Chapter 231: Healers Immobilized

Chapter 231: Healers Immobilized

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“Was it a good idea to let them go?” Leleia turned to ask Tsutomu.

“From the looks of it, they would’ve gone even if I stopped them. Besides, the Royal Capital side does need help, too, so...”

As soon as the sound of the explosion echoed from the Royal Capital, Hannah immediately rushed to the scene, and then Tsutomu sent Corinna, Garm, Daryl, and Diniel after her. Later, he learned from Christia’s report that numerous monsters had appeared in the Royal Capital, so sending enough of his people to form a proper team ended up being the undoubtedly right call.

“More monsters will keep popping up. We’ve got work to do here.”

“...Indeed, we do,” Xeno said, holding up his shining, meticulously maintained silver shield, as he observed Orbis in a fight against a group of around thirty Explorers composed of Golden Tune and Scarlet Devil Squad.

In addition to Orbis, bipedal monsters like Orcs and Ogres joined the fray, with Attackers and Tanks stuck holding the line while Healers like Eunice and Cecilia wore grim expressions.

The Tanks were drawing the monsters’ attention without issue, but Orbis was clearly targeting the Healers. While Leon, enveloped in a faint golden aura from his <<Gold Bless>> skill, seemed to be holding him off well enough that no casualties had occurred yet, he was starting to appear fatigued from the constant caution needed to protect the Healers.

In stark contrast to Leon’s out of breath state, Orbis, resembling a trained ogre in stature, showed no signs of fatigue. With enhanced muscles as if they had been sculpted from stone, Orbis, even with his surprisingly gentle face, cast a confident gaze toward the five members of Absolute Helix who had come to provide support.

“Oh, you’re finally here. I’ve been watching from afar as you battled that invisible monster.”

“<<Medic>>.”

Ignoring Orbis, Tsutomu started casting his skill at Leon. Orbis swiftly moved, causing the ground under him to collapse as he attempted to intercept the <<Medic>> shot, prompting Tsutomu to quickly redirect it.

“Ahh, so that’s what you’ve been doing.”

Tsutomu had wondered why Leon seemed so worn out despite having six Healers at his disposal, but it seemed getting a <<Medic>> shot to land on him was not as simple as it appeared. While the Attackers and Tanks around him seemed relatively unscathed, Leon looked worse for wear, likely having received no healing since the standoff against Orbis commenced.

As Tsutomu signaled for his Clan’s members to disperse, Orbis, with eyes previously narrowed as thin as could be, opened them wide.

“Hahaha, well done! Some of the monsters we’ve brought should only exist in confidential records, yet you knew what to do against them immediately... I see you’re quite knowledgeable about monsters.”

“Yeah. <<Medic>>. I guess I am.”

Mid-sentence, Tsutomu swiftly released a quickshot <<Medic>>, successfully landing it on Leon. Orbis, observing the green energy residue of the blast that had flown past him, raised an eyebrow with amusement and twirled a finger in the air.

“Your skill shots are quite fast. Perhaps you’ve added a spin to the projectile... is that what sets you apart from the others? The lack of telegraphing makes it quite troublesome as well.”

[He could even figure that out, huh...]

Tsutomu, pointed out for adding a spin to his <<Medic>> shots to increase their velocity, internally marveled but proceeded to attempt other skills delivery methods like the regular shot and placement to aid Leon’s recovery.

“Give it up.”

However, his regular shots were easily anticipated and absorbed, and even attempts to place a pick-up at Leon’s feet were detected and disrupted. Moreover, with the enemy ranks containing Ogres that were even larger than the Orcs, it was a battlefield where even shooting recovery skills out was a gamble that required a great deal of courage. Observing Orbis, who seemed accustomed to close quarters combat with Healers present, Tsutomu wore a vexed expression.

“Xeno, try to draw Orbis’ attention. Amy, Leleia, Amira — attack from a safe distance. And Leon! Protect me, and I’ll make sure I can heal you!”

At Tsutomu’s call, Leon managed a rough nod with tired eyes. Then Xeno readied his silver shield, and other Attackers also prepared their weapons.

