Log Horizon Web chapter 62

1



The Abyss Shaft raid team used one week for preparation.

They reinforce their camp and made dozens of forceful reconnaissance. They wiped out all other enemies except the boss. They did their best to replenish their perishables and head towards the battle field.

Federico feels his breathing became shallow and took a deep breath.

The scenery in front of him is no different from last week.

The imposing dark purple figure of the 7th of the garden Ruseato looms in the center of the circular arena.

The arena where the battle last week was fought is shrouded in silence.

Federico keep his eyes on his party leader Shiroe and wait for the signal.

Federico felt this taciturn young man has changed over the past week.

He manage to mingle well with the other party mates after that defeat. Federico knew he was a good enchanter, but he is even better now. Federico has gotten used to Shiroe's new staff taken from his bag.

The time for playing has passed, they have to do whatever it takes to increase their probability of success. Federico feels that Shiroe has responded well to their expectations.

The problem of food reserves was also resolved by Shiroe's group.

They provided ingredients from their bags without any reservation, improving both the quantity and quality of their meals. The party's beginner chef Rugiusu is grateful. He hears the other asking "No regrets?" sometimes, but that opinion faded away in no time.

It is a fact that Silver swords have been treating them like guest.

But they are not solely at fault.

Being wiped out was the turning point.

Although 'death' is scary and painful, but it can bring people together some times. Friends from high school or college can get along quite well, but the bonds between raid groups is on another level. Sharing this painful experience together elevate their relationships from friends to a band of brothers.

(There is no way you can be friends with people you despise.)

Federico thought as he bit his lips.

(Brothers in arms can't work together if they hate each other.)

That is the case for Shiroe. It is the same for Demikas too.


Azalea close his eyes in mediation and raise her right hand. He cast the summoner's spell 'Soul possession'. The summoner possess a summoned familiar for reconnaissance. He dismissed the spell, nod his head a couple of times and made a curt report to William "The standby mode position remains unchanged. No signs of other enemies."

The same result after a week of repeated scouting.

The raid bosses might have learned to cooperate, but they still have their own thoughts and preference, which isn't a bad thing. Log Horizon's Shiroe mentioned this several times this past week. If you talk to him, you will find that he is a nice chap who thinks far ahead. But according to the rumors from Akiba, Shiroe is a mastermind who can manipulate the minions of hell.

(I'm fine with either of them.)

Federico thought.

Shiroe is an introvert. His shy expression feels like a brick wall. His explanation are hard to grasp and a bit long winded. But these are minor flaws. The members of Silver swords can't really criticize others. They are just a bunch of recluse, every one of them have problems of their own. Shiroe might be a weird guy, but among Federico's friends, he belongs to the bunch with common sense.

Shiroe chants a short spell and activate the spell. The enchanter's 'Elixir' increases the potency of recovery spells. Rugiusu cast 'heartbeat healing' conjuring a bright green light that is injected into Federico's body. The recovery rate have definitely increased. Federico is grateful as Shiroe continue to cast a series of buffing magic.


Preparation time is over. It is time for the Silver swords to shine.

This is the continuation of that night where William scream his lungs out.

They count down quietly. Naotsugu rush out as it goes down to zero. The guardian in the 2nd party leave the others far behind and charge 7th of the garden Ruseato alone.

(Wait for it. Wait for it...)

William's left arm is stretched out horizontally as he surveys the whole arena, Federico and the others are waiting eagerly. William stares at Naotsugu's back, waiting for the 1st attack.

"Castle of Stone!!"

Naotsugu roared as he lift his shield. This is the special skill of guardians that negates all damage. Using this 10 seconds of invincibility, Naotsugu took the first hit of the raid, the fierce attack 'Death knell moon'.

"Now!"

William charge as he shouts.

'Death knell moon' and 'Kneeling dark silver swing' are the special attacks of Ruseato in black knight mode. Even the elite tank Dinkuron supported by defense buff and health regeneration will be overwhelmed. Shiroe's comrade Naotsugu negate it with his castle of stone. From their previous battle, they have determined that 'Death knell moon' has a cool down time of 90 seconds. This means that Ruseato can't use 'Death knell moon' for the next 87 seconds. Ruseato don't have any other powerful wide are attacks. 'Kneeling dark silver swing' is a powerful single target strike. During this time, Federico and the others can move to their assigned positions safely.

Although this is to be expected in raid battles, but a guardian from a small guild pulling it off so perfectly made Federico smile.


Even now, they are afraid of 'death'.

But their emotions are sky high.

The moment he charged forward with his brothers in arms at his side, the instance they execute their difficult team battle, Federico's heart is in the sky like a toy plane playing in the wind. Others might think this is a dumb and naive emotion, but Federico borrows the patented quote from his guild master and says "I don't give a shit."

