TM-Chapter 59

Large Scale Annihilation

‘What should I do……!’

Yernil feels like she’s going insane.

Beyond the cliff of the snow mountain at the first entrance, Hijikata’s party is fighting desperately, overwhelmed by evil, and Aimus is there too.

‘Steel Parasol.’

The magical umbrella spread wide deflects the pouring arrows and ice spikes.

Aimus had listened carefully to Caleb’s words to go down the stairs, and thought it was the right choice, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Because the moment he withdraws, Hijikata’s party would be struck by the arrow rain and ice spikes and perish.

“Dust Explosion!”

Beside him, Caleb is absorbed in drilling holes in the Femur Barrier.

“Dust Explosion!”

What happened to Backstab?

He took the rag zombie and disappeared with Shadow Leap teleportation.

It was probably possible because the rag zombie had fainted due to Caleb’s Superconductivity magic.

He’s probably luring the zombie away from the battlefield somewhere below the middle of the mountain by now.

Everyone is frantically busy.

Except for Yernil.

‘What should I do!’

Yernil, who had fallen into great confusion, grabbed her hair in frustration.

If she provides supporting fire for Hijikata’s party from here, she’ll probably just draw the monsters’ aggro for no reason.

Then she’ll only be a burden to Caleb.

‘Caleb aimed for Gildal and the Lich to fight from the beginning.’

While everyone else was busy, only she had leisure, which paradoxically allowed her to understand his tactics.

The Frost Hunters, the wolves, they can’t cross the cliff. Moreover, the entrance is blocked by the Femur Barrier, isn’t it?

So, the only thing that can cross the cliff is the Lich floating in the air.

If only Gildal can tie that guy down, Caleb would become relatively free at the second entrance.

“Dust Explosion.”

That’s why he’s pouring magic into the barrier like this.

Because of that sound, several Frost Hunters noticed Caleb and tried to attack, but the angle of attack wasn’t good due to the lush vegetation and barrier.

But……

‘What can he do by breaking through this?’

Suddenly Gadozumi’s words come to mind. To activate the Monument’s magic, you need to put the answers into the three boxes in front of it, but even if you have all three correct answers, would the monsters just stand by and watch?

‘But it seems like he has no intention of approaching at all.’

Even if Caleb drills a hole, only a fist could barely fit through that gap.

It would be difficult to throw something by extending an arm through that gap, and from there to the Monument is still 80 meters away.

What on earth is he planning to do?

‘Why did he bring me along?’

She needs to do something. Caleb intends to have Yernil do something. She doesn’t know what, but-.

“It’s broken through!”

Caleb shouted with joy.

“Yernil!”

“Yes! I’m ready!”

Please, give me something to do!

Yernil rushed to Caleb’s side.

“What should I do?”

“Just a moment.”

Caleb took out a glass bottle from his pocket. It’s ‘Wizard’s Eye’.

The eyeball that had been observing the third entrance had now come up the path and was at the mountain peak.

Right in front of the Monument.

The video playing inside the glass bottle showed the Monument’s three boxes that the eyeball was observing.

“Good. Yernil.”

Caleb took out something the size of a ping-pong ball from his pocket and handed it to her.

“Attach this to Magic Touch.”

It looked like something wrapped and packaged with a scroll as wrapping cloth. There was a rattling sound from inside the package.

“What is this?”

“Coins. There’s no time, hurry!”

“Yes!”

Yernil picked up her bow and concentrated on her skill. When she pulled the empty string, a blue sparkling magical arrow appeared in front of it.

That arrow cannot inflict physical damage.

Magic Touch is a skill that activates scrolls from long distance.

That’s why scrolls just stick to Magic Touch when you bring them close.

Just like this.

Crackle crackle crackle!

The scroll wrapping stuck to Magic Touch while wrapping the coins.

And……

“Fire the arrow in an arc to hit the Monument.”

“The Monument?”

“Yes. As close as possible to the three boxes in front of the Monument.”

“But……”

Yernil bit her lip as she looked up at the Femur Barrier.

The barrier is much higher than her height.

She can’t secure a line of sight.

“What if I miss? Can’t we just switch to Guard Repositioning?”

“Then you’ll be attacked by the monsters near the Monument.”

“Ah……”

Yernil nodded.

“But I don’t know the exact location of the Monument.”

“I’ll mark the location for you, so don’t worry.”

Caleb pushed the tip of his wand through the drilled gap.

Toward the Monument about 80 meters away.

“Cumulonimbus.”

He cast the magic.

“Follow the sound of rain. Yernil.”

Yernil closed her eyes.

***

The roar of Goblins.

