Chapter 271
**Full Translation:**
Now, it might be a bit late to mention, but when I'm clearing a game, I'm the type who prioritizes certainty over speed.
For areas where walkthroughs say the recommended level is 50, I'd challenge them at level 60—I don't cut corners on leveling. When tackling a new area for the first time, I prepare the best possible equipment and make sure to grind enough money.
Playstyles vary from person to person; some prioritize efficiency over certainty, going in under the recommended level or with just the bare minimum equipment.
"We've finally made it this far, huh."
And if we're talking about challenging the Rainy Devil, raising the bar well above the bare minimum is my baseline.
Nell murmured pensively, looking at the scene before us.
"From my perspective, I find it more terrifying that we've amassed this many weapons," said Lady Esmeralda, standing beside her, her voice a mix of admiration and awe as she gazed upon the military strength essential for the upcoming battle.
*'My brethren!! Here and now, the power of us spirits gathers! A battle destined for the history books is about to begin!!'*
The preparation period lasted nearly two full years. Leveling, gathering materials, and combat simulations—we did everything we needed to do, and this moment is the result. We could have shortened the time if we were willing to accept some sacrifices, but we aimed for a perfect, flawless victory with zero casualties, so we refused to compromise here at all.
The audience for the Spirit King's speech was the elite spirit troops who would be challenging the Rainy Devil.
*'The foe we now face is an enemy of unprecedented strength, a monster notorious as the Rainy Devil!! An existence said to have no countermeasure other than to wait for it to pass!! An existence akin to a natural disaster!!'*
Though freedom and spontaneity are their inherent nature, the spirits were now lined up in silence, listening to the Spirit King's words. Just like an army.
No, right now, they *were* an army, protecting the Spirit World.
*'You brave souls who dare to challenge it are the proud heroes of us spirits!!'*
The impetus for forming this army was the report from the spirit spy team that returned recently, confirming that Azhdaha's revival was indeed a fact.
The location where Azhdaha was sealed was one of the spots I had marked on the map. Bandits had gathered there, and many people had been abducted.
The number of bandits had already exceeded a thousand, forming a settlement all around the ruins.
One of the dark spirits reported that they had infiltrated the ruins, found a hidden door in the deepest part, and inside was Azhdaha's egg.
*'Now, with these heroes assembled, our preparations to repel this world's unprecedented crisis are complete!!'*
They sensed the real thing with magic, actually found it, were attacked, managed to escape somehow, and reported back.
However, I also heard that during this, they were noticed by a powerful human among the bandits, revealing that intruders had gotten in.
All the spirits involved in the search withdrew, and their safety was confirmed. Our casualties were zero, but in exchange, we gave them the information that someone was snooping around.
Therefore, they would be on high alert.
A bandit group a thousand strong.
If we just wanted to annihilate them, sending about three high-ranking spirits from here would be more than enough.
Moreover, consider the equipment they possess.
Ballistae, which are usually mounted on castle walls due to issues like weight and recoil, become viable personal weapons for beings whose stats far exceed normal humans. Each spirit has one magically modified ballista for portability.
And since the materials for those ballistae come from the wind dragons we've been tirelessly hunting, this might be the most powerful army at this stage.
*'Everyone, take up your arms!! As beings who protect the natural order, rise up now!!'**"OOOOOH!!!!!!"*
The Spirit King's speech had sufficiently fired up the spirits.
"It's beginning," Nell said."Yeah," I nodded.
At a glance from the Spirit King, I also stepped forward. Standing next to the Spirit King, the spirits looked at me with fervent eyes.
"The plan is as explained. Act as you did in training."
My voice, directed at them, was quiet yet consciously projected to reach everyone.
I recalled the training menus I devised to entertain them, beings starved for fun.
A menu focused solely on monotonously getting stronger would have been the worst match for spirits. That's precisely why an element of entertainment was necessary.
To feel themselves getting stronger, to enjoy it, and to produce results on top of that. Devising training methods packed with such ideals was quite tough, but also interesting.
"If you can execute it, we won't lose. No—"
In terms of vibe, it was probably like a baseball team heading for the national tournament (Koshien). The goal was to accomplish something through camaraderie, honing their skills through friendly rivalry.
To make the spirits *enjoy* military maneuvers, I repeatedly demonstrated flashy plays for them, making them think it was cool.
Not gritty, but smart and efficient—some might call it mechanical—but upon seeing the smooth movements, the spirits initially said they could easily do something of that level.
"—We will win."
However, when they actually tried, every single one of them stumbled and got frustrated that they couldn't do it. Trying to avoid obstacles got them noticed. Moving carefully to avoid detection took too long. Trying to force their way through got them counterattacked.
By providing an environment where they challenged things they couldn't do, the spirits naturally became engrossed in this fresh way of fighting. The operational plan for this mission was based on perfect movements参考 referenced from FPS games.
As I taught them, the spirits absorbed this knowledge and these movements like a sponge soaking up water.
