Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 115: Overwhelming (3).

As soon as the day broke slightly, the wake-up bell clanged. The mercenaries, who had been tossing and turning all night due to nightmares, groaned as they got up. Fatigue still clung to their faces like dust.

The group, looking shabby after just one day, barely managed to eat and pack up the campsite without washing. After all, they were here to catch the demon, not for some kind of field trip. They needed to complete their mission and return as soon as possible.

The murderous aura that had been stabbing deep into their guts began to subside with the sunrise. Of course, it hadn’t completely disappeared, but the feeling of a killer brandishing a knife right behind their backs had lessened.

The jokes that the members used to exchange occasionally had completely disappeared. It was typical for them to disappear by the second day.

“How are the traces?”

“They’re still faint. It seems like it’s some distance away.”

The Blind Saintess mentioned that it might take another day or two to see. Of course, Allen didn’t think things would go so smoothly either. He had already used up all his luck, so he didn’t expect any more to be left.

Thus, the seemingly endless march continued. Of course, wandering around the Demon Lands meant encountering monsters was inevitable. From their perspective, it was like delicious prey wandering ignorantly in their own backyard.

However, the mercenary group kept slicing through the monsters… No, to be precise, it was the Allen-Mercenary Group. Even the relatively high-level Pharos-Mercenary Group could only marvel at their overwhelming performance. There was a reason they were called the most promising new stars in Vermandois.

The other three group leaders also didn’t seem to realize just how strong the Allen-Mercenary Group was… Only then did Charlotte begin to understand why Group Leader Allen demanded such a high employment fee.

…This is the mercenary group favored by a Top 10 Group Leader…!

Simultaneously, Charlotte felt a bit down. Clearly, it seemed like their starting points were almost identical in the past, but now the difference was like night and day… It was like seeing an old neighborhood friend who had suddenly left and returned with tremendous success.

Of course, Allen didn’t care what the group leaders were thinking. He was only desperate to find and kill the demon beast, Vendradan, as quickly as possible and return.

However, as Ordnung mentioned, they didn’t even find a trace of the demon beast on the second day.

As night fell, they prepared for their second camp. The mercenaries, exhausted from a day of forced marches under sharp, murderous intent, filled their stomachs and immediately lay down to sleep. Beasts or not, the priority was to lie down and relieve this severe fatigue.

Of course, the beasts attacked throughout the night again. Not just once, but multiple times.

Especially during the second attack, when the demon hounds swarmed in, the powerful elemental magic strike from Milk-Jug Mage Elena left a significant impression on the southern mercenary groups. Honestly, despite hearing so much about mages and their magic, they had never truly felt their power, but now they had seen and experienced it firsthand.

Group Leader Charlotte was equally astonished by the power. With such a mage, it felt like they could easily take down not only monsters but even magical beasts.

…Just in case, should I give it a try…?

Seeing that Group Leader Allen’s treatment of such an incredible mage wasn’t particularly impressive, she wondered if there might be some dissatisfaction with her position.

Of course, it was unlikely that such a big-breasted mage would even glance at the southern, shabby mercenary groups, but still, it was worth a try. After all, there was nothing to lose.

Anyway, on the second night, they witnessed the amazing magic of the female mage, and then the third morning dawned.

However, unfortunately, the day was gloomy and overcast, making everything as dark as dusk. Everyone hoped it wouldn’t rain, but their earnest prayers didn’t reach the sky, and soon, thick raindrops started falling one by one, turning into a heavy downpour.

“Damn it.”

But having come this far, they couldn’t stop the mission just because of the rain. They walked through the rain, pulling their leather hoods down tightly.

With the sun hidden behind the dark clouds, the sinister atmosphere didn’t subside and remained as thick as night. The mercenaries felt like they were really dying, with the heavy downpour and the menacing aura piercing their skin.

Fortunately, the heavy rain weakened a bit after a while, but it still wasn’t something you could walk around in. And their pants were already completely soaked.

Thus began another indefinite forced march. However, unlike usual, Ordnung’s expression changed somewhat suspiciously.

During a short break, the Blind Saintess sought Allen.

“Why?”

“The energy has become quite intense… Maybe, today, we might meet the creature.”

“…Understood.”

Having heard Ordnung’s prediction, Group Leader Allen gathered the other four group leaders in one place.

“If we’re lucky, we might find the demonic beast by today.”

His sharp gaze pierced each of the four pairs of eyes, one by one. It especially lingered long in Charlotte’s eyes, with a sense of requiring determination.

Everyone nodded once and dispersed to their respective mercenary groups. They informed the members in advance to be ready to fight at any time.

Perhaps because they heard they might encounter the demonic beast later, the expressions and actions of the mercenaries changed significantly. As if they were prepared for a bloody battle.

The rain weakened further but didn’t stop. The group continued to move through the rain.

Then, at some point, the monsters they frequently encountered no longer appeared as if by magic. As if to say, from here on, even the monsters avoided this place… The highly tense mercenaries couldn’t be unaware of this simple fact.

After taking about four more short breaks, the Blind Saintess Ordnung, who was tracking the beast, sent a signal to Group Leader Allen.

A signal that they would soon meet the beast.

Allen signaled to the group. It was time to prepare for battle with the beast. They walked slowly, making their final checks.

