LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 18
The brief respite ended, and soon the goblins began to swarm in.
From small goblin soldiers to the larger goblin warriors, and even a goblin general who was almost as big as me.
Not just close-range monsters, but…
“Ari! Take care of the shamans and archers over there first!”
“Okay!”
There were healer monsters and long-range attackers too.
“Lumi!”
“Woof! Woof woof!”
There were even goblin raiders sneaking around, trying to jump over our heads.
“Gurgle?!”
Of course, thanks to a well-timed taunt, they were forced to turn their heads mid-air and then fell to the ground, only to be chewed up by Lumi.
But we couldn’t let our guard down.
We couldn’t take our eyes off them.
Hold out for 10 minutes?
Honestly, easy.
No one falls?
Even if the goblin general’s massive axe lands right on Lumi’s head, it’s the axe that would break.
But.
– Protect the village without any damage.
Meaning, we have to catch every single one without letting any slip through.
There was also the goal of earning three stars, but──
“Dear God…”
“It’s okay. We’ll protect you.”
“Thank you, Saint. Thank you so much, Guide…”
We had to protect the trembling villagers behind us.
…To put it coldly, we didn’t really need to protect the villagers.
‘Village damage’ was calculated based on the health of the defensive object in the center of the village.
No matter the process, as long as we prevent the raiders from reaching it and keep the goblin archers out of range, we’re good.
In the original game, villager damage was just a minor, unimportant detail.
“Ugh, this feels gross.”
But even though I’ve been sucked into this data-driven world, seeing people die in front of me is still unsettling. Whether they’re heroes or just NPCs.
Above Tynia’s head, I saw two gauges only I could see── her health and mana bars, both full.
“Tynia! Ultimate skill!”
“Kyahaha! I’ve been waiting!”
Right after my command, Tynia spread her decorative wings and floated into the air.
Her eyes glimmered with a red light, and the magic circle on her stomach (not what I was thinking) shone brightly.
And then, for just a moment── time stopped for everyone except Tynia.
Her tiny lips parted.
“Pathetic♡ Pathetic♡ Monsters are so dumb♡”
…Seriously, such a lame line came out.
And then, a sinister glow flashed from Tynia’s slender body──
And time resumed.
Ah, so this is what an ultimate skill cutscene looks like… It really feels like a game now…
“Gurgle!”
“Keeek!”
“Gurgle! Kreek!”
Chaos erupted among the goblins.
A simple mechanic. Tynia’s enhancement skill, ‘Pathetic♡’… Just thinking about the name makes my brain melt.
Anyway, that’s her ultimate skill, an AoE attack. Ultimate, Uber, special move, unique skill, whatever you call it.
Just thinking about the ultimate skill’s name makes me feel like I’m suffering brain damage, so I stopped thinking about it.
Next.
“Lumi!”
“Woof!”
Lumi’s turn.
Time stopped again, and Lumi jumped into the air, spinning around.
“Lumi will protect Chuin-nim! Woof!”
Wow, look at that bounce!
Great attention to detail.
With such silly thoughts in my head, suddenly, poof!
Smoke appeared and disappeared in an instant, and Lumi had multiplied into three.
Behold, the ‘Legendary Lumi Lumi Clone Technique’.
That’s the actual name of the ultimate skill.
I just lost a few brain cells.
The clones, ‘Lu’ and ‘Mi’, shared health with the original and attacked simultaneously!
The original had a flower in her ear, while the clones didn’t, but otherwise, they were identical. Wow! Three big and beautiful… no, six, I guess?
A simple ultimate skill that made her three times stronger for the duration of the clones.
But they share health.
Yes, they share health…!
Which means they could die three times faster.
But?
“Woof!”
“Meow meow!”
“Mooong!”
Thanks to Tynia’s ultimate skill, the goblins were in disarray, attacking each other.
Perfect conditions for Lumi, Lu, and Mi to wreak havoc.
The so-called Lunya combo.
Before I got sucked into this world, I had tried to figure out how to use Lumi, and I realized I could control the timing of the ultimate skill, which led to this tactic.
“Amazing. Both Lumi and Tynia.”
The results were so impressive that even the Saint couldn’t help but praise us!
I felt a lump in my throat, touched by the recognition.
“…Arc-nim?”
Without realizing it, I ended up patting Yo-Hena’s head.
The Saint is definitely different.
Lumi felt a bit like dog fur, and Tynia was a bit dry, but…
“What shampoo do you use?”
“…Is that really important right now?”
“Ahem.”
Anyway, with the Lunya combo, we managed to clear the waves that were piling up, and…
A brief moment of peace arrived.
“Ari and Lumi, take a break. Tynia will handle the rest.”
Pacing is important too.
From what I’ve observed up close, our heroes, while superhuman compared to ordinary people like me, are still human.
They can get tired.
“Woof!”
“Meow!”
“Mooong!”
…Or are they dogs?
Either way, the happiness was triple, but Lu and Mi eventually trembled and then, poof!
Turned into a single strand of fur and drifted away sadly.
What a shame. It was nice while it lasted.
The heroes’ health and mana bars above their heads were only visible inside the tower, but…
Just in case, I asked.
