I Became a 6★ Gacha Character-410 - Tear-Stained Graduation Thesis 5
TL/Editor: raei
Status: 5/Week Mon-fri
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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The indiscriminate use of fake safe zones had led to civilian casualties, prompting stricter controls. While this stopped the brute force exploration tactics and limited access to only a select few elites, the pace of exploration didn't slow significantly.
After all, mid-rank mercenary bands seeking quick riches weren't likely to pioneer the unknown areas of the 55th floor. They were content to wander between safe zones collecting mana stones, with no interest in discovering new safe zones or gates.
As a result, only the most elite adventurers, those who had reached the pinnacle of their ranks and were filled with requests from the Magic Tower, ventured into the unknown. This ensured that the exploration pace remained steady.
"I think I've found something," Grace said suddenly.
"What is it?" Roland asked.
"Several groups of centaurs, but they're not heading our way."
We had re-entered the 55th floor after receiving a free magical device with rare mana stones from the Magic Tower's mages. As we moved towards unexplored areas using Han Se-ah's minimap and Grace's memory, Grace abruptly turned her head in one direction.
It was unlike her usual calm demeanor. The suddenness of her movement startled Irene and Han Se-ah, who quickly rushed over.
Looking in the direction Grace was facing, we could see dust clouds rising in the distance. The concerning part was that there were more than three such clouds. The good news, as Grace had pointed out, was that they weren't heading towards us.
If it had been a group of centaurs with similar detection abilities to Grace, they would have spotted us. But they were ignoring us and rushing off somewhere... What could be over there?
"So, what should we do?" Katie asked.
"What do you mean?" Roland replied.
"It's unlikely for centaur groups to gather like this without reason," Grace explained. "Maybe there's a monster encampment, as the guild suggested. They're not paying attention to us now, but if we get too close, it could become troublesome."
As we watched the distant dust clouds rise and fall, Grace whispered her concerns. Irene and Katie nodded in agreement, seeing the logic in her words.
The centaur groups had already galloped beyond our detection range, but they must be gathering somewhere. Surely they hadn't spotted some unfortunate adventurer party or mercenary band that we'd missed and decided to ambush them?
The Magic Tower researchers, the Guild collecting adventurers' reports, and even the excitable viewers all predicted that the mid-boss of the 55th floor would be a monster army unit. It made sense, given the organized formations of infantry, javelineers, and cavalry roaming around.
Grace's current worry was likely that if we approached their fortress carelessly, we'd be swarmed by an overwhelming number of monsters.
"Even so, we can't just turn back without checking it out."
"Let's approach carefully. If centaurs come out to chase us, we'll retreat, lure them away, and deal with them."
"I agree with Roland," Katie chimed in. "We can't just turn tail at the sight of some dust clouds, even if the centaurs are acting strangely."
After all, what kind of adventurers would we be if we let worry stop us in our tracks?
Turning back after seeing just a dust cloud would tarnish our reputation as top-tier adventurers, let alone as the hero party. The Guild had created a special classification for us above senior rank because we were exploring the tower's frontlines. We couldn't back down just because it might be dangerous.
While everyone sympathized with Grace's concerns, they seemed to agree that retreating without confirming anything would be a matter of pride for the hero party. Starting with Katie, everyone nodded in agreement with my opinion. freewёbnoνel.com
What a dream team, always reaching unanimous decisions without conflict.
"Shall we go then?" Roland asked.
-Hey, Han. Stop trying to act cool and turn the camera around.
-It's annoying when this road-paver pretends to be the leader.
-These guys are actually progressing normally without Han Se-ah getting screwed over. The viewers must be pissed off lol.
-I was hoping you'd do well, but I didn't mean this well.
-It's a good thing we couldn't get that ogre mana stone. If we'd enhanced our equipment too, we might have earned three more nicknames.
Considering there was once a mercenary who got cocky with Rebecca and ended up with his bones separated from his flesh, I'd say our party deserves a 5.1 out of 5 on a job search site.
