kscans

Chapter 99 - The Second Battlefield: Humans vs. Monsters

The fierce battle between the Edgeson units and the high-level monsters had begun.

The Edgeson units primarily fought with ranged attacks, while the soldiers and adventurers stood their ground, determined not to let the monsters get close.

The monsters, on the other hand, charged forward, convinced that victory would be theirs if they could just destroy the iron behemoths. They were confident that their own defenses would protect them from harm. This was war—a primal, pure struggle for survival between humanity and monsters.

It was a far cry from the conflicts humans waged against each other over land, money, or power.

The human side was struggling. They had the advantage in numbers, but the monsters were superior in individual strength. Both sides were fighting in a way that maximized their strengths.

The result was that the monsters held the advantage. After all, the creatures that had appeared were simply rampaging with brute force. A single sweep of their weapons sent several approaching humans flying.

The Rock Wolves were not only tough but also agile, making it impossible to land a clean hit. But they had a weakness. A large amount of water would slow them down.

The magicians anticipated the Rock Wolves' movements.

"`Big Waterball`!"

A massive sphere of water struck the Rock Wolves. Their movements dulled, their hardened fur softened. The soldiers moved in and finished them off in unison. But there were other monsters. There was no joy on the soldiers' faces, for the hard-fought battle continued. Meanwhile, a group of adventurers was managing to hold back the monsters' advance.

It wasn't that they were overwhelmingly strong; they were simply dealing with the charging enemy with cunning tactics. That was all. Magicians would use earth magic to make the ground erupt, and in the brief moment the monsters faltered, close-range fighters would strike before immediately disengaging. Hit and run—a basic tenet of combat.

The soldiers saw this and began to imitate them.

Even if they couldn't defeat them, they could keep them at bay. It was the ideal way to fight.

And the Edgeson units, as soon as they finished reloading, fired immediately. Their shots struck a massive monster, managing to draw a little blood. They were now certain: if they could get close, they could inflict damage.

However, amidst all this, the Goblin Guardian alone remained unscathed.

It was an evolved being from among the countless Goblins—a shield-bearing monster specializing in defense, possessing overwhelming durability and a body harder than steel. Its attack power was lower than other high-level monsters, but to the humans, it was still formidably strong.

One of the adventurers shouted an order.

"Use oil on the Goblin Guardian!"

Hearing this, the soldiers retrieved oil from the large supply of tools they had brought on their horse-drawn carts and threw it. The Goblin Guardian's face contorted in annoyance. Just then, a magician launched a fireball.

Instantly, its body was engulfed in flames, turning it into a living torch.

Even as a high-level monster, it was still a Goblin. And its large size made it an easy target.

Carried by this momentum, the soldiers were about to throw oil at the Great Ogre, but—

"Wait! Great Ogres have strong fire resistance! Throwing oil at it won't do anything! The Edgesons can handle that one!"

An adventurer shouted.

The soldiers instantly stopped. Normally, soldiers wouldn't listen to adventurers.

No matter how much experience they had fighting monsters, they were still just civilians.

Soldiers often saw them as a nuisance. However, because their advice on dealing with the Goblin Guardian had been so effective, they readily listened to the shout.

The Great Ogre unleashed a blast of fire from its mouth.

The earth was stained crimson. The humans raised their shields and somehow managed to defend against it. There were injuries, but no one was incapacitated. The Edgeson units, however, took the flames without flinching.

Their armor was made from Mithril, Orichalcum, and a small amount of Adamantite.

It was not only strong but could also withstand magical attacks. Amidst the flames, one of the Edgeson units charged the Great Ogre.

The machine and the monster collided.

As the Great Ogre struggled to push it away, the Edgeson unleashed a shot at point-blank range.

The direct hit tore a large hole in the Great Ogre's chest, killing it instantly.

They had to get that close to kill it. It was incredibly dangerous.

And that soldier who had calmly executed such a maneuver—was he insane? It was a truly reckless act.

The other members of the Edgeson team had no intention of imitating him anytime soon.

Failure meant an almost certain death. They would only attempt such a move if a monster showed a major opening.

The Cyclops was intelligent for a high-level monster and possessed the ability to send telepathic messages.

Perhaps because of this, it was wary. It recognized that not only the iron behemoths but also the humans were quite experienced in battle. It sent a telepathic message to the other monsters.

Prioritize eliminating the humans. The monsters received the order and executed it without question.

The monsters' movements changed completely as they began to act independently.

The Edgeson units were thrown into confusion. Until now, the monsters had only charged straight ahead, making them easy targets. But now, they couldn't react quickly enough to the creatures scattering in every direction. The Edgesons moved on four legs, which made turning a bit cumbersome.

Moving in a straight line was no problem, but sharp turns were impossible.

One of the Edgeson commanders shouted.

"All units, disperse! Act on your own judgment!"

Following that command, the Edgeson units moved out.

It was a chaotic, swirling melee.

At this point, whatever happened next would be a natural consequence of the battle—a fact that everyone there could accept.