…And finally.

The mercenary group faced the beast, Vendradan.

The beast, sitting cross-legged on the ground like an ascetic in meditation, slowly opened its eyes. Allen was honestly dumbfounded by the sight. What kind of brain had it devoured to become a meditating beast?

The group formed their formation the moment they saw the beast. At the same time, Milk-Jug Mage Elena began chanting elemental magic.

Vendratan slowly rose from its spot and looked down at the mercenaries with those strange goat eyes.

Baaaahhh.

The eerie bleat of the goat echoed, shaking the mercenaries’ hearts violently. The sinister, dark mana seeped into their bodies, arousing a primal fear.

“It’s a blitz. If we drag it out, it becomes dangerous. We’ll take that bastard down first.”

Allen gave this command particularly to the Blind Saintess, Itty Titty Natasha, and the Milk-Jug Mage. While those three focused their attacks on the demon, the rest would fend off the swarming monsters.

If they managed to kill the demon controlling the monsters, they could handle the rest somehow.

At that moment, Vendradan let out a loud bleat, “Baaaa,” and Ordnung, who could see energy, reported that dark mana was spreading everywhere. It seemed to be summoning more monsters.

As Allen gave the order to attack, Vendradan launched a mana blast. It appeared to have devoured the brain of the mage who had summoned it.

The powerful mana bullet flew toward the Pharos-Mercenary Group right next to the Allen-Mercenary Group. Their affiliated mage quickly cast a shield, but it was too hastily done, so its strength was weak. Naturally, the shield that the mana bullet struck shattered in one hit, failing to significantly mitigate the impact, and exploded violently.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not only the Pharos-Mercenary Group, but also the Allen-Mercenary Group next to them were caught in the explosion. The outermost row held up their shields to block the explosion as much as possible, but they couldn’t prevent their bodies from being pushed back. Naturally, Allen, who was stuck in the middle, also fell backward awkwardly as his members were pushed back. Of course, the Milk-Jug Mage also fell to the ground, disrupting her first spell.

Damn it!

At the same time, monsters began to swarm from all directions. The horde of monsters even disregarded their own kind.

The Blind Saintess and Itty Titty Swordsman, who were caught in the explosion, immediately charged at Vendradan. However, it seemed to have anticipated this and created magic in each hand.

This crazy–! Double casting?!

Double casting was said to be possible only for those with [Enlightenment] among [Geniuses]. Just recruiting one such mage was said to complete the third line.

It seemed the beast swallowed a mage and cultivated enlightenment, truly achieving [Enlightenment]. There were demons or beasts that evolved by consuming human brains, but even so, this was the first time in that long playtime.

It simultaneously launched the magic created in both hands at the Blind Saintess and Itty Titty Swordsman. They were also taken aback, not expecting it to create two spells at the same time.

Certainly, Vendradan exhibited an absurdly fraudulent magical ability… However, the same could be said for the two women.

With their agility stats nearing a whopping 60, they wouldn’t be hit by arrows, let alone by slightly slower magic. The two quickly changed direction, nimbly dodged the magic, and then pushed off the ground again.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This time, it was Vendradan, the demonic beast, who was taken aback. It never expected that the two could surpass the speed of its magic.

However, it also wasn’t without any safety measures. The mage it devoured prioritized safety, and even when summoning the beast, it was extremely cautious… It was a miscalculation that an unimaginably powerful beast would emerge.

It was surrounded by a powerful magical barrier. Any half-hearted attack would only cause a greater shock to the opponent.

And the two women’s attacks struck almost simultaneously.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a shock that far exceeded the protective shield’s limit. The shield shattered and exploded, and the demon Vendradan had to bear the full brunt of that impact.

Of course, since the two were so close, they had to take some of the explosion’s aftermath. Especially Ordnung, who had hit the creature’s body with her fist, felt it more than Natasha.

“…Kuh.”

The Blind Saintess frowned at the intense pain in her right shoulder. If she had hit any harder, she might not have been able to use her right arm. However, even now, it was quite problematic.

During that single exchange, the horde of monsters had already swarmed the mercenary group. Ordnung and Natasha looked at each other almost simultaneously. It was a sign to take advantage of this momentum and finish the creature off in one go.

Although not in perfect condition, Vendradan survived the powerful impact. Despite utilizing the brain of a mage, its fundamental nature was that of a demonic beast. Its physical abilities far exceeded those of monsters, so even without magic, it wasn’t much of a problem.

How dare these insignificant beings…?!

It burst into anger at the two women charging at it again. Its plan was to tear off their heads and savor their brains.

…However, at the moment it was distracted, a mana bullet flew at its head and exploded with a bang.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was the Milk-Jug Mage’s decisive strike.

Of course, with its sturdy build, it somehow endured, but the problem was the two human females who had approached closely.

The Blind Saintess’s fist hit its right chest, and Itty Titty’s sword struck its neck and left shoulder.

As the attack struck, its upper body was shattered into pieces. No matter how formidable the demon Vendradan was, it had no means to withstand such a powerful assault.

Meeeeeeehhhhhkk!!!!!!!

With the tearing cry of a goat, the demon’s body burst and turned to dust, reverse-summoned back to hell.

A single martial artist, a single swordsman, and a single mage displayed overwhelming power against the demonic beast.