Death March — Fixed

“Tek here, I think positioning is important, whether it’s in RPGs, Real-Time Strategies, or First-Person Shooters. You really can’t make light of terrain effect, you know.”

 

“Tek, enemies, a lot.”

 

Slightly after Mia speaks, Tama, who’s in the foremost position seems to have caught on to the sound of the Adventurer’s footsteps, “People coming?”

 

Pochi steps forwards from behind, putting one of her ears onto the ground beside Tama, “These sounds must be from insects.”

 

Arisa looks grave as she asks me the exact number of enemies, “How many are coming?”

 

“Are you asking about the enemies or the people?”

 

She replied quickly, “Enemies”, so I honestly told her that there are 300.

 

“Th-Three?”

“Master, advising withdrawal.”

“Master, I also agree with Nana.”

“Nn.”

 

I gently embrace Lulu, who’s trembling.

 

Everyone has judge correctly and carefully--muscle-brains who would want to fight enemies that are 40x their number shouldn’t go into a labyrinth.

 

“It’s alright?”

“It’s alright, it’ll be easy if we’re with master!”

 

They’re here, the muscle-brain girls.

 

Pochi and Tama stand by my sides and look at me with absolute trust, and then smile at the others.

 

I ask the two, while stroking their heads, “What would you do if you weren’t with me?”

 

“Of course, run away.”

“Helter-skelter, quick?”

 

Okay, so they’re not muscle-brains--they just trust me.

 

“Yup, that’s good. You shouldn’t fight enemies three times your number or more, even if they are lower-leveled than you.”

 

“What should we do when we we can’t avoid fighting them?”

“What do you think you should do?”

 

I answer Arisa’s question with a question.

 

“I guess, I would make use of any geographic advantages?”

“Correct, you should take a position where the enemies can’t make use of their superior numbers.”

“It’s the basic knowledge when I was solo-hunting in net games after all!” Arisa grinned with a thumbs up.

 

I nodded to her.

 

***

Now then, although we don’t have any obligations to save the unknown Adventurers, but there are finally some Monsters after quite a while. Let’s make them into Experience Points for everyone.

 

“There are people running away from the Monsters this time, so let’s fight to save them.” I propose entering the battle, while using a random reason.

 

Everyone immediately consented.

 

“Of course, when you’re not with me--you should run away at full speed, giving maximum priority to yours, and each other’s, lives. Okay?” I made sure to warn them.

 

We move back a bit, and encamp on the ramp which has a lot of piled-up debris, where it’s easy to fight many enemies. Here, the rearguards should be able to send Magic and long-ranged attacks from behind, over the heads of the vanguards.

 

There are two problems however, the first being that we can only see around 50 meters ahead since the corridor is curved. The second is that we can’t place traps in the passage, since there are Adventurers running this way.

 

As insurance, I invoke Remote Arrows, hiding them in the shadows of the ceiling. Of course, I’ve properly restrained myself, and only created no more than 30.

 

***

A party that consist of Rabbitkin and Ratkin are running this way from beyond the corridors. Behind them are a party of male Humans, and the last in line are a party of Human females, and baggage-carrying children--although they still can’t be seen.

 

“Run!”

“Oy, you guys, a group of Monsters are coming, y’know?”

“If you don’t want to get eaten, don’t be confused and just run!”

 

The party of Demi-Humans give unanimous warnings to run, while they pass beside us. The three of them are level 17 - 20 Warriors.

 

Next, only three of the party of Human males are Adventurers, the two men with good physiques who follow after them are baggage carriers, and also seem to be slaves.

 

“Oy, you slaves, if you drop the jar of ant nectar, I’ll cut off your limbs and feed them to the ants.”

 

The Adventurer who’s rebuking them is level 20, the highest among this group, both slaves are only level 8.

 

“Besso. Beautiful Wing have fallen behind.”

“Hmm, it’s too bad about Gena, but we won’t be in the red if we have a jar.”

“You’re right, let’s run while they’re getting eaten.”

 

They only glanced at us, passing by us.

 

The female Adventurers are coming, way later than those two groups. Among the four, two are Adventurers, while the remaining two are baggage carriers. Once of the carriers seems to have injured one of her legs, and the other is leading her by the hand, trying to pull her along.

 

“You people over there! Run! There’s an outbreak of Labyrinth Ants.” One of the women shouts to us. She’s in her early twenties, and quite beautiful--charming even

 

In her hands are wooden short-spear with a bronze tip and a wooden shield, she wears an armour comprised of cloth with wood sewn onto it.

 

“Do you guys have a Smoke Ball, or a Flash Ball? If not, you’ll get caught up.” The other woman is 20 years old, and very beautiful. With high cheekbones, plump lips, and thin nose, her emerald green eyes stand out. Her hair is bundled up in a bun--her name is Gena.

