Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios
Something happened to Lapis again?
Hearing Gillian’s report, Rhode frowned but said nothing. Since he had left everything to Gillian, he wouldn’t change the original plan unless something big happened. Another reason was that he didn’t have the time to handle it.
“Boom!!”
The fireball whistled and smashed heavily onto the ground, bursting open with a searing blast. Not far away, the lizardmen were shooting the arrows to the side. Although these lizards looked stupid, their skill with the crossbow was strong. Moreover, there were a lot of them. This large, high platform seemed to be a part of the ruins that was used for a ritual, but now it became a gathering place for the lizards. There were more than a hundred lizards here, and they were blocking the way of Rhode and his men. Not only that, there was also a more troublesome existence.
“Tch.”
Rhode looked at the ugly-looking guy that stood in the middle of the lizards. It was the only lizard that wore clothing. It was dressed in a tattered robe and there was a crooked crown on his head. It looked like cheap cosplay, but the long stick in his hand was remarkable equipment. It was a shiny metal stick full of gears and traps. On top of the stick, three triangular stones were inlaid, emitting a soft magic glow as if they were interacting with each other. Even people who didn’t know what it was could see that it was something that couldn’t be underestimated. In addition, it was now showing its strength.
This was the first magical lizard they encountered ever since they arrived at the Unicorn peak.
Of course, they weren’t technically able to use magic. If Marlene were here, she would be very dismissive. Obviously, this lizardman had a unique talent and was able to cast a little bit of magic, so it was possible for him to use magic equipment. But that didn’t mean it was smart enough to learn magic. In fact, the lizard was only using the stick to release a magical bomb to attack them.
Although it was such crude attack, no one was able to lift their heads.
There were too many lizards, which was why even if their simple crossbows were enough to suppress Rhode’s team of 30 people. Right now, the mercenaries were hiding behind the surrounding walls and corners to avoid the lizards’ attack. They also occasionally raised their crossbows to counterattack. However, because the enemies were on the high platform, they had a distance and height disadvantage, so their attacks didn’t do much.
It wasn’t that Rhode had no other way; he actually could attack them head-on and rely on his commanding skill to ensure that the team would have the smallest loss with the maximum results. But he did not make that decision.
Reality and game were different, and this limited his movement.
In the game, he could command other players regardless of the consequences of the battle. As long as they won in the end, the people who died could be resurrected. However, it was impossible to do that in reality. If NPCs died, there would be no way to revive them. Rhode also had to take this factor into account when he was commanding. That’s why Rhode usually stood at the forefront in every battle, As long as he had most of the pressure, his subordinates were less likely to be threatened and their chances of dying would be lower.
And this was one of the reasons why Rhode was trusted and loved by many of his mercenaries in such a short time. No one would be unwilling to follow a brave man who would always stand at the front and fight for his subordinates. Of course, they wouldn’t have expected that the real reason Rhode did so was because of this.
“Sir, let’s just attack.” Kavos slipped to Rhode’s side using his thief’s skill and said. “We have already talked about it; we are willing to fight for you. We are no cowards!”
“To die for a group of idiot lizards?” Rhode wasn’t satisfied with Kavos’s answer. He frowned and stopped him. “What a joke. Your life is not that worthless. Continue to guard the surroundings and let them wait! It’s not like we can’t hold on!”
According to Gillian’s report, those Ophenians were still deliberately trying to dig up some archeological excavations, but of course, Rhode had already taken them. He wanted to see what those Ophenians could get. But this was not a question he should care about.
“But Sir…”
Rhode’s answer made Kavos a little moved. He was also very clear that mercenaries were human; even if they died, they would rather have a heroic death. It’s not like they wanted to die in the hands of these stupid lizards, but now the situation was really tight. If Rhode didn’t do anything, no one knew what might happen. Keep waiting? Holy Spirit above, only God knew how many arrows and magic these damned lizardmen had!
If Marlene and Lize were here, they wouldn’t be this embarrassed. With their magic and spirit power, they would be to handle them easily. However, it didn’t seem like Rhode regretted his choice. Since they were mercenaries, they needed to learn how to win in all kinds of situations instead of complaining. Even in the game, he asked the same thing of his comrades. Even if the Tank and Healer died early, as long as there was a last glimmer of hope, Rhode would never allow them to give up. It was not because he wanted to struggle, but because he wanted them to maintain such a mentality. Otherwise, they might lose some battles where they obviously should have win. Rhode had seen similar things. At that time, Starlight’s second front-line team lost the battle because they were not familiar with the environment, resulting in the death of three Clerics. At that time, if the other members were willing to attack more, they might have still gotten a chance to kill the boss. But because of the death of these three Clerics, the other players became afraid that they might die because no one could heal them, so they chose to retreat. In the end, the boss that they suppressed went on a rampage and dealt great damage to them. The other two Clerics were unable to heal completely. It was only a matter of time until the entire team got destroyed.
Looking at Kavos’s face, Rhode knew what his men were thinking about. In this kind of time, they needed to be patient. But if he didn’t give a clear command and just let them blindly wait, the mercenaries’ morale would soon reduce to the extreme. By that time, even if they wanted to attack, they still wouldn’t be able to attack properly. Although it was okay to keep them waiting, it was also not the best choice.
“Tell the others that I will launch a counterattack in ten minutes. All of you have to follow my orders, and unless I issue another order, you are not allowed to attack. Understood?”
“Understood, Sir!” ”
Sure enough, after getting a clear command from Rhode, Kavos’s morale seemed to be heightened. Kavos quickly nodded, then turned away. Rhode turned his head and looked carefully at the lizardmen that stood on the platform. The lizardman that was standing in the middle twisted his body as if he were folk dancing. After that, he once again recalled the strategy that he used to conquer these ruins and he finally settled down.
He was still waiting.
Waiting for the best time for himself.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes.
Five minutes…
The rain of arrows began to lighten. Although the lizardmen were strong, they weren’t robots. After attacking for a long time, their movements became slower. Many lizardmen were no longer shooting as wildly as they did before, and they began to choose to rest and regain their strength.
For Rhode, this was the best chance!
Now!
Another fireball was thrown and it heavily hit the floor. Rhode suddenly jumped out. He stretched out his right hand. Soon, a green card appeared in Rhode’s hand and then, it suddenly shattered!
“——————!!”
Along with a crisp chirping, the Spirit Bird emerged from the sky. At the same time, the wind also roared violently.
“!! ”
Facing this sudden attack, the lizardmen didn’t have time to react. The wind whistled and the lizardmen staggered. The lizardmen that were not affected by the Spirit Bird attack quickly picked up their bows and arrows to attack the Spirit Bird. However, their arrows passed through the Spirit Bird and disappeared into the distance.
At this time, thunder emerged from the sky.
Boom!!
A lightning flashed and heavily hit the lizard crowd. Although they were physically strong and the Spirit Bird’s lightning didn’t inflict much damage to them, the deafening roar, vibration, and wind dust still made the lizardmen panic.
They had been shooting arrows intensively and paused at the same time.
Meanwhile, Rhode, who had finished his preparation, activated Shadow Flash and quickly rushed in!
