Chapter 311
Unfortunately, the negotiations with Kon didn't progress.
It wasn't so much a mutual issue, but rather, Kon couldn't prepare the compensation for the terms I presented, so the negotiations were postponed to a later date.
From my perspective, this delay isn't very welcome.
However, that doesn't mean I want to sell my information cheaply either.
He promised to secure good terms through negotiations with his home country involving Duke Edelgard, so I suppose I just have to wait for that.
"It's a hassle having to be careful not to be spied on secretly.""What's wrong?""Nothing, just talking to myself."
I doubt they'd do anything that could cause an international incident if discovered, but just in case, and considering surveillance from other factions, we must maintain proper counterintelligence measures.
Thinking about having the covert ops from the Edelgard Ducal House bring some treats later, I watched the battle unfolding in the dungeon.
"Is this what they call 'Amina Unstoppable'?""Unstoppable?""It means incredibly strong.""That's right. Whether Ms. Amina participates or not makes a big difference in the soldiers' combat ability."
The average level of the Edelgard Ducal House's private soldiers is approaching Class 4.Considering that Clarice's western faction's average level is around the beginning of Class 3, ours is quite advanced.
And we have now entered the final adjustment stage to raise *all* of the Edelgard Ducal House's private soldiers to Class 4.
In essence, we're trying to get everyone to the Class 3 cap.
We leveled up to Class 3 using Matango, but with Amina's buffs and Lady Esmeralda's support in a pinch, we can level in a place like this even without Ingrid.
"Wooooooh!! I'm not cold!! I'm not cold!!""I won't lose to some penguins!!""We have Lady Amina's blessing!!"
Yeah, I think one member of the Amina Fan Club snuck in there, but I'll ignore it.
The dungeon we're in now is nicknamed the Penguin Dungeon.
This is a Class 4 dungeon, and its boss is Class 5, making it equivalent in rank to the Swamp Dragon dungeon.
The plan is for the Class 4 soldiers, equipped with the Practitioner's Bracers, to act as damage dealers, while the Class 3 soldiers provide support, allowing them to gain massive experience and level up quickly.
However, the number of soldiers entering this dungeon is large. Naturally, if multiple soldiers challenge a single monster, the experience is distributed, slowing down the leveling process.
But there exist raid dungeons, where enemies come in hordes, which can compensate for the numbers.
The surrounding area is a blizzard, a harsh environment. We set up heating devices near the entrance, stayed there for an hour, and are now marching while using talismans for warmth, currently fighting Soldier Penguins.
These Soldier Penguins have a fancy appearance, looking like cute penguins wearing helmets, holding shields, and carrying short swords. But don't let their looks fool you.
"They're coming! Raise your shields!"
A bit of penguin trivia: Penguins walk with a cute waddle, but in reality, they have legs folded and stored inside their small bodies.
Not that penguins can extend those legs to move fast, but in this world, the Soldier Penguins...
"Don't let them penetrate!!"
...use those folded legs like springs to launch themselves forward, charging in like kamikaze fighters.On top of that, their beaks are hard, and they peck at you with them so much you want to yell, "Is that sword just for decoration?!"
It's a fearsome attack, enough to make the Captain, who just reached Class 4, secured an epithet with his job, and became a Legendary Knight, raise his voice.
That said, there are plenty of holders of the Legendary Knight epithet here, so it's not special at all. But the Knight job is excellent, allowing tank maneuvers to protect allies with its unique skill.Furthermore, while inferior to dedicated roles, it's a balanced job with shouts that boost morale and stats, decent in both offense and defense.
It's arguably a highly utilized job among those adopted for military use.Unlike my specialized job like Assassin, it's a job recommended as easy for anyone to use, so many people used it in FBO too.
With a crashing sound, the battle between the penguins and the knights begins.
If you can gather the numbers, there's no place with better experience efficiency than a raid dungeon.
The drawback, however, is that the field is narrower than a normal dungeon, and a number of monsters disproportionate to that narrowness converge and rush at you all at once.
In short, if you don't prepare a force capable of countering the numbers, you'll be overwhelmed in no time.
And on top of that, the respawn rate is high.
Even I wouldn't consider challenging this dungeon with just one under-leveled party, let alone an equal-level one.Even with Amina's buffs, Nel's power, and Lady Esmeralda's area control, we couldn't handle the sheer volume.
But conversely, it's a perfect dungeon for gaining massive experience.
"Ah, I think the buffs are about to wear off soon, so I need you to sing one song!""Leave it to me!!"
Moreover, dungeons like this are where song buffs like Amina's really shine.
To avoid becoming completely reliant on them, we're not applying full buffs, but even just one song makes the battlefront advantageous for the knights.
"Woooooooooh!!!!""The blood's pumping nowwwww!!!""All hail Lady Amina!!!!!"