Just like that night when William screamed and challenged the world, this is the path Federico chose.

Federico has died numerous times since he arrive in this world.

Time and again he rise back from the darkness. He is reminded of the regret and frustration over and over again.

But he has never met his comrades in the darkness. He confirm this after talking with his guild mates. This made Federico glad. Some says this is only natural as they are just playing a game. But to him, Silver swords is his home and he can call his guild mates brothers without hesitation. He feels that all this are proven.

... Friends.

It feels awkward to say this term, so it took some time to articulate.

At his age, it is troublesome to differentiate friends from acquaintances, and it is hard to classify people like this anyway. They may be close or distant to you, it doesn't really matter. As a fresh graduate entering the work force, this is how Federico feels.

But hearing the term friends from his high schooler guild master, his head heats up and he felt surprised. Federico isn't even sure how he feels.

Maybe he will return to the original world one day.

The daily life alternating between his work place and residence. In reflection, having the resolve to die in a fight seems incredibly dumb.

It is not bad, but he will definitely refuse if he is asked to stop. This is a raid zone, and we are the raiders.

"Viper strike rush!"

Using the dark purple gauntlet as a springboard, Federico leaps into the air and attack Ruseato's arm with his flamberge. The venomous 'Viper strike rush' does not deal a lot of damage, but it adds the bleeding debuff and reduce accuracy by 4%.

This number is not trivial for raid battles. They will be able to reduce healing by this amount, saving the MP usage rates allowing the battle to continue. Federico will say that this is the 4% that will increase their chance of winning.

Dinkuron relief Naotsugu's role as the main tank.

He might be one of the few pushover in Silver swords, but he is equipped with phantasmal armor from head to toe, and won't back down even from Isaac of the Black sword knights. Contrary to his normal gentle voice, he is shouting loud enough to shatter ear drums. 'War cry', a skill that extends the effects of items and increase resistance to status debuff.

Federico feels a surge of energy through his body.

He move to Ruseato's back and deal much heavier blows than before. Alternating between vertical and horizontal strikes, his skills allow other attackers to deal heavier damage. Considering the battle this time, having a good start is crucial.

About ten meters away from the edge of the arena where the battle with 7th of the garden Ruseato is being fought, the sound of two dull metallic thuds can be heard.

Silver swords' Samurai Ranodomaru used 'Zentetsuken'

As they have investigated in advance, cutting out a bar from the metal gate is enough for humans to pass through easily.

Federico sneak a glance as he continues his attack.

(Far from enough.)

The attack output against Ruseato is ramped up. There is not much Ruseato can do. Naotsugu has nullified his most damaging skill, and he has nothing that can take out Dinkuron's defense.

Dinkuron and the others will be massacred with ease if Ruseato calls for aid, but it has suffered less than 10 percent damage so far. He probably won't ask for help yet... Federico is able to wipe away his fear by following this line of thought.

There is no guarantee. There is a chance that the other 2 bosses will join the fray at anytime. Other boss might turn up too... There is simply no way to tell. This is all deductions made through scouting the map and the team work among the guardians.

With the slow passage of time, Federico keep up the attack and keep the status quo, waiting for the plan to start.

They thirst for victory.

They want to quench the thirst in their heart, putting their all in strike after strike.

Federico's sword 'sigh of Musuperu' turns into a mini typhoon through the might of adventurers, peltering the armor of Ruseato with numerous blows. Cracks appears on the armor under the fiery attacks, the ricochet scratching Federico's face. But Federico pay it no heed. Federico didn't know he was the kind of guy who prefers doing the right thing until recently.

He understood this in the past week.

Wanting to be victorious does not equate the desire to bring down powerful foes, gaining fame or fortune. It definitely does not equate to bearing emotions of hate or anger.

He just wants a proper reward.

This is a raid William wants to win so bad that he cried.

The Silver swords has laid their life on the line countless times.

Federico don't want all their efforts to be for naught. He don't want this to be a meaningless challenge they keep up because of their own stupidity. If that is true, isn't that very sad?

He bears no grudge against Ruseato. He even feels a sense of respect for it.

We are doing the right thing. We are absolutely right.

All he wants is to prove it.


"The limit point!"

William let out a shrill cry as he run towards the support and healing characters. 7th of the garden Ruseato is morphing. The armor filled with cracks shed off like a layer of skin, revealing a body as white as snow beneath... its appearance has changed to that of the white knight mode.

The black armor turns into a shadow like swamp. turning into countless warriors. The adventurers within the trap zone of Ruseato has restricted movement. It sticks to their feet and stops the players from moving. In order to avoid this area, the raid group changed its formation.

