The Great Tob Forest was rich in species: Giant Petrifying Lizards, High-Rank Tigers, Jumping Leeches, Strangling Spiders, Forest Longworms, barghests, Demon Wolves, giant serpents, and more.
Humans could gather resources and live safely within the first 150 meters, but once they ventured deeper, no one could guarantee their safety.
Besides these, the Great Tob Forest had three rulers: the Eastern Giant, the Western Demon Serpent, and the Wise King of the Forest.
Now that the Wise King of the Forest had joined the humans, only the Eastern Giant and the Western Demon Serpent remained.
Yet both the Eastern Giant and the Western Demon Serpent were now kneeling before a child.
"We surrender! We surrender!"
"We will obey every command Lady Aura gives us."
The Eastern Giant, Gu, had been too arrogant to recognize Aura's strength at first and had even dared to attack her repeatedly.
But Aura was fairly good-tempered. She summoned her subordinate Fenrir, Fenn, and had him take a few bites out of the giant.
Even with a Troll's incredible regeneration, he was nothing more than a larger chunk of meat before Fenn.
The level-78 Fenrir possessed enough power to destroy every human faction except the Slane Theocracy.
Death was never the most terrifying thing. At first, the Troll had still wanted to show what he could do.
Then the enormous wolf Fenn gave him a disgusted look.
"You taste awful."
Fenn did not care whether the Troll submitted. He was merely following orders to take a few more bites.
The Troll, renowned for courage and recklessness, quickly broke down and knelt before Aura.
The Western Demon Serpent submitted even more readily.
Without the Troll's powerful regeneration, the serpent immediately dropped to the ground.
"Good children. Good children."
Aura treated them like her own, even giving the Troll a healing potion after he submitted.
After all, wounds left by Fenn's bites were not so easy to heal.
She liked every magic beast she could enslave and took good care of them.
Looking at the ugly Eastern Giant and Western Demon Serpent, Aura felt a little regretful.
She did not dislike ugly-cute creatures.
Unfortunately, Lord Ainz's plan was to turn these magic beasts into prestige and military achievements in the kingdom.
She could only issue her orders.
"Gather the monsters of the great forest and attack E-Rantel."
Of the forest's two rulers, the Eastern Giant was level 30, while the Western Demon Serpent was weaker at level 28.
In actual combat, the Eastern Giant's race, War Troll, gave him tremendous fighting power.
Had he not been so unintelligent, he would have beaten the Western Demon Serpent long ago.
Thus, the Western Demon Serpent knew exactly when to submit and immediately mobilized the magic beasts under the serpent's command.
The battered Eastern Giant also roared, ordering all the Trolls to march.
Any Goblin tribe that failed to send troops would be turned into army rations.
For a time, unrest swept through the great forest.
The forest's Goblins, Trolls, and demon serpents began gathering in full force.
For Aura, a single use of Magic Beast Enhancement would turn these beasts into a calamity for humanity.
The great forest stirred.
Aura's group enhancement skill was enough to crush all resistance in their path.
The Eastern Giant was boosted to level 40, and the Western Demon Serpent to level 39.
Barghests, once monsters a level-10 combatant could handle, became troublesome level-20 monsters.
The same happened to the Trolls and demon serpents, with countless individuals reaching levels 20 to 30.
Even the Goblin tribes at the bottom of the food chain leaped from a pitiful level two or three into elite Goblin legions in the teens.
Aura's Magic Beast Enhancement could raise levels by ten, though a monster's final level could not exceed 90.
For instance, the two level-80 dragons under her command would gain level-90 combat strength after enhancement.
This skill secured her position as the Great Tomb of Nazarick's supreme group-combat specialist.
Riding Fenrir, Aura directed the magic beasts from the rear and ordered the forest's monsters to attack the city.
No one could stop them.
Aura would set the stage for Lord Ainz to become the kingdom's hero and secure the entire forest as his fief in one stroke.
The grand ceremony began smoothly beneath the starry night sky.
As Aura rode through the woods on Fenrir's back, the Golden Acorn Pendant, a legacy-class item hanging against her chest, suddenly made a sound.
"Sister?"
"What is it, Mare?"
Receiving a message from her younger brother, Aura could not help asking.
Mare spoke in a timid voice.
"The human adventurers have set up obstacles and traps in front of the city."
"Lord Ainz said there's no need for obvious command. It would be best if the magic beasts appeared to have gone berserk."
"That way, we can explain it as some force in the forest driving the beasts mad."
"But Lord Ainz is worried the human adventurers might set some powerful magical traps, so he sent me to support you."
"Also, don't kill the kingdom's officer called the Warrior Captain. Lord Ainz still needs him to spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown. And be careful of the Thief named Luke."
Aura was the most even-tempered guardian in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
She immediately replied respectfully.
