Log Horizon: Ex. Dragonhowl Mountains

Log Horizon ex. Dragonhowl Mountains

Prologue

A dry wind blew through a vast desert wasteland that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The Yureddo Continent. It was the Half-Gaia Project's equivalent to the Eurasian continent. Within its core, Aorusoi, human shaped specks passed through.

Of the party heading towards Japan, one among them, a female figure, had once been an active member on Japan's Elder Tales' server.

The voyage to cross the world's largest continent with news from Europe had begun.

Part 1 of 3

The sky loomed high above the earth.

It stretched endlessly.

The sun's rays were harsh, white, and dazzling.

Despite that, the color of the sky, even during the day, could be described as ultramarine, a dark blue, rather than azure.

The color was the blue of a sky closer to the upper limits of the atmosphere.

A grey-tinted mountain range could be seen along the horizon. However, it was nothing special. Those mountaintops were visible up to 200 kilometers away.

Despite the harshness of the sun's rays, the cold wind cut like a blade. Given the altitude, this was only natural.

You could say that this area was hosted on the Chinese server.

It corresponded to the southern region of Kazakhstan in the real world.

In ancient times, there was a town here called Tekeli.

This place was called Aorusoi in Elder Tales.

This wasn't the name of the country, but of the region. This large inland region was surrounded on all sides by various deserts, such as the Kyzyl Kum. Any place that wasn't filled with sand was merely desiccated and desolate wasteland. Few plants grew large or lush enough to serve as concealment, and the meager greenery covered the ashy brown earth here and there.

In the surrounding areas, steppe-like features connected to the plateau, but they couldn't be distinguished just by looking over the view due to the high altitude.

Even during the summer, the temperature would barely pass twenty degrees at best.

Now that it was September, it would fall below ten degrees at night.

There was a reason why Aorusoi was designated a region and not a country. In this enormous area, there were few people.

Although China had remarkable economic growth, the reality was that most of the development occurred in areas closer to the coast. To begin with, Central Asia, which included western China and Kazakhstan, had a low real-world population density.

Elder Tales encouraged players to play on the nearest server, and so the number of Adventurers in a given region was proportional to that region's subscription base. Thus, there were few players in Elder Tales' Kazakhstan since its population was sparse.

For subscription MMOs like Elder Tales which charged users on a regular basis, the user base was a resource that drove development.

South China Power Grid ran the Chinese servers. Since most of the user base was located along the eastern coast, development was naturally focused there. Areas like the Great Wall of China and the surroundings of Beijing boasted epic quests and an elaborate design.

In contrast, areas with low user population suffered from a dearth of dungeons and quests, and their corresponding regions were savage wilderness with equally low population.

However, even in these areas, the geographical features faithfully matched those of reality. From the beginning, these features in Elder Tales were automatically modeled through use of satellite photos and laser measurements.

Though the purpose was simply to reduce labor costs, this idea, real-world topography, was one of the features that made Elder Tales popular.

With the Half-Gaia Project system which faithfully reproduced the earth at half scale and the weather emulator, this Aorusoi mimicked the Central Asia of ancient times, with its dry ground, its chilling wind, and its deep blue sky.

And so this beautiful spectacle was the manifestation of the harsh environment. As a result, in this post-Catastrophe world, a reality that transcended the real had begun to manifest.

In a ruined building next to the road in the center of Tekeli, Leonardo, collapsed from exhaustion, grumbled.

This town was Leonardo's prison.

Driven by a certain reason, Leonardo had visited this town. He had known that it contained a Shrine. A Shrine was a building placed within each player town that served as a resurrection point.

Adventurers that died in Elder Tales revived at the last Shrine that they visited. In this crazy post-Catastrophe world, this fact had not changed.

The Shrine was not just the temple that served as a resurrection point, but it also included a wide Trigger Area. In many cases, this area was the entire city that the Shrine was located within. In other words, entering the city automatically registered a visit to its Shrine. Afterwards, should the Adventurer die, he would revive at the registered Shrine.

The ruined town of Tekeli seemed to be included within the Shrine's trigger area.

