Chapter 64 Alright! Everyone'S Here!!
Explorer Guild, 3rd floor, Grand Meeting Hall.
The Guild Master, standing at the front of the hall, looked around at the more than 70 explorers gathered and shouted.
"Alright! Everyone's here!!"
He must have yelled to make sure his voice reached every corner of the large meeting hall, but those of us sitting near the front, including me, raised an eyebrow at his loud voice.
You didn't need to shout that loud; we could hear you just fine.
Currently, the explorers from Clan ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ and others who will participate in the Nord subjugation have gathered here for the overall meeting to discuss the strategy for tomorrow's operation.
By the way, this is the day after Fiona and I fought in the training arena, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.
Well, even though it's called an overall meeting, I'm sure everyone already has a general idea of what's going on. It's mainly to confirm the final strategy for the Nord subjugation.
"From now on, we'll discuss the role assignments and flow of tomorrow's operation! Be good and listen quietly! Now, Io!"
"Yes, yes."
The one called out to come forward was our Clan Master, Io Suleiman.
It seems Io will be the one explaining, not the Guild Master.
Io stood before the gathered explorers, cleared his throat with a "Ahem," and began to speak.
"I'm Io Suleiman, the Clan Master of ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫. I'll explain tomorrow's operation."
He paused for a moment, looked around the meeting hall, nodded once, and continued.
"Don't worry, it's not a difficult explanation. First, let me explain the flow of the operation....Tomorrow morning, all participating explorers will gather at the [Seal Temple] and use the teleportation circle to teleport to the 36th floor."
This time, a total of 72 explorers will participate in the operation.
Including 4 cooperators, that makes 76 people who will teleport to the 36th floor.
As we can infer from the fact that everyone can teleport to the 36th floor, all of us gathered here are Expert Explorers.
There are a few Expert Explorers who didn't originally belong to a clan, but most of them were Advanced Explorers until just recently. That's because the guild took the lead in forming a raid team with Advanced Explorers who had exceptional strength, and forced their way through to the 36th floor for this operation.
Well, saying it's for the subjugation operation is just an excuse, it seems.
That's because the time it took from discovering Nord to breaking through the 36th floor was too short. It's likely that the guild planned to form a raid team in advance to quickly raise their exploration level, in order to compensate for their lost combat power.
Normally, making them explore at a floor that doesn't match their strength would only increase the death rate, but it's not a normal time now. The guild is also in a desperate situation.
There's a rumor that the guild might be planning to establish a clan like ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ with their support.
――Anyway.
So, the 72 people here are almost all the Expert Explorers in Necronia.
Almost, because there are some suspicious individuals who can't be trusted to participate in important operations.
"Currently, the Unique Individual Nord is moving to the 36th floor. Therefore, there's no need to move across floors."
Nord was discovered on the 38th floor. It didn't move for a while, but due to some reason, Nord ended up moving floors.
The reason is――,
"As you know, the Unique Individual Nord was discovered on the 38th floor. When planning the subjugation operation, we decided to investigate its combat ability in advance. So, I and a few others ended up challenging it――."
We decided to test Nord's power by taking it on, just once.
By the way, the ones who were sent out to investigate were Io and me, as well as Garon and the others from the ≪Iron Wall Alliance≫ guild, who were scouts.
Of course, if we judged that we couldn't defeat them, we were planning to retreat immediately.
"――To put it bluntly, we couldn't fight Nord."
But we couldn't even fight properly, because――,
"Nord is different from the Unique Individuals that appeared in the labyrinth this time. He always choose to escape first, no matter who the opponent is."
The Unique Individual Nord would escape at full power, regardless of the opponent's strength or weakness.
Of course, he would also attack, but it was all just a distraction to help him escape, and not a real counterattack.
We tried it out with various opponents, but Nord would always choose to escape first, whether the opponent was strong or weak. He wouldn't even try to fight.
It's quite thorough.
