Ch.130Chapter 130: Situation Resolved.

Valt’s Stamp magic breathed tremendous vitality into the expedition.

Of course, it was possible thanks to Lisa’s eloquence, but the sight of a giant’s foot falling on the enemy camp was quite a spectacle from the expedition’s perspective.

KUUUUNG…

The massive, majestic sound effect was just a bonus.

Moreover, with the ground slightly trembling, everyone present could tell how powerful this magic was.

Even the mages watching were dumbfounded.

“Th-that is true earth magic!”

Earth magic is considered non-mainstream.

The reason being its low efficiency.

Fire is energy itself, and water exists as vapor in the atmosphere. Converting mana into these elements isn’t particularly difficult.

But earth magic is different.

From tiny grains of sand to large metal chunks.

Everything contained in the earth is quite heavy, more than one might think.

So even when implemented through magic, it wasn’t as efficient as other elements.

And what about its power?

If you create a rock the size of a fist, casting a Stone Bullet spell to launch it would be less powerful and consume more mana than creating and launching a fireball of the same size.

But Valt had overcome all these disadvantages of earth magic.

All thanks to his friend, the elemental spirit.

PUSSSSSS-

As the dust raised by Valt’s giant foot clears, the Orc Generals come into view.

Inside the massive footprint, the generals had been crushed into bloody pulps, buried like dried fish.

The basics of hunting in games is mob gathering.

To hunt in large quantities, you first need to gather mobs neatly.

That’s exactly what Valt did—gathering the orcs neatly with Tornado magic and finishing them off with Stamp magic.

The textbook definition of a roundup hunt.

While it’s a simple task in games, accomplishing it like Valt did in reality is actually extremely difficult.

“A few escaped, but that’s fine. Lilith! Finish off the mages!”

“Yes! Valt, understood! Be careful! The survivors are quite strong!”

Lilith looks at the surviving Orc Generals.

There are 12 left—58 out of 70 had perished from just two spells.

Of course, they were lucky.

If the clustered Orc Generals had combined their strength to counter Valt’s magic, his spell might have broken.

But the Tornado magic also served to create confusion, preventing the orcs from thinking clearly enough to do so.

“KWEEEEEK!!”

Just then, an orc mage trying to buff the Orc Generals has its throat pierced by Lilith’s Blood Spear.

And the next moment.

CHANG!

The Orc Generals step forward to protect the mages who were helplessly falling to Lilith’s attacks.

They seemed intent on preserving the mages as much as possible, thinking they were only facing two opponents.

A momentary lull in the battle.

The generals didn’t move, protecting the mages, and the mages didn’t move either, fearing becoming Lilith’s targets.

They appeared to be waiting for Valt and Lilith to tire from attacking.

But once again, these orcs had misjudged the situation.

[Hmm… they don’t seem to have any intention of attacking us first, do they?]

[Yes, Valt. They’ve completely switched to defense.]

Generals approaching level 7 can be incredibly troublesome when they go on the defensive.

Even though orcs are a hot-blooded race specialized in attack, General-class orcs aren’t just that.

Exchanging thoughts through their soul contract, Valt concludes that orcs are indeed stupid.

“If you had charged desperately, you might have had a chance… but you’re digging your own graves.”

Although Valt’s mana was considerably depleted after two large-scale spells, he still had plenty in reserve.

And since Lilith had drunk Valt’s blood, he didn’t need to handle all these enemies alone.

[…How about this?]

[That sounds perfect! We should be able to finish them quickly.]

All the magic Valt had created so far was offensive.

True to his warrior Gerung heritage, Valt’s magic consisted entirely of powerful attack spells that pulverized opponents.

But this time, he wanted to experiment with something different.

Environmental change magic.

Spells that may not have great attack power but alter the environment to gain advantages in battle.

For example, making the ground slippery or creating fog to obscure vision.

Valt’s specialty is earth magic.

He even has an elemental spirit that can control the earth.

“If you won’t move, dying where you stand isn’t a bad option either. Haap.”

As mana gathers around Valt, he begins to ask Noise for help.

He aims to change the composition of the ground.

This place is a forest.

Moist and full of water. And Valt and Lilith aren’t the only ones here.

