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“Zane, the NPC army has moved! Did you see that?” Shiu said excitedly over the channel.

“Yeah.”

“How are you so calm?” he asked in surprise.

“Because… I’m the one who mobilized those troops!”

“?? That Wishkeeper was you? Then where did the real NPC go?”

“I don’t know either. I was trying to gather some information before… Somehow, things just turned into this situation.”

“…” Shiu held his forehead. “Figures. That’s so like you.”

“Anyway, we’re about to set out here, so hurry over.”

“Sure. Got it.”

***

While Kurei was organizing the troops, Zane quietly slipped toward the rear. Now that the army had already set out, there was no reason for him to stay. If the real Wishkeeper returned, things would become troublesome.

Of course, Elna and Zane’s relationship went without saying. What he was mainly worried about was other people finding out.

Suddenly, Kurei’s voice came from behind. “Miss!”

“W-What is it?”

“What do you think of the way I’ve arranged the army?” Kurei asked hesitantly.

*Do I really need to be called over for something like this?* Zane froze for a moment before following his gaze toward the so-called three thousand elite troops ahead.

The three thousand soldiers had been arranged into more than fifty rows in a circular formation. However, some parts of the circle were concave while others bulged outward, with no discernible pattern whatsoever.

The gaps between the soldiers weren’t uniform either. Some stood one meter apart, others half a meter, and still others two meters apart. Soldiers who were on good terms had gathered into clusters and were chatting among themselves, while some stood isolated in place.

Could it be because their stats were so high that they were simply more individualistic? Looking at a shy young man in front of him, Zane used Inspect Attribute!

“…”

*U-Uncommon…?*

Zane began to wonder if there was something wrong with his eyes. He checked the soldiers beside him. Their ranks were, in order, Uncommon, Uncommon, Uncommon, Uncommon, Common…!

My god! If they ran into the first wave of the undead, wouldn’t they get slaughtered?

“This circular formation… isn’t bad.”
Kurei spoke cautiously. “Miss… this is a phalanx.”
“Kurei.” Her crisp voice trembled slightly.
“Yes!”
“You’re planning to take these people to fight at Flowerdance City!?”

He wore a troubled expression and cautiously moved closer.

“Miss, to be honest, at least a thousand of these three thousand soldiers are newly recruited. Some of them only enlisted today and haven’t even learned anything yet. Getting them into this formation is already quite an accomplishment.

“Besides… some of their usual habits have carried over into the formation, and even a few of the veteran soldiers have been influenced by them. I’ve drilled them many times, but I can’t manage everything by myself.”

“Aren’t there any other high-ranking officers besides you?”

“Well… there used to be, but almost all of them died in the last siege. I was only temporarily promoted to deputy officer by the general, and there hasn’t been time to properly select anyone else.”

“…”

If nothing unexpected happened, this army might well be wiped out by wild monsters before they even reached their destination. Ugh…

***

Although most of the independent players had left, the major guilds stationed in Wynwater City were not going to give up on the place so easily. After all, the NPCs of Wynwater City were closely tied to their future development.

Skypride led the two thousand players from Cloud Edge and arrived first. To be honest, their current strength was already enough to slaughter the NPC defenders.

The defenders in other cities wouldn’t have such weak new recruits. Even the weakest were at least ranked Rare, while most were around Epic rank.

“Boss… the stats of these soldiers look a little strange…” TribalChief said doubtfully.

“They do have a problem… However, the NPCs definitely won’t be the main force in this battle. We just need to do what we’re supposed to do,” Calmstep said calmly.

“Calmstep was right. This progression quest is a rare opportunity. Besides, with Leafy around, taking the city will naturally be a piece of cake. Everyone, keep your spirits up. The first place belongs to Cloud Edge!” Skypride said with a laugh.

“Yes!”

At the front of the group, a petite figure wearing a purple wizard’s hat walked silently, without saying a word.

***

After Cloud Edge, Nether Dawn and the Brotherhood arrived one after another, seemingly having needed some time to gather their forces. A little while later, Drunken Fairytale, Heaven’s Accord, Rainflower, and the other guilds also arrived.

The NPC army was in the middle, with Cloud Edge at the front left, Nether Dawn and the Brotherhood at the front right, and the rest trailing behind. Together, they wrapped Kurei’s soldiers into an unclosed dumpling.

At a rough glance, there were at least ten thousand players.

Zane also breathed a sigh of relief. With all these people around, the NPCs wouldn’t die too miserably. Moreover, under such a tremendous show of force, the wild monsters along the road actually retreated on their own.

It was no wonder. With so many people marching together, their footsteps practically shook the ground like an earthquake. Any monster with even a little intelligence wouldn’t throw its life away.

“Miss, this is the first time I’ve felt that adventurers could be so reliable.” Kurei wore an expression of relief.

“…”

*Couldn’t you be a little more reliable yourself!?*

As they continued marching, a wild boar suddenly burst out from ahead. It charged straight toward the army. It didn’t look particularly intelligent.

So it was an irritable old boar. No wonder it had dared to charge straight at them. It was only a level 25 Epic-grade monster, so Zane encouraged him, “Kurei, go!”

“All right, Miss. Leave it to me!” he shouted in a low voice before gripping his refined steel sword and charging forward.

The blade and the wild boar’s tusks met head-on.—**Clang!**— The steel sword was smashed into two pieces, while Kurei himself…

His HP bar dropped by one-fifth, and he was sent flying into the air!

“…” What could he say? Zane had seen so many ridiculous things today that he was almost getting used to them.

But… considering the difference in strength, even a random guard in Noctilune City was at least Epic or Unique rank, and Windblossom had fought one for most of the day before barely securing a victory.

Yet Aegis’ deputy couldn’t even defeat a wild boar? At this point, there was no point complaining anymore. Once Elna returned, he would definitely have to ask what had happened. With the city guards slacking off to this extent, how were they supposed to save the city?

Zane drew the Mana Blade and was just about to use Blink to attack when…

“Miss…” Kurei climbed back to his feet and suppressed the blood surging through his chest. “Don’t move. I’ll protect you!”

*That dirt-covered appearance of yours is not convincing at all!*

Still, as a man… more or less, Zane naturally understood his determination.

“…Fine.” Zane nodded. “Invoke: Spirit’s Heart! Invoke: Blessing! Invoke: Vines!”

At the same time, he tossed over the Venomfang Sword that had accompanied him for so long. “Catch!”

Kurei’s aura suddenly surged. He reached out and caught the Venomfang Sword, while the Berserk Boar was bound tightly from head to toe.

“Haah! Heavy Slash!” he shouted as he brought the sword crashing down.

The Berserk Boar’s HP was instantly depleted.