Chapter 102. Spirit (1)
One of the three forces that humans can wield, aura.
Normally, aura manifests with a crimson hue, mainly used to enhance physical abilities, or to coat weapons and armor, increasing destructive power or defense.
However, a select few who are born with special aura, or who have undergone countless training and battles, can apply aura in more versatile ways.
The Shatter of the Butcher, Galliark.
The Blood Flash of the Crimson Sword, Leira.
The No-Flash of Jack.
Each, a method of aura transformed and refined in their own way.
The world calls it martial techniques.
Skald, too, had his own martial technique.
Rigid Body.
When he activated his aura, veins bulged on Skald’s arms and legs, hardening them like steel. Skald pulled his twin axes back. Just before colliding with the foremost wyvern, he braked with his legs and twisted his waist sharply. The sound of bone and flesh shattering burst forth.
In a single blow, Skald split a Forest Wyvern in half, and then continued his charge forward.
Behind him, Vermin and Rubina guarded his back.
Rubina, moving swiftly among the trees, aimed arrows at the vulnerable parts of the Forest Wyverns’ bodies, while Vermin, shield in hand, blocked the front.
Meanwhile, Priest Kedian completed his incantation. A holy light rose into the sky and took on a form.
< Holy Servant >
A servant of light, clad in sacred armor and holding a golden spear.
A divine summon that only a priest of the Luas Church, who has been granted the rank of cleric, may call forth.
“Servant of Luas, crush our enemies!”
At Kedian’s call, the servant responded, clashing with the Forest Wyverns.
As always, the party’s demi-human subjugation went smoothly, each fulfilling their role flawlessly. Rubina, having used up about half her arrows, landed lightly on a branch.
‘It seems no other demi-humans are gathering… hm, no variables. Then, let’s see how the new mage fights.’
After all, mages who wield lightning are exceedingly rare.
Placing another arrow on her bowstring, Rubina cast her gaze toward Verden.
“…Huh?”
Something was off.
Verden was indeed actively participating in the battle, but it was not the scene she had expected.
Each time he swung his staff, a shockwave burst out.
Wyverns struck on the head staggered, unable to recover, and at the same moment, he activated three spells at once, conjuring massive stones that pierced through their thin underbellies.
Already, four had fallen to Verden’s hands.
‘What kind of mage fights so brutishly?’
The standard of a mage was to cast magic from a safe distance.
But he instead closed in, dramatically combining his body with magic. One might call it reckless, but to Rubina’s eyes, it was different.
He grasped the wyverns’ movements precisely, dodging by a hair’s breadth, displaying superb senses and boldness. Magic unleashed at close range was devastatingly powerful.
‘This can’t be self-taught… he must have a master, right?’
Surely that was the case.
If he had fought like that alone, he would have been dead long ago. Born talent aside, he must have undergone systematic training from an early age.
‘That face, with that skill… really living up to his looks.’
Drawing her own conclusion, Rubina pushed off the branch again.
By then, the battle was nearing its end.
Only the Forest Wyvern pack’s leader remained.
[Kieeeeeeeek!]
Larger than the others, the wyvern leader let out a savage roar.
It leapt into the sky, dodged Rubina’s arrows, and then dove straight down at Skald.
Skald, drawing forth every ounce of his aura, thrust both axes forward, colliding with the beast’s fangs.
Kwaaaaduduk!
Skald’s legs drove deep into the ground as he was pushed back.
Yet his body remained steadfast.
He shoved his arms upward, wedging his axes between the wyvern’s teeth. Then, twisting his waist with force, he struck upward.
In an instant, the wyvern leader’s massive body was hurled into the air.
“Asher! Rubina!”
< Stone Crack >
Jagged rocks tore into the wyvern’s belly.
Then, Rubina’s arrows pierced its vital points one after another. The leader slammed into the ground, and Skald raised his axe again, severing its neck halfway through.
The trembling beast soon went limp.
The Forest Wyvern pack was annihilated.
But the battle was not yet over. From afar, Verden, sensing movement, expanded his mana detection.
“Five ogres, including an advanced type. Quite a number.”
“Normally, when they hear such commotion, beasts flee. But those who think themselves predators are different. When they sense prey, they approach without hesitation. An adventurer’s way of survival, is not only to focus on the enemy before them in the heat of battle, but to always assume possible dangers.”
Skald wiped the blood from his axe and turned his gaze.
From deep within the forest came one Twin-Head Ogre and four Ogres. The massive logs they carried were caked with dried, dark-red blood.
“Those must be the ones who killed the guild’s adventurers. Asher, could you take the first strike?”
Their numbers were many, and they were at a suitable distance.
Perfect for lightning magic.
Responding to Skald, Verden stepped forward.
From the staff where mana had gathered, a low rumble of thunder arose.
< Chain Lightning >
***
Ogres.
Demi-humans that use their massive strength and tough skin as weapons.
The advanced type, Twin-Head Ogres, are an even more evolved form.
With a larger body, and a savagery so fierce they even devour their own kind, they are terrifying to even face. Caught by them, most would be crushed to death instantly. Even adventurers well-versed in demi-human subjugation cannot afford carelessness.
Of course, Mithril adventurer party Manha and Verden made no such mistakes.
The forest was left in ruins from the battle.
Ogre blood splattered everywhere, and even the corpses of magical beasts, lured by the noise during combat, lay strewn about. At last, the servant summoned by Kedian pierced through the palate of the final demi-human.
───Thud.
The battered Twin-Head Ogre collapsed.
The forest fell silent once more.
