The power of level-100 NPCs, the despairing gulf facing the natives (three updates today, extra update at noon)

Humans had low racial stats.

An adult Orc possessed roughly ten times the strength of an adult human.

Against such overwhelming strength, humanity seemed to have no hope of surviving this wretched world unless its elites fought the Orcs and other nonhuman races.

But Luke told them that was not true.

Humans could use earthworks, traps, and effective tactics to compensate for their lack of raw strength and annihilate powerful monsters.

Burning oil blazed through the camp, and the first defensive line had fulfilled its mission admirably.

Yet Luke had no idea that this was not a plan he had devised.

Eve had planted it in his memories from the very beginning.

Human history in this world was far too short. Its civilization had been forcibly accelerated by the Six Great Gods.

Its tactical and political wisdom alike remained immature.

Eve was different. Her databases were filled with the warfare techniques and killing arts of Earth's civilizations.

Her greatest strength was defeating the strong with the weak, drawing outstanding results from these fragile soldiers.

The flames consumed the Trolls, and the remaining thirty-odd Trolls were about to fall as well.

The main force was on the verge of annihilation.

Only the Western Demon Serpent proved exceptionally cunning, ordering the demon serpents under his command to advance more slowly.

The War Troll was every bit as dim-witted as expected, taking the damage for him.

[Widen Magic: Water Creation!]

[Widen Magic: Greater Heal!]

Mare had been staying in the rear, but when he saw the Troll army on the brink of collapse, he had no choice but to help.

As a divine magic caster, Mare could naturally use healing magic. He also employed a special magic modifier-[Widen Magic].

In Yggdrasil's magic system, spells could be cast in different ways.

For example, [Twin Magic] was equivalent to casting a spell twice.

[Maximize Magic] brought a spell closer to the upper limit of its power.

[Widen Magic] could expand its attack radius, healing radius, and so on.

Thus, different combinations applied to the same spell would produce different results.

A player's choice of magical strategy had a profound effect on the outcome of a battle.

Mare cast a widened Water Creation, and torrential rain seemed to pour over the entire camp, as though a river had overflowed into it.

Water instantly flooded the burning area. Infused with special magical power, it swiftly extinguished the flames and saved the howling Trolls.

Then Mare cast the sixth-tier spell [Greater Heal], restoring every Troll's health to full.

The terrifying power of a mighty magic caster was laid bare.

A single spell turned the tide and destroyed all of humanity's efforts!

"Hurry up and advance!"

"That thief actually made my sister's magical beasts look bad. Make sure you kill every last one of them."

"Go, go!"

Hidden in the rear, Mare cheered the monsters on like a child, a dark gleam in his eyes.

The Great Tomb of Nazarick did not want to reveal that someone was commanding them.

But Luke's fire attack had been so effective that it had neutralized most of the monsters' fighting strength.

Part of the fault lay with the Great Tomb of Nazarick's people: their levels were so high that they had forgotten how lethal ordinary flames could be.

With the resistances Mare, Aura, and the others possessed, ordinary flames like these could burn them for three days and nights without costing them a single point of health. Naturally, they had never expected the Trolls to be so useless.

Even with their increased levels, the Trolls were still creatures of flesh and blood.

Fear and terror showed on their faces, and they refused to advance.

Then Aura blew out a breath.

Brave Breath!

Aura was proficient in all kinds of breath abilities, allowing her to apply different status effects to magical beasts. This was an essential skill for a trainer.

In an instant, the Trolls' morale returned.

They would tear apart everything before them.

Come forth, Eyes of the Sky!

At first, Aura had simply driven the monsters into a crude, brute-force assault.

Now Luke's traps had earned the Great Tomb of Nazarick's respect.

Naturally, Aura brought a ranger's greatest asset into play-reconnaissance.

Her Eyes of the Sky could gather all kinds of intelligence from extreme distances, ignoring any concealment.

In a single instant, Aura saw through the core of the second defensive line.

Booby traps!

Rather than digging many traps, the defenders had buried magical mines along the second defensive line.

These magical mines were not particularly high-level.

Every explosion came with spikes, poison, and a paralysis effect.

Only when a Troll approached or stepped on one would Luke activate the mechanism and detonate the booby trap.

These were the strongest traps a level-18 trap-specialist rogue could make.

The booby traps could not kill Trolls with their formidable vitality. The level difference was simply too great.