"Hurry! Shiroe's party will lead!"

Abiding William's command, the group jumps into the other side of the iron gate one by one. 3rd of the garden Ibra-Habura awaits them there.

The counter attack of Federico and company starts here.



2


Demikas is among the first to infiltrate the western passageway.

The corridor with high granite ceiling interspaced with giant pillars extend far away. Mist fills the passageway, but they knew that flaming snake Ibra-Habura is in the large hall ahead.

Demikas look around restlessly as he follows Naotsugu in front of him.

In Demikas eyes, The armor clad guardian Naotsugu is as slow as a tortoise. He might look like he is sprinting, but his speed can't even match Demikas' normal movement speed. Demikas will be able to pull away with either a Wyvern kick or Phantom step.

But he will just charge headfirst into the flaming snake if he does that.

He has to stay behind Naotsugu to avoid that even if he hates it.

The group is led by Naotsugu and Demikas.

The tank of the 1st party Dinkuron is the rear guard, fending off the shadow warriors as they retreat. They can't move fast this way. With their main defensive party fighting in the rear, Demikas and the others have to hold the front.


The opening phase of the plan is simple.

The last time all hell broke loose, 3rd of the garden Ibra-Habura and 4th of the garden Tarutauruga opened this giant gate and enters. The gap between the gate is too narrow for them to slip through, and it seems that it can only be opened from the other side.

The scripted event is probably the two gates opening up after they defeat 7th of the garden Ruseato. But that is not the case this time.

The plan this time is to use the maze like layout of the dungeon. This means using this arena as a prison to isolate Ruseato, that's the gist of the plan. Ruseato is unable to pass through the iron gate and enter the passageway. So they can't pursue the group escaping  through the western passageway. But it is possible for him to destroy the gate with his destructive attacks, that's why they engage Ruseato until he turns into the immobile white knight mode.


They have already scouted ahead using a covert type summon. They have already been briefed on several possible situation that might arise, but it is a relief for this situation to prevail.

Ruseato can't open or destroy the gate, effectively nullified. The frost giant Tarutauruga situated in the east might open the gate into the arena, but he won't be able to access the western passageway, just like Ruseato. They have been cut out of the equation. If Demikas' group defeat Ibra Habura and progress into the depths of the zone, they can conquer this dungeon.

... But none of the raid members feels that it will be so easy to achieve victory.

Even if they defeat Ibra-Habura, there is no guarantee that there won't be another raid boss waiting. According to Shiroe's interpretation of the dungeon layout, you can reach Ibra-Habura's lair by going the long way from the eastern passageway. Once Ibra-Habura falls into danger, 4th of the garden Tarutauruga will definitely rush over.

It is only an optimistic speculation that Ruseato and Tarutauruga cannot destroy the iron gate. They should assume that it will buy them some time, but will eventually fall. And if it does, they can't attempt this again since the gate will be destroyed.

That's the situation. Even Demikas and the other adventurers can respawn, the situation will keep on changing. The same opportunity will not come twice. The members of the Silver swords is tense as they run down the corridor.


(Damn it!)

But this is to be expected.

There are no way to predict all the possibilities and a peaceful future does not exist. Even grade schoolers know this. There are so many uncertainties in this plan and anything could intervene. Like waking up on a Sunday morning to eat breakfast while watching TV. How many times can things go just the way you want? Having things not go your way most of the time is the norm if you are alive.

The alternate world of Elder Tales lures you to let down your guard and forget about uncertainties. You think that this is just a game, thinking everything will go just as you plan. Because you can do that, it creates the illusion that everything you do will be successful.

He was beaten badly by Shiroe.

Demikas knows. This world where things don't go your way is their reality. And he knows because he fell for the illusion. He was tricked by the game like appearance he sees in his tiny world. His journey here is the same. But he has warned himself to not let his guard down. But his wariness drips away slowly like water flowing from a tap and underestimate this world again.

(I wasn't careful and fail in this dull place. I was taking it lightly and failed... Because I underestimated that bunch of people, that's why I failed.)


Demikas remembers the plump ill mannered lady with her hands on her hip looking at him.

A disappointed face. She is probably looking down at Demikas. That can't be helped. Demikas has hurt the people of the land deeply. He didn't kill anyone, but he has treated them with violence, trading them like commodity and working them like slaves. Of course he will be hated. The only reason stopping them from seeking revenge is his physical prowess.

That woman is like chicken ribs, lacking sex appeal. She stares at him with her bright eyes and laugh at him mockingly. If pretending to be a master is just lips service then just kill me. That is her favorite phrase. If you can't kill me then get out of the way, don't get in the way of my chores. She scolded him.

Demikas was utterly defeated.


