Chapter 1136: Fallen King's Tomb (2)

“It'd be easier to understand if you think of it as the party being divided into two groups. Mr. Hyo-Yeol will be in party one, and the others will be in party two,” I said.

“…”

“We have many tactical choices to choose from. There are many things I still need to explain, and besides the things I mentioned earlier, there are many important details I need to go over as well, but party two's tasks are really simple,” I continued.

“…”

“The first task is to support party one,” I said.

“What… what do we do? What do we do?!”

“

Ahhh!

”

“Push them back! Push them back!”

“Stop them! Don’t let them through!”

‘This is a total mess.’

The monsters had slowed down, but the party members were feeling so overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events that they had no idea what to do.

Of course, it was understandable. Grandpa Raymond Bolt was blocking the incoming undead creatures with his body, but there was only so much one vanguard could do.

I saw monsters being taken down, drenched in blood, but because the party lacked a proper formation, the monsters easily broke through them.

Lim Chae-Ryeong was fending off monsters by running around with her daggers, but it seemed like she couldn’t stop the undead monster from getting close to Nam Goong-Seon.

Jung Ha-Yan was quietly maintaining her spell and holding her position, while No Dam-Hye was already hiding behind Grandpa Raymond Bolt. She wasn’t fit for combat in the first place, so she was exempted.

“Do something! Damn it! You! What the hell are you doing?!” Lim Chae-Ryeong barked angrily at Woo Hyo-Yeol.

Woo Hyo-Yeol had his arms crossed and was doing nothing, so she was naturally upset. Obviously, Woo Hyo-Yeol ignored her words and instead looked around with a serious expression, but it wasn’t because the party was a mess.

He probably had his doubts about the mage named Jung Ha-Yan.

Even in his first life, he had seen many skilled mages, but I was sure Jung Ha-Yan’s abilities were shocking, even for him. He was probably wondering if Jung Ha-Yan's spell was even possible, but he wasn’t a mage, so he couldn’t reach a conclusion.

It wasn’t just a simple debuff—the spell had actually slowed down the enemies’ time upon entering the spell's zone. It was basically a type of debuff, but its effectiveness was almost unreal, considering Jung Ha-Yan was the only caster.

It was like she was freely manipulating the time within the spell's zone.

Including the undead, everything inside the zone had slowed down as well.

The fragmented flesh of the undead ghouls, the teeth of the undead that were knocked away upon getting hit by Grandpa Raymond Bolt’s shield bash, and even the arrows and spells fired by the skeleton archers and the skeleton mages.

They were being affected by that space, so of course, it was a shocking sight.

“Party two’s main role is to support party one, which is basically supporting Mr. Hyo-Yeol. All of you are in the same party, but you have to think of party one and party two as two separate parties.

"Of course, mobility and safety are the two most key factors for the vanguards of party two. Your main job is to ensure the safety of the rear guards and protect them from your designated positions,” I explained.

“…”

“Grandpa Raymond Bolt can provide long-range support, and Miss Chae-Ryeong can also provide some ranged support.

Ah!

Miss No Dam-Hye will be in the middle of the party. Unlike the typical triangular formation, Miss Lim Chae-Ryeong will stand behind Grandpa Bolt’s right foot,” I instructed.

“

Aaaaah!

”

‘They’re really fighting with everything they’ve got.’

Despite the chaos, it seemed like they were still listening to my instructions because I saw them making space.

Lim Chae-Ryeong wasn’t strong enough to fight these monsters in the first place, but I was sure she wouldn't have chosen her class if she couldn't fight enemies that were too slow.

‘Yeah, that’s the least you can do.’

“We’ll leave the left side open,” I told them.

“W-What do you mean?! What about Goong-Seon unni? What about her?!” Lim Chae-Ryeon shouted.

“Grandpa Bolt, you don’t need to keep holding off the monsters forever, either,” I instructed.

The monsters that broke past Raymond Bolt moved toward an empty space. Naturally, the monsters moved toward the left, and Nam Goong-Seon, who had never fought without a vanguard, turned pale, but she still chanted instinctively.

“Divine Blessing!” Nam Goong-Seon yelled.

While the monsters pounded against the holy protection spell, Jung Ha-Yan cast her spell, and a bolt of lightning crashed down, tearing through the horde of undead.

“

Ah!

”

Of course, it wasn’t over. Some of them were taken down, but like ravenous beasts, they quickly filled the empty spaces. While Nam Goong-Seon, who had already used her holy protection magic, was feeling shocked, Jung Ha-Yan’s spell blocked the enemies.

“Unless it’s a special case, it’s best to take turns casting spells. You understand what you need to do, right?” I asked.

“Vanish! You lost souls!”

Upon casting a Turn Undead-like spell, I heard a

crack

, and the undead creatures disintegrated. It was a classic mob-clearing tactic using a basic spell that every single priest out there was definitely capable of casting.

“Of course, we won’t use this formation in one-on-one battles, but for this party, I think it’s best if we maintain the current formation.

Ah!

Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol, your position isn’t set, but I want you to move primarily on the left. You don’t need to stay with the rearguards. In fact, staying away from them is ideal,” I explained.

Woo Hyo-Yeol started swinging his sword while standing in the middle of the monsters. He was fighting as if he were alone on a remote island. Of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to have a hard time dealing with monsters suffering from a "debuff."

He dealt with the monsters on the far left, and Grandpa Bolt drove the monsters from the front to the left.

With that, the mindless undead creatures were lured exactly where we wanted them to go, and as for the ones trapped between the protection spell and Woo Hyo-Yeol, offensive spells rained down on them.

