Chapter 86: Ch 86: Shifting the blame
"T-There is a huge monster coming our way. Everyone, aim for it. We need to take it down before it breaches the shield."
"Albus, you take the right. Shelly, support our squad. We will try our best to take that thing down before it gets too close."
The people fighting on the battlefield adapted to the sudden change quickly But fear clouded their judgment as they watched the new threat coming closer.
The new monster was twice the size of their largest building and at almost 100 feet tall, it looked like a colossal killing machine. Most hunters were too afraid to even move in front of the monster.
But Albus had experience with such monsters and he managed to grab hold of the situation and started attacking the monster at close range.
"Everyone, aim for the knees. The monster won’t be able to move if we manage to break them."
Rin yelled as soon as he saw what Albus was doing. Knowledge from the original novel flooded his mind and Rin seized every opportunity.
The only reason he was able to speak like this and be heard all the way across the battlefield was because of the support ability users and their unique skills. They allowed everyone to be connected and also made the transfer of information easier.
The people near the monster nodded at Rin’s words and immediately concentrated their firepower on the monster.
It was a successful attack and they managed to halt the monster’s movements.. But stopping him was a different matter altogether. The monster was still able to push itself to move, now even crawling on its knees.
But at least the speed had significantly dropped, which allowed them more time.
With only 1 hour and 30 minutes left, there was no need to expend their effort and kill the monster if they could halt its movements.
But monsters were not the only ones who were a problem here.
The chaos gave those seeking the fruit a chance to act. Rin noticed it immediately but he could only stop so many with Teressa.
About 20 people stormed toward the sacred tree to grab the fruit.
"L-Let me grab the fruit. If I have it, I can save us all."
"No, I will grab it and increase my power. I am an attacker and I can protect us all."
"You all are fools. The fruit should belong to a defensive hunter. That way, we can all remain safe."
People argued as they reached for the fruit. Rin had no choice but to take out a bomb and risk harming the sacred tree.
But he had no choice other than to throw the bomb if he wanted to stop these people from getting the fruit too early.
However, Rin did not have enough strength to throw the bomb accurately—
"Young Master, please allow me."
Collin extended his hand and Rin put the bomb in his hand. One second, his butler was clutching the bomb, the next it was soaring past Rin’s head and toward the sacred tree.
It hit its mark and everyone shouted as their limbs were frozen.
"W-What happened? I-I cannot move."
"The fruit is so close and yet-"
"I was almost there!"
Rin sighed in relief as he continued to watch the battlefield. The huge monster was still coming closer but every second it wasted felt like a victory.
The monster reached the sacred tree with 2 minutes left on the clock. It was time for Rin to act. But there was too much attention on the sacred tree for Rin to pluck the fruit.
’The best situation here would be for someone else to take the blame for my plan. But will someone dare to reach for the fruit?’
He doubted someone would be foolish enough to try and reach for the sacred tree now.
"Young master, look! Someone is trying to grab the fruit."
Collin pointed out and Rin finally noticed the hunter who had his hands on the sacred fruit. There was no way to know when he had reached the fruit, but this was an opportunity.
"Albus, the sacred tree’s fruit. Protect it."
Rin yelled, giving Albus the signal to act. The MC was cunning enough to get his message.
He was not surprised to see Albus turning around, but Shelly somehow reacted faster and rushed toward the person who was trying to pluck the fruit. It wouldn’t be easy..
[Sacred tree’s fruit has been plucked. All barriers will come down around the settlement. Please do your best to survive.]
"How did this happen?"
"There are so many monsters? W-What do we do now?"
People yelled as they were suddenly made to face wave after wave of monsters. However, Rin trusted they could handle themselves for two minutes.
The person who plucked the fruit tried to bite into it, but Shelly knocked the breath out of him. Her hand clutched the fruit and she threw the offender down the tree.
[Task three has concluded. All monsters will disappear now. Congratulations on surviving task three.]
Rin let out a sigh of relief as soon as he saw this message. But unfortunately, too many people had been injured, which made it difficult for him to celebrate his plan working.
"Anyone who’s injured, head to Reina. Those who cannot move and need help can signal the relief squad. Our first priority should be to ensure everyone survives."
Rin wished he could get everyone a healing potion, but it was impossible with his current finances. He was stuck with what he had.
Thankfully, they had two healers at hand and they could handle the situation (even if they were being overworked).
Rin was tired as well, but he could not allow himself to collapse right now.
"Sir, what should we do with these defaulters? Should we tie them up or something?"
Rin took a deep breath before making a decision.
"We can make that decision once everyone has rested. Shelly, you and Albus can come with me. I need you to do something else for me."
Rin called out to the pair and Shelly happily skipped over to him with the sacred tree’s fruit clutched in her hand.
No one said anything about it, nor did they make a move to take it from her. They all collectively agreed that Shelly deserved the fruit after saving it from someone else’s hands.
"Collin, please take care of the situation for me. I will be counting on you."
Rin left after handing over his responsibilities.