Discovery. Ming Ming returned before the crows did, and we changed our course in the direction Ming Ming was facing.
“I win.”
“It’s only because of the level difference.”
“If you say so.”
“Are you two children or something?”
Behind the gas mask, I could see the Puppet Master’s faint smile. I checked the Compass.
Our direction of travel was north.
But with all this steel around, I wasn’t sure if north on the Compass was really this planet’s rotational north.
Who knows if I can trust the Compass at all. Luckily, there’s a Terrain Scan Device on the Walker Bot.
Wait a second.
Come to think of it, there’s no guarantee the planet’s geographic North Pole matches the magnetic North Pole, right?
Even on Earth there’s a difference of dozens of kilometers.
Plus, the Portal messes with electromagnetic waves…
I gave up thinking about it. For now, we’ll just move in the direction Ming Ming is looking. She must’ve found something.
“Ming Ming, what did you find?”
Ming Ming pointed north with her wing.
A cloud of dust parted in the north. Through the dust, a tall structure revealed itself.
Hold on. I looked around and brought the Eldritch Terrain Operations Vehicle to a halt. This terrain was much more dangerous than before.
“Whoa.”
“This is rough terrain.”
The ruins of an old city formed a sort of forest, or maze. Between the ruins, several Machine Steel Spiders skittered by.
“Found it.”
We’d arrived. It was basically the Nest of the Machine Church Monsters. I loaded my Hunter Rifle while still seated in the vehicle.
“Are we getting out?”
“No.”
There was no need to, not this time. We had Summoned Beasts, we had the vehicle, and the most promising Hunter was with us.
I drove the vehicle along the edge of the terrain.
“Here’s what we’ll do. From now on, we’re going to make a lot of noise and spread some Aether around to lure the Monsters out.”
“And then?”
“We’ll draw as many Monsters as we can out of the Nest and destroy them. Once their numbers drop, we’ll move into the Nest.”
The Hunter Association President nodded, then lifted her Staff high like a torch and started pouring out Aether. To the Monsters, it probably looked like sunlight blazing in the dark.
Sure enough, dozens of Machine Steel Spiders began converging on our position, like an army of ants.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
I should’ve made the terrain vehicle a three-seater.
That way I wouldn’t have to drive myself—right now I was at the wheel.
The sight behind us was chilling.
Waves of insect-like Monsters were rushing toward us.
“Let’s just try it.”
“Is there really a plan?”
“No need to worry.”
It wasn’t impossible. I really did have a plan, but if I said that sight didn’t make my heart race, I’d be lying.
And honestly, saying there was nothing to worry about was also a lie. How could I not worry? Of course I was worried.
“So what’s the plan?”
“Two things. Once enough enemies gather, I’ll set the area ablaze, and then summon a large Summoned Beast.”
“I’ll trust you.”
The Hunter Association President kept working. The Steel Spiders kept pursuing us, like moths to a streetlamp.
Those things are a little too good at tracking. The attention from the Monsters was honestly burdensome.
I watched the situation behind us using Insight Magic.
Still, no sign of a large Monster, or any High-Grade Entity. If even one or two appeared, the real fight would begin.
***
The Eldritch Terrain was a problem.
First, we needed to move to a location where the swarm of Machine Steel Spiders couldn’t surround us. If we got pinned, we’d die in seconds.
“There’s a Hunter Rifle next to you.”
“Right.”
A magitech railgun. The Hunter Association President picked up the weapon carefully.
It only worked if you had Aether, but the President obviously could use it.
“Fire at the Spiders behind us so they can’t group up.”
“Ah, understood…”
“Just pull the trigger.”
A blue flash and a crack of gunfire rang out. This one had been modified using parts and Modification Crystals extracted from the Machine Steel Spiders.
“The trigger is sensitive.”
“Yeah.”
Bang—!
The President caught on quickly, as expected.
There was a chance the Steel Spiders could bunch up and overwhelm the vehicle, so the idea was to thin their numbers first.
It worked for now. We bought ourselves a good chunk of time.
Between the Steel Spiders, a High-Grade Monster about the size of a small car appeared. A High-Grade Entity of the Machine Church.
It felt like a real battle was about to start.
From what I could see on the rear camera, there must’ve been hundreds of Machine Steel Spiders. Time for the big move.
I picked an open spot, parked the vehicle, and a flood of Monsters charged toward us. We’d be surrounded in seconds.
“Prepare for battle.”
I threw the Golem Core in front of me.
A Golem counts as a Summoned Beast in my system. It’s a bit different from Summoned Beast Monsters like Ming Ming, but—
Well.
It meant I could summon a completed Golem, and even have it appear out of thin air.
Boom!
A hulking Golem stomped down in front of the Monsters.
With the Giant’s first step, one or two Machine Steel Spiders were crushed like bugs underfoot.
When the Golem swung its massive arm, several more were thrown in all directions. I grabbed my weapon and got out of the vehicle.
The President followed me.
“We just follow that thing, right?”
