Chapter 252
[Main Quest #7]
- Defeat four lesser demons!
Join the students of Annwood Academy and vanquish the demons.
These demons are the treasured quadruplets of Lizbeth, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Eliminating them will significantly weaken Lizbeth.
From Area 1 to Area 4. Demons will appear every 6 turns.
You may move freely between zones at any time—before, during, or after battle (moving consumes 1 turn).
Each demon will disappear automatically 10 turns after it appears.
Earth Demon, Amonga (0/1)
Wind Demon, Kroga (0/1)
Fire Demon, Balmonga (0/1)
Water Demon, Mabelga (0/1)
Rewards: 200 EXP, 15 gold
Additional Rewards: ???
Failure Penalty: Lose 3 points from all stats for each demon that escapes
※ This quest cannot be declined.
As soon as the battle commenced, the quest window popped up, but I was unfazed.
'It's a quest I've seen many times before.'
It was also a quest that I, along with gamers worldwide, had never managed to clear.
The strict turn limit was daunting enough...
'It's because there's no way to capture Mabelga.'
At the brink of death, Mabelga activates a shield with a tremendous value of '10,000.'
This demon is notorious for inflicting the painful first quest failure and its severe penalties on players.
Given my current abilities, it's uncertain whether I can guarantee a victory against it. You can guess how challenging it must be.
'But right now, Mabelga isn't the priority. It's best to focus on the task at hand.'
Amonga. The first demon appearing in Area 1.
There was one unusual aspect this time.
'I expected as much... but it seems there’s no support from Dargon.'
The moment Amonga revealed itself, typically, Dargon, a 6th circle wizard, would cast a spell reducing Amonga's HP by 50% at the start of the fight.
However, there was no sign of that happening.
'This must be the consequence of having Principal Dwener assigned to the freshmen as the commander.'
I had hoped Dwener might show up and chip away at the demon's HP in a different manner, but there was no sign of him whatsoever.
Thus, it was clear we had to defeat Amonga solely with the strength of our party.
'Amonga's gimmick isn’t particularly threatening. The real problem is...'
It consumes the precious 'turns.' But that wasn’t the only issue.
'The second gimmick that should have activated on the first turn didn’t trigger either.'
It was to be expected.
The quadruplet demons have a structure where a new gimmick activates whenever their HP drops below 50%.
'Amonga's basic gimmick is to summon two earthworms every turn. And when it drops below 50%, it creates a stone labyrinth.'
By making access difficult and continuously summoning earthworms, it wastes the player's turns. In the harsh environment of Carpathia, few gimmicks are as frustrating.
Facing Amonga at 100% health, and without the additional gimmick activating, was the worst-case scenario.
However, it wasn't like there were no strategies available.
I'm a veteran player. Developing new strategies in such scenarios isn't a big deal for me.
'To implement that strategy... first, I need to eliminate the earthworms and get close to Amonga.'
[Turn 1]
I shifted the turn alarm to the corner and quickly surveyed the battlefield.
Six earthworms had appeared alongside Amonga.
One was already meeting a gruesome end at the hands of Luna and Teron, part of our temporary alliance.
It was an end so violent that it was beyond description except through mosaic censorship.
'Temporary alliances truly are a terrifying cliché!'
I nodded as I thought this.
Then, Daike executed his first original technique.
Scheitelhau.
Wham!
The ground shook slightly under the force of Daike's powerful downward strike.
One earthworm was cleanly bisected, a cut so precise it could have been featured as a dish in a restaurant.
Of course, I had no intention of eating it.
With that, four earthworms remained.
Thunk!
Crunch!
From somewhere, a blue mana bullet flew, crushing the head of one of the earthworms, which then ceased moving.
This was the handiwork of our makeshift ally, Rezé.
'So, she hadn't run away after all.'
Well, it was to be expected.
The only condition for Rezé to flee is 'when she becomes the target of an attack.'
Crackle-
'Certainly... not just the accuracy but the power of her attack is remarkable too.'
The earthworm was taken out in one shot—an extraordinary feat considering no critical hit occurred.
Squeal!
At that moment, another earthworm nearby made a bizarre noise.
I dashed lightly and reached it, bringing my sword down simultaneously.
Zero's first original technique.
Sincere Downward Strike.
Crack!
Screech!
The earthworm was cleaved so deeply its upper part almost touched the ground, emitting a scream.
Green liquid continuously spurted from the sliced part.
Squeal!
It was in a state so critical a slight touch could be lethal, yet it did not succumb to death.
While Daike and Rezé had each killed an earthworm, I had only managed to severely wound one.
It couldn't be helped. Most of my stat points had been gambled on potential.
Thankfully, some stats had been increased through high-level training with the Fleur Family Style; otherwise, I might not have even managed to halve its health.
That in itself was quite an achievement. And initially...
'How am I supposed to win against a sword filled with mana and a gun!?'
Of course, if I had used Divine Imitation to mimic techniques like One Flash or Sky Splitter, I might have killed the earthworm in one strike.
Yet, there was a reason I insisted on using my original technique.
