I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents-Chapter 13: Siege Warfare (5)

The first day of the siege defense passed without any major incidents.

Crunch—

Well, unless you count the fact that they gave us this ridiculously tough jerky for a meal. If that counts as an anomaly, then sure. At least the stew was decent, so I could stave off my hunger for now.

The sun had completely set, and darkness had fallen.

From atop the walls and below, the torches cast flickering light near the guards standing watch in their respective zones. I used the moment to organize my thoughts.

I figured I might as well just go to sleep. But before I knew it, my hand had already reached for my terminal.

Lying in my sleeping bag and browsing the gallery? Yeah, I couldn’t resist.

I already had a topic ready to throw out.

Title: If Resellin is right, the knight reinforcements should arrive tomorrow. Any unexpected variables to watch out for?

Author: ㅇㅇ*

Not sure if they’ll bring a mage with them, but at the very least, there shouldn’t be any unnecessary friction, right?ㄴ Friction is guaranteed, lmao.

ㄴ Tower rule: If you expect something bad, it almost always happens.

ㄴ Shrine Maiden) Hawawa, I cannot deny it.

ㄴ If the orcs showed up in those numbers, then they probably sent at least a Third-Rank Knight.

ㄴ Archmage) They probably brought at least one mage too.

ㄴ Archmage) Quest-type floors always have unexpected variables. Usually, the mission involves killing monsters, but sometimes, an NPC completely unrelated to the quest might end up getting killed instead.

ㄴ ㅇㅇ) ?? Isn’t that way too much of a stretch? Weren’t you just saying earlier that I should try to get a mage under my control?*

ㄴ Archmage) I meant that you should set things up appropriately. Make sure the scenario is one you can survive.

ㄴ Archmage) What kind of area are you in right now? A territory or what?

Oh, I hadn’t mentioned that yet.

ㄴ ㅇㅇ) The system initially told me it was an autonomous city.

ㄴ Archmage) Then the knights’ influence shouldn’t be that strong. They don’t have much of a political backing to lean on.

ㄴ Archmage) What about the existing forces? If you stir things up a bit, will they take your side?

I thought about it for a moment before replying.

ㄴ ㅇㅇ) It’s a bit ambiguous. Even if I act up a little, I don’t think they’d become outright hostile.

ㄴ Archmage) Then go ahead and make a move. Just keep an eye on the situation as it unfolds. Even if it wasn’t an autonomous city, the Lucerna Mercenary Corps' reputation is different from ordinary mercenaries. Even knights won’t be able to treat them lightly. Plus, the elder members of the corps hold a solid position in the world, even if they aren’t physically present right now.

ㄴ ㅇㅇ) Actually, there’s something I’ve been curious about. For all the name value the Lucerna Mercenary Corps carries, why do they feel kind of weak? Even Resellin doesn’t seem that much stronger than me.

ㄴ That’s because Resellin’s bloodline takes a long time to mature.

ㄴ Pioneer) More than that, it’s because Resellin is an NPC who’s meant to climb the tower alongside you. She’s not a one-time encounter but a growth-based NPC.

ㄴ That’s the real reason, yeah. Even if you don’t see her again on the third floor, you’ll probably run into her at least once more before the tenth. By then, she’ll have grown to match your level—or at least somewhere in that range.

So that’s how it worked.

If I was going to have a climbing partner anyway, I’d rather it be some strong veteran who could carry me through everything.

Guess that meant I had to abandon the idea of getting a free ride.

The conversation shifted back to how we should handle the knight reinforcements if friction occurred.

ㄴ Ice Queen) If they pick a fight, make sure to smack them around properly and establish order! Don’t show any fear! Freeze them solid!!

...Hmm.

From the way she’d been talking up until now, I thought she was some kind of pacifist. Guess she wasn’t so peace-loving after all. Maybe it was impossible to clear Hard Mode without losing a bit of sanity.

ㄴ Dragon King) Beltui—doesn’t really matter even if you half-kill them.

ㄴ Dragon King) Based on Beltui’s experience, if they hold the same position as climbers, then there’s a high chance they won’t be able to do anything noteworthy anyway. Or maybe I should say, they’re just incapable of it?

That reasoning was disturbingly convincing.

That was the real problem—it actually made sense.

ㄴ Sword of Light) If an Orc Legion Commander has appeared, then they’ll definitely send a Third-Rank Knight.

ㄴ ㅇㅇ) How strong is a Third-Rank Knight? Are they a big deal?

ㄴ From your perspective, yeah, they’d count as strong.

ㄴ Sword of Light) If you compare it to knight ranks, you’re basically at the Second-Rank. Your total mana capacity is still at the level of a First-Rank, but... you can’t really call someone who killed a Legion Commander a mere First-Rank.

Then Sword of Light went on to explain what Second-Rank knights generally were.

They could manipulate mana, but they couldn’t manifest aura on their blades. Knights who relied purely on physical enhancement for combat fell into the Second-Rank category.

ㄴ Sword of Light) Starting from the Third-Rank, knights gain the ability to generate sword aura.

ㄴ Absolute Monarch) Some knights never manage to awaken that ability and remain stuck in the Second-Rank for life.

ㄴ ㅇㅇ) So if they can use ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) sword aura, does that mean I have no chance against them?

ㄴ Sword of Light) The sword aura of a Third-Rank Knight is highly unstable. There are times when it’s actually better not to use it. Their martial arts are also incomplete at that stage.

ㄴ Sword of Light) If you had fully mastered Dragon Slayer Sword the way I described, you could overcome the gap using just swordsmanship... But you haven’t been able to dedicate that much time to training, have you?

ㄴ Wait, is it actually possible to make up for sword aura with pure technique? That sounds ridiculous.