The other Unique Individuals would aggressively attack if they thought their opponent was weaker, but――,
"That's why I think it's highly likely that Nord, which operates on a different principle, is the source or the main body of the Unique Individuals that appeared this time."
Nord's unusual behavior could be proof that he is the main body.
"And to get back to the story, Nord's continued escape led him to move from the 38th floor to the 36th floor."
This wasn't the result we intended, but it's a blessing in disguise.
At any rate, we can reduce unnecessary battles and exploration until we fight Nord.
But, well――,
"However, even if we gather a large number of people, we still can't fight Nord properly like this."
It's extremely difficult to prevent the Nord from escaping., and it's almost impossible to stop him. Just like the Unique Individuals we've faced so far, even a half-hearted attack won't be able to slow him down. When I used "Jadeite" to literally cut off his foot and... well, instead of healing the cut, he grew a new foot and took 2 steps forward, even I was left doubting my own eyes.
Probably, Nord's original ability is also at play, and his regenerative ability is higher than any Unique Individual I've faced so far.
As the Giant King Nord, the guardian, had high regenerative abilities to begin with, it's likely that it's been further enhanced.
The subjugation of the Unique Individual Nord, suspected to be the cause of the "Great Outbreak" of monsters, is an extremely important operation not just for the Explorer Guild, but for all of Necronia.
Io sat in the front row of the conference room, introducing the "cooperators" for the subjugation operation.
"This time, we've received cooperation from the [Four Great Families of the Seals] for the subjugation."
So, the cooperators referred to the mages of the [Four Great Families of the Seals].
"It goes without saying, but this is an extremely unusual situation. I want you to understand just how serious this issue is being taken."
It's unprecedented for the mages of the [Four Great Families of the Seals], the rulers of Necronia, to personally cooperate in the subjugation of a monster, even if it is a Unique Individual.
The gathered explorers also knew that this was a big deal, and even though they had been informed of the [Four Great Families of the Seals]' cooperation beforehand, they couldn't hide their shock.
"Whoa, the [Four Great Families of the Seals] are really participating...?"
"In a monster subjugation?...Seriously? ."
"Is that just how bad Nord is...?"
A loud buzz erupted within the conference room.
I waited for it to settle down, and Io continued.
"Then, let me introduce those who will be cooperating with us this time... First, the 4th son of the Aron family, Sir Kyle."
Io called out his name, and a young man stood up.
With silver hair and golden eyes, he had an air of mystery, like a noble prince. He was a famous playboy.
"I'm Kyle Aron. I want you all to do your best to not let me get hurt. Please, I'm counting on you."
"Thank you, Sir Kyle. Then, next――."
Io quickly introduced the next person.
"The third son of the Gridavor family, Sir Ryan."
"Ooh!!"
With a hot-blooded feeling, he nodded and stood up. He was a tall boy with short, spiky red hair and golden eyes. You wouldn't think he was a magician, given his muscular build, but unfortunately, it was already clear that his muscles were just for show.
"I'm Ryan Gridavor!! I showed a pathetic side during the last exploration, but I've trained a lot since then!! This time, I'll definitely win in the Ore Labyrinth!!"
"Yes, thank you. Please sit down. Then, next――."
Io quickly seated Ryan and moved on to the next introduction.
"The adopted child of the Caduceus family, Lady Chloe."
Next, a girl with long black hair tied in a single braid, golden eyes, and glasses stood up. She looked a bit fragile.
Chloe stood up with a slightly hunched back, tears welling up in her eyes, and greeted us in a small voice.
"A... I'm, Chloe... N-Nice to meet you... Uuu... why do I have to do this again...? It's so unfortunate...!!"
"Yes, let's do our best. Then, finally――."
Io carelessly encouraged Chloe and moved on to the final introduction.
"The eldest daughter of the Kirke family, Lady Eva."
Finally, a woman with beautiful golden hair and golden eyes stood up. She had a stunning figure.
Needless to say, it was Lady Eva.
"I'm Eva Kirke. Everyone, please be kind to me."
