Defense Specialization and the Weather (2)
Pillars of ice stood side by side, water filling the ground. Players gathered under the cover of darkness. They watched the surroundings—aiming for the enemy camp.
“There seems to be no one nearby…”
“As expected, they wouldn’t have gone this far since it’s a bit risky.”
“Unlike them, we’re going to take that high-risk action.”
They infiltrated the enemy territory for a surprise attack. Thus, they had to sneak around without being noticed.
“Let’s double check. In case anything happens, retreat before you get surrounded. But if it’s a desperate situation, we’re going to go all-in to achieve a swift victory.”
“Okay.”
“It should be alright.”
Sharpen their concentration, and boost their morale. Bit by bit, droplets of water fell from the sky, forming ripples in the puddle at their feet.
“Is it raining?”
“Oh, apparently so. I didn’t notice.”
“It’s to be expected.”
A country abundant with nature and water. Streams flowed here and there, while this area itself was rich with water terrain. Therefore, it wouldn’t be that surprising if it were to rain.
—Zaa… zaa…
Thus, they let their guard down.
Their “conviction”—to say the least—prevented them from recognizing what was actually happening.
—Then, a shrill voice echoed quietly in the darkness.
“Huh…?”
A suspicious player turned around to a.s.sess the situation.
At the end of the row, they were missing a person.
“Hey, where did—”
“—N-no way, dead…?”
Everyone was wary. If it was a sniper, then they should’ve noticed.
Amidst the commotion, another player vanished, right in front of them.
“…!”
“R-retreat!”
Something mysterious—with equally unknown mechanics and origin—was being carried out.
Upon knowing that, they decided to withdraw.
“Run! Run!”
“Impossible! Where did it come from!?”
—Zaa… zaa…
As they ran without looking back, another player vanished behind them.
They couldn’t even do anything about it because they didn’t know the source of attack. They just ran away in the rain.
They were excellent players. Naturally, they had prepared the perfect countermeasures to fight against Maple. Items were also prepared to nullify paralysis and poison and to resist any skills that lowered resistance.
However, that very [Poison Nullification] shrouded the fact that [Acid Rain] was dealing damage to them.
The silent rain of death—which not even the perpetrator herself was aware of. Even though Maple knew that she’d used poison, she didn’t know it’d evolved into something so deadly.
Maple and the others made it rain. The extremely annoying rain clouds sitting in the sky gradually dispersed after they finished spreading the poison.
“It’s kind of plain. I was expecting something flas.h.i.+er from you, Maple.”
“I’m sorry…?”
“Ahaha, don’t worry. It’s fine as long as we can defeat them easily. But I wonder if that did the trick?”
“We can only hope…”
“I can’t look into the future.”
Although it did produce results, it took time to reuse Knots’ [Sonar], so they couldn’t accurately grasp the situation.
“They’ll probably find out, but Maple, would you like to take it up a notch? After that, we can withdraw right away.”
“Of course. I want to see immediate result.”
“Where should we go?”
“When I went out on the field, I made a note of a place that I could use as a temporary base, so let’s have Frederica search there.”
Since it was more likely for players to be there, they expected some damage.
—And so, the three of them headed for an area where the ground was covered in a thin layer of ice.
It was the perfect place to take a rest, as it made a sound when you walk on it, alerting the enemy’s approach.
“Knots’ [Sonar]! Eh… They’re really here.”
“We’re lucky. They shouldn’t have picked this place.”
“Then, let’s do it, Maple!”
“Yes, let’s prepare ourselves!”
Saying that, Maple equipped [Helping Hand] and rode on it with two s.h.i.+elds as scaffolding.
“[Commence Attack]!”
“Frederica, can you amplify the size and range?”
“Of course! By that, I mean Knots!”
“Okay, then I’ll cling to Maple.”
With the two of them attached to Maple with a string, they could now return. Frederica made a bitter expression.
“This is kind of weird…”
Maple returned Syrup to the ring and lowered her hand.
“Let’s go!”
“Uh, alright, alright… Knots!”
Frederica secured the string to her body and clung tightly to Maple while giving instructions to Knots.
“[Poison Dragon]!”
“Knots [Carrier Pigeon]! [Volume Up]! [Singing Round]! [Amplification]!”
After Knots had buffed Maple, the poisonous dragon that emerged grew in size; submerging the entire area in poison.
It was too intense to be called rain—and in an instant, it swallowed the players and pushed them away, as if they were suddenly thrown into the body of a waterfall.
The extensiveness of the poison swamp made it impossible for anyone to return alive. After all, Maple’s poison was specially made.
Since the preparations were swiftly performed, leading to a successful attack, the effect of [Sonar] remained, and Frederica was able to confirm that the number of players were decreasing.
“Oh, they didn’t have poison resistance?”
“Alright, time to go!”
“Uwah, does that mean—!?”
“[Loving Sacrifice]!”
Maple protected the two from the explosive flames generated by the suicide bomb and swept them away towards the direction of their own camp at once.
The alt.i.tude is enough.
They’d be able to earn a considerable distance even while cras.h.i.+ng.
“What about the landing!?”
“There’s no such thing! We’ll just fall on the ground!”
“In the first place, why would you even consider this as a means of transportation!?”
Frederica’s scream echoed in the sky. Still, at that height, the enemy couldn’t hear them.
At the same time, a shooting star was seen from a distant enemy camp. No one would’ve guessed that the light across the sky was Maple who’d exploded, burst into flames, and crashed at high speed.
No one could pursue them. The poison swamp would prove Maple’s involvement, but by that time, she’d already be inside the town.
In this way, after leaving irrefutable evidence, the three fell towards the town.