“Here I go! <<COMBAT CRY>>!!”

“How annoying.”

[My quickshot can heal Leon without Orbis intercepting it. But then...]

He was confident that with his level of proficiency, he could heal only Leon without inadvertently hitting Orbis or the monsters. However, the recovery amount from his quickshot-type skill was low, and it likely would not suffice for Leon’s heavy injuries. There was a risk he might be killed before being fully healed.

“<<High Heal>>, <<High Heal>>, <<High Heal>>.”

There was no time for honor and elegance. Tsutomu made up his mind and raised his White Staff high, unleashing his skills repeatedly, creating a massive wave of <<High Heal>> aura before him. This wide-area type of skill had been devised for the <<Medic>> skill to cancel Amira’s <<Dragon Form>>.

And so Tsutomu unleashed the wave of <<High Heal>>, directing it indiscriminately toward friend and foe alike. Most were taken aback by the sudden surge of green energy approaching, only to realize it was healing them. Everyone caught in the wave found their injuries mended. Scarlet Devil Squad’s Healers were astonished by Tsutomu’s idea, but then they quickly followed suit, attempting to send their healing shots toward Leon.

“H-HEY!! What do you think you’re doing!? You’re healing the enemies too!”

Eunice slapped Tsutomu’s back, and the latter replied in a nonchalant tone,

“It’s fine. I mean, Leon IS getting healed, right?”

“Uh...”

Tsutomu proceeded to cast another wave of energy, this time with the <<Medic>> skill.

Indeed, Tsutomu’s <<High Heal>> had restored all the wounds Orbis had sustained. Though it meant returning to square one, Leon was also being thoroughly healed in exchange. After following up with a massive wave of <<Medic>>, Tsutomu shouted out,

“Tanks! Carefully manage the monsters’ aggro! Healers will be heavily targeted! Attackers, focus on taking down the monsters! Leave Orbis to us! And Leon! You should be feeling a bit better now! Make sure you defend me!”

Tsutomu’s sudden indiscriminate healing left the Golden Tune Healers dumbfounded. The Tanks quickly realized that the monsters’ attention had shifted away from them and began pulling aggro once again with <<Combat Cry>> and similar skills.

“This is getting troublesome.”

“Hahaha! Thanks, Tsutomu! Don’t you worry, I’ll keep you safe!”

Leon, now healed by Tsutomu and the Scarlet Devil Squad’s healers, smiled as he dashed with blinding speed and landed a three-hit combo on Orbis. His body, previously fatigued and struggling under the pressure of defending the Healers from Orbis, was now moving more freely, filled with strength. While Orbis also had his injuries mended and fatigue alleviated, neither side had gained a significant advantage. Leon was still tackling a challenging battle, but it was now a battle he had a chance of winning.

“Don’t worry about hitting the monsters — I’ve already healed them all anyway. Just make sure Leon gets the healing! Unlike in God’s Dungeon, we don’t have to win this fight with force alone. Reinforcements will come eventually — so for now, focus on keeping our allies alive!”

“A-all right!”

Explorers of God’s Dungeon always faced monsters with a five-person party. While cooperation with other parties was possible on normal layers, no more than a five-person party could attempt a boss battle. As a result, Healers tended to fear putting their team at a disadvantage by accidentally landing their skills on monsters.

Here, however, victory did not hinge on strength alone. The Scarlet Devil Squad’s Healers understood this, but the Golden Tune’s Healers still had difficulties grasping it. Their desire not to hinder Leon overshadowed their perspective, narrowing their logic when it came to him. That was, in fact, the reason why Tsutomu held a low opinion of the Golden Tune as a professional organization.

“If that’s how you’re going to play... I suppose we ought to take our fight somewhere else.”

As Healers began firing off healing skills without worrying about misfires, Orbis placed his hands on the black scarf around his neck. Then, a flock of Wyverns descended from the sky, charging toward the Explorers.

“God damn, there’s so many of them!”

“Now then...”

Orbis, concealed within the flock of Wyverns, assumed a low crouching position and proceeded to sprint in the direction of the Royal Capital. Leon managed to keep up with his speed, but the others were left behind.

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