The Succubus Queen's palace is vast.

Enclosed by high fences and stone walls, the palace consists of five buildings, scattered across a wide area.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Frost Giants, who had penetrated the palace fence, began to search each of the palace buildings, spreading out widely.

There were twenty of them in total.

Twenty might seem few, but these were Frost Giants. Each one had the combat power of dozens of ordinary monsters.

It was far from a small force. In fact, it was a considerable deployment.

Boom! Boom! Boom...!

Due to their large size and weight, stealth was never an option for these beings.

The Frost Giants relentlessly demolished the palace in their search. One of them, swinging its arm, ripped off the roof of the largest building.

Seeing this, Salome, who was almost losing her mind, tried to shout something, but I quickly covered her mouth.

"Mmpph...!"

"Shut up, please. It's not the right time yet."

The Frost Giants continued their search, wrecking the palace with loud crashes. Noticing Salome's absence, they began to disperse even more widely.

They expanded their search to include not only the buildings but also the fence, stone walls, and even the beautifully decorated gardens.

Crack!

A Frost Giant's massive foot crushed a marble fountain in the garden.

"Mmmph!"

Salome nearly cried, twisting her body, but I held her tightly and did not let go.

'Stay quiet!'

As the twenty Frost Giants dispersed, one of them approached our hiding spot.

In the corner of the garden, amidst a wide expanse of flower beds...!

Crunch!

The tip of a Frost Giant's foot trampled the blooming flowers, right in front of us.

Lying flat in the flower bed, I signaled to Salome beside me.

"Now!"

"Mmph! 'Sleep!'"

Salome extended her hand forward, and a pink stream shot out, engulfing the Frost Giant.

Boom!

The Frost Giant's eyes clouded over, and it immediately stopped moving. The effect was lethal.

"Good, that's one."

"Ah... my palace... my flower beds..."

Salome babbled in panic, but I ignored her and looked for the next target to charm.

"You can control this guy you charmed, right?"

"Yeah... He'll follow my orders for a while..."magic

"Then lure that one over here. Let's keep charming them, one by one."

And so.

"'Sleep!' 'Sleep!'"

We successfully charmed two more Frost Giants.

We put a total of three under Salome's mind control.

"Hah! Hah! I did as you asked...!"

"Seriously, you're the Succubus Queen, and you're gasping after charming just three?"

"Eek! My charm is powerful, it can enchant anyone, but it takes a lot of energy...! I need to use it sparingly!"

In the game, her charm had an incredibly high success rate.

No matter how high the opponent's magic stat, her charm would prevail. The cooldown was just a bit long.

"Anyway, three is enough. Well done."

After saying that, I realized my mistake. I had praised Salome like one would praise a subordinate.

"Oh? Really? Hehe, I did well?"

Salome's face brightened up instantly, as if she had never been upset. I clicked my tongue and surveyed the remaining Frost Giants.

'Seventeen.'

In terms of numbers, they still had the overwhelming advantage.

On our side, three charmed Frost Giants. Then there was Salome, with almost no combat ability, and myself, hindered by system restrictions...

"If I had my subordinates with me, it would have been a fair fight. I could have charmed the enemy's captain, and my subordinates could have charmed the enemy's minions. We could have neutralized the entire enemy legion that way."

Salome said, plucking flowers from the garden and (has she gone mad?) sticking them in her hair.

"But now, it's just me... Charming the entire enemy legion is tough. It's also difficult to charm any more for a while... So, how do we fight, Ash?"

"I told you. Three is enough."

The enemies are scattered.

They are unaware that their allies have been charmed.

And most importantly, my existence is an unexpected factor.

Salome, who didn't know how to fight on her own and just used [Reality Escape], is no longer here. I'm here now.

I suffered tremendously at the hands of this damned Succubus Queen in the game, and I know very well how to use this succubus most cruelly and effectively.

"First, we'll divide and conquer."

I commanded Salome to send the three charmed Frost Giants to assassinate their comrades quietly.

