Chapter 86: Five Stars 1
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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Charlotte seemed to have an insatiable thirst for knowledge, befitting a mage.
Despite High Mage Antenor pleading at the entrance to Charlotte's laboratory, begging to observe the Shaman together, she ignored him.
She insisted it was her specimen, under the terms of our agreement.
The moment we reached the safe zone, guards who recognized us hurriedly opened the gates, their faces filled with relief as if they'd seen a savior.
In just a day, from the mages to the guards, their expressions had become quite pitiable.
The door to the lab opened, and we were led in like cattle to a slaughterhouse.
All the while, Han Se-ah continued to stream, resolutely bearing the resentment of her viewers.
"Good to see you, Hanna! I have so much to discuss!"
"Oh, really...?"
I brushed past Han Se-ah, who pleaded with tear-filled eyes until the very end.
Dealing with Charlotte was much easier than dealing with Antenor.
As far as chatter was concerned, she was about 0.2 Antenors.
Plus, Charlotte was a beauty, which was always pleasant to the eyes.
"So, Roland. You have a proposal?"
"Our leader went to the old man Antenor as well. The Knights Division asked us to guide them to the 20th floor. We said no, but they wouldn't have made this request to our party alone."
"The Knights Division... Is that all?"
"The nobles of the capital seem to be intervening, so both the Adventurer's Guild and the city's nobility have been hiring mercenaries in large numbers. The Magic Tower hasn't made a move yet, but..."
"If it's the Magic Tower, they'll show interest soon. Word will spread soon that I'm studying a variant of the Orc Shaman."
Once Antenor made a scene in front of Charlotte's lab, rumors would spread like wildfire.
Charlotte seemed aware of this, her lips pursed in mild irritation.
While Antenor wouldn't directly overpower her with his position, he could be a nuisance.
It would be ridiculous for word not to get out about a High Mage knocking on her door, practically on his knees.
The guards would certainly talk, and the mages in charge of the crystal ball would be hard-pressed to keep quiet.
"Alright. It's slightly better to deal with just Antenor than having the entire Magic Tower swarm us... I suppose we have no other option."
Charlotte reluctantly agreed just as a timely knock resounded.
As Charlotte reluctantly nodded in agreement, there was a timely knock at the door.
Entering was a visibly exhausted Han Se-ah and a beaming Antenor.
I'm not sure what they discussed, but it seems a new quest notification has popped up.
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Raei Translations
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Once the conversation began, the quest started moving fast, like it was caught in a raging current.
Dozens of members of the Rebecca Mercenaries hired by the Adventurer's Guild were scouring the 20th floor.
Adventurers, hired by nobles who noticed the Knights' intervention, also reached the 20th floor.
Antenor's assistant mages started searching the forest as well.
...Poor guys, they've been tormented in the lab and now they're made to do manual labor.
"Orcs!"
"Any shamans? Is there a shaman?"
"Damn, they grabbed the shaman and ran!"
-This scene feels like something from a horror movie.
-Are those orcs or zombies?
-Damn, this quest is so chaotic LOL.
-Is there a Pharaoh Orc inside?
The viewers were typing in the chat, half in awe of the countless orc numbers.
From a single orc tribe consisting of dozens, now, at this altar, the number seemed to have surged to hundreds, maybe even thousands.
Still, it wasn't just a scheme by the game company to troll players, as one by one, other adventurers and mercenaries began rushing out of the forest surrounding the pyramid.
With such a large gathering of orcs causing an uproar, even without scouts, anyone within several hundred meters would likely hear and come running.
And among those drawn by the ruckus, there werent just adventurers from the 20th floor.
Hahaha! Orcs sprouting from such an unfamiliar structure? How fascinating!
A 5 mage who had reached the 43rd floor even before receiving the star buffs.
Antenor, a High Mage of the Magic Tower, whose prowess in battle was unmatched, made his entrance.
The moment I heard Antenor's voice echoing in the air, I got the feeling:
Ah, this must be a kind of event cutscene.
Guess players aren't expected to defeat all these orcs on their own.
Excited by the anomaly on the 20th floor, Antenor gathered mana like a madman, and the darkness of the forest deepened even more.
The looming clouds above the pyramid felt as if the wicked Demon King himself was descending.
"Get down! Or hide behind the trees!"
"What is that crazy old man doing?!"
As the storm clouds, filled with darkness and lightning, enveloped the pyramid, the adventurers, driven by panic, began retreating from the altar.
Many of them had descended to the 20th floor for the promise of rewards and commissions, but there were very few priests present to protect them.
Fortunately, in our group, we had Han Se-ah, who could use shield magic, and Irene, who specialized in protective shields.
Without needing to communicate, both of them instinctively came together and began casting their protective skills.
A vivid blue mana shield enveloped our party, and a brilliant white barrier formed from divine energy extended, even reaching far enough to cover the adventurer party that was fighting off the orcs at the front.
The orcs were pushed back, tumbling over each other, due to the divine shield.
"Th, thank you."
"Lightniiiiing!"
Before Irene could respond to the grateful warrior's words, the world was suddenly bathed in a blinding white light.
A massive bolt of lightning, rivaling the size of the pyramid, struck down, incinerating the orcs and melting the stone steps of the pyramid.
It was followed by a deafening screech.
As the thunderous roar shook the earth, something abruptly drummed against the protective shields.
Debris was flying around like bullets: the aftermath of a lightning bolt that descended from the heavens.
-If that's magic, then what is my party using...?
-Can we use that too if we level up?
-If that is a 5, then what the hell is 6 Roland? Can he survive that?
-No way Irene can be that strong, there must be a huge difference in abilities even within the same star grade.
There was nothing left of the horde of orcs.
They had completely melted away.
The adventurers who fled at the sight of the dark clouds were sent tumbling through the forest like bowling pins due to the aftershock.
"Damn it, I'm going first!
"Roland?"
Then, I charged towards the sizzling pyramid.
Because I saw something red dart in on all fours, amidst the flashing blaze.
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