Chapter 165
"Here they come!!"
We managed to relocate to the interception point without issue, and though rushed, the soldiers finished deploying, filling the area with tension.
Bonfires illuminated the interception zone, but even so, visibility was far from ideal.
The sun was about to set completely.
Once it did, the only light left would be the moon.
A small mercy—today wasn’t a new moon.
But it wasn’t a full moon either.
Clouds drifted across the sky, and if they obscured the moon, the darkness would only deepen.
In that dim environment, a lookout soldier shouted, alerting everyone to the enemy’s approach.
"There’s so many of them…"
At Amina’s murmur, I nodded in agreement.
A writhing mass of shadows stretched as far as the eye could see.
The sound of hopping and the clattering of wings was so loud we could hear it even from here.
A swarm of monsters—Hopping Soldiers—humanoid-insect hybrids standing about 150 centimeters tall—was descending upon us.
"Amina."
"Yeah."
As long as the vanguard survived, the enemy would remain coordinated, moving in a straight line.
To maintain that, Amina stepped forward, gripping her microphone stand tightly.
This wasn’t a fun concert with the spirits.
This was a battlefield. Her expression was stiff as she prepared to sing for the sake of battle.
I lightly patted her back.
"Wah!?"
Startled, she turned to look at me.
"Just sing like you always do—like you’re enjoying yourself. That’s all you need to do. Leave everything else to me."
I grinned at her, her face filled with worry and on the verge of crumbling under the pressure.
"That’s right! I’ll take care of all of them for you!!"
"Hmm, that is worth considering. It would make for excellent training."
"If it’s pest extermination, even I can be of assistance. Lady Amina, please sing without hesitation."
The soldiers here were just as uneasy.
But Amina was the only one who could blow that unease away.
If her singing became stiff, she wouldn’t be able to unleash her full potential.
Singing-based skills were a battle of pure skill.
I tried to lighten the mood with a smile, and the others followed suit, cracking jokes to ease the tension.
"Everyone…! Yeah, I got it!"
The tension left Amina’s shoulders.
And the smile that appeared on her face was her usual one.
A sense of reassurance spread among us.
"Alright, let’s get things started!"
"Yeah!"
Her first step earlier had been stiff.
But now, she took a bold step forward—just like when she had been enjoying herself with the spirits.
"I am—"
Then, Amina activated her skill.
"—the center!!"
**Center Light.**
A skill that shone a spotlight on her, increasing her visibility. The higher the skill level, the more fantastical and dazzling the light became, beautifully illuminating her.
Right now, she was a songstress bathed in moonlight.
The monsters’ gazes turned toward her, glowing alone on high ground.
Countless eyes.
The exact opposite of the joyous gazes of the spirits—these were filled with malice.
But even under that pressure, Amina didn’t falter. She began to sing, as if cheering everyone on.
"♪～"
A crystal-clear voice echoed across the battlefield, reaching every single soldier.
The skill correction of **Singing Grand Art**, the job correction of the **Supreme Songstress**, and the title correction of **Rookie Idol**.
Though the mismatch between her job and title was odd, their combined effect on singing skills amplified the boost spreading through the soldiers.
"Strength is welling up inside me…!"
"We can do this… we can win!!"
They had known support was coming.
But the effect far exceeded their expectations, raising their morale.
The number of enemies before them was beyond imagination.
But if that was the case, all they had to do was exceed imagination themselves.
"Everyone!! Let’s gooooooo—!!!"
『『『『『『Oooooooooohhhhhhh—!!!!!』』』』』』
Maybe it was the concert-like atmosphere, but Amina’s voice, filling them with energy, made the soldiers raise their weapons and roar in battle cry.
A soldier who could control their fear was strong.
"Archers, ready!! Draw—! Fireeeeeee—!!"
They understood their roles, constantly thinking ahead to the next move.
The opening strike was a volley from the archers. Arrows rained down in an arc, striking the front lines of the Hopping Soldiers and thinning their ranks.
"Magic unit, begin chanting!! Target the rear of the enemy vanguard!!"
And with that foresight, their field of vision naturally expanded.
The magic unit began their incantations, judging that the slowed enemy advance would make them easy targets.
"Men!! Put your backs into it!! Not a single one gets past us!!"
「「「「「Yeah!!」」」」」
To ensure those spells landed, the shield unit moved swiftly, forming an impenetrable wall.
"Spears, at the ready!! Show them the full might of our lances!!"
「「「「「Yeah!!!」」」」」
From behind that wall, spears thrust forward.
Their blades gleamed in the dim light, pointing straight at the enemy.
The sight of the soldiers, their fighting spirit blazing, clashing with the enemy—they held firm against the swarm’s assault.
Watching this, I grinned and said to Nell and the others:
"This is Amina’s final form. One day, she’ll be able to create this scene all on her own."
"That would be incredible."
"If she really pulls that off, ‘amazing’ wouldn’t even cover it."
"...Yes, I agree with Lady Nell."
Right now, all she could do was sing.
But if she gathered the right skills, she could one day create this spectacle alone.
Just seeing a glimpse of that future made my blood pump a little faster.
"Alright, Amina’s doing her part. Nell, let’s move out."
"Got it! Time to cut loose!!"
"Good luck."
"If things get dangerous, retreat immediately."
"Understood!"
I gripped my spear, and Nell hefted her halberd as we leapt down from the high ground.
Now, one might imagine a raid battle as nothing more than an endless wave of enemies pushing forward while you hold the line.
Broadly speaking, that wasn’t wrong.