Hijikata’s battle cry, Soyul’s chanting. The sound of arrows and ice spikes piercing Aimus’s parasol.

The sound of Gadozumi’s thrown blade embedding in a wolf’s scruff.

The howling of wolves.

The Frost Hunters chanting ‘Ice Spike‘.

The whoosh of arrows being fired in succession.

The vibration of bouncing bowstrings.

The breathing and footsteps of monsters.

The Lich’s laughter.

In the noisy battlefield. The ears of a Sound Mapping ability user sensitively track the target.

It’s a cloud floating just 10 meters above the Monument.

Raindrops from there begin to patter patter against the heavy Monument’s head.

The sound of wind.

The sound of wind blowing at the peak of the snow mountain is like the wailing of ghosts.

That wind carries raindrops to strike the front of the Monument.

The sound of stone and raindrops colliding.

The sound of soaked monsters moving away. The snow melts in the rainwater.

The mud squelches.

Raindrops begin to pool on the ground. Raindrops falling on puddles make plop plop sounds.

Patter patter patter.

The sound of rain gradually becomes fiercer. The torrential rain created by the Cumulonimbus covers the Monument. To Yernil with her eyes closed, that sound felt like spreading paper over the Monument and making a rubbing with ink.

The silhouette of the Monument is drawn.

Even the three boxes installed below it.

Bang!

Magic Touch was fired. Yernil’s arrow with the special ability Arc Bombardment can fly without being constrained by obstacles if she can just specify the location.

Her arrow never misses its target.

Whiiiiiish!

The blue Magic Touch flying in a graceful parabola sparkled in the dark night sky.

And the moment that touch hit the Monument.

Pop!

The scroll disappeared like cotton candy put in water.

Because she hit the target with Magic Touch. The scroll was activated.

That scroll was something Caleb had randomly picked up. It was ‘Practical Magic, Glowing’ that he had found in the treasure room.

One side of the Monument gleamed.

And three coins freed from the scroll bounce up.

Yernil caught even that sound.

But……

‘How are those coins going to get into the three boxes?‘

She thinks of the Message Transmission game.

In terms of that game, this would be a very difficult 0.1% great success gamble.

Like ‘A wizard punches a Goblin with his fist‘, an answer very far from the correct one.

‘What on earth are you planning? Caleb!’

***

Of course, it’s turn-based telekinesis.

[Your turn. Remaining time: 60 seconds]

[Action Points: ■■■■]

Approaching the Monument and putting coins into the boxes was never even a candidate in my strategy.

Because that would be like suicide.

I wrap any scroll around coins and tie it to Yernil’s Magic Touch to shoot.

Originally, I planned to use this operation by going up the slope of the first entrance to the slip point where I first fell.

Because from there, the line of sight to the Monument opens up straight.

Now the plan has gone a bit awry, but the result is the same.

I put my right hand and wand through the hole, with my head against my right shoulder. So that the wand, my hand, and line of sight form a straight line.

It’s similar to a pistol shooting stance.

I’ve done something like this before. When intercepting the bomb on Backstab’s waist.

But unlike then, what supports my right hand are the bones of the Femur Barrier, and my left hand was holding the glass bottle.

“Move.”

I cast the spell.

The target is a coin in front of the Monument 80 meters ahead in the darkness-covered mountain peak.

The target is extremely small and it’s even raining pitter-patter, making it difficult even to identify, but.

‘Got it.’

I have the glass bottle.

The Wizard’s Eye observes the coins from quite close range.

What I’ve caught now is the Dagger Hawk coin.

It’s like neurosurgery performed while looking through a microscope.

‘Slowly.’

Very carefully. I can fully accomplish this in 60 seconds. I can take my time. Just don’t make mistakes.

‘To box number 1.’

I put the Dagger Hawk coin into the first box.

[Your turn. Remaining time: 46 seconds]

[Action Points: ■■■□]

Originally, after Yernil hits with Magic Touch, the probability that the three bouncing coins would fit perfectly into the three boxes would be close to zero, but.

“Move.”

Telekinetic Teleporter can put them in, Yernil.

You already saw it once when collecting Aimus’s urn, didn’t you?

Not only bringing things with that telekinesis, but putting them in is also possible.

And not only putting coins in.

‘Next to box number 2.’

I can also move the Wizard’s Eye.

Like turning the adjustment handle of a microscope to refocus the image.

Compared to bringing the urn rolling around in the Sanctuary, this telekinesis has much shorter object movement distance.

Because the coins are already near the boxes.

But there are three coins, and the Wizard’s Eye needs to move slightly each time, so the total action point consumption is not small.

Fortunately, ‘telekinesis’ itself has no casting cost. The momentum of manipulating objects is directly connected to action points.