People of the land die when they are killed. They know this very well, but they lived on using this one life they have got. They use what little they have to leave their mark in this world. Demikas' life seems so cheap in contrast.

I really underestimated this alternate world.

I lost to Shiroe because I thought this is just a game.

Even after learning his mistake, he can't win against the powerless people of the land.

He lost to Silver swords too. He was defeated for the first time in that bar, and he was floored over and over again, leaving Brigandia in a dire state.

And now, he can't even kill a raid boss. There might be a way to salvage this, but even William failed as a guild master. Even after that crushing defeat, there are still 20 odd gaming nerds willing to follow him.

Demikas has nothing left to lose.


The white corridor made from stone bricks came to an end abruptly.

The tall ceiling has reach the new height of a 6 storey building. The giant spherical space before them is shaped like an egg 30m in diameter.

The walls are made from yellow stones with bright orange stripes. Stairs several meters wide along the wall spirals down into the pit. There are puddles of blue waters are scattered all over. The vast space has surprisingly bright colors, illuminated by white lights.

"This smell..."

"Ah ah, hot spring festival."

Naotsugu answers Shiroe in a way that even Demikas understands. This is the smell of sulfur. The stones have all been soaked in various chemicals.

The group descends down the spiraling stairs into the pit. At the bottom lies the sleeping giant snake Ibra-Habura.

The raid boss is probably in standby mode.

As they planned, Naotsugu leap off from the end of the stairs and charge at the great serpent.

The support is minimal, but they don't have time to make complete preparations.

Naotsugu attacks with the support of Tetora's reactive heal and Rugiusu's healing over time. Demikas can't see any hesitation in his action, an excellent move.


Demikas bends slightly and jump off like a spring, flying through the air. The members of the Silver swords also joins the fray one by one, a chaotic scene.

The opening at the corner of the pit is probably the 'answer'. At the deepest point of this entrance is the finish line. But there are no 'convenient' gates blocking the entrance, they can't block off the entrance. They have to take down 3rd of the garden Ibra Habura here. And they need to do that before 4th of the garden Tarutauruga arrive.

The distance attack team probably lost their cook, shooting ice arrow spells too early.

Demikas curse at their incompetence, but Naotsugu simply does what he can to pull Ibra Habura's hate.

A fire storm appears before his eyes, feeling more like a natural disaster than fighting a monster. Naotsugu uses Anchor howl and becomes an sturdy suit of armor, swinging his swords to aggravate his foe. In the short time the fight has went on, Demikas has learned that the side where the monster is facing the tank is not safe. He understands how much the attackers wants to deal damage as soon as possible, but being too hasty might pull in too much hate and lead to tragedy.


"Fortress stance! Let me test the performance of my new armor and shield!"

Naotsugu brace himself and lean forward, as though as he is holding up a wall with his back. Blue aura seems to jettison from his heels, this is the defensive skill used by Guardians. He blocks the enemies strikes with his shield while attacking with his sword. This skill trades your mobility for a boast in defense, a skill not available to Monks like Demikas.

But Demikas have skills Naotsugu lacks too, which are wings known as mobility.

"Ora ora ora! Aura Saber!"

Demikas launch a downward flying kick from midair.

The attack follows a path similar to the slash of a giant axe, hitting the scales of the burning snake. It must have some effect. Aura Saber ignores defense ratings and damage the opponent directly. The Energy protection spell of the druids reduces flame damage significantly, so Demikas won't lose too much health as he attacks.

Demikas dodge the tail of 3rd of the garden Ibra Habura, which is akin to a mini boss with his phantom step. He leap into the air with after images trailing behind him and unleash a wyvern kick.

Wyvern kick again.

Another Wyvern kick.

The sole of his 'Storm assault Sabaton boots' which seems to be cut directly from heavy armor, sends mind numbing shocks to the scalp of his head. If he was to do this in Susukino, the abandoned buildings will crumple into a mountain of debris. Not just Demikas. As Demikas flies by in a blur of green, Federico is also striking with his flaming blade repeatedly, surrounding Ibra Habura with the other melee fighters, like midgets around a giant.


Suddenly, Demikas' feet emits a silvery glow.

This is Shiroe's buffing spell 'Keen edge'.

(That bastard.)

Demikas snap his tongue in displeasure. He wants to spit, but his mouth is dry because of the immense heat emitted by the giant snake. Demikas attacks Ibra Habura mouth to vent his anger with Tiger echo fist. It has low accuracy, but he can't miss when the size of the raid boss is so big. The slithery eyes of the reptile focus on Demikas, filled with killing intent.

"Wide area attack, get out!"

The melee warriors left the frontlines on William's command. But Demikas remains behind like a guardian statue, crossing his arms in front of his face. Demikas wants to take the hit straight on.

