"In the end, the frontal assault might be the best approach."
After over three weeks of diligently leveling up and raising funds.
Ren and the others, who had been boosting their combat power and gathering intelligence about the 30th-floor conquest, found the results to be less than ideal.
Here is an example of the information they gathered:
"A strategy? Hmm, wouldn't it be quickest if you could just rain down a Meteor?"
"Just keep cutting down anyone near you, and eventually, it will be over."
"I've heard a story about someone shooting iron balls and smashing buildings one after another."
The advice was unhelpful to an extreme degree.
Those with experience conquering the 30th floor were quite the veterans. They each possessed unique abilities, leading them to use fighting styles that others couldn't easily replicate.
Ren's party excelled at sustained combat, not spectacular one-off moves.
It would have been better if there was a more conventional method, but unfortunately, the Lizardman settlement did not seem amenable to being conquered with petty tricks.
"Shion and I will attack from the sky, and Furi and the others will lure the enemies out on the ground. With Iris, we can also take down their snipers, so I don't think we'll be at a one-sided disadvantage."
"That's normal."
"It's normal, but a familiar fighting style is less likely to fail. If we can thin out their numbers while the enemy is still confused, it should get much easier."
Mariabelle nodded in agreement.
"Our combat power has increased significantly, and we can now procure potions. A frontal challenge is not necessarily reckless. ...However, Ren-san and Shion-san will be in a dangerous position."
"I know. Anti-air fire will come, but we can move freely in the air."
Ren could fly, and Shion could jump around in the air.
If they were careful, they wouldn't be easily hit. According to the strategy guide, there were no flying enemies, so they would know about every attack just by watching the ground.
Mei agreed, expressionlessly.
"We just need to strike the enemies that approach us. It is simple and straightforward."
"Shooting down snipers... That's a huge responsibility, but I'll do my best!"
Iris would play a major role, using both her bow and magic. Ren was pleased that she responded so enthusiastically.
"I just need to act in tandem with Ren-sama."
"I don't think I'll be much use this time. Should I try some infiltration work?"
"No, it's too dangerous, so Furi, please stay with everyone. Mei and Mariabelle might not be enough."
"Okay. Then let's go with that plan."
They acquired new skills and stocked multiple potions in their Storage.
They discussed their movements based on the map in the strategy guide—and one day, as Christmas approached, Ren and the others, all six of them, challenged the 30th floor.
-----------------
The 30th floor, although inside the dungeon, had a high ceiling like the 20th floor and an atmosphere not much different from the outdoors.
The air was humid.
The enemies had built a settlement in a wetland near a river. The dungeon exit was within a grove of trees a few minutes' walk from the settlement. As long as they stayed in the grove, there was no immediate danger of being discovered.
Listening carefully, there were no signs of any abnormal situation not mentioned in the intelligence.
"Alright, as planned."
"Copy that."
Having been on guard against Wandering Monsters for a while, they were used to giving quiet signals.
Ren and Shion nodded to each other and ascended into the air.
Shion, who was now close to the size of an adult fox, was a bit too large to carry, so she ran through the air by herself. Since she was moving on all fours, her speed was sufficient... in fact, once she picked up speed, she was faster than Ren.
Maintaining a sufficient altitude, they approached the settlement.
The Lizardman settlement was primarily constructed of earth.
Earthen walls were built to impede enemies, and watchtowers, also made of dried earth, were used for surveillance. The dwellings were large, dome-like structures made of earth.
If they had used wood, Ren could have used "fire," but earth doesn't burn. Since it also defends against some physical damage, it would be difficult for Ren and Shion's magic to focus on destruction.
However, the enemies didn't know they were coming.
Perhaps because they weren't expecting an attack from the air, Ren and Shion were able to get quite close without being discovered by the sentries.
"Magic Arrow!"
"Wind Blade!"
Ren unleashed her signature Double Cast, generating over a hundred light arrows.
