Ch.131Attack of the Beast-Men

The vertical passage connecting the platforms between the 3rd and 4th underground levels of the Korkas Mine was shrouded in dim darkness.

The metal elevator that normally traveled between the two floors had been thoroughly destroyed by the Dragoons’ beams and now lay crumpled on the floor 15 meters below. No light leaked in from the 4th underground level.

The only reason they could assess the situation below was thanks to the functioning lighting fixtures on the 3rd underground level.

“Alright, is everyone ready?”

“Ready whenever you are!”

“Hahaha! I’m itching to get into a fight!”

Ten Suowang clan members, including Fatum, stood at the platform entrance.

Each carried different weapons, but all wore construction helmets with small lanterns attached. Made for dwarves, the helmets looked somewhat cute on the Suowang clan members, but they weren’t wearing them for protection anyway.

“Good, front row of two, activate your helmet lanterns!”

“Helmet lanterns activated!”

The two Suowang youths standing in the front row turned on their helmet lanterns and shined the light down toward the platform below.

The situation 15 meters below became clearer, and soon heavy, thumping footsteps began to echo.

“As expected, defense forces are positioned in front of the platform.”

“Well, it’s a predictable tactic. Let’s see… one big one and four small ones.”

One large Dragoon and four small Dragoons that had entered the platform looked up to find the source of the light shining on the floor. But before beams could shoot from their heads, a heap of black coal dust poured down on them.

“Phyllis, if you please.”

“Fireball {Explosive Grenade}!!”

‘BOOM—-!!’

Phyllis’s fireball dropped toward the platform below, now covered in coal dust, and an earth-shaking explosion with flames shot up nearly 10 meters through the vertical passage.

Since no beams came flying through the flames and smoke, it seemed all the Dragoons, both large and small, had been completely obliterated.

“Mina, drop the fire-extinguishing sand!”

“Got it. Release!”

‘WHOOSH’

Sand sprayed from Mina’s Seismic Cracker, covering the platform that had turned into a fire scene.

One Seismic Cracker wasn’t nearly enough to fill the vertical passage, but it was just the right amount to use as fire-extinguishing sand.

“Fire suppression complete! All monsters are smashed to pieces!”

“Good, first team descend in order!”

“UOOOH~!!”

“KWANG~!”

The Suowang youths who had been waiting for the descent order launched themselves one by one toward the dark vertical passage below.

Though there were individual differences, it seemed the Suowang clan’s overwhelming physical abilities allowed them to jump down 15 meters without safety equipment.

After all ten Suowang members had jumped down, it was our turn to descend using the rope ladder.

“I could jump down too at this height.”

“You probably could, but it’s worrying for those watching.”

“What about the Suowang clan members?”

“They’re not my lovers, are they?”

While the five of us descended the rope ladder one by one, clanging noises echoed from below.

It was the sound of Fatum’s team blocking monster attacks with scale shields while smashing Dragoon heads with swords and throwing axes.

“All personnel descent complete~”

“Fatum! How’s the situation ahead?”

“Four monsters appeared in the passage! Just now… hiyah! Dealt with the last one!”

“Good, good. Smooth progress.”

Ten Suowang clan members arranged in two columns led the way, with Phyllis and Seti following behind.

I, Seti, and Mina guarded the rear, watching for monsters that might try to ambush us by detouring through the mine tunnels.

Packing close-combat personnel tightly in a narrow passage might seem inefficient, but considering their characteristics, I believe we can maintain our advantageous position.

“Monsters approaching from the front! 20 meters, count is 8!”

“First and second rows kneel! Third and fourth rows fire in sequence!”

“Third row, commence firing!”

“Fourth row, commence firing!”

The four members of the first row with shields and the second row with throwing axes lowered their stance, while the third and fourth rows with short bows fired arrows over the heads of those in front.

Arrows from short bows alone couldn’t inflict decisive damage on the approaching Dragoons, but with dynamite attached to those arrows, it was a different story.

“All Suowang members spread to the left and right!”

“Spreading left and right!”

“Flame Lance!”

‘BOOM-!!’

A flame lance cut through the Suowang clan members who had parted like the Red Sea, and four dynamite arrows lodged in the Dragoons’ bodies exploded simultaneously.

Six Dragoons were taken down. It was slightly disappointing not to eliminate them all at once, but confirming the effectiveness of dynamite was achievement enough.

‘As I thought… these creatures take damage from dynamite.’

I hadn’t realized it during the suicide bombing on the 3rd floor, but thinking about it later, I found it suspicious that Dragoons, classified as monsters, used dynamite for “suicide bombing.”