Without any hesitation or regret, Demikas express his will in his own way.

Demikas doesn't move an inch as the flame vortex spewed by Ibra Habura encircles him.



3

Naotsugu watches the sea of flames coming at him. This is different from what he sees through his monitor when playing the game. It feels like as if the poisonous flame is sticking onto him and swallowing him whole.

But even in this hellish scene, Naotsugu maintain his stance leaning forward with his eyes barely open.

He feels hot with the flame roasting him. But the sensation is on par with lying naked on asphalt under the bright summer sun. It hurts, but is bearable. Naotsugu observes that the flames hits him in waves, and took a deep breath as one wave subsides. He holds his breathe as if he was diving in water. He is doing this to prevent damage to his lungs, but it seems like he won't be hurt lethally even if he breathe some of the fire in.

(That arrogant monk isn't bad in a fight.)


Naotsugu is covered by Tetora's reactive heal, Rugiusu's health regeneration and Toko's damage negation shield. These spells are known as classic healing magic. The wide area attack, 'Merciless purgatory feast' is strong. The damage negation shield of a Kannagi can cancel out 6000 points of damage. Together with the reactive heal of 900 points, the damage seems too low. Naotsugu won't be surprised if the hit just now push him to the edge of death.

Demikas shared the brunt of the damage with Naotsugu.

He probably used 'Cover ring', a skill which allows you to share the damage taken with team mates nearby. Demikas the Monk has higher resistance to elemental attacks and health than Naotsugu. By spreading out the damage this way, Naotsugu will be able to stay on the frontlines. Naotsugu has a newfound respect for Demikas.


"Well done, hold on a second! 'Taunting blow'!"

Naotsugu attacks to aggravate Ibra Habura.

The giant flaming serpent is terrifying. The enormous head butts with a force which rivals a heavy truck, the wide open mouth is as intimidating as heavy construction machinery. It closes in with the speed of an out of control train, making your legs stiffen and vision narrow.

But Naotsugu and shake off the pressure.

He is pushing himself, he has no strength to spare at all.

But having nothing to spare is hard to explain. You don't really feel that you are running on empty, but it does seems like you have nothing left. Even if you have a 3 day weekend, you still can't find the effort to do your chores. Even during the hellish period where you are so busy you have to sleep in the office, you can still find the strength to find a particular brand of pudding in the convenience store. That's how it is.

That's why he still have the spare energy to smile. He can squeeze one out even if he is running on empty.

Naotsugu holds on to this belief and swings his blade.

Pulling in hate with his roar, adopting a defensive stance with his shield, he refuse to back down.

And he kept on smiling. That's how Naotsugu is when he take on the role of the main tank in a raid group.


"Bring it on!"

Everyone should have noticed Naotsugu's shout. William gave instructions from the back:"Maintain damage output and shift to the left!"

Naotsugu's smile deepens. As expected, William got it.

It has been more than 3 weeks since they invaded Abyssal Shaft. They can built on their mutual understanding during this period of time. Naotsugu understands how William thinks. William should be able to understand Naotsugu's wishes as well.

Naotsugu's body is bathed in recovery spells repeatedly, pushing his hit points up.

Demikas was doing a great job, but his health has fallen below 30%. Unlike Demikas who was brought in like a relief pitcher in baseball, Naotsugu has no time to rest. Sharp scales are fired at Naotsugu repeatedly. To reduce damage and tank the next big attack, replenishing Naotsugu's health is the basics in ensuring the safety of the group. Naotsugu accepts their assistance without hesitation.


In the midst of the fierce battle, Naotsugu thinks about the old days.

This is a fun place to play in, even if it is an alternate world. Naotsugu serves as the main tank for the Debauchery Tea Party, so he has experience with raids. In fact, Debauchery Tea Party is a group that kept on going for raids because of Kanami's nature. She treats the raids as just an obstacle blocking their way. They went to challenge raids in overseas server because she wanted to see new sceneries, what a joke.


"Hey, get over here!"

His new 'armor of silver oath' is really dependable. It is sturdy with all parts connected tightly. There are no loose pieces hanging around. The 'gaze of lionheart' shield is excellent too. It provides better cushion against the shock to his wrist. He can keep on fighting with such equipment in hand. If he shift his shield in the way of the bright spots in his view, he can even push back the attack from Ibra Habura's tail. He can feel the increase in defensive power.

"Do you even lift? Bring on the festival!"

Naotsugu roars with brute force.

"Whoa. Mr Naotsugu, you are fired up!"

Tetora approach with a gentle word.

Naotsugu leans even more to protect Tetora from the flames shouting "Leave this to me!" Tetora pulls herself up from Naotsugu's shoulder and stood facing the arena. She spoke with a clear voice.

