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104
“Wait — you said you’re using it on monsters?”
-That’s wild.
-But what does that accomplish?
-Making the NPCs suffer.
-Not bad.
The same enhancement drug that Bares had used.
The idea of using it on monsters struck everyone as puzzling.
“Making the NPCs suffer isn’t entirely wrong as a description. It’s to serve as a wake-up call.”
“Setting the wake-up call aside — can we actually kill them?”
“Adjust the dose and it’s fine. Their attack power goes up quite a bit, but they become stupid.”
Back then, Bares had consumed a quantity far beyond the permissible amount.
His physical capabilities had been at rock bottom to begin with, so there was no way he could have withstood the side effects.
“Black Dragon-nim!”
Just then, Avantgarde came running from the distance.
Behind him, a startled Bollibo was scrambling to keep up.
“Apologies. I got so absorbed in conversation that I lost track of the time. But using an stimulant on monsters is just——”
“What you heard is correct.”
Hanbit quickly cut off what was going to become a long response.
The enthusiasm was appreciated, but issuing instructions came first right now.
“Elder, please move with the villagers into the underground space.”
“Yes. But that number…….”
The elder, who had been examining the barricade, looked toward the outside of the city with a flustered expression.
The scale was in a completely different league from the earlier attack.
Had they stayed in the village as it was, death would have been inevitable.
“As long as you’re underground there’ll be no casualties. In return, I’ll need all of you to do a little acting.”
“…Acting, you say?”
At the out-of-nowhere statement, the elder wore a puzzled expression.
Hanbit shifted only his gaze and looked toward the base of the distant wall.
There, another small shadow was moving.
“It’s nothing elaborate. When the monsters descend on the village, just scream. Immediately after, run straight into the underground space.”
“That’s all that’s needed?”
“Exactly that.”
“Is that… so.”
The elder looked relieved at how much simpler it was than expected.
If he had been asked to fight alongside them, his vision would have gone dark.
“Understood. I will do as you say.”
“Thank you. Jaeha-hyung, please stay underground with them and help.”
“Got it.”
Kim Jaeha pulled out his hammer and gave a nod.
“What shall I do?”
Avantgarde, who had been waiting for instructions all along, asked in a voice full of anticipation.
Hanbit handed him the glass bottle.
“Avantgarde, please spray this on the monsters.”
“Oh, is it alright for me to take on such an important role?”
“I thought you’d do it well. Please spray it toward the monsters’ nose and mouth areas. Once that’s done, run straight to the city gate. The subjugation team needs to move quickly.”
“I understand perfectly.”
Avantgarde nodded with a resolute expression.
With his capabilities, it would certainly be possible.
“Then let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Thump—!
The two kicked off the ground, leaving the others behind.
The shadows writhing in the forest were still there.
Grrk—!
The creatures, detecting approaching enemies, rose to their feet.
The first visible were a group of Tongue Lizards and kobolds.
But that was only the tip of the iceberg.
Crash—!
With a massive tremor, a tree snapped sideways and fell.
As the view cleared, something enormous rose from within.
A height that looked to exceed three meters, with a grotesquely solid body — vivid even in the darkness.
It was a Forest Troll, the most common variety among trolls.
“What about the forest on the other side!”
Avantgarde, running alongside him, glanced toward a distant forest.
Even for a first monster wave, the numbers were not going to stop at just the forest ahead.
“Use the enhancement drug on the trolls at the front first, above all else! It has to be done within five minutes of opening the lid!”
“Understood!”
With Hanbit’s voice, the two split apart.
Avantgarde picked up more speed and plunged into the forest.
Shing—!
Sword in hand, Hanbit leaped high toward the dark carpet of shadows spread before him.
Smack—!
The foot he thrust out came down onto a goblin’s face.
Landing with it underfoot, all the surrounding eyes snapped toward him at once.
“Quite a lot of them.”
The majority were, as expected, goblins and kobolds.
Among them were some with staves and unusual accessories.
The rest were beast-type monsters resembling wolves and foxes.
Grrk—!
Shriek—!
Without hesitation they came charging at Hanbit.
He swiftly found a gap, slipped through, and immediately kicked off.
Screech—!
The creatures began chasing after Hanbit the moment he bolted.
Wind was steadily gathering around the sword in his hand.
“Black Dragon-nim, done! The total number of trolls the enhancement drug was applied to is twenty!”
After running through the forest for a while,
Avantgarde’s voice reached him from the distance.
“Head straight to the city gate!”
“Yes!”
Rustle—!
Avantgarde broke out of the forest rapidly, underbrush swishing past him.
Hanbit, still running, moved to where broken trees were numerous.
Grrrgk—
In the somewhat deeper forest, several trolls had come to a halt and stood upright.
Hanbit reached out his hand and called the incantation.
“Fire Burst!”
Boom—!
The explosion of the launched fireball instantly swept away the surrounding darkness.
At that moment.
Grk—!
Grrk—!
Monsters at quite a considerable distance snapped their eyes toward him at once.
Thud—! Thud—!
Other trolls with eyes turned bloodshot, closing in fast.
The ones that had been hit by the magic were moving even more violently despite taking damage.
Thump—!
Hanbit immediately changed direction and began running toward the outside of the forest.
His position was somewhere between the city gate and the dwarf village.
Thud thud thud—!
Breaking out past the perimeter, the glass wall came back into view.