Shion chose the Wind attribute from her learned elemental magic and fired it repeatedly. Her seven tails swayed as the Yōko soared through the sky. While the number of consecutive shots was controlled and not at full power, the blades of wind struck the Lizardmen on the watchtower, cutting their bodies.
Some of the light arrows also hit the enemies. The arrows, which were not affected by air currents but lacked physical attack power, did little damage to the walls and buildings, but that didn't matter. They never expected to defeat them with a single blow, and they gave up on taking out all the sentries.
The surviving sentries screamed.
A loud, primitive alarm (they were just banging metal buckets) rang out, and the settlement immediately erupted in chaos.
Looking down, Ren could see small Lizardmen, presumably children, being led into the dwellings by figures who seemed to be their mothers. Conversely, the Lizardmen presumed to be males were quickly emerging from their dwellings with weapons, preparing for battle.
"Well... I feel like I've become a villain."
They were, after all, attacking a place where people lived.
There were young Lizardmen and mother Lizardmen among the enemies. Ren felt a little sorry about having to defeat them, but they didn't have the luxury of just targeting the males.
The mothers would likely fight when necessary, and the child Lizardmen would grow up to be warriors who attacked humans.
"They are enemies who are incompatible with humans. Perhaps the creators of the temple and the dungeon intended this as a form of retaliation."
"Mhm. Let's go all out, without holding back."
Ren and Shion moved over the settlement, scattering magic.
They didn't focus their aim but intentionally spread the attack. Lizardmen without projectiles had no choice but to take the hits if they couldn't avoid them.
Those with bows and crossbows tried to shoot them down, but their attacks were either dodged or neutralized by the air currents created by Shion's "Wind Blade." The blades of wind left clear marks when they hit the ground or walls, intimidating the monsters below.
"And now, their numbers are increasing."
After firing magic a few times, more warriors carrying projectiles appeared.
Furthermore, Lizardmen mages mixed in, firing flames and wind.
"Wind Blast."
Seeing that Shion's Wind Blade alone wasn't enough, Ren changed her magic attribute to Wind. The widespread wind shockwave scattered the enemy's projectiles, and when it hit the enemies, it stopped their movement or knocked them down.
Still, dodging every attack coming from all directions was mentally taxing.
Ren took charge of defense while Shion steadily picked off one or two enemies at a time. But how long could they maintain this pace?
Although her MP capacity had increased with her level-up, and she could compensate with skills, Shion was still inefficient in MP consumption.
"But, our allies should be..."
The change occurred right after Shion spoke.
A loud crashing sound, as if something outside the settlement's perimeter was breaking. It was Iris's Spirit Magic, "Stone Blast," that had pierced the wall.
Their ground-based allies had arrived while Ren and Shion were acting as decoys.
Furthermore, with Mei's mace swings and Mariabelle's kicks joining the fray, the wall began to break down in earnest. The flustered Lizardmen started diverting some of their forces outside. It was a pleasant miscalculation that most of the enemies had been focused on the sky until now.
"Magic Arrow!"
"Foxfire!"
Now that the intensity of the attacks had lessened, this was their chance. The two immediately launched an offensive, then quickly ascended to avoid the counterattack from the enemies who had regained their composure.
"Shion, take a potion now."
"Yes!"
Ren opened the cap of the potion Shion produced while sporadically firing Wind Blasts to keep the enemies below in check.
"Thank you for your trouble."
"Don't worry about it."
It was difficult for the fox's paws to open the cap, but once it was open, she could drink it. Ren took on the role of distracting the enemy during that time.
Were Furi and the others alright?
The sound of the wall breaking had stopped, so they must have engaged in combat with the enemies. If Ren and Shion slacked off now, the others would have a difficult time.
Just in case, Ren also opened a potion with one hand and quickly drank it. Seeing that Shion had recovered, Ren lowered their altitude.
Shion aimed Foxfire at the enemies, and Ren scattered the counterattacks with wind.
Just as it was said to be difficult to count the exact number, it was unclear how many they had defeated or how many were left.