“Lumi, can you use your ultimate skill outside the tower too?”
“Woof! Yes, I can!”
…!
A realization struck me.
So that’s why Lumi’s overall color scheme is red!
When there are a lot of customers…
Three times faster than usual service speed!
Part-time…
The Red Comet of the Ethereal Realm!
“Arc? They’re starting to swarm again!”
“If we can just hold off this wave, we should be fine. Let’s push a little harder.”
Shaking off some unnecessary soft thoughts.
We began fending off the goblins that started pouring in again.
—
Five minutes later.
After purifying the rift in the area where the wave was pouring out.
We managed to clear 9 zones with 3 stars.
20 divine stones rolled down from the sky and landed in my hand.
The rightful reward I deserved came pouring down.
……But more importantly.
“Thank you, thank you……!”
“How can we ever repay this kindness…….”
“If it weren’t for you heroes, sob sob.”
The villagers, now safe, swarmed around us, showering us with endless thanks.
……Well, I didn’t really do much.
Yo-Hena, with a benevolent expression, calmed the people.
Ari stood awkwardly with a sheepish look.
Lumi, with a bright expression, just stood there dazed.
I stepped back a bit to let our heroes fully enjoy the gratitude.
And then.
“Why not Tynia?”
“……Master, are you an idiot? I was originally a demon. That kind of thing makes me cringe.”
Tynia, with a subtle expression, clung to the hem of my hood, fidgeting.
But then.
“Big bro, and…… um, sis! Thank you so much for saving me!”
A child who looked about Tynia’s age spotted us.
She ran over and bowed deeply in thanks.
Hmm, I really just stood there with my mouth open, not doing much.
“Hmph! For a human── Ouch!”
I flicked Tynia’s forehead as she started to grumble.
Racist remarks are a no-no.
There’s a saying, you know.
……Was that about politics? I don’t know.
“We’re really glad we could help. This sis here has a bit of a twisted personality, but she really worked hard.”
I patted the spot where I flicked her, giving her a hint.
“Ugh…….”
“Sis, are you okay? Big bro! You shouldn’t hit a lady with your, uh, thingy!”
“Uh, pronounce it right. Not ‘thingy’ but ‘flower.’ Uh.”
Hey hey……!
Are you trying to socially annihilate me!
There were some minor communication errors, but.
“Uh……? Umm, it’s okay…….”
“Hehe. Let’s get along! See you next time!”
“Umm, okay……!”
What’s this?
A tsundere type who acts cold to strangers but melts at the slightest kindness?
“Where’s the demon who said she hated cringy stuff?”
“Eek, Master! Can’t you shut your mouth!”
Anyway.
“Let’s wrap this up.”
With the villagers seeing us off.
We moved towards the 10th zone.
Everyone looked quite proud.
It seemed they were really happy to have saved a village through their efforts.
Even Tynia was muttering, “Hehe, sis, hehe,” savoring the kindness she received.
“Arc, you look kinda dumb.”
“Huh?”
I raised my hand and touched the corner of my mouth.
……A smile had spread across my face.
Yeah.
I guess I’m feeling a bit proud.
—
“That, that crazy bitch……! Traitor bitch! Spineless bitch! Chewing gum bitch……!”
Since demons can sense each other’s energy.
Ellis, seeing the trap she set being effortlessly broken through, coughed up blood.
It wasn’t just a simple betrayal.
Seeing the active participation in pro-human, anti-demon activities.
Her chest heaved, thump, splash, thump, splash.
All she could do was shake her oversized self and stew in resentment.
“What do I do? What do I do……?”
Seeing the speed at which they were breaking through the 6th floor.
It was insane.
Even though Tynia had betrayed them.
“They’re too strong……!”
An unprecedented strength.
Earlier.
Catching glimpses of other parallel dimensions.
Ellis saw a red-haired archer.
So weak she could barely pull the bowstring.
Ellis saw a dog beastman.
Running out alone and getting pummeled by goblins.
And then.
Tynia?
Even though she was a lower-tier demon in the demon realm.
……Somehow, she had become much stronger.
Strong enough to grab her by the hair and crush her in a one-on-one fight.
“I can’t let this happen, I can’t let this happen…….”
Creak.
Creak.
At this rate, they’ll break through to the 10th floor in no time.
And I’ll be forced into a humiliating position, begging, “I’ll be an obedient bitch, use my body as you please, please forgive meeeee…….”
……Not bad.
No, bad!
I’m a demon! A ruling demon!
I can’t, heh, submit to humans!
Soon after.
6th floor, 10th zone.
Seeing the Goblin Lord’s head fly off with a single arrow from the archer.
Ellis trembled in terror.
The next day.
7th floor, 3rd zone, 7th floor, 6th zone, 7th floor, 9th zone…….
Watching the heroes blaze through at an insane speed, Ellis shivered in fear but was also caught in a strange fantasy.
“……?”
The next day.
“Huh……?”
And the day after that.
The heroes only cleared the 7th floor, 9th zone, 10 times in a row, then left the tower.
“Why……?”
Ellis, who had already practiced the humiliating OXXko dance in her fantasies, with her corruption training progress at 98%.
Left a question in the air, unsure whether to be happy or sad.