Ch.157157. Self (5)

No support is coming.

Before my eyes lies a massive dome, like a jungle, where dozens of people are trapped.

Only two people are watching over it.

From the outside, only these two must break in and rescue those inside.

In other words, it’s an impossible race against time.

“Aris. Would you mind telling me everything you’ve discovered?”

The most important thing is the mission progress report. Information can only be extracted from Aris, who arrived first.

However, Aris doesn’t give any answer.

Looking closely, I can see Aris’s lips moving as if trying to say something.

“You can’t speak?”

A nod.

She can only communicate by nodding her head.

It would be nice if she could write on the ground with a stick, but the surroundings are nothing but muddy puddles.

Aris alone has discovered a considerable amount of useful information. But the inability to communicate it is critical.

“I need information for now. Can you just answer with yes or no? Just nod your head.”

She nodded affirmatively.

Aris answered all of Junon’s questions with nods. There was nothing to deny.

I was worried that some questions might be ambiguous or insufficient, but she simply shook her head.

“Hmm?”

“…”

“Oh, the wounds on your shoulder and arm? They’re just burst capillaries. No need to worry about them. They won’t affect combat.”

A moment later, he stopped the bleeding with a simple hemostatic herb and began climbing up the dome, gesturing for her to follow.

As she followed him up, he stopped at a certain point and suddenly handed her a canteen, suggesting she moisten her throat.

It seems communication is necessary after all.

“Ah, ah.”

“Can you speak now?”

“I, still. To speak, properly, need, a little more. Time.”

“You must have been shouting at the top of your lungs… Anyway, understood.”

Why is he so relaxed? That thought crossed my mind.

Not that I doubt him.

But…

It was natural to question whether we could afford to wait until recovery before taking action.

“Aren’t we, in a, hurry?”

“Why?”

“Well…”

“Don’t be hasty. It’s not like they can’t buy time inside, right? Those guys are at least equipped with weapons and armor, and they can use some magic.”

He added that they would hold out firmly believing someone would come to rescue them, so time wasn’t that scarce.

Since he planned to enter as soon as her voice recovered, Aris finally closed her mouth.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that. Would you like to listen while you recover?”

Aris nodded.

Junon scratched the back of his head vigorously, pondering how to explain.

“First, do you remember the classification system for the danger level of individual entities, different from ranks?”

Having worked as a mercenary in another team before, she couldn’t possibly be unfamiliar with such things.

The general and typical grade for magical beasts. Normal.

Since Normals don’t differ much from what’s commonly known, they’re indicated by alphabetical ranks.

What he’s talking about refers to species with exceptional patterns, so excluding Normal, individual entities are classified into five grades.

The grade for magical beasts that deviate from normal rules and launch aberrant attacks. Unnormal, or abbreviated as Unnormal.

Individuals with similar characteristics but visibly different in size and volume, exceptionally outstanding. Elite.

A grade with enough danger to destroy an entire village, requiring emergency raid mobilization. Champion.

Kings or lords of their species, requiring evacuation orders for nearby regions. Lord.

The grade for magical beasts that threaten national security, designated with specific names. Named.

“Your lip movements… Let’s see. Normal, Unnormal, Elite, Champion, Lord, Named. That’s what you said, right? You know them well.”

When Aris nodded, Junon immediately asked a question.

“Then what grade do you think this dome in front of us is?”

What grade is this dome?

‘…No way.’

Aris, who had been swept along by what she could see, suddenly covered her mouth in confusion when asked the question.

She hadn’t even considered that the dome itself might not be created by multiple forces but was a single magical beast.

Now she realizes why her magic couldn’t even scratch it.

That dome can’t be treated as a single entity because it leads dozens of Stumps.

‘Not a single entity, but a multiple entity composed of groups and clusters. Such creatures take forms like shells or fortresses that are sturdy and easily regenerated because they incorporate the power of the entities they lead…’

Yes. The jungle dome before her eyes must be classified in that category.

It would consist of a central leading entity and the group of other entities it leads.

That’s why it could withstand such firepower.

“You said you saw between ten and twenty, so it’s a Decurion grade. Be aware that’s what we’re dealing with.”

That’s also why they climbed to the center of the dome.

Just as a fortress wall can’t be free from damage from hailstones or lightning falling from the sky, the center rather than the exterior is weak.

Now that they’ve identified the dome’s nature and characteristics.

The preparations for entry are complete.

“About what I mentioned earlier, just follow my instructions when I give them, and your voice?”

“Ah, ah. I think I can speak fairly well now.”

“Then take this.”

“So it fell off…”

A small flower ornament that students had given her as a gift.

It must have come loose when she overexerted her magic earlier.

“Just to be clear, I meant it when I said I’d grant you anything. It’s better not to try to wriggle out of it later.”

“…I understand.”

“Let’s go. Move as previously planned.”

It’s a strange feeling.

On the surface it seemed like a warning… but was that the face of someone giving a warning?

He looked rather like he was the one caught in deeper contemplation.

***

The dark interior of the jungle dome is chaotic.

But they hold out even as the Stumps approach and attack.

The certainty that someone from outside will save them.

That’s all they believe in as they endure.

“Just hold on a little longer! Teacher Aris will be here soon!”

Aris Mackenheim, a member of the Tembris party.

