Evil Avalon

Chapter 121 Victory is decided before the fight

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

"Souta... I have an important matter to discuss. Please listen."

Kuga, who usually never showed any signs of cuteness and was always aloof, approached with a poignant expression that suited a heroine. However, it was already clear that this was an act, and even the nature of the discussion was imaginable.

"Is this about that Orichalcum ore you want?"

"...Yes. But I really want it. If you retrieve it for me... I'll give you a kiss."

"..."

...A kiss? A kiss as a reward for one of the heroines in a dungeon exploration game might make the players shed tears of joy. However, the crucial "I'll give you" part was said with a serious expression. It should have been delivered with more coyness when speaking those lines.

While the Honey Trap skill technique still had some flaws and clumsiness, there was a sense of improvement gradually showing. At this rate, there was a risk that Souta Castle of Sigmaness might fall, spilling everything. To avoid that, it would be wise to prepare myself to avoid her ever improving seductions.

"Of course, I intend to do my best, but even if we win, I'll demand a share of the spoils. Also... I'd like you to trust me a little more as a comrade than focusing solely on a kiss."

"I understand. So, do you have a plan to win?"

"I suppose I do."

With that settled, let's move on to the strategy meeting.

The teams were divided into three: Souta and Kuga, Kano(Hanano) and Tenma, Lisa and Satsuki. Among them, Lisa's group knew that the objective this time was "entertainment," so they could hope to play a supporting role then to expect to receive the ore.

However, even in a contest, there was an unspoken agreement not to use player skills. Overcoming the level difference with just a Boost Hammer would be difficult. In that sense, it wouldn't hurt to consider Lisa's group as rivals competing for the ore.

(The real challenge lies with those two...)

Across from them, Kano was talking to Tenma, saying "Sister," and engaging her enthusiastically. Either Tenma or Kuga winning was acceptable for me, but since we had the opportunity, I might as well try to get Kuga to win and get in her good side.

"This event is about the team that defeats the undead and gathers the most [Resentful Organs] winning. But a simple strategy of defeating as many as possible won't work. Because—"

"The 'Monster Ripper'... that shorty said it can increase monster spawn rate by ten times. Is that true?"

"Yeah. The event area will surely become a total mess. So rather than a frontal assault, a strategy of defeating them while escaping will be more effective."

The Monster Ripper was a high-difficulty item that could barely be obtained by Arthur. Its acquisition method was unique and troublesome, so it wasn't surprising that Kuga or her boss weren't aware of it.

Although it was usually effective in doubling the spawn rate, when used in special terrain like the Undead Banquet, it exceeded ten times.

Naturally, with that speed, leisurely mole whacking wouldn't cut it, and yet, confronting them head-on would be too challenging due to their sheer numbers. Thus, the strategy of defeating them while retreating, the "Train Strategy," became viable.

"The decoy train leads them in while the attackers handle them from behind. Both of us can use speed-enhancing skills, making it a perfect plan, right?"

"I see. The effect of 'Accelerator' lasts for five minutes, with a Recast (*1) also at five minutes... The decoy role rotates with the duration of the skill, I assume."

Souta and Kuga both had "Accelerator," so they had a technique to fight well under these circumstances. However, Lisa's group, of course, and even Tenma, who wasn't good at speed, would struggle. Only Kano could probably keep up, but she alone wouldn't be a match for both of us.

"In essence, our victory is already decided before the battle even starts in this event."

"Yeah. In that case, let's start thinking about what to create with that ore."

Ahead of Kuga's gaze lay the prize: the Orichalcum ore with its shimmering blue-striped pattern. With a piece that size, they could make several Orichalcum alloy armor pieces.

What kind of armor to create, and what design to use—the two of them secretly grinned, imagining it all, hidden from everyone's view.

*・*・*・*・*・*

**Zudoooone!!!**

Lisa swung the Boost Hammer high and crushed the Skeleton Knight along with its shield. In the process, shockwaves and gravel erupted radially, creating a crater about 2 meters wide.

Right behind, Satsuki swung her hammer down one after another, creating several similar craters. Though the undead surged forward with cries akin to groans, Lisa and Satsuki's excellent coordination swiftly reduced their numbers.

"Overwhelming extermination power! No one can get close to Lisa-chan and Satsuki-chan's fierce attacks!"

"...Um, excuse me. Could you explain what the Boost Hammer actually is? Its power seems clearly disproportionate to the speed at which it's swung..."

"Well, you see, it's a hammer that, when swung with magical energy, explodes and provides acceleration support. There's a curious magician who—"

Under a makeshift tent, Arthur and Kurosaki were holding microphones, providing play-by-play and commentary. Except for those two, everyone else was a participant in the event, so who were they explaining to? Even more puzzling was how Arthur could maintain his demon form here on the 15th floor. While he had been releasing magic power in his spider Arachne form for a while, the reason for his current appearance remained a mystery. Perhaps it was only possible in this DLC area, but it was far from clear.

But, regardless...

"That makes it hard to draw hate. Even if we force our way in, we'll just get caught up, so let's step back and rethink our strategy."

"...I agree. However, a weapon like that is definitely unexpected."

Even if they wanted to form a train, the surrounding undead were being annihilated. On the other hand, trying to get close to steal hate resulted in being pelted with shockwaves, leaving them battered. I never imagined they'd be trying to crush our strategy from the very start... they sure are something.

