134 – Tower Of Trials 2Nd Floor_Shoot Towards The Sun -1
[Blood for blood, an eye for an eye: After encountering a dwarf hidden in the forest, clearing the 2nd floor with only a ballista]
Come here. Monster who devoured my family, come here.
There are many delicious snacks in this forest. Tender and juicy, easy-to-eat animals are scattered everywhere. They are all for you.
The large harpoon that can pierce your skin, the large bow that can shoot it, all prepared for you. Everything in this forest was made that way.
When you fill your hunger without thinking, that moment is the last.
—- —-
The 2nd floor of the Tower of Trials was a dark forest. It was so wide that you would wander around for an hour if you started wandering around, and there were unloaded ballistae installed everywhere in the forest.
And the ogre roams the forest.
It was a floor where some students who were not familiar with the forest had the misfortune of getting lost inside.
In the early days of the tower, the location of the ogre was considered random, so the time to clear was left to the heavens and the goal of prayer was implemented.
However, now that some analysis has been completed, it was easy to find the location of the ogre. This is because the ogre was always ‘directly below the sun’.
So, just look up at the sky and run to the location where the strangely close sun is leading you.
There are a total of three ballistae in the forest, and only one of them is loaded. The attack power of the ballista was not enough to kill the ogre at once.
The orthodox strategy among the academy students was to run to the location by looking at the position of the sun and just beat the ogre to death.
The Sapa strategy was to set fire to the entire forest, dig a hole, and hide in it. (At this time, if there is a wizard from the Blue Tower, it will be more comfortable to hide.)
However, I have never heard of meeting a dwarf even while this strategy was being carried out.
I had searched the forest like this in the early days of the strategy, so if it wasn’t a dwarf using transparent magic, there would have been a witness statement.
Envers and Selvia crouched down and planned to search for the dwarf.
“Invite a Blue Tower wizard to freeze the ogre so that it doesn’t die, burn down the forest, and then search slowly.”
“That’s… that sounds like a good idea. Then how about asking Baekseol for help?”
“I can’t do that.”
“Huh…”
But isn’t she the only Blue Tower wizard who is strong enough to freeze the ogre? I don’t know, and if I bring her, I’ll get out, when I was talking like that.
Luna quietly raised her hand and said.
“I know. Where it is.”
“You knew…?”
“Yeah. The key to tactics.”
“…?”
Luna briefly explained her method of shortening the record.
It was not good to face the ogre, and the ballista had only one bullet, so I couldn’t catch the ogre. Luna decided to adopt the operation of setting fire to the entire forest herself.
And 1) to make the ogre cook quickly and 2) to find a good place to dig a hole, she dug the ground with a shovel.
Then she found an underground cavity.
“Underground cavity? Was there such a thing?”
“No, in the first place… did you dig around each of those wide places?!”
“V.”
The underground cavity was quite high, and inside it, a dwarf was living eating mushrooms. Luna looked at the hidden piece and thought.
Will the ogre die if I drop it here?
So I did. Luna lured the ogre to just above the underground cavity, then induced a jump attack pattern. The ground collapsed, the ogre fell with a scream… and died with a 25% chance of breaking its neck.
“…”
“…What about the dwarf who lived below?”
Luna clenched her fist and stretched it out. It meant that it had become a flat rat cannon.
Envers and Selvia took a step away from Luna and kept their distance. Regardless of the discovery process, they learned the location of the dwarf.
“First, I’ll go and meet the dwarf.”
Luna caught the ogre’s gaze and Envers and Selvia decided to meet the dwarf.A dwarf with a dusty face and a bushy beard and hair, reminded of a mine slave, yelled in a hoarse voice.
“Get lost, humans! This is my forest! You filthy, ugly race, phew-!”
“…”
Luna shrugged her shoulders. It meant, ‘See?’
Envers, who had heard racial discrimination in front of him, froze in embarrassment, but Selvia, who was used to personal attacks, was able to look around calmly.
