373 - Searching for the Power Measurer 3

373 - Searching for the Power Measurer 3

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: Posted in discord

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Monsters using skills was a common occurrence.

Of course, that was in Heroines Chronicle, not Heroes Chronicle.

Even enemy monsters were treated as a type of card, so goblins would use skills like stone throwing or poison sting attacks. But that was in Heroines Chronicle, the gacha game for degenerates, not the virtual reality Heroes Chronicle.

"Wh-what? What's with this bastard!"

"Chains! More chains and stakes, bring a ballista!!!"

The ogre's body was ensnared in iron nets, its legs bound in chains like Gulliver in the land of Lilliputians, and its face drenched in some concoction.

As its injuries gradually increased from the harassing elite mercenaries, the ogre's entire body glowed red, seemingly irritated beyond measure.

Reddening skin, rising steam, pulsating veins, and a massively enlarged body capable of tearing through nets and chains. Its appearance instantly evoked the word "berserk" - an all too familiar effect in Heroines Chronicle.

"What the hell is that?"

"The ogre... it grew?"

But for our party and the imperial mercenaries, this was an unheard-of phenomenon. They probably never imagined a seemingly ordinary ogre would turn blood-red and rip through magically reinforced restraints.

Metal fragments flew into the air along with clumps of dirt, and a mercenary who had been persistently targeting the ogre's wrists disappeared beyond the plains, struck by a backhand swing.

Judging by how he flew, his bones were likely shattered or his internal organs ruptured - no chance of survival.

Irene sharply inhaled at the gruesome sight, and suddenly the ogre's glistening eyes turned in our direction.

...Had they implemented random aggro in berserk state too?

"Wh-what? St-stop it, you bastards!"

"How the hell are we supposed to stop that! You there, get out of the way!"

Still, they seemed kindhearted enough to worry about us, shouting in panic. Seeing their reaction, I figured we wouldn't fight over the mana stone even if we dealt with it ourselves, so I stepped forward with my shield raised.

It was a high-rank monster in berserk state, so I hung my warhammer at my waist and lowered my stance, gripping the shield with both hands.

No matter how sturdy my body was, the soft plains soil might not withstand the impact, so I needed to lower my stance as much as possible. Like the cliff dive before, I might end up flying far away while remaining perfectly fine.

'Can't I learn a skill like Thousand Pound Force from wuxia novels instead of swordsmanship...?'

Mana enveloped my entire body, shield gripped tightly as if welded. The ugly ogre charged with drool flying, its thick leg extended back like kicking a soccer ball, then lunging towards me.

I thought it was large when they were mounting it on the carriage, but both the ballista and its bolt must have been Magic Tower products, as they cleanly blew off the ogre's head in one shot.

At that point, it was clear they were no ordinary mercenary group.

After all, the captain being 5★ meant they were similar to or on par with Rebecca's mercenaries.

"Hahaha, who knew the Tower would be this dangerous? Thanks to you, we've learned a valuable lesson."

"Since when does our captain talk like that?"

"Shut up, we're in front of the client."

If we had dealt with the ogre, we would have swallowed the mana stone whole and even charged for our lives. But it was the mercenaries' special ballista that actually blew off the ogre's head.

If either side had brazenly stepped forward, a fight could have broken out. But we had a kind-hearted saint candidate on our side, and they had a mercenary captain well-versed in politics, not just fighting. Thanks to that, we were able to learn each other's identities through an awkward conversation.

The other party, befitting their innate 5★ rank, was a mercenary group that specialized in hunting large monsters alongside the imperial army on the Empire's northern frontier. A mercenary group under imperial command, led by four 5★ members - the innate 5★ captain and three swordsmen who started as 4★ and rose to 5★.

"Why is Roland acting like that? I don't really know. But with four 5★s under imperial command, shouldn't we be able to work something out? It's a bonus connection to the Empire, right?"

-Han Se-ah you thick-skulled b*tch, networking is part of the job... Just look at how your teacher seduced Ellis

-She's just a porter, for real lol. She doesn't even try to use her brain

-With connections in all directions and even ties to nobility, he could probably win over imperial mercenaries too lol

-The charismatic teacher who seduces mercenaries with money

-I bet my Heroes Chronicle account that Roland x Mercenary smut will be made within this week. Don't make that sh*t, you f*ckers.

Anyway, while Han Se-ah failed to grasp why I was acting this way, the viewers seemed to have caught on. Well, with 120,000 people watching the ogre battle in real time, even if only 1% figured it out, that was still in the thousands.

The other party wasn't just an ordinary mercenary group, but a renowned one with connections to the imperial army, responsible for monster waves on the front lines. It was beneficial to establish a connection by sharing a bit of the consumables cost, not even handing over the entire ogre mana stone.

"Now then, injured personnel this way please."

"Th-thank you..."

We gained by potentially creating a connection to the Empire, which might become the backdrop for a side quest, and the mercenary group benefited by having their injured members treated by a saint candidate after the ogre's rampage. Plus, establishing a connection with the hero's party must have been a big advantage for the mercenaries.

After all, the kind-hearted Irene wanted to help the critically wounded who were bleeding profusely from impacts with dirt clumps and chain fragments.

The bandit-faced mercenary captain, who didn't look like he'd ever use his brain, craftily rolled his eyes. He wasn't trying to take advantage of us, but earnestly considering the crumbs that might fall his way from establishing a connection with the hero's party.

Well, Han Se-ah should get used to this kind of thing soon. Isn't politics inseparable from the hero in these hero-demon king stories? She needed to wise up to resolve my backstory too.

...Was it even possible with Han Se-ah's gaming intelligence?

It was a day that suddenly reminded me of Han Se-ah's streaming history I'd seen before.