Chapter 17

As they progressed through the dungeon and engaged in repeated battles, one member of the melee unit suggested an idea.

Instead of forming a straight line, he proposed forming a V-shape with the flanks raised, like a V.

Monica would be placed at the bottom of the V, keeping her distance from the enemies. If the enemies entered the V, they would be attacked from both flanks.

This way, they could control the enemies entering the center, and Monica's shooting time would be longer compared to when they were in a straight line.

Roland, who wanted to improve Monica's 'Bow Shooting' skill as much as possible, immediately adopted the suggestion.

Just after that, ten goblins appeared.

The unit, as agreed, formed a V-shape with the flanks advancing and the center indented, essentially a crane wing formation.

Seeing this, the goblins, despite their low intelligence, hesitated to charge recklessly.

If they rashly entered the center, they would be surrounded by the flanks.

However, this was exactly what Roland and his team wanted.

The goblins, who stopped in their tracks, became easy targets for Monica.

In an instant, the goblins were felled by arrows.

Panicking, the goblins attacked the tips of the flanks.

However, the flanks repeatedly retreated, overlapping their swords.

Monica's arrows rained down on them.

In the end, all ten goblins were pierced by arrows.

The melee unit finished off the goblins, who were already on the verge of death from the arrows, and the battle ended.

Roland decided to adopt this as one of the ideal formations.

(We can't afford to dawdle. We'll decide the unit composition as we progress.)

When Roland appraised Monica's skills, her 'Bow Shooting' had risen to C.

After the battle, Roland retrieved the arrows from the monster corpses, keeping the ones that were still usable.

In this regard, Roland was thorough in not letting Monica do anything other than shooting.

Monica took the arrows Roland had recovered, looking a bit amused.

(He's such a strange person. To do this much for me...)

"Roland, can you come here for a moment?"

A member of the melee unit called Roland over.

It seemed that some of them had suffered significant damage to their equipment during the battle.

Roland rushed to the damaged members and checked their condition.

Currently, Roland's unit was composed as follows:

A total of 30 members.

Monica, Shakuma, and Yufine, 20 members of the melee unit (5 of whom were shield bearers), 3 archers, and 3 attack mages.

With low stats, Roland led the unit with minimal armor, just enough to protect himself.

The melee unit, which bore the brunt of the battles, was divided into two groups of 10, alternating between the front and rear lines after each battle.

While Roland was checking the condition of the melee unit, Monica decided to check her own equipment.

She drew the bowstring of her 'Iron Break Bow' without an arrow and heard it creak.

It was a minor wear and tear.

Monica sighed.

(I must have fired over 100 arrows by now. No wonder it's starting to show.)

It had been 24 hours since the unit entered the dungeon.

Since the dungeon had no distinction between day and night, they could continue moving as long as their stamina held, without being affected by sleepiness. However, weapon wear and tear could not be avoided.

When Monica was about to consult Roland, he handed her an 'Earth Craft' without waiting for her to speak.

"Use this."

"Really, is that okay?"

Monica glanced at the unit.

There were members in the unit who had used far more of their weapons than she had.

The 'Guardian of the Magic Tree' had deep ties with the potion guild, so they could receive as many stamina recovery potions as they needed for free. However, items like 'Earth Craft,' which were created from minerals, were supposed to be valuable.

"Yes, right now, improving your 'Bow Shooting' skill is the top priority."

"...Okay."

(Is it really okay? To be treated this specially...)

Monica, who had never been trained so intensively before, felt a bit uncomfortable with the special treatment and used the 'Earth Craft' with a sense of embarrassment.

After ensuring Monica's equipment was in perfect condition, Roland reorganized the unit, moving the damaged members to the rear, and they continued advancing through the dungeon.

Meanwhile, Roland carefully observed Monica, gauging the right moment to put pressure on her.

In this short time, he had discerned that she was serious but also suspicious and had a low self-evaluation.

(I'll put pressure on her eventually, but not now. I need to choose the right time carefully.)

Roland decided to continue observing her for a while longer.

The unit refined their formation-based combat and advanced through the dungeon with a relentless momentum.

Before long, they reached the first transfer point.

This transfer point was a sacred area in each floor of the dungeon, free from monster appearances.

Adventurers could use items to summon a transfer magic circle in this area, allowing them to move to the next floor.

Roland and his team used the transfer magic circle to advance to the second floor.

On the second floor, a variety of monsters appeared, and the equipment they wore was far more advanced than on the first floor.

As Roland and his team advanced through the forest, they soon encountered a group of monsters.

The formation consisted of five armed goblins, four large-clawed wolves, and one sharp-beaked pigeon.