Leonardo was pleased with the existence of this Shrine at first.

Due to certain circumstances that led him on a trip to Central Asia, it was a save point that he was thankful for. Traveling through this region was harsh. Having reached it meant that he would not need to repeat that long journey should he die.

The Shrine appeared to be a godsend.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

"Dammit. Because of this, there's nothing I can do..."

Slowly, carefully, Leonardo watched the outskirts of the town.

He was watching something that looked like a body in a heat shimmer swaying back and forth.

Heat elemental Daylight Shade. It was a level 52 spirit-type monster.

When Leonardo entered the town and climbed the bell tower at its center, he had carelessly touched a watery reflection and triggered something. An event unfolded.

From how the situation developed, he judged that it could only be a large-scale combat event for level 50 players. The ruins were now encircled by innumerable heat elementals.

Leonardo was level 90.

It was no mere boast to say that as an Assassin, Leonardo's skill was first class. He took pride in being his nation's top-ranking practitioner of close combat in the twin katana style. An inhabitant of Avenue ABC born in New York who ate Madison Square Park's "Shake Shack" burgers on a weekly basis, this 'High Geek' had devoted himself to Elder Tales.

... Truthfully, he was an obsessed American geek, but his enthusiasm was genuine. Fight after fight. Junk food after junk food. Of course, he experienced more than that: in-game drama, disputes and cheesy friendship stories; boasting and gossip; endless quests to acquire the next rare drop.

A monster that was only level 52 was absolutely no threat to him. If there were five or six of them, or even thirty, he could at least have broken through and escaped.

However, this was not the situation around the ruins of Tekeli.

Even an optimistic estimate would count thousands of heat elementals encircling the town.

There was no escape.

He had not realized this initially.

By repeatedly charging into the enemy forces, losing, dying, and then reviving, Leonardo learned this fact. The town was besieged on all sides.

This was the worst possible situation.

Normally, getting into trouble would be resolved by Resurrection at a safe Shrine. Alternatively, death could be avoided by use of the Call of Home spell.

However, Leonardo would currently revive at or be recalled to this town, likely because he had been registered at the Shrine.

In other words, death and the Call of Home could not provide escape.

"... I'm hungry. I need pizza."

Leonardo was dying to eat his favorite dish.

He yearned for the cheese filled, parent-disapproved, Giga Meat Pizza of the East Village's sloppy pizza house.

In this post-Catastrophe world, a character's hunger could be felt as physical pain. However, Leonardo didn't know if this world had 'starvation'. He didn't know if hunger could lead to, for instance, a loss of hit points or even death.

Although he still had some food left in his magic bag, it seemed that Leonardo would soon be testing 'starvation'.

"If only this were the North American server..."

On the North American server, Leonardo had friends and acquaintances. Those of his friends who had escaped the Catastrophe (lucky!) were fine back in the real world, but since Leonardo was a game-obsessed maniac, so were most of his friends.

However, telepathy could not be used across different servers.

After the Catastrophe, he had confirmed that not a single friend on his list was illuminated. That was only natural. While most of his friends were on the North American server, he was on the Chinese server.

"Holy shit... I can't take this anymore."

With the North American server full of chaos, as though Hell's kettle had boiled over, entering a Fairy Ring would create a safe space to hide. Leonardo had thus thought.

With over five years of experience in Elder Tales, he understood the situation, as unpleasant as it was. It was impossible for one person alone to break the Daylight Shade siege. However, the chance of calling for reinforcements was negligible, and the situation could not be improved by leveling up or acquiring items.

That anyone could happen to pass by was even less likely. Leonardo had stumbled across these ruins by chance. These ruins sat on a plateau without landmarks. (What a joke!)

If you thought about it, it was reasonable to doubt that there would be any quests or events here.

This could be called 'checkmate'.

Leonardo had met his doom.

At the center of Kazakhstan's blue wasteland - Aorusoi.

Part 2 of 3

"Hey~ You. Sleeping in such a place, your stomach will get cold."

Hearing such words... was it a joke, he wondered.