ㄴ Lmao, it probably looks that way to a newbie. But didn’t you see how that climber killed the Legion Commander without even using sword aura? That proves Sword of Light’s point.

ㄴ Why does this guy keep projecting himself onto the climber and Sword of Light?

Another peaceful day in the gallery.

Sword of Light didn’t seem to care about the comments responding to his messages.

ㄴ Sword of Light) So when you have to fight a Third-Rank Knight—when you’re up against an opponent who’s stronger than you—what do you do to win? That’s what you’re wondering, right?

Exactly.

Sword of Light told me how.

***

The next morning.

The unexpected happened immediately. Before I could even wake up on my own.

Suddenly, the surroundings became noisy.

"Come out, the one who supposedly killed the Orc Legion Commander."

What the hell.

The tent flap was yanked open. Two men in full plate armor stood there, looking quite impressive. That’s what they called full plate mail, right?

The blond-haired man gestured with his chin toward the longsword I had propped against the wall.

"Pick up your sword."

The knight drew the sword from his waist.

"You must prove it. Prove that you were the one who killed the Orc Legion Commander."

[NPC - Third-Rank Knight William]

Third-Rank.

I recalled what I had heard about Third-Rank knights in the gallery.

A swordsman who could channel aura into their blade.

A swordsman capable of manifesting sword energy.

The stage where one begins to be recognized as a true powerhouse.

The method Sword of Light had told me to use against a Third-Rank knight was simple and straightforward.

And because it was simple, it was also crude.

Sword of Light) Use footwork. The first time someone encounters it, they won’t be able to react properly.'Footwork, my ass.'

Calling it footwork was a stretch when all I had was basic mana body enhancement.

It was just a fancy way of saying, Hit first.

Well, I’d been dragged into this.

According to the Hard Mode veterans, this was bound to turn into a contest of strength anyway.

Would it be beneficial or detrimental if I made a scene now?

I quickly scanned William’s surroundings.

A blond-haired mage caught my eye.

[NPC - Third-Rank Mage Yunes]

A mage. Also Third-Rank.

The Archmage’s comments popped into my mind.

As long as I seized the initiative, this could be quite the useful card to play.

I could screw over William, who had picked a fight with me. And I could make sure the mage was cooperative enough to be useful.

"Don’t make me say it again. Or are you admitting that your victory against the Orc Legion Commander was nothing but sheer luck?"

While I was organizing my thoughts, William spoke again.

I spread mana throughout my body.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"For someone who arrived late, you sure are acting arrogant."

William’s forehead immediately scrunched up.

"...What did you say?"

"The Orc Legion Commander I killed. That was supposed to be your job, wasn’t it? I risked my life to take him down for you. So why are you taking it out on me?"

Pure rage erupted on William’s face.

"...A lowly commoner."

Oh, great.

He was going to draw his sword, wasn’t he?

Sword energy.

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The way to counter it was simple. Attack before he could unsheathe his sword.

I slammed my foot into the ground.

Before William’s right hand could reach for the sword at his waist—

I stretched my right hand wide and grabbed hold of my target as best as I could.

My target was William’s shoulder.

Half-beating him to a pulp would be excessive. A simple throw to startle him should do.

William’s body tilted.

Bang!

I slammed him straight into the ground.

"Arghhh!"

Flat on his back, William flailed, glaring at me in disbelief.

"Why couldn’t you dodge that?"

Third-Rank Knight. Was he really one?

William gritted his teeth and tried to spring back up.

But he had already crossed the line. I tripped him again.

And followed up with a light punch to the abdomen.

"Guh!"

It seemed getting knocked down was so unexpected that he didn’t even think to counter.

...At this rate, Dragon King’s theory about knights in similar positions being unable to perform was turning out to be true.

Shing!

"You bastard...!"

The two Second-Rank knights and three soldiers who had come with William drew their swords.

At least they stepped in for their superior. That was reassuring.

As William, still half-pressed to the ground, reached for his sword, Resellin, standing in front of him, stomped her foot down hard.

Thud—

William, his face now beet red with fury, and his men all turned their attention to Resellin.

"That’s enough. The battle against the orcs isn’t over yet. The priority right now isn’t this pointless fight but preparing for the next one."

Resellin had stepped forward.

"You weren’t sent here to waste time like this, were you?"

Despite the soldiers’ hostile stares, Resellin remained unfazed.

Loud footsteps echoed as soldiers hurriedly climbed the stairs.

A panting soldier, breath ragged, barely managed to catch his breath before reporting.

"The orcs are crossing the defensive line again."

"Enemies that weren’t previously visible have appeared. It looks like there’s an Orc Shaman among them!"

Urgent news rang in my ears.

Resellin clicked her tongue.

"See? This isn’t the time for infighting. If you want to fight, do it after everything’s settled."

Maybe it was because their leader, William, was still sprawled out on the ground. The knights and soldiers in the standoff had no response to Resellin’s words.

I checked my gear and descended the stairs.

Leaving behind William, still screaming his lungs out, I made my way down to the base of the wall.

I drew my sword.

Resellin stood beside me.

I glanced at her and spoke.

"An Orc Shaman. Are you sure?"

Resellin slowly nodded.

"One of my rangers confirmed it. An orc in an extreme frenzy."

Orc Shaman.

Just as Sword of Light and the Archmage had predicted.

According to their descriptions, an Orc Shaman couldn’t resurrect the dead like a necromancer, but they could push orcs on the brink of death into an even stronger berserk state.

My gaze shifted to Yunes, the mage, who was descending the stairs with a tense expression.

"I’ll be taking that mage."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Both Resellin and Yunes reacted at the same time.

"I’ve got a use for him."

"W-Wait, what about my opinion?!"

Yunes looked like he was about to cry.