Thereâs an oxygen gauge in this game. If you run out of oxygen, you die.
Anyway, letâs see how things are going to proceed.
[Meee~e!]
âăAn attractive voice!ăâ
Yeah, it has a nice voice⊠The Black Goat. Itâs clearly in a fighting stance, though, waving the tentacles about!
âăSo excited that itâs not going to listenâŠ!?ăâ
<<Fight until the Black Goat calms down.>>
<<A certain number of people must be available to fight for a set amount of time before the completion of the ritual.>>
<<The analysis of the documents has revealed the methods of attack for the Black Goat, thus the danger zone will be displayed even for those that do not possess the relevant skills.>>
<<Red: Avoid at all costs.>>
<<Orange: Can be blocked by multiple people.>>
<<Yellow: Can be endured by single people.>>
âŠIs that so. We canât get rid of it easily, so we have to fight until it calms down and can use its head? Itâs like an endurance battle with additional conditions.
I think trampling, charging and capturing will be red attacks. Is it orange for a slam attack and yellow for a cleave?
Control of my body has been returned, along with a warning to take a position before the fight starts.
âI think heâs trying to intimidate usâŠâ
âWight thinks so too .â
âThatâs for the bone players to say.â
âLich thinks so too!â
âFuha! Ske-san was behind usâŠâ
The Black Goat has many writhing tentacles, so it is indeed intimidating. I thought the Blessed and the fanatics would not move because of the ritual, but the Blessed did, huh? The captives have been moved into groups on the left and right, as if to protect them. The Black Goat is in the centre, in front of us, with the ritual behind it. There are two Blessed, one on the right and one on the left, completely on the defensive
Parties are almost irrelevant, with us divided into positions that have become like layers. Naturally, in order of the range of the main weapon. We are arranged in the order of tank, melee, throwing, short bow, magic, longbow, Japanese bow. Those who can arc their shots are at the back.
The range of magic depends on the spell used, but the main ones are balls, arrows and lances, so people using those are in the same position as longbow users.Those wanting to use explosions, pillars and mines should be in the same position as the short bow users. The priests who are using support spells such as heals and buffs should be behind the Japanese bows.
The further forward you go, the more magic you can use, but naturally the chance of getting hit increases. Itâs a matter of your stats, skills, and preference. In other words, my position is at the front of the magic users.
Ske-san is in the same position as me, with armour summoned in front of him. He has more magical options, while the servants can prevent attacks that get through, with that. Itâs a typical example of how positioning changes depending on the skills you have.
Iâll send back #1 and summon Lizzy. She will hit the tentacles or throw her axe when she can.
âIs it going to charge?â
âI think the odds are pretty low, but it depends on how fast it isâŠâ
âI donât think I can stand it if it runs at me with the tentacles waving about.â
When it comes to long range⊠The Black Goat should not have much in the way of spells. It depends on the individual, though.
The time until the ritual is complete, and presumably the time it takes for the goat to calm down, are shown, as well as the number of fanatics and children. Next, the HP gauges of the Blessed are discreetly displayed in sub-target frames. The big one is the HP gauge of the Black GoatâŠyup.
âăIt has 10 HP bars!?ăâ
âSo manyâŠâ
âWell, our goal is the fanatics, not to defeat it. The quest isnât about defeating the enemy, so donât try.â
Well, I hope itâs easy to understandâŠ.
The thin tentacles are hitting the tanks in the vanguard. They seem to be in charge of the normal attacks, while the four thicker ones are still writhing above.
[Meeeeh!]
âăBadbadbad! Safe!ăâ
When the four thick tentacles are raised up, some of the ground turns orange. And then they come down with a bang.
People who can escape get out of range, while those who canât solidify their defence and guard against it.
âUwaa. Youâll be crushed if your stats arenât high enough.â
âI wonder if itâs being treated as a strength based resistanceâ
âMaybe itâs not just about strength.â
The attack did not reach our spot, so I attack with magic while observing with Ske-san.
It seems that the attack that someone fired at the fanatics was prevented by the thin tentacles of the Black Goat. So it still defends them. The attack from the far right is prevented by the Blessed⊠The timing of the attacks probably needs to be prepared properly.
âThe goat is tough!â
âGyahahaha! The goat is hard!â
âMohican! There are children here!â
âHihihi! Iâve already solved that problem!â
âSeriously?â
âIâll just pray that they imitate Princess instead!â
âăHey!ăâ
That was said when camping too. Even if itâs a solution, itâs a very self centred one.
The tentacles are rampaging in all directions, so itâs pretty busyâŠwhoa, theyâre coming. A large yellow area⊠itâs probably how the tentacle will move in a cleave.
âItâs time to jump rope!
âDo it right, boys!â
âDonât get killed!â
The writhing tentacle is coming at a very high speed, moving like a wave from the edge of the attack area, but I avoid it by floating up into the sky.
âBeing able to fly makes it seem so easy itâs envious.â
âWell, I donât think I can get to the ritual.â
Itâs not limited to flight, but it seems that when approaching the ritual a large number of the tentacles come from the Black Goat. The thin tentacles are also defending against long-range attacks. Because of that, even though there are many HP bars, it doesnât seem to be decreasing at all.
The tentacles are banging down elsewhere. And now another cleave.
âHere it comes again!â
âAa~ My heart is hopping~!â
âHopping⊠oi.â
âăThe height is different!ăâ
Previously it was at ankle height, so it was enough to jump. This time it is around the height of my stomach. Iâll float higher than before.
