Pick Me Up!

“Oppa!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I think there’s another one!”

As Jenna’s words faded, the ground trembled beneath us. I smashed another goblin’s head with my shield and retreated. Amidst the pouring rain, a hulking figure emerged.

“Stay composed. Handle it just as we did the previous one.”

“But this one seems… different?”

“Different how?”

The new ogre studied the corpse of its companion for a moment before shifting its gaze towards the dam, where a fiery wall blazed brightly.

“He’s aiming for the dam.”

“Got him!”

With another swift motion, Jenna launched an arrow that lodged itself into the ogre’s armpit.

In response, the ogre let out a defiant roar and turned to look at Jenna.

“Excellent. Now, it’s focused on me…”

But then the ogre hunched, launching itself in a sprint towards the dam.

‘Damn it.’

“Block its path!”

With a twang, a second arrow struck the ogre’s calf. Undeterred, the creature continued its relentless charge.

The Goblins, crowded on its route, were squashed or catapulted into the air.

“Has he lost his mind?” I gasped.

Our fiery barricade might hold off the goblins, but it was powerless against the resilient rush of an ogre.

Dropping my shield, I clutched my sword and lunged forward. Yet, my strides seemed painfully slow. I couldn’t get close enough.

“Aaron, prevent it from reaching the dam!” I cried out.

Unfazed by the spear skewering his knee, the ogre let out a tormented roar and bulldozed past Aaron.

‘Is it hell-bent on destroying the dam, dead or alive?’

An unpredictable threat had joined the fray.

Jenna, quick as a whip, ascended the ogre’s armor-plated back. With her dagger in a reverse grip, she repeatedly plunged it into the creature’s trapezius, where the neck and shoulder converged.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

“Arrrrrggghhhhh!” The ogre roared in pain.

“Who on earth is that?” Eolka’s voice echoed in disbelief as she opened her eyes after she hastily ended her spellcasting and ran.

Ignoring goblins, boulders, and flames alike, the ogre remained fixated on the dam, dashing towards it without any hesitation.

‘I’m too late,’ I realized.

“Get off it, Jenna.”

In a graceful mid-air somersault, Jenna disengaged from the ogre. It then plowed into the dam, sending out a spiderweb of fractures. With a deafening crack, a gaping hole appeared, and water gushed out uncontrollably.

“……”

The river level began its upward surge.

The distant thunder of hooves trampling the ground echoed from the 7th floor, growing louder with each passing second.

“Kya-ro!”

In one swift motion, I plunged my sword into a goblin’s mouth. The blade emerged from the back of its neck, having sliced through its tongue.

It was the last one. The ogre, its task fulfilled, was swept away by the river’s swift current, vanishing from sight. Kicking the lifeless body of a Goblin at my feet, I muttered, “We’ve failed.”

“So wha……”

“Time to head back. We need to come up with a second plan.”

A second plan, huh?

I briefly pondered this prospect.

Without any backup, the daunting reality was clear: 370 of us would have to hold back a horde of over 3,000 goblins.

I gritted my teeth. A reckless wildcard had thrown our mission into chaos. But surrender wasn’t an option. We had to find a solution, whether one existed or not. Retrieving my shield, I slung it over my shoulder.

The horses’ hoofbeats grew louder and more urgent. However, the river, now a threatening force, was swelling at an alarming rate.

“This timeline makes no sense,” I wrestled back a sigh, desperate to claw its way up my throat.

Suddenly Eolka broke the silence.

“Hold on.”

“What?”

【Draste Siradus.】

A luminescent blue flash sparked in Eolka’s eyes.

Suddenly, a riverside rock levitated into the ether.

【Move!】

Guided by Eolka’s gesture, the rock took flight, sealing the ruptured dam’s breach.

Water, once freely flowing through the gaps, halted abruptly. Eolka tossed her soaked hair back, chuckling with self-satisfaction.

“Hey, you, how…”

“Telekinesis? It’s the most basic of magical arts. Surprised, aren’t you?”

“Why on earth didn’t you say could do something like this sooner?” I shouted furiously.

“Why are you angry? I just saved a mission that would have failed without me…?”

Staggering, Eolka wavered on the brink of collapse.

Aaron dashed forward, steadying her.

“Appreciated. You do have manners, unlike some. I… ahurg!”

Eolka’s cheek was suddenly in my grasp.

“Who told you to hide your powers, huh? I was clear, ‘Tell me all the spells you could use’.”

“You… Ouch! This spell was too basic…!”

“Enough.”

As I released her cheek, Eolka shot me a look – a grumpy frown beneath her teary eyes.

“Anyway, we’re alive thanks to you. Gratitude is due. Everyone, regroup. and take sips from your potions.”

Retreating to the tree-shaded spot from earlier, we dusted ourselves down and drank our potions. Eolka, paler than a ghost, looked ready to retch, struggling with her mana potion.

“I wish this rain would ease.”

Jenna wrung out her dress, a cascade of water spilling from its folds.

Suddenly the sound of approaching hooves filled the air.

A knight at the forefront waved a crimson flag bearing a lion’s emblem.

Trailing him, a cavalry of hundreds thundered out from the forest. Clad in shining plate armor, their sturdy steeds maintained their speed, unperturbed by the mud.

“All forces, advance! Demonstrate the valor of the Iron Lion Cavalry!”

“But Captain, the river…”

“Do I look like I care? Nothing can stop us today! Cross it!”

“Yes, sir! Everyone, charge!”

One by one, knights began plunging into the river.

The river’s fury was no match for the cavalry’s relentless onslaught.

[Human Knight Lv.??? X 458]

[The ‘Iron Lion Cavalry’ NPC allies have joined the battlefield!]