Ch.167The Special Skill of a Competent Sniper

The Lightning Bolt aimed at the Orc Shaman unfortunately failed to fulfill its purpose.

The Orc Lord, noticing the surprise attack, blocked it by stepping in front and raising his shield.

“KWAAAARGH!!”

Though it didn’t penetrate the shield, the Lightning Bolt that struck the metal shield demonstrated the distinctive conductivity of lightning magic, delivering a powerful shock to the Orc Lord’s body.

It was quite a moving sight—the leader of the pack throwing himself forward to protect the shaman.

Indeed, if not for that covering just now, the Orc Shaman would have been killed instantly with his heart pierced before he could even cast his specialty black magic.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t take him down.”

“It’s not your fault, Phyllis. That one’s impressive. And we’re still controlling the battle situation.”

“Huh? Weren’t we supposed to be at a disadvantage once the orcs closed the distance and started shooting arrows? Especially with the shaman there.”

“Watch how they’re moving, Mina. Do they look like they’re approaching to prepare for a volley?”

“…Oh?”

I handed the binoculars to Mina while pointing at the orc pack below the hill. After examining their movements, she tilted her head in confusion.

With Phyllis’s sniper shot having failed, the orcs had the advantage in ranged combat.

That assessment itself was undeniably true.

Assuming both sides—us and the orc pack—had detailed knowledge of each other’s capabilities.

“We know most of their attack methods and effective range. But they don’t. They have no idea how many more giant ice boulders might roll down, how frequently lightning bolts that far outrange their weapons might strike, or what other attack methods we might possess.”

Let’s consider the recent siege from the orcs’ perspective.

Huge house-sized ice boulders appeared out of nowhere on the empty hilltop and rolled down with terrifying momentum, and lightning with nearly twice the range of their bows almost took the shaman’s life.

Even with all their combat experience against adventurers, they’re facing an opponent they can’t easily counter.

“No matter how brave a commander is, they can’t recklessly order a full charge in this situation. And of course, they can’t leave the shaman’s side either. We just need to keep making and rolling ice, then shoot down with Phyllis’s rifle any orc that somehow manages to dodge and get within 120 meters.”

After hearing my explanation, Jessica nodded and created another spherical ice boulder in front of the lever.

From now on, it’s a battle of wits.

We’re pretending to be adventurers who’ve occupied the hilltop with the intention of thoroughly destroying their encampment with ice attacks, while demonstrating that we have plenty of means to take down any approaching orcs.

‘Plus, the fact that the orcs’ encampment is located at the bottom of the hill works in our favor.’

A fortress that relies primarily on bows for defense should be positioned on high ground to maximize its potential.

Not only can you spot enemies quickly, but shooting downward from a height offers significant advantages in both range and power compared to shooting upward.

Building a fortress at the bottom of a hill is also dangerous because it allows enemies to use water-based attacks or rolling boulders as siege weapons.

Despite this, the orcs probably established their encampment at the bottom of the hill because they considered the risk of exposure to enemy sight greater than the advantages of scouting or defensive positioning.

Unless a mutant Lord is always born among them, orcs are considered one of the weaker species in Grantis’s ecosystem.

“Fifth round loaded!”

“Diamond Dust!”

“Let’s go, Setty! One, two, three!”

The battle across the hill proceeded entirely in our favor, just as I had predicted.

Jessica continuously created ice boulders using the artifact’s power, while Mina and Setty enthusiastically rolled them down.

Even this alone was remarkably effective in keeping the advancing orc warriors at bay.

A monster’s physical resistance isn’t like a game’s nullification ability that simply deflects physical attacks with a “ping.”

The kinetic energy created by several tons of weight and velocity easily tosses and flings an orc’s body, which weighs only in the hundreds of units.

Even if their flesh doesn’t tear or bones don’t break, even if they don’t feel pain, it’s still effective enough to push back orcs trying to climb the hill and damage their equipment.

‘Bang!’

“Gweeek!?”

Of course, there are brave orcs who manage to dodge the rolling ice boulders and climb the hill.

But such orcs only meet their end with Phyllis’s white magic bullets piercing between their eyes, causing them to collapse.

Our position is at the top of a steep hill.

Not only does it somewhat offset the range advantage of short bows, but while the orcs are constantly exposed, we can hide from their sight simply by taking a step back and crouching.

