Chapter 237 237 - Raid
Again, she opened her mouth only to reveal that all that liquid was now inside her.
<Thank you for the meal!>
* * *
When Ryan left the bathroom he used his shadow form to avoid being recognized. Disappearing and reappearing outside the bathroom he put his hand in both pockets as he walked normally. Looking back he could only think "Surely someone heard what I was doing".
After two steps his watch started beeping, it was a notification from the guild. When Ryan looked at his wrist, a small hologram with a map of where he was appeared. There was a red dotted line leading towards a large box, above which was written "Main Auditorium".
"Finally I can get out of here," he said, then made his way to the place along with the crowd of travelers. The space in that base was so large that even five hundred people didn't seem like such a surprising number. Sitting in a comfortable chair near the twentieth row, Ryan crossed both arms as he waited for the lecture to begin.
"Is this going to take long?" said a manly voice next to Ryan. Turning his face quickly, he opened both eyes wide when he found Eris. The girl was dressed in her paladin disguise, confused he asked "How did you get here?".
"I just opened a portal," she replied as she settled back in her chair, "This place is a bit uncomfortable for people in armor."
Incredulous, the only thing Ryan could think of was how the girl had overcome any kind of perception he possessed. Not even Demon Sight or the keen sense of smell he received from Ayumi's blessing could detect Eris.
This was surprising, yet Ryan knew that there were still several people who far surpassed his level of power. Eris remained silent, giving very short answers to any questions, she needed to maintain the posture of a mysterious paladin.
"It's about to start," she said, turning to see Katelyn in heels entering the stage.
'They're stocking portals...' Ryan still couldn't believe what was happening, just the idea of stocking an extra-dimensional rift where monsters sporadically appear seemed like a bad enough idea to him.
All the travelers were already silent, adjusting the microphone, the director began to speak, "The guild has recognized the first crack beginning from an impact portal. As my colleague John will have already notified most of you, the guild has requested external support from the mainland to deal with the first two stages of the abyss. Concentrating their efforts on eradicating red portals and preparing against black portals."
Behind her appeared a hologram with recordings made by a drone, "Our team detected this crack in the middle of an island a few kilometers from Khalazhan. If the impact explosion hits this portal first, the entire north will be completely destroyed. We estimate from the size of the readings that this portal must be more than fifty times the size of the previous one."
Ryan felt Eris's hand touch his leg, and in a feminine voice she said, "My mother is living on Khalazhan Beach...". Withdrawing her hand, the girl clenched her fist with determination.
"As we warned earlier, we imagine that the portal should open in about four days. We've chosen the four hundred most suitable warriors to start containing the abyss, and we've already notified a group of reservists in case of casualties. We ask you to check your emails, an item request form has been sent to you. In addition, the guild's team of lawyers will be on hand to help with your wills."
Looking deep into the director's eyes, he knew what she meant. There was a very high chance of death, it was necessary to prepare for such a catastrophic event. In the end, Ryan knew that the life of a traveler meant just that: being in constant danger of dying.
Of all the possible jobs, travelers were still the best paid. Even a Rank D traveler could easily pay the bills for a family of three, the problem was staying alive while doing so. Even with preparation, all the people sitting next to Ryan knew they were between life and death.
A heavy weight fell on the Demon Lord's shoulders, as he looked from side to side at the 499 people who would be fighting alongside him.
"I'm the only one who can't die," he thought to himself. While some were sacrificing everything for humanity, he could sleep soundly knowing that there was a blessing that prevented the end of his own existence.
Nodding his head, he made a promise to himself, "I'll do my best to get them all back home".
Katelyn then spoke again, "That said, we need to start with the strategic planning." Behind the woman appeared a map of the island, a few kilometers away was the beach. A circle started from the center of the island and grew to half the distance to the city, "This is the radius we imagine the portal will affect, as you can see, we won't have enough ground for confrontation. Most of the battle will take place with snipers and on the other side of the challenge."
Surprised, Ryan was startled to see his face next to Aether and Eris' helmet. The two of them were in the hologram broadcasting, "To begin containment measures, we'll leave Ryan Whitemane and Aether Lightstone on area attack. Ryan's flames can propagate in water, in the case of an ice enemy this would make it impossible for the hordes to move. What's more, the first horde will probably rush out at high speed, the fire will eliminate them and give them the advantage to enter the portal.
Aether can use his Light Spear to attack monsters in the event of a sea horde. In addition, he and his party specialize in aerial attacks. As for the Monarch, you'll be able to enter the portal with his strength.
We've already set aside some mana batteries to create four barriers between the sea and the city, each of which should last about a year without being attacked.
The rest of the talk covered the possibilities of attacks that could happen. For each situation, a traveler was selected to help maintain the Raid. The five hundred travelers who were there were selected to coordinate the attack, while warriors of low rank between B- and S+ would assist in the containment measures of the fourth phase.
In the case of ice attacks, Ryan would lead a team of fire travelers. In the case of aerial attacks, Aether would lead a retaliatory approach with light spells. The fact that the battlefield is in the middle of the sea makes it easier to use the sun as a channel for spells from sun druids and light mages.
If the attacks were from giants, a team led by a mermaid half-beast would create a gigantic whirlpool to annihilate the creatures. In addition, the guild was making extra mana batteries available for the use of global-level skills.
The plan was quite solid, there were several possibilities that would be discussed and passed on by a team of strategists and raid representatives. Among them, Ryan, Aether and Eris were chosen to take part in the meetings.
Ryan's position as one of the raid's leaders slightly displeased some SS+ travelers, after all, he hadn't yet carried out any tests to prove his strength, which should already be bordering on SS.
Walking out of the meeting, all the travelers received a notification with guidelines to follow over the next few days.
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[You have been selected as one of the Raid Leaders]
Tomorrow evening the guild will start the forum to finalize the strategy plan. You must attend on pain of exclusion from guild activities, the exact time will be announced at midday.
We recommend that you make a will today, our legal team will be on hand for any problems with inheritance and asset allocation. Use your dog tag every day until the portal, there is a possibility that the confrontation will start at any time.
Remember to request equipment, potions, scrolls, ink and other items on the form (Link).
In the event of a casualty, the guild will certify your family's support with 50,000 gold coins per month.
The bonus and division of the spoils of the portal will take place at the end of the battle, the guild will NOT appropriate the spoils to pay the amounts spent in preparation for the combat.
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Ryan looked at that message for a few minutes, this was the moment he had been waiting for for so many years. After studying, training and evolving, the time had finally come to use his strength for good.
Ever since he was a little boy, he had daydreamed about the idea of protecting the world, of having a strength so great that people would feel safe knowing that he was protecting the city. But now that that moment had arrived, all he could think about was how childish he was.
That message was direct and the chance of death was extremely high. Not even Eliot Wright, one of the greatest mages of the century, could survive an impact. This was not the time to be a hero, but the perfect time for him to evolve as a Lord.
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[New quest unlocked]
- Finish the impact portal
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Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m