Reincarnated in the game world ~ A gamer's beginning to [Dungeon job hunting recommendation]
Vol. 11 - Ch. 579 - Lamda vs Ester. The Menace of Spear!

Everything was set now. 

Yup, even with the futileness of having <Best of the Best, the Great Star>, the pieces had been set. 

I was honestly surprised to hear about the presence of «Caliburn Paladin», and needless to say, <Best of the Best, the Great Star> would have been a deadweight against them, so I was glad I dispatched Ester to further tighten the measure against whoever the approaching force was. 

And that was a bingo move. Without her, <Best of the Best, the Great Star> couldn't have even forced that «Caliburn Paladin» to take a detour, let alone stop. 

Now, Ester had locked into confrontation against «Caliburn Paladin», while the rest of the followers were being tackled by <Best of the Best, the Great Star>. 

"Lana, forward your support to them."

"Leave it to me! «The Saintess Prays For Healing»! —«Lion's Great Blessing»! «Quick Greater Blessing»! «Blessing of Greater Defender»! «Sacred Demon's Greater Blessing»!

"Oh, and also give them anti-magic buffs. «Caliburn Paladin» could do both physical and magic attacks." 

"Hmm, I didn't get it, but OK! —«Anti-magic Greater Protection»! «Agility Greater Blessing»! —And the recovery as top! —«Complete Recovery Prayer»!"

With Lana's support, a new life was breathed into <Best of the Best, the Great Star> who had nearly been pushed to elimination. 

With her recovery as effective as ever, <Best of the Best, the Great Star> promptly got back to their feet from Down condition. 

"Really, really! All they achieved was getting sweeped by one attack, all barks but no bite!"

Lana commented with simmering irritation. Well, she wasn't wrong, but this case was at least pardonable. It was a normal sight to occur when base jobs crashed against an advanced job.

"Ester is gradually gaining her speed huh. Thanks to your buff."

"Go-go, Ester! Good luck!"

Alright then, the situation had greatly changed. 

I think it's about time to sort out the details. With Lana's pepped up voice falling in my ears, I crossed my arms and fell into contemplation.

We were currently at our strategic location, nearby Class-1 base, which offered only entrance to frequent (E-23). The pursuers had been thrown into chaos with our set traps, while some of them were eliminated. 

The others were now 5 squares north, our second spot to lay ambush. (F-19)

Meanwhile, Ester was three squares north of us (F-16) where she had paused the opponent's pursuit. Meanwhile,the  alliance squadron should be nearby the opposite side of east mountain (I-16), and treading the path from southwest to chase after us.

If the situation continued to play out with current dynamics, it was just just a matter of time before Ester found herself at the receiving end of reinforcement from alliance squadron (F-18), so I contemplated having her back down, but I paused on that idea. Why, you ask? I mean, we're talking about an advanced job! This could be our chance to uproot him. <—(Stuck in dilemma here.)

The loss of a cornerstone member would surely throw a wrench in Rina's plan, I was sure. 

Good grief, she had yet to grasp many things, didn't she? Sending forth a mere small unit was begging us to take down. And well, I wasn't the type of person to reject delicious offers like this. Uh-huh, that's really a stuck between rock and hard place like decision.

For the time being, we had been keeping a moderate distance to lure northeast forces, but with Rina, she should be able to see the ambush in await (E-23), and might not push for chase. I was planning to bring up our defense members too, and mount a raid on them, but when there was a fat target right in front of me, It was impossible for me to ignore it. 

"Alright Lana, put away the throne. We're changing our strategy! We're shifting one square north!"

"Alright!"

Ultimately, I decided to bring a change to our plan.

◇◇◇

"Haaa! «Drive Turn»! «Legion Thrust»!"

"Tsk, too fast! «Saber Strike»!"

In a skirmish taking place on north, Ester had completely unraveled her agility as she tackled Lamda, with the tide of battle leaning toward her side with the addition of buffs. 