âThis is⊠get down!â
âHupâŠ.eh? Buhh.â
âOofâŠâ
The tentacles passed over the heads of those who went prone. Those who jumped⊠were divided into the ones who were able to avoid it safely and the ones whose feet were caught by the tentacle. Anyone who was confused about how to avoid it was mowed down mercilessly
âDidnât I tell you to get down?â
âSay itâŠfasterâŠâ
The person who was hit in the face took a lot of damageâŠ
âIsnât this going to be unavoidable if we donât take more distance?â
âRight. I didnât expect to have to get down. Just crouching isnât enough.â
âThere wasnât much space.â
And if youâre too far away, the slamming attacks will be more of a challenge. It requires several people to block it, but if they can catch it, anyone within a certain distance will be saved. In other words, tanks are needed not just on the front line⊠Are they sub tanks? Itâs better to have them.
If I bring out #1 to tank the slamming, my servant, Ske-sanâs servant and I can prevent it, but Iâm worried about the damage penetration, because Iâm guarding with a weapon.
Or rather. Isnât it fine for me to fly for this battle? I donât think I need to be on the ground, and it would free up space down there. Iâll become a resident of the sky.
âSke-san, Iâll be in the sky too.â
âAlright!â
This time it will be easier for Ske-san to act alone. Letâs join the twins above.
So far, there have been no attacks aimed at the sky. We just need to avoid the slamming tentacles. The attack comes earlier than on the ground, since they come from above, but it is easier to avoid them in the air, so there is no problem. Iâll attack with magic from up here.
[Maaaah!]
Its voice is a little higher than beforeâŠ. Mu? A large number of thin tentacles have gathered to protect the goat⊠is the information shown by [Magic Vision] important?
âThereâs a lot of magic power gathering. Is it preparing for a magic attack?â
âăSeriously?ăâ
ââŠDarkness is coming.â
âăIt doesnât have to comeâŠeh?ăâ
What?
A large number of black spheres appear around the goat, like a porcupinefish. They donât seem to be behind the goat, but this is an attack that the analysis didnât tell us about!
I donât think Iâll be able to defend myself with «Spatial Magic». Itâs probably a shotgun-type attack, so blocking is a waste of MP. Then Iâll use [Light Burst] and parry as much as possible!
âAnti-magic stance!â
âI donât have that!â
âJust get down!â
â[Lumen Wall]â
â[Magic Guard]â
â[Magic Barrier]â
A large number of «Sensing Danger» lines are displayed around me, and as the gathered tentacles spread, the large number of spheres are released.
âăAaah!ăâ
KuhaaâŠthatâs too much no matter how I think about it. 40%, even though darkness is halved!?
With half damage from darkness, Iâm down to 60%, 40% for people with low vitality and defence, and the buffers and the like are in the red, below 20%.
ââScary!ââ
âMaster! A large number of angels from the sky!â
âăDarkness is really impossible for themâŠ.ăâ
Master! A large number of angel corpses from the sky! âŠItâs definitely horror. The damage to the angel group is enormous. Angels and devils are the most popular of the inhuman races⊠The magic attack was less damaging to those on the ground.
The twins should also have a dark reduction, but their level is a little low. But considering they are alive, it looks like they handled it somehow. Well, thereâs no problem as long as theyâre alive.
âă[Party Heal]!ăâ
The healers have begun to fix people up. Of course, Iâll heal too.
[Meeaah!]
âăHey, you!ăâ
âNappa, get away!â
The attacks with the thick tentacles have resumed quickly!
Itâs hard to be a healer when the attacks are coming your way. âŠYouâll have to heal the party while evading. Those who havenât been attacked have plenty of time to recover.
The flight team is watching from above.
âFuu⊠Iâll leave the rest to youâŠâ
âShut up and get up already.â
âSave.. me⊠save meâŠâ
â[Resurrection]â
âThanks!â
There were a surprising number of deaths.
A clean hit to the face with a resurrection potion, for the person who tried to leave the rest to someone else.
And the familiar revival spell, [Resurrection], was discovered a while ago, so we should be able to manage. The unlock condition is ăUse, or have used on you, a Resurrection Potion (10 times)ă. Itâs added to «Holy Magic» as an Ex spell. I havenât learned it yet!
At the moment, it seems that resurrection potions revive with more HP, but it is advantageous to be able to revive using only MP. As someone who can make my own high quality resurrection potions, I could use it as a means of reviving when I run out of potions⊠or save it for when I canât afford them.
ââAttacks arenât working on the ones in the back!ââ
âThe Blessed have put up some kind of barrier.â
ââA membrane of light appearsâŠââ
It seems that a dome shaped barrier is protecting the area guarded by the Blessed.
[Meeeeh!]
âăAgain!ăâ
There are two slams and two cleaves. Hmm⊠The attacks seem to be aimed completely randomly. Thereâs no safe spot.
âFuhahaha! I haveâŠalready seen those attacks enough.â
âOh, it doesnât mean you can avoid it, just because you can see it.â
âAh, no good. I canât move my body.â
âLike an old man.â
Itâs quite challenging to perform melee attacks while evading. Itâs too difficult while jumping, so they can only slash the tentacles as they pass overheard, or try and get in an attack after dodging a slam.
Getting close is even harder⊠it looks quite painful.
âUgh!? Aah! Help me!â
âăWhat? Uwa, it caught him.ăâ
He got caught quite splendidly⊠Will it let go if attacked? I think itâs possible in theory, but, wellâŠnot happening.
After being carried into the large mouth, his HP is dropping at a tremendous speed.
âAhaa!â
âăWhy does he look so happyâŠăâ
âŠThat might be a bit of a dangerous person. He seems like heâs enjoying it too much.
When the HP reaches 0, he dies and is thrown away like garbage.
âLol, treated so badly.â
âAs I thought, those tentacles are gonna grab you if you get too close.â
[Meeaaa!]
Oh, is it slightly different?
âAn ordinary slam⊠no, itâs not!â
âăWait, wait, wait, wait.ăâ
The four thick tentacles are raised up, and the red warning is displayed on the ground, but is then followed by more red nearby. Each tentacle hits twice in a row, so there are eight strikes. Thatâs a pretty big area for instant death attacksâŠ
Because itâs a slam attack, the flying group are able to avoid it.