But Luke had stationed adventurers near the booby traps, planning to kill the monsters in close combat.

Through sheer overwhelming ability, Aura saw every detail of the enemy's arrangements.

Could this be Lord Ainz's test?

Even when facing a weak enemy, I must not let my guard down.

Aura reined in the arrogance deep in her heart and continued observing the battlefield.

Go, Goblins and Barghests.

Aura issued orders directly to the monsters through battlefield whispers.

As a beast tamer, she could micromanage any individual monster within her command range.

Faced with Luke's booby traps, Aura had no patience for disarming bombs. She simply sent Goblins rushing over to stab through the trap mechanisms with their swords.

Boom!

The booby trap took a Goblin with it.

Aura had traded a weak Goblin for a corresponding gain.

Then the Barghests pounced on the ambush positions. The adventurers who had been waiting to strike were instantly driven into a desperate situation against Barghests raised to level 20.

The adventurers suffered heavy casualties in moments.

"This is bad!"

Luke sensed that something was wrong, shock and doubt churning within him. How had the enemy seen through everything?

"The enemy has a commander, and that commander is skilled in magic! Hurry and inform the Warrior Captain and Lord Gong!"

"Quick!"

With a wet crunch!

The ranger beside Luke had only just turned to report when an arrow burst through his head!

Thud, thud, thud!

Before anyone could react, every adventurer beside Luke had been shot through the head.

Only Luke avoided the arrows by diving into a tunnel he had prepared beforehand.

He immediately fled toward the third camp. Facing a level-100 Guardian with nothing but his level-18 combat strength was simply too much pressure.

Aura had two weapons: the Queen's Whip and a greatbow.

When sniping, she could fire without charging her shots.

Now, let's not keep Lord Ainz waiting.

As Aura truly displayed the strength of a level-100 Guardian, the Automated Guards proved utterly inadequate against her.

She would unleash large numbers of monsters, drive the humans into desperation, and then have Lord Ainz save them all.

Damn it!

No, this is wonderful!

A sacrifice like this will surely please the Divine Dragon!

Luke's heart raced as he fled through the tunnel.

He felt as though he could hear the Divine Dragon whispering. He had to offer her to the Divine Dragon.

That was his true purpose in joining the pioneering expedition.

Luke swiftly escaped the scene. Although the adventurers at the second defensive line received orders to retreat, the monsters came too quickly, and all the booby traps had been neutralized, leaving their forces utterly routed.

All they could do was resist with everything they had.

"Fall back to the third defensive line! Someone is commanding these monsters!"

The news immediately put everyone at the third defensive line on edge.

Someone was commanding the monsters.

The booby traps at the second defensive line had failed, and fewer than one in ten adventurers remained.

Aura did not reveal herself. Instead, she ordered the Eastern Giant and the Western Demon Serpent to attack again.

"Lord Gong!"

"I'll go hold back the monsters. If it becomes necessary, I'll have to count on you."

The Warrior Captain and Brain swiftly entered the fray, supporting the routed adventurers and rescuing other trapped soldiers.

Six-Light Slash!

Fourfold Slash of Light!

Brilliant sword flashes swept across the battlefield.

Fighting side by side, the Warrior Captain and Brain instantly showed the world why they were both warriors in the realm of heroes.

Five whole Trolls were cleaved in two.

The Warrior Captain killed three Trolls in a single burst, while Brain killed two.

To ensure the kills, each man allotted two sword flashes to every Troll he targeted.

For an instant, the crisis seemed to have passed.

What a nuisance.

Should I kill him?

Aura watched the Warrior Captain, but he was someone Lord Ainz had specifically ordered her not to kill.

"Retreat, now!"

Yet the Warrior Captain did not linger in battle. After intercepting the foremost Trolls, he led the adventurers in retreat.

Brain followed close behind.

The formerly panic-stricken adventurers and soldiers of the Re-Estize Kingdom felt their morale surge:

"The Warrior Captain is with us!"

Some of the soldiers and adventurers at the second defensive line were saved.

Compared with the first defensive line, this one had suffered casualties of at least half its force.

The enemy was still advancing.

The third defensive line was in imminent danger.

But the opportunity Roy had been waiting for had arrived.

"The enemy isn't using decapitation tactics. The arrows deliberately avoided Luke."

"This is our chance."

"Eve, give Luke a little courage. Have him attack the Guardian."

"They won't strike to kill."