NOVEL NEXT Chapter 169
Chapter 169 – System (9)
“It’s definitely… impressive.”
“Did you see that? She sniped from much farther away and way faster!”
Amidst a crowd of elves buzzing with excitement, Eve, who had quickly returned home after assisting the Arin Tribe, showcased the power of the firearm in her hand to her kin with her lips tightly sealed.
What she brought from the game world was undoubtedly a mystical object, defying common sense. The elves marvelled at Eve’s abilities, which surpassed their expertise with bows.
Eve was inherently stronger since she was chosen from the talented among the elves.
“I’ve already engaged in quite a few real battles with this. The power is real. Of course, we can’t arm everyone with this mystical weapon, but if just a few of us awaken as Slayers and can wield this power, we can drive away those monsters trying to invade our homeland!”
Having experienced it herself, Eve asserted strongly. She believed the alliance with the Arin Tribe would significantly boost the otherwise slightly lacking strength of the elves and provide an opportunity to repel the bugs.
“We must not repeat the example of the dwarves. They’ll stop at nothing to reclaim their destroyed homeland.”
“I understand what you mean. We need to forge a united front with the humans who share the same enemy.”
“Then…”
“But we’re not that desperate yet. It’s not right to extend our hands when we haven’t even fought and tested ourselves.”
As the Elf King, Riena, quietly listened to those words, he nodded in agreement but did not wholly side with her.
He still believed they could solve it with their own strength.
That faith wasn’t baseless. The bug swarm that attacked the elves hadn’t grown as powerful as those that attacked the dwarves.
They hadn’t fought together seriously yet, so asking for help while going in with a losing mindset was ridiculous to them.
“The army we’ve gathered has prepared. Although we were pushed back due to a surprise attack, we cannot properly fight without human aid.”
“But they’re absolutely selfish… Ugh, I understand for now.”
Being part of the radical faction, Eve couldn’t understand their mindset, but she nodded. After all, many elves still knew little about humans.
Unlike the Arin Tribe’s unwavering trust in their guardian deity, the elves required more concrete reasons.
‘It’s not hopeless. Indeed.’
Eventually, Eve conceded a bit. The best way was for the elves to fight well on their own and overcome the crisis.
She trusted her kin that much and calculated it might be possible if she fought alongside them.
Above all, it seemed the bugs were also split across two fronts. They realized the two swarms were cooperating, but facing the Arin Tribe’s offensive meant the elves could not receive aid from the other swarm.
What Eve believed most was exactly that.
“It’s time to show our strength.”
Having succeeded in persuading Eve and some factions, Riena mobilized the army they had been steadily gathering.
The objective was to open the gate and uproot the nests of the enemies daring to encroach upon their sacred homeland.
“There are other spots around, but the biggest nest among them is right over there.”
They had researched and scouted the enemies as well.
Unlike the ant-like swarms, the spider-like bugs were generating various variants as time passed and were systematically destroying the elves’ homeland, making it their territory.
“Now that we’ve come this far, there’s no reason to turn back. Let’s sweep them away.”
Riena gave a resolute command, gazing at the numerous elves gathered around him. There hadn’t been this many elves gathering to fight since they chose to disconnect from the world.
Still, their morale was solid. They held a pride that filled their hearts. Just as the Arin Tribe risked their lives against monsters, the elves were uniting through this high pride.
“They’re coming!”
“Hold your position!”
Both the elves and the opposing swarm were still inexperienced. This kind of large-scale battle was their first.
The combat method they chose was naturally to clash head-on.
‘They’re definitely prepared. There’s no slacking off.’
Riena gritted his teeth as he saw the grotesque monsters charging forward.
Though he said he wouldn’t accept help from humans, he had thoroughly engraved the characteristics and fighting methods of the bugs relayed by the Arin Tribe into his strategy.
He wasn’t a foolish king. He didn’t want to lose the gathered strength of his kin due to any moment of carelessness.
“Rise! Fight from behind the wall!”
As the spider-like creatures, who looked undeniably solid wrapped in carapaces the size of compact cars, surged forward as shock troops, the elves initiated their spells from their prepared formations.
Just as the Arin Tribe used the strength of the transporters to build barricades in an instant, they utilized the roots that surged from the ground to create obstacles.
“Fire!”
