Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Strategist Class
"Listen up, I've got a plan!" Gideon declared as he walked forward and stood beside Ordy, a determined expression on his face.
Halini, Mian, Ordy, and Vien all looked at Gideon at the same time. They were dispersed throughout the area, fighting and dodging the Cyclone Golem's incoming attacks.
"I have an idea that might help us defeat Mister Eyeball here," Gideon said, pausing for a second before swallowing. "It's not a sure thing, but please hear me out—"
"Just say it, we'll do it!" Ordy assured, raising his thumb as he stared at Gideon with a smile on his face. Giving Gideon the final push he required.
Gideon paused for a brief moment, gathering all of his confidence, then nodded to Ordy and immediately shifted his gaze to Vien, who was jumping around while being chased by boulders. "Vien, how accurate is your blink skill? Do you think you could slice Mister Eyeball if given the right conditions?"
Vien's gaze shifted to Gideon as the wave of boulders came to a halt. "Yes, all I need is a clear shot."
"All right," Gideon said, nodding. "Vien, now... I'm going to require you to stop attacking. I need you to vanish from its vision, go hide, leave us alone, don't help us... I need you to wait for that favorable condition to appear and then use your blink skill when you are confident that you can finally kill Mister Eyeball."
"I understand," Vien said, jumping away from the golem's range.
"Mian, I need you to concentrate on the floating stones rather than the real body," Gideon said, shifting his gaze to Halini in the distance. "As you, Halini, make Loafy ignore the golem's true body and focus on the stones. Every time we try to attack the main body, the golem adds more boulders to protect it, making it much more difficult for anyone to approach."
"You heard Gideon, Loafy!" Halini screamed, and the burst of fireballs changed their main target and attacked the boulders instead of the golem's main body.
Mian did as she was told and fired her exploding arrows at the floating stones.
The golem, which was unharmed by the attack, immediately unleashed a barrage of boulders around it, reducing the boulders guarding the real body.
As the boulders flew around the vast area, Ordy grabbed Gideon and used his shield to shield them both from the Golem's destructive attack.
Gideon raised his head as the attack came to an end. "Most importantly, I need you two to get as far away from the golem as possible. Prioritize safe distance over attacking, and no matter what—and I mean no matter what—don't approach us, even if we cry like babies here—because I guarantee you, we will... Especially me... I'm going to cry like a little bitch."
Mian and Halini both responded, "I understand."
Mian and Halini both fled the range of the attacks and hid among the massive trees.
Gideon stood up and cracked his fingers as he stared at their floating enemy, shaking his head in disbelief at the plan he devised. "And me and Ordy..." he said, a smirk on his face. His trembling eyes darted around the explosions and fireballs. "We'll entertain this twat until that favorable condition appears."
Gideon's eyes stopped shivering when he saw Ordy standing beside him, raising his shield.
As Mian, Halini, and Vien vanished from the golem's view, the golem's attention was drawn entirely to the two. Ordy no longer needed to use his Guardian's protection to taunt the golem, lowering the risk of the golem smashing him with all of its might.
The golem's eerie roar echoed throughout the area once more as it unleashed boulders, and then something unexpected happened. The golem's body lit up brighter blue, and boulders on the ground floated and turned white, just like the other boulders floating around. The golem's shield grew thicker than before, and its glowing eyes trembled as it focused on the direction of its new main target. Golems couldn't understand human language, but the sudden change in the way its enemies moved after a single person shouted was more than enough for it to understand the situation and identify the group's most dangerous threat, the strategist.
"What the fuck," Gideon exclaimed as the golem's gaze fixed on him.
"Gideon!" Ordy screamed as he ran toward Gideon, hoping to protect him with his body and shield.
Then came the stone rain, and all of the boulders rushed in one direction, toward Gideon. Gideon, knowing what Ordy was up to and how badly his injuries were, ran in the opposite direction and jumped into the cover of the trees, but the barrage did not stop as the attacker pursued him.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" screamed Gideon as he dashed from tree to tree.
"Oy! You should be focusing on me!" screamed Ordy as he activated his Guardian's Protection.
Ordy, who was unable to run due to his injuries, attracted the Cyclone Golem's attention, but due to the effect of his own skill, what it brought him was the full force of the attack, and he was bombarded with an attack without restraint. Ordy held his breath while shielding his body, but the golem's unrelenting attack overwhelmed him, throwing him against a tree trunk.
"Ordy— uh."
Before Gideon could move, a boulder the size of a bowling ball landed on his stomach, bringing him to a halt.
