Chapter 109 Will You... Follow Me From Now On?
After Aaron collected the magic stone from the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫, he used it to activate a barrier magic tool and set up camp inside the barrier.
However, this floor is known for its intense blizzards, and the ground is covered in snow. As a result, regular camping tents would be blown away instantly.
So, when camping on the Snowfield Floor, the simple dwellings used for camping aren't tents, but "igloos".
Igloos are snow houses built in the far north during the winter months. After the last ≪Great Transition≫, the Snowfield Floor appeared, and the method of building igloos gradually spread among Necronia explorers.
They're made by cutting out blocks of compacted snow and stacking them to form a dome-shaped house. Then, by filling the gaps between the blocks with snow, the igloo is complete.
Normally, igloos have an entrance and a front room, and the main part of the house is built higher than the entrance, like a kiln, to reduce the cold wind and heat loss. However, since Owen and his friends aren't planning to live on the Snowfield Floor, their igloo was extremely simple, with just one dome.
After spending the night there, Owen and his friends, who had fully recovered their magical energy, were ready to challenge the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ as planned.
Of course, it would be a battle with each party fighting separately.
In the battles leading up to the 40th floor, Owen and his friends had become aware of their own strength. None of them were intimidated.
And then――
* * *
A massive explosion rocked the sky on the Snowfield Floor.
A powerful explosion caused by flame magic engulfed 2 Valkyries, reducing them to splinters.
Owen and the others from ≪Bastard≫, who were watching the explosion, were panting heavily from the long battle. Despite the extreme cold, they were sweating profusely, and steam was rising from the gaps in their coats, telling the tale of the battle's intensity.
――It had already been almost 5 hours since the battle began.
For a single fight, this was an extremely long time, but Owen and his team had managed to grasp the pace and minimize their exhaustion.
This was because, during their journey up to the 40th floor, they had gained experience fighting at their limits.
They had a good understanding of the magical energy consumption per hit, and taking into account their trained magical energy recovery speed, they were able to maintain a solid and steady pace.
(Could it be that Master had anticipated this and was pushing us to our limits?)
Knowing one's own limits accurately is extremely important in battle.
Even though they had made significant progress through training, if they misjudged their own abilities, they wouldn't be able to make the right decisions during a long battle. Even if it was an underestimation, the disruption in their pace during the first half would have had a huge impact on the second half.
Perhaps Master had been concerned about this and had deliberately pushed them to their limits to make them understand their own limits?
(No, it's not "perhaps" at all...!)
Owen was convinced, even as he struggled with extreme fatigue.
(There's no doubt about it... Master had intended for this to happen from the start!!)
Now he understood.
They had been bound by common sense and had doubted it, but the useless-seeming wooden sword training had actually greatly improved their abilities. Master hadn't lied to them or deceived them. On the contrary, he had brought about results that exceeded their expectations.
Master's actions may have seemed reckless at first glance, but there must have been some meaning behind them.
It was just that they hadn't been able to understand it.
As if to prove it――,
"221, 222, 223, 224th body appears!!"
"Owen! The [Blizzard Storm] of the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ is being lifted!!"
His friends shouted.
Looking up, he saw 4 Valkyries emerging from the other side of the blizzard, flying towards them in formation.
Creating Valkyries consumed a large amount of magical energy.
It was already known that, depending on the length of the battle, up to 256 Valkyries could be generated until the magical energy was depleted. The more quickly the battle progressed, the more numerous they became. In other words, the stronger the explorer, the faster the Valkyries were generated, and the greater the total number.
...Well, there were some exceptions, like Aaron, who could defeat them without exhausting the magical energy.
Anyway.
This time, the magical energy was depleted at the 224th Valkyrie, and the [Blizzard Storm] that had been deployed around the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ began to dissipate.
The white, swirling Storm's massive wall began to fade, and the gigantic, mystical ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ appeared from the other side.
Although the number didn't reach the maximum, the 224 Valkyries were a testament to how formidable Owen and his companions were to the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫.
"Let's calm down! We'll take down these Valkyries first, and then we'll launch a full-scale attack on the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ together!!"
"Yeah!!"
Even if the magical energy was depleted, if they hesitated, it would be replenished.
Many of the higher-ranking Treant species had an ability called "Energy Drain," which allowed them to absorb magical energy from their surroundings. The ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ was no exception, and it was using "Energy Drain" to rapidly recover its magical energy.
