Chapter 1243 Removing Cats From the Ventilation Shafts Part 2

「DAAAAAAOOOOOOGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!??????」

A surprise pincer attack! Multiple attempts at surrounding! Need strategic input according to the situation at hand! It’s a living hell! And that’s putting it lightly!

I can clearly say that the way in which they were behaving was completely different from their usual routine! They were much more disciplined now, and they seemed to be acting in a way that was resembling some primitive form of a “strategy”. So this means that they usual method of dealing with those guys while farming for materials is no longer even going to cut it! This is bad!

Even if I wanted to deploy the usual strategy of jumping over the first group of Crystal Scorpions that was stampeding my way like an army of angry bulldozers and bring them towards the edge of the cliff, it was no longer possible for me to do so. Because right after the first wave of monsters there was already a second wave lying in wait, about ready to smash me to pieces with their claws and stingers.

However, I can also say that the new skills are coming relatively in handy here. Especially that Orbital Movement. I was able to use the pierce attacks that aimed right at my heart to trigger dodge moves to make emergency evasive maneuvers in order to slip through the gaps in between each individual scorpion and escape, a feat that would have been pretty much impossible to do under any normal circumstances.

「Sigma! How are you holding up!? Are you even alive there, buddy!?」

「Report: No problem so far…… No, Correction: confirming the coming of the third wave!」

「Pay them no mind! We are going to start advancing! Permission granted!」

This is the result of the information that we have learned from the Professor, or might even call it a “Revelation”. It was a good thing that he managed to advance to the eight layer before we managed to leave for this place. That’s exactly why we were able to construct a certain hypothesis that was based on confident information about the Crystal Scorpion Flocks that were currently jam-packed in here like a group of sardines in a can.

「There! I found it! That thing is……!!! Sigma! Destroy that boulder right over there!」

「Roger that:」

Unlike myself who needs to rely on skills in order to move about the place, Sigma can simply jump over any possible obstacle thanks to her jumping boosters. You can even say that she is close to being able to fly with those things. But oh well, I guess that when push comes to shove, I can always retreat back to the INVENTORY and regroup there. But that’s the kind of last resort that I do not even wish to use if I can help it……

「You are the Seed of the Mechanical Dolls! Now start acting like it and do your job!」

Ever since the Crystal Nest Cliffs managed to get a new boss ordering everyone around, the Crystal Scorpions has become much more disciplined than they used to be…… And while I understand where that thing is coming from, it also brings me a great sense of discomfort at the same time.

First of all, it’s about the way in which the Crystal Scorpions were moving currently…… This is certainly putting a wrench in my plans and strategies, but changing the type of movement accordingly to the level of threat? How is that thing even doing that? That’s downright scary.

That’s right, it is impossible to win without any strategy in mind. Especially since the situation on the battlefield is ever changing and adjusting by the second. But even if you were a genius strategist that was yet to lose a single battle, how is this possible for you to know what is currently going on in the field if you are unable to see it with your own eyes? That doesn’t make much sense.

And that brings us to that “revelation” I mentioned earlier. Because there were reports about a “strangely shaped boulder” that started to appear around here quite recently. ……I do not know if this is the thing that we are looking for in here, but I could see that the area around that place was strangely desolated and that nothing was coming out of there. So it was certainly worth a shot. Also, my past experiences with those guys were telling me that this bet was right on the money.

And if that gamble proves to be correct one indeed, then it would certainly make sense for the leader of the Crystal Scorpions to hide somewhere at the back, where it would have the best possible view of the entire field without running the risk of ever being found out by its enemies! So in a sense it would be the Flock’s “eyes” or more specifically, a “relay” point”.

In the meantime I take out the Duxaram Sword from my inventory and get ready myself to do some much needed damage. At this time, shouldn’t there be at least two or three scorpions to stop me? Oh, there it is! One scorpion! I jump on its back and use it as a stepping stone, and then I land on its tail that was brought really close to the boulder in question.

「There! Destroy it!」

I just cut three times at random, but it is quite easy to break down this “#”. But the situation changed due to its collapse. And it changed way more than I could have possibly imagined.

「Report: the natural status of neighborhood crystal began to change and fluctuate.」

「Waiting for an indication, huh? We need to get a move on right about now, otherwise we might get beaten to death if we stay here! Sigma, check the situation from above! …… I think that for some reason the majority of the Crystal Scorpions stopped in there tracks right about now!?」

Even though she did not looked pleased with that, Sigma boosted herself higher in the air, and I used that moment of opportunity to fix some of that HP pool of mine. …… Whoa there! Lucky! First try and it’s a success!

「Confirmation: overall twenty percent in under five minutes.」

「So, does that mean that it’s about twenty five percent per person……? Ahh, I see. So this means that we have about three of those left, huh?」

That’s just perfect. Want to be “educated” a little bit? But let me warn you, Professor Sanraku’s Late Night Classes tend to be really passionate! ……Thank you for your kindness in teaching me that, my dear friends! Everything to make my little Sigma even more educated than she already is!