Volume 4 Chapter 6-2 Valley of Trials – Fourth Floor
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Usually, thieves rely on dodge shields, then you’ve got the priest with the punch, the wall-knight, and a shield-toting warrior──4 of them.
This Hero team? They’re basically a fortress.
A wall of 4. They’re probably playing it safe──going all-in on defense but lacking in attackers.
I decide to sneak past while they’re asleep──strike before they even realize.
If they wake up and summon wide-area magic… my HP won’t stand a chance.
The 4th floor is an outdoor field.
For a second, I thought I’d stepped outside, but… turns out the blue sky’s a fake.
The surroundings look like sheer cliffs, but before I can go there, an invisible wall blocks the path.
Basically, it’s a fabricated miniature world… reminds me of those ancient 3D games from back in the day.
To move forward, I’ll have to pass through ruins with fallen columns──surely, those 4 monsters are waiting there.
Honestly, I could see this being an underground arena instead of open outdoor field.
But the creator? They seem obsessed with atmosphere.
I don’t know how high they can fly, but if Pixies start zooming around at altitude… that’s a serious threat.
So, I’ve decided to clear the way with nothing but stealth.
Avoid using Search skills──those might tip them off.
I keep my gaze off and pass by using peripheral vision, just like I remember from some survival shows.
If I look directly, I might trigger their alertness──better to stay subtle.
Maybe the info from those shows was right, or just dumb luck──either way, I managed to slip past unnoticed.
Looks like the Lamia wasn’t using Search either.
* * *
Now, I got through safely──great──but I still can’t find the entrance to the boss room.
The game I know? Usually, you just beat enemies to open the door.
Could it be that eliminating all of them is what makes the door appear? If that’s the case, I’m at a dead end.
I’ve actually worked pretty hard──more than I expected.
Anyway, gotta find that entrance.
I check countless spots──rocks, shadows, anything suspicious──but no luck.
Maybe it’s hopeless… Maybe I was never cut out to save Ani-Ani after all.
Is there *any* way to turn this around?
As my battered brain was desperately trying to think, the monsters suddenly changed their mood.
For a heart-stopping moment, I thought they’d been spotted──turns out, they’re just new intruders.
The 4 Heroes marched in a line, approaching steadily.
Honestly, I didn’t expect all of them to turn out to be just walls.
On the monsters’ side: Naga leading the charge, with Pixie and Salamander guarding the rear; Lamia’s scouting around.
Just from their formation, it’s almost like the monsters have the brains here.
The Naga, using a broken pillar as a shield, wields her spear with such skill──she’s holding her ground against all 4 Heroes.
Pixie and Salamander keep firing tiny magic spells, whittling down the Heroes’ HP little by little.
The Hero wielding a one-handed sword and shield isn’t just swinging──he’s using magic, too, to keep the Naga at bay.
Was he a magic swordsman all along?
If so, why isn’t he in the rear guard, casting bigger magic spells?
The broken pillar blocks their path, so even though all 4 are rushing in, they haven’t been able to gang up on her properly.
The Naga’s playing her cards right, or maybe the Heroes just aren’t good enough──either way, they haven’t landed a solid hit despite their numbers.
Pixie’s constant healing and support magic are really turning the tide.
If I could have a Pixie like that on my side, I’d never let her go.
Seeing this, I realize──spears truly have the reach advantage over swords.
Not just the tip, but the butt of the spear can be used to thrust or sweep, so the attack options aren’t limited.
The priest with a mace and shield has given up on melee──he’s focusing on healing magic instead, probably realizing he can’t reach the Naga.
Guess that’s the smart move.
If all 4 are just vanguard, they need to completely surround the enemy to blitz them down quickly──anything less is pointless.
It looked like a stalemate might drag on forever, but suddenly, a priest gets ambushed──backstabbed by the Lamia and knocked out.
The Lamia keeps spewing venomous breath as she rages around.
Was she spurred on by their panic?
The other 3 start pulling back, retreating.
Since everyone’s in the vanguard, the damage in a chaos fight like this is kept to a minimum.
The priest nearly gets left behind, but one of us rushes back to support him.
Looks like he’s hit with poison or charm ── he’s staggering on his feet ── but thankfully, no serious injuries.
Then flames erupt ── salamander’s wide-area magic unloading ruthlessly on the hero team.
For a defense-focused party, they’re holding on.
Barely, but they’re hanging in there.
If it were me? Just a spark of fire and I’d be dead.
No way I’d survive that.
But defense alone won’t win this ── they’re seriously lacking in raw power.
No matter how many tries, with that lineup? Impossible.
Maybe they’re deliberately taking hits, raising their defense skills ── but if that’s the case, why just pick on naga and pixies?
What even are those 4 trying to accomplish?
A back attack from a lamia?
That’s a straight-up gamble ── luck’s the only thing that decides if it’s instant death.
Once the hero team fully retreats, the monster group drops their guard and heads into the stone chamber at the center of the ruin.
Is that the boss room?
I never noticed it before ── I mean, it’s smack in the middle of the monster horde.
Total oversight.
As they exchange places, new monsters crawl out of the chamber.
Same species, sure ── but different individuals.
Naga’s wounds are gone, and the lamia’s face looks different from earlier.
I creep closer with my stealth skills fully active, silently approaching the chamber.
I know I won’t be detected ── but that doesn’t mean I can let my guard down.
Stealth isn’t foolproof; a sneeze or a trip over a stone and── game over.
Just thinking about it makes my nose itch like crazy.
I’ve still got my ultimate move ── the Spiral Gun ── but I’ve never tried the 4-shot burst before.
Usually, I load a magic bullet onto my right index finger.
Now? I prepare 4 bullets on my right thumb and beyond, ready to fire.
Thanks to my high skill level, it’s smooth sailing ── now I can sneeze all I want without issue.
Feeling bold, I gather magic energy into both fingertips, aiming for maximum power.
Looks like I could do a ten-shot burst if I wanted.
The trick is locking onto ten enemies simultaneously ── that’s a challenge I can’t test right now.
Four targets? No problem ── I locked onto all of them without a hitch.
But once I do, the lamia’s suspicion seems to spike ── she starts using Search skill, scanning for me.
Meanwhile, the other monsters shift into combat stance.
But my arrogance was my mistake.
Luckily, I still have my stealth skill, so it’s not an issue for now.
But if I keep making stupid errors like this… I might one day belly-flop into something deadly.
Complacency is the enemy.
I’ve gotta remember that.
Carefully, I creep down the stone staircase to the hidden chamber.
The dead-end clutching a thick stone door ── can’t push any further now.
The next time this door opens… it’ll be after the Hero party fights their next battle, when the injured monsters are swapped out, right?
Guess I’ll wait here in the shadows, until the door opens again.
Though, honestly, with how things just went, that’s probably impossible.
If the Hero party wins, though… maybe I can slip in during the chaos for the boss fight.
It’s blatant cheating, no doubt ── but damn it, Ani-Ani’s life is on the line.
I’ve made up my mind.
When the moment comes, I’ll be no hero ── I’ll be a villain if I have to.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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