As they became able to do it and could recreate that cool version of themselves, they started wanting to do more and more.
Responding to that, I repeated advice and demonstrations on how to improve. Like fire gaining fuel, their enthusiasm swelled.
The spirit常识 common sense is freedom and spontaneity. They tend to find moving as a group, like an army, constricting. I turned that on its head, teaching them a new concept: "If we can do *this* as a group, we'll look so cool!!"
In the end, the spirits who found this interesting were able to learn movements like an army, just like this.
I presented the virtual enemies I prepared as "missions," assigning them as homework, and they eagerly took on the challenge.
We had occasional live shows and BBQs for refreshment, but they got completely hooked on the mission-style homework assignments, rapidly demanding new missions and new weapons.
Starved for fun. That starvation was more deep-rooted than I had imagined.
The more I satisfied that hunger, the more a certain feeling sprouted within the spirits.
They wanted to test the results of these missions.
"Now then, let's show them the fruits of everyone's efforts!!"
The chance to test them had come. Over and over and over again, we repeated meetings, simulated movements, and drilled synchronization until it was almost like breathing.
*"LET'S PAR-TAY!!!!"*
I'd thoroughly drilled common sense into them, but teaching them game culture on the side might have been a mistake. Just moments ago, they were acting like dignified soldiers for the Spirit King, but with my words, they instantly got pumped up like FPS players.
The Spirit King shot me a sidelong glare as if to say, "What the hell are you doing?" But it can't be helped, I excused myself internally.
For maintaining the spirits' motivation, the emotion of *having fun* is the most important thing.
I thanked the Spirit King, who wore a wry smile and seemed to resign himself with an "Oh well."
"Alright then."
I'm not sure if it's right to start something so casually, but this vibe suits us better than a stiff, rallying cry.
"Operation... begin!"
No sooner had I said it than the spirits swiftly began to move.
They dove into their respective spirit corridors and began moving to their pre-designated locations. Their movements were efficient, precise because they knew exactly what to do, and they all began using the spirit corridors to move to different places simultaneously.
"Shall we go too?"
After seeing everyone off, Dark-san appeared. Next to him, his spirit corridor was deployed.
Compared to the spirits contracted with Amina, it was considerably larger. Being dark attribute, the corridor looked dark.
"Yes, Dark-san, please.""Leave it to me. I want to confirm the strength of the golems I made myself too."
I nodded without hesitation and led the party members into the corridor.
"I've already connected it to the planned location.""What about the comm magic items?""Perfectly ready. Although, they're items we managed to put together with the help of non-combat spirits, connecting side tunnels. But they're more than sufficient for the spirits here to execute the operation."
We moved through the spirit corridor, advancing toward the Rainy Devil we had once fled from.
Just because it's a dark spirit's corridor doesn't mean it's pitch black and you can't see anything.
A purplish light, emitted from everywhere, illuminated the dim corridor.
It was the light from the spirit stones within Dark-san's corridor.
Thanks to that light, we could proceed smoothly.
And the place Dark-san guided us to was...
"Whoa, I can see it clearly, so clearly!"
The exit of the spirit corridor, connected to a place high enough to look down on the Rainy Devil from above.
I leaned out slightly from the exit and peered down. Below, I could see the Rainy Devil, still devouring monsters even now. A scene that proved time really hadn't passed.
"Commander, all units are in position."
I knew spirit corridors could connect to any location, but being able to prepare a vantage point overlooking the battlefield was almost like cheating.
Thinking that it wasn't possible in the game era, I turned around when Dark-san called me. Several magic tools, like the ones Lady Esmeralda used to communicate with the Duke, were set up, and the images of many spirits were displayed on them.
A brute force solution since one magic item couldn't handle calls with multiple people.
On the other side of those screens were the faces of the support spirits relaying information to the combat participants.
Hearing they were in position, I looked at the Rainy Devil from the corridor exit once more.
I visualized the locations of the spirit corridors that hadn't appeared yet.
"First wave... commence firing."
I turned and relayed it to Dark-san.
"First wave, commence firing!!!!"
Following that, Dark-san gave the order to the spirits on the other end of the comms.
Almost immediately after the order was transmitted, spirit corridors connected to this world opened simultaneously, with barely any misalignment.
Emerging from the spirit corridors that appeared surrounding the Rainy Devil were the tips of ballistae. Loaded on their tips were arrows made from wind dragon materials.
An action they had practiced so many times, it was tedious to count. Because of that, they surely pulled the triggers at the exact same time.
That was the signal to commence battle.
A volley of ballista arrows was fired simultaneously at the Rainy Devil, which couldn't react instantly to the suddenly appearing spirit corridors.
No matter how fearsome the Rainy Devil's resistance and defense were, being hit by a massive volley of arrows—arrows made from wind dragon materials, no less—caused its body to jolt and its movements to halt for an instant.
"Penetration confirmed!! Second wave, third wave, continue firing consecutively!"
Confirming that the arrows had indeed pierced the Rainy Devil's body, I issued the order for continuous attacks.