Chapter 170: The Goblin Forest Strategy Meeting and the Herald of Winter<hr>
    We have a strategy meeting in Liebling.
    "How do we attack the Goblin Archers hiding in the forest?"
    Mel said. I think so too. To do that, we need to know about the Goblin Archers.
    "Rook. Tell me about the Goblin Archer"
    "Yes. But it''s just learning the usual bow skills"
    "Do they have no night vision or eagle eye?"
    "Yes"
    Rook answers clearly. If that is the case, then we can march at night without using lights.
    "I don''t think it''s that sweet..."
    "I can''t imagine that the difficulty would increase only during the day"
    "In other words, the arrows will be shot even if you don''t use light"
    That would make it even more dangerous. You can''t use light, that''s the hardest part.
    When ites to it, it will be a capture at noon.
    "I want to use range magic, but the opponent is in the forest. I cant expect any effect...I didn''t think I would challenge such a strategic battle"
    "Yes...can''t we take turns using wall spells to get closer?"
    "I don''t think it''s impossible. However even if we could get close enough, I think Archers would still be up in the trees at that range of fire. Fighters on the ground and Archers on top is a dead end"
    That''s right. They''ve been using tactics like that. There will always be other Goblins and we should assume that there will be countermeasures against them.
    There is no magic, no arrows, no closebat. Then how to attack...
    "If we''re blocked from attacking them head-on, we''ll have to use entanglement"
    "Takuto seems to have an idea"
    "I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but I have an idea of a summoned beast or a tame monster that might be able to break through the current situation"
    They all turn to look at me.
    "You know Lily, right? A summoned beast that neither arrows nor magic works"
    "Ah! Ghost!"
    Yeah. That''s right.
    "Ghosts and spirits are special summoned beasts that can only act at night, but are immune to physical attacks and almost immune to all but special light magic. Moreover, ghosts have the possession skill that allows them to possess and control their enemies"
    Mel and Rekkamented on my statement.
    "I can''t believe there''s such a nasty monster out there...but that certainly sounds like it could work"
    "Yes. But manipting enemies to break them down, Takuto is as gruesome as ever"
    I''m sorry! My brain can onlye up with ideas like this!
    "What''s the tame monster? Takuto-san"
    Raiden-san asks me. Oops. That tame monster is my nemesis.
    "The tame monster is a Meerkat. It''s supposed to have the skill to move through the ground and drop enemies into pits. Even a goblin would be unmarked in the ground"
    "There is such a monster. It certainly seems to be effective. Where is it?"
    "Deep Red Wilderness. So is the Ghost. I found them both at night"
    Ruin-san said.
    "If that''s the case, it makes sense that this quest was given to you, Takuto-kun, since you''ve been to the Deep Red Wilderness before"
    "How difficult is the Deep Red Wilderness?"
    "I''ve only been there at night, but it''s definitely challenging. There are special guys like Ghosts and I was almost killed by a Skull Orthros"
    ...
    Everyone is utterly disappointed. Well, no one wants to fight with Orthros.
    "Ah...is this the flow of me going to the Deep Red Wilderness?"
    Reppuu-san says that and Raiden-san says,
    "It''s not a surprise. You''re one of us, aren''t you?"
    "Nooo! I''ll die!? This!?"
    Umm. I should at least follow up.
    "Don''t worry. Skull Orthros was deep inside a cave, so he shouldn''te out"
    "Please assure me of that!"
    Rook and the others are observing, while Raiden-san and Reppuu-san are arguing with each other.
    "It''s easy for us because we just need Takuto-san to let us identify it"
    Indeed. That''s it...but you know what? You guys are forgetting.
    "I don''t have one right now. It wasn''t here when I Legion summoned"
    Ah...
    "So, good luck with that"
    A scream rang out.
    "Wa, Wait a minute. If it''s not here, you should summon it"
    "I''m done summoning for the day, remember?"
    Uh
    "I can try tomorrow, but there is a non-zero chance that the summoning won''t seed"
    Uuh
    They''re not going to be stubborn about it. Good. I''ve got good news for you guys.
    "Spirit bes a fairy by synthetic summoning"
    Im going!
    That''s easy. Mel, Ruin-san and the othersughed bitterly.
    After the strategy meeting, I logged out.
    I finish my supper and set off on my night hunt. Yug-san and Haru-san have ordered some trees and herbs, so I head to Trent Forest to level up Iyuki.
    Come to think of it, I haven''t developed any medicinestely...Haru-san told me that there are already potions that can be taken normally in Wantwork, but the only way to get them here is to make them.
    If that''s the case, I guess I''ll contribute to that, even if only a little...
    The members going to Trent Forest are Kotetsu, Gale, Liqueur, Route and Iyuki.