But the finer details varied from raid to raid.
"We’re looking for the **Abnormal Glutton** variants!! Hunt them down!"
"Got it!"
We advanced in a wide arc around the Hopping Soldier swarm, moving just out of range of arrows and spells, searching for that unique trait.
The defining feature of the Hopping Soldier raid was the presence of these **Abnormal Gluttons** hidden among the masses.
These variants were nearly indistinguishable from the rest but boasted stats several times higher than normal.
They were the reason NPC formations collapsed, often leading to rookie raid failures.
Area-of-effect magic was the best way to deal with them, but if they broke through the frontline before being taken down, casualties were inevitable.
There was only one way to spot them.
"Found one! Over there!"
"Nice! We’re going in!!"
The Abnormal Gluttons were cannibals.
As horrifying as it sounded, a certain percentage of Hopping Soldiers had an insatiable hunger.
Their tolerance for starvation was far lower than normal.
A normal Hopping Soldier could endure the distance to the wheat fields without resorting to eating its own kind.
But these variants lost all reason, seeing their comrades as food.
Their jaws unhinged, they lunged at unsuspecting allies, devouring them on the spot.
The victim thrashed violently, but the Glutton, empowered by the EXP gained from its feast, overpowered them, crushing and consuming until nothing but ash remained.
The grotesque scene sent a chill down my spine, but without hesitation, Nell and I plunged into the swarm.
The number of Abnormal Gluttons we could eliminate would determine this raid’s success.
The more they ate, the stronger they became. They’d devour anything.
"I’ll clear a path!"
"Do it!!"
Between us and the target stood a horde of Hopping Soldiers assaulting the interception point.
Normal AoE spells or arrows wouldn’t reach the Glutton as it feasted, using its own kind as shields.
If left alone, it would temporarily sate its hunger and disappear back into the swarm.
To prevent that—
"**Power Swing!!**"
—we had to carve our own path.
Nell’s strike tore a hole through the swarm, sending five Hopping Soldiers flying like bowling pins.
"We’re pushing through!!"
**Power Swing** had a three-second cooldown.
Advancing, cutting down foes with normal attacks, then using **Power Swing** to secure footing—it was brute force at its finest.
Hopping Soldiers were Class 3.
Normally, they’d be an even match, but Nell, enhanced by EXBP, couldn’t be stopped by mere mobs.
Even her normal attacks cleaved through them like paper, reducing them to black ash.
The whooshing of her halberd translated directly into firepower, mowing down enemies with every swing.
Thanks to Amina’s aggro-drawing effect, most Hopping Soldiers ignored us entirely.
Not noticing us—not being allowed to notice us—
"—is my style."
I slipped into the path Nell had cleared, unnoticed, and swung my scythe—**Magic Edge** enhanced.
"**Neck Hunter.**"
The blade severed the Abnormal Glutton’s head mid-motion.
"Next one!!"
"Right!"
No drops. A few magic stones from the ones Nell killed littered the ground, but we had no time to collect them.
Quickly breaking away from the swarm, we scanned for more stationary targets.
"Two deeper in! Nell, can you reach them!?"
"Leave it to me!!"
This time, two were close together.
Spotting them, Nell carved another path, and I followed, providing support.
Her swings sent enemies flying even in the thick of the swarm, disrupting their formation.
Collisions, stumbling, trampling—Nell created chaos, indirectly aiding our allies at the interception point.
"**Neck Hunter.**"
The more Nell rampaged, the less attention I drew, letting me slip behind enemies and behead them in one strike.
After finishing one off, I moved to the next—
"They’re jumping away!"
—but its meal ended, and it lunged forward before I could act.
**Neck Hunter** was still on cooldown.
I could still hit it from this distance, so—
"Nell! 200 Zenny!!"
"! Got it!!"
I hooked my scythe around the Abnormal Glutton’s right leg, tripping it mid-leap.
Just a second—that’s all I needed.
If it stopped, even briefly, that was enough!!
A metallic *clink* rang out.
"**Gold Smash!!**"
Nell leapt, swinging her halberd down from overhead.
The skill, **Gold Smash**, enhanced by the offered coins, wreathed her weapon in a golden glow as it crushed the Glutton’s skull in one hit, reducing it to ash.
"Ah! A scroll!"
"No way!?"
Nell swiftly scooped up the dropped scroll and regrouped with me.
"Which one!?"
**Charge** or **Air Step**?
If it was the latter, this raid just got a lot easier.
"**Air Step!!**"
"Hell yeah!! Off to a great start! Sorry, but I’m using this first!"
"Go ahead!"
With 3D mobility added, our chances of winning this raid skyrocketed.
I grabbed the tossed scroll and activated it immediately.
**〝Air Step〟**
For frontliners, this was practically a must-have skill.
A staple among hardcore raid fighters.
"We’re pushing through! Three o’clock! Two targets!"
"! Got it!"
Isolating ourselves in the swarm might’ve seemed reckless, but with the Marsh Dragon gear and **Air Step** enabling midair movement, we could support Nell while carving through the Hopping Soldier tide.
Instantly grasping the direction, Nell’s halberd roared to life, shredding through the swarm.
Enemies that survived her strikes locked onto her in retaliation.
Launched into the air, they flapped their wings, trying to land behind her—
"Too bad. This isn’t your airspace anymore."
With a single step—just one—I kicked off midair as if stepping on solid ground, lunging forward and driving my scythe through the face of a Hopping Soldier targeting Nell.
"Alright, let’s keep moving."