[Maaaah!]
A large number of thin tentacles have gathered to protect the goat. Itâs the preliminary move for a magic attack again. This time itâs⊠Oh, thatâs not good.
âAmethorin-san, get behind me.â
ââLight will kill us!ââ
The gathered magic power turns white, and many small white spheres appear this time. And they are fired with the same motion as before.
âMaster! A large number of demons from the sky!â
âWraith types too!â
Many angels fell to the darkness, but honestly, the light is more damaging. In addition to devils, Immortals will also fall. Wraiths are popular among Immortals, but they canât endure it. Or rather, if theyâre hit with an attack against their attribute weakness, theyâll die.
[Meeaah!]
âăYou!ăâ
This time⊠itâs cleave attacks. Itâs four simultaneous cleaves, but each tentacle seems to have a different height. Theyâre busy jumping, squatting and lying down⊠how dangerous.
âThereâs another above!â
The tentacles were swung from one side to the other along the ground, but now theyâre coming back aimed at the sky, going in the opposite direction. The tentacles are faster than on the ground, probably because they have a wider range of motion.
[MEEEeeeeee!]
âMm? Thatâs a long oneâŠâ
ââIs something new coming?ââ
The thin tentacles undulate restlessly, gathering magic power at their tips.
âIt looks like magic again, but the movement is different.â
âThe cry was different tooâŠâ
âăSomething came flying!ăâ
A large number of black and white spheres, about the size of watermelons, are scattered about. They stay in the air as well as on the groundâŠ. So, what now.
âHyahahaha! Theyâre bulging!â
âEh?â
ââŠArenât they swelling?â
âSwelling, huhâŠmeaning?â
âDangerous!â
Theyâre going to explode, I see.
âIsnât it going to be hard to escape from this many? Maybe we can break them.â
While saying so, that person ran towards the black sphere, involving about 10 people around him when it exploded. Their HP was completely wiped outâŠ
ââŠYes.â
âăItâs not âyesâ, is it!?ăâ
âThat was an explosion like the Mine spellâŠâ
ââCan we escape above?ââ
âEven with damage reductions, Iâm not sure I can survive mines.â
The Mine spell deals almost solely in power. Moreover, since the user is a Black Goat, it will get a bonus to the damage in exchange for only being able to use light and darkness.
Iâll try to attack the sphere with magic, but mine doesnât compare.
âAah! I donât understand! What should I do!?â
âThis is going to wipe us all out.â
âThis is treated the same as the Mine magic, right? [Telekinesis]â
âBe careful!â
âSorry. But they can be moved.â
Thatâs good news. Dealing with it is the same as with Mine. Iâll let the union party leaders know.
Iâll hurry and move away the spheres that are swelling up. Given the twins, white should be avoided. This is a game of positioning. Black is still possible, but white is definitely no good.
Lizzy is keeping her distance to avoid getting hit.
âBig! MmâŠ?â
The black and white spheres, which were the size of watermelons, have grown to the size of balance balls.
«Foresight» tells me that a large area centred on a sphere is dangerous. With this range, itâs too late to escape. I tell the twins to evacuate, and get as far away as possible while casting defensive magic.
A few seconds later, the sphere shrinks to the size of a baseball, then bursts with an effect like the spell of the same name. I put out tentacles as a shield for the twins.
â[Magic Barrier]!â
ââNya!ââ
âăAah!ăâ
[Magic Barrier] was just in time, but this is right at the edge of being safe. The twins are at 20% despite the tentacle shields. Iâm in a pretty dangerous state too. I couldnât afford to use [Gravitas Manoeuvre], so I couldnât gain any distance.
LizzyâŠseems to have been able to evade it.
âAh⊠Iâm going to dieâŠâ
âLive.â
Youâre beautiful⊠at least in your own eyes.
ââŠIâm beautiful!â
âăBuha.ăâ
âWell, well, I know how it happened.â
Iâm sorry, but even if you turn your face away, I can see it perfectly with my field of vision.
Itâs in a pretty bad way, until it recovers from that.
The colour of the timer for the Black Goat calming down has changed. There are many dead people on the ground. Do your best getting everyone recovered, healers.
The thick tentacles did not move after the black and white spheres, and the thin tentacles were only hitting the tanks, so the recovery proceeded calmly.
The colour of the timer changed from red to orange. I donât know how long for, but the count was still ongoing while red, so there seems to be something beyond the red.
[Meeeeh!]
âăThe big oneâs are moving!ăâ
âăWe arenât fully recovered yet!ăâ
It looks like break time is over.
There are warnings for two slam attacks and two cleaves.
ăAre we back to the start of the pattern?ă
ăThen are the spheres the last one, degozaruna?ă
ăIs magic next?ă
ăNo, the same actions should come one more time.ă
[Maaaah!]
As the union leaders said, it did the same thing again.
ăThen darkness should come next, degozarunaă
ăThere must be some angels here, so stay back, okay?ă
When using the union channel, their voice can be heard regardless of distance, but those not in the union will just have to pray.
By the way, wonât fights against those of the same family become rather plain? Iâm still a newcomer, so light and darkness are halved, but on reaching the top it will become absorption, rather than just immunity. But since we can only use light and darkness attributes, thereâs no choice but to hit each other with physical attacksâŠ
While watching the angels fall due to dark magic, Iâll attack for the time being.
ăThat kid has auto-healing, right?ă
ăDefeating it is hopeless, degozaruna.ă
âThe time needed for it to calm down is decreasing, isnât it?â
ăThe main purpose of attacking looks to be reducing that, rather than its HP.ă
ăMaintaining a certain number of people until it calms down is quite hard.ă
ăThat sphere is awful, degozaru.ă
The fanatics are also protected by the barriers, so it canât be helped. If we donât find a way to deal with them soon, weâll be wiped out by the spheres.