    While exploring Trent Forest, Route finds something.
    <b>Deer Lv10</b>
    <b>Tame Monster Subjugation Target Non-active.</b>
    Kiraan. There are about ten of them, but they haven''t noticed us.
    "Kill them. Me and Liqueur will attack first. I''ll drown them in the swamp and Kotetsu and the others can finish off the sunken deers"
    Liqueur elerated with a gust of wind and plunged into the group of deers with the same momentum. One of the deers was beautifully pierced by Liqueur''s horn.
    But when the deers saw this, they ran away. I''m not letting them go!
    "Bottomless Swamp!"
    Kotetsus group attacks the deers as they fall into the mud. Kotetsu and Gale bite the deers on the neck. Is it my imagination, or do Kotetsu and Gale look more belligerent than usual?
    Route''s body is so big that he can get into the mud, tighten his grip on a deer and bite it. Iyuki was attacking with snowballs.
    After sessfully killing the deers, we level up. And now for Iyuki''s evolution!
    <b>Snow Spirit</b>
    <b>Ice Golem</b>
    Hmm!? There''s an unexpected evolution destination. Let''s take a look for now.
    <b>Snow Spirit</b>
    <b>A snow fairy. A being that generates cold air and heralds theing of winter. They are treated as sacred beings in snow countries.</b>
    <b>Ice Golem</b>
    <b>A golem made of ice. The golem is strong against magic and its punches have the effect of freezing the enemy.</b>
    Mmm. What should I do? I really want a golem that''s strong against magic...mmmm...but I fought the Guardian Ice Spirit...so I''m really counting on her to be mypanion...
    Okay, I''ve decided!<hr>
    <b><i>Name Iyuki Snowman Lv8  Snow Spirit Lv1</i></b>
    Vitality 2432
    Magic Power 1830
    Strength 2022
    Defense 2022
    Agility 430
    Dexterity 2028
    <b><i>Skills</i></b>
    Bare-handed Lv1  Ice de Lv1
    Snow Throwing Lv1
    Defense Lv1  Ice Armor Lv1
    Physical Resistance Lv1  Magic Resistance Lv1
    Snow Hiding Lv1
    Ice Magic Lv1
    Wind and Snow Lv1<hr>
    Iyuki has been transformed into a lovely fairy!
    She has long white hair and blue eyes. She was a fairy with ice wings on her ears. She was dressed in a kimono. The pattern of the kimono was based on white, making it look like a snow fairy.
    Now that I''ve finished evolving, I''m ready to dismantle them.
    <b>Deer Meat: Rarity 4 Ingredient Item Quality D</b>
    <b>Deer meat. High in protein and low in fat. If you don''t drain the blood out of the meat early and thoroughly, you will end up with hard and smelly meat.</b>
    Here! So, as advised, I soaked it in water and drained the blood. I''ll cook the rest when I get home.
    As I''m getting excited, I see Iyukiing around behind me. What is it?
    Suddenly, cold air hits me on the nape of my neck. This is no good! It''s creeping me out!
    Oh, Iyuki''sughing. This fellow...she had a prankster streak!
    Instead of bringing Iyuki back, I call Setia to collect herbs.
    "It''s been a long time since we''ve collected herbs together"
    "It''s true that there was Koihi in the flower garden"
    "Yes. So you''ll have to be prepared for a lot of selfishness today"
    What a mess. Well, Setia also usually refrains from Lily and others. I''ll take my time with her today.
    After that, as a result of Setia sticking to me and spoiling her a lot, I didn''t make much progress in picking herbs. Setia seemed to be satisfied, so that was good.
    For thest time, I summoned Kitsuneko to cut down the trees instead of Gale. Since it was a good opportunity, I decided to try out some new magic.
    Time Bomb seems to be a spell that sets up a magic circle that explodes on the ground or on something. You can set the amount of time this magic circle will detonate and at the moment it''s up to 30 minutes. I guess that''s more than enough time.
    After cutting down the cypress, Trent appears.
    I ced a time bomb on the ground in Trent''s path. Three seconds before the explosion. The bomb detonates before Trent can step on the magic circle and Trent copses.
    That was a mistake...and a difficult one. The Explosion looks powerful, so let''s do thatter.
    "Sick!"
    Can a tree really get sick? Yes, it does. But there''s no change. Let''s try some other magic.
    "Guilty Thorn!"
    Thorns emerge from the magic circle and bind Trent. And when the thorns pierce the Trent, they poison it. It also causes continuous damage. That''s some serious magic.
    Let''s try thest spell.
    "Explosion!"
    The Trent exploded and died. How can this magic be so powerful? It seemed like just a normal explosion of Trent...or was it the disease?