Their numbers must have decreased, but it almost felt like new enemies were emerging, perhaps the female Lizardmen joining the fight.
There was a struggle between the desire to conserve MP and the desire to go all out. If they mismanaged their pacing, they wouldn't last until the end.
Yet, she also felt that slowly reducing their numbers would take too long.
"Ugh."
Ren groaned and decided to take a bold move.
"Alright, let's thin out their numbers all at once."
She had brought plenty of potions.
Moreover, Ren could heal HP, so all of Ren's and Shion's potions were for MP recovery. If she wasn't focused on saving, she could still use magic extensively.
Shion nodded, taking a defensive stance. Ren thanked her with her eyes and activated multiple skills.
Double Cast, Magic Amplification, and the new skill Homing Magic.
The 180 light arrows, which had increased due to Ren's level-up, rained down and pierced the enemies as if locking onto multiple targets. They hit over ten enemies, and more than half vanished into light.
"Oh, that was satisfying."
"Yes. I'd like you to continue like that—but your consumption is too heavy, isn't it?"
"With so many auxiliary skills stacked, it is."
Homing Magic was particularly taxing. Its MP consumption was comparable to Double Cast. Furthermore, when used in conjunction with Double Cast, it had to be applied to both rounds of Magic Arrows. Even with Ren being an MP monster, using it casually was difficult.
Nevertheless, she repeated the same attack once more out of momentum.
"Hmm, it's still a little scary to try and push through like this."
"Then it would be better for you to maintain contact with me."
"Can you manage that?"
"Leave it to me."
Shion, who replied, also used a new skill.
Gigantification.
Though it only increased her size by one or two sizes, it wasn't a size that could be called a giant monster. She rapidly grew larger, becoming a more reliable figure.
"Please mount me, Ren-sama."
"Okay!"
At this size, Ren could straddle Shion.
Although being larger made her a bigger target, she could now run through the sky to her heart's content without needing to match Ren's pace.
Since her physical abilities were enhanced by the size increase, Ren felt like she was riding a self-driving motorcycle at full speed without using her hands.
"I need a seatbelt for this...!"
"P-Please hold on tight!"
Ren was preoccupied with just holding on, but thanks to this, Energy Drain became possible. With Homing enabled, she didn't need to aim accurately, so she fired a full set of Magic Arrows repeatedly. Several screams overlapped, and the moving figures in the settlement began to dwindle.
By the time the major threat subsided and Ren eased her pace, her MP was almost depleted.
"I could try to make it work with Drain Bolt... but is that too optimistic? I should probably drink one more potion."
"Yes. That would be best. ...Someone who seems to be a powerful enemy has also appeared."
Pushing aside the remaining Lizardmen, an individual who was one or two sizes larger and clad in luxurious equipment appeared.
He was accompanied by two higher-species Lizardman Elites, and his body color was somehow imposing.
"The King."
"Yes. That is the 30th-floor boss."
Ren wanted to retort, "Is he really a King, just watching until things get really bad, accompanied by elite soldiers?" Then again, it would be awkward if the boss came out immediately, and there might be a rationale that the force could be rebuilt if a few excellent individuals and females survived.
At any rate.
The King glared at Ren and the others in the sky, picked up an axe lying nearby, and—
"Yikes!?"
"Shion!?"
"I'm alright, it didn't hit. But..."
The thrown axe whizzed past Ren and the others at incredible speed.
He was strong indeed.
They countered with Drain Bolt and Foxfire, but the single shots were easily dodged. At the same time, the King picked up another axe.
"You won't!"
"Iris!"
An arrow struck the King's shoulder, stopping his action.
Iris, Furi, Mei, and Mariabelle. Their allies rushed in from the entrance of the settlement. Everyone was safe and uninjured.
The remaining Lizardmen scrambled to gather their forces and fight back, but,
"I don't feel like we can lose now."
Ren quickly finished her potion and descended with Shion.
Stopping close to the ground, they trapped the King between them and their allies, and Ren unleashed a Homing Mana Bolt.
============
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