Perhaps his mind has fallen into a delusion, but Leonardo forced his gaze towards the source of the voice.

Right there was a black-haired woman.

Almost by habit, Leonardo checked her status.

The name was かなみ... Kanami.

Class: Monk. Level 90.

She had Asian features and her hair was tied into a thick braid. Her eyes were filled with curiosity and the somewhat amused tilt of her mouth made her look young, but he couldn't determine her age. It was said that Asians looked younger than their Western counterparts.

Thinking about that, Leonardo shook his head.

Back in reality, it was generally true.

In this alternate world, it didn't necessarily apply. However, he knew that she could only be called a pretty woman with a lovely figure. Each and every woman in this world was beautiful, but after exchanging only a few words with the woman in front of him, he could tell that she had a musical voice and an aura that felt like flowers.

"Oi!"

Leonardo tried to introduce himself but instead cried out reflexively.

Wanting to warn her about the Shrine, he noticed that it was too late.

The Shrine's trigger area was the entire ruins.

This woman had already been caught in its grasp.

"What?"

"Ah, oops, sorry. Didn't mean to shout out. I'm Leonardo. I'm an Adventurer from the North American server."

"Hmm. I'm Kanami."

The woman replied, clasping the hand of Leonardo who had stood up.

As their eyes met, he saw that Kanami was about 170cm tall, only 5 centimeters shorter than Leonardo. Leonardo, who was not confident in his own height, was thankful for this.

"Did you come all the way here from North America to take a nap? Impressive."

"Ah. No, that's not it... but, these ruins, how did you get here?"

Leonardo revisited his doubts.

"Hmm? I came here normally by walking, of course."

Leonardo's eyes automatically looked down the street she would have come from.

Leonardo's sharp eyesight noted that at the town's boundary there was only a little shimmering. His expectations in that direction were betrayed.

In other words, the heat elementals would not attack those coming from the outside. Instead they kept the Adventurers inside and eliminated them.

It seemed to be that kind of event.

"There's something I need to tell you. Just, don't take it out on me, don't panic, and don't despair."

"What?"

With her braid swinging back and forth, Kanami stared at Leonardo with wide eyes. Nervously looking back into her mysterious oriental eyes, not wanting to shock a fellow player, Leonardo chose his words carefully.

"Well, these ruins we're in, somehow or other, right now, there's an event going on."

"Event?"

"Ahh... There's a large-scale combat event."

"Ooh!"

Kanami's eyes sparkled as joy spread across her face.

Being rather displeased with the current situation, Leonardo let the tone in his voice drop.

"The situation is hopeless. There's a Shrine in this town. In other words, when you entered, Miss Kanami..."

"Registration happened?"

"Yes. Well, that's how it works."

"So you can't escape through resurrection or using Call of Home?"

"That's right. You catch on quick."

"Yeah, yeah! I get it! I'm all fired up!"

At Kanami's simple-minded response, Leonardo was bewildered.

Did this woman called Kanami really understand the situation?

She seemed to be simply pleased just by the combat event.

Maybe she was a beginner?

In Elder Tales, leveling up was not hard work. At each level range, there were as many good quests to pursue as dishes in an Manchu Han Imperial Feast, so levels would naturally increase.

With the pride of Elder Tales' long history at stake, the disparity between a veteran and a new player was a serious issue. Level differences were an obvious case that prevented players from playing together. With features like the 'Mentoring System', level gaps were quickly closed.

The Elder Tales administration established a policy of "aiding new players in leveling".

In other words, bringing a new player up to the maximum - level 90 - was not a difficult task. The average player used to be able to reach level 90 in less than 100 hours of play time. Now, it was said that reaching level 90 would take less than 80 hours.

On the other hand, it was very difficult to acquire appropriate level 90 equipment. Maxing subclass skills and acquiring high-grade materials took a tremendous amount of time.

Though Kanami's equipment was suitable for a level 90 player, to the point where Leonardo wouldn't call it a disgrace, it bothered him that he couldn't judge her experience from it.

