TL: Currently addicted to Granblue fantasy. Updates will be affected until I’m not addicted anymore.
Chapter 110 – The possibility of grinding monsters in reality
The world was too crazy, and the rumors were out in full force, which ended up causing everyone in the border army feeling like they were on the brink of collapse after hearing the latest news about the queen sending two children over, right about when the monster subjugation was over.
Sue was not reserved at all and brought Lawrence along for a free meal when she heard that an army was about to do another monster subjugation after dinner.
The commanding general did not know whether he should frown or laugh at the children’s actions, and could only order two more sets of dining tools to be given to them.
“Lawrence and Sue, right?!”
The general was considerably generous to give them two seats. After all, these two people were sent by the queen, and their backgrounds were very deep indeed:
“The conditions at the borders are not very good, please try to adjust to this place if you find something you’re not used to. Also…… I’m really touched by the spirit that you have for the kingdom, but the Abyss Demons are not as simple as you think. If it’s possible, would you please tell me your plans?!”
“Plans?!” The adult Lawrence who was stared at by the general put down his fork and felt pressured: “To tell the truth I’m just here to accompany Sue……”
“……” The general held his small smile with determination and fell into silence for five seconds: “My apologies, perhaps I’m understanding something wrong……”
He paused for a moment to take a deep breath and inquired very cautiously: “Do you mean to say that the idea of vanquishing the monsters is from this little girl?!”
Lawrence felt he was in an awkward position, a terribly awkward position. He graduated from school for many years already, and he should be logically be considered an adult, but it was the first time he felt ashamed and blushed furiously: “Yes, I’m following this…… little girl.”
The general was stunned: “Have the two of you ever encountered and understand what the Abyss Demons are?!”
“…… I’ve heard of it,” came the reply.
“It’s completely insufficient to understand it from someone’s lips.”
First of all, he had to keep them alive for the queen, and the second reason was that he could not bear to watch the young adult and child head to their deaths, and patiently explained the danger from getting involved in the subjugation:
“These monsters have no intelligence and only possess an innate desire to kill. They are deranged enough till they don’t feel any pain or fear. You have no idea how terrifying and dangerous these creatures are, especially when you have only heard about them from someone else without seeing it for yourselves……”
“I would like to correct one thing, we just saw your battle against them earlier from a distance,” Sue interjected with a piece of bread in her hands that she just raised.
“….. Very well, I admit that you have seen them, but what about it?!” The general felt his teeth were hurting.
“Nothing much, it’s just that I feel your litany of words is coming out too smoothly, so I couldn’t help but rebut the incorrect statement there, go ahead and continue, commander.” Sue put down her hand with a smile, ate her bread and gulped down a mouthful of thick soup, which caused her words to be unclear.
“……”
[Continue?! Continue my ass!]
The commander felt the veins on his temples were bulging.
“General, His Royal Highness Luther has heard about the queen’s guests, and he wants to invite the two of them for dinner……” A soldier came into the camp and passed the message.
“Uhh…..” The general paused for a moment.
“But we ate half of the dishes here!” Sue expressed that she was in a difficult position: “How about asking if we can pack them away?!”
As soon as she finished her words, she lowered her voice and asked Lawrence who was next to her: “This name is a little familiar, who’s Luther?!”
“……” The messenger and general fell into a silence.
Lawrence wiped the corners of his excessively perspiring forehead and also lowered his voice: “Luther is the first prince of the kingdom who had been training in the military all the time. He has stayed here in the borders for almost three years.”
“Oh. Got it.” One of the suspects as the mastermind, hmm…… Sue nodded and continued to eat.
The messenger appeared flustered as he did not think there would be someone who would refuse the first prince’s invitation. He cast his pleading eyes to the general.
The general coughed dryly twice, about to speak, but Sue was already thinking about something else and stole the spotlight once again: “What time is the subjugation army heading out?!”
“Huh?! Hmm…… Right after the meal. It’s just a regular patrol and clearance at the abyss’s edge. If there isn’t a large-scale movement of the monsters, it shouldn’t be too dangerous.”
When it came to work, the general quickly changed to a strict mode where he answered earnestly like clockwork.
“Thanks.” Sue passed a few more pieces of bread and smoked meat to Lawrence: “Quickly finish your meal. We’re about to head out, so stop fidgeting about. You really don’t appear like a man when you do that.”
Lawrence cautiously looked at the messenger, then at the general, and finally looked at Sue…… After turning a full circle, he pinched the forced bread in his hand and felt like he was about to tear up— How could he eat under such a bizarre atmosphere?
“……” The general made a subtle expression with his eyes and waved the messenger out. It was very clear in the current situation. The two people here did not have any intentions to give the first prince any face, and it was also awkward if they continued to maintain the silence, so it would be better to wait for a little instead.
Lawrence finally relaxed after the messenger left, and he showed a faint smile with a hint of willpower behind it to thank the general, then buried himself with his meal without another word.
“Don’t just eat the bread, drink the soup as well.” The general consoled Lawrence and looked at Sue: “Since you really wish to follow the subjugation team, I’ll inform the captain later…… He will try his best to take care of both of you, but the battlefield is not a game. If a situation crops up, please do not disregard his orders, otherwise, there might be a bad outcome.”
