NOVEL NEXT Chapter 79
It hadn’t been long since everyone started running when Shurika’s figure came into clear view.
‘Oh no!’
Leaving the fallen members behind, she was trying to snap the Mystic Wizard’s neck.
“Stop it!!!”
[Verdolf casts ‘Frenzied Ash Wolf.’]
A gray wolf’s form appeared behind the Barbarian, no, Verdolf.
He charged away with frightening momentum, slamming into the ground.
─Awoooooo!!
It was merely the howl of an illusion made of magical power. At first, it seemed like just an over-the-top effect.
“⋯!”
Surprisingly, that massive howling made Shurika hesitate for just a moment.
Thwack!!!
Thanks to that brief opening, Verdolf threw himself at her with all his might, managing to push her back.
The new member was caught off guard and sent flying.
“Uurk. Hah.”
The magician, who had been choked, gasped for air face down on the ground, his face flushed.
I remembered reading in a book once. Not all Barbarians are the same; there are various tribes in the northern continent.
Tribes that worship beast gods or ancestor spirits.
Tribes made up of muscleheads who believe sheer physical strength is their only way to survive.
And there are mystical tribes that value communication with spiritual beings, among others.
I had been impressed by the diversity of tribes the book described.
‘Is she from the beast god tribe? Anyway, thank goodness. If Verdolf had been any later, that magician and all the members would have been burnt to a crisp.’
“Are you okay? Can you move?”
“Cough! Ahem. Thanks. I barely survived. I suppose I’m not ready to die yet.”
Following Verdolf, I arrived at the place where the members were strewn about.
The Holy Knight examined the Mystic Wizard, who was gasping and clutching his burnt neck.
Likewise, several adventurers tended to each fallen member.
“Here! The Monk is out cold! At this point, it’s practically the same as dead…”
“The Leader has also fainted. He isn’t moving at all! It seems we need to send some of us to transfer them. We’re out of potions, and we can’t heal here, right? Who’s going?”
That was true. We had shared all the potions to save the injured earlier, so there were none left for us.
Even worse, the only priest nearby was one who couldn’t use holy magic due to his area buff.
“What are you hesitating about? If you think you’re one of the weaker ones here, just get going! I’m not blaming anyone for taking the injured to a safe place, so don’t feel embarrassed!”
Did he get burned while bumping into something for a moment?
While Verdolf shouted, shaking off his singed skin, a few adventurers glanced at him and raised their hands.
“I’ll go. I feel like I’m nothing compared to everyone else.”
“Me too. I followed because it looked like too few people were bailing earlier, but the more I think about it, my place is probably over there.”
I’m weak. Thinking about it, I felt it was not my place to stay. I’ll go help people, and so forth.
Thus, about ten members with average stats of D-rank mid-level opted to either carry or assist the fallen members and retreated to the rear.
It’ll be fine. There are enough people left here—
Boommm!!!
“Someone stop me! No, just kill me instead! I’m begging you!!!”
From far away, Shurika, who had been launched, was engulfed in flames, with an enormous pillar of scorching heat shooting up from her body.
────
[Shurika Blaze]
[Strength: B] [Agility: B+] [Durability: C+]
[Stamina: B-] [Magic Power: A-] [Luck: F]
[Traits] (Fold)
Awoken Bloodline
Advanced Spirit Magic
Intermediate Channeling
Pure Magic
Dry Timber
Flame Affinity
Corrupted Body
Soul Contamination
────
────
[A] [P]
A hybrid child of the famed Blaze family, who has long contracted with spirits to wield flames, she has endured harsh treatment due to her lowly birth and the fact that she looks just like a human—a half-elf with diluted blood.
Ultimately fleeing to Labyrinth City, she grew through hard work and fate, awakening the dormant power of her lineage—
─Her magical affinity is fixed to flames.
─Receives boosts from everything related to flames.
─Takes additional damage from ice attribute attacks.
─Her magic increases by three stages.
─Experiences burn pains rarely.
────
‘Wait, she’s an elf? A half-elf? I had no idea.’
… Regardless, this isn’t the important part right now.
Her stats and overall setup are solid thanks to her passives. She has no activated traits, indicating that her skills may be replaced by spirit magic? Spirit fusion also likely falls under that category.
Peering into the status window made it even clearer.
She was an opponent I’d have to fight for my life against.
Thud. Thud.
The despair-filled dark tear wizard drew closer.
Spirits devoured by their contractor’s emotions.
“It’s coming! All front liners move forward!”
With someone’s shout, the battle began as shields were raised.
Crashhh!!!
Shurika, spewing flames from every part of her body, charged forward fiercely.
Bang!!
The first target she aimed at was the shield-bearer who had shouted first.
Seemingly ready for a melee attack, her subsequent strike was actually a whip.
The problem was that just touching the whip, which was imbued with special fire, would quickly melt a regular shield made of iron.
“Graaah!!!”
His shield warped and melted.
Unable to withstand a few lashes, he retreated, receiving the fatal blow that made him drop the shield and fall.
“If you try to block me, everyone will die… If you can’t kill me, then run away!!”
As one shield-bearer was retired, the other adventurers didn’t just stand there watching.
“You think we’re just gonna stand around and let you escape, you piece of trash!!!”
Alongside Verdolf’s curses, several adventurers used their skills to attack and cast spells.
Lightning!
“… Fire away, Ice Spear!”
[Verdolf casts ‘Beast Strike.’]
[Gregory casts ‘Holy Strike.’]
[Liena casts ‘Phantom Throw.’]
[⋯⋯.]
[⋯⋯.]