Our goal was to get inside the Machine Steel Spider Nest. For now, all we had to do was follow the Golem.
While the Monsters’ attention was on it, we just had to clean up behind. Even if the Golem got dismantled, I could always make another one.
Think of it as a disposable meat shield.
As expected.
The Golem was fighting fiercely at the front, surrounded by dozens of Monsters like a giant insect being swarmed by ants.
But none of them managed to land a solid blow.
The Golem batted and crushed the Monsters one by one, and when the Steel Spiders bunched up dangerously, I shot them down with the Hunter Rifle from behind.
We were making our way smoothly into the Nest.
[Defeated multiple Machine Steel Spider Monsters.]
[Investigation Score +10.]
[Enlightenment Level 2 progress: 60/200.]
Maybe it was because we killed so many Monsters—the points came easily. Steel Spider fragments piled up like small hills.
“Telekinesis.”
The President flicked her fingers, and one by one, Modification Crystals floated out of the Steel Spider wreckage. I’ll pick those up later.
From what I could tell so far, the Steel Spiders’ Nest was built kind of like a village.
Well, given their size, it would be hard for them to just dig like ants or build like termites.
We broke through the Steel Spiders’ defenses one by one. Monsters died by the dozen.
“Something big coming up front!”
The Iron Dragon charged at my Golem. The Golem moved slowly but surely, swinging its arm—
Clang! With a shriek of tearing metal, the Iron Dragon took a heavy blow and roared like a car engine.
Black fluid dripped from it like blood, but the Iron Dragon was still alive.
It charged again.
I aimed the rifle barrel at the front, while the President tried to cast a defensive spell on the Golem.
The accumulated damage finally paid off—this time, the Iron Dragon managed to bite and tear the Golem apart with its claws.
It was a good tool, but it really was disposable.
I unsummoned the Golem, recovered the Golem Core, and studied the wounded Iron Dragon.
Once more, the President shot a violet beam of destructive energy, and the Iron Dragon collapsed, scattering steel parts everywhere.
I got a glimpse of the destroyed Iron Dragon’s innards.
The Iron Dragon was much more complex than the Machine Steel Spider.
If the Steel Spiders used Modification Crystals as both heart and energy source, the Iron Dragon had a heart shaped almost like an engine.
I wondered how it worked.
While I was examining the fallen Monster, the President suddenly looked up, like a Meerkat spotting a Hyena nearby.
“Something else is coming this way.”
We were in the Monster Nest, surrounded on all sides by enemies. It wasn’t surprising that something odd was heading for our position.
“Let’s get ready.”
Even without the Golem, we were almost at the heart of the Nest. Just a little further and we’d reach our goal.
Humanoid Monsters.
Among the entities that emerged from the Machine Church Gate, they were the most troublesome. Not that we saw them often.
I tossed a Smoke Grenade to the ground.
We hid in the smoke for now.
The humanoid Machine Church Monsters were incredibly troublesome.
About 3 to 4 meters tall—roughly the size of a car. They were faster and stronger than any other Monster from the Gate.
There wasn’t any special countermeasure.
You just had to fight and win.
The sound of metal footsteps approached our location.
Humanoid Machine Church Monsters. Not impossible to beat, but without the Golem, we had to be careful.
First, let’s see how many there are.
Four pairs of footsteps. These were high-ranking entities—like an honor guard defending the heart of the Nest.
The enemy Monsters walked upright like humans, each wielding sword-like weapons in both hands.
They had helmet-like structures on their heads.
Their sheer size created an overwhelming pressure. The term ‘honor guard’ fit them perfectly.
These things wouldn’t stop until we died or escaped. I ducked behind cover with the President.
“Do you have anything useful?”
Flash. The President tapped the ground with her Staff, and a puppet she created appeared in midair.
Its shape was simple, but it was surrounded by purple Aether and carried weapons reinforced with magic.
It looked just human enough to be terrifying…
I loaded my gun. The smoke was starting to clear.
A bit of wind was blowing in the area. I used Detection Magic to locate the enemy Monsters—
“Ming Ming, go out and take care of them.”
Battle commenced.
Ming Ming transformed into her larger form and unleashed fire at one of the humanoids, while the President’s puppet charged into battle.
The President pointed her Staff at the enemies. Purple, or maybe pink, flashes sparked beside us.
Zap! One of them was immediately engulfed by Ming Ming’s flames.
Another was struck by the President’s puppet, then knocked over by her attack magic.
Boom!
I fired at the two fallen ones.
Sparks burst from the wreckage.
[Defeated a Humanoid Machine Church Monster.]
[Investigation Score +10.]
[Enlightenment Level 2 progress: 70/200.]
“Today the score’s really going up.”
The remaining two humanoid Monsters destroyed the President’s puppet, then charged at us.
The Puppet Master gazed at the oncoming enemies with determination.
Around her, several Magic Circles flickered into existence. Maybe, just maybe, I’d see the full might of an S-rank Awakened, just like before my regression.