Although the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫, which had lost its magical energy and had its [Blizzard Storm] dissipated, seemed to be doing nothing, it was actually focusing on "Energy Drain" to recover its magical energy quickly.
As a result, it would recover some of its magical energy in just about 20 minutes.
If that happened, it would either redeploy the [Blizzard Storm] or generate more Valkyries, prolonging the battle.
So, before it can recover its magical energy, they need to take down that massive trunk――but those who are inexperienced in battling the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ tend to make mistakes at this point.
For example, dividing the party into 2 to attack the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ in a hurry, after the last batch of Valkyries was generated.
Due to the accumulated fatigue and divided battle strength, the party often collapses against the last Valkyrie――this is a surprisingly common reason for defeat.
However, Owen's group didn't panic and instead employed a solid strategy.
The 4 Valkyries that appeared last.
They used low-consumption, long-range attacks like [Flying Slash] to restrain and immobilize the troublesome Valkyries, which could fly freely in the air, and then destroyed their wing feathers to deprive them of their flight ability. Once they fell, they finished them off with Intermediate-level skills that had relatively high attack power.
At first glance, this method of defeating them may seem unimpressive, but it was only possible because they had trained and strengthened their skills.
For many explorers, Valkyries are not weak enemies that can be defeated with Intermediate-level skills. If one says that 4 of them could even take down a Frost Dragon, perhaps people can understand just how strong they are.
After reliably defeating such opponents, Owen's group headed towards the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫, which had lost its defense.
"Vanguard! Create a fissure in the trunk! Rearguard, magicians, unleash your maximum-power attacks on the fissure!!"
"""Roger that!!"""
The ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫'s trunk is ridiculously massive.
And it's also incredibly sturdy.
Although they can attack it freely for a certain period, it's not easy to take down this giant tree in just over ten minutes.
As a vanguard, including himself, they create a large fissure in the massive trunk, and then have the magicians, who had been preparing for some time, unleash their Advanced magic on it. Alternatively, the archers rapidly and accurately fire high-power attack skills.
At this point, there's no need to think about the consequences.
Each person unleashed their maximum attack power, limited only by their magical energy.
As if to widen a single crack, or to vent their pent-up frustrations, they continued to launch intense attacks. The non-stop sounds of destruction echoed through the crisp, cold air.
And then――
Just a few minutes later, with a deafening crash like the shattering of thousands or tens of thousands of glass shards, the massive trunk of the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ snapped and toppled towards the snowy ground.
The battle had begun about 5 hours ago.
It was a hard-won victory.
* * *
When they returned to the camp, where the barrier had been deployed, their comrades welcomed them with open arms.
As if synchronized with the time on the surface, the sky of the Snowfield Floor transitioned to night, with the stars and full moon shining brightly. However, thanks to the reflection of the starlight and moonlight on the snowy ground, the surroundings were as bright as daytime.
The ≪Holy Knights≫, ≪Silfied≫, and ≪Bastard≫ parties had been fighting since before dawn, and now, finally, they had all succeeded in defeating the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫.
Incidentally, the battle time for each party was roughly 5 hours for the ≪Holy Knights≫ and ≪Bastard≫, while the ≪Silfied≫ party, which had fewer members, took about 6 hours.
"Well, let me say it again. Everyone, great job. Congratulations."
Aaron stood before Owen and the others, who had just finished the battle.
After slowly scanning the faces of everyone, Aaron smiled quietly and said, "No, it's not just me saying this..."
Owen, representing the group, opened his mouth to respond.
"We're the ones who should be thanking you..."
The faces of the 17 explorers, who had been facing Aaron, no longer showed suspicion and anger. Instead, they wore refreshed and clear expressions.
"We were able to get stronger and defeat the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ thanks to you, Master..."
"I feel the same way as Owen. Now, I think we might be able to become heroes in a legitimate way, without having to struggle in the lower floors..."
"Huh... so in the end, we were the ones who were wrong for doubting you."
Owen, Elliot, and Zara said in unison.
At first, they were skeptical. They thought this ridiculous training wouldn't make them stronger, and that you were just tricking them.
But when they actually tried it, they realized that your words and actions were genuine.