ăWell first of all, letâs send a sphere over there and see what happens.ă
ăThatâs it!ă
ăDid anyone see how long it took to explode?ă
ăAbout 10 seconds.ă
ăThat should be enough time.ă
ăThen weâll send the ones closest to the enemy over there, and see what else we can do.ă
ăThen weâll go with that, degozaru.ă
ăThe enemyâs attacks are the same so far, so they do seem to have a proper order.ă
ăWell, being completely random would be a bit muchâŠă
Two slams and two cleave attacks at random locations.
After that, a wide range shotgun-like darkness magic attack.
And again, two slams and two cleave attacks at random locations.
âGet up nowâŠ[Resurrection]â
âThanks!â
âIsnât resurrection a huge drain on MP?â
âThatâs true.â
The recovery goes slowly, but if you donât think about the timing for when to wake upâŠyouâll be hit by a tentacle and die again instantly.
This time, the healer might just ignore you.
ăThe next attack should be double hits on four placesâŠă
[Meeaaa!]
âThat angle is⊠a cleave.â
ăItâs not!ă
A cleave is aimed along the ground, then the followup through the air.
ăThe height and position seem random.ă
ăSo the light attack should come next.ă
[Maaaah!]
ăHere it comes!ă
ăBack off if youâre weak to light, okay?ă
A blast from a wide range light magic shotgun.
Followed by four slams, twice.
ăAre the slams and cleaves random?ă
ăIt could be alternating, so we canât be sure yet.ă
ăThatâs true.ă
Is it completely random, or fixed to some extentâŠhm.
[MEEEeeeeee!]
The thin tentacles are undulating restlessly, with magic power gathering at the tips.
ăSpheresă
ăIâd like to try out the same and opposing attributes on them.ă
ăTheir effect was a bit strange.ă
ăRight, right.ă
OhâŠIn that case, letâs try some counter-magic. Myself and the twins will use dark magic attacks on the nearby sphere of light.
It seems that dark magic can cut down the light sphere, and after shooting at it with the help of others nearby, it disappears.
The same attributesâŠare they absorbing it?
ăYou can tell the same attribute is no good just looking at it!? Ahh!ă
Along with the voice of that union member, a sphere of light explodes at the edge of my field of view. The burst effect is unleashed, taking out the surroundings.
Iâm observing while attacking a nearby sphere. This is monstrous attack. Iâd like to get some information.
Those in the front row⊠are playing dodgeball against the Blessed of Shub-Niggurath and the Black Goat, using the spheres. Honestly, dodgeball against a huge, tentacled goat seems no good.
The spheres are being moved, but they explode after 10 seconds, with any on the player side being devastating. The damage is terrible. The ones that are sent over just in time hit the barrier. If the timing is not right, they explode uselessly.
After the bombs hit the barrier multiple times⊠A high-pitched cracking sound is heard, along with a visual effect of something transparent shattering, the shards visible in the reflected light.
âItâs broken!â
âNo AOE attacks!â
Most of the attacks on the fanatics are blocked by the Blessed and the goat, but a stun attack hits one of the fanatics, knocking him out.
The second attack was stopped before it arrived, prevented by the barrier that has reappeared.
ăSo the fanatics are just extras⊠small fryâŠă
ăThe Blessed blocked so muchâŠă
âDidnât the time until calming down increase?â
ăSeriously?ă
ăYeah, it definitely increased.ă
ăThen is breaking the barrier useless? Eh?ă
ăNo, isnât it attacking the Blessed that the goat doesnât like?ă
ăWell⊠that could be it. Should we aim for just the fanatics?ă
âWe canât use AOE because the kidnapped children will get caught in it. Itâs out of range to begin with.â
ăIn that case, thereâs no choice but to have the bow users do their best.ă
ăOr have the flying team do their best.ă
While weâre talking, the healers are reviving and healing the dead. The tank that disappeared after being defeated during dodgeball is especially prioritised. The thin tentacles are rampaging about.
ăSo they explode faster with the same attribute?ă
ăThe correct answer is to hit them with the opposing attribute.ă
ăBows are no good. They explode immediately.ă
ăAttributes other than the opposing donât seem entirely useless, but theyâre a lot less effective.ă
ăThe same attribute triggers them. The countering attribute makes them disappear. Itâs still a mystery if anything else is worth using.ă
ăAnd they take about 10 seconds to explode.ă
We gathered quite a bit of information, because we knew when the attack would come for the second time.
Iâll slow down my attacks a little, while I summarise the information to be shared with the union.
Normal attack. Thin tentacles. Attacks enemies within range and provides defence against long-range attacks.
1 + 2. Simultaneously slams two locations and cleaves two locations. Random targets. Canât block. Evade.
3. Wide-range, dark magic shotgun. Instant kill for races with dark attribute weakness. Keeping distance recommended.
4 + 5. Simultaneously slams two locations and cleaves two locations. Random targets. Canât block. Evade.
6. Double slam attacks on four locations or four cleaves. Cleaves once along the ground, followed by once through the air.
7. Wide-range, light magic shotgun. Instant kill for races with light attribute weakness. Keeping distance recommended.
8. Double slam attacks on four locations or four cleaves. Cleaves once along the ground, followed by once through the air.
9. Scatters spheres of light and darkness.
A combination of Mine and Burst. The sphere expands from a Mine state and Bursts after 10 seconds.
Instant death to anything in range due to extreme damage explosion. Can be dealt with in the same way as Mine spells.
Hit the spheres with the opposing attribute. The same attribute is bad. Other attributes are not useless.
Burst effect with the same attribute when triggered. Disappearance of opposing attributes when bursting was confirmed. Number of shots unknown.
