Chapter 23: Must I Spare the Enemy? (5)
The shopping district located in the northern part of Dorman.
Boom!
“Kyaaak!”
The woman holding a pair of small short swords turned pale as a nearby wall melted with a loud noise.
“Get back! If you get caught in that, your hands will melt too!”
A man, presumably her comrade, grabbed her and pulled her away, but his expression wasn’t good either.
“Damn it! What the hell is that! A substance that melts even a Shield spell!”
There was a shield on his left hand, but about half of it had melted away.
The enchanted Shield magic had also disappeared, and now it was nothing more than a block of wood.
Confirming that the wall was breached, the Hellmorphs began to close their encirclement, slowly approaching.
Swish!
Just then, a green blade of wind flew from afar.
“Kieek!”
The blade sliced through two Hellmorphs, and they shrieked and retreated again.
The man who watched this let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew, it’s a good thing we have a mage.”
“But… how long can we hold out?”
The immediate crisis was averted, but the situation was still not good.
The walls of the building were continuously being destroyed by bombardment.
If all the walls disappeared, the next barrage would surely be aimed at them.
“Didn’t they say support was coming earlier?”
“What nonsense is that! You believe that? Support is coming in this situation?”
“That’s…”
The woman, lacking confidence herself, slowly lowered her head at the man’s words.
There was no sign of life in her eyes as she looked down at the floor.
But then, the screams of Hellmorphs were heard from far away.
“What is it?”
The man raised his head, but he couldn’t grasp the surrounding situation well.
But the screams continued to echo.
“Don’t tell me, for real?”
The man cautiously peeked his head over the wall. And he was at a loss for words.
“Is, is that even possible?”
Those snake-like monsters had brutally torn his comrades apart.
But now, those same creatures were suffering the same fate at the hands of a single man’s sword.
[Perfect Counter is activated!]
[Avatar of Counterattack is active!]
Current 35 stacks: All stats increased by 105%
The Hellmorph’s body, as hard as steel, was mercilessly sliced by the sword that fluttered like a dance.
The man’s eyes couldn’t even follow Artier’s sword.
“Phew, 20 seconds almost passed.”
Artier, muttering something incomprehensible and wiping his sweat, lightly rolled his wrist and jumped back at the Hellmorphs.
And belatedly, people appeared behind him.
“Artier! I told you not to rush in first!”
“A recklessly brave master like a dog! No, a master more reckless than a dog!”
“Are you allowed to use that expression?”
“Why can’t I? Humans use it a lot, don’t they?”
“……Is that so?”
The group, having a nonsensical conversation, didn’t even seem to think of helping Artier.
The man was frozen in disbelief, but soon he too was convinced.
Kwa-ga-gak!
This man didn’t need any help in the first place.
In that short time, Artier had cut down more than half of the Hellmorphs, and his speed was even increasing.
[You have leveled up.]
[You have acquired a skill.]
‘Alright.’
I had finally reached my original goal of level 10. Smiling, Artier took two steps back.
And quickly checked the information window.
‘What skill is it this time?’
[Skill Name: Wild Protection (Lv.1)]
Grade: 3rd Grade
Effect: Consumes a certain amount of mana to grant a random auxiliary effect to yourself and allies. The duration is 5 minutes, and only one auxiliary effect can be maintained at a time.
Thud!
Artier felt as if he had been hit on the head.
‘A buff skill all of a sudden? Why?’
The level 10 skill is extremely important.
Because along with the skill acquired at level 5, it practically determines the character’s growth direction.
Since he was given a skill that helps with counterattacks called Avatar of Counterattack at level 5, Artier naturally thought that the level 10 skill would also be a skill that similarly helped with counterattacks.
‘Wasn’t Wild Protection a skill you get by focusing on buffing allies from level 1? Why did I suddenly get this?’
“Master! Are you okay?”
[Regeneration (Lv.1) is applied.]
As Artier stood there blankly, Collie ran over and cast a healing spell.
It seemed he thought I had gotten injured while moving recklessly.
“……Uh, I’m fine.”
I was in the middle of a fight right now.
It was bewildering, but this was not the time to be dazed.
Snapping out of it by shaking his head, Artier started running forward again.
‘……I can’t discard a skill once I get it. I’ll worry about it later, for now, let’s defeat the enemy.’
Swish!
Artier began to cut down the remaining Hellmorphs.
Fortunately, because he had come to his senses quickly, the stacks of Avatar of Counterattack were maintained, and thanks to that, all those Hellmorphs had to lie on the floor soon after.
“We’re, we’re saved……”
Once all the Hellmorphs were gone, a man came out of a nearby building and bowed his head respectfully with trembling legs.
“It is an honor to meet a Supreme-Grade Mercenary. Thank you for saving us.”
“How many survivors are there in total?”
“Including me, there are ten. Ah, we shouldn’t be doing this here. Come this way.”
The man guided Artier and his party with eyes full of respect.
Inside the building, four people were gathered.
A woman with short swords, a man with bandages wrapped around his stomach, a woman who was unconscious with one arm missing, and a man who was standing with a rock because he didn’t even have a weapon.
“We survived thanks to you. Thank you.”
“Excuse me, but may I know your esteemed name?”
“It’s Artier.”
“Sir Artier, thank you.”
They all bowed their heads to Artier with reverent expressions and expressed their gratitude.
Unused to the reaction, Artier scratched the back of his neck, but Gerard and Jeina, who followed him in, had expressions that said it was only natural.
“You’re the one who’s not aware of it.”
“Little brother is a hero in this line of work.”