"Everyone! How are your fighting spirit?"

The battle is still intense, so no one gave a definite answer to Tetora. But everyone can see her. This is obvious as they will see Naotsugu who is tanking the fierce attack of 3rd of the garden Ibra Habura when they attack Ibra Habura. Tetora is speaking to everyone on the battlefield while standing on Naotsugu's shoulders.

A wave of grunts fills the hall. That is the best they can do to respond to the question of this petite idol. Swords and axes rises and falls, frost and lightning rains down on the monster.

Tetora is satisfied with the sound, makes a taunting expression and raise the wand in her right hand into the sky.

"Alright, lets fight together! Work hard everyone! Go, go!"

Tetora's courageous and loud voice can make you forget that you are in the underground. The sound reverberate through the air and reaches out to her comrades.

Aurora lights with the colors of the rainbow appears above them. The curtain of light shimmers, shooting stars came out and pleasing music can be heard. This is the cleric's special spell Aurora heal. It is meant to be used for raids, with a wide enough range to cover a hundred adventurers with its light and heal them.

"What a great view festival!"

"Of course, I am an angel after all!"

The cleric is all smiles as she spins rapidly and shoot out healing spells like arrows. The speed and skill is even better than the healers of Silver swords. She is acting like a proud invader since Naotsugu got her back.

Naotsugu used this opportunity to attack.

Everything is going well so far. As Shiroe expected, the hit points of 3rd of the garden Ibra Habura is less than that of 7th of the garden Ruseato. It also lacks alternate forms and means to recover health. It only has wide area attacks and 'characteristic' of sapping the hit points of everyone in the zone.

But the team already knows this, and has equip anti heat equipment from their bags and cast the appropriate anti-elemental spells. Even though 3rd of the garden Ibra Habura has a lot of hit points, they have managed to grind half of it away. They should be able to win if they keep up this pace.

(But we can't let our guard down.)

Naotsugu watch the movements of the flaming snake while paying attention to the surrounding situation.


"Incoming!"

"I got it covered!"

Naotsugu isn't telling that to Tetora alone. Everyone else understood his intentions too.

He is playing the role of a shield. Naotsugu's confidence is mandatory for the main tank of a raid.

"We can win this time." "We should be able to pull this off." If you approach your problem with such a mentality, it will be less of a struggle. There is no need for any of Shiroe's stratagem. But if your mind is full of thoughts like "We are going to lose." "Let's give up." the raid won't proceed smoothly.

If you want to inspire your team mates, gimmicks such as shouting are acceptable.

The hand on his shoulder takes away the heat from the fire, the soft touch spreads through his body. This is Tetora's minor heal. In order to release the full potential of the cleric, she made her way to the center of the flame vortex, supporting Naotsugu with her sunny words.

Tetora understands too. Their nonsensical dialogue can turn into everybody's strength. Naotsugu understands very well and is in a good mood. He didn't squeeze a smile out to calm the others, but is really smiling from his heart.


"Have you fallen for me Mr Naotsugu?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Isn't this the place where all sorts of flags are raised?"

"Now is not the time to talk about this."

Naotsugu blocks the spear like attack of the tail as he playfully deflects Tetora's question. He already knows the answer and felt anxious about it. Naotsugu wants to respond to Tetora's gentle feelings and sneaks a glance at her.

"I have something to report to Mr Naotsugu."

"I'm busy right now!"

"If I don't say it now, I will miss the chance to tell you."

Tetora fidgets her body, her clothes rubbing on her skin loudly while the battle rages on. Naotsugu knocks away the flying debris of sulfuric rocks and said "What is it?"

"Actually, I have joined Log Horizon."

"Eh?"

Naotsugu is no longer glancing sideways, he has turn around to face her.

He can see the confidence oozing from Tetora's face and flushed cheeks.

"Lying festival."

"It's true."

"Why?"

"I want to play with Naotsugu some more." She giggles as she cast heal continuously, the self proclaimed idol is in a great mood. But she hits Naotsugu's flank with her wand like a cat toying around every time she cast a spell, which irritates him.

"Anyway, who gave you permission?"

"Mr Shiroe did."

"What have you done Shiroe."

But they have to stop fooling around. Ibra Habura stood upright like a theme park attraction, opening its mouth and took a deep breath. It sucks in air and fire noisily. This is the preparatory movement of the wide area assault 'Merciless purgatory feast' it used earlier.

"Incoming!"

"Melees pull back! Federico stay and keep debuffing, damage reduction!"

Naotsugu and William shouts at the same time.

The formation changes once again. The melee fighters withdraw likes an ebbing tide.

