The hunting began with Atilla’s announcement.
Normally, if there are high-output wizards or ranged attackers, they would start by bombarding from afar, but since our team lacked such abilities, Atilla took the lead.
– Boom!
As Atilla stepped into the clearing after leaving the dense forest, there was some distance from the barricade.
“Coo-ree? Coo, coo-ree!”
Inappropriately stationed in the watchtower, a green-furred creature glared at Atilla. It crowed loudly, alerting others of the intruder.
– Boom!
Atilla slammed her leg down. Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the ground. With every stomp, the earth beneath her feet trembled.
– Boom! Boom!
Atilla was appropriately armored. While she wasn’t completely covered like a medieval knight in heavy steel, her armor was still quite thick.
After about five running starts, Atilla’s eyes gleamed. Her magic enveloped her entire body.
– Kwooom!
This sound was different. This time, it wasn’t just a crack; part of the ground sank deep. With her shield raised, Atilla struck the ground head-on.
Chunks of earth flew back violently. Her legs, powered by infused magic, propelled her forward with greater speed.
But that wasn’t all. The raised shield was engulfed in magic, surrounded by a sinister blood-red aura.
“Coo-ree!?”
Feeling the impending danger, the green creature’s cries turned desperate. The others were nervously grabbing weapons and moving around.
Before they could even respond adequately, Atilla crashed into the thick wooden barricade.
– KABOOM!
“Caw-k!”
At the moment of impact, the barricade exploded. It sounded like a bomb had gone off, followed by the screams of the green creatures.
Wooden debris scattered everywhere. As the sharp splinters hit them, the green creatures went into a panic, and the ground shook again.
The barricade was smashed in an instant. But Atilla didn’t stop there. She continued to stomp across the ground, shield leading the way.
“Coo-ree! Caw-k!”
“Cough! Coo-ree!”
Surrounded by the swirling magical aura and enhanced strength, Atilla was a human tank rampaging through the village.
Green creatures in her path exploded. Some were shattered into pieces, while others flew far away, limbs torn off as they tumbled.
“Coo-ree…”
But not all green creatures had perished. Just as some narrowly avoided the charge, they grasped crude weapons, trying to surround Atilla. Then, a spear plunged into one of their necks.
– Kreech! Plop─!
“Entry completed.”
It was Nam Yeon-jung’s spear, following closely after Atilla as she broke through the barricade. His spear was similarly shrouded in deep blue energy, easily piercing through the green creature’s skin and bones.
Nam Yeon-jung kept jabbing at the green creatures attempting to surround Atilla. The ones who were about to trap her surrendered their necks to his pointy attacks.
As Atilla broke their formation, Nam Yeon-jung disrupted the remnants, reducing their numbers further.
“Quite the excitement, huh.”
Aiden mumbled as he swung his sword, cleanly slicing through the air.
– Swish
“Coo-ree…!”
The sneaky green creature’s head rolled off as Aiden kicked its body away to clear the path.
I nodded inwardly, seeing him handle the situation smoothly.
It was definitely sharper than during our training. Of course, he had grown since then, but there must have been some muscle memory from our sparring sessions.
With Atilla and Nam Yeon-jung stirring the chaos in the village center, Elia and I stood guard by the shattered barricade, blocking the escaping green creatures to support the advance.
Since the entrance to the village was already smashed nearby, it was easy to hold them off.
“─, ─.”
At that moment, Elia began to mumble.
Casting. Self-suggestion for managing magic. The easiest method to cast spells.
– Wuuuuuuh!
The magic she released arranged itself in complex patterns. The magic, once organized, flew towards Atilla and Nam Yeon-jung, who were wrecking havoc in the center.
Boom! A green creature hit by the magic exploded. Atilla flinched upon seeing the fragmented remains, but then, a fierce smile formed on her face as she slammed her feet down again.
‘So that’s enhancement magic.’
Elia’s unique ability, healing. The official name was something like “Recovery Melody.”
It allowed her to designate a target for “Instant Recovery” and “Recovery Amplification.” The ratio of these effects could be adjusted, and there was a mild enhancement effect while these were active.
The enhancement was weak enough that it didn’t impede her core magical training, which Professor Liana had mentioned earlier.
Having surveyed the situation, I noticed that around half of the green creatures had already turned to sludge.
Being a Shio-ram student, I knew that handling creatures of level 8 was like eating cake, but seeing it live was still chilling.
If Atilla charged at me, I felt I’d also end up as part of the goo…
I had already counted three level 7 creatures. Unlike the other green creatures, they were larger and had several times the magic power of level 8 types.
One had already turned into sludge. The other two were desperately trying to hold on by using the level 8 creatures as meat shields.
In any case, it was just stalling. They’d be dealt with soon enough.
‘Hmm…’
The frontlines seemed solid. The green creatures were being shredded as if caught in a blender.
Elia was keeping her magic ready while drawing her sword, remaining vigilant.