Gideon's eyes widened as he felt the unbearable pain, and his unnerving scream followed. Pain like he'd never felt before, turning his white skin red and bringing him to his knees while wailing. His breathing became increasingly rapid as drools escaped from his mouth. The familiar sound of the golem approached him, and when he raised his head, he saw its real body floating above him, surrounded by white boulders.
His bloodshot red eyes shivered, and he screamed in agony as he forced himself to move and drew his sword. Tears welled up in his eyes as he raised his sword, but before he could act, the golem slammed a chain of stones on him, causing him to fly at such high speeds that he crashed into a tree trunk, knocking him unconscious.
He had the plan, but he lacked the strength to carry it out.
"Gideon!" Mian screamed, firing the last of her exploding arrows at the Golem as she emerged from behind the trees.
The golem, on the other hand, was completely ignoring Mian and was completely focused on its main target. Because Ordy and Gideon could no longer stop it, Cyclone Golem only needed to capture its meal before fleeing the area as quickly as possible.
The Golem's body moved and flew toward Halini, with boulders surrounding it, blocking every attack aimed at it. Even Vien decided to join in, but was easily stopped and thrown by the boulders that surrounded it.
"Halini! Run!" Mian yelled as she dashed toward Halini, but she was too far away.
Recognizing what was about to happen, Halini stared at the Cyclone Golem as it slowly floated toward her, fully aware that she would no longer be protected. "Don't come near!" Halini screamed as she and Loafy fired fireballs at the golem.
However, in an instant, the golem crushed Loafy with two boulders and charged toward Halini, while all of the stones floating around it formed a thick cage acting as a net to wrap its prey, preventing her from escaping while later feeding on her life force.
Halini stared at the blue body of the golem with her enlarged shivering eyes, waiting for her incoming predator to grab her. Her eyes welled up with tears. "Mother," she said as she closed her eyes and awaited her demise.
"Halini!" Mian screamed, her voice breaking with despair.
The boulder net closed, and the sound of rocks binding together was heard. However, it quickly reopened, revealing that it had caught nothing. The Cyclone Golem's raging, trembling eyes darted quickly to the location of its escaped meal.
Jumping from tree to tree without making a sound and with such speed that it was difficult to catch up with... He appeared to be leaping in the wind.
Halini, who had been waiting for her end, slowly opened her eyes to find a familiar face carrying her on his arms while leaping away from the Cyclone Golem.
Halini's eyes widened as she looked at the person who had saved her. "Gideon?"
The person Halini spoke to slowly tilted his head to face her, and as they landed at the safe location, the serious expression on his face softened slightly as he expressed a playful smirk while staring into Halini's eyes.
"You're safe now, Little Princess," he said, his voice deep and confident in every word.
"But how? How did you do that? I didn't..." she asked, pausing when she noticed his unfamiliar strict expression.
"Reflex," he replied, a gentle smile replacing the strict expression he had earlier.
He set Halini down and immediately turned his back on her, staring in the direction of the Cyclone Golem, but his gaze was drawn to Mian running through him, tears in her eyes. Vien was right behind her.
"Halini!" Mian exclaimed as she dashed over to hug Halini tightly.
Hunter smiled with relief when he saw that the three girls were fine. His sharp gaze was drawn to the three and he watched them for a brief moment. "Anyway, how's Ordy? Do you think he'll be able to fight?"
Mian shifted her gaze to Hunter, whom she mistook for Gideon. "He took a lot of damage, but you know him; even if we stop him, he'll keep fighting."
Hunter's lips slowly rose, revealing his face's puckish features. "Of course he is; that's how I remember him." He turned away from them and began walking toward the golem's location. "Now, let's start over, let's do what Gid— I originally planned, and go back to your positions."
Halini called out, "Gideon."
Hunter came to a halt but made no attempt to look back.
"Thank you," Halini said with a smile, despite the fact that the only thing in front of her was Hunter's back.
Hunter, on the other hand, did not respond, instead continuing to walk while whispering. "Save your thanks for later, this battle is far from over—damn it, it still hurts," he said, touching his stomach.
Hunter's gaze was drawn to the golem with boulders floating around it, which was no longer chasing them because the golem believed there were no more ways for them to escape. It was doing nothing but waiting for their next move, which it saw as futile.
Hunter walked forward, his fingers and neck cracked. "If we want to survive, we need to stick to Gideon's plan."
Hunter Windleaper had appeared, and the dangerous battle would continue.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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