Pulling back from the firestorm will minimize the damage taken. Minimizing damage not only makes the job of the healers easier, it also aid in conserving MP.


But the formation is in disarray.

The summoner Azalea in the 4th party has fallen. Naotsugu can't hear it, but he can feel something is wrong. William issued a speedy instruction "Dinkuron, behind you!"

While their formation is still a mess, a new battle has begun.

There are two ways leading into this arena. One of them is the white granite passage where Naotsugu and the others entered from. Another is the cave at the bottom of the pit.

A blue giant wearing barbaric furs has emerged from that cave. 4th of the garden Tarutauruga has joined the fray.


4


Saying that he is unmoved will be a lie.

This is expected after the painful experience they went through. But they snap out of that moment of stiffness with a shout from William. The Guardian Dinkuron, the pride of Silver swords rush out like a bullet assaulting the frost giant with Castle of stone. The titan swings his club which is several meters wide at the elf warrior, who took the hit as if it was nothing, standing his ground. He has no wasted movement the skill of a raider who has gone through hundreds of raids.

Shiroe adjusted his glasses that slipped because of his intense movement and wiped the sweat on his brow. The second change of event is within his expectation.


7th of the garden Ruseato is unable to break through the iron gate.

But the 2 raid bosses on the east and west side of Ruseato, Ibra Habura and Tarutauruga can enter that arena as well as move into each other's base.

Even if they nullified Ruseato, the flaming snake Ibra Habura and the frost giant Tarutauruga allying together is a given. In normal case, this will be an instant failure. They are no full raids that can withstand the fury of 2 raid bosses at the same time. Their combined efforts are overwhelming.

But is that really so?

When Shiroe thought about this, he drew up a plan base on this point.

Shiroe and the Silver swords were wiped out in the battle at the arena because their formation was broken by the surprise attack of the other bosses. Analyzing from the victims stand point, Ibra Habura's wide area flaming attack coincide with the frost giant Tarutauruga's freezing wide area attack. Just one of this attack is enough to kill off the defensively weak rear guard, so it is no surprise they were wiped when both attacked at the same time.

But can their tank take the special attack hit from just one of them?

Shiroe still remembers the battle with Ruseato, and he feels that another raid boss in the same zone won't overwhelm Ruseato's attack prowess by much. It might be more powerful, but not by several folds. Shiroe concludes that it is possible to fend off the attack for wither Ibra Habura or Tarutauruga.

Shiroe deduce that they can hold off both raid bosses if their range of damage doesn't overlaps. The battle plan is based on this theory.

In this underground lair with just enough space for the raid bosses to move, Naotsugu is holding off Ibra Habura in the southwest corner. Tarutauruga's attack from the northeast corner is defended by the Guardian from silver sword, Dinkuron.

The two shield warriors adjust their position to keep the wide area attacks at bay.

It is a challenge to adjust their position. The healers has to rush between both fronts to support the tanks, but they are too far apart, so the healing is lagging behind. Although it is safer to have a bigger distance so the wide area damage won't overlap, the price they have to pay is being out of range of the healers.

As they maintain this extreme distance, they are no space which is 'not in range of either boss' wide area attack but is close enough to provide healing support'. For the mage and ranged attacker, they have to thread a fine line of dodging wide area attacks while staying in attacking range, adjusting their position constantly.

When William heard Shiroe's plan, he smiles and answers

"We can win this, Mr Shiroe."

Determined to prove his words, William fire his arrows repeatedly, as if he is drawing a line between his bow and the target. And his command are issued as fast as his arrows.


Shiroe is also giving everything he got in this fight.

Now is not the time to hold back.

They are fending off the terrifying attacks of these 2 raid bosses. But only because of Dinkuron's castle of stone. He did not used it earlier to save it for this moment. To take control of the fight, the two tanks will require the support of healing spells, meaning that the 6 healers in the group will be draining their MP at an alarming rate. The members have been holding back since they knew this might happen, but if they are too stingy with their support, the vanguards will die. With the battle hanging on a thread, the death of the tank means the collapse of the frontline and the inevitable fate of being wiped out.

The hope of clearing this zone will extinguish along with their death.


"Federico, debuff attack power and attack range."

"Understood."

"Tetora, increase healing rate."

"I can't increase anymore."

"I will help you... 'Force step'!"

Shiroe cast a special support spell on her. It reduces the cool down time for all spells Tetora have. The reduction is less than 20%, but the effect is significant. Aurora heal has a cool down of 600 seconds. With 'Force step', she can cast it again after 480 seconds. The MP usage will be even more intense, but Shiroe counters this with 'Mana siphon'. This is a MP management skill which allows enchanters to share their MP with others.

A normal combat party can recover MP by resting. That's why people often underestimate the value of an enchanter specializing in MP management.