"Don't you get it? Since this town is completely surrounded, there's no way we can escape?"

"Eh? Why?"

With her head tilted and that blank expression on her face, Kanami asked wonderingly.

"Because the large-scale combat... ah! Of course! You're Chinese, right?"

Leonardo was relieved with that realization.

Since his home server was North America, Leonardo couldn't contact his allies, but if Kanami's home server was China, it was very likely that she could contact hers. The post-Catastrophe world was full of confusion and malice, so it was uncertain whether her allies would come to her rescue in this difficult to reach place, but being able to contact them was better than nothing.

This was level 50 content for a Full Raid, or 24 players, but a party of ten level 90 players should be able to stage a breakout.

"What are you saying? I am Japanese. My hometown is Rome. On the European server."

But Kanami's words smashed Leonardo's hopes to pieces. Because the advanced machine translation had completely translated her language, he hadn't noticed.

"Well, then..."

"Hey, instead, tell me, why are you dressed like that?"

In response to Kanami's question, Leonardo shook his head a few times.

"No particular reason. It's a hobby."

Actually, he was quite used to this question.

"That, what is it?"

"It's the Turtle."

Thus, even to the most ill-mannered phrasing of the question, Leonardo countered with the most stylish response imaginable. What's that shape? It's the Turtle. What does it mean? It symbolizes the Turtle. Why does your red mask only cover your eyes? Because it was Ninja.

Why a ninja turtle?

Idiot.

It was chosen because it was cool.

"Hey, you... that's great! That's awesome!"

However, unlike others who would be stunned by his answer, Kanami's reaction was different.

"Hey, that type of headgear is for disguising yourself, right? Rather than a turtle, you're a green Umibouzu, aren't you?"

Kanami seemed to be delighted as she cheerfully laughed each time she glanced at his appearance that resembled a humorous comic character. Being laughed at this much should generate an unfortunate mood, but Leonardo, with uncertain feelings, had not yet taken offense.

While his smile crumbled from her comments, there was no insult or jeer in them; instead, it conveyed a feeling of simple interest and joy. Thus, Leonardo's twin swords that had repelled many rude players and PKers that he couldn't stomach were silent for the moment.

"I trust my shape won't be an issue."

"Yeah! Because it's awesome!"

"Leave me alone."

"Hey, hey! Pull out your swords! Show me, show me!"

"I'll cut you up."

"Ah, so cool! So cute! I want to pet you~"

Laughing in a cheerful voice, Kanami clung tightly to Leonardo. From Leonardo's green shell armor and assassin tunic came a faint smell of fresh grass.

"Act more properly!"

"Woah, that's a good one!"

"What's 'good'?!"

"Hey, let's go!"

(... What?)

"We're going towards Japan but after all, isn't it very far? It's really boring, you know? So, why not go together? Napping in this spot, your stomach will get cold."

"Why Japan?"

(Ugh,) he wasn't napping here.

Before that, didn't she understand why they couldn't leave this place?

It wasn't possible.

Leonardo settled his thinking that seemed to have reached a conclusion.

'We'. This beautiful woman who was probably the same age as Leonardo had just said 'we'.

"You came here with a party!?"

"Yeah, that's right. Since we're going together, I'll introduce you."

"Ugh, wait, I haven't agreed to go with you yet," Leonardo pointed out with sullen mutterings.

Though they probably hadn't heard Kanami's words, a man and a woman appeared climbing over the debris of the ruins. Of the two, even Leonardo recognized the man as a celebrity.

"Mistress Kanami. The survivor is injured. Hrm... A strange figure, but I can see you're a skilled Adventurer. Nice to meet you."

Displaying a charming smile as he raised the edges of his lips, this beautiful man that inspired a reflexive retort, Elias Hackblade.

"Elias Hackblade..."

"Ah. You recognized me? Thank you, Adventurer-dono."

Rather than bearing suspicions towards Leonardo's strange cosplay, Elias laughed cheerfully and offered a handshake.

Elias Hackblade.

In the world of Elder Tales, one of the few names that were well known on a global scale.