Roland's unit, tense and on guard against the new enemies, formed a V-shape.

The four agile, large-clawed wolves immediately split into two groups and tried to flank the sides.

Without hesitation, Monica ignored the wolves on the sides and aimed her arrows at the armed goblins in front.

The 'Iron Break Bow' pierced through the iron armor of the goblins, dealing damage.

After taking out the two armed goblins with bows first, Monica saw the sharp-beaked pigeon take flight and stepped back to shoot it down before resuming her attack on the goblins.

Monica felt the melee unit moving busily on both flanks.

Roland must have extended the flanks vertically to prevent the large-clawed wolves from flanking them, she thought.

At this point, Monica's trust in Roland was unwavering.

(I just need to keep shooting the enemies in front. Roland will take care of the rest.)

She continued shooting at the enemies in front.

On the flanks, Roland, as Monica had imagined, was handling the large-clawed wolves smoothly.

He deployed reinforcements from the rear, extended the formation vertically and horizontally, and prevented the wolves from flanking them.

While giving orders to the unit, Roland observed Monica, who was continuously shooting in the center.

(You're getting much better at focusing on your shooting.)

Monica was about to shoot at the last armed goblin when she noticed a glowing dot on its body.

(What? What is that light...?)

Monica narrowed her eyes suspiciously and aimed her arrow at the glowing dot.

The arrow hit the glowing dot perfectly.

The armed goblin's body exploded.

Monica was startled.

"Huh!? What...?"

"It's the skill 'One-Hit Kill.'"

Roland, who had somehow appeared beside her, explained.

It seemed he had finished handling the large-clawed wolves.

"'One-Hit Kill'...?"

"The skill that allows you to kill an enemy with one hit if you hit their vital point."

(The vital point. So the glowing dot on the goblin's body indicated the vital point.)

"Your 'Bow Shooting' skill has naturally blossomed into 'One-Hit Kill.'"

Roland appraised her skills.

Her 'Bow Shooting' was already at B, and 'One-Hit Kill' was at C.

(This should be enough to advance to the next stage. It's time for her to use her unique skill, 'Eagle Eye.')

Roland and his team easily devised strategies for the difficult enemies on the second floor, the large-clawed wolves and the armed goblins, and continued advancing through the dungeon without much trouble. They eventually reached the transfer point and moved on to the third floor.

The third floor was a dungeon spread across a forest, with stone houses and structures that seemed to have been inhabited by ancient humans.

Vines and tree roots crawled over every building.

It was a civilization that had been swallowed by the forest and was destined to perish.

However, it was an ideal place for monsters to wait for humans.

(Ugh. We're finally here. The ruins stage. I'm not good at this.)

Monica placed her hand on her chest, looking anxious.

Even though the civilization had perished, the buildings were still standing.

Some of the buildings contained large spaces, and in such buildings, groups of monsters lived collectively and hunted in large numbers. The number of monsters encountered in a single battle was far greater than in the previous two floors.

Moreover, the buildings were densely packed, and the roads between them were much narrower than the open land they had been on, allowing only 4-5 people to walk in a straight line.

Additionally, there were tall buildings like towers and bell towers scattered around, and aerial walkways connected the buildings.

With such a complex, three-dimensional layout, there were countless points from which to shoot from above, and the unit had to expose themselves to attacks from above while exploring the dungeon.

Therefore, archers were required to take advantageous shooting positions before the enemies did.

If the enemies took advantageous positions and shot at them, it would lead to the unit's exhaustion and, in the worst case, their annihilation.

In short, it was a stage that was a nightmare for Monica.

(I always end up being a burden to everyone here.)

Monica felt dizzy just looking at the ruins and the narrow roads between them.

(I think it's better to give up on making me the ace. What does Roland plan to do?)

She looked at Roland hopefully.

Roland smiled at her reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Monica. I have a plan."

"Really?"

"Monica, from here on, you'll use the skill 'Eagle Eye.'"

"Eagle Eye...?"

Monica looked puzzled.

She had no idea she had such a skill.

Roland chuckled.

It was understandable that she didn't know.

Unique skills could only be detected by S-class appraisers.

"Monica, 'Eagle Eye' is a skill that allows you to see the dungeon from a bird's-eye view, as if you were looking down from above. Have you ever had the experience of seeing yourself from above, like looking down at your own body?"

"Yes, if I stop blinking and unfocus my eyes, I can see from that perspective... But, what does that have to do with anything?"

Roland chuckled again.

It was not uncommon for ordinary actions or abilities to turn out to be extraordinary skills.

"Let's try activating 'Eagle Eye' then."

"O-Okay."

Monica stopped blinking and unfocused her eyes.

