Early TNG Vol. 22 Chapter 3 Part 7

Full title: THE NEW GATE

Note: If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.

Translator: Canon

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“May I speak?”

“““!?”””

Armaiz spoke in clear human language, and the group, including Druk, showed shocked expressions. However, their reactions afterward varied—some voiced confusion, others looked on with curiosity. The only thing they all had in common was that none of them showed fear toward Armaiz.

At their core, they were researchers: some of the highest-ranking members of the Black Faction, which amassed vast amounts of ancient knowledge. Though initially bewildered, they were aware of talking monsters as a matter of recorded knowledge. What mattered now was what this one had to say—they were all visibly intrigued.

“Hm, this isn’t quite the reaction I expected. Well, no matter. I am Armaiz. Though I am a monster, I bear no hostility toward you. What I wish to tell you first is this: if nothing is done, this island will be attacked by a horde of monsters.”

Armaiz proceeded to explain that he was a Divine Beast and recounted the mass monster outbreak that occurred alongside the great earthquake during the period now known as the Dusk of Majesty.

Shin then timidly raised his voice to speak.

“Uh, mind if I say something too? It’s more of a supplement to the explanation. I think I know what kind of monsters he’s talking about.”

After exchanging glances with the others, Budd Dakas, Head of the Civil Engineering Department, gave him the floor.

“…Go ahead.”

Shin went on to describe Nuva, the central figure of the horde, along with Hevin and Corpus, who served as its main forces.

He added that his source of information was his blacksmithing master; someone who had lived since before the Dusk of Majesty. If that person was his master, even Druk and the others couldn’t easily dismiss the claim as nonsense.

“A gemstone entrusted by a Divine Beast, and from it, a resurrected Divine Beast. And now, a massive swarm of monsters rising from the depths of the sea?”

“It’s hard to believe, but both Yura and Shima witnessed Lord Armaiz’s revival. On top of that…”

Druk and Bordo each spoke aloud, trying to make sense of the situation. However, Bordo’s gaze had shifted from Armaiz to Schnee.

When Shin began describing the monsters Armaiz had mentioned, Schnee revealed her true identity to guarantee the credibility of the information. Bordo, possibly an elf or high elf himself, naturally found himself fixated on Schnee, a fellow of the same race.

Shin’s master and Schnee, both were strong sources of credibility. No one had ever met his master, but judging by Shin’s blacksmithing skill, no one could reasonably think his teacher was some average smith. Shin himself was already an A-rank adventurer and had earned a certain degree of influence in this world.

But when compared to an endorsement from Schnee Raizar of the Moon Shrine, his master’s credibility was still several steps below.

Druk and the others weren’t the kind of narrow-minded people who would dismiss tales of monsters out of hand, and they were knowledgeable about the world as well. Even so, the sudden revelation that a monster horde was approaching from the ocean floor was far too surreal for them to easily accept.

At heart, they were creators. While they had some combat experience, none had fought the kind of life-or-death battles that players had endured. They would no doubt act to address the situation, but it would take time for them to share the same sense of urgency as Shin’s group.

Especially this time, the information was far too alien for the world’s native inhabitants. Just the notion of being involved with a Divine Beast was something most wouldn’t believe.

It was so far removed from their reality that it failed to inspire the necessary sense of crisis.

To make the message more persuasive, Shin played one of his key cards: revealing Schnee’s true identity.

He felt a pang of guilt for relying on her for the credibility of the information, but at this point, he had no choice but to let it go.

“We currently have no way of knowing when the monsters will attack. For the sake of defense, how about relocating the island first?”

Shin voiced his opinion, knowing that the others were likely deep in thought, but remaining silent wouldn’t move things forward. Yura and Shima quickly voiced their agreement.

“I agree. If Lord Armaiz can roughly pinpoint the enemy’s location, we should put as much distance between us as possible and use that time to prepare.”

“I’m with Yura. We can survey the ore veins later, and, as for the relocation, we’re just bringing the schedule forward a bit.”

Having witnessed Armaiz’s rebirth, the two of them seemed to recover from their confusion faster than the others.

“That’s settled then. Does anyone object? …No? Then it’s decided. Lord Armaiz, which direction should we move?”

Druk looked around the room and, seeing no objections, turned to Armaiz.

“They’re likely to be in the northwest. If we head southeast, we should be able to put some distance between us.”

After hearing Armaiz’s reply, Druk turned around and nodded to a dwarf waiting quietly in the corner of the room. The dwarf returned the nod, gave a slight bow toward Shin’s group, and left the room—likely to prepare for the relocation.

