It was a close call, but we managed to save them in the nick of time.
Karl had maximized his speed to scout from the air. While flying, he noticed Setun and his companions who were riding their mounts throwing something at a grotesque creature.
Even from a distance, it was clear they were at a disadvantage. The creature was unaffected by their attempts and seemed to be playfully shaking a large rock. So Karl decided to drop Eiji whom he had been carrying in a surprise attack from above.
The descent of Eiji with his tremendous weight turned out to be more impactful than expected. It seemed like he was using a martial technique while falling, and the speed of his fall was so thunderous that even those of us in the sky had to cover our ears. It was sheer brute force. The creature was blown to pieces by his strike.
“Wow, it’s still moving… Is everyone alright?”
“Yes, we’re fine.”
After Eiji descended from the creature he had subdued, he showed concern for Setun and the others. Coming to the rescue from the skies and showing concern for the people… He kind of looked like a comic book hero.
It seemed he managed to help them, yet the monster remained a threat. Whether we planned to confront or escape, gaining knowledge about the enemy was essential. As usual, it was time for [Appraisal]!
――――――――――
Race: Failed Homunculus Level 61-68
Job: Failure Lv-
Skills:
- [Super Health Enhancement]
- [Strength Enhancement]
- [Super Intelligence Enhancement]
- [Keen Senses]
- [Pain Immunity]
- [Rapid Regeneration]
- [Physical Attack Weakness]
- [Fire Weakness]
――――――――――
Failed Homunculus …? Could it be that this abomination bore the term “human” in its race? It was utterly blasphemous.
At first glance, it appeared to be a collection of severed heads, but now that the dust had settled, the true nature of the opponent became clear. It had the heads of humans and elves with limbs sprouting from where their necks should have been. In other words, it was not a “collection of severed heads” with limbs growing out of the creature itself, but rather a “collection of severed heads with limbs”.
It seemed as though their overall level was low, but they compensated for this with endurance and numbers. No matter how superior the opponent was, the sheer force of numbers, exceeding a hundred, could force their way through.
The limbs of each individual varied in number, length, and thickness. The Failed Homunculus were forcibly scattered by Eiji’s attack. It seemed as though they might gather once again, but instead, they launched a simultaneous attack on those on the ground without any regard for reassembly. It was about time for our intervention.
“We’re going in too. They might be weak to physical attacks, but they also have rapid regeneration. They’re weak to fire, so let’s burn them to a crisp.”
“Heheh, I won’t let Eiji have all the fun!”
Jigoro leaped off Karl’s back and plunged downward while being engulfed in flames during his rapid descent. Like Eiji, he maintained his speed and crushed one of the Failed Homunculus underfoot. Most of its head was blown away, yet it seemed to be still alive while flailing its limbs about. Stubborn creatures!
“Got a weakness~~ssu? Then I’ll just use fire arrows~~ssu.”
Shio notched an arrow imbued with fire element onto her bow and began shooting calmly. Her precise shots from the air seemed to be drawn magnetically to the heads of the Failed homunculus before getting embedded deeply upon impact. It looked like striking their weak points dealt great damage, as those hit by the arrows frantically tried to pull them out while rolling on the ground.
“Then let me cast my evil eyes upon them.”
After Mikelo said that, a black beam shot out from his entirely black eyeballs. According to Mikelo, this was the result of using a specialized attack known as the [Black Light of the Evil Eye] which consumed magic power to produce a beam combining dark and fire elements. Despite its name suggesting light, the attack was not of the light element, making it somewhat confusing.
Regardless, the power of Mikelo’s evil eye was powerful. The beam moved with his gaze, making it impossible for the Failed Homunculus with their irregular limbs to escape its reach. Though Mikelo complained about its high energy consumption, it seemed to be an effectively powerful attack.
“We can’t just stand by and watch. Karl, shall we join in?”
“Guuoooooooooo!”
Merely admiring the work of my companions wouldn’t do any good. I too had to engage in battle and contribute. Previously, I had been riding on the neck of Karl, who had carried Eiji and Jigoro. But now we dove down together, a man and a beast in a steep descent. At first, it felt as terrifying as a roller coaster, but now I had grown accustomed to it. Indeed, I had grown.
Upon landing, Karl crushed several of the Failed Homunculus underfoot and trampled over them with a mighty swing of his tail. Despite being crushed and slashed, they healed at a rate surpassing that of the giant yuzu pepper fish, but it was time for my newly acquired magic to shine.
“Perfect timing to try this out. Star Magic Circle, Remote Activation, Burnout.”
Using my newly learned Burnout spell of the [Flame Magic] skill, a huge flame erupted from the magic circle I summoned, scorching the ground and all the grass on it in an instant. Wow, this was quite spectacular and powerful.
Burnout was a highly powerful spell that could temporarily reduce an opponent’s resistance to fire. Ideally, it would allow for inflicting damage on enemies typically resistant to fire attacks. However, if an opponent had resistance to one element, it was better to use a different element, so this resistance-lowering aspect wasn’t often employed in this case.
But it exerted tremendous power against enemies with [Fire Weakness]. The combination of increased weakness and the intense flames was overwhelming. The Failed Homunculus screamed in their grating voices as they writhed on the ground.
While we wreaked havoc, Setun and the others skillfully coordinated to take down each creature one by one. While these creatures might have posed a formidable challenge as a group, individually they were just grotesque monsters with a strange resilience. They were pierced with spears, trampled by mounts, and continuously attacked with well-coordinated teamwork, which allowed even the Nadeus tribes’ crude weapons to deliver the killing blows.
“Grgh! Gah!”
“Grrraaagh!”
Even though the Failed Homunculus were lacking in intelligence, they appeared to understand they were at a disadvantage. When one of them shouted something, all living individuals gathered together in response. Then, they began to cluster together like before.