Special Actions
Always derived from slam and cleave. When returning, it will try to grab players near the tip. It may be possible to rescue them by attacking the tentacle, but they will probably die before you can.
After hitting the barrier with spheres 9 times, it will break long enough to get one attack through.
If the Blessed of Shub-Niggurath are hit, the time until the Black Goat calms increases?
Itâs necessary to hit the fanatics with pinpoint accuracy.
Be careful not to hit the kidnapped children.
ăThanks for the summary.ă
ăWe donât have the luxury to do that on the ground.ă
ăReally. Seriously ruthless.ă
Well, I should get back to attackingâŠ.hm?
ăHuh?ă
ă[Crimson Ring]!ă
ăThatâs a rabbit and⊠itâs taking a child!ă
âăNot the children!ăâ
Ah, the Blessed looked over here and stopped⊠Is it calm? Itâs just the Black Goat thatâs raging.
The Blessed lets go of the child and the rabbit, and reaches for one of the Outsiders who ran ahead, but heâs evading and batting at it. It catches the fanatic who fainted when the barrier was broken earlier instead, with a squish. The spilled blood moves as if with a will, drawing out a circle, like the spellâs name implies.
The blood-red gate of [Crimson Ring] is completed with the blood. Two more Blessed of Shub-Niggurath arrive through it.
âăFuu, thereâs more!ăâ
As more arrive through the [Crimson Ring], the summoning will become faster, but what if it goes further? I hope the barrier wonât be strengthened. If it is strengthened, the number of spheres needed to break it will probably increase.
âThere are a lot of corpses here, tooâŠâ
âGet up.â
Once the [Crimson Ring] is over, the thick tentacles of the goat start to move again..
ăIf we donât break the barrier and defeat the fanatics, wonât the children get sacrificed?ă
ăI wonder if itâs okay to not catch the fanaticsâŠă
ăThe quest just says not to let them escape, so it should be okayâŠă
âIâm sure theyâll be happy to be of use.â
We could say it saves us the trouble of catching them, if they become collateral. Itâs a necessary sacrifice. You see, itâs easier to kill bandits on the spot than to catch them. And itâs natural to prioritise children over old fanatics.
ăDonât they say that âhe who believes shall be savedâ?ă
ăDeath is salvation.ă
ăTo the Abyss.ă
âEven if you die, itâs not always a relief in this world. Though, I donât know about in real life.â
ăThatâs right!ă
The goatâs HP doesnât decrease at all, so I donât think its behaviour changes depending on its remaining HP. If so, will the elapsed time have an effect? If itâs the time until it calms down, on the contrary, it seems like it should become more docile. To be honest, the current situation is quite hard.
âHey, take a lesson from the mercenary penguin! Youâre dying too fast!â
âImâpossible.â
The guy in the penguin costume is pretty good, isnât he? He hasnât died even once, and seems to be quite strong. Because of his appearance, he stands out.
âThatâs bad⊠MP has run out.â
âWhat about po-yons?â
âJust ran out.â
âHere.â
âThanks.â
âYou over there! The magic in those potions makes them worth more than an ordinary one!â
âStop it! Youâll die if you make a mistake!
âEey! Princess shield!â
âWould you normally use a princess as a meat shield? Fairellen-san?â
âUhahaha! Itâs good that the tentacles can only hit us with one cleave, but the magic is too scary.â
âThe difficulty has gone up a lot this time. Currently, only the inhumans can flyâŠâ
âItâs too easy to get taken out, depending on your attributes. Well⊠us fairies are always a glass cannon style!â
Thatâs just how fairies are⊠Most of them are suitable for combat in the sky, but since humans are obviously a flightless race, controlling them takes some getting used to. With the small size and high suitability for flying⊠I hear itâs often quite scary.
In that sense, human-sized angels and devils are popular. Angels are more defensive, demons are more offensive, with angels having a higher aptitude for flying. Probably because of the wings.
ăCome on, everyone loves spheres.ă
ăI hate them?ă
ăI love round things!ă
ăGo get kicked by Tindalos.ă
ăIf Iâm gonna get kicked by Tindalos, you should be kicked by Yog-Sothoth.ă
ăKicked by Yog-SothothâŠ..?ă
âMaybe Stellura-sama will come to kick you?â
ăâŠIs that a reward?ă
ăWith the physical prowess of a god, I think youâd die if you were kicked.ă
ăIâd rather die from being kicked by a beautiful goddess, than be kicked by a spiky dog.ă
How did they manage to reach this point.
The people at the front line hold the spheres until the last moment, then send them flying towards the barrier just before they explode. The others work on hitting them with opposing attributes to erase them, or move them into a cluster. If they make a mistake, the spheres explode and destroy them.
âGoodbye!â
âStop dying! Iâll kill you!â
âWhatâs that. Iâm the one who would beat you?â
âGet up.â
âI love that you still help me properly!â
âShut it⊠Next time you die, Iâll put you to rest.â
âSee you again~â
Sounds like⊠theyâre having fun?
We managed to knock out a fanatic. An unconscious fanatic is destined to become a sacrifice, but thatâs just a matter of getting what they deserve.
âLol at Mead taking out a fanatic with [Meteor Shot].â
âOverkillâŠâ
Rather, itâs usually an advanced technique. [Meteor Shot] is an attack with a time lag, but she shot it at the fanatic while counting on the barrier being broken.
ăWhat do you think of actions 6 and 8?ă
ăItâs just a case of either slams or cleaves.ă
ăAfter the magic, itâs just the one that wasnât used before it. It hasnât changed until nowă
Either a slam or a cleave is used before the magic. The attack following the magic is the one which wasnât used before it.
Well, itâs just the magic attacks that are fatal to the flying members, so the tentacles can do what they like.
The fighting is continuing.