Hero and member of the Knights of the Red Branch, one of the International 13 Orders of Knights which were said to preserve the world's order. Blademancer and blue blooded Ancient.

Ancient. One of the game elements that previously existed within Elder Tales when the world was just an MMO. NPCs, 'Non-Player Characters', in other words, game characters within this world, separate from the players that held a minor role, were nearly all called 'People of the Land'.

Villagers and nobles, clients of Adventurers, victims; all such beings were in most cases 'People of the Land'.

In this reality, they were established to be inferior to Adventurers in many ways.

By repeatedly fighting, a Adventurer would steadily advance and gain levels. In the end, their mighty combat prowess allowed them to face even dragons and giants.

Since even fatal wounds wouldn't kill them, instead returning them to Shrines and resurrecting there, they could only be called immortal existences.

However, People of the Land were not the same.

The level of an overwhelming number of People of the Land never reached double digits, and they would not revive when they died. In the first place, the administration of bank and inns, from a game perspective, did not require levels or combat abilities.

Moreover, beyond the fact that this was a game, the leading role in an adventure belonged to the player, that is, the Adventurer. Adventuring in an alternate world where villagers were stronger than themselves being commonplace, who wouldn't tremble at the thought?

The relative weakness of the People of the Land could be said to be the result of various elements of design. However, having all NPCs completely incapable of combat would be inconvenient for the composition of the game's story, drama and quests.

Of course, worrying over the issue of NPCs stealing the role of Adventurers was putting the cart before the horse, but sometimes a scene called for an NPC capable of fighting beside an Adventurer.

Probably, such circumstances led to the creation of the existences called Ancients.

In other words, Ancients were exceptional NPCs.

Their combat prowess was high, matching and in certain cases exceeding those of Adventurers. They 'starred' in various quests, and sometimes rescued Adventurers or asked for their assistance.

All RPGs were this way; Elder Tales likewise had a breadth of adventures ranging from worthless low level quests to the plots and intrigues of high level countries and areas.

At lower levels, an adventurer would at most defend a village or settlement from a group of wolves or goblins. During this sort of adventure, there was no chance of the Adventurer encountering an Ancient.

However, as levels gradually increased, they showed up to introduce and serve as backdrops for quests dealing with nationwide threats such as invasions by evil forces.

Many Ancients... or rather, nearly all were associated with the International 13 Orders of Knights. Each server had one such order composed of Ancients. Their role was not to be concerned with the politics of countries or regions, but to deal with evil on a global scale within the world of Elder Tales.

For example, on the North American server where Leonardo had adventured for many years was the knightly order called Wen's Keepers, which provided assistance during large-scale combat quests and were the basis of many tales and legends.

As an example, one member of the order went on an investigative journey, and had since been missing. Told to high-level Adventurers by the Wen's Keepers, this story led them through their search for the missing knight to the mystery of a dreadful and ancient secret at the Sedona ruins.

Of course, Ancients were few in number compared to the People of the Land. However, since there was a large chance of meeting them during high level adventures, some Ancients were well-known amongst Adventurers.

These celebrities would spice up long adventures.

And so Elias Hackblade, as Elder Tales' indisputably greatest hero, was a celebrity.

Raised by fairies and trained in unrivaled fairy sword techniques, this hero was introduced in an article on the official site. In the first place, Elias Hackblade appeared on the Elder Tales box art for store purchases.

With chestnut colored hair and chestnut colored eyes, wearing a snow white armored coat with indigo accented lines, wielding the giant two-handed sword Crystal Stream, using the absolutely invincible sword techniques of Fairy Arts, capable of saying what middle school students only dared to think, cutting a cool figure, he was the archetypal hero.

Part 3 of 3

"By the way, Eli-eli."

"Please don't call me Eli-Eli, Mistress."

"But isn't Eli-Eli cuter?"

Leonardo was taken aback as Kanami and Elias began to talk. Elias was an Ancient. Not an Adventurer, but rather, an NPC. In other words, he was not human.

Why was she talking with Elias with such familiarity?

Wait, why was Elias here in the first place?