“Move.”

This time I move the Gourmet Whale coin. To box number 2.

“Move.”

I manipulate the Wizard’s Eye again to position it next to box number 3.

Yernil.

This is actually why I bet our reward on the Message Transmission game.

Because if necessary, I could use this to win 100%.

Though I didn’t use it because it seemed unsporting.

[Your turn. Remaining time: 14 seconds]

[Action Points: ■□□□]

Now the third one.

“Move.”

I move the Pitiful Spider Doctor coin to box number 3.

[Action points fully depleted.]

[Ending turn.]

[The hourglass has been flipped again.]

Compared to the Message Transmission game, this is a 0.1% probability great success.

***

Kuguuung!

Suddenly, a giant flash erupted from the Monument toward the sky.

“What’s that.”

Hijikata’s party, who were fighting with Gildal, looked up at that thunderous sound and light in surprise.

“The code has been deciphered!”

Gadozumi shouted.

“But……”

Hijikata looked up at the monsters while breathing heavily.

“But why…… Isn’t the magic working?”

“Did something go wrong again?”

Soyul looked at her party members with a despairing expression.

“I’ll go check!”

Gadozumi ran patpatpat and Shadow Leaped to the second entrance.

When he ran straight to the front of the barrier.

Caleb was crouched down rummaging through his bag, and beside him Yernil was stamping her feet.

“Did you solve the code!?”

Gadozumi asked.

“We solved it!”

Yernil answered. However, her expression wasn’t very good.

“What’s going on? All the monsters are still there! Did you really solve the code?”

“We did! We put three coins into the boxes!”

“Three coins?”

For Gadozumi, those words didn’t even make sense.

Because he hadn’t even gone to the Monument.

How did they successively put three coins into palm-sized boxes 80 meters away from behind the barrier?

It was an impossible story, but since they apparently managed to do it, let’s move on for now.

There’s a more important problem, isn’t there?

“But why isn’t the magic working? The monsters are still there!”

“You have to touch the Monument directly!”

Yernil shouted.

“Wha-at!”

At this truly shocking news, the Gatpa’s expression hardened.

Gadozumi, who’s just a 3rd floor adventurer, doesn’t know much about Monuments, but thinking about it, he seemed to have heard something like this at some tavern.

‘When you solve a Monument’s code, a new message appears on the Monument.’

That’s information about the labyrinth that the Monument has hidden.

And at the same time, that’s an ‘incantation‘.

All magic requires incantation. When you solve the code, the spell is provided.

However, no magical tool in the world can activate magic without being equipped.

Can you imagine firing a Fireball contained in a magic wand lying on the ground without touching it?

Even scrolls need to be torn by hand to use them.

“Je…… Jesus……”

A Monument is like one giant and powerful scroll.

You have to touch it directly and chant the spell to make it work.

“This can’t be……”

At this terrible conclusion that overturns all hope, Gadozumi’s heart sank heavily.

The last chance to resolve the hell unfolding on the 3rd floor is right before their eyes, but they can’t grasp it.

Because monsters are swarming in front of the Monument. As things are, there’s no way……

“Gadozumi.”

Suddenly Caleb spoke while taking something out of his bag.

“Calm down. This was expected.”

“What……?”

What he held in his hand was a blank scroll.

***

That wizard brought the scroll to the hole in the barrier and aimed his wand through it.

“Transcribe.”

The magic on the Monument is transferred to the scroll.

“……”

The Monument’s 10th tier magic cannot be put into a wizard’s Memory Book or anything like that.

Even if contained in a scroll, it evaporates in just 1 minute.

But conversely, that means it’s maintained in the scroll for 1 minute.

‘Caleb will have a way.’

On the 3.5 floor stairs, the Elf archer had said something like ‘let’s just trust him’.

About this absurd plan to activate the Monument’s magic occupied by thousands of monsters.

When he learned that Gildal was coming up, what Gadozumi thought was at best something like ‘let’s all attack the Monument together while Gildal and the Lich fight’.

Then maybe a few would die but they could luckily put the correct answers into the Monument’s code boxes.

But……

‘He never had any intention of approaching from the beginning.’

The rumors about this wizard among Soren’s adventurers lately have been extraordinary.

Now he seems to understand why.

The creation of this transcribed copy of a 10th tier magic scroll is shocking, but when solving the code earlier, what on earth did he do?

“Done.”

The wizard lifted up the completed scroll.

He succeeded in awakening the Monument occupied by thousands of monsters and extracting magic from it.

“Now let’s go home.”

He tore the scroll.

10th tier strategic magic, Large Scale Annihilation is activated.