The elves unleashed a barrage of long-range attacks from behind the obstacles they had created. The arrows of elven archers imbued with mana were stronger than the arrows crafted from the by-products of mutants in Creature Hunting.
The developed carapaces of the enemies were pierced in a single strike. Eve, along with her comrades, furiously fired their guns, swapping magazines to stop the approaching foes.
“No, they’re being pushed back!”
As a result, the tide of battle soon shifted heavily in one direction. The bugs, recklessly charging their forces against the elves who were thoroughly shielding themselves and unleashing firepower, began to retreat slowly.
They started climbing over the corpses of their shattered comrades, but the line of bodies stacked was gradually pushed back.
“Look! We will protect our homeland with our strength!”
Riena shouted with fervor, encouraging his kin as the momentum surged.
‘Are we really this strong? If it keeps going like this…’
Eve’s face lit up, and she hurriedly moved forward with her comrades. Winning this easily exceeded her expectations.
She was excited about the prospect that the elves might be able to provide help to the Arin Tribe.
“That looks like their largest nest over there.”
“These pesky creatures have made their nests in the most troublesome places.”
As the elves charged in, they found themselves facing a cave deep within the woods they rarely ventured into.
The dense forests were all torn up, revealing the purple-stained, dead earth beneath. The area seemed large enough to fit a city, which angered all the elves.
“However, we all know that when we unite, we are stronger than them. Today, in this sacred land, we will drive out those beastly monsters!”
Thinking they had seized the upper hand, it was nonsense for them to hesitate here. The elves recharged their morale and slowly approached the enemy’s nest.
“…Huh?”
“What’s that?”
But at that moment, just as they approached the nest,
Eve and all the elves couldn’t believe their eyes. An utterly shocking scene unfolded before them.
‘I’ve never heard of such a thing.’
Eve hesitantly staggered back. What unfolded before their eyes was a brutal scene of kin fighting one another.
Ants clad in black armor were mercilessly attacking the spiders that occupied the nest. They didn’t care about the charge coming at them; they slaughtered what was clearly their own kind.
“Explain! What on earth is happening? They’re fighting among themselves!”
“I—I don’t know either.”
The elves looked to Eve for answers, but Eve couldn’t provide any either. It was something she couldn’t have imagined, let alone heard of.
*
“It’s a surprise attack! They’ve flown in from the sky!”
As the elves moved to eliminate one swarm, the enemies, already preparing for a final battle, made the first move to stall for time.
“Is this the last, final move? Surely there’s nothing further behind this?”
Riena sighed as she watched the enemies flying across the dark sky. She was already aware of their tough vitality.
She also knew about the near-mad obsession and their illogical way of thinking. But it still didn’t make sense. No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like a meaningless struggle.
“Ugh! Poison!”
As the flying type threw down larvae imbued with poison, the larvae immediately exploded, scattering a thick cloud of toxin everywhere.
Riena had to move busily. The only means to purify the poison were the divine powers held by her and the paladins.
“What are those?!”
Angered by the actions of the enemies carrying out gas terror outside the range of defense turrets and magic, Riena ground her teeth.
She knew that this tactic was only meant to buy time, but that was exactly what the enemies were aiming for.
“Calm down, Riena. This kind of trick can’t be endless. Ultimately, the ones cornered and losing all their occupied lands are those monsters.”
“But we can’t predict what those monsters will do. They’re doing this for a reason.”
Barun tried to calm her excitement, but Riena instinctively heightened her vigilance.
Those monsters were not the kind to act foolishly out of emotional turmoil, something the opponent was engrained within her bones.
“Quickly evacuate to the shelters!”
“Dispense potions and herbs that can neutralize poison. Mages, keep them from getting close!”
As they busily shouted and moved to resist the enemy’s terror,
‘What is that monster?’
While radiating divine energy to protect her surroundings, Riena instinctively locked her gaze on a distant enemy floating in the sky.
The appearance was no different from the other special variants, but she flinched at the gleam in its compound eyes peeking through the carapace.
Among the bugs evolving and evolving, she realized that this one was fundamentally different from the others.
However, she had no time or means to charge at it now.
“C-Captain! We have injured here!”
“Oh no.”
She was being sought from all directions. Unless the opponent took the initiative to attack, her entire focus was on caring for the wounded around her while keeping an eye on the monster.