GILF Hunter

Chapter 461: 461 Straggler

’I blocked it!’

Fortunately, Mika’s barrier was deployed without being too late.

The monster’s intended target was the knight with the lowest mental power. It was an attack aimed at an opponent who, fallen into confusion, was incapable of a calm response.

The attack descending upon that knight’s head was intercepted by the barrier Mika created.

As the barrier cracked, a gruesome splintering sound spread out. No members were harmed, but a small wave of panic spread among those who saw the attack brush past right above their heads.

Mika also frowned and let out a small groan.

Not knowing how strong this monster’s attack would be, she had hurriedly poured in mana, and it was a level that she barely managed to hold through.

Ian had told her to focus solely on blocking that monster’s attacks... and she felt that even doing just that would be a difficult task. Mika hurriedly prepared the next barrier.

Ian shouted toward the Knight Commander.

’Commander! We will handle that thing, so light the fire in the meantime!’

The confusion among the members had not yet been brought under control. Since the torches weren’t lit, everyone’s mental power was beginning to shave away little by little.

In this situation, someone was needed to step forward, settle the chaos, and hold the fire during that time.

The Knight Commander nodded and pulled out a spare torch he had kept ready.

The possibility of such a situation occurring had been discussed and prepared for during the meetings. Of course, he hadn’t expected that moment to arrive so quickly.

Seeing the spark intended to light the torch, a nearby Shade lunged. The Knight Commander brushed them off without much difficulty even in a situation where he couldn’t see well.

’Stand straight on this side! Block the front with your shields! You can do that much even if you can’t see!’

The Knight Commander pulled the scattered nearby knights together and hurriedly re-established the defensive line.

At this level, they would be able to sufficiently block the Shades even if they swarmed toward the light again. The damage was still within the expected range.

Soon, the torch was fully ignited, and the surroundings brightened brilliantly.

They had been in the darkness for only a few minutes, but the Knight Commander felt as if he were seeing fire for the first time in years, feeling dazzled. It reached a point where it actually felt unpleasant.

The Knight Commander furrowed his brows deeply.

Dazzling light. Faintly retreating darkness. The sight of roaring Shades.

And a scream.

Realizing that was the scream of one of the knights, the Knight Commander asked.

’What happened!’

’A Straggler...!’

The form of a monster they had never seen before, which had been hiding in the darkness, appeared. It was a Straggler.

A monster that catches nearby people with chains and drags them into the darkness. They had approached right before their noses before anyone noticed.

’Since when?!’

Before the knight who was separated at the very front could even react, his arm was caught by it.

’Damn, shields back away!’

The Knight Commander, who rushed out urgently, cut and severed the chain, rescuing the captured knight.

In exchange, a shadow chain that climbed up the sword wound around the Knight Commander’s arm this time.

’C-Commander! Your arm!’

’Quiet, get over there!’

The Knight Commander used his foot to push the injured knight he had just rescued toward the area where the shield team was gathered. Other knights hurriedly dragged the fallen knight behind the shields.

He simply endured the Straggler’s chain trying to drag him with raw strength. Perhaps because the first digit of his level was different compared to the other knights, he could withstand the pull of a single one with just strength.

However, he couldn’t respond to the attack of the Shades that lunged immediately after while one arm and his weapon were caught. The torch he was holding eventually fell to the floor.

...Good grief. To make such a mistake. I’ll hear about this later.

The commander shouted, stopping the knights who were trying to rush out to help him.

’I’m still fine, so look at the surroundings first! What about the other areas?’

’There are more around us! Many of them!’

’...Unit 1, light the fire! If you stay like that, you’ll be dragged away!’

Unlike the Shades whose aggressiveness drops significantly without fire, the Stragglers would try to catch and cling to anything living as long as they could move even a little.

Their movement wasn’t that fast, so they were monsters that could be easily dealt with if responded to from a distance. But conversely, if they had approached this close, it was a major crisis situation.

If they stayed like this, there was no telling how many knights would be caught and dragged away.

Immediately, the light of urgent holy magic burst out. It was a means they had decided to use only in a very critical situation.

As the dazzling light spread in all directions, the expedition members could discover a pack of Stragglers that had surrounded them before they knew it.