Aiden was dealing damage to a few green creatures trying to escape through the broken barricade while protecting Elia and me.
In summary, we had some breathing room. I nodded and grasped my staff.
I’d fiddled with magic over the weekend. With Professor Liana’s help and some notes I scribbled in the library, I made some progress.
Though starting magic in just a few days was a bit sneaky, perhaps due to the synergy from my affinity for magic, spatial perception, and being a jack of all trades, I managed to grasp a few basic spells.
– Wuuuuuh
I drew out my magic and infused it into the staff. The staff resembled the classic wizard’s staff you might envision.
It had a deep brown wooden body with a blue crystal embedded at the tip.
The staff was carved from wood imbued with magic, and the crystal was processed from magical stones.
In this world, a wizard’s staff serves mainly two purposes.
First, it’s for storing magic.
Due to the considerable amount of magic required for spells, wizards often struggle with a lack of it. Hence, they carry such backup batteries.
Second, it assists in calculations.
Magic is often likened to calculations. While it isn’t entirely an accurate metaphor—since emotion and other factors play a role—the need for precise control makes the analogy somewhat valid.
Therefore, a wizard needs a higher level of magical manipulation than frontline fighters. Also, even a superb manipulator finds it easier with assistive tools. The staff combines both roles.
However, this staff lacks the second function, assistance with calculations.
It was barely capable of basic calculations, and as Professor Liana advised, using assistance could harm its overall performance.
Most importantly, due to my magical affinity, I hadn’t yet hit any walls that required calculation.
Thus, this staff specialized in being a magic storage backup battery.
Calmly regulating my breathing, I lifted the staff.
The easiest and most common way to activate magic is through verbal incantation; speaking words is a powerful self-suggestion.
But I couldn’t do that. The cursed silence glued my lips shut.
So, no verbal incantations. I could use sign language, but the spells I was about to cast didn’t need that.
– Wuuuuuh
Infusing my magic, I tapped the crystal at the end of the staff.
It was similar to the crystal training I did with Professor Liana. Tapping the magic in the crystal and drawing out magic from it to use as materials for spells.
The magic from the crystal, drawn out by my own, came out in plenty, still showing no signs of depletion.
But this amount was sufficient. Taking a deep breath, I began manipulating the magic.
The energy concentrated at the tip of the staff, and I focused on arranging the magic.
I had practiced a few times. My magic pool was so low that I got exhausted quickly, but thankfully, I never failed during these attempts.
Magic swiftly moved, gathering at the staff’s tip. It formed a spell formula. With my mental focus intact, I aimed at a level 7 green creature with the staff.
Simultaneously, I activated the completed spell.
“Magic Slash.”
It was rated as a low-level spell, closer to magic manipulation than actual magic.
Unlike elemental spells like fireballs or lightning bolts, it wasn’t property-based magic. It wasn’t even complex.
Instead, I simply sharpened the magic and fired it like a blade. Sure, there are some basic compositions, but there’s no hit correction.
As the name suggested, it was entirely about sending magic as a cutting slash. It was so simple that I managed to succeed on my first attempt.
I had experimented with it over the weekend. A small, thin blade of magic fired out, only flying about 10 meters before dissipating.
At this moment, rather than thinking about reducing their numbers, it was more like, “Hey, I’ve got some time; let’s give this a shot.” If I happened to take down a green creature, it would be a nice bonus.
The spell was cast.
Low-level magic
“Magic Slash.”
– KWA-BOOM!
“What!?”
A gigantic blue slash burst forth from the tip of my staff, easily several times my height. The fierce wind flapped at my clothes.
As the slash scraped across the ground, dust and debris flew everywhere. Amid the sudden roaring noise, several nearby green creatures were sliced clean in half.
“Shit?”
“What the hell is that?”
But it didn’t stop there. 20 meters, 30, 40… it ignored all expected ranges, cutting through anything in its path.
The slash struck the level 7 green creature too, which was wielding a rogue-looking knife with its long arms, eyes wide as the slash approached.
– Swoosh!
“Keeeeek─!”
Even with its nimble movements, one arm got caught in the strike. With a horrendous scream, that arm separated and rolled onto the ground.
With the green creatures of level 8 and the severed arm of a level 7 creature surrendered to the slash, it crashed forcefully into the opposite barricade. Swoosh! Only after cleaving through the barricade did the magical attack vanish into the air.
Long marks were etched into the ground. Dust rose in thick clouds around the area. The barricade lost its center of gravity and began to topple like a domino.
All the remaining green creatures, even Atilla, who was tearing through them, and Nam Yeon-jung, who was attacking with his spear…
Elia, who was preparing enhancement magic next to me, and Aiden, watching his surroundings, all stared in this direction. Their looks filled with shock and confusion.
‘…?’
I couldn’t express an answer to that curiosity. I didn’t know the reason myself.
– Thud, thud…
Now, only the sound of dirt hitting the ground surrounded us.
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