Ch.6060. After the Raid

After the Ogre Attack Incident

After storing the spoils (the ogre’s corpse) in Sophia’s “storage,” our party gathered in Tarasque’s conference room to discuss the recent battle.

The main topic was our poor performance.

“This time… I think we were truly stupid.”

“The Prophet agrees.”

In this battle, we had the advantage not only in available combat power but also in resources (magical energy). Despite this advantage, the outcome was barely a victory that just managed to leverage our superiority.

Looking back, it was problematic that we fought almost evenly despite such a significant difference in combat power.

While the enemy had only one magic user (the Ogre Shaman) with the rest being armed ogres, our side had the advantage of being able to move according to our respective roles at various points, yet we failed to capitalize on this.

If we had faced an enemy of equal rank, we would have been defeated long ago. Although the battle ultimately ended in victory, the process was truly a spectacle.

Everyone acted independently, not only lacking detailed coordination but also showing off with “look how strong I am,” while highlighting each other’s weaknesses, resulting in us barely managing to deal with the ogres.

At this point, without lengthy discussion, we reached an implicit agreement.

“…Let’s prepare for cooperation.”

“…Yes.”

If we don’t want to be wiped out when facing a strong enemy in the future, we need to prepare from now on.

First, Sophia and I started with position assignments.

Where should each of us be positioned during battle? Simple, but for cooperation, it’s better to prepare such basic things in advance.

-Front line :: Hydra, Robo (Fenrir), Corin (Thunderbird)

-Middle line :: Gregory (Wild Assembly Druid), Squeakers (Shadow Rat Swarm), Astra (Silver Deer)

-Back line :: Sophia (Celestial Assembly Druid), Minerva

“…So, it looks something like this.”

After classifying our roles according to battle positions, I, Sophia, and our animal friends in the meeting reached the same conclusion.

“The Prophet thinks there’s no problem with the balance of role groups.”

“I agree. I think our issue was with coordination.”

There’s no major problem with the personnel composition in each position; the real issue is our lack of cooperative combat experience.

Hydra, with its lethal venom and size, has excellent killing power at mid-range, and can serve as the extremely rare “tank” role based on its durability and regenerative ability to withstand enemy attacks.

Thunderbird Corin can fly and deliver powerful lightning attacks, while Fenrir Robo boasts well-rounded stats as a typical light warrior front-liner. Though not exceptionally durable, they serve as close-range dealers with high mobility and excellent firepower.

Silver Deer Astra uses outstanding agility to move across the battlefield, healing those most likely to be wounded in the middle line and supporting with enhancement magic. If necessary, it can also directly join the front line battle.

Squeakers can be used as a hidden card for ambushes, leveraging its swarm characteristics and high attack power. In game terms, it’s like an assassin or thief role, and can also be quite capable in reconnaissance and scouting.

I am basically a Wild Assembly Druid, but thanks to various equipment and tools compensating for my shortcomings, I can adopt different tactics or positions depending on the situation.

Minerva in the rear line is valuable just for being a “flying intermediate magic user.” If there’s no ranged attack method, she can kite and outmaneuver enemies.

Celestial Assembly Druid Sophia can use special area attacks that would be less efficient if I used them. Additionally, she can provide utility when needed based on her astrological divination abilities.

Thus, looking at each element individually, we have a combination that wouldn’t be outmatched anywhere, but the reality was disastrous.

The two high-speed magical beasts interfered with each other’s movement lines, and by hovering near the Hydra, they hindered its mid-range area poison attacks.

Astra wasted magical energy haphazardly, unable to act effectively in the complex battlefield, while our Squeakers at least did their part properly.

Sophia temporarily left the front line to prepare a decisive blow, so she wasn’t much help in the actual battle for a while… though that’s not entirely accurate.

Sophia was just fulfilling her role, but we both judged that it wasn’t a particularly positive choice.

For someone assigned as Tarasque’s pilot, her control skills were inadequate, and the spells cast through Tarasque could have potentially caught allies in their effect.

Even I, as their center and implicit leader, failed to guide them, instead leaving everyone to fight on their own despite never having properly coordinated before.

And… the solution to these problems ultimately comes down to the obvious and fundamental answer.

“I guess the only way is to wait for time to pass…”

“The Prophet thinks we need training.”

Creating organic coordination between us through repeated training and practice. It might sound cliché and boring, but rather than a brilliant solution… this fundamental approach is probably the right answer.

That was the conclusion reached by me, Sophia, and our animal friends.

※ ※ ※

Since that day, training time was added to our schedule.

We reformed one of the previously empty spaces into a training ground, then made time to practice repeatedly and coordinate with each other.

Since everyone had plenty of time to spare, most participated enthusiastically in this training. As a result, we began to feel our improvement in coordination and cooperation, giving momentum to our training efforts.

Meanwhile, Sophia and I also focused on strengthening our combat power.

We steadily practiced druid magic by exploring the mysteries of nature, filling empty mental images, and building spiritual selves… which might sound like some Buddhist or Taoist cult, but it was our way of training.

However, such “research” is a long-term project that doesn’t yield results in just a day or two. Therefore, for “immediate combat enhancement,” we chose to replace equipment using the accumulated materials.

While the intermediate Fell Wolf leather cloak I’m currently using is certainly excellent material, it can’t compare to this magnificent dragon’s hide or scales.

Anyway, the main material we chose for our new equipment was Swamp Dragon leather. After what was consumed in Tarasque’s construction, there was just enough left to make equipment for both of us.

“It’s really hard. This… really feels like metal.”

“…The Prophet feels tremendous mystery from it. A mystery without any particular direction.”

The first piece of equipment we made was a breastplate, decided upon to protect the torso, a critical area if damaged.

This breastplate was crafted by processing dragon hide into a vest that completely covers the torso, then meticulously attaching dragon scales to the surface, making it look like scale armor.

Of course, beyond durability, the key is the protective magic imbued in it, which not only enhances the armor’s defense and durability but also raises the wearer’s physical durability to the level of wearing full-body armor.

In other words, there’s no need to prepare a cumbersome helmet to worry about stray projectiles.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the ogre hide that came in—surprisingly tough and sturdy like steel despite being animal skin—we also created a robe using both ogre hide and Swamp Dragon leather with excellent performance.

This cloak, featuring an ogre leather hood to protect the head in case of emergencies, has a triple-layered structure.

The outermost layer is ogre leather, which boasts excellent defense against both physical and magical attacks; just below is dragon scale, a natural material comparable to adamantium; and the inner lining is dragon hide, which has superior magic resistance.

The core of the magic imbued in the robe is defense, specifically counter-defense. It complements defense against enemy attacks with its own durability, while incorporating a mechanism to offset powerful enemy attacks.

The power of magic that forms pseudo-dragon scales by releasing magical energy to the surface at the moment of impact will excel at reducing the power of attacks more than anything else.

“You want to bring in external life forms?”

“Yes. As Tarasque’s co-creator, the Prophet suggests so.”

And… beyond this, we discussed several ideas for power enhancement, and one particularly convincing opinion was to bring in external life forms.