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With Crim absent, Frey took the leading role for Lua Cheia, and planned how to deal with the mercenaries hired by the Tokai Corporation.

He relayed his plan to the guild members while they hid in the shadows of buildings, and then placed his hand on top of Lycoris’ head, who kept looking around nervously while firmly hugging her firearm.

“Lycoris, can you remain hidden and snipe out the enemy’s gunner?”
“…I can try.”

Her face looked stiff, but she nodded firmly, which was enough for Frey to trust in her. Currently Lua Cheia was at a disadvantage in terms of members, so the first step was to equilibrate that.

The only frontliner they had was Hinagiku, and if the enemy’s gunner noticed them, she would not be able to move freely and protect the rest of the guild.

Because of that, it was no exaggeration to say that their success hinged on whether Lycoris could hit her mark or not. But Frey knew how insecure and timid she was, so he was slightly afraid that her mind would topple over having to shoulder so much pressure and responsibility.

But those fears ended up being a needless concern.

I see, so she’s the type of person who can focus extremely well under very specific circumstances.

Frey felt like he finally understood why Crim had felt comfortable with leaving them on their own. Lycoris carefully leaned around the corner and affixed her sights on the enemy gunner.

Then she moved closer to look through the scope, her movements direct and without hesitation, as if her earlier uneasiness had completely vanished. It was like her mind had cleared, focusing entirely on the enemy she was facing.

Estimated distance to the target, 500 meters.

Hitting a target from such a distance seemed like an impossible task for an average person who was never trained to use guns, not to mention a young girl, but… She took a deep breath. Then exhaled. And remained still.

After a few very tense seconds, her finger firmly pulled on the trigger of her beloved gun, making a click that sounded almost too loud after all the silence.

Pew.

The gunshot itself was quite muted. But the result was obvious, as the enemy gunner dropped like a rock from the rooftop he had been standing on.

“Nice shot Lycoris! Try to keep yourself safe and focus on covering us now!”
“Ah…yes, you take care as well!”

Using the Magius Anchor Chute, Lycoris hoisted herself up to a nearby rooftop to get a better view of the battlefield while Frey dashed forward and began to chant.

“Ertaria Slatr Vodr… Show yourself, smiting sword of thunder from the ruler of the heavens! Lightning Sword..!!” After a lengthy chant, Frey held his hand out and the entire district was bathed in a blinding white flash.

Lightning Sword was a magic spell normally used as a preemptive strike, covering a wide area and incapacitating anyone trying to escape. And now it went through that district.

Though considering just how big the area affected was, the effect would likely not be strong enough to actually kill any of their enemies.

And surely enough, the enemy quickly began using healing magic and chugging on potions to recover all the HP they lost while running toward Frey, wanting to stop him before he could launch another attack.

“It was that elf over there, time to pay him back!!”

One of the enemy mages created an ice missile and shot it at Frey. But before it could hit, someone stepped in. Frey’s slightly older sister Freya, who was supposed to be the healer of the guild and be protected at all times.

“Dispersing Mist..!!”

Dispersing Mist was unlocked with 60 Points in Mystical Magic.

She rushed to stand in front of Frey with her shield up, while also activating that spell. A barrier was quickly erected, and once the ice missile came into contact with the mist, it began to evaporate rapidly, letting out a large amount of steam while shrinking in size.

On top of that, she also had the Strengthening Magic ability Counter Magic active, which all players could use, letting her weaken the ice spear even more. Then she imbued her shield with the Strengthening Magic ability Enhance Armor, as what remained of the ice spear hit it.

“That…won’t be enough!”
“…Is she a Fortress Healer?!”

Freya emerged unharmed from the steam and shattered remains from the ice spear, making the enemy’s mage raise his voice in shock.

Fortress Healer was the term used in this game for healers who focused their stats on defense and durability, even using magic to enhance stats further.

That obviously came at the cost of sacrificing some other aspect of their build and Skills, and in Freya’s case, it was mobility. That was also the main reason why that playstyle was not very popular.

“Freya, don’t just stand there like that, come!”
“Ahh, but I thought I could finally try looking cool for once!”

Frey desperately grabbed Freya’s arm and dragged her between the buildings.

“Do you think you can escape?!”
“Wait, it might be a trap..!”

Frey would not use such simple strategies if he was up against a group who knew how to fight together and knew each other, but their enemies were solo players cobbled together into a team as mercenaries, so they did not exactly know each other.

One of them ran off on his own, likely out of frustration that his first strike had been thwarted, and as soon as he turned around the corner…

‘Frey, Freya, get down.’

Lycoris’ voice came through their voice chat.

As soon as they lowered their heads, a streak of light passed above them and hit their pursuer between his eyebrows, making him topple over and turn into a pile of light particles.

The remaining mercenaries were shocked seeing that. They were in a complex cityscape with plenty of obstacles, and yet their companion had fallen from a single headshot.

“Damnit…how can a sniper be so accurate?!”
“Where is their sniper in the first place? I can’t tell how it can shoot from so many angles!!”

The remaining three Tokai Corporation mercenaries hid behind buildings as warning shots from Lycoris landed near them. But barely a moment later…

“Now Hinagiku, goooo!!”
‘Leave it to me!’