“Well then, I have a lot of questions, but they can wait. If monsters are coming, we must discuss the island’s defense. Since we know their direction, we’ll need to move some of the guild house magic weapons to bolster our defenses in that area. Considering the scale of the threat, we should activate all of the base’s defensive systems. That’s our role—but what about you and your group, Sir Shin?”

“In our case, we plan to split into two teams—one to defend the island, and the other to go after the boss monster, Nuva.”

In response to Druk’s question, Shin explained, loud enough for everyone present to hear, the expected capabilities of the incoming monsters, as well as of their leader, Nuva.

“I see. So if this Nuva fellow isn’t defeated, the monsters will keep spawning. Just to be certain—are you absolutely sure about this?”

“Yes. The types, appearances, and abilities of the monsters all point to Nuva, Hevin, and Corpus. Those three are basically a set, so I’m confident in that conclusion. Also, Nuva is extremely strong. We don’t know how much it’s recovered, but to be safe, I don’t think it’s wise to leave it all to Armaiz.”

“This might be a rude question, but… can he even fight? From what I understand, he was just born, right?”

Armaiz currently appeared small and wasn’t exuding any sense of intimidation, so it was understandable that Druk had doubts about his combat ability.

Having seen many monsters before, Shin realized the moment he heard “Divine Beast” that Armaiz’s true size was much larger than what they currently saw. But for those like Druk, who lacked such knowledge or firsthand experience, the idea that a Divine Beast could freely alter its size wouldn’t immediately occur. After all, very few had experience interacting with Divine Beasts.

“There’s no need to worry. I’m simply maintaining this small form for the sake of the discussion. Normally, I’m dozens of times larger. Though I am newly reborn, the item Shin carried allowed me to recover much of my strength. My past memories and combat skills have returned as well. I won’t be easily overwhelmed.”

“In that case, very well. I apologize if I seemed to be underestimating you.”

Hearing Armaiz’s calm response, Druk gave a respectful bow.

“No need for that. You are responsible for protecting this island and its people. Confirming my combat capabilities is no fault of yours.”

Rather than offended, Armaiz seemed impressed by his prudence.

“Well, if anything, he won’t go down easy. Even though he just revived, his level is over 700.”

“Seven… hundred…?”

Trying to reassure the others, Shin casually mentioned Armaiz’s level, and Druk’s expression froze in a way that one could almost hear the sproing of a comic sound effect.

In this world, that was a level capable of single handedly toppling a small nation.

“Wha—!? …Ahem. Well, it seems my concerns were unnecessary. Now, about splitting your team, Sir Shin…”

“Yes. We’ve prepared the equipment already, and I believe it’s essential to secure a kill on Nuva.”

Shin told Druk that he, Schnee, Filma, and Yuzuha would go after Nuva, while Shibaid, Sety, Tiera, Kagerou, and Milt would remain to defend the island.

“This may be rude to say with Lady Schnee present, but… will that be enough? The team isn’t at full strength, and it’s an underwater battle. Things won’t go the same as on land. Getting between two Divine Beasts in combat… that’s extremely dangerous.”

“Of course your concern is valid. But that won’t be an issue. In fact, we’ve already fought a Divine Beast before.”

Shin had fought god-class monsters on land and had experience with underwater combat as well. He didn’t mention it aloud, but Yuzuha—who would be accompanying them—was also a Divine Beast.

“So you’ve already battled a Divine Beast… I see my worry was misplaced.”

With a wry smile, Druk chuckled. With Schnee present and Shin’s reassurances, the tense atmosphere in the room eased slightly.

“Well then, now that we’ve heard such encouraging words, let’s talk defense.”

Druk’s expression grew serious once more.

“I don’t want to ruin the good mood, but I must ask again—just to be sure. Are those monster levels you mentioned accurate?”

“Yes. The situation is different from what I was told, so the numbers might fluctuate somewhat, but if what my master said was correct, then the level ranges are accurate.”

Hearing Shin’s reply, the wrinkles on Druk’s brow deepened. The other leaders wore similar expressions.

“Their levels are too high. I can accept Hevin, but with Corpus… I have no idea how long it would take just to take one down. Is it resistant to physical attacks?”

“It’s definitely tough physically. On the other hand, it’s weaker to magic—comparatively speaking.”

