How to Use the Lord's Future Diary

Chapter 177

The most efficient way to kill Gnolls was, naturally, with bombs.Honestly, it was.

Just blow them up.

Since we'd successfully developed Fire Bombs that had proven extremely effective in actual combat, there was no reason not to use them.

If the Fire Bombs were powerful enough to make even me, a Master, break out in a cold sweat, then they would certainly be capable of inflicting meaningful damage on the Gnoll Lord as well.

The problem was that Fire Bombs were dangerous explosives that required careful handling.

Even I couldn't predict what would happen if we detonated them on a massive scale.

That was why we needed a battlefield where they could be exploded as safely as possible.

And that was exactly why we chose the northern basin of the territory.

Even if the Fire Bombs exploded there, they wouldn't damage the territory itself.

The Horned Rabbit Ranch would be completely wiped out.

But that would've happened even without the Fire Bombs.

It had been impossible from the beginning to stop several thousand Gnolls at the Northern Fortress.

The Horned Rabbit Ranch had already been doomed from the start.

That made the decision to use the bombs much easier.

'The real problem is the number of bombs.'

The basin itself covered an enormous area, so we had to choose the blast zone carefully.

The ranch was already beyond saving.

If it were up to me, I'd carpet the entire basin with bombs.

Unfortunately, we simply didn't have that many Fire Bombs.

We had only managed to acquire Lava Stones a few times from the Ape Tribe.

There was no way we had enough to blanket the entire basin.

To squeeze the greatest possible efficiency out of our limited supply...

We needed to restrict the enemy's movements.

'Especially if we're going to land a decisive blow on the Gnoll Lord.'

'We have to lure him in.'

The Gnoll Lord was a commander-type superior individual.

Its own combat power was terrifying enough.

But its true danger lay in its ability to command the entire horde.

As a commander, it would most likely remain in the rear of the battlefield.

From our perspective...

That was the worst possible position.

Dreaming of killing an Out-of-Class Monster with a single explosion was unrealistic.

We needed to ambush it before it recovered from the explosion and finish it off ourselves.

If it stayed buried in the rear...

That would be nearly impossible.

No matter how devastating the bombs were, breaking through several thousand Gnolls just to reach their commander would be an incredibly difficult task.

That's why...

We had to drag it to the front somehow.

'Fortunately... it looked like that was actually possible.'

The Gnolls were monsters the people of Johnson Territory knew all too well.

Because of that, we'd accumulated an enormous amount of information about them.

Especially regarding Berserk Shamanism—their signature technique.

At this point, we probably understood it better than the Gnolls themselves.

Gnolls empowered by Berserk Shamanism were extremely dangerous opponents.

To prepare for them, generations of people had spent decades studying them.

'Because it isn't purely beneficial.'

Gnolls enhanced by Berserk Shamanism experienced explosive increases in both strength and agility.

Using Berserk alone practically doubled a Gnoll's combat power.

But...

Nothing that powerful came without a price.

The enormous energy consumption caused overwhelming hunger.

At the same time, their raging instincts took over, forcing them to act according to their primal nature.

The loss of rationality was an especially severe drawback.

For that brief period...

Even superior individuals couldn't perfectly control the lower-ranked Gnolls.

The greatest strength of the Gnolls—their organization—collapsed.

'Though that's only temporary.'

The only way to calm Berserk Gnolls...

Was for a superior individual to personally command them.

If the Gnoll Lord moved personally, it could restore order to the horde.

So...

If we created a situation where the Gnoll Lord had no choice but to personally calm the frenzied Gnolls...

We could lure it all the way to the front.

"You did well!"

"Heh heh."

"What do you think, human chieftain?"

"What do I think?"

"It was perfect."

Just as we were familiar with the Gnolls...

The Gnolls were equally familiar with fighting us.

Especially the infamous Northern Fortress.

They were surely aware of its reputation.

I didn't know exactly how they passed down their experiences.

But as battle after battle accumulated, they'd clearly become increasingly experienced with siege warfare.

That was what made the Gnolls so troublesome.

Now that a superior commander-type individual had appeared...

There was no longer any reason to regard them as ordinary monsters.

Which was exactly why deception worked.