As a member of the Knights of the Red Branch, he should have been in the Northern European server.

Of the many Ancients, Elias was certainly the most well-known. His renown was on par with that of the White Wing Princess, Rin Shanfen.

Therefore, even Leonardo, who was not of the European server, recognized Elias on sight. Nonetheless, Ancients rarely left their home server. It never occurred outside of specially planned events, and after all—

In the current world of Elder Tales,

the administration that planned events

no longer existed.

Within Leonardo's stunned thoughts, a low, calm chime rang. As if to confirm the system sound, a party invitation window opened. Assuming that it came from the people in front of him, Leonardo accepted it without checking the details.

When a party was formed, the list of the party members' names was displayed. From this window, Leonardo learned the name of the petite girl who had sent him the invitation.

The girl's name was Coppelia.

She appeared with Elias earlier, but had been completely forgotten by Leonardo in the shock of seeing Elias. She left a plain impression.

With a petite body 140 cm tall and dressed as a Victorian maid, she was of the Cleric class. Level 90, of course.

Having approached while looking up at Leonardo, she picked up her skirt and made an elegant curtsy.

"Coppelia is called Coppelia. Nice to meet you. Do you desire any healing?"

"Ah, I'm Leonardo. Nice to meet you... ah, healing would be good."

Looking down on the girl that gave off the impression of being a mysterious doll, Leonardo muttered his inner thoughts. While her response was somewhat strange, she looked very honest.

Now that he had joined the party, it seemed that it contained only four members. There was Kanami; the girl in front of him, Coppelia; of course, himself, who had just joined; and finally, Elias.

Kanami was a level 90 Monk.

Coppelia was a level 90 Cleric.

That much, he understood. With a small party of only three, the role of controlling the enemy front line fell to the Monk, an evasive tank, while the Cleric was in charge of healing. And, with his high offensive power in his role as Assassin, his sole task was to reduce the enemy numbers. This party was in no way unbalanced. To construct a simple party, that was the minimum.

But, why was Elias in the party?

(... Level 100 Blademancer.)

Before his eyes, the ground seemed to waver and he felt like he couldn't understand anything.

First of all, he couldn't understand how an NPC could join the party.

What the hell was a 'Blademancer' anyway? There were only 12 classes that could be chosen in Elder Tales. Three warrior classes, three weapon attack classes, three healing classes, three magic attack classes. That mysterious Blademancer class was not one of them.

Likewise with level 100. An Adventurer's maximum level was 90. That hadn't changed since the expansion released two years ago.

Everything about this situation seemed to mock Leonardo's common sense and knowledge.

"... Irregularities are present in your heart rate. Do you require healing?"

"No, I'm fine... though, is there something odd about me?"

"I do not detect any status affliction icons."

"There shouldn't be anything like that, but... well, was your trip long?"

Leonardo inquired.

"Master acquired Coppelia in Ville Fleurie."

Knowing that there was a bit of time lag on the automatic translation against mouth movements, Leonardo had some time to think. 'Fleurie' was probably Paris. That was assuming that Kanami and Elias started in the Northern European server, traveled across Europe and reached Central Asia.

However, his train of thought was forced to a halt there.

Interrupted by a deafening crushing sound, Leonardo had realized that Elias and Kanami had disappeared without him noticing.

"Combat has commenced. To stay within healing range, Coppelia will be moving. Please pardon the party's disarray."

"No, it's fine. I'm coming too!"

Together with Coppelia, Leonardo ran along the scorched, dry roads.

There was no need to search for the others.

To begin win, most of this town of Tekeli was in ruins.

The cold wind of the plateau and the harsh sunlight had somewhat weathered the bricks. Within these ruins, there were a few pillars and walls left that were about as tall as Leonardo. Though there was little precipitation in this region, if it rained, it would be difficult to find shelter among the crumbling ruins.

Therefore, it was not at all difficult to locate the battlefield.

Violent thunder rumbled from down the eastern road of the town's main intersection. It was a magical lightning spell. A cluster of heat waves distorted the scenery - Daylight Shades.