Thus, in ranged combat, the element of elevation can greatly determine the effectiveness of tactics.

That’s why they say:

“I have the High Ground.”

“Will, the rifle’s cooldown is over.”

“Oh, excellent. How about you, Jessica? Can you still manage?”

“Honestly, I’m quite tired… but I can handle one or two more times.”

Jessica’s seemingly endless ice creation is finally reaching its limit.

Regardless of the infinite magical power supplied by the artifact, the act of using magic causes fatigue to the caster’s body and mind.

If we compare a mage to a car, magical power is merely the fuel.

Even with an infinite supply of gas, driving tens or hundreds of thousands of kilometers without rest would cause the engine to overheat and break down.

“Everyone, cease fire. Let’s give the orcs a moment to catch their breath.”

“You’re planning to let the orc pack approach? We haven’t taken down either the Lord or the shaman yet.”

“Taking them down one by one would be endless. It’s time to prepare one big strike.”

The continuous harassment from the hilltop, the rifle shots targeting warriors who break through.

Add to that the lightning that could strike at any moment—the Orc Lord’s patience must be reaching its limit.

In that situation, what would happen if our attacks suddenly stopped as if by some lie?

‘There’s a 70 percent chance they’ll charge up hoping for a reversal, and a 30 percent chance they’ll retreat.’

Staying put and cautiously observing isn’t an option.

If we resume our attack, they’ll face one-sided destruction again, and if we retreat now, from the orcs’ perspective, they would have been beaten up without gaining anything in return.

Similarly, choosing to retreat isn’t easy for them either.

They’ve had two reconnaissance units completely wiped out by just five adventurers, their main camp thoroughly destroyed, and the Orc Lord himself injured.

In that situation, to flee without even attempting a counterattack?

If they had the intelligence to make such a cool-headed and cautious decision, they would have prepared countermeasures against enemies occupying high ground in advance.

“KRORARARA~!!”

“GWEEEK! GWEEEK~~!!”

As I predicted, the Orc Lord rallied his subordinates with a thunderous roar and launched a final counterattack.

To protect the shaman from Lightning Bolts, he positioned himself in front, arranging shield-bearing orcs around to establish a thorough defensive formation.

The enemy still numbers around 30, including the Orc Lord and the shaman.

Since Phyllis’s rifle seems to be our only means of delivering fatal blows, our kill count hasn’t risen much despite all the harassment.

“It’s truly incredible how everything is going exactly as Will intended.”

“In my homeland, we have a saying: ‘Fights aren’t about winning; they’re about pissing off your opponent.'”

Additionally, in my homeland of South Korea, there exists a traditional folk game where people enjoy virtual warfare by choosing one of three factions.

And in that folk game, there appears a capable sniper unit with very ‘special’ skills.

“Jessica and Phyllis, prepare to snipe… no, to ‘bombard.'”

“Got it.”

“The three of us will go out and draw some aggro.”

I took Setty and Mina to the ridge, fully exposing ourselves to the orcs’ sight for the first time.

In the orcs’ eyes, do we appear as warriors preparing for a final battle with death in mind, or as contemptible pranksters continuing to mock them until the end?

Either way, what matters now is that the 30-some orcs climbing the hill have stopped and begun drawing their bows.

And the fact that a massive fiery destruction is about to be launched from Phyllis’s gun barrel to swallow them whole.

The distance to the enemy is about 120 meters—well within Phyllis’s attack range without needing to extend it.

“Fire.”

“Fireball {Incendiary Grenade}!!”

With a heavy thud, a crimson fireball passes through rings of layered magical inscriptions.

A different formula from what was prepared for Lightning Bolt—one focused entirely on maximizing the spell’s destructive power.

The Fireball, charged with that immense magical power to its limit, became a small golden sun, falling toward the center of the densely packed orc formation.

Faced with this sight, not a single brave orc could draw their bowstring toward me.

“Nuclear Launch Detected.”

After muttering the nostalgic narration that came to mind, I leaped backward over the hill with Setty and Mina.

The five of us flattened ourselves against the ground just as the massive violence descended beyond the hill.

‘KWAKWAKWABOOM—–!!’

An enormous roar and flash shook heaven and earth.

Indeed, a sniper’s ultimate technique is nuclear. Yep.