"Lord Ainz can rest assured. I'll stay in the rear and command them unless we encounter unusual traps."
"As for that Thief Luke, what does he look like?"
Mare shook his head.
"Lord Ainz only said he's a fully armed, self-important fellow commanding the troops in the middle of the human camp."
"Anyway, once everyone on the outskirts is dead, he'll run away on his own."
Mare was the Great Tomb of Nazarick's famous cross-dressing boy, Aura's younger brother, and an utterly wicked schemer who always said the cruelest things in the meekest voice.
He was also the Great Tomb of Nazarick's area-attack specialist, wielding Petit-Catastrophe, the strongest skill available to NPCs, with power surpassing ordinary Super-Tier Magic.
Cautious by nature, Ainz had sent Mare to help after seeing how confidently the Thief Luke spoke.
It never hurt to be careful.
Aura smiled.
"Then let's go all out."
"But follow Lord Ainz's orders. Don't kill that Warrior Captain or Luke for now."
"Yes, Sister!"
"I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!"
Mare encouraged himself as though he were about to undertake some terrifying mission.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"The Eastern Giant and the Western Demon Serpent have joined forces!"
"The Trolls, Goblins, and demon serpents are all on the move!"
Several scouts sent to investigate the forest fled from different directions.
They swiftly mounted the fast horses prepared in advance and galloped toward E-Rantel.
To ensure the information reached its destination, at least ten scouts had been assigned.
Two were killed by monsters along the way, while the remaining eight reached the camp safely.
This was the route from the great forest to the city. Over the past two days, the Warrior Captain had mobilized thirty thousand citizens to hastily build three defensive lines and three camps.
The monsters would have to break through all three lines before they could even see the city walls.
Naturally, everyone felt quite confident.
"The monsters are coming!"
"Are you ready?"
"The Warrior Captain is with us!"
The adventurers and soldiers shouted together, showing not a trace of fear.
Meanwhile, Luke, who was responsible for laying the traps, wore a savage smile.
"Divine Dragon above!"
"Today, I will offer you the finest tribute!"
Under Eve's memory manipulation, Luke had completely forgotten World City. He remembered only his mission to serve the Divine Dragon, and then shouted:
"Archers and mages, get ready!"
The monsters' assault had no organization. There were no scouts or thieves conducting reconnaissance, nor any tactical deployment. The Trolls simply took the lead and charged recklessly.
Roy observed the battle through the All-Seeing Eye.
"Aura isn't commanding them at all. She's just letting the magic beasts charge on their own."
"Shouldn't she send the Goblins to clear the traps?"
"Can you tell whether this is some special tactic?"
Goblins were the weakest troops, but their bodies were nimble. They were ideal cannon fodder for probing the battlefield.
Eve replied:
"Supreme One, that Aura lacks sufficient intelligence."
"When commanding magic beasts, she only knows how to charge blindly and break enemy lines with overwhelming strength. She is nothing worth mentioning."
"However, against absolute power, there is no possibility of victory. Instead, we would be vulnerable to a decapitation strike."
"I have already made preparations for Luke to fake his death during the battle, preventing the enemy from employing that tactic."
"When the whole camp falls into chaos, Luke can wait for the enemy to approach before activating the scroll."
"One fatal blow."
Eve thought little of the Great Tomb of Nazarick's guardians. Rather, none of them posed any pressure to her in military command.
Compared with the assault by a million players in her memories, this monster charge was child's play.
The only concern was that the enemy might use a decapitation strike, rendering all their efforts worthless.
Although defeating a stronger enemy with a weaker force was possible, it was not worth taking that risk.
Unexpectedly, her words only made Roy feel that something was wrong.
The Great Tomb of Nazarick truly had little to boast of in military tactics; it mostly relied on overwhelming stats.
But they certainly knew how to make simple tactical arrangements.
If Aura refused to do even that, it could only mean she did not care about the monsters.
No.
Aura still liked monsters. She would not let them die for nothing, which left only one possibility.
The enemy was doing this deliberately.
Roy realized it.
"No, Eve."
"It's not that the enemy can't command them. They don't want to show themselves."
"A simple monster charge can be treated as a forest crisis. Resolving it smoothly would make them heroes of the kingdom."
"Don't be afraid to kill the monsters in large numbers. The enemy won't use a decapitation strike."
Eve immediately found this strange. With level-100 guardians at their disposal, decapitation was the optimal tactic. Why not use it?
That did not align with the most efficient tactics or objectives.
Roy also breathed a sigh of relief. Artificial intelligence did not mean invincibility.
Eve could formulate grand plans, but she still misjudged the finer details of human nature.
She had correctly guarded against decapitation tactics, making Luke appear cowardly and afraid of death.
Yet Roy had ended up correcting Eve's mistake.