There’s one more person who, though weaker in combat, is more skilled at handling elementals than Valt.

“Arias!!”

“Undine!!”

Valt informed Lilith of his plan and instructed her to relay the strategy to Arias while the enemies remained focused on Valt.

A swamp.

This peculiar terrain, also called a marsh, continuously sucks things in. The heavier the object, the harder it is to escape.

Used properly, it’s magic that can turn the tide of an entire battle.

“It’ll be quite difficult to escape! Swamp Area!”

A fusion magic created by Valt and Arias’s elementals.

Valt actually wanted to give Arias this opportunity.

Lisa had blossomed with her talent as a schemer, and Lilith had become an essential existence through her soul contract with Valt.

But Arias, though firmly established as a healer, seemed dissatisfied with that role.

Sensing Arias’s passion to fight alongside him, Valt had planned this magic to create with Arias.

Water and earth are compatible.

Of course, water entirely depends on earth, but earth supports water and allows it to flow.

Naturally, this means they have good synergy.

Valt’s Noise and Arias’s Undine, filled with Valt and Arias’s mana, excitedly begin to turn the ground where the Orc Generals and mages stand into a complete mess.

“Kwek? Kwit? Chweek?! Chweek!”

Since Valt’s physical magic easily converts to elemental power, Valt forcefully stomps his foot forward.

KWANG!!

DUDUDU-

The surface of the ground cracks slightly, making it easier for the elementals to move.

And the physical magic’s mana begins to give even more power to Noise and Undine.

The elementals creating a swamp with elemental power is essentially physical force.

It’s about thoroughly mixing earth and water to make them mushy.

But seeing this spectacle, Arias nearly falls over in shock.

“H-how is this possible? How is Valt giving power to my elemental?”

Elementals can only receive and use power from their contract holders.

It should be impossible for others to intervene.

But Valt’s physical magic was adding mana to the physical force created by the elemental.

This was something that absolutely shouldn’t be possible.

‘Th-this can’t be possible! What exactly is Valt? Is he an Elemental King or something?’

Arias is bewildered by this strange phenomenon that should only be possible for the Earth Elemental King.

However, Valt’s shout brings him back to his senses.

“Arias! Focus!”

“A-alright!!”

Creating a swamp requires not only earth elementals but also water elementals.

Without sufficient water, a swamp cannot be completed.

In the end, the quickly formed swamp catches the orcs by their ankles.

“KWEEEK! CHWEEK! CHWEEK!”

They desperately try to escape the swamp, but an enormous area has already been transformed.

BANG!

BANG!

The desperate ones try to use force to escape, but those already sunk up to their thighs cannot break free.

Of course, if this were a natural swamp, even they could easily extract themselves, but this is no natural phenomenon.

It’s magic imbued with Valt’s powerful image of a substance that pulls objects in.

“How is it, Lilith? Easier to clean up now, right?”

“Yes, Valt. It’s very convenient for cleanup.”

It’s not difficult for Lilith to kill an Orc General with one spell.

However, to kill a level 7 Orc General instantly, even Lilith needs time to gather power and strike precisely at its vital point.

Naturally, this is almost impossible in a chaotic battle.

But for creatures trapped in a swamp like now, it’s all too easy.

WHIOOOOOO-

Blood-colored magic twists like a pretzel around Lilith’s arm, taking form.

It’s a Blood Spear, but one that Lilith has concentrated her magic into, making it extremely powerful.

“Twelve of them. My current mana is sufficient.”

Somehow, Lilith ended up having to take the heads of the Orc Generals that Valt was supposed to face, but she didn’t mind.

After all, there was no need to kill the mages.

While the Orc Generals, being powerful entities, somehow managed to resist being completely swallowed by the swamp, the orc mages, with physical abilities inferior to the generals, were engulfed to the point of invisibility.

One cannot breathe inside a swamp.

The orc mages would become nutrients for the earth, buried alive.

After quickly disposing of all the Orc Generals and mages, Valt high-fives Lilith and Arias and says:

“No big deal.”

“No big deal indeed.”

“Really no big deal! Hahaha!”

It was Valt’s situation-ending remark that had now become his trademark.