The Horse Tribe warriors who had just arrived at the fortress and climbed onto the walls with ropes had tricked the Gnolls into believing a large defensive force was waiting inside.

Their strategy was always the same.

Upon reaching the Northern Fortress, they'd activate Berserk and cross the wall while taking minimal casualties.

After the Horse Tribe unleashed such a massive volley of arrows...

There was no way the Gnolls could accurately judge what was happening inside the fortress.

'Because it was completely empty.'

'At least... at that moment.'

The Gnolls had already been weakened somewhat by Berserk.

Yet inside the fortress...

There was absolutely nothing.

Not a single human remained.

Not even human food.

Everything had been completely cleared out.

A classic scorched-earth strategy.

Finding an empty fortress with nothing to satisfy their hunger left the Gnolls with overwhelming frustration.

And then...

We continued firing arrows into the fortress from outside.

'Naturally...'

'They'd march straight toward Johnson Castle.'

'They probably intended to deal with the Horse Tribe on the way as well.'

But what kind of tribe was the Horse Tribe?

There was no tribe better at irritating their opponents.

There was no way the Gnolls could keep up with the Horse Tribe's hit-and-run tactics.

Most importantly...

The Gnolls had never fought cavalry before.

The Horse Tribe was the only force in the region that fought on horseback.

And since the Horse Tribe never operated near the Monster Mountains...

The Gnolls had likely never even seen horses before.

The Horse Tribe's attacks would simply continue wearing them down.

And eventually...

The Gnoll Lord would have no choice but to make a decision.

Charge straight toward Johnson Castle as quickly as possible.

'To increase their speed...'

'They'd have to activate Berserk again.'

'No matter how intelligent they are, monsters are still monsters.'

'Patience simply isn't part of their nature.'

And if...

A huge herd of Horned Rabbits suddenly appeared before Gnolls who had already used Berserk twice?

By then, their hunger would've reached its limit.

They would naturally charge toward the rabbits.

Under those circumstances...

Even the authority of a superior individual would become meaningless.

With Johnson Castle still standing before them...

There was no way the Gnoll Lord could tolerate such disorder.

It would personally force its way into the chaos to restore order.

And once it reached the designated location...

"Boom."

"We detonate the Fire Bombs."

That...

Was the situation unfolding before us now.

The northern basin was engulfed in towering flames.

The Gnolls at the center of the explosion had been blown to pieces instantly.

The horde behind them was thrown into utter panic by the sudden blast.

This was our only opportunity to eliminate the isolated Gnoll Lord without interference from the rest of the horde.

Right now, every Gnoll was confused and disoriented.

But it wouldn't last long.

Soon enough, the Gnoll Lord would regroup them.

The key to this operation...

Was killing the Gnoll Lord before that could happen.

Fire Bombs alone weren't enough to finish off an Out-of-Class Monster.

We had to move in personally and deliver the killing blow.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"Fighting inside a sea of flames..."

"We really do try the craziest things."

"Honestly..."

"I was thinking the same thing."

The assault team entering the inferno to eliminate the Gnoll Lord consisted of only three people.

Myself.

Leisha.

And Irene.

Our mission...

To fight an Out-of-Class Monster in the middle of a blazing inferno.

Bringing additional Knights would've accomplished nothing.

Our only target was the Gnoll Lord.

Once it was dead...

We'd withdraw immediately.

The reason Irene joined despite not yet being a Master...

Was because she could move freely through the flames.

Her fire-element Aura could inflict meaningful damage even on an Out-of-Class Monster.

Especially now...

When the entire battlefield had become an ocean of fire.

"But..."

"Are you really sure about this?"

"We'll just have to trust the potion."

Last winter, after we killed the Variant Crocodile...

Peter had told me something.

He said it was possible to make Fire Resistance Potions from the Variant Crocodile's byproducts.

Back then...

I'd wondered where we'd ever use something like that.

Yet somehow...

The opportunity had arrived.

Without those potions...

Our entire operation would've been very different.

-Ta-da!

-The great me has arrived!

There was one more problem.

Leisha and I were both Masters.

Combined with the Fire Resistance Potions, we could somehow withstand the flames.

But...

My mountain goat, Ultra, couldn't.