Corpus’s most dangerous trait wasn’t its wide-range, indiscriminate attacks—it was its durability. Its branch-like piercing attacks were hard to dodge, but for players strong enough to fight Corpus, its attack power was actually on the lower side.

During the event, defense teams often got overwhelmed simply because it took so long to whittle Corpus’s health down. It was a nightmare to deal with for those on the defensive.

“Wouldn't focusing on Corpus let Hevin slip through? But if we try to wipe out Hevin, Corpus endures and pushes forward. That’s the most troublesome part.”

Hevin didn’t have particularly high stats outside of its special abilities. That made it annoying in the sense that it couldn’t be easily cleared out, but it was still manageable.

“Just to confirm, what do you usually do when a high-level enemy shows up?”

“We use special shells. If that finishes it off, great. If not, we let the Chosen Ones strike when it’s weakened. That’s the basic defense protocol at large ports or military harbors. It’s the same here. The only difference might be the firepower of the shells. But we don’t have an unlimited supply. We’re short on materials and production methods.”

Druk answered Shin’s question.

It sounded like they’d recreated the properties of modern explosive and armor-piercing rounds through magic and mechanical gimmicks. These were used back during the game era too—shells that emitted heat rays right before impact or froze everything in a radius, for example. A lot had been developed, though they were rarely used and seldom seen.

“If the specs match, I can provide a few from our side. But I’ll need to know the exact weapons you have in place.”

Thinking he might get some pushback, Shin offered his proposal. Asking for military information—especially about their combat arsenal—was no small thing, even for a trusted ally.

“I don’t mind,” Druk replied without hesitation. “But not all weapons use ammo of the same caliber. Will that be an issue?”

Shin was slightly surprised by how readily Druk agreed, but he continued the conversation.

“Were your weapons modeled after older designs?”

“Yeah. Most of them are based on what we had left in the guild houses. They were operational, after all. Recreating them, or designing new ones with similar performance, has been one of our goals.”

“Then there shouldn’t be a problem. Most weapons made before the Dusk of Majesty followed standard calibers.”

Back in the game era, many weapons were modeled after real-world armaments. During defensive events, it wasn’t uncommon for guilds to share or trade shell parts to replenish each other’s stock. There was an overall move toward standardization. While some individuals or smaller guilds used custom gear, most mid-tier and larger guilds adhered to the same standards. Shin figured things wouldn’t be too different here.

“I’ve read in documents that many shells and parts share the same calibers, but was there someone coordinating the standardization?”

“Well, back then, defensive battles against monsters were common. Having standardized parts probably made resupply easier.”

“Hmm. That does make sense.”

As the conversation shifted to where they should focus their defenses, a siren-like sound suddenly rang out.

“No need to panic. That’s just the alarm for accelerating the island’s movement. They must have relayed the order to the engine room.”

It was also a general alert for those near the harbor or shoreline to take precautions. Druk remained composed and continued.

“As for weapon placement, we’ll orient the island so that the northwest—where the monsters are coming from—is aligned with the side that has the most artillery mounts.”

Since the island itself could move and rotate, they could freely choose its facing. Directing the most fortified side toward the oncoming threat would give them an advantage.

“Besides the shells, we’re planning to deploy traps in the sea as well.”

“Naval mines?”

“Knew you’d catch on. According to your account, those monsters start floating once they hit the surface, right? So we’ll set the mines to float rather than sink. If they get close enough, we can detonate them. We don’t have many, but they’re effective—I can vouch for that.”

The mines also had a deterrent effect on normal monsters. They hadn’t been developed by the Black Faction but were stockpiled by the guilds. Some had even fatally wounded monsters over level 500, implying they were made with extremely rare and valuable materials. The only downside was that they couldn’t be deployed while the island was moving. Still, if they knew where the monsters were coming from, they could set them up in advance.

“How about putting up a barrier? With a guild house this size, wouldn’t it have some sort of monster-repelling function?”

“My, nothing gets past you, does it?”

Druk sighed a little and nodded at Shin’s suggestion.

In mobile guild houses with large plots of land, having that kind of function was practically a necessity—otherwise, they risked being swarmed by monsters. The larger the premises, the more output devices you could install to boost the barrier’s power, and Shin had figured this place would be no exception.

“We’ve confirmed that at maximum output, the barrier can withstand attacks from monsters around level 600. According to the records, it once held off a 600-class boss and about a hundred 400-class minions. That said, the barrier wasn’t under constant assault—it was more of a stalling tactic until the defenders could launch a counterattack. Once they did, the enemy forces were wiped out in about an hour. The barrier only ran at max for about thirty minutes of that.”