The very fact that she was attempting a rescue from outside was the source of their perseverance.

But they’re clumsy.

“Ugh, my side just got…!”

“Where did that hit come from…? Light! Give us more light!”

“No way. If we do that, the enhancement spell cast on him will break!”

“We’re barely maintaining that as it is. Everyone’s low on mana so we can’t do anything. You guys need to buy us time!”

“How are we supposed to… Waaah! I’m tied up here! Someone cut me loose!!”

At that moment, the voice of a comrade being dragged into the darkness grows distant.

“In, intercept! Any mages or sorcerers who can intercept?”

“I just told you we’re low on mana! If we use more, we’ll collapse!”

“Aaaaargh!!”

It’s not just one person.

The Stumps, as if following some directive, were trying to separate the students who had clustered together one by one.

But they had no idea how to deal with the swarming Stumps and could only panic.

Soon their thoughts are filled with regret.

‘I should have listened properly when the teacher was teaching us.’

‘Then I wouldn’t be floundering in this situation.’

How should mana be distributed in this dark dome, and what formation should each position take?

Which spells should be prioritized with the current personnel? Conversely, which spells should be forbidden?

Which spells should be excluded based on the enemy’s characteristics? What’s the most efficient mana usage in the current environment and the appropriate tactics for it?

They know nothing.

They don’t know because they refused to learn.

Even when given the opportunity to learn, they rejected it themselves, making it impossible to cope.

As more and more students fell wounded, no one could step forward to break through this situation.

‘This is wrong… if we all scatter like this…’

‘We’ll all be devoured…!’

‘I’m sorry, teacher. I couldn’t hold out any longer…’

As they begin to be consumed once more by the fear of approaching death.

A ray of light shines upon them again.

“Light…?”

“Is, is something falling over there?”

“Pink… hair…!”

At that moment, everyone shouted her name.

“Did I keep you waiting long?”

“Teacher Aris!!!!!”

Living up to their expectations, Aris was descending from the top of the dome, showing her face to all the captured students.

“Teacher… behind, behind you!!”

“That’s fine, just get down, everyone!”

A Stump’s arm approaches Aris as she descends.

It aimed for the exact blind spot at the back of her head.

But that arm was snapped with a crunch by a punch from someone right behind her.

It was a man with hair as black as the darkness of this place.

“That person is our class’s…”

“He’s the teaching assistant who replaced the dismissed Professor Zirbeng!”

“This is no time for admiration, you fools. Just get down.”

Junon immediately took out several throwing knives and tossed them somewhere.

“Aris!”

“Confirmed!”

The lotus formula marked on the throwing knives activates, causing explosions here and there.

Thanks to that, the sound of human footsteps approaches amid the bang! sounds from various directions.

“Waaah, I, I’m alive!”

“I really thought I was going to die…”

Even those who had been captured by the Stumps were successfully rescued.

Those who had been scattered were able to rejoin their comrades through Aris and Junon’s joint effort.

“Anyone missing?”

“No. Everyone’s accounted for!”

However, there’s still no room for ease. Checking the current situation is the priority.

“Check the list.”

“Li, list check?”

“Does he mean attendance… or something?”

“Not attendance, it’s that thing! He’s asking for personnel by position!”

Most students don’t even know the basic terminology so it needs to be explained, but Junon isn’t relaxed enough to explain everything while fending off the Stumps’ offensive.

Now it’s time for Aris to speak, when she can control the students.

“Twelve vanguards. Eight defense wizards. Five offense wizards. Five each of buffers, mages, and sorcerers!”

“No wonder it’s so dark. Cancel recovery and have the buffers take on the bright sight role.”

“Wh-what? Recovery? Bright sight? What does that mean…”

“It means remove all enhancement buffs from the vanguard and take over the sight magic role instead of the sorcerers. Hurry!”

“Y-yes!”

“Sorcerers stay. Wizards log the Stumps and rotate. Vanguards maintain right angles against approaching ones.”

“Sorcerers recover mana while on standby. Wizards take on two Stumps’ attacks each, and rotate when mana runs low. Vanguards block by keeping weapons at 90-degree angles to enemy attacks.”

After that, whenever Junon issued instructions with strange terminology, Aris immediately interpreted and relayed them.

After this process repeated several times, the burden was lightened not just by one level but by several.

Everyone except Aris and Junon thought the same thing.

‘Professionals are different.’

In less than 3 minutes, they began to cope stably and formed proper formations.

Having broken through the encirclement and positioned themselves with their backs to one side of the dome wall, they were only exposed to attacks from the front, not from all directions.

This gave them breathing room.

Instead of everyone fighting at once, they could rotate, recover mana, and continue resisting.

With just two people joining, the same number of people created a completely different situation.

The movement of the two was also remarkable.

“The Stumps…”

“They’re falling…”

Their coordination, fighting back-to-back, is incredibly smooth.

Junon buys time until Aris’s magic hits its mark. Conversely, when Aris’s magic is delayed, she intercepts the arms of Stumps approaching Junon.

They complement each other flawlessly, alternating between offense and defense.

For those who had barely been able to repel the attacks of individual Stumps, the process of subduing them seemed miraculous.

So this is the effect of learning.

This is the difference in skill between experienced fighters and us.

To those who had been trembling on the brink of death, the two seemed like beings behind a distant wall, far beyond their reach.