To be honest, I was also overflowing with interest in explosives. How many men weren''t fascinated by guns and explosives anyway?
Plus, these mines were entertaining to watch. Instead of lethal mines spewing flames and electricity, they were shockwave mines that launched targets dozens of meters away.
The chat was already full of suggestions about using mines to jump over walls or as boosters for siege warfare. Though a strange desire to not act like Han Se-ah kept me quiet, both I and the hundreds of thousands of viewers were clearly excited about the mines.
"Think this spacing will work?" a knight asked.
"The entrance is wide, so they might come in double file," another suggested.
"True, they maintain military formation, so they''ll probably keep their ranks and files," a third added.
It was quite a spectacle watching twenty-two people crouched together, giggling while carefully replanting the magic device mines they''d regretfully destroyed while charging in.
The knights used gauntlets and backup daggers to dig, since they might need Snow Storm later, while Han Se-ah scraped holes with the bottom of her staff. Then they very carefully planted the pressure-sensitive mines and gently covered them with dirt.
They were being more careful than the last humans planting the final seeds in an apocalyptic world.
"Should we bet on how many step on mines? We could do groups of 5, betting whether lots of centaurs hit them or not," Han Se-ah suggested.
-lol Boss when are you opening the house? Stop talking and just open it
-Whoever you are I''ll eat well~Whoever you are I''ll eat well~Whoever you are I''ll eat well~
-lol Why do you think you''ll get to eat? Spam all you want now, memory wipe''s coming soon
-Can''t remember? From now on your name is Chunsik, and you have to comment here
-Chunsik (earns points by watching streams and commenting 20 hours out of 24)
While I contemplated asking for one mine for myself since getting launched looked surprisingly fun, all the mine-type magic devices were replanted.
Han Se-ah, Katie, and twenty Ice Cross Knights dusting off dirt wore pure smiles like kindergarteners proud after finishing sandbox playtime.
We''d quickly wiped out one camp anyway, and marked where the dark purple crystal was buried, so we could afford to wait here for a day.
"Speaking of which, Captain, what about the tents? Should we unpack or use the ones they were using?" a knight asked.
"Better set up new ones together, right? Don''t really want to use bedding the monsters used," Olek replied.
"Yes sir. We''ll level the ground and set up tents for the heroes too."
The knights rushed off without putting away their daggers and small hammers, apparently planning to do all the chores while already dirty.
Though they didn''t have inventory space like Han Se-ah''s weightless storage, these noble sons did have magitech military packs that could compress sleeping bags and tents. Each carrying such expensive items that even high-rank adventurer parties would think twice about buying - truly young noble masters.
As I observed this strange glimpse of class differences, Grace quietly approached after circling the fence.
"But won''t the centaurs detect how oddly quiet the base is? What if they just run away?" she asked.
"Mmm, maybe she thoughtfully stepped aside seeing us talk?" Grace suggested.
"Seems like it. ...She''s not completely oblivious, so she probably knows about our, um, relationship."
As I watched Han Se-ah entertaining herself while filming and the Ice Cross Knights suddenly turning tent stake driving into a strength contest, whispers tickled my ears from both sides.
Apparently Irene''s lap pillow, which had been most hesitant, and my embrace of her waist while fishing for northern stories had sparked something, making all three approach more boldly.
Usually they just chatted nearby or stood beside me in formation, but now they didn''t even try hiding that we were dating, linking arms or leaning their weight against me.
"Ah, such beautiful scenery you''d never see in the north. Why do horrible monster armies have to appear here?" Katie sighed.
"After we deal with the Demon King, will everyone be able to enjoy this beautiful view?" Grace wondered.
"It''d be nice if we could keep the first floor usable. The prairie there is beautiful too, and herbs grow there," Irene added.
Even then, the three lived up to their viewer-given nicknames.
Grace grabbed my wrist or clung to my arm while chattering away, Irene lived up to her "Mama" nickname by patting me soothingly or offering her lap as a pillow, and playful Katie, true to her "kid" image, leaned against me and bumped me with her head.
With beauties who could humble idols and actresses clearly showing their characters while acting sweet, the chat went wild like drunk aunties getting worked up.
Compared to weird muscular butt memes, obsessive shippers were almost cute, so I didn''t mind much. The AI automatically cut off excessive sexual harassment anyway. As long as they avoided the kind of images you''d find in the darkest corners of the internet--
PAAAAANG—!
PHEEEEEEE—!
Just then, something huge whooshed through the air above us.
A centaur who''d stepped on a mine.
"W-What!"
"They''ve reached the entrance! Battle stations!"
Everyone''s eyes naturally turned to Grace beside me. Her melted smile instantly hardened as she shook her head, nocking an arrow like a cowboy drawing a pistol and instantly piercing the flying centaur dead.
As if the centaur''s first and last flight without wings ending in a mana stone dropping into the clearing was a signal, the battle began.
"Can''t you sense anything right at the gate now?"
"No, at this distance we should sense something even without scouts."
Seems the fence wasn''t the only thing that evolved from floor 55 to 56.
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