With that much distortion, there were undoubtedly dozens gathered in that area.

And just a few hundred meters away, Elias, brandishing his crystalline two-handed sword, fearlessly slashed at their weak points.

(What are you doing!?)

Cold sweat suddenly ran down Leonardo's back.

Elias was good. His Blademancer class and the strength of a level 100 was beyond Leonardo's understanding. Therefore, though it was perhaps wishful thinking, defeating countless Daylight Shades by himself was a possibility.

But for Kanami to plunge into battle, following Elias, was absurd. It was definitely a suicidal action.

It was obvious from the fact that Leonardo, equally level 90, would have been shredded within five minutes.

"Remaining within tactical range. Providing support. Aria: Symbol of Sacramento."

In the end, there was no other way.

Once again, he would have to die.

Leonardo was resigned to it. Running next to him, Coppelia had probably entered casting range. The magical spell began to take effect on the party members. Though it did not provide any offensive boost, this support spell added significantly to defense - thus an effective contribution to battle.

The heat elementals would surely take notice, and target her.

Currently, the front line composed of Elias and Kanami was fighting well, but should they fall, the spirits would turn on this small girl next. If that were to happen, it was clear as day that this girl would be torn to pieces.

In other words, she had already signed her death warrant. All three members other than Leonardo had done so.

If that were to happen, Leonardo had to join them in death.

Of course he thought it stupid, but following others into folly was a geek thing. As a born New Yorker, Leonardo had his sense of pride. Even if nobody else understood, to call himself a turtle ninja was to be an ally of justice.

Not staring at a woman's ass.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Letting out a roar from the bottom of his lungs, Leonardo charged the cluster of monsters that shimmered like a heat haze. Relying on a jump strengthened by his physical ability, he leaped above the enemy. Here, in midair, he was in the blind spot of many of the monsters.

(No need to hold back!)

Leonardo struck first, choosing his strongest finishing skill.

The warrior class' specialty was drawing the enemy's attention, forcing it to forget about the warrior's allies. The healer's role was to prevent casualties within the party by continually healing. And the purpose of the magic attack class was in controlling the battle, defending against the unexpected until the end of the battle.

As for Leonardo, an Assassin, what was his role?

To summarize the role of the weapons attack class: slay the enemy. The Assassin was the weapon attack class that specialized the most in the obliteration of enemies.

As Leonardo had expected, his strongest attack, Assassinate, had instantaneously dealt nearly ten thousand points of damage. Furthermore, as his opponent was more than ten levels below him, it was instantly slain as a side effect.

A dry, high-pitched sound echoed like a gunshot throughout the area.

A single Daylight Shade ruptured out of existence with what some might consider a funny sound.

"Oh! You came! Kero-nardo!"

"Stop giving people rude nicknames!"

"Then, let's get started. Haa. Crystal Stream! Blood of my hidden fairy clan! To crush the enemies before me, lend me your strength!"

(When did he enter a Japanese anime?) Leonardo wondered, though he had no time to say it aloud. Having disposed of one enemy, he carefully surveyed his surroundings. There were many enemies. From prior experience, by the time he would have taken care of the dozens within sight, others would have gathered from the town's surrounding area.

In any case, without rushing, they needed to reduce the enemy numbers with utmost efficiency. Elias' body was shrouded in a torrent of sparkling blue and violet light. The divine protection looked strong and was bestowed upon Kanami, Leonardo, and even Coppelia.

Thanks to this effect that strengthened defense, the front line could be held for now. Despite being level 50, with this many enemies gathered, their pressure should not be underestimated.

As it was, being able to reduce the number of enemies was good.

However, should the arrival of enemy reinforcements exceed the rate at which Leonardo dispatched them, this fragile balance would break. If that were to happen, Coppelia's healing would be insufficient, the burden on the front line would increase, and the tenuous situation would worsen. In other words, annihilation.

This fight was a fight to reduce the number of enemies.

Leonardo bit his lip.

If that was the case, he, as an Assassin, held the key to this fight.

---End of Part 3---

Translator's Notes and References

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