“Huh, but we can actually slay them ourselves……” Sue hurriedly objected.
“Pffffff……” Lawrence sprayed out his soup, nearly choking himself to death: “Slay them ourselves?!”
The general was at a loss for words. He looked quietly at Lawrence and at the bowl of soup next to him, wanting to take a mouthful and spray it out to let Sue see that sight. After holding back this foolish notion, he took a deep breath and emphasized: “Let me repeat this again, since you are dispatched by the queen to subjugate the monsters, please obey our commands…… This not only concerns your safety, but it also concerns ours…… If the Abyss Demons are stoked into a rampage and turned into a stampeding horde, then it would be a situation that the border army would not be able to control……”
[That strict?!]
Sue imagined that scenario, pondered for a moment before nodding: “Very well!”
Fine, she could obey the directions, and it was not as if she desperately needed the tiny bit of experience points: “But let me put this out now, we’re here to subjugate the monsters. When it comes to a battle, please do not use excuses like, the timing isn’t right, or the rear is lacking people, or that the overall situation still needs to be assessed and other excuses to prevent us from going to the frontlines.”
“Cough, cough, cough!” The general’s eyes shifted with guilt and he coughed with embarrassment. “Definitely not, don’t worry about it!”
[&@#$! What can a meter-tall little carrot who reach my waist do anything in a battlefield?! Throw a mud ball at the monsters?!]
The intelligence of the queen was suspected by the general of the faraway borders.
Not long after dinner. Sue and Lawrence finally attained their wish as they followed the subjugation army to reach the edge of the Lost Abyss……
The players who had the experience of playing a game knew that if one wanted to grind a mob of monsters, running fast and having AOE attacks were insufficient.
They had to investigate the surroundings and the places where the monsters gathered. This point was very important, as the pulling path might be restricted, as well as whether the mobs would move to the ambush point.
After pulling the mobs with much difficulty, then encountering a chasm where half of the mobs fall into it, or fleeing happily away from the mobs only to encounter a field of brambles blocking the retreat……
It was a common term called ‘grinding location’, but if the place was not researched properly and something really happened…..
Feeling upset for not getting the monsters would be a small problem, dying before unleashing one’s brilliance would be an extremely shameful thing.
The next consideration would be understanding the data of the mobs. There were basically three points.
How fast they were, what kind of stats they had, and whether their battle types were close-combat or ranged……. Equipment must be worn to counter their specific types, controlling the speed of the monsters at the forefront and adjusting their paths. Only after understanding all these aspects would one be able to ensure the gathering of these monsters.
The final thing to consider….. The rhythm of pulling and attacking the monsters.
These mobs had a hatred bar, and the timing to pull them could not be too long, otherwise, these monsters would have their hatred drop to zero, and it would be a waste of time as they would stop pursuing. But attacking and finishing these monsters could not be too long either, as the people tanking these monsters would face tremendous pressure, dragging it for one more second might cause them to find the gods for a tea session……
Even though there were many things to prepare, Sue did not feel dejected. There was a saying, sharpening an axe would help with cutting lumber, and another saying was a person with willpower would not fail at their task, amongst other sayings…..
After reading all these words, it should be enough for the readers to prove that an investigation was an important and necessary task.
The only person who could complete these tasks was Sue, and even putting everything aside and focusing on investigating the surroundings would only be her tiger…….
Sue rode on her white tiger and flew out, leaving behind Lawrence who wore a wry smile and the stunned captain who could not stop her in time.
The latter looked at each other and thought they had to stay at their spot for quite some time but she was back after 20 minutes.
“Hnnnnnng, they are bullying people. These monsters have completely different stats, how the heck are they staying together on the same map, isn’t this a mismatched map design?!”
The strength of the monsters was different from each other, and so were their attributes, especially in regards to their speed. It would be difficult to control them.
Lawrence did not understand why Sue was so upset: “Well now….. The Abyss Demons are originally like this, they simply kill and invade without having any notions of having a territory……”
“I can ignore these facts, but these monsters have various types of combined attacks. After scouting with much difficulty, I saw a herd of lions scratching the trees with their claws. I thought they were close-combat types, but to think that after I descended less than ten meters away, ten-odd lions spat out a field of Wind Blades, and there’s another group that spewed out flames…… These *@#%, how can they be so unprofessional with learning techniques, do they really think they are so leet to learn close combat and magic at the same time!”
“Sue……” Lawrence’s black lines appeared over his head: “A little girl shouldn’t use such crude language.”
Sue revealed her claws: “Just look at the situation we’re in already, why do you still have the mood to nitpick all these minor things……”
She thought that it was a high-level grinding spot, but she did not expect that the gaming world was different from the real world. The maps in the game only had one or two subtypes for a monster and allowed easy access for gamers to choose and grind for their appropriate levels.
But the real world had a food chain in design, having only a few subtypes was impossible. This was not a zoo with animals…… Sue finally realized that she had considered things too simply.