But Shiroe likes this uncommon specialty and has been building his character around this. He felt light headed with the lost of MP, but he continues to attack, calculate and supply MP. He can strengthen the recovery powers of Healers like Tetora and Rugiusu. He can help offensive characters like Federico improve their attacking powers too. As he takes in the situation in the battlefield, Shiroe's conscious focus on the minute details.


"Right here!"

Rugiusu stick his hand into a puddle that smells of sulfur and chant a long spell. It is a special summon available to druids. A light floats up from his fur gauntlet, raising into the sky. The green light suddenly materialize into a tree. Only Druids with mastery over nature and fairies can form a contract to summon 'Secret of life' after clearing a high level raid.

"4th party, rally to me!"

The mage gathers under the shade of the tree in response to William's hasty command.

The well known summon 'Secret of Life' is a skill which conjures a magical tree. By staying under the shade of that tree, you will be bathe in green light and recovers HP gradually. The recovery rate is lesser than the healing spells of druids, but the long healing period provides a big boast to the raid group as a whole.

Shiroe is calculating.

Just like that time he showed Minori, Shiroe is processing the information of the battle and looking into the future. Behind his glasses, his eyes gaze further ahead in time as he calculates.

Twenty four people is 4 times the number of Minori's 6 men party. By increasing the number 4 times, the capability and combination of their actions increase by many folds. He analyze, choose, scrap and combine all these possibilities, 'reading' them.

Every attack and every heal of his group mates.

The waves of overlapping debuff reduce the threat of the enemy. The invisible amount of hate accumulated and the feasible actions they can take.

The constantly changing hit points of his comrades are like equalizer panels in Shiroe's eyes.

He can perceive the ripples in the ever decreasing battle time line, and analyzes each small segments.

"Naotsugu, speed up!"

"Okay!"

"Mr Bolognese, pull back!"

"By your command."

Each actions form single 'words'

When they are connected, they form a purposeful 'essay'.

Shiroe can see Naotsugu's face in his mind. He can also see Tetora's smile and William's smug. The face of Federico, Rugiusu, Demikas and all other members of the Silver swords appears too.

Shiroe lower his head.

Shiroe finally understand what William meant.

The battle becomes a story in Shiroe's hand.

It is a marching song that inspires wounded hearts to soldier on.

Shiroe also touched a part of William's secret. That was a feeling that encompassed Shiroe during his days in the tea party, a nostalgic and peaceful feeling.

Shiroe holds his 'White staff of the wings of ruins' and chant his spells, executing the plan he devised through his 'Full control encounter'. 'Karma drive' splice through the air like a giant bird towards Ibra Habura, leaving a myriad of flashing symbols in its wake.


(15%... 16%... 18%...)

Shiroe bit his lips and concentrates.

Rugiusu's summon, 'Secret of Life' was a good move.

The spell recover more than 30% hit points for 10 people.

The wide area attack 'merciless purgatory feast' of the flaming snake still has a cool down time of 180 seconds. Rugiusu can counter with 'Life burst' and 'Mercy rain'. Next one will be at 360 seconds. Shiroe can negate it with 'Recast time reset'. 540 seconds later will be Tetora's Aurora heal.

As he concentrates, the world becomes a blur as he 'read' the ending.

3rd of the garden Ibra Habura could fall before the 720 seconds mark. Shiroe's karma drive allows comrades who deals critical hit to the flaming serpent to recover MP. If they maintain the current pace, they can deliver the final blow to Ibra Habura at the 700th second mark.

They can then turn their full attention to the frost giant Tarutauruga.

Taking the remaining MP into consideration, there is no guarantee they will win the next battle, but there is still a chance of victory.

Even though they are walking on thin ice, it is still possible.

To put the plan into action is the reason for Shiroe's existence.

To accomplish this, he has to calculate until the very end. Shiroe entrust his overheating heart into the freezer.

"Please maintain damage output at the current level."

"You heard him, black heart glasses has spoken! Give it your all, defeat the enemy! Don't show any mercy!!"

The moment William issued this order, an ominous black object falls into the center of the pit.


And another.

Followed by another.

The black mass rises from the ground, turning into an humanoid silhouette wielding weapons. Shadow warriors... Minions spawned from the body of 7th of the garden Ruseato. Their combat prowess is a far cry from Ruseato, but they can match up with several adventurers easily.

Shiroe suppress his urge to scream and raise his head to look up. He can see a darkness spreading out from the passageway onto the ceiling. It falls from the ceiling like droplets of oil and morphs into shadow warriors.

Ruseato can't get move pass the iron gate.

But the dark minions he spawns are able to slip through the gaps just like Shiroe's group did, following them into this battlefield.



End