A Supreme-Grade Mercenary, the highest position a commoner could rise to.
If he had been a noble, he might have become the lord of a castle like Viscount Jestion.
“But didn’t you say there were ten people?”
When Artier asked the man he first met, the man immediately nodded.
“That’s right. There’s a mage providing cover fire from upstairs.”
“A mage?”
What mage?
For a moment, an uneasy feeling arose, but the man immediately shouted loudly towards the stairs.
“Reinforcements have arrived! You can come down now!”
“Already?”
And with that came a familiar voice.
While Gerard and Jeina’s expressions hardened, someone came down the stairs.
“Ah, thank you so much for your help……”
Derr, who came down the stairs with a good-natured smile, also froze solid as soon as he saw Artier standing before him.
“H-how?”
“I know, right, Mr. Derr. What in the world happened?”
Artier asked back, staring at him with a cold gaze.
‘When he said a mage, I had a hunch, but to think it was him.’
Ninety percent of the mages in this city belonged to the Magica Mercenary Corps. So it wasn’t surprising that the mage met here was a member of the Magica Mercenary Corps.
But he never imagined that person would be the very one who had screwed them over big time.
“I’m glad to see you’re alive and well.”
“……round him.”
“……?”
“Surround that man at once.”
Derr said, pulling out his wand, and at the same time, a familiar wave of mana was felt from the ceiling.
“What are you talking about? This person saved us.”
“The front line was breached because of that man.”
“Yes? What did you say?”
“You heard me correctly.”
Derr’s eyes had calmed down as if nothing had happened.
He gave instructions to the mercenaries in a calm voice.
“That man named Artier is someone who knows how to handle these monsters. This is a matter that was directly confirmed by the vice-captain of our Magica Mercenary Corps.”
“That can’t be……”
“Do you think it makes sense, logically? That someone with such strong skills would suddenly appear?”
At Derr’s words, the people unconsciously nodded.
In their eyes too, Artier, who single-handedly slaughtered dozens of Hellmorphs, did not seem human.
“If that man is the one controlling the monsters, then all of this is explaine—”
“Isn’t that a stretch?”
Just before suspicion colored the eyes of the majority, Gerard spoke with his arms crossed.
“We have never even met your vice-captain, and if we were on the same side as the monsters, there would be no reason to save you.”
“Magic that confirms a target’s information doesn’t necessarily require a face-to-face meeting.”
“That’s contradictory. Magic always leaves a trace. If that were the case, there’s no way we wouldn’t have known.”
At Gerard’s words, the people around began to murmur.
Derr, grinding his teeth at the situation not going his way, quickly returned to a calm expression and continued to speak.
“As expected, you’re defending him. Supreme-Grade Mercenary Gerard. No, should I say, who he used to be?”
“What did you say?”
“We have already grasped the information about you. The leader of a small mercenary corps, a survivor who recently returned from Jestion’s viscounty, characterized by swordsmanship that handles wind. But you haven’t used a sword at all since this request, have you?”
Gerard couldn’t say anything.
Derr immediately wiped his smile and put on a contemptuous expression as if looking at a hideous monster.
“To wear a human’s skin and pretend to be human.”
“There are circumstances behind this.”
“Circumstances? We’ll find out soon enough.”
Crack!
As he spoke, tough tree roots began to grow at Artier’s feet.
“Since when?”
Belatedly, Artier’s party moved their feet, but the tree roots that grabbed their legs held them so tightly that not even Artier or Jeina could move.
“He is the one who put us all in this predicament. Attack.”
“……”
At Derr’s words, the atmosphere of the surrounding mercenaries began to change.
Their questions seemed unresolved, but they began to aim their weapons.
“Are you believing this ridiculous story right now?”
“He’s not a mage, he’s a con artist!”
Collie and Jeina burst out in complaint, but the weapons were not lowered.
The mercenaries could not refuse Derr’s order.
[Derr is using a skill.]
Contract (Lv.1): A spell used on request contracts. If the agreed-upon actions are not performed between both parties, a pre-agreed disadvantage is imposed on the target.
In Artier’s eyes, he could see the translucent shackles attached to their arms or legs.
They were mercenaries who had made a contract with the Magica Mercenary Corps, and they had to follow their employer’s orders.
“……I’m sorry.”
That was the reason they couldn’t lower their weapons despite having no hostility.
Derr smiled triumphantly.
‘I’ve been had.’
Artier looked around with a subtle expression.
[Kai is using a skill.]
Entangle (Lv.1): Summons tree roots on the ground to bind the enemy’s feet.
Due to the magic of the mage presumed to be Derr’s companion, his feet were firmly tied.
The roots made of magic seemed like they wouldn’t be easily cut even with a sword.
Of course, that didn’t mean they were going to lose. The reason was the Burning Ancient Longsword that Artier was holding.
‘It’ll be a bit hot, but if I scrape the floor with this, all the tree roots will burn up.’
Fortunately, they had Collie who could use healing magic, and Gerard who had potions.
If they were willing to take a little damage, it wasn’t an impossible plan.
‘Let’s take this chance to kill that guy.’
I didn’t want to kill the innocent people I had just saved. But if I let that guy named Derr live, I had a feeling it would lead to trouble later.
It was the moment Artier, having made his decision, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Craash!
Suddenly, the wall of the building next to Artier shattered into pieces.
As everyone’s attention turned, a booming voice shook the entire building.
“Beat down those foolish bastards!”
“Waaaah!”
Dozens of men in silver armor, holding swords, stormed into the building.
The voice of the man leading the charge was familiar to Artier as well.
“Trophin?”