Playing weak, preparing for future experiments, increasing proficiency—there were many reasons, but the main one was...
'I don’t want to show my real skills to Teron, who'll be the final boss of the second episode.'
Given that the situation was already full of variables, I didn't want to introduce any more.
Anyway, with that, our first turn ended.
What remained were Amonga and three earthworms. Not a bad harvest for the first turn.
Now it was the opponent's turn. The three earthworms attacked by spitting at us, but they couldn't inflict any significant damage.
After all, the one in front of me was on the verge of death.
As I shook off the green spit on my clothes, the demon cursed,
"Damn these insolent creatures!"
Crack- Crunch-!
With Amonga's cry, two new earthworms appeared.
The boss acting last is a hallmark of classic SRPG games.
Five earthworms and Amonga now went into rest mode.
[Turn 2]
Simultaneously, our second turn began.
I calmly analyzed the situation.
'Luna might struggle, but Teron should be able to kill an earthworm in one shot.'
If Teron, Daike, and Rezé each take one, and I finish off the severely wounded earthworm, we could manage four in total.
'Luna can either chip away at the remaining earthworm or approach Amonga to deal significant damage next turn.'
Just as I was about to give the orders...
"It's mine!"
"No, it's mine!"
Crack!
An earthworm met a terrible end at the hands of Luna and Teron.
The problem was that Teron attacked right after Luna.
'No, you two stop fighting over one!'
Scrape!
Thunk!
Crack!
Daike, Rezé, and I each took out one, as I finished off the severely wounded earthworm.
Although we succeeded in eliminating four, Luna's turn was wastefully spent.
Not good.
"Damn these insolent creatures!"
The turn passed, and Amonga summoned two more earthworms.
[Turn 3]
Currently, three earthworms and Amonga remain, with Amonga still at 100% health.
It's the third turn. Or rather, it was already the third turn.
In three more turns, the second demon would appear in Area 2.
'Moving alone consumes a turn. And yet...'
Amonga's health hadn't decreased at all, and the second gimmick hadn't activated either.
It was the worst situation.
Vyuern Family's first secret technique.
Explosion of Force.
Zzzwang!
Teron's fist burrowed into the abdomen of the earthworm.
"Hmph."
Teron brushed off the green fluid from his hand with a scoff, clearly mocking Luna.
'Can't you even kill such a bug in one strike?' he seemed to say.
Luna scratched her head in frustration.
"Ah! If only I could use my special techniques..."
Currently, Luna's One Flash was sealed by me.
If I allowed her to use it, she too could kill an earthworm in one turn...
'Teron seems aware of One Flash. If he finds out Luna can actually use the real One Flash... that might lead to complications.'
Once a feeble version, Luna's One Flash had now become quite formidable.
The Student Council President, Aywin, who belongs to the Herizeus family.
And Teron from the Vyuern family, one of the vassals following the Herizeus family.
The Herizeus family grew by defeating the Lester family, so Luna's survival would hardly be welcome.
In the worst case, 'he' might find out about Luna's existence.
'Dealing with him is still too much. No, I don't even intend to. My target is the final boss after all.'
It's what one might call the complications of adult matters.
From Luna's perspective, dying would obviously be undesirable, so it's best to proceed as I plan.
"Damn..."
Luna trembled, visibly upset.
'She can't use One Flash, I can't show my skills to Teron, it's already the third turn, but I still want to complete the quest.'
There's no helping it. With things as they are...
As if struck by a brilliant idea, I raised my index finger and spoke.
"Keke, such a contest should ultimately be about... catching the biggest one, right?"
"The biggest one?"
"The one that’s the largest."
Luna and Teron’s gaze shifted to the first demon, Amonga.
"What, what? Why are you looking at me like that!"
Amonga instinctively covered his body with his arms, clearly discomforted by their stares.
"It's a challenge!"
"Tch, no choice then. I'll play along."
Teron and Luna began sprinting straight toward Amonga.
In classic SRPGs, typical of this tile-based format, each turn usually grants one move and one action.
It's the third turn now. Teron had made an 'action' with his attack, but he hadn't 'moved' yet. So, moving now wasn't incorrect.
Crack!
Thunk! Whack!
The remaining two earthworms were finished off by Daike and Rezé.
With nothing else to do, I also moved straight towards Amonga.
"Kraaaa!"
Amonga summoned two more earthworms again.
[Turn 4]
Crack!
Thunk! Whack!
Daike and Rezé dispatched the newly summoned earthworms.
Now, only Amonga was left.
"The big one is mine!"
"Impudent! Try if you can!"
Teron and Luna, distracted by the big target Amonga, began to pummel him.
The demon Amonga looked almost pitiable.
"Kraaaaaak!"
There was no order. No rules. Certainly, no tactics. But.
'Everything is going according to plan.'
Yes. Amonga at 100% HP, something we had never faced before in the game.
The new strategy I devised for Amonga was simply...
'Just freaking beat him up.'
That’s right. Just beating the crap out of him was a simple solution after all.
--TL Notes--
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at /MattReading
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