“It’s convenient if you gather. Magic Circle, Remote Activation, Burnout… What?!”
I used the Burnout spell once more to wipe them out in one fell swoop. And as expected, the spherical mass of the Failed Homunculus turned into a fiery blaze.
However, something completely unexpected happened. The Failed Homunculus surprisingly took the burning one into their center, while those inside emerged outward. This might be a confusing analogy, but it was as if the outer layer and the inner layer of an onion had swapped places.
The ones that were engulfed in flames were likely regaining their health as this happened. Tch, how troublesome!
“Then I’ll just burn you…ugh!”
I intended to burn them once more, but it seemed that the Failed Homunculus were particularly wary of this tactic. No sooner had they swapped their inner and outer members than they sprouted limbs and charged ferociously toward the very rock they had first been shaking.
At this moment, I couldn’t see the young Kilde I was searching for in any visible location. This meant he must be hiding, and the only likely place for that seemed to be in the shadow of that rock. Given that the Failed Homunculus had ignored Setun and the others for the rock, my deduction was probably correct.
The Failed Homunculus, flailing their hastily sprouted limbs as they ran, were quicker than I had expected. Turning them into a fireball might put the young Kilde in danger. They might not know of our circumstances, but could this be…?
“Buuuugaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
Was that Eiji?! Wedging himself between the rock and the Failed Homunculus, he let out a battle cry as he blocked their advance with a shield that was upgraded by Iris.
Eiji was pushed back about ten meters, but he managed to stop their charge. It seemed the contest of strength between Eiji and the Failed Homunculus swung in Eiji’s favor.
“Ugh?! These creatures…!”
Although the Failed Homunculus were stopped by Eiji, they stretched their limbs around the shield in an attempt to seize Eiji which was proving to be an eyesore. Didn’t something like this happen before…. However, the charge that was stopped by Eiji was likely their final struggle.
“Don’t think you can get away!”
“The target’s gotten bigger~~ssu.”
“It’s not going well for them.”
“Gruuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhh!”
The reason was that we had caught up with them. From behind, Jigoro struck with his flaming fist, Shio mercilessly turned them into porcupines with her fire arrows, and Mikelo’s evil eye pierced through them. Karl pounced and tore them apart with his claws, fangs, and tail, while I burned them with magic.
Furthermore, Setun and the others were attacking with spears and hand axes. From their point of view, the chief’s son was in danger, so they were desperate to save him. Their motivation was inherently different from ours, who were merely hired hands.
“Hmph! Hnn!”
Eiji, though pinned down, was calmly slicing off the limbs that were trying to bypass his shield with an axe. He wasn’t using his usual axe but a smaller one concealed behind his shield. This one was likely created as a countermeasure against those attempting to remove his shield.
The Failed Homunculus continued to fight with their collective form and terrifying regenerative ability but they ultimately exhausted all their individual units. While they were not particularly strong in the purest sense, they proved to be an enemy worth fighting. Once we’re done skinning their materials, we’ll leave as planned.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
――――――――――
Race level increased. Gained 1 SP.
Job level increased. Gained 1 SP.
The level of [Magic Circle] skill has increased.
Newly learned “Ritual Circle” spell.
The race level of your familiar has increased.
The job level of your familiar has increased.
――――――――――
“I’ve caused you trouble, Isam.”
“Not at all, Lady Muno. It has been helpful for us as well.”
“…. Are you really going to the Black Wall?”
“Yes. We’ve all discussed it and decided together.”
After escorting the young Kilde partway with Setun and the others, we paused for a brief discussion and decided to head toward the Black Wall that the Nadeus tribe members had talked about before. At first, our plan was to simply follow the great river upstream, but things changed after we fought against those Failed Homunculus. We surmised that the Black Wall held many intriguing secrets waiting to be uncovered.
Despite being a region shunned by the locals and undoubtedly considered dangerous, the prospect of undiscovered treasures lurking there drew us in as players. We may not be the type of people who restlessly seek to be ahead of everyone else, but we couldn’t just ignore an unexplored area that no one has likely ever seen before. After all, we are players at heart.
“Are all wanderers reckless adventurers like you? Do your best out there. And this is to thank you for helping Kilde.”
With those words, Lady Muno handed over an object resembling a wooden plank intricately decorated with fine patterns. What could this possibly be? I decided to appraise it.
――――――――――
- Nadeus Tribe’s Crested Handprint – Quality: Superior Rarity: S (Special)
A handprint created by the Scarred Nadeus tribe.
The unique patterns mean trust in the bearer.
It is meticulously made, designed to be durable and not easily broken.
――――――――――
“This means I’m vouching for you. Not just the Scarred, but anyone living on this continent would understand its significance. Though, it probably won’t make much sense to those lacking intelligence.”
“Thank you for this…”
After I expressed my gratitude, Lady Muno fluttered her hand dismissively and walked away. It seems she has become our patron through her actions this time. Despite her sharp tongue, it’s clear she also holds the chief’s son dear. She must be awkward in expressing her feelings.
“Well then, time to go. Shiratsuki, take off!”
The farewells had been said. Now, all that remained was to fly to our destination. The Shiratsuki we boarded slowly surfaced from the river and took off toward our new destination.
The people who came to see us off had their eyes as wide as saucers as if they didn’t expect Shiratsuki to fly. Even Lady Muno, who was usually the epitome of calm, was unable to close her mouth in astonishment.
Meanwhile, little Alvy was squealing with delight and waving her hands with all her might. It was a mystery how, just moments before, she had been in tears, and yet Eiji had somehow managed to brighten her spirits.
Regardless, we were now venturing into a new location fraught with danger. It was important not to let our guard down, yet at the same time, there was an adventure awaiting us that was meant to be enjoyed!
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