A poor environment that doesn’t look like a place where people live.
There are traces of picking on the pile of mushrooms blooming in the corner. That’s food.
Two large ballista arrows were leaning against a corner of the wall. She must have been hiding here. She naturally picked up the arrows.
“Old man, do you have anything to tell us…”
“All I have to say to you is to get lost! A race full of liars… Now you’re even stealing?! Put that down right now, human woman!!
“Don’t be so stingy. Will the arrows wear out if we use them?”
“They will!!”
The dwarf foamed at the mouth and struggled.
However, how could a dwarf who had barely survived underground without enough nutrients defeat an academy student who was physically fit and trained in the art of fighting people?
From Noble mtl dot com
Selvia recalled an old adage that had been circulating secretly in her hometown.
‘The belongings of the dead are public property.’
Slightly modified, it was also used as ‘The belongings of the dying are public property’. Looking at the dwarf, she decided to take the arrows without any burden, as it seemed that he didn’t have much time left.
Envers was at a loss in the meantime. He chose the latter between persuading Selvia and persuading the dwarf.
“Listen, Master Dwarf. We have no choice but to take the arrows, but we will definitely use them for a good cause.”
“You crazy little thieves-!!”
“Once we catch the ogre with this, Master Dwarf will be able to get out of the forest safely. Then you can see the sunlight…”
“…What?”
The tone was a little different. Not the extreme anger of what? but a question filled with pure curiosity.
The dwarf thought for a moment and asked again.
“Are you going to catch that guy with that?”
“If you mean…”
“The ogre! The one with the scar on his left eye!”
“Hmm… As far as I remember, the ogre doesn’t have such a scar──”
Crash. Crack.
Kukung──!!
Everything happened in an instant. The ceiling shattered, and a large shadow fell from the sky and crushed the dwarf. It was the fallen ogre.
Luna was sitting on the ogre’s back.
“…”
“You’re late.”
“Just now, the story was about to start…”
“You can do it again. Again.”
Envers looked at the ogre’s body with a grim face. It was time to start over. If they dug the tunnel again and met the dwarf, they would be able to have a little more conversation this time.
I glanced at it one last time, but there was still no scar on the ogre’s face.
2nd floor, normal clear.
—- —-
The trigger was the ogre hunt. The grumpy dwarf changed his attitude when he heard that he would catch the ogre. He became quite cooperative.
“You mean you’re going to catch the ogre? With my ballista?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, even if I have to borrow the power of a human… If my ballista takes his neck. Then I’ll let it go….”
The dwarf seemed to have a strong hatred for the ogre. He wanted to avenge himself with his own strength and readily provided the party with arrows.
In that way, two ballista arrows were obtained in a moderate manner.
Now it was time for the challenge. The ogre had to be brought down with a total of three arrows.
◆First attempt
Tank: Luna
Ballista operation: Envers, Selvia
Luna gave clear instructions with her fingers and words.
“I’ll hold him. You guys shoot.”
There was no objection as it was a reasonable plan. The party decided to proceed according to Luna’s plan.
“I’ll do it.”
“I’ll measure the firing angle, so please do your best!”Luna controlled most elements. Based on the position of the sun and the shape of the surrounding terrain, she guessed the location of the ogre and the ballista closest to it.
She instructed Envers and Selvia to load the first shot, and she herself lured the ogre in front of the ballista in time.
Unlike the orcs on the previous floor, the ogre was ordinary. It wasn’t twice as tall or able to use magic. Because that alone would have been difficult enough.
A tough opponent that even the experienced adventurer Tear Point Guy had to cook slowly and carefully while concentrating.
The height varied from person to person, but it was about 3m. It was difficult to aim for vital points such as the neck, and the innate difference in reach was overwhelming. The wooden club held in its thick hands was destructive in its own mass .