The occasional buff spell applied on Woo Hyo-Yeol was a bonus. If the members were more relaxed, they could even provide ranged support, but I was sure that he was experiencing a whole new world thanks to the support he was receiving right now.

‘I’m sure he’s feeling comfortable.’

It was all because he lacked nothing at the moment. Despite the fact that he was swinging his sword as usual, the monsters were marching straight to their deaths as if they were throwing themselves toward his sword.

Normally, this strategy involved two parties taking turns using protection spells, but if there was a member more capable than the party members, then there would be no reason not to use them.

Grandpa Bolt seemed to have finally understood how this worked, and he pushed the waves of monsters to the left. He also understood that he didn’t need to follow Woo Hyo-Yeol just because the latter was moving around.

The slight adjustment in his stance was enough to maintain the overall formation. If Woo Hyo-Yeol represented the end of the clock’s hand, then party two was the center of the clock's hand. They were in different positions, but they were basically moving together.

“What should I do?” No Dam-Hye asked.

‘Seriously… what are you supposed to do here? You’re still just a bard.’

“Just play some music,” I answered.

“

Ah…

okay,” No Dam-Hye said.

“Play something peaceful,” I added.

“Sure. I can do that,” No Dam-Hye said.

With No Dam-Hye playing peaceful music amidst the chaos, the party formation was finalized. It was actually kind of funny. Urgent cries and the shrill cries of the undead were everywhere, but there was peaceful music playing in the background.

“Grandpa,” I said.

The old man took out his crossbow upon seeing my signal, and he supported Woo Hyo-Yeol from the back.

“Miss Ha-Yan,” I said.

Ha-Yan instinctively knew what kind of spells she needed to cast without my instructions. Obviously, it didn’t take long for the undead to be defeated. It wasn’t that this was a difficult fight, but everyone looked at each other with satisfaction.

Of course, they had no time to take a break.

‘I wonder… if there’s going to be about three waves.’

“This time, how about we try it without the buffs?” I suggested.

The party members’ faces turned pale again.

“Over here! Unni!” Lim Chae-Ryeong shouted.

“

Kyaaaaah!

”

“Divine Blessing!” Nam Goong-Seon casted.

“Die, you disgusting pests!” she yelled.

“So w-what should I play next?” No Dam-Hye asked.

“This is tough…

haha

…” Raymond Bolt laughed.

“Gramps! They’re heading your way!” I shouted.

“…”

“You can apply more pressure. Are you okay, Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol? Where are you—“

“I’m watching him, so don’t worry,” Nam Goong-Seon interrupted me.

“

Hyaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“I… I really can’t move anymore… Shit… I really can’t move an inch… Just kill me,” Lim Chae-Ryeong complained.

“

Pant… pant…

”

‘Not bad.’

In order to become closer to each other, it was good to fight together like this.

Before all this, they were extremely awkward with each other, but now, it felt like they had gotten a little closer. It was understandable, as they were watching each other’s backs, but Lim Chae-Ryeong was especially sociable.

‘She’s been talking to Grandpa Bolt.’

Even while talking to him, she was worried that there was going to be another battle.

‘How many hours have they been fighting for?’

Five hours?

This was the last planned monster wave.

'Should I make them fight a little longer?'

I wanted to do that, but excessive greed was poisonous, and I was against pushing them beyond their physical and mental limits.

‘It’s not like they haven’t made any improvements.’

I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that they seemed to have adapted to the tactics and formation. Mastering the basics was the most important here. Even the most intricate commands and strategies were meaningless without a solid foundation.

I wasn't exactly satisfied, but considering how much they had struggled against the debuffed undead, their performance was praiseworthy.

“We’ll camp here tonight,” I said.

Woo Hyo-Yeol started walking toward me.

He looked pretty satisfied. He wasn’t showing any expression, but the fact that he wasn’t picking a fight or complaining told me that he could see potential in this party.

There was no reason to pick a fight in the first place because he didn’t even feel out of place while working together with the party members.

“Not bad,” Woo Hyo-Yeol mumbled.

‘I knew this was going to happen.’

At least his Trust stat had increased by ten points.

“You think so?” I asked.

“…”

Obviously, I had to build my relationship with him. Clearing dungeons was important, but creating a bond with him was just as important. I had to build a foundation with him by sleeping, eating, fighting, celebrating, crying, and enjoying small events together.

“I’ll leave the cleanup to the rest of you. You as well, Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol,” I said.

“…”

“We don’t need people to be on watch since Miss Ha-Yan can create a safe zone, but just to be safe, we’ll have two people pair up and keep watch,” I added.

“…”

“I’ll prepare the food. Since it’s been a tough day, we should have freshly cooked meals rather than just rations,” I suggested.

“…”

“Is there a dish you want to eat?

Ah!

I’ll be giving feedback on today’s battle while we eat, so I need all of you to attend,” I announced.

Naturally, I needed to open up first for other people to open up to me.

My energetic voice, happy face, and slightly excited expression implied that they were like family to me—no, not

like

, I already considered them my family. In some ways, it was kind of strange. We had met recently, but I cared about them as if they were my family, which was something I couldn’t understand as a twenty-year-old adult.

I couldn’t come up with the answer myself, but…

If I had to give a reason despite not understanding it…

I'd say perhaps it was to fill the void in my heart due to my… forgotten memories… and the vague memories that I couldn’t quite remember.

“That’s enough cleanup. Come here and eat,” I said to them.

Now that I thought about it, my smile looked somewhat sad.