Chapter 50: Strategic Approach

A couple of days had passed.

\[Gathering a Party.\]

\[Intuitive your heroes!\]

Dica () hosts consolidated Get 1!

Dica had become a member of our main party.

"Please, take care of me!" Dica gestured to me with a determined demeanor on his face.

After the tragic deaths of Zeeth and Hanson, he had shown a serious disposition for some time. However, it seemed he had managed to recover somehow. Lately, he had been joining me and Aaron in our training sessions.

The sky gleamed brightly.

It meant that the expert had logged in.

"It seems it won't be just a Weekly Prison today, huh?" Aaron adjusted his lance anxiously.

The individuals Iselle called upon were me, Jenna, Aaron, and Dica. We were the core fighting party in the current sitting area.

Compared to me, Dica was significantly weaker, yet he outperformed other members. Most of them were still on the first floor.

While venturing into the Weekly Prison, we were dispatched with the sub-members, so these people could grasp the master's aims.

\[Open, Break of time and space!\]

The central door of the court opened up.

Our party's faces were tense. Even Jenna, who usually kept calm, had a rigid expression.

"Why are you so nervous?" I asked.

"The fifth floor was incredibly tough. I assumed I might die," Aaron let out a sigh.

"Don't worry. It won't be as tough this time," I reassured him.

"Really?" Aaron raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Yes, absolutely."

"There seems to be some room for doubt in your response!"

"While there's usually a remote chance of encountering a high-difficulty mission in the sub-stage, I couldn't be completely certain. That was the rule of Shot in the arm."

I moved forward.

Shortly, three others followed suit.

We couldn't fill the required party spaces, but it didn't matter.

I took a deep breath.

\[Climb the Pinnacle, Save the World!\]\[Main Prison: Current Floor 5\]

The left mirror in the Fracture of the Aspect started to emit light.

It signaled our entrance into the main prison. The tension returned to my party members' faces, especially Dica, who trembled while tightly gripping his sword and shield.

We didn't tell him how Zeeth and Hanson had met their end.

Soon, the light disappeared, and we found ourselves in a new area.

\[Floor 6.\]\[Mission Type: Exploration\]\[Objective: Investigate the Obscure Location!\]

The terrain is a forest.

"Exploration, huh."

Another rare mission had appeared.

I took a moment to assess the surroundings.

No enemies were to be seen. Just a vast field of swaying grass lay before us.

"Um, hyung. I don't see any adversaries. Is it something like what happened on the fifth floor?" Aaron asked.

"Shh." Aaron became as quiet as a sculpture and nodded in understanding.

"Don't speak so loudly. Everyone, lower your heads and kneel," I commanded.

They immediately lay flat on the ground like soldiers.

.

"I said lower your heads, not lie on the ground."

The party members stood up, slightly puzzled.

"There's nothing significant here, so relax. As long as we meet the conditions, we can survive safely," I reassured them.

"Yes."

"Wait a second. I'll be back soon."

After concealing the three of them amidst the field, I quietly escaped to the roadside.

As I advanced, I spotted an obstacle ahead. It seemed to be closed.

"It's a direct-shaped map."

If we followed the path that cut through the center of the field, we could reach an event point. When I returned, I directed the party to wander the other way.

"Are we sneaking somewhere?" Jenna asked, plucking a stray leaf from her head.

We proceeded, carefully concealing our bodies within the thick foliage of the green forest.

With her sharp vision, Jenna took the lead, and I followed closely behind.

"It feels familiar."

"I'm not usually fond of these kinds of situations."

Murmuring to herself, Jenna skillfully navigated through the verdant undergrowth.

Soon, our attention was captured by the presence of enemies.

Three trolls stood casually on the path, forming a loose formation.

"Ker, Kyarak!"

"Kira, Kiraroro!"

The trolls engaged in animated chatter among themselves.

"What are they talking about?"

"These trolls were unlike any we had encountered before."

"Their excessively skinny arms now boasted muscular strength, and their bodies had grown more imposing. Their ragged clothing, once barely covering them, had undergone a transformation. They sported crude leather armor and wielded swords and shields."

\[Troll Lv.8 X 3\]

"Do we bring them down, hyung?" Aaron tightened his grip on his lance.

"Wait."

Once again, I examined

 the trolls' appearance.

A small horn whistle hung from the leather belt around their waists.

Pointing towards a tree near the thick grass, I instructed:

"Jenna, do you see that tree?"

"Yes, I do."

"Move to the top and see what's up there."

Jenna quickly climbed the tree.

After a brief moment, Jenna returned with valuable information.

"I think there's a troll den. There's a structure inside the perimeter, and it seems to be teeming with them."

"How many are there?"

"It's hard to say. Maybe around 100?"

I grasped the situation.

It seemed to be a trap-like pattern.

Inexperienced heroes would encounter the trolls while following the path and immediately engage in battle. That had been the repetitive theme in the previous stages.

"Jenna, focus on the troll on the extreme right when I make a signal."

"Got it."

"Aaron, when I draw them, thrust your lance into the top of that one."

"Understood."

"As for you..."

Dica looked at me with confident eyes.

"If anything unexpected happens, lend us your support."

"Indeed."

There was nothing else to assign.

Moreover, exploration hardly yielded any significant experience points.

I lay flat on the ground, plucking a small rock rolling amidst the tall grass.

"Thunk."

The stone hit the back of an unmoving troll.

"Huh?"

The struck troll turned towards the direction of the grass, wearing a bewildered expression.

"Tap, tap."

I softly tapped the ground with the grip of my sword.

The troll, noticing the sound, ventured closer. As the familiar scent of the troll wafted towards my nose.

"Now!"

Jenna's arrow pierced through the forehead of the furthest right troll.

Aaron's spear pierced the flesh of the troll protruding from the foliage.

The remaining troll let out a frightened yell and pulled out a horn whistle.

Emerging from the tall grass, I ran forward and delivered a solid blow to the troll's face with my shield. Despite losing a broken tooth, the troll desperately clung to the horn whistle, attempting to blow it.

"Pff!"

I quickly kicked the horn whistle to the side and thrust my sword into the left side of its chest. The troll collapsed without getting the chance to scream.

As I withdrew the sword, sticky blood adhered to its blade.

"I-Is it over?" Dica emerged from the grass.

His face displayed a mixture of shock and relief.

"For now."

I answered and wiped the blood off the blade.

All three trolls had transformed into inert bodies. Not a single one of them had succeeded in blowing the horn whistle. I nudged the cracked horn whistle on the ground with my foot and spoke.

"If we let that whistle sound, reinforcements will come pouring out of the fortress, making things very troublesome."

"Hurrying in without knowing it's an eradication mission would trigger the trap."

A message appeared, indicating the completion of the mission.

\[Stage Clear!\]\[Reward 5,000G\]\[MVP Han()\]

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