With such idle thoughts, I moved forward.
Our target was the continually rising dust clouds in the distance. We followed the centaur units that hadn't noticed us, perhaps too focused on returning to wherever they came from.
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Raei Translations
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Sometimes, the obvious answer is the correct one.
Like a soldier who confesses his love only to fall with a bang, or when you shouldn't mutter about defeating a strong enemy, or when a cat jumps out from a quiet place, there's usually something else hiding behind it.
The mid-boss of the 55th floor was just like that. Goblin infantry and orc javelineers steadily pushing through the plains, with centaur scouts raiding nearby adventurers. It was like an evolved version of the orc shaman strategically deploying individual orc hunters that appeared in the orc colony on the 20th floor.
As the new season began, the fields of the 1st and 51st floors showed similar patterns, with similar monsters and strategies. In a way, it could be seen as a considerate pattern for the players.
"A palisade? Where did they get that wood from?" Katie wondered.
"Who knows... Maybe it was summoned along with them rather than built," Grace replied.
Lying flat in the tallest grass we could find, we observed the monsters' encampment, which matched everyone's expectations perfectly.
There was a moat dug from mounds of earth and a palisade made of wood from an unknown source. Watching the goblin soldiers digging earth and repairing the palisade like conscripted laborers, I could almost smell the musty odor of rain ponchos beneath the fragrant grass.
No matter how much they dug the prairie soil, it would return to its original state without special magical treatment. Yet the soldiers kept digging and fortifying. It seemed that in the 21st century, medieval fantasy, and the Demon King's army alike, manpower was always cheaper than magic.
"This is more elaborate than I thought," Katie whispered.
"We can't get any closer," Grace cautioned. "The centaurs that went inside might come back this way."
"I think we should observe from here as much as we can," Irene suggested. "We can see if other monsters are gathering like the centaurs did."
Katie and Grace whispered from either side, their voices so soft they could barely be heard over the rustling grass. They were clearly worried about being overheard by returning centaurs or orc sentries.
Curious about the quiet Han Se-ah and Irene, I slightly raised my head, only to feel two soft hands gently pressing down on my neck. They must have been a bit tense about the monster army. Of course, I could see what Han Se-ah was doing through the camera without raising my head.
"Wow, can this really be the figure of someone who doesn't exercise?" Han Se-ah mused.
-Forbes' #1 streamer who understands public sentiment, Han Se-ah! Surprise harassment, constant harassment, she's on fire lol.
-Suddenly, once again, amazing, Han! Suddenly, once again, amazing, Han! Suddenly, once again, amazing, Han! Suddenly, once again, amazing, Han! Suddenly, once again, amazing, Han!
-Wow~ Look at that booty~ Wow~ Look at that booty~ Wow~ Look at that booty~ Wow~ Look at that booty~ Wow~ Look at that booty~ Wow~ Look at that booty~ Wow~ Look at that booty~ Wow~ Look at that booty~ Wow~ Look at that booty~
[Chat deleted by the mod]
-Lol, the AI mod has learned well. It's merciless with the cuts.
While Irene was curiously observing the palisade, Han Se-ah was admiring Irene's backside, completely ignoring the fortifications.
Had she lost her mind now that the quest was progressing smoothly? Why was she filming Irene's gently curved hips even while lying flat on the ground? The camera movement was as sultry as if she were shooting a gravure photo shoot, moving from the nape of the neck down the back and along the hip line.
If Han Se-ah hadn't revealed her face for her exercise streams and was instead a virtual streamer wearing a mask, I would have believed she was a catfish.
"Roland, what are you thinking about so intently?" Katie asked.
"I'm having trouble estimating their approximate forces. It seems larger than I expected, considering almost three units of centaurs went in."
Katie's armor aside, Grace's form-fitting leather armor and Irene's habit that clung to her body's curves as she lay prone... Han Se-ah's cheeky comments about this being far more important footage than the 55th floor's mid-boss made me want to give her a sharp flick on the forehead.
Of course, I was appreciating the view properly myself.
