Chapter 166
"We got the third one!" "Which one is it!?"
Thanks to obtaining Sky Step, the insane strategy of Nel and me rampaging through the horde gained stability, allowing us to steadily hunt down the Gluttonous Variants.
The Gluttonous Variants are indeed strong. But in terms of stats, they're only about as tough as a Class 4 monster with some extra EXBP. Their strength far surpasses the normal variants, and the more they eat, the more experience they accumulate, growing even stronger. They don't have any special skills—just raw stat increases—and the fact that they look identical to the regular ones makes them even more troublesome. In a swarm of enemies, the only difference in their behavior is their devouring habit, making them practically invisible camouflage.
That said, the Gluttonous Variants have a much higher drop rate for scrolls compared to normal ones.
"Charging in!" "Tch! Well, there's still plenty of enemies left! Let's keep going!"
Nel had taken down so many Gluttonous Variants that counting them was a hassle, and she dropped another scroll—though this time, it was a dud. Still, it might be useful, so I caught the one she tossed over and stuffed it into my Magic Bag.
"Nel! Getting used to Sky Step yet?" "Yes! I've got the hang of it now!"
We'd already found another Sky Step scroll earlier, which Nel had used, so now both of us were fighting mid-air. Aerial combat requires some finesse, but Nel's reflexes are top-notch. Beastfolk in general have great physical abilities, and canine or feline types like her excel at acrobatic movements. Maybe because of that, she's been quickly adapting to Sky Step by mimicking my movements. The skill's usage frequency has increased, and I can feel her leveling it up—but she's still a ways off from unlocking the Second Step.
The raid battle was far from over. I figured if we kept hunting Gluttonous Variants in this drawn-out fight, her skill would keep improving, but—
"...Huh?"
The relentless assault of the Hopping Soldiers had suddenly slowed. And now, the Gluttonous Variants we'd been hunting were nowhere to be found.
Wiping away sweat, I assessed the situation. We still had stamina to spare, but fighting at this pace for so long meant our focus wouldn't last forever. This lull in the battle felt oddly timed.
"Let's fall back for now!" "Got it!"
A bad feeling gnawed at me. We'd probably cleared out all the Gluttonous Variants in this area, but just to be safe, I scanned our surroundings before retreating.
"There's still so many of them..." "Yeah."
Insect-type dungeons are all about numbers as power. No matter how many you kill, it feels endless—but the truth is, their forces are thinning. And if the Gluttonous Variants are decreasing too, then it's fine.
"We're back." "Glad you're safe."
Amina was still singing energetically, though drenched in sweat. She'd been going nonstop for over two hours now. Ingrid stood nearby, keeping watch.
"The enemy's momentum has slowed considerably. Was this part of your plan?" "No, I don't think so."
Claudia greeted us, pouring water from a pitcher into wooden cups and handing them to us.
"What we were doing was just preventing the dangerous ones from slipping through. We haven't actually reduced their numbers that much." "And yet, the enemy's pressure has decreased."
I drank deeply, replenishing the fluids I'd lost through sweat, then followed Claudia's gaze toward the battlefield.
"You're right. The defenders look like they're holding their ground much more easily now."
The barricades we'd set up had been heavily damaged, but they were still doing their job of slowing the enemy down. The defending soldiers were now fighting with clear advantage—a far cry from the initial Hopping Soldier assault.
"The soldiers were also motivated by Amina's songs, so they've been cutting through the enemy efficiently. At this rate, we might wrap things up ahead of schedule." "...Wait, does that mean—?"
I recognized this phenomenon. It was like when Player cheat units were present in a battle, allowing a small elite force to rapidly thin out enemy numbers. If that was happening now, then—
"...Is it because of Amina?"
And if that was the case, I could guess what was coming next.
"That might be part of it," Claudia said, "but you also warned the Duke beforehand, right? The soldiers are better equipped than usual. If Amina hadn't been here and their gear was standard, they'd be struggling much more, taking heavier losses."
Back in the game, you couldn't upgrade NPC equipment unless they joined your party. Regular soldiers in raid battles were stuck with default gear. But now, in reality, passing intel to the Duke meant we could properly prepare them.
Numbers are power. And that applies to our side too.
The soldiers' sheer quantity directly translated to extermination speed—on par with what players could achieve solo. And with Amina, a multi-role idol-in-training, boosting the entire army's morale, the monster kill rate had skyrocketed.
"In that case... maybe it's about time for—"
If things were progressing like this, then the next phase should be starting soon.
"Claudia." "What is it?"
The Hopping Soldier swarm—The Gluttons of Late Summer—was a beginner-friendly raid battle. And if the pattern held, we were about to enter the boss phase.
"The enemy's advance is going to stop soon. Just temporarily. When it does, be on your guard." "...Something big is coming?" "Yeah. The Grasshopper General—Hopping General—is about to appear."
Raid battles followed a set structure.
Phase 1: Fight through waves of regular and enhanced mobs. Phase 2: The monsters' unique traits activate, disrupting the flow. For Hopping Soldiers, that meant the Gluttonous Variants. Phase 3: After a set time or kill count, the boss event triggers.
In this case—the Grasshopper General would arrive.
I wondered how much time we had left when—TWANG!—a signal arrow whistled through the air.