I pointed out a Frost Giant on the outskirts and instructed her in detail on how to silently eliminate it.

Honestly, I was worried if Salome could control them properly as I instructed, but there was no need to worry.

Salome, highly focused, controlled the Frost Giants as if they were her own limbs.With her eyes closed, moving her extended fingers, her command over the Frost Giants was... like that of a puppeteer.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

The Frost Giants didn't suspect their comrades approaching and were engrossed in their search.

In that gap, the charmed Frost Giants approached from behind, grabbed the comrade from both sides, and slit their throats.

The trio of charmed Frost Giants moved as one body.

They quietly caught the body of the slain Frost Giant to prevent it from falling and moved towards the next target.

"Northeast. A Frost Giant. Looking south. Attract one naturally from the south to catch its attention, and the other two quietly approach from the east and west."

I observed and instructed,

"Wait a minute... It's getting confusing controlling all three at once... Is this an arm? Oh, a leg? No, it's the neck! Oops! It's looking this way! Act natural! Act natural! It's okay, Salome! You can do it!"

...Salome was verbally unstable, but her actual control was flawless.

Thump!

Thud...!

Boom...!

The trio of charmed Frost Giants obediently followed the commands.

By the time the remaining Frost Giants noticed the anomaly, already ten of them had been sent to the netherworld.

Bwoooh!

An enraged Frost Giant blew a horn. The remaining seven Frost Giants immediately thundered towards us from all directions.

"Aaagh! We've been discovered! What do we do now?!"

"Stay calm, Salome. It was bound to come to this."

When it came to Frost Giants, it was 3 against 7.

Naturally, we're at a massive disadvantage.

There's no need to even bring up Lanchester's laws; intuitively, in a battle between entities of similar specs, the difference in numbers is clear.

If things continue this way, a terrible defeat is evident.

'But, there's a variable.'

That these aren't just Frost Giants, but Frost Giants under Salome's control.

Frost Giants are known for their exceptional physical abilities among monsters. They fight based on the overwhelming physical specs they are born with.

In other words - high specs, but not much in terms of skills or techniques.

They don't need such things because they are strong without them. When you have overwhelming power, there's no need to waste time honing skills or techniques.

In the game, Frost Giants relied on their overwhelming specs to fight, but they lacked any special combat skills or abilities. They only had basic attacks, basic attacks, and more basic attacks.

So, let's think the opposite way.

What if these Frost Giants on our side, with the same specs, possessed techniques and skills the others didn't?

Unlike those who blindly charged in, relying only on their physique and numbers, we have tactics.

The difference in numbers can be significantly reduced...!

"Lead the three Frost Giants through the spaces between the palace buildings! Hurry!"

"Ah, got it!"

As we retreated into the narrow space between the main and auxiliary buildings of the palace, the seven enemy Frost Giants rushed in after us.

A confined and limited battlefield is advantageous for the defender. That's why I lured them here.

The Frost Giants should know this too. But they willingly jumped into this battlefield, knowing it's disadvantageous for them.

That shows how much they trust the difference in their numbers and their own specs.

But that's a misjudgment.

I gave Salome another command.

"Two will defend with shields, and one will stab with a sword!"

Salome immediately controlled the three charmed Frost Giants as I ordered.

Clang!

Ching! Clang!

The charmed Frost Giants smoothly transitioned between defense and attack like flowing water.

Two held shields to block enemy attacks, and one thrust a sword through the gaps in the shields. It was as if the three were one body, seamlessly coordinated.

What's so special about combat skills?

The three moving as one body. This is a remarkable skill...!

In the confined space, with overwhelmingly superior teamwork.

The enemy Frost Giants suffered cumulative damage quickly. The ground was littered with the dark blue blood of the Frost Giants.

Meanwhile, our three stood firm.

After the intense battle, our three Frost Giants were significantly injured but still stood in their places, alive.

On the other hand, six out of the seven enemy Frost Giants lay dead.

'Well done, Salome!'

This time, I thought it to myself without saying it out loud.

