NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
On the day of the large-scale raid,
I woke up early in the morning to pick up the Ice Horn leather cloak I had requested.
It felt slightly heavy to wear, but its sturdiness and ability to keep me warm exceeded my expectations.
I was in good condition, and I had completed all the preparations for the large-scale raid the day before.
Carrying a rather hefty bag, I headed to the Adventurer’s Guild.
As I slowly walked there, I found a massive crowd gathered in front of the Adventurer’s Guild, even though it was early in the morning.
Some people had grim expressions as they grabbed their breakfast, while others seemed to be grouping up, trying to find teams to take part in the raid.
However, there were those who caught my attention even more.
They were soldiers clad in expensive metal armor, unlike the adventurers.
They must be the mercenaries the receptionist had mentioned.
Watching the soldiers standing tall, memories from my past life resurfaced.
It was the receptionist from the guild who was checking the participants’ identification.
I approached him and handed over my wooden token.
“Seris… Participation confirmed…”
As he retrieved the token and noted my information in a thick document, he nodded once it was done and headed off somewhere else.
The gaze of the adventurers began to fixate on me.
I was likely the youngest among those participating in the large-scale raid.
Most of the stares were full of curiosity, but there were a few that looked at me with disdain.
Yet none of the adventurers dared to take issue with me.
It was probably due to the soldiers of the market being present here.
“Everyone, pay attention!”
In the midst of my daze, a middle-aged man stepped forward with the receptionist from the Adventurer’s Guild.
Seeing his figure, I couldn’t help but picture a knight.
He was clad entirely in full plate armor, with a long crimson cape trailing behind him.
The luxurious black sword at his waist matched the image of a knight I had envisioned.
“I am Sir Lycan. I will be your commanding officer for this raid. From the moment we leave this city, I expect you to follow my orders.”
As Lycan finished speaking, the adventurers began to murmur among themselves.
These were adventurers who had lived freely their entire lives. It seemed hard for them to accept that someone would attempt to control them.
At that moment, one disgruntled adventurer stepped forward.
“Who decided that?”
“It is the will of the mayor.”
The will of the mayor, in other words, was the will of the client.
The adventurer who voiced his discontent fell silent and nodded.
That wasn’t all. Lycan’s answer quickly quelled any dissatisfaction among the adventurers.
It appeared that none of them wanted to go against the wishes of the client who would pay them.
“How far will your orders extend?”
“Meal times, movement, and monster hunting. Beyond that, I won’t interfere.”
Lycan continued to speak skillfully, ignoring the occasional rude questions thrown by the adventurers, seeming accustomed to such conversations.
“If anyone has grievances, step forward. I will transfer command of the raid to whoever can defeat me.”
That was a bold statement.
However, there were no adventurers stepping forward with confidence in themselves.
The title of knight seemed to carry more weight than expected.
Lycan scanned the adventurers, as if daring someone to challenge him.
In that moment, our gazes met in the air.
“…”
I sensed a question in Lycan’s expression as he looked at me.
He tilted his head slightly, showing he couldn’t comprehend why I was here.
I puffed out my chest and rested my hand on the sword at my back.
It was a gesture to show that I was here as an adventurer myself.
Just then, the receptionist, catching on to Lycan’s gaze, approached him and whispered something in his ear.
Lycan frowned at the receptionist’s words.
He snatched the document from the receptionist’s hand and quickly read the contents.
“When are we departing?”
Even after the promised time had passed, Lycan showed no signs of setting off, provoking complaints from the adventurers.
Their disgruntled voices quickly spread among the other adventurers.
“Ahem…”
Lycan cleared his throat while checking the document and nodded.
“I apologize. I had something to confirm… We’ll be heading out now!”
A large raid team consisting of one knight, two hundred and fifty adventurers, and fifty mercenaries left the city, heading towards the Karum Mountain Range.
Throughout the journey, Lycan explained the route to the adventurers.
Of course, few adventurers actually paid attention.
The Karum Mountain Range was still covered in snow, with chilling winds blowing fiercely.
I pulled my wolf head hood down deep to prevent frostbite on my ears.
When we reached around the midway of the Karum Mountain Range, we were given a short break.
I, too, headed to a suitable spot to rest.
Brushing away the thick layer of snow with my hands revealed a decent rock.
I sat on it and exhaled slowly.
“Phew…”
Over the past week, I had done endless contemplation and research.
How could I trap the mana swirling in the air within my body?
The answer was surprisingly close by.
