[Party 1, come to the first floor square!]
The fairy announced throughout the lobby.
A day had passed since I started having mock battles with Master.
Yesterday, we had so many mock battles that the Tactical Post facility was upgraded a few levels.
Sigyn lost every match, to my great disappointment.
They kept repeating the same failed strategy over and over again.
I did not know whether Sigyn was dumb, or stubborn, or toying with me, or everything at once.
Perhaps I should follow Alam's advice.
If the mock battle results were any indication of Sigyn's tactical skills, then we best not follow any order they issue in the trial. Be it a Quintal Trial or a regular floor.
"It's the sixteenth floor this time, right?"
Shanny asked as our party was descending to the first floor square.
I nodded.
"Likely. This would be the first time Master has summoned us ever since we went to the fifteenth floor. Also, Master sent a scouting party to the sixteenth floor yesterday."
"You mentioned five people were sent to scout the trial. Doesn't it mean five parties are required for the sixteenth floor? Just like how Master sent three scouts for the tenth floor and three parties were needed for that Quintal Trial."
Darius pointed out.
I shook my head.
"The five scouts were put into one party when they were deployed. If five parties were needed, then each of them would had been assigned in their own one-man party."
"But it's still strange for Master to send a scouting party to the sixteenth floor. It's supposedly not a Quintal Trial."
Jonah said.
"Perhaps Master considers the sixteenth floor to be just as dangerous as a Quintal Trial."
Devisha voiced warily from under her veil.
I nodded to her.
"Be it a Quintal Trial or not, we must not let our guard down on the sixteenth floor. We still need to give our all in this mission."
"Understood!"
My comrades replied in unison.
We all then reached the first floor square where Alam had been waiting for us.
[Are you guys ready?]
The fairy asked excitedly.
Her shift in behavior made a stark contrast with how she addressed the scouting party yesterday.
"Send us to battle, Alam."
I told her.
The fairy proceeded to hover above the large stone gate by the square and assumed an exaggerated pose.
[Alright, then! Open the rift of space and time!]
The stone gate soon shined with bright light.
Seeing the radiance, my comrades and I stepped into the rift.
I immediately turned to the shining mirror on the furthest left once we were inside the mirrored chamber.
[Climb the tower and save the world!]
[Main Dungeon]
[Floor conquered - 15 -]
Fifteen floors cleared.
Today we would increase that number.
Even though it would only be a floor, but we would still be getting closer toward the top of the tower.
A progress was still a progress.
[Main Dungeon, the current challenge floor is the 16th Floor.]
[The doors will open after ten seconds. Get ready!]
[Master, the tactics tab is active and available for use.]
Upon the notification windows' emergence, our party was soon engulfed in the familiar bluish-white light.
Once the light dissipated, we found ourselves standing on a misty rocky shore.
The ground was uneven and a bunch of large protruding rocks were scattered in the field.
The dark sky suggested midnight.
The large rocks, thick silver mist, and time of day provided poor visibility of the environment.
But I managed to grasp our bearing through the shifting moon above.
The rocky shore ran on a west-east trend.
A raging ocean extended toward the north from our position. On the south stood steep rocky hills which peaks I could barely make out.
On the east end lied a large dark cavern. While the western trail was covered by thick screen of silver mist that I could not see what lied beyond it with just my naked eyes.
I already extended my detection field and I could only tell that the western trail ran further along the shore.
As for the east, from inside the cavern, I sensed dozens of armed figures charging in toward our direction.
"Enemies approaching! Ready for battle!"
I alerted my comrades.
[Floor 16]
[Mission Type – Subjugation]
[Objective – Annihilate the enemies!]
A large group of dark-cladded people rushed out from the eastern cavern.
They moved so swiftly on the uneven rocky ground and immediately formed a blockade in front of us.
[Pirate Lv.14 x20]
[Pirate Captain Lv.17 x5]
It was no longer heavily-armored knights facing us.
Instead, versatile pirates carrying broadswords, axes, pikes, daggers and crossbows were our opponents now.
"You'll regret coming to our island, intruders!"
One of the pirate carrying dual-broadswords announced to us.
The pirates had assumed a semi-circle formation against our party.
