Chapter 75: Downpour Duel

Finally.

Despite appearing sound, both Aaron and Jenna were nearing their limits. They lacked oxygen, and the environmental elements were a blazing inferno. While the Fire Opposition expertise enhanced our defense against fire, it didn't grant total immunity. To make matters worse, the rain made movement difficult.

Now, it's time for Level 2.

Eolka nodded, her complexion pale.

The first mana elixir was almost empty.

As I severed the arm of a troll with a blade, I yelled, "Jenna, Aaron! When Eolka releases the spell this time, we'll charge straight toward the river. Don't stop, keep running!"

"Yes!"

Emptying the mana elixir in one swallow, Eolka began the spell.

I tightly held the empty glass bottle of elixir and hurled it at the face of the troll standing before me.

Crash!

"Ouch!"

The troll grasped its face, shouting in pain, and I quickly pulled it towards me, placing it directly before Eolka.

Crash, crash, crash, crash!

The troll turned into a shield, absorbing the relentless torrent of crossbow bolts before collapsing.

"40 seconds! Get down!"

"Yes! Unleash!"

The flames, previously swirling around Eolka, shot forward in an orderly manner.

I immediately dropped to the ground, feeling the metallic crash as rough mud entered my mouth.

"Ignite! Boom!"

Endless raindrops poured down as one, as if each carried the force of a pounding fist. The impact engulfed me from head to toe, while the trolls' agonized screams reverberated amidst the chaos.

I rose to my feet and spat out the mud, feeling Eolka faltering with fatigue.

Sheathing my sword and securing the shield on my back, I lifted Eolka with two hands, supporting her.

"This is—"

"Don't say a word."

Eolka nodded slowly, then shared her body with me.

"Jenna, Aaron, close by. Let's run toward the river!"

"Yes!"

Joined by the other two, we ran past the dead troll bodies.

As I held Eolka, I couldn't wield a weapon. Jenna and Aaron ran ahead, one shooting bolts and the other thrusting his lance from both sides.

The rushing stream grew closer.

The crowd of trolls was slowly retreating.

Though they scowled at us from a distance, baring their teeth and attempting to intimidate us, they didn't pursue us relentlessly. Their focus shifted towards advancing further toward the northern city wall.

We endured.

"Golly, that was close. I thought we were finished!"

On one side of the river, there stood a magnificent tree, providing shelter from the rain.

Jenna and Aaron sought cover beneath its shade, sitting down.

I gently placed Eolka down, though her gaze remained sharp.

"I wish I could be gentler."

"Apologies, the conditions don't allow for it."

I laughed and replied.

"Take a moment to rest. Apply the healing elixir to your burns and take a sip. Remember, we only have one, so don't use it all at once."

"Understood. Wait, this is quite potent."

Jenna frowned as she swallowed the potion and gently dabbed it onto her exposed brown skin. Aaron followed suit, and after taking a sip myself, I applied it to my burnt marks. A tingling sensation flowed through my entire body.

I stepped outside the tree.

"Toward the north of the city."

Though it was distant, I strained my eyes to catch a glimpse of the ongoing situation.

Many attack towers clung to the city walls, ferrying trolls up. Arrows and bolts flew between the upper and lower levels of the wall, and as most trolls reached the top, they swiftly plummeted to their demise. The outer defenses hadn't been breached yet. It looked like Edis's party was doing their best.

And then, there was the river—the very reason we had come here.

Rain poured incessantly, causing the river to surge violently. A significant dam spanned across the river, positioned between its upstream and downstream. Though its stone construction didn't exude an aura of stability, it seemed capable of holding for now. Beyond the river stretched a sprawling forest.

On the seventh floor when we checked this spot, the dam lay in ruins.

It wasn't a natural breakdown; there were signs of something forcefully breaking it, like scattered bricks and piled-up soil. It suggested that the trolls, assuming the appearance of reinforcements, deliberately destroyed it.

"It's odd."

"Both the fifth-floor city and the seventh-floor dam are in a terrible state of decay."

"These little trolls lack the means or unity to completely destroy the city walls and structures. At best, they managed to assemble siege towers to scale the walls."

"Then how?!"

"Oppa, what are you doing out there? You'll get soaked. Come inside."

"Hmm."

"What's the matter?"

"Everyone, come out. Our guests will arrive soon."

Footsteps echoed from somewhere.

I wanted to rest a bit longer.

Jenna complained as she emerged from the tree.

Aaron followed suit, and Eolka, having paused to rest, drank about a third of her mana potion and stood nearby.

"We'll hold on until reinforcements arrive. They'll try to destroy the dam. We must stop them at all costs."

"Yes."

Amidst the falling rain, the enemy revealed themselves.

Unlike the previous group of trolls we had encountered, these guys had targeted the dam. I observed them through the curtain of raindrops.

[Troll Lv.9 x 19]

They were armed and organized like elite special forces.

Wearing iron armor and wielding weapons, some even wielded picks and hammers, searching for weak spots to breach.

And then—

"Crash, crash, crash!"

Each step sent earthquakes resonating through the ground.

Standing roughly 3 meters and 50 centimeters tall, they made the trolls by their side appear small like rodents.

Their tightly built bodies rippled beneath their light green skin. Clad in sturdy plate armor that protected their vulnerable areas, they brandished giant iron mallets in their right hands.

"I had a feeling it would be you."

The creature let out a resounding roar.

"GUUUARGH!"

[Ogre Lv.23]

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