Lamda struck down with a skill, but she escaped by trailing diagonally, moving into V pattern and even followed with a counterattack. Legion Thrust was an area skill that targeted anyone from the frontline. Lamda narrowly managed to repel the attack with his sword.

Ester had thoroughly locked in her superiority in the confrontation, and against her agility, Lamda was hard pressed to maintain his stance, while he was rendered useless from using his shield. Moreover, with the advantage of reach to her side and her attacks carrying a formidable momentum, Ester didn't let Lamda come even a bit closer to her while her onslaught slowly shaved off Lamda's HP. 

"This is the end—«Full Throttle Drive»! —«Raging Spear War Dance»!"

With an intention to strike the final nail, Ester unleashed her series of «4-tree» skills. 

She had been constantly trying to pry open a gap in opponent's defense, while also paying attention to his stance. In one of these moments, Ester found that opening and unleashed her series of strikes which struck Lamda directly, pushing him back.

"!! «Judgement Sword Chain»!"

Lamda unleashed his desperate tackle to counter Ester's «Raging Spear War Dance», however he fell short in his action and the spear collided against his armor, echoing a scream.  Ester would slid up to his back from left, making the shield's presence ineffective, and the lack of inadequate defense left a heavy damage. 

Lamda was completely left at the mercy of Ester's agility, which had breakthrough a realm unknown to him, enhanced by the «Quick Greater Blessing.»

"No, I need to regain my hold again. It shouldn't be the moment for it, but—«Aegis»!"

Deciding that it would be impossible for him to capture Ester in his attacks, Lamda changed his  strategy and increased his defense by large at the expense of mobility and attack. Like a turtle who had ducked itself inside the shell, the strategy was to find a weakness in Ester's defense. 

However, this also meant stalling his offense and prolonging the battle, something that he had wanted to avoid because it went against his plan of quick conclusion. 

After all, there were five of «Class-1» members against 4 of them. But the reinforcement should be en-route, which should allow them to win by numbers. 

He did have an internal struggle at the idea of bringing additional interference among the battle of two knights, but Lamda ultimately chose alliance's interest over his. 

Ester saw her damage against Lamda plummeting, and quickly distanced herself. It appeared she also decided to adjust her style against the enemy's strategy. 

A brief moment of quietness followed, and was soon at the verge of breaking again, but a girl suddenly entered the fray, pausing them. 

"Zephyr has sent a message-desu! Oh, and also for «Best of the Meh» too!"

"Who the heck you're calling «Best of the Meh»!?" x4

The quartet retorted in protest when they heard their guild name being smeared. It was the new nickname, or more like a re-take on the previous 'Prideful-4,' (Pri-4) the girls had quietly given them behind their back, and this was the first time they're hearing it. Of course, they couldn't remain quiet when their majestic name was turned into a joke. 

"Zephyr-san has addressed new commands! Keep the opponent trapped here-desu!"

"Tsk, I will remember these words. You will regret why you ever called us 'Best of the meh'!"

"Fufu, likewise. We're «Best of the Best», and it seems it's time to show why once again."

"Hey, you didn't have to omit «Great» though?!"

"You're bringing tears to our «Star»!"

While there was a ruckus from <Best of the Best, the Great Star>, the overall news means the main force of Class-1 might be arriving at the scene before Lamda's reinforcement. 

"Well then, shall we resume, Lamda-san? I wouldn't go easy here."

Lamda broke down into cold sweat when he heard Ester, who adjusted her two-handed spear for another onslaught. It was at this moment he realised—he should have tried for quick sweep instead of stalling for reinforcement.

T/N - Heya, I was meaning to update the chapters last week, but situation was a bit messy, so shifting the schedule to this week. And as you can see, the comment section aka disqus is nuked due to the DMCA request. RIP. I used to check it everyday, especially our two frequent commentators! Thank you for your frequent comments! Let's see what's next huh.