“You’re really familiar with the details.”

Shin was surprised at how fluently Druk recited this, especially considering he didn’t have any documents in front of him. He wondered if someone could really remember all those details from such old records.

“I did something pretty reckless when trying to replicate the barrier’s power core. I ended up reading every scrap of documentation I could find, inside and out. All of it’s up here now.”

Druk tapped his temple with a grin, clearly having read Shin’s thoughts from his expression.

“It’s impressive you can cover an island this large with a strong barrier. Can allies move in and out while it’s active?”

“Exiting’s fine. Getting back in is the problem. You’d need to open an entry point by disabling a section of the barrier. Still, can’t complain when you can attack from inside it with impunity. To add, the island’s covered by two barriers. The inner one emphasizes durability, and the outer one focuses on range.”

“And both allow attacks to pass through from the inside?”

“Yes. The first one is meant to stop their advance. Once they bunch up near the barrier, we bombard them from a distance. The second layer is the real defense.”

Shin had built defensive barrier generators himself before. Guild house models were different from standard ones, with variations in range, strength, and other parameters that made them more complex to construct.

Depending on their purpose, barriers were typically optimized for strength, area, or accessibility. But there was always a limit, you couldn’t max out every aspect. It was like assigning stat points, deciding how to divide a hundred points across various attributes.

How you prioritized things depended on the guild house’s shape and the strength of its defenders.

In the game, creating overpowered items that were perfect in every aspect usually led to balance issues, making everything afterward obsolete. Many games had been ruined by so-called “broken items” or “official cheats.”

(If this were a game, it’d be fun to find clever ways to make up for those imperfections. But right now, I’d kill for some broken gear with maxed-out stats,)

Shin thought to himself, but there was no point pining for what didn’t exist. Still, the fact that the guild house protecting an entire island had such high-spec barrier generators was a big relief.

“However, operating at full capacity consumes a massive amount of mana. Fuel is another concern. We can only maintain it for about two hours.”

“If Nuva doesn’t spend the whole time running away, that should be enough.”

Back during the game, the long fight against Nuva was due to unclear mechanics. Now that they knew the cause, Shin figured the barrier would last. And they had Shibaid and the others too. He didn’t think the defenses would fall so easily.

“That’s probably enough about the barrier for now. We’ll work out the details later. Next is the placement of ranged weapons. They’re currently distributed to cover all directions, but we should concentrate them this time.”

Shin and Druk took the lead on laying out the defense strategy.

The other members chimed in freely whenever they had doubts or suggestions. Given the situation, no one wanted to be the one who stayed quiet and regretted it later.

The Black Faction, being a group of engineers at heart, had no shortage of technical input. “What if we try this?” “In that case, how about that?” The ideas wouldn’t stop flowing. For now, they focused only on those with immediate, practical use, but there were some proposals that sounded worth experimenting with after surviving the current crisis.

As the meeting went on, the severity of the situation finally started to sink in for everyone. Ideas sparked, born from years of accumulated experience and knowledge.

“That should do for the weapon placements. No need to get too fancy—we’d only risk unnecessary complications.”

Druk seemed satisfied, prompting Shin to raise the next topic.

“Agreed. Now, about combat personnel—how do we want to position them? Our party plans to take the front lines.”

The heavy weapons were powerful, but crude. Any monsters that slipped through would have to be handled directly. Some in the Black Faction had experience as adventurers in the outside world, but Shin wanted to know how much they could rely on them.

“Most of our people aren’t adventurers. We do have a number of Chosen Ones, though. I doubt the Adventurer Guild’s rankings would reflect their true strength. Still, when it comes to large-scale defense, I’m basically a novice myself. Let’s leave this part to the captain of our combat unit.”

“Oh? Finally my cue?”

As Druk turned around, a man who had been sitting along the wall stood up.

He was about Shin’s height and wore a slightly disheveled, knight-like uniform—tight-fitting, but with a relaxed air.

The man had deep blue hair and clear blue eyes. His most striking feature was the eyepatch over his left eye. Shin recognized it as a type of gear meant to seal off a powerful ability—likely a kind of magic eye, which would make him a Lord race.

In game terms, Lords who poured all their stats into a specific category could meet certain conditions that upgraded their magic eye abilities, at the cost of losing control over them—hence the need for seal-type gear. Eyepatches had once been quite popular among players.

The man appeared to be in his forties, though if he was a Lord, he had probably been fighting for far longer.

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