Her eyes began to glow gold.

In front of her, a bird's-eye view of the area spread out, as if she had switched the camera in a game.

She could now see herself and the members of her unit, the buildings, and the roads from an aerial perspective.

"Monica, can you hear me?"

"Y-Yes."

"Then, keep that view and shift it towards the ruins."

"Okay."

Monica, though looking a bit pained, shifted her view.

This was the first time she had consciously shifted her perspective like this.

She had never imagined she could do such a thing.

"Which building is the tallest in this area?"

"That... that one."

"Suppose there are enemies on the top floor of that building. They are aiming at the unit passing through that road from the window. Where would you be able to attack the enemies from?"

"Um..."

"Do you know the range of your 'Iron Break Bow'? As an archer, you should have a sense of it. Calculate the range considering the obstacles and the height difference, and determine from where you can shoot the enemies."

Monica, trembling, pointed to a building.

"From... there."

"Good. That's correct. You can deactivate 'Eagle Eye' now."

"..."

Monica collapsed to her knees.

She pressed her hand to her forehead, trying to ease her headache.

"Are you okay?"

Roland handed her a potion.

"Sorry. Thank you."

"That's enough. With that speed, you can use it effectively in real combat."

"Use it... in real combat?"

"Yes, if the enemies attack from above, the first thing you should do is retreat and activate 'Eagle Eye.' Then, you'll take out the enemy archers."

Roland selected the two best members from the melee unit to guard her.

The unit was reorganized, and they continued advancing through the ruins dungeon.

Monica, still feeling anxious, moved through the ruins.

(Will it really be okay? Relying on this skill to advance through the ruins stage...)

The unit, with Monica and the shield bearers on either side leading the way, continued through the ruins.

Suddenly, an arrow hit the helmet of the shield bearer next to Monica.

The man, clutching his head, crouched down.

(Here it comes. The enemy's preemptive attack!)

Monica tensed up.

The unit also tensed.

Monica looked in the direction the arrow had come from.

She could see armed goblins with bows on a high part of a building.

"Left. The archers and shield bearers, form up on the left!"

When Roland shouted, the other archers and shield bearers formed up on the left side of the unit.

At the same time, a mixed group of large-clawed wolves and armed goblins appeared from the front and attacked.

The archer unit shot arrows at the enemy archers to suppress them.

The armed goblins hid behind the buildings, dodged the arrows, and shot back.

The shield bearers raised their large shields to the sky, but they couldn't block all the arrows, and some were hit.

The melee unit engaged the enemies in front.

The enemies had appeared suddenly from the front, so Monica had to retreat without a chance to shoot. The melee unit, which usually had the shield bearers to defend against the first attack, was at a disadvantage because the shield bearers were on the left, and the enemies had taken the high ground, raining arrows down.

This was the first time Roland's unit had faced a tough battle during this exploration.

The unit, under enemy attack, had no choice but to retreat step by step.

"Monica, use 'Eagle Eye.' Just like I taught you."

"Y-Yes."

Monica activated 'Eagle Eye' and looked around from a bird's-eye view.

(The position from which I can shoot both the enemy archers and melee units... There it is!)

Monica's 'Eagle Eye' found the perfect position.

It was a position higher than the enemy archers, out of their range, but within the range of her 'Iron Break Bow.'

Monica, accompanied by 2-3 guards, moved through areas without enemies and ran to the target building.

The others endured the enemy's attacks patiently until Monica reached her position.

The enemy's arrows, lacking the power of the 'Iron Break Bow,' couldn't penetrate the armor and helmets, but the impact still caused damage.

The melee unit, though outnumbered, maintained the front line by replacing injured members (if a front member fainted, the rear members had to drag them and replace them).

However, the enemy, who received support from the archers, had the advantage and kept pressing forward.

After a few minutes, the unit began to waver visibly.

But if they retreated now, everything would be for nothing.

Roland encouraged the unit to maintain the front line.

As fatigue set in and the number of uninjured soldiers dwindled, it seemed they were about to be overwhelmed.

Just then, the enemy archers let out a scream.

Monica had shot from a higher position.

The tide turned.

The enemy archers, now under attack from below and above, from the front and sides, had nowhere to hide and were helplessly rained upon by arrows.

Monica, using 'Bow Shooting' and 'One-Hit Kill,' eliminated the enemy archers and then turned her arrows on the enemy melee units.

The enemies, visibly panicked, began to waver and retreat.

The longer they stayed, the more they would become prey to Monica's 'Iron Break Bow' and 'One-Hit Kill.'

On the other hand, Roland's melee unit began to gain momentum.

The warriors, who had been hesitant, regained their courage