Four broadsword-wielders, four axe-wielders, and four long dagger-users were placed right in front of us, at the center of their formation.
Two pike-wielders on each flank. And four crossbow-wielders at the furthest back.
While another five pirates with distinguished appearance, the captains, stood at the forefront of their formation.
"Hm?"
I could not help but sounded that reaction after seeing the arrangement of the enemy forces.
"What's the matter, Fina?"
Jonah asked while his eyes remained on the enemies.
"Nothing."
I replied promptly.
I continued as I raised my hands and began to cast a spell.
"Darius and I will break their formation. The rest of you will whittle down their number then."
Once I saw my comrades nodding back to me, I launched my assault.
Maha Agni.
A blazing fireball rushed toward the pirates and exploded in the middle of their formation.
Boom!
The blast claimed ten people at once. The pirates immediately divided their semi-circle in half to avoid the raging deadly fire.
Darius swiftly rained explosive arrows at them and fragmented their formation further.
"DIE, ALL OF YOU! DIE!"
A pirate captain screamed before she was beheaded by Devisha.
The rest of my comrades plunged to the scattered pirates and unleashed more carnage in the ongoing chaos.
Seeing their forces were depleting rapidly, the remaining pirates began to retreat to the large rocks spread about on the shores.
Shanny, Jonah, and Devisha were set out to pursue them.
"Stay in the center, Jonah!"
I immediately ordered the shepherd.
"But we still have enemies hiding behind those rocks."
He replied as he took down a crossbow-wielder with his throwing spear.
"There aren't many of them left. Let Shanny and Devisha take care of them. I need you and Darius to intercept the reinforcement arriving from our rear."
I told him as I turned my gaze to the west.
Both Jonah and Darius frowned at my words.
"Reinforcement?"
They followed my eyes to the western trail covered with thick silver mist.
Shadows began to emerge inside the screen.
[Pirate Lv.14 x26]
[Pirate Captain Lv.17 x3]
Enemies rapidly poured out from the mist wall.
They set out to ambush us by coming from an opposite direction of the battlefield.
But my earlier warning to Darius and Jonah made the two ready to welcome the sudden arrivals.
Crash! Boom!
The archer and the spearman sent a barrage of explosives to the charging enemy reinforcement, halting the western pirates' advances.
I joined them in the onslaught and reduced their number further with my spells.
By that time, Shanny and Devisha had finished eliminating the pirates that emerged from the east.
The two women then sped swiftly to the west and used the cover of our explosives to flank the enemy reinforcement.
It took us less than ten seconds to finish them off.
[Stage Clear!]
['Darius (★★★)', 'Devisha (★★★)' levelled up!]
[MVP – 'Darius (★★★)']
[Reward – 50,000G]
With the emergence of the mission window, the familiar bluish-white light soon engulfed us.
I shifted my gaze toward the shining mirror on the furthest left once we returned to the mirrored chamber.
[Climb the tower and save the world!]
[Main Dungeon]
[Floor conquered - 16 -]
We had cleared the sixteenth floor.
The climb had officially resumed.
"It would've been difficult if that enemy reinforcement managed to surround us."
Darius said as we exited the mirrored chamber and returned to the first floor square.
"The rocky terrain was already hard to tread through. It's very easy to lose your balance if you're not careful."
Shanny added.
Devisha nodded to her.
"The visibility was poor too. It would've been dangerous facing all the enemies at once in that condition."
"Well, fortunately Fina managed to discover the reinforcement with her detection field and warned us before it was too late."
Jonah said with relieved and proud expression.
I shook my head upon his praise.
"Although I did sense the enemies ahead of time, I actually already knew the reinforcement was coming even before they went inside the range of my detection field."
"Really? Then how did you know they were coming?"
Shanny asked.
I smiled at her question and turned toward the Tactical Post beside the rift of space-time.
"Master told me."
My comrades immediately frowned at my answer.
I could not help but chuckle at both their reactions and my great worry for the past day.
What a waste of energy…
"I changed my mind."
I stated as I shifted my gaze to the rainbow-colored ceiling of the forged land.
With great excitement and renewed hope I curtseyed to the strange sky.
"Sigyn, the heroes of the forged land are yours to command."