Chapter 18

Chial was working diligently at the "Forest Workshop."

In front of her was the design blueprint for the "Iron Breaker Bow."

"Grrr. As expected of Dowin. What an incredible design."

She was currently working on developing a new weapon.

The challenge given by Roland this month was to develop a weapon that surpasses the "Iron Breaker Bow."

Chial repeatedly drew and erased lines on the blueprint, rewriting it over and over again.

"But I will definitely surpass it. It's so difficult though. Ugh!"

Chial held her head with one hand while continuing to draw lines with her pencil.

She had been on the verge of a feverish state for some time now.

Nevertheless, her work, though slow, was steadily progressing.

---

Roland and his team had arrived at the fourth floor after passing through the transfer magic array.

The scenery had changed from the ruins' streets to a forest with scattered trees.

Roland was discussing with Shakuma to reorganize the team with her at the center.

"Let's start with the basics. What is the role of a support mage?"

"Yes. The role of a support mage is to minimize the team's consumption."

Roland was surprised by the unexpectedly accurate answer.

It succinctly captured the essence of a support mage.

(She's smarter than I thought. But if that's the case, why was she marked as unsuitable as a support mage?)

"Alright. You pass. Now, show me how you fight. You can command the team as you see fit."

"Yes."

Roland decided to observe Shakuma's way of fighting.

He saw no major issues with her skills or stats.

If there were any fatal flaws, they would only be revealed in actual combat.

Roland's team advanced in a standard formation with archers in the front, forming three rows.

After a while, a roar that tore through the air came from deep within the forest.

It was the cry of a Great Demon.

From the fourth floor onward, Great Demons, which were several times taller and stronger than Lesser Demons, also appeared.

As Roland and his team tensely awaited, monsters began to emerge from all directions and attack them.

This time, the enemy consisted of five Great Demons and twenty-five armed Lesser Demons.

The Great Demons wielded axes, while the armed Lesser Demons had various weapons such as bows, clubs, and swords.

However, for Roland, they were the perfect opponents to gauge Shakuma's abilities.

(Diverse enemies. The perfect opponents to test a support mage's judgment. I'll see your potential as a support mage, Shakuma!)

A support mage needed a tactical eye to accurately assess the battle situation.

Currently, the archers were at the front of the formation.

They could either reduce the enemy's numbers with archers, deploy a shield unit for defense, or launch a charge into melee combat.

Shakuma quickly assessed the enemy's composition and formation.

The enemy had concentrated the Great Demons in the center, with Lesser Demons on both flanks, and was charging forward.

From this, Shakuma deduced that the enemy intended to break through the center with brute force.

"Archers, shift to the right. Shield unit, deploy and stop the Great Demons. Let's go. 'Defense Boost'!"

When Shakuma cast 'Defense Boost,' the shield unit was enveloped in a blue light, increasing their defense.

The Great Demons, relying on their massive size and strength, charged at the shield unit.

The sound of heavy impacts on metal echoed.

The Great Demons thought they could easily knock down the smaller humans with a single strike, but the shield unit held firm without a scratch.

They easily withstood the subsequent axe swings as well, thanks to the 'Defense Boost.'

Next, the armed Lesser Demons on the flanks tried to attack the shield unit, but the melee combat unit intercepted them.

The archers on the right flank managed to reduce the enemy's numbers slightly.

The battle stretched out horizontally, centered around the clash between the Great Demons and the shield unit, forming a front line that spanned the entire path.

Shakuma continued to monitor the battle from the rear.

She could either cast 'Attack Boost' on the melee combat unit to break through the flanks or prepare to cast 'Defense Boost' again when the shield unit's effect wore off.

In fact, the shield unit was in a precarious situation.

Though they had initially withstood the attacks, the Great Demons continued to charge and swing their axes.

The blue light surrounding the shield unit gradually faded, and it seemed they would soon be overwhelmed.

The flanks were still evenly matched, and even with 'Attack Boost,' it wasn't certain that the situation could be quickly resolved.

"Attack mages, attack the Great Demons."

Shakuma decided to place the attack mages behind the shield unit and have them attack the Great Demons with fire magic.

Attack mages could attack enemies through their allies.

The attack mages cast fire magic on the Great Demons.

Magic arrays appeared at the Great Demons' feet, and flames erupted.

The Great Demons, exposed to the flames, visibly weakened.

While the D-class attack mages' flames weren't strong enough to critically damage the Great Demons, they were sufficient to hinder their attacks.

Even the powerful Great Demons had to lower their raised axes and retreat when suddenly attacked by flames from below.

Seeing this, Shakuma was confident that the shield unit could hold.

She then cast 'Attack Boost' on the melee combat unit on the right flank.

The five melee combatants, now glowing red, easily overpowered the enemies they had been evenly matched with, slicing through armor they couldn't penetrate before and scattering the enemy.

(Good judgment. She read that the shield unit with 'Defense Boost' could stop the Great Demons, choosing to form the battle line rather than reduce enemy numbers or break through. She used the shield unit and attack mages to counter the enemy's strength and the archers and 'Attack Boost' on the melee combat unit to break through the enemy's weak points. A solid battle command. She's not just passing as a support mage; she's excelling... )

The melee combat unit on the right flank was defeating the enemy.

By breaking through the armed Lesser Demons, they could flank and surround the Great Demons, leading to a total enemy defeat.

The center and left flank were struggling to advance.

Victory seemed within reach for Roland's team.