Just like in the Karum Mountain Range, I realized the difference when I attempted to wield swordsmanship using the mana.
I discovered that the mana in the city and the mana in the Karum Mountain Range were different.
The mana in the city center was loud, and chaotic.
The mana near the sea resembled the vast ocean, possessing a chill akin to the cold winter weather.
Thus, mana had the characteristic of changing its form according to the surrounding environment.
I found my answer there.
First, I changed the appearance of my inner world.
I shaped the endless expanse into a small globe.
The sphere created this way surrounded my heart.
The problem came next. The mana absorbed from the outside was refusing to mix with my mana.
The reason the absorbed mana was leaking out was precisely this.
Thus, I needed to form a small ring above the sphere encircling my heart.
A blue ring made only from external mana, endlessly rotating and gradually transforming into a form similar to my mana.
This was the birth of the mana circle.
The ring of mana created would naturally mix and merge with my mana as time passed.
The mana circle generated in the city had already begun to shimmer with small starlight, so it wouldn’t take long.
I formed a new mana ring above it.
It was a cerulean circle with the cold and fierce properties composed of the mana from the Karum Mountain Rage.
“Let’s go!”
The brief break ended quickly.
The adventurers trudged along, heading deeper into the Karum Mountain Range.
Though it was labeled as a large-scale hunt, there were no monsters to encounter.
With about three hundred people moving at once, the monsters must have been avoiding us.
Thus, the first day of the raid concluded with no results whatsoever.
*
The second day of the raid dawned.
Having had breakfast, the raid team followed Lycan’s orders deeper into the Karum Mountain Range.
After walking for roughly half a day,
“Everyone, stop…”
Lycan, who was walking ahead, raised his hand and halted the raid team’s movement.
Noticing his unsettling expression, the adventurers each drew their weapons.
I, too, unsheathed my sword and gazed straight ahead.
In that moment, the white snowfield seemed to tremble, and an astonishing number of goblins sprang forth.
– Kieeek!
– Kieeek!
– Kyaaaak!
At a glance, there appeared to be over a hundred.
The goblins continued to pour out from the high hills.
“Attack!”
The instant Lycan’s roar resounded, the excited adventurers rushed forward.
With a reward of 1 silver per goblin, everyone was a competitor.
I, too, charged forward, swinging my sword.
My large strides stomped the ground, and the sword that had been pulled back flew forward.
The pale moon was enveloped in weak starlight and pierced through a goblin’s head.
Crack!
– Kieeek!
After taking down one goblin, I couldn’t help but frown.
The goblins’ movements weren’t aggressive. Rather than charging at us to attack, they seemed like they were fleeing from something pursuing them.
As I surveyed my surroundings, I noticed several adventurers who seemed to share a similar feeling, halting their movements.
However, most adventurers were blinded by the urge to achieve results and kept pushing forward.
It was then that I heard it.
Behind the screaming goblins, a faint sound approached.
The ground beneath my feet trembled. It didn’t take long for me to recognize the vibrations traveling through my legs.
An earthquake?
Boom-!
In that moment, a clear rumble echoed.
From beyond the hills, it sounded like something massive was on the move.
“Everyone, halt!”
Judging that this situation was abnormal, Lycan urgently called the adventurers back.
However, the adventurers, high on the prospect of blood, failed to hear Lycan’s voice.
Boom-!
Again, but this time the great roar was much closer.
Saah-!
The shock was so tremendous that the snow piled atop the branches came crashing down.
As the white snow scattered from the sky, obscuring my vision,
A giant shadow revealed itself from atop the hill.
The shadow approached silently.
And just as I sensed the shadow moving,
Five adventurers, who had been slaughtering goblins atop the hill, shot into the air.
Whaaa-!
The dull sound heralded death.
The bodies of the adventurers soared high into the sky, torn apart and scattered in all directions, spraying red blood.
The blood mingled with the falling snow, creating a bizarre phenomenon of red snow.
“Oh, an Ogre…”
A trembling voice articulated the shadow’s identity in terror.
In that instant, among the falling red snowflakes, a bright yellow gaze darted toward us.
Its body was immense and thick.
Boom-!
The source of the kerfuffle echoing from afar was revealed.
It was the sound of the Ogre’s footsteps.
[Kwaaaaargh!]
The Ogre that had flung away five adventurers roared as it looked down the hill, unleashing a massive bellow.
At that horrific sound, the adventurers began to collapse in despair.
I, too, felt my legs turn to jelly and went down to the ground.
At that moment, only Lycan, the knight, remained standing.