’These things, where did they suddenly come from?’

’They certainly weren’t here at first...!’

While the light of the holy magic that reached far out brightened the surroundings for a brief moment, Ian hurriedly looked around.

He saw the monsters that had been hiding behind the veil of darkness, spread too far for the torchlight to reach, approaching late.

If they had confirmed those were there at first, everyone would have naturally been cautious and prioritized dealing with them.

But to hide as if they didn’t exist and then approach late like this.

Could it be... that they were intentionally hidden in the back instead of being sent out from the start? Aiming for the moment when the surroundings could no longer be seen due to the darkness, until they exposed their gaps defenselessly.

A whisper that sounded like mockery brushed past his ears. Or was it just a beast’s cry that happened to sound that way by chance.

The plan to leave the monsters to the knights while Ian’s group targeted the boss had to be abandoned for now.

’Rin, Lia! Go around the perimeter and help the other members!’

’Yes!’

Rin and Lia scattered in different directions and joined the knights’ fight.

Thanks to the extensively spread light of the holy magic, the Shades couldn’t properly catch a target and retreated back away from the light. Fortunately, they were able to deal with all the surrounding Stragglers before the light from the holy magic completely vanished.

Using that brief moment of breathing room, the members finally caught their breath and gathered close together.

Even during that time, the boss monster, the Desecrator, continued to target the members’ openings.

Mika was pouring all her focus into protecting her allies from those attacks.

’I-I can’t hold out much longer like this!’

’It’s okay, you’re doing great!’

While the barrier was holding, Ian, the Knight Commander, and Frenda—who had each been separated in the darkness—finally gathered in one place again.

The Knight Commander, who had barely shaken off the monsters and retreated, spoke to Ian from beside him.

’The formation has collapsed too significantly. Since we’ve figured out that fellow’s methods, it would be best to retreat, reorganize, and come back.’

’...Even if we go out and come back, it will eventually flow the same way. At that time, the members won’t be able to hold out this long.’

If they retreated and entered again, they would surely start anew from Phase 1, and the expedition, whose mental power had dropped, would definitely not be able to endure it to the end.

In reality, there was no opportunity for a second attempt. If they pulled back, the only option was to retreat completely from the Labyrinth.

...And surely, if they came again, that fellow would likely have some other trap prepared. It was not an opponent they could comfortably retry several times like simple monsters.

The Knight Commander asked Ian with a grim face.

’Leader Ian. According to what I heard last time, if we fail to subjugate these things, they will eventually come outside... then what happens?’

’...The sun will not rise.’

’Sigh....’

With those words alone, the Knight Commander seemed to be able to sufficiently imagine what the city outside would experience.

To be precise, it was a thick darkness that would block out the sunlight spreading around the Labyrinth, but whatever the principle was. The result was the same thing.

Ian also had no intention of facing such things outside again if possible.

Even though fighting alongside the defense forces in the city was more advantageous, there were a few opponents where fighting in a small group was actually better.

This was exactly one of them. If this happened on a city-wide scale, the magnitude of the damage would change digits.

Ian checked the status of the expedition members.

Thanks to Mika continuously blocking the boss monster’s attacks, miraculously no fatalities had occurred even in this situation. But if this state continued, it was ultimately a matter of time.

Someone was needed who could definitely protect the fire even amidst the indiscriminate attacks of the monster that would grow stronger hereafter.

Originally, the Knight Commander was intended to take that role... but now he was injured, and since he had already received the penalty for losing the fire once, stepping forward again was too high of a risk.

Ian looked back at Rin and Lia.

The two were still in a state with sufficient mental power. Since they were planned to face the boss, it was thanks to preserving their mental power as much as possible.

Since the boss would also perform mental power attacks on the opponent it was in combat with when its health dropped, the person directly facing the boss had to maintain their mental power as much as possible for that purpose.

’Lia.’

Lia nodded. Lia also vaguely felt that she was the only one capable of taking it on right now.

If Lia moved to that side, they would have to leave the entire handling of the boss to Rin alone, but...

They had no choice but to make the best possible choice in the worst-case scenario.

’No, wait. I will do it.’

Just as Lia was about to step forward after nodding, Frenda hurriedly intervened.