There are quite a few deaths, but it doesnât seem to be a problem. Even soâŠ
âThey increased quite a lotâŠâ
ăAbout 7 or 8 now?ă
ăI wonder how many more there will be.ă
ăIt should calm down soon.ă
ăIâm happy that fewer people died after we reduced the number of spheres.ă
ăOn the other hand, itâs getting harder to break the barrier.ă
The number of spheres has decreased, so we canât afford to fail with as many. As a result, itâs more difficult. But the burden on the healers has been reduced by just as much.
âI made a mistake and died, but itâs okay!â
âItâs not okay. Is your head bugged?â
âHarsh!â
âGet up already.â
After this is over, Iâll ask someone to help me with learning [Resurrection]⊠Iâd like to have resurrection magic, after all. It seems that the HP after reviving is low, but the resurrection time is shorter than with the item, which is useful in cases like this.
ăA little more, a little moreâŠă
ăCome on!ă
ăWeâre gonna have one more set of spheres, degozarunaă
ăAgainst that many, it looks impossible to aim for just the fanatics.ă
ăIâm sure the perverts will manage it.ă
ăMutt, kill.ă
ăFuuâŠlooks like itâs finally my turnâŠwatch me, just watch me.ă
So youâre going to take a swing at Mutt-san following that flow⊠Heâs definitely an enthusiastic pervert, to the point I think heâs lost it. I think his player name, Vincent, is kind of cool, but the nickname of Mutt fits.
âFuhahahaha! Useless, useless, useless, useless! Full speed ahead!â
With the reduced number of spheres and having become familiar with them, we are able to break the barrier without much difficulty, after which Mutt-san charges in.
Itâs rather amazing that he can run through while avoiding the attacks coming from the thin tentacles of the goat.
ăNot bad, Mutt.ă
ăYeah, butâŠă
ăI wasnât expecting that. Read the air.ă
ăWhy!ă
âăHm!?ăâ
Oh? A gauge appears next to the words [Fist of Yog-Sothoth], and fills quickly. âŠIt must be showing on the UI because there is no preceding movement.
âThis is the first time youâve used that!? Bublagh!?â
ăMutt-kun was blown away!ă
ăFumu⊠The damage doesnât look too bad, but thatâs a hell of a knockback.ă
ăIâm not sure itâs okay to call that a knockbackâŠă
ăThatâs a home runâŠă
<The special spell [Fist of Yog-Sothoth] has been learned.>
What! Iâll check the description.
[Fist of Yog-Sothoth]
By consuming a variable amount of MP, fire an invisible fist at a single target.
The more MP consumed, the greater the knockback distance and chance to stun.
The effect is greatly dependant on the distance to the target, and the size and posture of the target.
âŠIâll have to test the MP consumption after the event, before I use it.
ăI got a 5 second stun. I couldnât control the landing, so the damage after flying away was quite nasty?ă
ăAnd the archers did the job with curved shots, so it was pointless too. 0 points!ă
ăThatâs way too strict!ă
ăWell, Iâll at least praise you for not dying.ă
ăIt couldnât even wipe out Mutt.ă
ăDamn iiiiiită
I learned a new spell, though, so Iâd like to thank you.
The timer counting down until the goat calms down stops, and the thick tentacles are swung down without colouring the floor, stopping halfway.
<<The Black Goat has calmed down, choose your words carefully and survive.>>
âăGeh.ăâ
âPrincess. We want the S rank clear. Leaving it to you!â
âIf I do it, thereâs a good chance the fanatics will die, so is that okay?â
âWhen youâre going to sacrifice people, if you donât get away, youâre not getting out aliveâŠright?â
âPretty much.â
âThereâs no mercy for those who try to sacrifice children.â
The large tentacles have drawn back, squirming above it, so I move out in front of the Black Goat. âŠCan the goat talk?
âBlack Goat, have you calmed down?â
ăFellow Outer OneâŠ.Nemeseia.ă
A nice voice! Well, it seems like telepathy.
âItâs nice to meet you.â
ăUmu. So, why do your companions get in the way?ă
âWeâre not here for you, weâre aiming for those idiots. After looking into them, we found theyâre planning to manipulate you.â
ăOh?ă
Well, Iâll discuss it with you.
âFor the time being, itâs the children that are going to affect the outcome.â
âRight. Can they be brought over here?â
I agree. Iâd like to secure the children⊠but itâs hard to make a move without knowing their reasons.
âBy the way, what is the goal of those of you related to Shub-Niggurath?â
ăTo get home. We canât return home on our own.ă
âŠItâs a very simple reason. Hence why theyâre so desperate. But if thatâs the reason, weâve almost won. In my case, I have the Silver Key. Itâs an event map, so there are locks on personal use, but it will work for events.
[Crimson Ring] needs to be kept under control to stay connected. In other words, itâs impossible for everyone to return using [Crimson Ring]. So they intended to call their master, Shub-Niggurath, so they could all return together. [Crimson Ring] is just preparation, calling over the Blessed to summon Shub-Niggurath.
ăThey are the ones who said they would procure the blood needed and help with the summoning.ă
âI see. I will provide a way back, so I would like to protect the children who also have a home to return to.â
ăYou can prepare a way home?ă
âBecause I have this.â
ăThe Silver Key!ă
âAnd in the worst case, you can sacrifice all of them and use the [Crimson Ring].â
ăVery well. Hey.ă
At the Black Goatâs instruction, the Blessed have brought over the children. The others have received them.
What else is likely to affect the evaluation? The children are protected. There will be no damage to the town. Their purpose is to return home, so they wonât get angry as long as I can use the Silver Key⊠No, that was their motive in the first place. So, what now.
Maybe the best answer is to just keep quiet? If I donât say anything more and simply open a gate, the Black Goat and its followers will be happy to leave. We and the town will be safe, the children will be safe and the goat gets souvenirs for Niggurath, who will get what they deserve.
âŠIsnât that perfect? If the Silver Key doesnât work, thereâs no problem if we just sacrifice them all.
