Chapter 87: Five Stars 2

Chapter 87: Five Stars 2

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun

Illustrations: Posted in discord.

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The Full Moon Wolf on the 10th floor and the Orc Kingdom on the 20th floor have some things in common.

Special creatures who've learned how to escape into the outside world.

In response, the Adventurer's Guild issues a subjugation request and numerous NPCs join in as competitors to the players.

Then, a cutscene appears just before the encounter with the boss.

In the case of the Full Moon Wolf, it vanished into the darkness after a single howl.

As for the Orc Kingdom, an overwhelming horde of orcs that the player can't handle floods out, and they get swept away by a high mage.

And then, the only thing left is the boss battle.

'That woman, seriously?!'

Antenor would be half-drained after using a such wide-area spell.

Since we're all here taking on the request as individual parties, his involvement isn't a problem.

But Rebecca, who charged in on all fours like a wild animal, is a different story.

She's a mercenary leader commanding hundreds of other mercenaries.

That means she has several subordinates who are smart enough to use their heads.

If Rebecca rips off the head of the orc boss, the Rebecca Mercenaries, contracted with the guild, will surely rush in to demand payment for the subjugation.

If they insist that since Rebecca dealt with it, everything else belongs to Rebecca's mercenaries, who could argue against it?

So, I run.

The surface under my feet, firm yet smooth, felt like I was stepping on a molten pyramid.

I almost flew as I reached the top of the pyramid, instinctively checking Han Se-ah's live stream on the way.

-He's reacting quickly this time

-Never thought I'd see a pyramid exploration stream in my life

-Saw a red flash just now, was that Rebecca?

-Seeing high-level magic makes me wet

Before me was a vivid, ominous red magic circle covering the peak, and an entrance so dark that one could hardly see a step ahead.

The structure mimics that of an actual pyramid, with a dark entrance at the top that leads downwards.

Taking a quick look behind, I can see the rest of my party who were quicker to snap out of it than the other adventurers, rushing toward the pyramid.

I could see my party members quickly regaining their senses and sprinting toward the pyramid.

Thanks to our protective shields, they werent disturbed by the aftermath and were soon on my heels.

The girls were quickly catching up.

In no time, the camera drone, possibly having a teleportation function, attached itself behind me like a tail, and I jumped into the darkness.

"What, he reached the top in just three steps?!"

-We've just seen a lightning bomb, and we're surprised by the speed of a 6?

-Just return the camera, we can't see anything

-Tell Roland to light a fire

-Please turn on the lights

[Donation of 1,000 won from 'Homeroom Teacher'!]

Please turn the light on. What, are you guys Children of Darkness*?

In the pitch-darkness, where even an inch ahead was obscure, a playful male voice echoed*.

Thanks to him reminding us in such an absurd way that some things never change, even when the world does, I couldn't help but chuckle.

It might have looked strange to suddenly stop running and laugh, but fortunately, the viewers interpreted it as me catching my breath after bumping into the corridor walls.

The interior seems to have internal lighting powered by magic.

But the lightning strike outside must have caused a problem.

Just as an electronic device struck by lightning wouldn't be operational, the inside of the pyramid, which had been bombarded by high-level magic, resembled an apartment during a power outage.

Because of this, I was occasionally colliding with the walls.

"...Really, it's a monster with pointless dreams."

"After all, that orc army was swept away by just one mage."

My party who joined later murmured, upon hearing the orcs desperate proclamation.

Sadly, this is a fantasy world where superhumans capable of scaling mountains and soaring through the skies exist.

Even if he could summon an infinite number of mutant orcs, it would be meaningless.

The only humans this orc had encountered were, unfortunately, of two kinds: the 'intermediate adventurers' who reside on the 20th floor and the Knights dispatched for investigation.

Of course, the knights doing such troublesome work wouldn't be high-ranking individuals.

They would have been low-ranking knights who had just started, assigned the task of exploring the forest for orc traces together with commoner adventurers.

Both adventurers and knights were easily hunted by the mutant shamans, leading to this orc underestimating humans.

This is the result of an arrogant orc leader who couldn't even imagine the existence of senior adventurers, high-ranking mages, and the kingdom's Knights Division.

"I think we've heard enough of this story. Shall we wrap things up?"

Rebecca, who was acting like she was about to go and kill the boss monster, was still energetically fighting the summoned monsters.

Thanks to her, we had the chance to listen to the orc's plan, which sounded more like a desperate plea.

It's also about time the other adventurers start bumbling inside as well.

I tighten my hold on my shield and war hammer and step forward, only to have someone block my path.

It was Rebecca, who was busily beating up the orcs.

"Huh?"

"Hey, wait a sec."

"What are we waiting for, exactly?"

"Look, that thing there seems unique. Let's split it in half and share it. You've completely lost your touch since you descended."

I was taken aback, not understanding what she meant by splitting the boss, but Han Se-ah quickly caught on.

Moving to the forefront with her camera, she started talking with Rebecca.

"By 'splitting it in half', do you mean capturing that orc alive?"

"Yep, that's it. You're sharper than Roland."

"Don't underestimate me, you humans!"

"Ah, sh*t... Hey, Roland! You hold them off for a while!"

Rebecca, treating the orc boss like a pig to be slaughtered, begins explaining to Han Se-ah in her unique casual tone.

Like when we captured the orc shaman, unique individuals sell for much more if captured alive rather than just their drops.

They could be handed over to the Magic Tower for experimentation, and if they could be taken outside the tower, they could be given to the kingdom, which in turn would increase the group's reputation and trust.

"Ah, what should we do? Will we fail the main quest if we capture it alive? But if we keep it alive for experimentation, we won't be able to create a gate. If there's no gate, I'm the one who gets screwed. Resets go back to the morning you hit the sleep button, it'll be several mornings by then."

A problem with this practical suggestion was Han Se-ah's quest.

Having never considered such a bizarre option as capturing a boss monster, she began to get anxious.

It's only natural that there's no information available as Han Se-ah is the leader in the world's first virtual reality game.

Should they capture the boss for a larger reward and fame, or should they kill it to safely complete the quest?

The viewers were divided, offering all sorts of suggestions.

Han Se-ah was deep in thought when Rebecca, growing impatient, was about to comment.

I made my decision.

Safety comes first in times like these.

What if after capturing it, we had to hand it over not to the Magic Tower but to the Royal Palace?

We'd have to give up the gate on the 20th floor and walk up from the 10th to the 30th.

"You, you bastards!"

The orc chieftain, enraged by the continued disregard, was about to unleash what seemed like its ultimate skill.

It started to swing its arms about, and a magic force, reminiscent of a small typhoon, began to coalesce and head our way.

"...Shield Master."

Of course, I whispered softly in a voice no one else could hear.

That ominous magic was fully reflected back to its caster.

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