373 - Searching for the Power asurer 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 ga 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 so concoction.
As its injuries gradually increased from the harassing elite rcenaries, the ogre's entire body glowed red, seemingly irritated beyond asure.
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 rcenaries, this was an unheard-of phenonon. They probably never imagined a seemingly ordinary ogre would turn blood-red and rip through magically reinforced restraints.
tal fragnts flew into the air along with clumps of dirt, and a rcenary 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 grueso sight, and suddenly the ogre's glistening eyes turned in our direction.
...Had they implented 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 seed 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 warhamr 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 .
As if a soccer player were taking a penalty kick, the leg ca flying with a thunderous boom――.
"For now, I'll give up on capturing it alive and kill it!"
"The skin is too tough!"
I felt the vibration starting from the shield, traveling up my arms and reverberating through my body. As expected of a nad mob from the 51st floor - if I hadn't braced myself properly and taken that surprise attack, I'd have been sent flying far away.
But now that I'd perfectly blocked the charging kick, it was our turn. The ogre staggered in place like a drunk who'd kicked a lamppost instead of a soccer ball, breaking its ankle. Our party mbers wouldn't miss this chance.
As I deflected the impact that resonated through my shield, an arrow flew with ghostly precision, targeting the bloodshot eyes. Katie's azure aura flicked past the wobbling ankle like a snake's tongue as it struggled to support its weight.
Keureureureng――!!!
"Still, it's a high-rank monster, huh?"
"We're doing damage! I'll aim for the ankle!"
However, the arrow that flew so fiercely was caught in its grip and exploded, only slightly singeing its palm. The sword that slashed at its ankle rely grazed the dark skin, causing only minor bleeding.
As expected, our party's chronic lack of offensive power was clearly evident.
I blocked another flying fist with my shield and stomped down to prevent it from kicking up dirt like buckshot. While I completely shut down the ogre's movents, its wounds gradually increased... but they were still shallow.
We wouldn't lose, but a drawn-out battle wasn't ideal. Given our composition, was this unavoidable?
A scout archer and an ice-attribute agility swordsman focused more on CC than damage. In Heroines Chronicle terms, this composition was better suited for PvP than field raids.
"When did I tell you to bring the ballista, you son of a b*tch!"
"If you're just gonna stand there slack-jawed, go back to the Empire, you little sh*ts!"
While I was contemplating whether I should step in due to our lack of firepower, the imperial rcenaries snapped out of it and hurriedly set up a ballista.
Unlike the one we saw in the previous section for hunting rock bears, this was a larger version for hunting giant monsters, set up on what looked like a supply carriage.
As two mid-rank rcenaries strained to turn a winch that seed impossible for one person to operate, a bolt thicker than construction rebar was loaded with a threatening kki-gik― sound.
Seeing this, Katie targeted the broken ankle, Han Se-ah used Earth Control to trap the intact leg in a pit, and Grace fired a flash arrow instead of an explosive one to obscure its vision. Despite our lack of firepower, our teamwork was impeccable. I too pinned down its flailing wrist with my shield to immobilize the creature.
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Raei Translations
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"Well, thank you. As expected of the holy sword's wielder, you're quite composed."
Smiling before was the rcenary captain who had been shouting so fiercely earlier. With his scruffy beard, unkempt hair, and face full of scars, he completed the cliché look of either a bandit or a rcenary.
The reason this man, despite possessing the innate ability of a 5★, was bowing and scraping before was, of course, money.
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 rcenary group.
After all, the captain being 5★ ant they were similar to or on par with Rebecca's rcenaries.
"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 rcenaries' 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 rcenary 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 rcenary group that specialized in hunting large monsters alongside the imperial army on the Empire's northern frontier. A rcenary group under imperial command, led by four 5★ mbers - the innate 5★ captain and three swordsn 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 sothing 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 rcenaries too lol
-The charismatic teacher who seduces rcenaries with money
-I bet my Heroes Chronicle account that Roland x rcenary 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 seed to have caught on. Well, with 120,000 people watching the ogre battle in real ti, even if only 1% figured it out, that was still in the thousands.
The other party wasn't just an ordinary rcenary 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 beco the backdrop for a side quest, and the rcenary group benefited by having their injured mbers 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 rcenaries.
After all, the kind-hearted Irene wanted to help the critically wounded who were bleeding profusely from impacts with dirt clumps and chain fragnts.
The bandit-faced rcenary 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 of Han Se-ah's streaming history I'd seen before.
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