    Mission aplished, I tried Sick on myself. Then the coughing stops and I feel lightheaded. Oh, it''s an annoying condition. And that wasn''t all. When I looked at my status, I saw that all of my stats had been drastically reduced.
    This is no good! I''m in a state of despena! If I heal it by clearing it, the status will return. There''s no doubt about it, this status abnormality is definitely going to be a threat in the future.
    After that, I got two cypresses at Setia''s request and left Trents to Setia and the others. Route tied one up, Kotetsu bit one, Setia and Kitsuneko burned one with fire magic and fox fire and Liqueur pierced one. I don''t think I''m up for this. Well, I guess that''s how strong everyone has be.
    When I had gathered enough materials, I decided to return.<hr>
    <b><i>Name Takuto Intermediate Summoner Lv10</i></b>
    Vitality 44
    Magic Power 88
    Strength 31
    Defense 22
    Agility 28
    Dexterity 63
    <b><i>Skills</i></b>
    Fighting Lv7
    Kicking Lv14
    Staff Lv21
    One-handed Sword Lv10
    Throwing Lv3
    High-Speed Chanting Lv13
    Summoning Magic Lv23
    Seal Magic Lv3
    Alchemy Lv9
    Mining Lv14
    Logging Lv15Lv17
    Dismantling Lv23
    Appraisal Lv13
    Identification Lv20
    Wind Magic Lv20
    Fire Magic Lv21
    Earth Magic Lv22
    Water Magic Lv20
    Dark Magic Lv20
    Sacred Magic Lv2
    Lightning Magic Lv21
    Explosion Magic Lv20
    Wood Magic Lv20
    Ice Magic Lv19
    Space-Time Magic Lv19
    Swimming Lv8
    Reading Lv8
    Cooking Lv30
    Feeding Lv6
    Fishing Lv14
    Synchro Lv8<hr>
    <b><i>Name Setia Elf Lv27</i></b>
    Vitality 33
    Magic Power 84
    Strength 24
    Defense 20
    Agility 21
    Dexterity 84
    <b><i>Skills</i></b>
    Staff Lv13
    Bow Lv6
    Woodworking Lv10
    Collecting Lv12Lv14
    Dose Lv8
    Wind Magic Lv7
    Fire Magic Lv10Lv12
    Water Magic Lv14
    Earth Magic Lv13
    Wood Magic Lv15
    Tree Magic Lv6
    Elven Knowledge Lv12Lv13
    Spirit Summoning Lv5
    Cooking Lv2<hr>
    <b><i>Name Kotetsu Saber-toothed Tiger Lv13Lv14</i></b>
    Vitality 3536
    Magic Power 2
    Strength 5860
    Defense 35
    Agility 2930
    Dexterity 2425
    <b><i>Skills</i></b>
    Bite Lv14Lv15
    w Strike Lv16Lv17
    Leap Lv14Lv15
    Night Vision Lv9Lv11
    Assault Lv11Lv12
    Intimidation Lv9Lv10<hr>
    <b><i>Name Gale Liger Lv10Lv12</i></b>
    Vitality 2830
    Magic Power 4246
    Strength 42
    Defense 2122
    Agility 4854
    Dexterity 2223
    <b><i>Skills</i></b>
    Bite Lv14Lv16
    w Strike Lv14Lv16
    Intimidation Lv9
    Night Vision Lv8Lv10
    Provocation Lv7Lv9
    Lightning Magic Lv14<hr>
    <b><i>Name Liqueur One-horned Horse Lv7Lv9</i></b>
    Vitality 2830
    Magic Power 2
    Strength 2930
    Defense 1820
    Agility 4751
    Dexterity 3638
    <b><i>Skills</i></b>
    Horn Strike Lv8Lv10
    Kicking Lv3
    Rush Lv8Lv9
    Riding Lv19Lv20
    Dash Lv12Lv14<hr>
    <b><i>Name Kitsuneko Wild Fox Lv6Lv7</i></b>
    Vitality 2223
    Magic Power 3638
    Strength 32
    Defense 1314
    Agility 32
    Dexterity 2223
    <b><i>Skills</i></b>
    Bite Lv7
    Sign Detection Lv7Lv8
    Fire Magic Lv8Lv9
    Night Vision Lv5Lv7
    Fox Fire Lv9Lv10
    Sorcery Lv2
    Illusion Lv5
    Possession Lv2<hr>
    <b><i>Name Route King Cobra Lv2Lv5</i></b>
    Vitality 3844
    Magic Power 1619
    Strength 3135
    Defense 1921
    Agility 2728
    Dexterity 2628
    <b><i>Skills</i></b>
    Bite Lv2Lv4
    Coiling Lv4Lv6
    Poison Lv2Lv4
    Heat Detection Lv2Lv4
    Venom Lv3Lv5