 

Unfortunately, we don’t have either of the items she was asking about. The Fireworks Magic could work in their place, distracting the Monsters and let us run if we wished--but it’s faster to just use Fireball to burn the Ants instead.

 

The two of them stand a distance beside us and hold their breaths as they watch the baggage carriers approaching.

 

“Iruna, help! The Ants! The Ants!”

 

“Sister, I’m fine already, you should escape alone.”

 

The Labyrinth Ants, that are as big as a Human, are chasing the two--who are displaying sisterly love--from behind.

 

I signal to Pochi and Tama.

 

“Aye.”

“Yah.”

 

The stones that the two throw get a clean hit on the Ant that’s going to bite the sisters. The Ant, which had lost its balance, tumbled to the ground and entangled the legs of the other ants. About 30 end up falling over, and the rush stops--the remaining 270 haven’t arrived yet.

 

Of course, the tumbling of the Ants isn’t a coincidence. I secretly used Magic Hand on the Labyrinth Ants, to trip them up.

 

I nod to Liza, who had been keeping her eyes on me.

 

“Nana, provoke them. Rearguards, begin shooting.”

 

I had worked with Mara, and made Magic Tools similar to Magic Shotguns. I had given one each to those in the rear.

 

Arisa, Mia, and Lulu; the rearguard prepare their Magic Shotguns, standing in the safety zone that is prepared at the top of the ramp.

 

“You worker Ants! I’m telling you to overwork yourselves to death!” Nana’s provocation works, and the Ant’s hostility is directed over here--that’s fine and all, but please stop with the ‘overworked to death’ part…since it hurts my heart.

 

After Nana had attracted attention, the three rearguard fired their shotguns. The distance was a little far, so a lot of the scattered bursts of Magic missed the targets--but there were so many that there was a bit of damage.

 

“Pochi, Tama, let’s go.”

“Assent?”

“Acknowledged!”

 

Liza attacks while leaving the usual red afterglow from her Magic Spear, each swing is so overwhelming that she kills an Ant with each of her blows.

 

Tama puts Magic Power into her two Magic short-swords, and defeats the Labyrinth Ants in graceful movements, looking as though she’s dancing.

 

Against small fries like this, the dual-wielding Tama is the fastest at decimating them.

 

Pochi has also gotten used to putting Magic Power into her Magic Sword, she moves in lines while she accurately aims her Magic short-sword at the gaps in the Labyrinth Ants’ shell, defeating them.

 

Nana deals with the Ants that have gathered because of her provocation by just using Shield Bash, with her massive Great-Shield. Her strength has been increased by Physical Reinforcement, she’s moving with the goal to push the Ants back, rather than trying to kill them.

 

She probably learned this way of fighting in the Spriggan Trial Ground.

 

Since the Labyrinth Ants are only around level 10 - 12, it seems that the girls find them unsatisfactory.

 

“Amazing, they’re easily defeating those hard Labyrinth Ants.”

“The Magic earlier might have weakened the Ants’ defenses.”

 

The two female Adventures have lent their shoulders to the carrier sister, carrying them here. At first, Liza was going to help them, but it looks like she has judged that assistance is unnecessary.

 

It seems that they saw the Magic Shotgun attacks earlier as some form of Debuff Magic.

 

Of course, the shotguns don’t have any Defense Lowering effect, or anything like that.

 

“Noble, we’re saved.” The charming one, who seems to be the leader of the party of female Adventurers, talks to me.

 

We’re in the middle of battle, but since there’s enough room for it, it’s fine. Moreover, I want to ask something. For some reason, everyone who has met me has seen through me as a noble in one glance. I want to know the reason.

 

“Don’t mind it. Rather, can I ask something.”

“O-Of course, I will absolutely reward you when we get back to town.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. How do you know that I’m a noble?”

 

The beauty, Gena, is treating the younger baggage carrier’s leg. While the older baggage carrier is kneeling on the ground panting, trying to adjust her breathing, and she isn’t looking around.

 

The Adventurers look slightly awkward, but then the one called Iruna answers my question, “Because, you’re wearing such a high-class robe in a labyrinth like this.”

 

I see, so it’s a problem with the clothes. However, I would have thought that it’s normal for a Mage to wear a robe.

 

“Moreover, you’re hanging such an expensive-looking sword on your belt.”

 

Even though I properly arranged Nana and the others’ Magic Swords with plain scabbards, I forgot my own sword.

 

“Moreover.”

 

There’s still more, huh?

 

“Only nobles bring those, maids in their dresses, into the labyrinth.”

 

Ahh, I overlooked it because it’s their usual attire.

 

Lulu took a great liking to, and now wears a maid uniform, and Arisa is cosplaying a Combat Main--wearing a uniform I helped her design, and she sewed, after getting carried away late at night.

 

They may look like that, but their defense is even higher than normal metal armour that knights wear.

 

While we are having our discussion, Liza and the others are resolutely exterminating the enemies. The rearguard troupe are free after the first attack, since they’re completely safe.