Level Down 35 (Patreon)

Volume 1 Chapter 35 - Divide

RAW

Although the waves allowed them to take a break after the battle started, nearly six hours had passed and Eric and the others were gradually accumulating fatigue when the fifth wave arrived and they were forced to struggle. However, the cause is not their fatigue.

“Tch, they’ve finally come, huh?” (Eric)

“Well, we knew that sooner or later, monsters from the 6th floor and beyond would come.” (Kenneth)

In contrast to Eric's bitter expression, Kenneth was dispassionate as he cut down a dragon puppy who attacked him from above.

A dragon puppy is a juvenile dragon. The word ‘juvenile’ gives the impression that they’re very weak, but this is not true. Adult dragons are easily over 10 meters long, and even in their juvenile form, they have a body length of over 3 meters, and on top of that...

“Front, the breath preliminary movement has started, attribute is fire!” (Unknown Scout)

The adventurers and soldiers immediately reacted to the warning and left the area. Immediately after that, a pillar of fire covered the area where they had been until now. The wyverns and other monsters that had been defeated and left on the spot there were turned into pitch black charcoal and began to emit a burning smell while making smoldering noises.

“UOOOHH!” (Dragon Puppy)

As the dragon puppy stopped moving while spewing flames from its mouth, Eric closed in on it and used his momentum to point his sword at its brain. The dragon puppy tried to fight back by changing the direction of its flames, but its movements were too slow.

Eric stabbed the dragon puppy in the brain, and it went limp and lost its strength, and the breath it was spitting out from its mouth disappeared leaving behind a whooshing sound.

“I know it already, but this thing is still troublesome.” (Eric)

“You should just avoid it. Using magic to defend against it is just a waste after all.” (Kenneth)

“You say it as if it’s easy.” (Eric)

Eric and Kenneth returned to the formation while exchanging banter. While they were both acting as if this was a trivial problem, Eric's inner feelings were different.

(This is tough. I wish we could just withdraw some of the soldiers, but if we do that, we won't have enough hands...) (Eric)

While thinking like this, Eric never stopped fighting.

Eric was the captain of the unit that defends against this stampede. Of course, the overall command was given to another person outside, but the command inside the dungeon was left solely to Eric.

There were soldiers of higher ranks there, but none of them were strong enough to take on a dragon.

They might have foisted it on Eric for their own safety, but as a soldier who was normally close to his comrades, it made sense for Eric to take command. Because he also understood the capabilities of each individual, he would be able to make the best decisions.

The current situation was so bad that Eric judged it to be tough.

Of course, as long as they could demonstrate their abilities as usual, Eric believed that they were capable enough to deal with dragon puppies. However, given their current state of fatigue due to successive battles, he did not know when an accident would occur, he thought.

But he couldn’t show it on his face. Because he is fully aware that, as the captain, his unrest will affect the entire unit.

(In the first place, we can't escape though.) (Eric)

The mission given to Eric and the others was to maintain the defense line in this area, and hold off the flood of monsters until support arrives.

If they were to pull out from here, Lilac would definitely suffer damage, so in a sense this could be called a natural mission, but on the other hand, abandoning the mission and retreating was not allowed. In other words, they would have to defend until all their allies are dead.

“Julia.” (Eric)

Eric muttered the name of his wife, who said she fell in love with him at first sight, yearned for him and had remained faithful to him even after being divorced from her family and stripped of her nobility, and he put his strength into his hand that held the sword.

Completely ignoring the difference in status, Eric fell in love with her, was infatuated with her, until they got where they wanted to be. And with the agent of that small miracle in his heart, Eric swung his sword. ‘I will definitely return,’ to keep that promise.

* (T/N: I don’t really get it, ‘the agent of that small miracle’ refers to Allen, right?)

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Eric and the others managed to survive the fifth wave without any deaths. However, the results were by no means favorable. Several of the soldiers were unable to avoid the breath and were seriously wounded and had to drop out.

Fortunately, if it’s okay to say that, the adventurers and other soldiers didn’t sustain any serious injuries and were able to recover with potions, but it doesn’t change the fact their number had decreased. A somber atmosphere was starting to drift in the area.

“Looking objectively, we’re almost at our limit. I want to recommend that you retreat, but.” (Kenneth)

“Impossible. But there is hope. Lilac’s gates should be open by now. There is still a possibility that support will arrive.” (Eric)

“I don't think wishful thinking is good for either soldiers or adventurers though.” (Kenneth)

The adventurers who were listening to Kenneth and Eric's conversation while taking a break nodded their heads in agreement. All of them had fought many battles in the past, and Eric himself was well aware that Kenneth’s judgment of the situation was correct.

Even to the adventurers, the current situation was that the boundary between life and death was gradually approaching. They were still calm because they had judged that they could survive for a while longer.

If the adventurers judged that the limit had been exceeded, they would not hesitate to abandon this place. They only remained here as a result of the agreement between the Adventurers’ Guild and the country, and there were very few who remained voluntarily.

They knew full well that no matter what punishment the Guild handed them, it would not be worth their own lives.

“Umm, magic potions and other supplies have arrived, so how about I support more with magic? My level has also increased a little anyway.” (???)

Perhaps unable to bear the somber atmosphere, a voice that sounded reserved but clear asked them, and Eric and Kenneth replied.

“I believe you came here to support us, the hero egg....” (Eric)

“Iseria, wasn’t it?” (Kenneth)

“Yes. I'm still inexperienced, but I'm somewhat confident in the variety of magic I can use.” (Iseria)

‘What do you think?’ Iseria asked, and the two looked at each other and smiled wryly. Both of them realized that the battle line was stable thanks to Iseria, who came to support them and used her magic to assist in the battle.

Normally, when it comes to magicians, many prioritize training in two or so attributes that they are good at, but Iseria used magic of various attributes depending on the situation, so it was clear that there was no lie in her words.

However, it was hard to say this, but her way of thinking was that of an amateur in combat. The current situation was not so easy that the outcome could be changed by the actions of just one person. Even if Iseria used more magic than she currently does, there was no way that there would be any major changes.

“I appreciate the offer, but it's best to maintain the status quo.” (Eric)

“Right, right. Even if you can recover with a magic potion, there is a limit after all.” (Kenneth)

“Is that, so? My apologies. I said something unnecessary.” (Iseria)

Seeing Iseria apologize clearly even while a little depressed, the surrounding atmosphere softened, even if only a little. Even Eric looked fondly at that, and was about to express his gratitude to her when it happened.

A huge shadow covered the soldiers and adventurers, and pressure so overwhelming that it seemed to crush them, making it impossible for anyone to move.

“Fumu, I was wondering why they couldn’t quite get out, so they were being held back here. To think I had to reveal myself, that’s quite the backbone you guys have here.” (???)

The one who called out to them in a good mood was an ancient dragon with blue scales and a huge body, around several times the size of an adult dragon.

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(T/N: 分水嶺 - watershed; divide. Sigh, these chapters are way too hard.)

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