While dynamite is certainly dangerous, it shouldn’t be powerful enough to overcome a monster’s physical resistance and shatter them to pieces.

This had been bothering me, so I planned to verify the effectiveness of dynamite during today’s recapture operation, and now I had my answer.

The fact that Dragoons possess physical resistance had been cross-verified by both the dwarf and Suowang clans, so that was certain.

But for some reason, this physical resistance doesn’t work against mining dynamite.

It’s impossible. Jessica’s expression, having witnessed the recent battle, confirmed this fact.

“How could dynamite against monsters… no, come to think of it, on the upper floor…”

“Ah, that bothered me too. It seems their physical resistance doesn’t work against explosives.”

“That’s impossible. It’s been proven for ages that monster physical resistance doesn’t discriminate between forms of attack…”

“Then perhaps we’ve made another remarkable discovery. Of course, we can’t report it to the Pioneer Project Headquarters.”

A discovery of half-baked physical resistance that doesn’t work against dynamite.

Perhaps at the end of this recapture operation, a great secret beyond our expectations awaits us.

But now is the time to focus on fighting the approaching monsters.

The triumphant march of the Suowang extermination team slaughtering Dragoons cannot continue forever.

As we advance, the paths become more complex, monsters approach from multiple directions, and above all—

‘Pew! Pew!’

‘Crack!’

“Gah!?”

It’s about time for newcomers unfamiliar with scale shield operation to get injured as their shields start breaking.

“Second through fifth rows, close in from both sides! Injured personnel take shields to the very back! Seti, cover for a moment please!”

“Got it.”

As the Suowang youths split left and right again, the injured front-liner retreated, and Seti filled the gap with her shield.

To minimize shield consumption, having Fatum and Seti lead the front would be ideal, but it’s difficult for the small-framed Seti to perfectly cover the Suowang clan members standing behind her.

Therefore, Seti’s role is merely that of a pinch hitter, filling in while the shield bearer is being replaced.

“Don’t move and stay still. Heal Touch!”

“Mmm… thank you.”

The injured member came to the very back of the Suowang formation to be treated by Jessica, and the shield he brought was passed to Mina for damage assessment.

“Damage area is less than 20%! It’s still usable!”

“OK, reattach the scales and pass it forward.”

The scale shield deemed reusable is passed from the fifth row to the fourth, third, and second, as everyone’s position shifts forward one step.

A black panther-headed female warrior who was part of the attack team in the second row now takes charge of the shield in the front line.

Meanwhile, the battle with the Dragoons continued, and only after defeating five more did we finally get a chance to rest.

“Phew… the enemy’s attacks suddenly intensified.”

“Still, it’s much better than before since we can heal wounds with magic.”

“Hey, gunman! Can’t I use a new shield instead of a broken one?”

“Not a chance. Hang in there and use it sparingly.”

The black panther lady who had been diligently tanking with a shield shattered in the upper left corner makes a dissatisfied face.

She received a shield that was already one-fifth destroyed from the start, and now it’s broken even more, with only about two-thirds remaining, so she must be anxious.

But I have no intention of changing the strategy I initially communicated.

“Listen up, shield bearers. If you hide behind your shield when beams come flying, they’ll concentrate on one spot and quickly destroy it. Like Fatum, watch the trajectory of the beams carefully and move your shield to avoid getting hit repeatedly in the same spot.”

“That’s not something you learn overnight…”

“Fatum mastered it in half a day. You can do it too if you don’t panic. Even if you get injured, our team’s capable mage will make sure you don’t die. However…”

I deliberately paused for a moment, then continued in a slightly lowered voice.

“Even our capable mage can’t repair broken shields on the spot. The operation fails the moment all shields are destroyed, no matter how high everyone’s morale is or how many replacement scales we have left. We’ll be helplessly exposed to the monsters’ beam attacks, and we’ll lose not only our equipment but possibly lives as well.”

“……”

“If you don’t want that, keep your scale shields in optimal condition at all times. Absolutely avoid concentrated attacks that break through to the base, and don’t miss the timing to replace damaged scales. We’ve already reclaimed over a third of the 4th underground level, and we have seven shields and about 140 scales left. If we annihilate the monsters before these run out, we win.”

“Hmm! We can’t turn back after coming this far!”

“We’ll win! We must win!”

Despite the ongoing battles and injuries, the Suowang youths’ morale remained high.

After a short rest, we began moving forward again to complete the recapture of the Korkas Mine.