Thanks to Arthur, the Monster Ripper was activated, and the Undead Banquet event area was filled with sparkling light, signaling the start of the event.

The effects appeared immediately. Dozens of undead hands burst out of the ground, quickly transforming the area into something reminiscent of a zombie movie scene. And with more and more emerging from the ground, their numbers would likely soon exceed a hundred.

Though they were lower-tier monsters, with that many appearing at once, getting close wasn't easy. Suppressing a laugh like "How interesting," I cast a speed buff. However, Lisa charged in all by herself right afterward.

Diving into the swarm of undead singlehandedly, she swung her hammer wildly, sending about ten of them flying. Her courage and combat skills were truly admirable.

But, even so, against such numbers, it wouldn't last more than a few minutes—so I thought. But right afterward, Satsuki moved in from behind to cover her. They stood back-to-back, engaging in a fierce melee with the countless undead wielding swords and blunt weapons.

Normally, Satsuki used daggers and staffs for mid-range combat, but she was adeptly wielding the unwieldy large, specialized weapon known as the Boost Hammer. She dove fearlessly into the melee, factoring in the weapon's acceleration support and shockwaves, even covering Lisa's blind spots.

"The girl with the pigtails seems light, so I didn't think she'd be suited for such a heavy weapon... but her weapon handling is excellent."

"While she's taken a bit of my spotlight, she's still moving well and doesn't seem like she's pretending. Perhaps she has an unexpected aptitude?"

While Kurosaki praised Satsuki's movements, Arthur speculated on her aptitude... but one should consider that Lisa was probably the one who taught her. In the game, she had trained clan members and built an extraordinary army, but developing Satsuki into a [Black Knight] was probably not her intention.

Meanwhile, Tenma and Kano were trying to inch closer between the bursts of shockwaves and gravel, though they hesitated due to the chaos.

"Though we're not supposed to attack~ There's no rule against causing interference, right~?"

"Sorry~ But we're definitely taking that Orichalcum ore for ourselves!"

With a mischievous smile, Lisa presented some arbitrary reasons for her interference, since there were no rules against it. Although she said sorry for wanting the ore for the new equipment, Satsuki displayed confidence that they would secure the prize. The two frequently swapped positions, further raised their gears, and swung their enormous hammers in a continuous series of explosive blows.

"Perfect coordination! A perfect strategy! Has the outcome already been determined!?"

"As I mentioned earlier, those shockwaves seem to slow down the undead's movements. If they can continue to defeat them until the end, their victory seems secure."

As Kurosaki pointed out, the undead attacked from all directions, but their movements were severely hampered by the shockwaves and gravel. This gave them ample time to eliminate the enemies.

Not only did they try to sabotage our strategy, but they also had tactics to deal with being surrounded by that many enemies. I hadn't realized it before because we hadn't used Boost Hammers that extensively in Dungeon Explorer. Well, they certainly didn't hesitate to throw away the story about entertaining Tenma and Kuga.

(But it's quite a chaotic melee. I don't think it will last long... What will happen?)

Lisa continued to methodically deal with the approaching undead at a terrifying speed. It was surprising that Satsuki was keeping up with such high-level combat, but there were moments of imbalance as some undead tried to activate their weapon skills. This made the situation precarious at times. While Lisa seemed accustomed to high-stress battles, the chaotic melee might be overwhelming for Satsuki, who was not used to such intense fights.

While thinking about these things and defeating the emerging undead...

"...Souta. What if we added a few more undead over there... What do you think?"

The cat-eared hood silently approached and whispered a devilish idea. It was tempting to either gain some benefits early or sabotage their efforts, but it was impossible to get close at this rate. So the proposal was to add a few more undead to disrupt the balance.

Judging by Satsuki's performance, she was a bit unstable at times, but Lisa was covering her with remarkable maneuvering, and they continued their fierce battle. With over half of the remaining time, it was entirely possible to endure for another 30 minutes. Therefore, the suggestion was made to not just watch but also take action, as the Orichalcum ore could slip away if they didn't.

Additionally, she pointed toward Lisa.

"If you go a little further from where they're scattered, we can pick up those [Resentful Organs] without any problem... It's not against the rules, so we should do it."

"...Direct attacks on participants or item theft are against the rules, but instigating undead or picking up dropped items are indeed not prohibited."

Lisa and her team were struggling to deal with the approaching undead, and despite many [Resentful Organs] dropping, they couldn't pick them up. Kuga argued that since the items were just lying there, there would be no problem picking them up. While it was another audacious argument, I believe that obtaining the Orichalcum ore here could significantly boost Kuga's favorability, which was notoriously difficult to raise. It could also serve as a significant stepping stone for advancing the event. Trusting that Lisa's team would understand this for the greater good, I decided to gather some hatred from nearby spawning undead.

If there were too many, Satsuki would be in danger, and if there were too few, they would be dealt with quickly. Would about ten be just right?

And now... heh heh. Let's go to Lisa's team.

(Note 1) Recast

While the word's meaning is "recasting," it is usually used as an abbreviation for "recast time." It refers to the time it takes for a skill to be available for use again.

TL Note-  Long time no see, I missed that the raw came out yesterday hence the chapter got delayed, hope I didn't get rusty, hope you enjoyed the chapter, we will meet in the next chapter 😀 

Next

Prev