"A dispatch from the cavalry... So it's happening." "Seems Liberta's prediction was right."
That signal could only mean one thing.
The Grasshopper General had appeared.
At that moment, the clouds parted, and moonlight bathed the battlefield.
"Out of the frying pan, into the fire..."
The boss's arrival didn't mean the mobs would disappear.
Quite the opposite.
The swarm would retreat, regroup, and then launch a renewed assault—centered around the boss.
What Claudia was seeing, I could see too.
Bathed in moonlight, the horde of Hopping Soldiers parted, revealing a single, massive figure at their center.
Unlike the unarmed Hopping Soldiers, this one—the Grasshopper General—was clad in what looked like armor, its exoskeleton unnaturally hardened. Four arms, each wielding a different weapon:
A club. A cleaver. A spear. A shield.
All of them crudely fashioned from bone.
The monster bounded forward, closing the distance with terrifying speed.
The soldiers faltered.
Even with Amina's songs bolstering their spirits, a cold dread seeped into their hearts.
We can't win this.
That thought alone was enough to break their morale.
"It's okay!!"
But it was too early to despair.
Amina's voice rang out, clear and strong.
She'd been singing nonstop, drenched in sweat, her stamina surely drained—yet she kept smiling.
"We can win! Absolutely! As long as none of us give up, we will win!!"
A desperate cheer, gasped between ragged breaths.
Willpower alone couldn't change reality—but without it, nothing could be done at all.
"That's right, men! It's too soon to give up!! Have our swords broken!? No! They still hold strong!! Have our comrades fallen!? No! Our brothers still fight!!"
Amina's words propped up their wavering hearts, and Colt's rallying cry reignited their fighting spirit.
"Will we shamefully surrender in front of this girl who's sung her heart out for us!? No! We are not so pitiful!! Proud soldiers of the realm!! This is our moment!! Steel yourselves!!!" "OOOOOHHHH!!!!"
I couldn't help but smirk at the sight.
"I was planning on taking down the Grasshopper General ourselves, but... with morale this high, is it even our place to step in?"
There was no need for pessimism, but now that the soldiers were fired up, it felt awkward to cut in.
"It's fine," Claudia said with a wry smile. "A dark mood is a hundred times worse. Would you really dampen their spirits now? Liberta, in times like these—when things seem most hopeless—"
She stepped forward, leaping down from the high ground as if to show me how it was done.
"You trust in the backs of those who step up first."
Her conviction was infectious. I laughed.
"Alright then! Let's finish this in style!! You ready, Nel?" "Leave it to me!" "Everyone, do your best! I'll keep supporting you from here!!" "Good luck."
I jumped down after Claudia, Nel right behind me. Our break was over—Amina's song still carrying from the rear.
Catching up to where Claudia had landed, we advanced straight toward the front this time, no flanking maneuvers.
"We'll handle that monster!! Everyone else, hold the line!!"
Claudia's voice cut cleanly through the chaos.
Spear resting on her shoulder, she strode forward as the soldiers made way.
"Well then, Liberta. Shall we?" "This is definitely going to be the talk of the town later, huh?" "Oh, absolutely. I wouldn't be surprised if bards are singing about it in taverns within the week." "Not really my style to stand out like this..."
We moved as one, carving a path through the ranks until we stood at the very front.
"Ah, well. Might as well go all out. Let's do Battle Pattern D." "That does sound fitting." "Got it!"
And with that, the three of us charged.
Over the barricades. Across the trenches. Straight into the heart of the enemy swarm—right toward the Grasshopper General and its escorts.
Reckless? Suicidal?
To an outsider, it might've looked that way.
"Ugh, so many Gluttonous Variants. This is why I hate raid battles..."
Outnumbered beyond reason.
Against such overwhelming numbers, conventional tactics wouldn't work.
"But this is the best hunting ground."
That only applies to enemies with proper coordination.
A mindless, head-on rush like this?
Perfect prey.
"I'll take the first strike."
Claudia led with a devastating blow, sending the lead Gluttonous Variant flying into another mid-leap, disrupting their advance.
"I'll knock them all back!!"
Nel followed up, her halberd sweeping wide. Normally, such weapons were for cleaving—but with her skill, the strikes carried launching force, trading cutting power for blunt impact.
The Hopping Soldiers, already staggered by Claudia, were sent sprawling even further, creating a traffic jam in mid-air.
If the ones behind kept coming at the same speed while the front was clogged—
"Watch out for pile-ups~"
A massive collision erupted at the front.
The ravenous variants, too single-minded to stop, plowed face-first into the mess their allies had become, creating a domino effect of chaos.
A swarm was a terrifying force—but that violence wasn't directed solely at the enemy.
It could just as easily turn inward.
Some tried to brake instinctively, but in a horde this dense, a chain reaction was inevitable. One stopped, the ones behind crashed into it, and the ones behind those didn't even realize in time.
"And just like that, we've got a clear path to the boss."
Battle Pattern D—a frontal assault designed to disrupt swarms.
They'd need at least a minute to recover.
I kicked off with Sky Step, soaring over the tangled mess below. The Grasshopper General, struggling to free itself from its own trampled underlings, came into view.
"Long time no see. Now—hand over your head."
A reunion with an old foe.
Let's make this a good fight.