With a graceful gesture, Lady Eva said only that and sat down by herself.
These 4 individuals are our collaborators for this mission. As members of the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫, it's only natural that we know them. They're the ones who ventured into the labyrinth when we set up the teleportation circle on the 46th floor.
So, why were Lady Eva and her team chosen as our collaborators? The reason is surprisingly simple.
During the Nord subjugation, we needed the assistance of the [Four Great Families of the Seals]. At that time, only Lady Eva's team was registered on the 36th floor's teleportation circle. If we had asked another mage for help, we would've had to guide them from the 1st floor to the 36th floor. That would've been a huge hassle and wasted a lot of time.
That's why Lady Eva's team was chosen. It was the most convenient option.
And why did we need the [Four Great Families of the Seals]'s assistance in the first place?
"As I've introduced, we've managed to secure the cooperation of these 4 individuals. So, why do we need the power of the [Four Great Families of the Seals]? As I explained earlier, it's because the special entity Nord can escape quickly. In this subjugation operation, we've decided to have Lady Eva's team set up a barrier to encircle a wide area, including Nord, before the battle begins."
We're going to trap Nord so it can't escape. That's why we need the [Four Great Families of the Seals]'s barrier magic.
By the way, the reason we need to set up a wide-range barrier is that we can't do it in close proximity. If we try to set up a barrier near Nord, it'll definitely detect us and escape. So, we need to set up a massive barrier from a distant location to trap it.
And that's why many explorers, including us, the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫, were mobilized for this mission. It's also because Lady Eva's team is involved.
"The Lady Eva faction needs to deploy a barrier when they're at the 4 corners, activating and maintaining their barrier magic. Of course, while they're activating their barrier magic, they're completely defenseless. And since we're in the depths of the labyrinth, there's a chance they might get attacked by other monsters. Out of the people participating in this operation, 32 of them will be serving as Lady Eva's bodyguards. As for the breakdown, Sir Kyle's bodyguards will be..."
Io started explaining which party would be guarding whom.
The explorers had been briefed on this beforehand, but Lady Eva and the others hadn't been told yet. That's because the guild had been discussing the explorers' suitability until the very last minute, and the decision was only made yesterday.
"...and Lady Chloe's bodyguards will be the ≪Sword Dance Maiden's Scorned Squad≫ and the ≪Sword Dance Maiden's Stepping Stone Squad≫. And finally, Lady Eva's bodyguards will be..."
"W-w-w-wait a minute!! C-c-c-can't you see that my bodyguards are a bit...off?!"
Chloe stood up from her seat, looking anxious, and shouted. It seemed she was uneasy about the explorers who would be guarding her.
Io paused his explanation and fixed Chloe with a firm gaze, nodding deeply.
"Don't worry. They're natural masochists, so their suitability as bodyguards is high. ...Well, that is, as long as the person being guarded is a woman..."
"What's there to be reassured about?!"
"――Reassurance guaranteed!!"
At that moment, the explorers stood up from their seats in the conference room.
Chloe turned around to look behind her, and there were the explorers who would be guarding her.
A chubby magician puffed out his chest confidently and said,
"Lady Chloe may not be our type, but we won't let personal feelings get in the way of our work! We'll protect that beautiful body of yours without a single scratch, and show you our skills!! "
"......Um, can I request a change of bodyguards, please?"
Chloe spoke in an unusually strong tone.
"That's, well, if it's possible... Mr. Aaron, or someone like that, could be my guard, and I'd feel at ease..."
At that moment, a loud "Tch!!" sound came from beside me.
When I looked, Fiona was sitting with her legs and arms crossed, her face expressionless.
What's going on, did I just imagine it? No way, she just clicked her tongue. Does Fiona dislike Chloe or something...?
"E-Eek...!!"
When I turned back to Chloe, she was looking at Fiona with a frightened expression. Following her gaze, I looked back at Fiona, who was still staring straight ahead with an expressionless face.
"Hmm... I apologize, but Aaron is going to be the main force in the Nord battle, so we can't have him as our guard."