“Gyaaaaah!!!”
She was scorched by lightning, struck by an ice spear that froze one leg, and after several attacks rushed at her, she was sliced with a sword infused with divine power and stabbed by a thrown dagger, and finally sent flying from a heavy two-handed weapon strike.
“What’s wrong? This is easier than I thought?”
‘Who was that just now?’
Perhaps due to the outrageous words from the lunatic who dared to think it was easy, the tide shifted before follow-up strikes could land on the flying Shurika.
─Hiiiiiing!
─Boooom!!!
“Save me!!!”
“Cough! Ah, damn it.”
Smashh—!
With a horse’s kick and an elephant’s stomp, many bodies were crushed.
Not just those two…
Boom!!!
There was also a monkey throwing small fireballs and a dog breathing fire.
There was even a cat ripping through people with its scalding claws.
Damn. I had been hopeful when we first charged in, but dealing with spirits like this was a major headache.
Compared to the enormous damage inflicted on Shurika at the cost of one front-liner, the spirits watching her take hits and get knocked around didn’t just sit idly by.
From the lion that had fused with her, to cats, dogs, monkeys, horses, and elephants.
The spirits that caused the adventurers to bleed were met with thorough punishment from them.
‘It’d be a relief if they were at least moderately strong animals. But since they’re all fire-manipulating spirits, if they don’t have fire resistance or immunity, getting close is going to be tough!’
Despite starting the battle with dozens of people, due to various factors compounded, the spirits had acquired strength comparable to seasoned mid-rank adventurers.
Our numbers began to dwindle rapidly under their assault.
“Gahhh! My arm’s melting—”
Splat.
“No, please… guys, don’t do this… Just return to the Spirit Realm…!”
Crying out sorrowfully, Shurika pleaded, but even she was swinging her whip contrary to her own words, which was simply ironic.
“Ugh… I’m really going to die. Dammit. The only thing that can change this situation is me, the lone wizard. I’ve got to make it happen!”
In the chaotic scene, a blue-robed wizard at the rear gathered everyone’s attention with a resonant voice filled with magic.
“Everyone listen closely to me—!”
“I’m dying here, so what now?”
“For just 10 minutes! I’ll do whatever I can to transcend the tiers, so protect me and just hold on for 10 minutes!!! A 6th-tier area spell will surely be powerful!”
Once the wizard’s words finished, Verdolf and the holy knight, who were guarding Shurika, abruptly turned their heads.
In their eyes, only the blue robe shone bright.
“N-No, don’t! Block me!!”
What the hell.
Watching Shurika scream desperately for someone to block her with her body out of control made my insides bubble with curses.
Clang! Clang!
I swung my sword without rest, deflecting the incoming claws and hooves in this fast-paced battle.
How many minutes had passed? As I gasped for breath, I felt a murder intent building up inside me.
‘Release the murder intent!’
A wild red blood flowed wildly from my sword.
Just in time, I spotted the gaping belly of a spirit leaping at me with its claws drawn.
“Graaaw!”
Crack!
I shot the accumulated murder intent forward, dealing massive damage enough to shred through its torso.
“Y-Yow!!!”
As it writhed on the ground before being recalled, I pulled out a scroll from my bag.
I needed to divert their attention to move forward.
Fwoosh.
[Scroll ‘Colossal Rockfall’ used.]
A scroll containing a 4th-tier Rockfall magic.
I didn’t expect its durability to be lower than D-rank.
My plan was to divert the spirits’ attention with the rubble!
As I tore the scroll in half, a boulder, large enough to combine several adult men, suddenly appeared without warning in the air.
Boommm!!!
When it hit the ground, it shattered with a deafening roar, sending huge fragments flying in all directions that grazed the spirits’ bodies.
Thud—!
Seizing that moment, I leaped toward Shurika with my magic fully charged.
Ten minutes?
With the monkey, dog, and cat that other adventurers had desperately recalled, all that remained were the horse and elephant opponents.
In comparison, we had only the spellcasting wizard, a hefty priest, and two archers, a rogue, and the four front-liners excluding me.
I could guarantee that without the Barbarian and Holy Knight, there was no way to stop even an elephant, let alone a horse.
‘No matter how you look at it, switching roles here is the way to go.’
Clang!
After struggling to deflect the whip that was about to hit me, I quickly preached to the two recovering from their injuries.
“You heard the wizard! I’ll hold them off, so go back and deal with the spirits! It’s crazy keeping the two strongest here when the spirits are slaughtering everyone!!”
With a Barbarian wielding two weapons and a Holy Knight with a sword and shield rotting here, how could they afford to lose an elephant standing in flames?
Verdolf, with his body marked by whip burns and scorched scars, glared at me like I was looking to get killed.
“Little brat who doesn’t know their place! I can hold on here because I’m at least this strong! Why don’t you back off already?!”
Bang!
Yet again, I clenched my teeth while deflecting another whip strike aimed at my side.
‘True. With buffs, their average stats are B-rank, and they’re all seasoned mid-tier adventurers. In comparison, my C-rank stats are definitely struggling.’
But I had things they didn’t.
Strong flame resistance from Hynax’s earrings.
Still very weak, but an endless cold emitted by Frozen Frost.
And, on top of that, enhancement from doping and jungle resistance, and of course, the powerful Chaos.
While it was clear that I wouldn’t be able to kill them outright, stalling for time is definitely within my abilities.
‘What’s the use of holding her back if all the others are dead?’
I glanced at my wristwatch.
The confident wizard’s request was only for those precious 10 minutes.
Approximately 5 minutes remaining.
I gripped my sword.