Speed, attack, and attributes were all different…… This meant that she did not have any way to pull the mobs or to even know what type to wear equipment that was resistant to them.
The captain who had not spoken all this time coughed to get the attention of the two people: “I was not able to inform the two of you since you moved off too quickly, but please do not take initiative without permission. Otherwise, I would have to forcefully send you back to the camp, or perhaps to ask you to return to the palace……”
Regardless of whether they were people working under the queen, this action was absolutely unacceptable in the army.
The captain was very unhappy with a little chibi Sue who dared to move out and take action as a scout. Even though her incredible mount stunned him for a moment, it could not be the reason that would allow her to break the army’s military discipline.
“Sir! I am just passionate and hot-blooded about devoting my efforts to the kingdom.” Sue could bow down since she was living under someone else’s roof, so it was not impossible to lower her head without a second thought……
Black lines formed on the captain’s head: “Being passionate is fine, but you don’t need to be hot-blooded. I gauge that the blood in your little body isn’t a whole lot either…… Donate it when you’re older!”
[Hoh! This fellow actually knows how to pull off a cold joke?!]
Sue praised him inwardly.
Lawrence pulled Sue with embarrassment: “Apologies, we will take note of it from now onwards.”
The captain started deploying the army’s formation after his warning, assigning patrols and subjugation teams to clear up the monsters that strayed from the packs. The entire mobilization would take place over four hours, and if there was no unexpected situation, they would be able to finish the mission and return to camp.
“Lawrence, do you know any particular region in the Lost Abyss where the monsters are more straightforward?!” Sue pulled Lawrence over to ask him.
“Erm…… I have never been here before.” Lawrence was in a huge fix.
“The textbooks have never taught about these things?! Surely you have heard some useful things from someone else’s lips?” Sue quickly came up with ideas: “Like the assassins from your guild working near the borders, or your companions chatting about the information related to the borders…..”
“Now that you mentioned it…..” Lawrence lapsed into a state where he was finding information from his memories: “I overheard an assassin bragging to others where the most powerful group of monsters was moving about orderly despite not possessing intelligence. They are unlike the other monsters that move about everywhere, and instead acted like they are guarding something and stayed within the heart of the Lost Abyss, mobilizing like a human army would……”
Sue’s eyes brightened: “Is this information reliable?!”
They were the best targets for grinding.
Lawrence looked at her almost at a loss for words: “How would I know whether it’s reliable?! Any normal person would not reach the heart of the Lost Abyss. Not only are the monsters difficult to handle, but the bigger issue is also that you would lose your sanity if you stay there for long periods of time. You will even become part of the monsters in the end…… Why do you think each team sent out on patrols for only four hours?! It’s precisely because the frequent rotation prevents one from losing himself.”
It was also why no one believed that bragging assassin for this reason. If Sue did not ask about this matter, Lawrence would not recall these words which sounded like a ridiculous lie.
“Then what can be done now?!” Sue was at a loss. There was no information and her hands were tied up because they could not move out. If she dared to move out to the heart of the Lost Abyss, she would be packaged into a delivery box and sent back to the capital. Certainly, she could sneak away, but the problem was that the person-in-charge was a military professional, if she was treated as someone who was plotting something or acting as a spy, then she would be arrested and end up with a bounty on her head because she was going to flee……
“You should accept the five stages of grief.” Lawrence sighed. After sticking to Sue for such a long time, he got to know about some of the ideas from Sue. Even though it was a little strange to hear it in another language, it had the same meaning.
Sue looked away into the distance on her white tiger with sorrow:
“I’m going out to take a walk and relax. Go ahead and do your own things.”
She left with a whistling wind behind her…… If she could not grind mobs, it was okay for her to grind a single monster right?! A single monster was still XP, no matter how small a mosquito was, it still weighed something……
Captain: “……”
Lawrence: “……”
The two of them looked quietly at each other for quite some time. Lawrence saw that the captain’s burning eyes did not only contain surprise: “I’m sorry, did that cause trouble for you?!”
“…… No, but she forgot to ask for permission again.” The captain gritted his teeth angrily with a dark expression: “Notify the scouts to catch the girl on the spot if they encounter her! If she dares to resist just smack her unconscious!”
*#@&! Did she really think he was someone easy to push over if he did not show his bad side?!
This was the borders, not for a little girl playing house.
Lawrence looked at men with a worrying look. The captain felt much better after venting his anger. He saw Lawrence’s expression and thought for a while, and decided to take the initiative to soothe him: “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt your sister, but this is the borders and she should know what should not be done and what should be obeyed…… My men have good judgment and wouldn’t hurt her.”
“…… You’re mistaken,” Lawrence smiled with tears in his eyes, “I’m afraid that she would hurt those innocent men…..”
[She’s not a pushover like she looks, you ought to be calm……]
He still remembered the vicious acts of that little lass, especially what happened to the unlucky son of the guild leader. That incident left a traumatic mark in his heart.
The captain was speechless.
The scouts who received their orders started to search for Sue’s tracks. At that time, Sue had already changed her appearance to the captain’s, and she randomly went to one of the squadron’s officer and shouted:
“Attention!”