"I'm certain the enemy won't use a decapitation strike."
"The Great Tomb of Nazarick is arrogant and indulgent toward its enemies."
"The Bone King very likely intends to use Luke to build his reputation. He might even specifically remind Aura that she absolutely must not kill Luke."
"This is our opportunity. Have Luke kill as many of these monsters as possible, forcing the Great Tomb of Nazarick's guardians to reveal themselves. Then seize the chance to use the scroll."
Eve answered:
"Your wisdom is truly admirable, Supreme One. I will correct my mistake immediately."
"I will have Luke adopt the tactics with the greatest chance of defeating a stronger force with a weaker one."
Eve had implanted a terminal resembling nanobots inside Luke's body, allowing her to interfere with his thoughts and decisions.
Sitting in World City, Roy could operate a machine gun and move it precisely fifty meters to the left.
Now he could say with a smile:
"No matter. Let's see which moment gives us the best chance to catch them off guard."
The Trolls recklessly charged toward the human camp.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The first trap: Spiked Pit!
Even in the original story, a death knight capable of nearly destroying a city would die if it fell into a deep pit.
The mages of this world could not cast high-tier magic, but first-tier Earth Sculpting was easy enough.
It could soften five cubic meters of soil, making it easy to dig.
In just two days, the citizens had dug numerous pits with a radius of two meters and a depth of four meters, placing spikes inside them.
Awooo!!!
The Trolls at the front of the charge fell into the traps just like that.
There was a wet squelch.
Spikes drove viciously into the man-eating monsters.
Two hundred deep pits delivered a grand gift to them.
Every monster that fell in died.
Even the tenacious Trolls did not die immediately when the wooden spikes pierced them, but the poison on the spikes and their entrapment in the pits continued to eat away at their lives. Soon, they died from blood loss.
Before the cruel, powerful Trolls even approached the human camp, more than half had been killed or wounded.
Trolls, War Trolls, and Goblins were all flesh and blood, whether their levels were high or low.
Ordinary traps worked remarkably well.
Of the hundred Trolls, more than half had been killed or wounded before they even reached the human camp.
The adventurers cheered:
"Long live Lord Luke!"
"I never thought Trolls would be so easy to deal with."
But Luke calmly surveyed the battle and gave a cold snort:
"Everyone, stay alert. It won't be that easy."
Sure enough, the moment Luke finished speaking, the Eastern Giant let out a roar.
After receiving Aura's enhancement skill, its intelligence seemed to have improved as well.
It casually grabbed a Goblin and hurled it hard at the ground.
A Goblin's weight alone would not have triggered the spiked pits.
But with the force of a Troll's throw, a pit opened beneath it.
The Goblins were terrified.
You could use rocks!
But the Trolls did not care. Seeing their leader do it, they naturally followed suit.
After sacrificing dozens of Goblins, they finally found a safe route.
Charge!
Of the hundred Trolls, only forty remained. The additional ten had died under the relentless attacks of magic arrows and ordinary arrows.
They needed human blood to repay the debt.
The Trolls charged forward, then howled in pain.
The enormous jaw traps had snapped shut.
Though there were no pit traps ahead, a hundred large jaw traps forged by the city's blacksmiths lay buried there, specifically intended for Goblins.
Unfortunately, the Trolls had used up a great many Goblins, and the survivors kept far away, leaving the jaw traps for the Trolls instead.
Still, the Trolls fared much better against the jaw traps than the Goblins would have.
They lost only five before reaching the wooden walls.
Boom!
The Trolls grew excited, as though they could already see the humans being torn to pieces.
But the adventurers and soldiers had already withdrawn from the first line of defense.
When the remaining Trolls stormed into the camp, they were greeted by heaps of flammable materials and oil left behind.
The skirmishers who had stayed behind stared at the Trolls with hatred in their eyes.
Die, all of you.
Holding scrolls, the skirmishers cast the simplest of spells.
Fireball!
The oil swiftly set the entire camp ablaze, and the skirmishers fled as soon as they had lit it.
Roaring flames burned the foolish Trolls, as though intent on sending them to hell.
No ordinary carbon-based creature had nothing to fear from burning oil.
Unless a magic caster had granted it [Fire-Attribute Attack Nullification].
Clearly, the Great Tomb of Nazarick did not value these expendable troops.
The raging fire swallowed the entire military camp in an instant.
"What an impressive Thief."
"I never thought someone so weak could achieve such astonishing results."
"It seems I really underestimated the traps he set."
Secretly observing Luke's three lines of defense from the rear, Ainz suddenly understood why humans could occupy this land despite their weakness.
"Mare, give the magical beasts some support."
"We'll adjust our plan a little. It seems monsters alone won't be enough to break through these defenses."
"Yes, Lord Ainz."
Before you continue