‘Huh?’

But then, among the corpses of those giants... the last one was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did the last one go..."

Whoosh-

Just then, a sound of cutting through the air came from above.

Frightened, I looked up just as the last giant fell.

It had circled around - not left, right, or back, but along the Z-axis, from above!

Crash!

The huge Frost Giant, with its cloak fluttering, landed and sliced the neck of one of our Frost Giants with its sword, and with its other hand holding a shield, crushed the neck of another.

"Kuk?!"

The last charmed Frost Giant under Salome's control rushed at it, but...Thump!

The attack was blocked by the shield,

Thud!

Followed by a stab in the belly with the sword,

Crack-!

And with a short-range shield strike, like a short burst of energy, it smashed the chest bone and sent it flying backwards.

Huff...

The Frost Giant, who had slaughtered all three in a flash, exhaled shortly and glared at us.

Distinct from other Frost Giants with its ornate armor, and a helmet resembling the wings of a fierce bird...

It's a Húskarl, an elite unit of the Frost Giant legion, essentially the highest-ranking warrior just below the legion commander.

"Oh shit."

Forget what I said earlier. If it's such a big shot, then it's a War-Master, proficient not only in its own specs but also in skills, techniques, and tactics.

"Salome! Can you charm it?"

"I still need a little more time before I can use it again...!"

Damn it! How are we supposed to stop that thing...?!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Without any time to ponder, it was already charging towards us.

In terms of physical specs and combat prowess, there's no comparison. The moment it reaches us, we'll be torn to shreds.

I clenched my teeth. Is there really no other way?

'...Wait a minute.'

Just then, a thought flashed through my mind. I quickly turned to my side.

"Hey, Salome."

"Huh?"

"Did you ever try to enchant me while I was asleep?"

"What? Hic, no really?"

Salome's eyes widened in shock, and she began to hiccup. Annoyed, I pressed further.

"Have you ever tried casting your enchantment on me? Answer me, quick!"

Salome, with a woeful face, confessed meekly.

"That, well, I did try! But it didn't work! Just like before, not at all...!"

A sly smile formed on my lips.

Salome's enchantment was powerful enough to work on any high-ranking unit.

But the fact that her enchantment didn't work on me meant that my passive skill, [Unyielding Commander], was still active.

In other words, although the system was blocked, my skills were still usable.

Then!

"Hey, you giant bastard-!"

Even without the system's adjustment.

If the skills I possessed were indeed my own abilities!

I should be able to use them!

Facing Frost Giant Huskarl, I recalled the sensation of using [Gaze of Command] and-

Shouted.

"Hit the deck, now!"

A flash of light burst before my eyes.

There was no blue interface that usually appeared when using skills, no internal resistance roll messages, no success or failure judgment. But.

I had a gut feeling.

I felt it, that it worked!

Magic power surged out of my body, infiltrating through his eyes, and then...

Whoosh!

The menacingly charging Frost Giant Huskarl suddenly fell to the ground, rolled over, and assumed the prone position.

Boom, crash!

His massive body crashed into the palace, tearing down the main building as he burrowed inside.

Watching the dust clouds billow, I laughed in exhaustion.

"I did it..."

I had been so reliant on the system that when it disappeared, I mistook my own abilities as gone too.

But that wasn't the case.

This power is mine. Without the system's help or adjustment, I can use it at my will...!

I clenched my fist tightly.

See that, you damn system. Even if I can't prove my existence or whatever, I am still me.

I can still fight...!

"My palaacceee!"

Just then, Salome's plaintive wail echoed over the ruins.

Right, that Frost Giant had just spectacularly demolished the very heart of the palace.

Crash, rumble!

The palace, with its pillars and beams completely collapsed, began to crumble in a chain reaction, completely engulfing the fallen Frost Giant.

Boom, crash!

"Noooooooooo!"

Watching the collapsing palace roof, Salome cried out in a tearful wail.

Honestly, it sounded quite pleasant to my ears.

--TL Notes--

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