The Knight job, while physically oriented, fulfills various roles from tank to attacker.There was that strange person mixed in again, but I ignored it and kept watching the front lines.
Level-wise, they are lower than appropriate, but with EXBP and Amina's song, they are fighting on equal or better footing.For the Class 3 soldiers, this is a delicious source of experience due to the higher-level enemies.
And since it's a dungeon with only physical attackers who don't use magic, it's easy to form a battle line.
"Now, everyone! While the knights hold the front line, unleash your magic freely!!"""""""Yes, ma'am!!""""""
Because they are easy to handle, the rear guard can participate in the attack with peace of mind.Among the Edelgard Ducal House soldiers, Mages and Healers are few.This is because securing their skills is difficult, but here, a hundred Mages are lined up under Lady Esmeralda's command.
It's fair to say these people are developing smoothly precisely because we have Nel, the cheat.
Even without trying hard, the Edelgard Ducal House probably has the greatest military power in this country now.
Since I'm raising everyone here to Class 7, wouldn't it be easier for me if they just took control of this country? I thought such a strange thought while feeling satisfied that the training was progressing smoothly.
The coordination between vanguard and rearguard seems good too; you can tell they trust each other.
The elements of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind rain down upon the penguins.The attributes aren't unified because specializing would lower their adaptability.
They could lock things down with Lightning and Ice like Lady Esmeralda, but securing the necessary skill scrolls makes that impossible, and we haven't had time to perfectly select their jobs either.
It's inferior to the Demon King, but please forgive them as they have the Archmage job.
As the magic rains down incessantly, the number of Soldier Penguins rapidly decreases, and we move to the next stage.
"The boss is coming!!""All personnel! Prepare the anti-boss formation!!"
With heavy, thudding footsteps, a giant penguin about 10 meters tall approaches.The mane on its head is shaped like a crown.
A sharp gaze, and the imposing presence felt because it believes itself to be the king.
Emperor Penguin.
The troublesome thing about this guy isn't just its own strength, but also its buff skills that strengthen the Soldier Penguins and its ability to use ice magic.
However, its buff ability is inferior to Amina's, and strength-wise, it's not that strong compared to other physical attacker bosses.Its ice magic isn't something to be overly wary of compared to Lady Esmeralda's.
"Messenger!!""Yes, what is it?"
Just as the intense war between the soldiers and the penguins was reaching its climax, a messenger soldier came running up to me.
He saluted, so I returned the salute.
"A message from the Captain!! All personnel have reached the Class 3 level cap!"
He brought good news.Well, everyone finishing their leveling is good.The next leveling phase will be tougher, but for now, let's be happy this stage is done.
"I see, understood. Ms. Esmeralda, what about the Mage troops?""I was just coming to report that. All personnel have reached the level cap. We can defeat it anytime without issue."
Perfect timing. The rearguard troops' leveling was also complete, and we moved to the stage of defeating the Emperor Penguin.
"Understood. Then tell the Captain, 'I won't intervene. Try to defeat it with your own strength.'""Understood!!"
The easiest way would be for me to step in here, but that's hardly the point.Considering the need to let them gain experience, it's best to leave it to the soldiers.
"Ms. Esmeralda, no intervention from you either. Let your subordinates handle the fight.""Understood. In that case, I entrust command to you. Coordinate with the soldiers fighting on the front lines and seize victory.""Understood!!"
I might intervene if it gets dangerous, but they don't seem like the type to rush headlong for glory, so just watching over them is probably best.
Amina is still happily singing away.We've limited her to using only the Song of Acclaim, but even that should be a sufficient tailwind for the soldiers.
"If we're short on time, wouldn't it be better if we went to the front lines?""Combat experience can only be learned in actual battle. Rather than me doing everything, the experience of defeating it themselves, even if it takes a bit more time, is more valuable.""These blades might one day be turned against you, you know?"
As I watched the battlefield, Lady Esmeralda stood beside me, questioning whether we should really be training them.
"It's a bit late for that now."
That question is truly coming a bit late.I'm training them because it's necessary to defeat Azidahaka, but what I'm doing is essentially tightening the noose around my own neck with all my might.
The source of my strength is my FBO knowledge.If that advantage is overturned, hardship awaits.
In this world, that could be a fatal blow.
But for me, it doesn't make much difference.
"If my opponents become as strong as me, I just have to win, that's all."
I fought countless battles against players of equal level in FBO.If the soldiers here reach that stage, it just means things have become like the game.
"Besides, I plan to have them search for the Class 8 and beyond leveling conditions themselves. So, I wonder how many years it will take them to find it?""And how far do you intend to go, Liberta, in the meantime?"
Moreover, I doubt the inhabitants of this world can figure out the abstruse EXBP conditions for Class 8.
"Of course, I'll keep going until I become the strongest."