Chapter 49: To the Forest 4
The party felt completely at ease.
There was nothing to worry about on a mere 12th floor.
Grace's keen senses easily detected the lurking Moss Wolf, and even if I didn't step up for the Helmeted Deer's sudden charge, Irene's protective shield would take care of it.
And when it came to goblins and kobolds, Kaiden, an expert with the sword, easily took them down.
'Fortunately, she's not swinging a katana like some kind of samurai lady.'
Interestingly, she used a long one-handed sword and didn't carry a shield.
Occasionally, she'd swing it with both hands.
Despite my worries based on Rebecca's description, expecting a katana-wielding samurai was misplaced.
After all, Kaiden wielded a straight-bladed one-handed sword.
I assume her 'Sword Princess' title has something to do with a family tradition in swordsmanship.
Her movements effortlessly deflected poisonous needles and stones slung from slingshots.
She was a solid addition to the group.
Even when a dozen monsters turned the battlefield into chaos and confusion, she remained unshaken.
"Kaiden, behind!"
An arrow shot straight between the eyes of a goblin.
This goblin had been hiding in the bushes, readying to throw a stone at the back of Kaiden's head.
Grace's ability to spot and handle threats was so impressive it was as if she had eyes in the back of her head.
And her archery wasn't far behind.
Whenever a monster flinched from Han Se-ah's magic, an arrow accurately hit its mark.
"...Feels like we're getting the hang of this. We seem to be handling them faster than we did yesterday."
"I think it's because Kaiden is herding the goblins well. It's easier to aim and hit when they move predictably."
Like yesterday, I only needed to kick a couple of them to break their momentum.
The team handled the remaining goblins with ease, reducing them to magic stones that found their way into Han Se-ah's inventory.
Our battles flowed smoothly, with minor hiccups like an arrow hitting the same goblin Kaiden was striking down.
"Good. If we keep this up, we should easily reach the 20th floor."
"Really?"
"If we're able to avoid surprise attacks from the Moss Wolves, we should be able to find the traps of the Orc Hunter too. Kaiden, you mentioned reaching the 20th floor with your mercenary group, right?"
As the senior adventurer, I found myself speaking casually to everyone.
It felt a bit strange to speak informally even to the Saint Candidate, but no one seemed to mind.
Kaiden simply nodded in response.
Grace and Han Se-ah spoke casually to me, while Irene and Kaiden maintained a formal tone.
It was interesting how there was a clear divide in their manner of speech.
"Orc Hunters are dangerous because they avoid direct confrontation. Did you experience this with your mercenary group?"
"No, but I've heard stories from the seniors."
"They tend to exaggerate, but the Orcs are genuinely terrifying."
The Orc Hunter, a named monster on the 20th floor that wore the skin of a Moss Wolf.
The issue was that these creatures laid traps and hid, engaging in guerrilla warfare.
Pursuing them led you to traps; while ignoring them meant they'd attack when you rested.
"These creatures are cunning and wait for the perfect moment to strike. They even know how to provoke their prey."
They raid small villages, kidnap and assault individuals, consume them, and hunt humans who enter their territory.
That's why there are always requests for adventurers outside the tower.
However, the most significant difference lies in their aggression.
Outside the tower, if they feel their lives are in danger, those with a shred of intelligence will flee.
But inside the tower, none run.
Even the trembling Goblins that appear below the 10th floor, with their tiny peanut brains, charge at us screeching 'kyaaaaaak.'
If there are many of us, Orc Hunters don't run away; they attack with guerrilla tactics.
"Why is that?"
"I'm not sure. Even the monster ecologists in the Magic Tower might not know."
"There are mages who specialize in studying monsters?"
"Many mages venturing into the tower do so for that exact reason. They come to directly observe the tower's flora and fauna, writing their theses based on their findings."
That's what the mages in the Magic Tower are like.
They wander from the most remote parts of the continent to the top of the tower like zombies, looking for research topics.
Somehow, the explanation has shifted to the story of mages.
With the explanation complete, I close my mouth, and Grace goes back to scouting.
***
Raei Translations
***
-Watching Han Se-ah makes my heart sad.
She dealt with the Horned Wolves and the Full Moon Wolf and received a reward from the Magic Tower,
But she didn't even consider going to the Adventurer's Guild for a reward due to her low intelligence. It makes me truly sad...
It's been a few days since I wrote a post with a trivial tip.
Because of the posts I write, Han Se-ah's image is now that of someone blessed with good luck, but lacking in head.
While Kim Seok-hyun is the opposite, burdened with bad luck, but is highly intelligent.
Kim Seok-hyun learns from Han Se-ah's stream, considering it as a guide to the game.
Like this, he appears much smarter than Han Se-ah, who has to learn as she goes.
Not that it matters to the viewers who just want to tease her.
"Aaaah, damn it! If it's not in the quest window, you might think there are no other rewards, right? Look at this, in every post they wrote, I'm a dumb human being. And there are no other posts! Every single post they just talk about how pitiful I am!"
Once I mentioned the carriage tip and got attention, I became famous for teasing Han Se-ah.
Everything is going according to plan.
***
I kinda wish the author used emoji's to explain some of the chat stuff. It feels weird having to say 'the chat spammed fire emojis.'
Kinda like the flipping the table emoji I used. It was originally in text: 'special move: flipping the table.'
I've been in love with text emojis since I saw it in a fairly boring light novel about constellations I think but the constellation can only talk to their sponsored person through the system in text emojis.
4/5 Enjoy the chappy!
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