Even if I fed Ultra a Fire Resistance Potion, I doubted he'd willingly run through blazing fire.

Even if it somehow worked...

Getting him into the flames in the first place would've been impossible.

No matter how brave a Three-Horned Mountain Goat was...

There was no way it wouldn't fear fire.

And because Ultra was intelligent...

He'd resist even more fiercely.

I'd been wondering if I'd have to search for the Gnoll Lord on foot through the inferno...

Then Blacksoil stepped forward.

He said he thought he could help.

"Wow..."

"Can't I just ride Blacksoil instead?"

With all the Beastmen's Divine Relics gathered within our territory, Bestia's power had grown stronger.

Naturally...

Blacksoil had grown stronger as well.

As a result...

Blacksoil had finally unlocked his ultimate skill.

Giant Rabbit Mode.

The enormous black rabbit standing before me now...

Was exactly that.

He was nearly the size of an elephant.

More than large enough to carry two people.

It was such an incredible mount that Irene—who adored riding anything she could—was practically drooling.

'Of course...'

'It has a long cooldown.'

'Apparently it can't be used often.'

'But since today it'll last the whole time...'

'We might as well take advantage of it.'

How often would anyone ever need a giant rabbit?

So...

This time, I'd make sure Blacksoil truly earned his keep.

"Move!"

We didn't have any time to waste.

Even now, some of the surviving Gnolls were already forcing their way through the flames toward Johnson Castle.

Of course...

The fire itself was spreading just as quickly.

But before long, the Gnolls would recover from their confusion.

The moment the Gnoll Lord emerged from the flames...

The rest of the horde would regain its composure as well.

Time was everything.

Riding atop Blacksoil, we charged straight into the inferno.

"I'll split off!"

Riding her Flame Horse, Irene followed us into the flames before immediately breaking away.

She was searching for the Gnoll Lord...

While also intercepting Elite Gnolls and Gnoll Champions wherever she found them.

The more commander-class individuals we eliminated...

The easier the battle would become.

-Out of my way!

Our tough black rabbit...

Who happened to be elephant-sized...

Punched aside the surviving Gnolls one after another as he bounded deeper into the blazing inferno.

'The ride's a little rough.'

-How rude, Master.

-I am not an automobile.

He was so enormous that falling off wasn't really a concern.

Still...

It wasn't exactly comfortable.

Maybe I'd simply become too accustomed to riding Three-Horned Mountain Goats.

Apparently I wasn't the only one.

Leisha also seemed uncomfortable, clinging tightly to my back with both arms wrapped around me.

-Hmph.

-I'm the one doing all the hard work.

-And that lion female is only satisfying her own selfish desires.

'Come on.'

'That's not it.'

The Lion Tribe wasn't accustomed to riding mounts in the first place.

She'd probably never imagined riding something this bizarre.

Even if she had some ulterior motive...

I didn't really mind.

In the end, Leisha's condition was the most important factor in this battle.

If sacrificing my own comfort helped even a little...

It was worth it.

Though...

Being squeezed this tightly did make it rather hard to breathe.

'At least the Fire Resistance Potion works well.'

If I remembered correctly...

The potion lasted around two hours.

We had to find the Gnoll Lord as quickly as possible.

Urging Blacksoil onward, we pushed deeper into the sea of flames.

One way or another...

This mission came with a time limit.

-We found him.

"I see him."

"Leisha."

"I see him too, Bear."

After searching for several more minutes...

We finally spotted the Gnoll Lord wandering through the inferno.

Its movements looked sluggish.

It seemed to have taken the explosion head-on.

The sudden blast had clearly stunned it.

Now it wandered through the sea of fire, repeatedly looking around after losing its sense of direction.

The perfect opportunity to ambush an Out-of-Class Monster.

-Roar!!

The instant she spotted it, Leisha unleashed a Lion's Roar and kicked off Blacksoil's back.

A violent storm of black Aura swirled around both of her fists.

Her iron fists slammed directly into the Gnoll Lord's abdomen.

-GRRR!!

Caught completely off guard by the sudden ambush...

The giant monster's massive body lurched violently.

-GRRRR!!!

Then...

As if nothing had happened...

It swung its enormous steel warhammer straight at Leisha.