!"

Peeking from behind the earth wall, the boss was moving its eyes rapidly, searching for a target. The front line was slowly retreating, and the minions were flowing in.

Even after dodging the special attack, maintaining the front line again would be troublesome. A semi-circular earth wall was built around the Great Beast Devourer, with the lake as a backdrop.

The minions, avoiding the wall, were being crushed by those in hiding. The situation was dangerous in some areas due to the continuous flow of minions.

So, I decided to take on my role—supporting the maintenance of the battle situation.

"I'm going out for a bit! Rui and Zaku, I'll leave it to you."

"Eh!? Is the Clay Shield okay!?"

"It's fine. Here! 【Buff】—Speed"

With that, I ran to the wall where the front line was retreating. I switched my weapon from a bow to a knife and prepared a magic gem in my other hand.

My job wasn't to eliminate enemies but to set up Clay Shields in places where hiding behind earth magic or objects might be delayed.

The left flank had more areas where the retreat was delayed. They were using carriages as walls, but there weren't enough of them.

The white-hot beam attack began. I hurriedly slipped into the shadow of a carriage.

People were expected to run for cover, but those who knew me were all surprised. I found someone who understood and spoke to him.

"Hey, Mikazuchi. The wall seems a bit short. Want to add some?"

"You... Why are you here? You were in the rear, right?"

"I'm here to help. Where do you need the walls?"

"Um, one over there."

"Got it, I'll set them up."

I timed it and jumped out of the carriage again.

I jumped to the designated position and activated a gem. I hid behind the newly formed wall and jumped out again to get more instructions.

The flying beams were manageable if I could distinguish between those targeting me and the others, thanks to the 【Detection】 skill that showed the pre-attack movements.

Even with the speed boost from the enchantment, my movements were awkward, and I narrowly avoided some attacks.

"I'm back."

"Not 'I'm back'! It's dangerous! More importantly, can you make multiple Clay Shields?"

"Thanks for the quick understanding. Where else do you need them?"

Mikazuchi, a charismatic leader, quickly assessed the situation and directed me.

"Four on the left. And three on the right. We can't move from here, so I need them for stalling."

"Understood."

"Tell me the story later. It sounds like an interesting one."

"Sounds like dust if you knock it."

I joked and jumped out of the carriage's shadow again.

The minions were closing in, and the current shadows of objects were full, making it impossible to expect counterattacks or coordination. That's why I was stalling.

I ran zigzag across the field, scattering magic gems as much as possible. I estimated the intervals between the scattered gems.

After scattering all the Clay Shield gems, I chanted the keyword.

"That's all I have! Clay Shield!"

About ten earth walls rose up, blocking the enemy's advance over a wide area.

They weren't just lined up horizontally but were placed in a zigzag pattern, following the path I ran. The paths the minions could take were narrow, and the earth walls were at obtuse angles, dispersing the incoming minions.

If the minions were completely stopped by the walls, they would break through and flow in. But by creating narrow 'paths,' they would flow through.

"Is this good enough for now?"

"Yeah, it's great. The rest is our job in the front line."

"Before that, we need to get the stunned ones moving."

Mikazuchi, who had been encouraging me, was now back.

While I was performing a mysterious solo act, the Great Beast Devourer's white-hot beam had stopped, and the counterattack was about to begin, but everyone was still stunned by the scene.

"I'll head back. Mikazuchi, take care of the rest."

"Leave it to me. It's time to counterattack! Spread out and handle them!"

He raised his crimson-tinted staff and shouted.

Watching his back, I quickly retreated and returned to Rui and the others.

The right flank was dominant, the center was balanced, and the left flank was rebuilding the front line using the walls. The counterattack was well-executed. If we could push the front line or eliminate the minions before the next special attack, the path to the main body would open.

It had been about forty minutes since the start.

At this point, my role was essentially over.

I had run out of Clay Shield magic gems, and the Bomb gems could only be used when I was close enough and had the risk of hitting allies, so they were not useful now.

I had enough Hi-Potions and MP Potions to finish the battle with some to spare.

The only problem was—

"...I'm out of arrows."

Returning to the rear, I continued shooting arrows mechanically and finally destroyed all the eyes on the back. I regretted not pacing myself, as I used all my arrows to destroy the eyes.

Even with the recovery function and carrying extra arrows, the bow's attack power was lower than close-range attacks. It took dozens of shots to destroy one eye, and many missed, hitting non-damaging areas and becoming wasted.

In the end, I destroyed fifteen eyes.

"That's the end of my job."

It had been one hour and twenty minutes since the start. The minions were almost eliminated, and everyone was surrounding the boss, beating it down. At this point, it could be called a sure win.

"Breaking news—The boss in the north, and the bosses in the northeast and west, are almost defeated! New attack pattern discovered! The 101st eye found!"

With the voice of the liaison with other groups, our morale rose, and we aimed to defeat the boss quickly.

Most of the eyes were destroyed, and the heavily damaged Great Beast Devourer launched its final assault.

The battle scene. I think it's a bit abrupt, but I'll post it.

The battle continues.