"E-Eek... it's, it's okay...!!"
"Is that so? Well, they may look like that, but they're strong enough to have cleared the 35th floor. The guild guarantees their strength, so please don't worry."
"Y-yes, I'm happy...!!"
It seems Chloe has given up... or maybe not, but she sat down, looking resigned.
Io continued talking, announcing Lady Eva's guard, and then went back to explaining the Nord battle plan.
"After surrounding the Nord with barrier magic, we'll start the battle with the remaining 40 people. Just like the other Unique Individuals, Nord has extremely high regenerative abilities, so we can't defeat it unless we burn its entire body to ashes. Therefore, our basic strategy is to bind it, then cut its body into small pieces, and finally burn it. However, due to the Nord's massive size, it's extremely difficult to cut its entire body at once. So, after binding it, magicians like me will use group magic to envelop the Nord in high-temperature flames, and then the others will dissect its body while it's burning."
The general flow of the Nord battle plan is to first bind it, then envelop it in high-temperature flames, and maintain the magic. Finally, the explorers will work together to dissect the Nord's body within the flames, completely burning it to ashes.
For me and Io, who have fought Unique Individuals many times, this is nothing new. But for the others, it's not the case.
It was an unbelievable, absurd method of subjugation that didn't feel like fighting a monster at all, and the conference room was filled with confusion and anxiety.
"You're telling me we can't kill it unless we do it that way...?"
"What kind of monster is this?"
"Can we really subjugate it...?"
"I mean, are we supposed to restrain it the whole time we're attacking it?"
"...That's impossible, right?"
"Who's going to restrain it, anyway?"
"Ah, shall I continue explaining?"
Io's voice cut through the bewildered murmurs of the explorers, drawing everyone's attention.
"There are 32 people in 8 groups of 4 to guard Lady Eva. And as for the remaining 40 people, I'll reannounce their roles. First, the restraint team will be led by Aaron Gale and Garon Gasterk of the ≪Iron Wall Alliance≫, along with 11 people from the shield soldier extraction team. As for the Nord incineration, I'll be leading the 11 fire and wind mages. The remaining 16 people will form the severance team, and they'll be in charge of cutting down the restrained Nord."
The breakdown is as follows:
I, along with Garon and 6 others from the ≪Iron Wall Alliance≫, plus 6 shield soldiers, will form the 13-member restraint team.
Io, along with Claire and 6 others from the ≪Flames of Dominance≫, plus 4 magicians, will form the 11-member magic team.
Fiona, Calum, Glen, and the remaining 16 people will form the severance team, responsible for cutting down the Nord's physical body.
This time, our roles will differ depending on our Jobs, so we won't be acting as a single party. The exceptions are the ≪Iron Wall Alliance≫ and ≪Flames of Dominance≫, who will be working together with others of the same Job.
"Garon will be in command of the restraint squad. Aaron will be a skirmish unit. I'll be in command of the magic squad, and Glen will be in command of the cutting squad."
That's the flow of the operation and the breakdown of each member's role.
Io continued to explain the finer details, including how to respond to unexpected situations.
After about an hour, the explorers' questions were answered, and the meeting came to a close.
"――Alright, that's it for today's general meeting. Tomorrow, everyone, please gather directly at the [Seal Temple]. Don't be late, okay?...Alright, let's disperse!"
Suddenly, the conference room erupted in a buzz of chatter, and the gathered explorers began to file out one by one.
I didn't have any particular business to attend to, and I was thinking of heading home quickly, when a voice called out from beside me.
It wasn't Fiona. It was from the seat next to Fiona's.
"Fiona, do you have some free time later today? If you're willing, would you like to have dinner with me? I've got a reservation at the Imperial Suite of the Golden Pavilion. Since we'll be in the same team tomorrow, wouldn't it be great to bond a bit tonight...?"
When I looked, I saw that it was none other than the beautiful, golden-haired, blue-eyed Glen, dressed in men's attire.
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