However...

"Uaaaaaah!"

Just as victory seemed imminent, Shakuma suddenly rushed to the front line.

The rational light in her eyes was completely gone, replaced by a wild, glowing gaze.

Joining the right flank, she attacked a Goblin with her staff and continued to advance, ignoring the formation, eventually penetrating deep into the enemy ranks.

She was quickly surrounded by armed Lesser Demons and knocked unconscious with a blow to the head.

The melee combat unit nearby was alarmed.

If they didn't act, Shakuma would be overwhelmed.

They had to form a charge, rescue her, and carry her unconscious body to the rear.

The battle, which seemed to be ending smoothly, dragged on, and though they managed to repel the enemy, the team was unnecessarily exhausted.

(I see. This is a bit tricky.)

Roland looked down at the unconscious Shakuma and chuckled.

"Are you okay? Shakuma."

"Ugh, I'm sorry."

Shakuma, who had recovered from the faint thanks to Yufine's 'Single Recovery Magic,' was now dejected and hanging her head.

"I fell back into my bad habit. The sound of battle always makes me feel excited... I know I need to fix it to be a proper support mage..."

"Don't worry. There's a good way to overcome it."

"Really?"

Shakuma's face brightened as she looked at Roland.

She seemed to recover quickly.

"Yes, there's good equipment."

Roland called one of the attack mages (who had the 'Item Possession' skill) and had him bring out a set of armor.

"What is this?"

"It's heavy knight armor."

It was the same model of heavy knight armor that Jil wore.

"Next time, before the battle starts, put on this armor."

"I see. Wearing this armor will make me feel safe even if I charge into the enemy. But before the battle starts? Do you not wear it during normal marching?"

"Yes, so always have an item possessor nearby to equip it quickly when the battle begins."

"Ah, I see. Understood."

Shakuma, though still puzzled, obediently followed Roland's instructions.

---

Roland's team resumed their exploration.

The shield unit led the way, ready to deploy at the first sign of a monster attack, and the team advanced in formation.

More monsters appeared.

The enemy composition was the same as before: five Great Demons and twenty-five armed Lesser Demons.

Their strategy was also the same: a central breakthrough by the Great Demons and flank support by the armed Lesser Demons.

The shield unit immediately moved to contain the Great Demons.

The other melee combat units spread out to form the battle line.

This time, the left flank was a bit further away, so the archers shifted to the left.

The archers managed to reduce the enemy's numbers slightly before retreating.

Shakuma put on the heavy knight armor.

"Alright. Let's go. 'Defense Boost'!"

Shakuma cast the spell, and the shield unit was enveloped in a blue light.

(Okay. Next, 'Attack Boost' on the left flank. ...!?)

"Ugh, what is this?"

Shakuma noticed something was wrong and groaned.

She couldn't move.

More accurately, her agility was severely impaired.

The heavy knight armor was too heavy for her, and she could only move as slowly as a turtle.

"This is too heavy, Roland. I can't move."

(Could this be the solution? It does prevent her from rushing to the front, but... )

She looked at the distance to the left flank.

She wanted to cast 'Attack Boost' on the melee combat unit, but the distance was too far for the spell's range.

Shakuma tried to move to the left flank, but her speed was excruciatingly slow.

By the time the battle started, the monsters had already engaged.

The sounds of swords and shields, axes and armor, and the cries of people echoed.

Shakuma, who would normally lose control and charge at this point, could only move slowly.

(Ugh, I can't adapt to the situation, Roland.)

Roland watched her move slowly and chuckled.

(Not ideal, but better than the team being needlessly exhausted. The first duty of a support mage is to prevent the team's consumption.)

She finally reached the left flank, about ten minutes after the battle started, and cast 'Attack Boost.'

The left flank's melee combat unit, now glowing red, quickly gained the upper hand, scattering the enemy and flanking the central Great Demon unit, collapsing the enemy's battle line.

As the enemy retreated, the attack mages and archers joined the pursuit, hunting down every last one.

The team continued to fight in the same manner, with Shakuma's support magic, and reached the transfer point of this floor with minimal consumption.

By then, both her 'Attack Boost' and 'Defense Boost' had reached B rank.

---

Roland's team passed through the transfer magic array and reached the fifth floor.

It was not a forest maze but the inside of a building.

This floor was a resting point, which always existed in the dungeon.

The walls were covered with hieroglyphs and murals.

It was a rectangular space with columns like a temple, and at the back was a water source that looked like an altar.

The water source was filled with water, and on either side were transfer magic arrays.

One led to the next floor, and the other back to the city.

Behind the water source, on a shelf, was a ring.

This ring was an item to shortcut from the entrance to this location when entering the dungeon again.

Up to thirty people could use this item to transfer to this location.

Roland decided to check the team's condition.

When he asked each squad to report their damage, the melee combat unit had damaged equipment and few remaining potions and items.

Roland decided to return to the city with the ring.

The team's training goals were largely achieved, and they had reached a save point, making it a good time to stop.

Roland put on the ring and stepped through the return transfer magic array.

---

Back in the city, they checked the time and found that 72 hours had passed since entering the dungeon.

Returning to a space with day and night, the team was suddenly hit by intense sleepiness.

Roland informed the team members of the next dungeon exploration date, instructed them to repair their equipment and gather items, and dismissed the team.

He returned home, collapsed on his bed, and fell into a deep sleep like sinking into a bottomless swamp.