ăUwa, that smile makes Onee-chan look like a villainâŠă
ăSeriously.ă
ăThat smile even though sheâs not in a fight⊠The dark side.ă
âRina.â
ăâŠâŠâŠâŠă
ăImouto-chan became a shellfish.ă
When I called my sister through the union, she squatted down and buried her face in her legs. Itâs useless to turn your face away, because I can still see. I suppose this is the correct solution.
Ah, no wait⊠isnât this no good at all?
âBy the way, Black Goat. Would you like to take those people as souvenirs?â
ăThese ones? I donât mind, if they intend to serveâŠbut if not, theyâre just in the way.ă
âŠFrom the looks on their faces, itâs not likely. No good. No good at all.
ăWhatâs wrong?ă
âIf you donât want to take them as a souvenir, I was thinking it might be best to eradicate them here.â
ăOh?ă
âPrincess, thatâs quite disturbing.â
âDespite her appearance, sheâs quite belligerent.â
âăOur princess is ferocious.ăâ
You can say what you like!
It canât be helped. If this makes the Black Goat go wild, I can call Shub-Niggurath with the Silver Key. It should calm down quickly when its mother arrives. If the key doesnât work⊠Oh, [Invite Shub-Niggurath] is in white now. I can use that in the worst case.
Iâll tell the union so theyâre ready to move.
âReason 1. With what they tried to do, under human law, itâs considered kidnapping and theft at best.â
âăThe children and the wood.ăâ
âReason 2. They know how to summon Shub-niggurath.â
âăThatâs not good.ăâ
âReason 3. They foolishly tried to outwit the Black Goat and attempted to use Shub-Niggurath. Is that a challenge to the Outer Ones?â
ăTell me more.ă
I share the information we learned from the analysis with the Black Goat and the Blessed.
âăOh?ăâ
Oh, the Blessed have the same reaction as the goat. âŠWell, that makes sense. As Outer Ones, weâre all the same, so are likely to be angered by the same things. They were calm during the ritual, but thatâs that and this is this.
âŠWhat now. The thick tentacles are about to swing down. No, if youâre happy with killing them, thatâs fine. It would save me a lot of trouble, wouldnât it?
âThatâs a false accusation! Thatâs notâŠ!â
âŠWonderful! A wonderful self-destruction!
Speaking falsehoods to us, the Stellura family, is an act of suicide.
âSwear to the Goddess Stellura, here and now.â
ââŠ!â
âIf you canât swear, thatâs already an answer. Nevertheless, this is hard for us to handle tooâŠ.maybe we should call Shub-Niggurath to make the decision for us?â
ăâŠVery well.ă
Weâve never met, so Iâm not sure what to expect, but if it gets violent Iâll use the Silver Key to send them away⊠I want to call her anyway. I want to call her!
âSo with that, do you mind if I call her?â
âSpeaking of the ritual for summoning Shub-NiggurathâŠâ
âI know what youâre expecting, but this is a normal game.â
âWhy!?â
âWhatâs with that response.â
âItâs not a problem that the fanatics are fine?â
âIâll use the Silver Key, so there should be no need for contracts. Itâs like opening the door of a house. If there is a problem, it should only be with me, the owner of the key.â
âăThatâs fine then.ăâ
Well, letâs summon her. âŠIs there no chant because Iâm using the Silver Key? Thatâs a bit sad⊠letâs go with the standard.
<<Friendship level of summoned target: Neutral to Friendly >>
The Silver Key flies into the sky, unlike how it usually opens ahead of me. âŠBut, I canât see it if it does that? Oh, I can watch via Lizzy.
<<Shub-Niggurath has been summoned by a player >>
<<Transition to the dismissal phase⊠on hold >>
âăOn hold!?ăâ
The sky⊠has cracked open. In an area that is at least wide enough to entirely cover overhead of us. From the unseen space behind the crack, a mist or smokeâŠwell, something leaks out.
There is a feeling of the air suddenly becoming heavier. It is a strong presence.
The fanatics are sitting down and looking up at the sky with blue faces. They are being awfully rude to the one they wanted to meet.
âăSAN check!ăâ
âăNot in this game!ăâ
âăBut in my dreams!ă
âăThatâs it!ăâ
The overflowing substance is trying to take a meaningful shape, or maybe just following gravity, as it slowly falls down to where we are.
The translucent matter that is falling gradually turns black, taking the shape of hooves that are quietly standing on the ground. âŠThough the ground seems to be quite caved in.
âŠI can tell that a lot of care has been taken in how not a single tree has been felled. Are some parts of the trees not materialised? I donât know if it can be called materialisation.
The size is about 2âŠor even 3, times that of the goat. Itâs bigâŠ
ăNewcomer, what is it?ă
âItâs nice to meet you for the first time, Shub-Niggurath.â
ăWe are compatriots, speak at ease. âŠSo?ă
âWe have run into a bit of a problem.â
ăMy child, answer.ă
Shub-Niggurath has the voice of a slightly imperious woman⊠is how I feel I should describe it.
A group of players watching as the goat is questioned by its mother, its tentacles swaying about. Itâs very surreal. But I donât want to say anything to interfere.
âCan we call it an emotional reunionâŠ?â
âăNo clue.ăâ
âWeâre in the way of the moving reunion.â
âWell, so are they.â
âLetâs go home.â
âSure.â
âWhere do you think youâre going?â
âăFuhaa.ăâ
You are in the presence of LaputaâŠehem..the god Niggurath!
What kind of position does Shub-Niggurath have in this world? Nyar-sama was the chancellor, butâŠIâm also curious about Azathoth. Though I donât need to hear it now.
ăYou mean I can do as I please here?ă
âYou can do as you like with those people. We wonât interfere and Iâll report to the people here.â
ăFumuâŠ.Please connect to the public area.ă
Iâll do that. Silver Key, please!
