Chapter 197.1. The Signal Of War Begins

Once again, Mii-chan and others head towards the Ranch Dungeon. 
Armored buses and escort armored vehicles rumble along the forest road. They observe their surroundings, but not a single bird chirps. 
It’s too quiet because there should be many monsters in the area. Yesterday, we heard some cries coming from somewhere.
“We’re almost there, Takano-sama.” 
Karen says with a tense expression inside the armored bus, her voice trembling slightly.
“Vice Captain?” 
Kondo, the deputy captain, who is riding in the armored bus in place of Captain Gotou, nods and gives Karen brief instructions.
“Kato, we’re fully prepared. Go ahead.”
Karen asks anxiously. It’s because of her safety, but she pats her on the shoulder and gives her a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. Okay, give the signal now!”
[Flare]
Karen extends her hand out of the window and casts magic. The flare shoots out of her palm, exploding in the sky and emitting a bright light.
With that, even if they are far away, they should notice. In the original story, Karen would use [Invisible] and [Magic Stealth] to escape at this point. But this time, the Royal Guards are surrounding the area, making it impossible to escape.
“Let’s wait outside then.”
Yamiyo, with her dark night-like gorgeous hair, blew in the wind. I’m sure she looks like she will become a beautiful lady.
“Okay then, be careful.”
“Just a moment, Master.”
As Mii-chan tries to head outside, Nimue stops her.
Wondering what it is, Mii-chan turns her face towards Nimue, who respectfully hands her a long, wrapped cloth.
“Our Master asked me to give this to you. The time has come, he said.”
“From shishou? What could it be?”
Curiously tilting her head, Mii-chan takes the wrapped cloth. 
As she unwraps it, a terrifyingly mystical radiance illuminates her face.
It’s a finely crafted Legendary Orichalcum hammer, with a gem embedded in its handle emitting a faint light. 
It’s a hammer of light as if the light itself has been condensed into it. Even ordinary people can sense its divine presence and immense magic power.
“W-What is this hammer?”
Shocked by the sight of the powerful hammer, Mii-chan asks with trembling lips, and Nimue faintly smiles and explains.
“That hammer is a divine hammer prepared by master for you. Its name is Poyopoyo Hammer. That’s what he told me, smiling as she explained.”
“Wha- What? Poyopoyo Hammer. Shishou prepared it for me. Thank you, shishou!”
Mii-chan nods excitedly and kicks Nimue, flashing a radiant smile.
Just kick Nimue for now.
With the Poyopoyo Hammer in her hand, it fits strangely well. 
It’s a splendid hammer that seems to have been created specifically for Mii-chan.
“I can do this now!”
“Oops, I made a mistake. Um, which line was it? Ouch, that hurts, shishou!”
Proudly puffing out her chest, Mii-chan kicks Nimue while raising the hammer like a hero. 
It’s like a protagonist’s power-up event unfolding right there.
So, Tamamo-chan, don’t give me that excited look and shake Nimue’s body to show me the script, okay? 
You don’t have to show me either, Nimue!
“Congratulations, Mii-sama. Turn your face slightly and strike that pose at the perfect angle.”
Yamiyo-chan, I’d love it if you could applaud or something. Why do you have a camera? 
Are you the daughter who got selected as the protagonist for the school festival?
“Master. The ability of that hammer… um, please wait a moment. I forgot. Let me check again.”
“When I infuse mana into it, it becomes an area attack! Alright, I’ll do my best!”
It’s an exquisite creation made using the legendary diamond of light and stored ores.
-Poyopoyo Hammer: Level 65, single target, can choose the attack method for area attacks. Effective against attributes other than light, has All-powerful attributes-
The name might not sound cool, but this is a cheat-level weapon. 
Its original attack power may not be that high. 
But it is a powerful weapon with special effects, universal properties, and the ability to perform area attacks.
“What is this?!”
Sena interjects with a bewildered expression, but the school festival is over.
Even as a mob, I wanted to experience a power-up event like the protagonist.
Without looking back, Mii-chan gets off the armored bus. 
Her ears are red because it’s cold. Seriously.
Mii-chan got a little carried away. She wanted to have an event that made her feel like the protagonist.
The result of no longer hiding various things is Mii-chan’s foolish actions.
As I stepped outside, everyone was on high alert with serious expressions. 
They aimed the machine guns mounted on the armored bus, and the guards held their weapons, creating a tense atmosphere.
“I’ve spotted magic light in the 3 o’clock direction!”
A guard floating in the air at [Fly] informs us while peering through binoculars.
“Numerous magic powers detected. Presumed to be monsters.”
A guard standing beside the armored vehicles informs us while looking at a map.
It seems to be a magic map that can detect the enemy’s positions like a radar. 
Fantasy template.
With dense vegetation and towering trees obstructing the view, our visibility is still quite limited, putting us at a significant disadvantage.
-The main story [A New Curtain Of Night Descends] has started!-
A log suddenly opens up in front of me. What’s this? A main story? I’ve never seen a main story like this in a game before. 
Wait, the original story hasn’t even started yet!
I’m surprised by the displayed log, but what follows is even more shocking.
Magic power surges through my body, enhancing my physical abilities, and the magic armor Wartan activates. Faint magical light swirls around the armor and my gray hair sways.
It seems to be a combat-oriented form. 
It’s the same as during the stampede earlier.
I’m constantly in combat mode, participating in an event where I can earn proficiency points.
This time, I’ve switched back to the main job of Priest and changed the second job to Summoner and the sub-job to Ninja. If it’s Stampede Level, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Or so I thought at times.