CH 175

We enter the boss room.

We discussed a few strategies before going in, and I told them I’d use my gun if I felt they were in danger.

They didn’t look too happy with that, but accepted it. I don’t actually know if it will even work, but they don’t want me to use it because comfort hinders growth.

I think they should value their lives more, but I guess they decided to challenge the dungeon knowing full well how dangerous it is. I think our sense of values in how we look at life is just different… Mia is the only one that feels close to me in that sense.

Why are they so stubborn when they just found Sera after all those years, and are still looking for Eris? I don’t get it.

It might be good to talk about this calmly when we have the chance.

Then again, we might see guns in a fundamentally different way. In my head, guns are the best as far as weapons go, but they probably see things differently.

A kobold king appears, along with two generals, ten fighters, four archers, and eight guards. There are twenty five in total, so did we hit the jackpot, for better or worse?

As soon as they appear, two of us attack with Firestorm.

The flames spread and look like they’ll burn the kobolds, but the ones holding shields step forward and protect them. The others also step behind them and wait.

Once the flames die down, what we see is unharmed kobolds.

“There are two generals. I’ll take one group, so take the other one, Rurika and Hikari!”

Says Sera, because the reference book said kobolds can form as many groups as they have generals.

The two in the back fire magic as support, and I also mostly fire magic to keep the kobold king back.

Actually, apparently kobold kings can’t move right after appearing, and support the front row until they’re ready. It’s really like something straight out of a game, and I have no idea why it’s like that.

Under the generals’ command, the kobolds take formation with two guards with the fighters and two with the archers.

If we try to take them out from afar like this, they’ll just block our attacks.

That makes me think we should get close, but the general near the archers is keeping a watchful eye.

Also, when our attacks start getting too intense and they feel they’re in an unfavorable position, one of the guards standing back advances to help, and if we try to attack the back with magic, their archers stop us.

“Shouldn’t the three of us just attack together?”

“I don’t know. If we get them together like that they might push us in one go…”

“But they’re going to keep wearing us down if we can’t break through this.”

The kobolds are more coordinated than we expected, and the strategies we planned beforehand aren’t working.

Rurika’s throwing knives aren’t even holding them back, and although Sera manages to throw her axe at one and blow it back, the other guard quickly jumps in. Sera rushes this guard and swings her axe, but it holds on until the other manages to recover. The fighters also attack to make sure the guards aren’t pressured too much.

Is this all because of the generals’ commands?

“Maybe we should try to get a hold of the situation with area magic…”

As I say that, Sera is wounded. She’s weaving through the fighters’ attacks, when an arrow fired by one of the archers pierces her left arm.

She shuts her mouth tightly and doesn’t scream. She instead quickly pulls out the arrow, but her movements aren’t as they were before.

“I’m going forward and taking over for Sera. Ask her what she thinks while treating her.”

I’m using a lot of magic energy to fire area of effect magic.

First I’ll fire a little further back from the group Sera was fighting. Then I’ll envelop the area where the generals are. It’s more about confusing them than putting actual power into it, because I’m trying to buy time.

“Firestorm. Tornado.”

I jump forward while firing magic.

“Sera, change.”

The flames are visible, but I pay attention to how they deal with the invisible wind blades. It turns out they activate a film of faint light from their shields that envelops them?

That’s not fair. That’s way too high-spec.

I can’t get close and hit them, so I fire more magic. This time I reverse what I fire where.

“Tornado. Fire Storm.”

I can feel my MP being spent very quickly. Maybe it’s because I’m casting a spell while the other is still being activated.

And yet, I still can’t break through the guards’ defense.

But this has led me to notice something. That’s… But as if trying to get this out of my mind, the king howls.

I look towards it, and see the previously immobile king coming this way.

And as the magic vanishes, a rain of arrows falls here.

I dodge and deflect them with my sword while using arrow type magic on the fighters coming at me, and somehow get through it.

“Master, I’m coming to help.”

Sera runs past me and swings her axe to crush a fighter that’s leaping out.

Her next attack is blocked by a guard, but if she’s here, who’s watching out for the archers? Wait, Mia and Chris are here too.

“Sera said we should regroup. Rurika.”

Chris fires magic to act as a sort of wall between the kobolds and Rurika.

This lets Rurika and Hikari come this way too.

Next time, I’m moving forward too, and swinging my sword along with Sera.

I also take this opportunity to tell Chris and Mia what I’m feeling.

I want to jump in and start attacking right away, but one mana potion wasn’t enough to recover my MP. I can’t drink another one, so I’ll have to wait for it to recover. I tell Chris and Mia to recover MP too.

It’s our turn to bear the brunt of their attacks. And as the king joins the fight, it’s getting more and more one sided in their favor.