The rift in the sky closes and the Silver Key comes down to create a very large gate, connected to the public area of the Medium, showing the field of flowers spreading off into the distance.
ăMy child, let us return. My thanks to our compatriot and your companions.ă
ăMeee.ă
The fanatics are being carried away by the Blessed who came here in droves. The fanatics are crying out, but we are splendidly ignoring them. Iâm sure weâre of one heart right now. It is âGo quickly, so we can get our S clearâ.
This is what they wanted in the first place. Shub-Niggurath class existences are not too common, but there are plenty of people who are equally as strong out there.
âŠWell, I donât know if the ruler the fanatics were imagining and the one they would have gotten would be the same anyway.
Finally, when Shub-Niggurath returns to the mist and passes through the gate, the portal disappears and the key returns to hanging at my waist.
<<The Shub-Niggurath family has left >>
<<Main Event: Stop the escape of the fanatic remnants, complete >>
<<Checking quest evaluationâŠâŠ.. >>
âăUooâŠ.? Isnât it taking too long?ăâ
âTheyâre part of the Niggurath family too, from todayâŠ..â
âWell, I donât know about that.â
<<Checking quest evaluationâŠâŠ.Pending >>
âăThatâs lol.ăâ
âWell⊠I think we went with a bit of a special method.â
âăA bit?ăâ
ââŠItâs the result of putting me to the front. Please accept it.â
âăâŠThen it canât be helped!ăâ
Oh?
âWahahaha! Itâs me!â
âăHey!ăâ
âYamamoto-san and the event team are discussing, so youâll have to wait!â
âWhat do you think will happen?â
âWell, probably S. Itâs just that it was a rather special method, so it was hard to measure the points!â
<<Review complete >>
<<The goal of the fanaticsâŠâŠInvestigated >>
<<The goal of the Black GoatâŠâŠUnderstood >>
<<Rescue of the kidnapped childrenâŠâŠSuccess >>
<<Escaped fanaticsâŠâŠ0 >>
<<Damage to the townâŠâŠ0% >>
<<Outsider deathsâŠâŠ12,964 >>
<<Blessed of Shub-Niggurath killedâŠâŠ0 >>
<<Dealing with the Black GoatâŠâŠSuccess >>
<<Preventing the summoning of Shub-NiggurathâŠâŠSuccess? >>
<<Clear evaluationâŠâŠS Clear! >>
<<A bonus will be rewarded for a perfect clear >>
<<The bonus reward will be paid to everyone on the first server >>
<<After 3 minutes, you will be transferred to the east gate with the rescued children >>
âFirst of all, thereâs hardly anyone that avoided dying.â
âThat was the goatâs fault.â
âIt was nasty, no matter how you look at it.â
âAnd the inhumans were getting one-shottedâŠâ
âWell, make sure you donât leave anything undone on the fourth day!â
âăSure!ăâ
Yatsuzuka-san has left.
The event itself has one day left. I guess it is a last chance to earn tickets during the tidying up period. Iâve already exchanged for what I want, so Iâll spend tomorrow relaxing while checking my skills.
âThere were a lot of evaluated points this time, huh?â
âBecause itâs a city eventâ.
âIt was right to ask the goat for its goalâŠ.â
âGetting all the information you can is basic.â
âItâs funny that the summoning Niggurath result is a question.â
âShe wasnât called, but we called her anywayâŠâ
âIf it wonât be called, letâs call it first, Aniki!â
âYou canât do it without the Silver Key, though!â
I wonder if the easiest legitimate way of doing it is to have all the fanatics sacrificedâŠ
âWhat about the children?â
âAre they asleep?â
âI think they probably fainted.â
âOh, right, I called Niggurath without any consideration for the children.â
âăâŠ.Itâs too late for that now!ăâ
What a nice smile. âŠWell, weâre finished now.
We are transferred to the grassland outside the east gate, so we will return to the town.
âăThanks for the hard work!ăâ
âăThanks!ăâ
âWhatâs next?â
âA closing party?â
âThatâs fine, but what about the pumpkins and the cat?â
âăAhâŠ.ăâ
âI feel like we should just wait for the answer.â
âWas the end at 3pm on the 4th day? Is tonight the last chance?
âLooks like it?â
Well itâs about midnight that the horror shows up, so thatâs probably the case. However, I think Iâll just report to the Count family.
âIâm going to the Countâs mansion, what about the rest of you?â
âHm⊠what to do.â
âItâs the last day, so take a look around?â
âHmmm.. letâs should do that.â
âWhat about you two?â
ââItâs a bit early, but letâs sleep?ââ
âThis time you were fighting against instant death attacks because of your race, so it was a bit tiringâŠâ
ââIt was tiring, but fun!ââ
âThatâs good. Good night.â
ââGood night!ââ
Now that everyone in the party has decided what theyâll do, Iâll go to the Countâs mansion. The people carrying the children will also come to the mansion with me. I donât know about private homes, but if itâs the lordâs mansion, they can return home on their own after waking up.
I thought it would be enough to see the head of the family, but it looks like his wife was waiting too.
Iâll report on what happened. That we rescued six children, but perhaps one of them has fallen through the boundary. The purpose of the Black Goat. The purpose of the fanatics. And how it ended.
âSo thatâs what happened. Thank you for your efforts. Weâll take responsibility for returning the children.â
âYes, Iâll leave it to you.â
It took some time to give the report, so Iâll head back to the church and go to bed. And just in time. This has been my strongest opponent since I started this game⊠For others, it might have been the Shoggoth during the sports event, but for me itâs having to always leave earlyâŠ
I say my goodbyes to the lord and his wife and withdraw. Itâs late enough in this world, I suppose.
On the way to my room I say hello to the priestess in the chapel. Iâll take it easy and leisurely look over my skills on the final day.