“…It seems no more are coming.”
“Whew, the guild was right, there really are more than usual. Just how many is this? Counting the wyverns, it must be well over twenty, right?”
“Still, it is within the expected range. Having succeeded in subjugating this many high-risk demi-humans, the forest should remain quiet for a while.”
The world always changes.
Things different from the usual can happen at any time. Rare though it may be, the natural mass emergence of demi-humans is not an impossible story.
“Then, I’ll ask you to handle the materials. I’ll stand guard with Asher.”
“Yeah, yeah. Since there are many, I’ll leave out the useless scraps.”
Vermin slumped down on top of an ogre.
Drawing a dagger, he coated it with aura, then split the arms and legs apart to harvest the thick tendons. Rubina and Kedian assisted him from the side.
Verden asked Skald.
“Shouldn’t I help?”
“Do you know how to harvest materials?”
Verden shook his head.
He wasn’t even an adventurer to begin with, so how would he know?
“Then just stay here. We are not resting, but strictly keeping watch in case of any other threats nearby, so do not feel burdened. Besides, the labor cost for material harvesting is distributed separately.”
“If that’s the case…”
Verden’s eyes shifted to Rubina.
Wouldn’t it make more sense for an archer to stand guard? She seemed to be the one in charge of scouting and searching within the party.
Skald scratched his cheek awkwardly, as if sensing the doubt.
“The truth is, I’m clumsy with my hands. Whenever it comes to harvesting materials, I get tense, and end up using too much strength. The amount of money lost on ruined materials… it was quite large. So, naturally, I was excluded.”
Ahem.
Skald cleared his throat and shifted the subject.
“By the way, I have something to ask. Where did you learn that fighting style? It was nothing like a mage’s movements.”
“I learned it from my master.”
That was the backstory.
Skald nodded in admiration.
“I see. A mage enhancing himself with imbued magic, and using it in combat… You did not merely have magical talent. Even if you had chosen the path of a warrior, you would have surely achieved greatness.”
To be honest, his current movements were only possible thanks to the Ring of Rune, Exceed. Without it, he would have avoided fighting so boldly.
‘But a path other than that of a mage, huh.’
Before Defying the Heavens, Verden’s limit tier was First Tier.
Even if his magical comprehension and calculation ability were at the level of a Genius, his future as a mage had been hopeless. Perhaps, had he taken up the sword instead of magic… he might have lived a happier life.
A life without despair, without suffering.
But it had no meaning.
Neither the far-off future, nor the past gone by.
For the Verden of now, only finding the next step of the staircase leading upward mattered. Nothing else.
Hiding such thoughts, Verden continued a light conversation with Skald.
Meanwhile, the other adventurers had finished harvesting the materials. Vermin, washing his blood-soaked hands, shook his arms tiredly.
“The Twin-Head Ogre’s skin is way too tough. Same for the muscles. You see my hands trembling?”
“Ha ha, you’ve worked hard. When we return to Asern, I’ll treat you.”
“I’ll take care of the bag.”
Kedian picked up the spatial bag containing the materials.
Since it was a backpack type, its capacity was greater than the one Verden had. It wasn’t cheap by any means, but for a Mithril-rank party, it was no burden.
The battle had been long, but the reward was ample.
Their plan was to leave the depths of the Sloan Forest before sundown and then make camp.
At that moment.
[…Kkaduk]
The sound Verden had heard the night before.
This time, it seemed the other adventurers heard it too.
All of them quietly drew their weapons, heightened their vigilance to the extreme, and turned their heads.
In the forest they had passed, a lump of green light floated in the air.
***
‘What is that?’
Verden narrowed his eyes at the sight of the unfamiliar green light.
From the mysterious glow emanated pure magic power, comparable to that found in nature itself. As everyone held their breath, Vermin’s eyes widened in shock.
“S-s-surely… a spirit?”
“If it’s a spirit…”
The moment that name was spoken, the adventurers’ faces stiffened.
Skald, his expression grave, asked Vermin.
“Are you certain it’s a spirit?”
“That green glow… it’s exactly like the descriptions in the books. It’s definitely a forest spirit.”
Spirit?
Verden tilted his head slightly, and Vermin, glancing nervously at the spirit, gave a simple explanation.
Spirits are abnormal species born in untouched nature.
Harmless when calm, but if angered, their danger rises to the extreme.
“Forest spirits have the tendency to draw in nearby creatures, and even summon other spirits. Worse, old spirits can use themselves as a medium to control golems.”
“And physical strikes are useless, plus they have high magic resistance. They command nature itself, making them difficult to face. Their subjugation rank is Mithril, but as we are now, we cannot possibly defeat it. Unless one of us personally had Mithril-class strength, apart from the party as a whole…”
Verden, watching the spirit, asked Skald.
“What will you do?”
“If we flee as we are, we should be fine. Unless provoked, a spirit has no reason to harm us.”
Following Skald, they stepped backward one step at a time.
Six steps or so, and then, the spirit made a sound. This time, it did not stop at once.
[Kkaduk. Kkaduk. Kkaduk. Kkaduk. Kkaduk. Kkaduk. Kkaduk. Kkaduk. Kkaduk. Kkaduk. Kkaduk. Kkaduk.]
The spirit flared with light.
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, Rubina turned her eyes. Tremors were resounding from within the forest depths. From all directions.
“…Whatever it is, the spirit seems angry. Really angry.”
“It does seem that way.”
[Kieeeeeeeek!]
Soon, from the depths of Sloan Forest, countless demi-humans and magical beasts came flooding forth.
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