The wide open ground around it was already blanketed with monsters.
The first wave had begun.
Flash—!
Flash—!
The next change occurred atop the wall.
Dozens of beams of light generated from disc-shaped magical devices.
They swept away the veil of the dark night in an instant.
Hum—
What moved next was the large crystal beneath the disc.
A turret crafted with the technology that Ifrit took pride in.
Bang—!
Boom—!
Blue spheres shooting down toward the ground in flashes.
They easily cut down the smaller monsters caught in the area of effect.
-Turrets as expected.
-Easy, right?
-Hmm. Do adventurers even need to be here?
-The end of the human era……
The simultaneous attack from dozens of turrets was overwhelming.
Plenty of monsters still remained, but it was enough to seize the momentum.
“Don’t go outside the turrets’ range!”
A shout from somewhere drew his gaze.
Through the open city gate, soldiers and a group of adventurers were pouring out.
At the very front, Guild Master Jinuk stood with an indifferent expression.
Thud—! Thud—!
Monsters that evaded the turret attacks and reached the vicinity of the wall.
Hanbit’s position was between them and the rearmost line.
“Aaaargh!”
“Help me!”
“Urgh!”
Just then, screams rang out from the direction of the northern wall.
A pack of black wolves moving swiftly toward the dwarf village.
Shadow Wolves — formidable in power by virtue of their size.
“Shrieeek—!”
“Guhhk!”
Crash—!
Screams that continued without stopping rang out clearly even to a great distance.
The creatures that had demolished the barricade began rampaging through the village in all directions.
The reinforcements of goblins and trolls that arrived in their wake were also a most welcome sight.
Ding—
「Kim Jaeha」
「Everyone’s inside safely. Don’t worry.」
Kim Jaeha’s message arriving shortly after.
It had been a brief performance, but better than expected.
The remaining plan now rested entirely with Hanbit.
“There’s someone over there!”
“Is that an adventurer!”
“Are you insane! There are a ridiculous number behind you!”
A subjugation squad that had closed in at some point spotted Hanbit.
The other squads were already spread out at a distance.
Thud—! Thud—!
The monster horde chasing behind him running as though deranged.
The trolls in particular were picking up speed with every passing moment.
“Get clear!”
Flash—!
Boom—!
The turret’s attack falling from above simultaneous with the warning shout.
Hanbit was watching the trajectory and evading — but the trolls were not.
Bang—!
Boom—!
Several of those that had been following took the attack dead on.
Firepower that would visibly warrant instant death to any observer.
“Got them!”
“You were lucky!”
As Hanbit emerged from the cloud of dust and debris, the adventurers called out first.
But then.
Thud—!
A massive form was following behind him.
“Wh, what in the——!”
“What happened to them?!”
What revealed itself was a group of trolls with arms, waists, and heads blown off.
Injuries severe enough by anyone’s judgment to be fatal.
“Wh, what is that? Why is it moving?”
“This is insane…….”
-Wow.
-Holy—, that’s terrifying;
-Stop. Don’t come any closer.
-We offer you Ifrit.
Thud—! Thud—!
The trolls’ movements were no different from moments before taking the turret’s attack.
If anything, they were faster.
Boom—!
The turret’s attacks continued pouring down and sweeping across the ground.
But the trolls did not stop.
‘This is exactly the threshold.’
Monsters that had gone berserk from the enhancement drug would pursue the target with the largest mana.
The single thing with the greatest mana within the trolls’ detectable range.
The decorative magic stone embedded inside the wall.
Thud—! Thud—!
The creatures no longer chasing Hanbit.
They were now fixed only on the wall directly ahead.
“Huh? The turrets——”
“They’re reloading!”
The flustered people looked toward the top of the wall for a different reason.
The turrets that had been unleashing attacks had stopped to reload.
“What are you standing around for? Just kill them again!”
“Get into formation first!”
“I don’t care about that! You adventurers just handle your own business!”
The subjugation team’s judgment did not converge.
The tendencies of the city’s military and the adventurers were entirely different.
Shhk—!
“Lightning Burst!”
Unable to unite, they each began subjugating with their own strength.
Goblins and wolves flooding in were not difficult to deal with.
Even mentally intact trolls were not opponents they could not handle.
The problem lay with the abnormal trolls that followed behind.
Boom—!
Thud—!
“Urgh!”
“Kgh!”
The attacks from trolls charging in with their bodies in tatters were not light.
Facing undead monsters would have been more manageable by comparison.
At least those had weaknesses.
“Why won’t they die!”
“Hit them properly!”
“I am!”
Enemies that had become an unknown entity naturally induced fear.
Even those who had been steadily avoiding attacks were having their movements thrown off.
From the trolls’ perspective, it was simply a matter of clearing away things in the way.
Bang—!
“Guh!”
A soldier struck by a troll’s fist flew and smashed into the wall.
The small crack that formed from the impact did not escape Hanbit’s notice.
Thud—! Thud—!
The creature with its target in sight began charging at the soldier again.
Left as it was, death was a certainty.
Thump—!
Hanbit kicked off the ground and closed on the troll rapidly.
He swung his sword while drawing as little on the wind’s power as possible.
But then.
Slash—!
Slash—!
The sound of the sword, which should have rung once, was doubled.
Looking up, Guild Master Jinuk was standing on top of the troll’s shoulder.