The green skin was tough and thick, so it was difficult for the blade to stick. Needless to say, it was a blow. A flawless can spec. That’s why the ogre reigned as the king of the forest.
“Uoooooooooooooooooo──!!”
“Simple.”
And Luna danced lightly with the king of the forest.
* SYSTEM_INFO ———–
[Lost Ogre]
Health: Normal
Magic: Not used
Strength: 4/10 (Upper middle class student)
Agility: 2/10 (Lower middle class student)
Intelligence: 1/10 (Lower class student)
Characteristic: Bloody skin
=＞ The strength of the skin increases as HP decreases.
※ —————————
In order to prevent entangled in the attack or blocking her view, Luna was wearing light clothing that clung to her body.
It fluttered dizzily. The thick wooden club swept past with a wind-splitting sound, covering a wide area. The card Luna took out was flexibility.
She tore her legs straight and flattened them on the floor. She flexibly bent her waist to get out of range of the blow. The curve of her body was blatantly revealed.
The elegance reminded me of a ballerina.
When Envers was captivated by the graceful curves drawn by the girl, Selvia broke his shin with her toes. He suddenly came to his senses and blurted out an excuse.
“We, we saw the movement. Movement.”
“Shoot it.”
“Luna, I’ll shoot when you give me the signal!”
Luna nodded at Envers’ words and whistled, but instead of a whistle, there was only a deflating thud. Her whistle success rate was 50%.
She led the ogre to the next pattern, and this time she just gave the signal with her voice.
“…Tsk.”
Ting! Shuaaak──!!
The ballista was fired. As Selvia had calculated, the large arrow pierced the ogre’s head cleanly. The ogre staggered and fell backward.
“That’s it!”
“Hit!”
Envers and Selvia ran out to check the results.
When they checked his pulse, the ogre’s breath had stopped properly. It was a success. Selvia waited for the results while putting on the coat that Luna had taken off.
When they completed the challenge on the 1st floor, they witnessed a strange phenomenon.
A bright light emanated from the orc’s body, and a glowing sphere floated up into the sky──and burst out as brilliantly as a firecracker, blessing the achievement.
When they went outside afterwards, they could see a ★ engraved at the bottom of the ranking board. So the same thing would happen this time.
However.
“…?”
“No. Star.”
“Did anyone touch the ogre?”
Strangely, there was no news. As the party was in chaos, there was a rustling sound in the bushes. It was a dwarf who lived underground.
The dwarf said, peering through his telescope.
“This is void!”
“…?”
“If someone lures and stalls for time, even a fool can hit an arrow. That’s… That’s not acceptable! You should have killed the ogre using only my ballista!”
As the dwarf spewed out his hatred with anger, a faint light flickered faintly from his chest.
“No, what the hell──.”
As Selvia was about to get angry, the world went dark with a bright light.
2nd floor, normal clear.
—- —-
“I only used the ballista?! I’m not kidding right now!!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.””⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Selby kicked the poor floor hard in her rising anger.
Enbus admired her appearance, thinking that the Red Tower Mage’s temper was like fire. Luna analyzed the gimmick.
“Light. Dwarf. Revenge.”
“…What do you mean?”
When the Orc was defeated in the appropriate way, the challenge was achieved, and a sphere of light escaped from the Orc’s body.
It was the same effect as the light that had sparkled on the Dwarf’s chest at the last moment of the first round.
And the Dwarf wanted to avenge the Ogre, using only his own tools Luna made a hypothesis in this context.
The of the Tower of Trials is a way to grant someone’s wish on each floor.
“If you grant a wish, you will probably achieve it.”
“…So, you mean that we have to catch the Ogre as the Dwarf insists?”
“Someone who doesn’t attract attention, no bait or traps, just… purely with a ballista?”
“Sniping. Probably.”
Luna spread out three fingers and shook them. It was a lament that ‘they gave me three arrows for some reason’.
The second floor was a more difficult floor than expected.