They've become much stronger than before, and they were even able to defeat the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ without forming a raid party. And now, they can confidently enter the ultra-deep 41st floor.
The results are so good it's like a dream come true.
They feel a sense of accomplishment that's overflowing from my chest.
That's why Owen and the others decided to trust Aaron once again.
And more than anything...
"Master, I'm not sure if I'm right, but..."
"What is it?"
"Was it... was it because you knew we'd be fighting the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ that you pushed us to our limits on the way to the 40th floor?"
"......"
"I was thinking that maybe you did that to make us realize our own limits before fighting the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫... We did get stronger, but until now, we were underestimating our own abilities. If we had kept fighting like that, we would have wasted our strong skills early on and run out of magical energy before even reaching the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫..."
"......"
Owen shared his thoughts.
Aaron listened quietly to Owen's words, and after hearing everything, he suddenly smiled. It was a smile like a proud father seeing his son grow beyond his expectations...
"Hah, good job figuring that out, Owen... that's exactly right!!"
Aaron's clear, sparkling eyes confirmed Owen's speculation.
"Y-yeah...!!"
Owen's eyes widened in shock, and his eyes shone with a mix of awe and reverence.
He made them so strong, and even made them break through the 40th floor, and even the forced exploration and continuous combat that caused them to be angry at one time were acts for their own sake.
If he had made one wrong move, he would have just been hated for it.
But he didn't let the fear of being hated by others hold him back. There aren't many people who can do that. That's why the wave of emotion that hit Owen was especially strong. It was enough to turn all his negative feelings upside down.
On the other hand, Aaron spoke up quietly.
"You guys have defeated the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ safely, so normally I'd want to give you a celebratory gift... but sorry. I've already given it to you, so I don't have anything to give you now."
"Huh...? You mean...?"
Owen and the others had a realization.
It was the weapons Aaron had given them when they forgot theirs on the 36th floor. They were made from the "Elder Treant's core wood" and were each tailored to the individual.
The "Black Radiance" series.
Aaron nodded in confirmation of Owen's guess.
"Yeah, the weapons I gave you are the ones."
"...Thanks, Master."
He had prepared their individual weapons as a celebratory gift, which meant that he had believed in their victory from the start.
There's no need to say anything else.
The boss had evaluated and believed in them from the very beginning.
Owen expressed his gratitude with deep emotion. But Aaron slowly shook his head.
"No, that's my line."
"Huh...?"
As Owen tilted his head in confusion, Aaron looked at them with a gaze that seemed to be gazing at something dazzling.
"You were probably confused when I suddenly told you to make wooden swords. But you guys didn't complain... well, not too much, anyway. You learned how to make wooden swords just like I taught you. That's why you were able to grow strong enough to defeat the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫. I don't know if you believed in me, but I want to thank you for following me this far."
"Master..."
"Master..."
"Huh, wh-what's with the sudden... it's not like you, is it?"
Owen and Elliot murmured in surprise, while Zara's face turned bright red as she looked away.
Smiling at them, Aaron continued.
"From now on, I'll be counting on you guys to make wooden swords for me. Maybe you'll doubt me again, or maybe your dissatisfaction will boil over... but precisely because you've grown so much, I want to ask you..."
(Ah... I see...)
Owen felt a sense of pride and anticipation as he waited for Aaron's next words.
"Will you... follow me from now on?"
It was unnecessary to ask.
Owen had already made up his mind.
He would follow this person anywhere, no matter how absurd the path might be. He wouldn't doubt him again.
"Master... of course we will!!"
"What's with the sudden formality... we'll be with you until we become true heroes, so please take care of us!!"
"Aw, come on! We're not done yet, so keep pushing us to our limits!!"
Not just Owen, Elliot, and Zara, but all 17 of them loudly agreed.
Aaron smiled, looking pleased.
"Hmph, alright... thanks, guys! Let's head to the 41st floor before the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ respawns and then return. We'll have a party when we get back!!"
"""Woohoo!!"""
And with that, they stopped the barrier magic tool and quickly began preparing to withdraw.
Then, with everyone together, they walked towards the stairs leading to the 41st floor, which remained after the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ disappeared.
Aaron led the way.
Owen and the others followed behind, gazing at his back with eyes full of trust――
――BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A massive bolt of lightning, as thick as a tree trunk, suddenly struck Aaron, who was walking at the front.
"――Huh?"
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