Chapter 16: Group Practice (2)

“The destination… where exactly are we going?”
“Shh. Just keep following me.”

I cut off Aisha’s complaints and led our group deeper into the forest.

In this group practical, securing an advantageous position is more important than anything else.
After all, there aren’t that many monsters that will give valuable points, and they’re not easy to find either.
In other words, finding high-point monsters first is the key to this practice.
The structure is simple: whoever catches them first wins.

“Aisha is always so suspicious.”
“Isn’t it better than being as thoughtless as Odette?”
“Aisha’s too sensitive.”
“Urgh…!!”

Aisha pursed her lips in frustration at Odette’s retort.
Meanwhile, George Arrote, ignoring the two, sidled up to me.

“Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“Over there.”

Arrote pointed ahead with his finger.
Through the dense oak forest, I could faintly see a small lake glimmering with reflected sunlight at the end of the path.

“There’s a monster over there.”
“…Right.”

Sensing demonic energy from this distance?
His mana perception ability never fails to impress.

He’s correct.
It’s the Mirror Lake located at the edge of the Rout Forest.
It’s a resting place for lower-ranked monsters, specifically the Blue Wolves, that gather in packs.

“So you already knew from the beginning.”
“Of course.”

I’ve played this game for years—how could I not know?
Leaving behind Arrote’s sneaky chuckle, I quickened my pace.

“Monsters over there.”

Odette also seemed to notice, pointing towards the lake.

“Everyone, get ready for battle.”
“Got it.”
“Y-yeah.”

Honestly, there isn’t much to prepare.
The only monsters resting near the lake are the Blue Wolves.

Level 31, Level 37, Level 33…
Most of them are just average monsters that can be easily handled.
Each of us could take one without much trouble.

“Let’s go.”

Taking the lead confidently, I moved forward.

The most crucial element in party play?
There could be many answers, but for me, it’s the presence of a leader who gives orders.

A single wrong order can annihilate the party, while a well-directed one can turn the tide even against impossible odds.
Naturally, it makes sense for me to take the lead here.
After all, no one else in this group has more experience than I do.

“……”

The closer we got, the heavier the atmosphere became, thick with a hostile aura.
Even Aisha and Odette, who had been bickering, fell silent.

“Let’s split up. Odette and I will go right, Aisha and Arrote will take the left.”

Dividing the group in half is necessary to speed up the process.

“Blue Wolves have a stealth attribute, so throw some dirt on their bodies. Even if they go invisible, their outlines will still be visible.”

As long as I give a few key pointers, the strategy will proceed smoothly.
The monsters aren’t particularly tough, and our team composition is practically perfect.

“Let’s begin.”

Taking down Mirror Lake should be as easy as pie.

BOOM—!!

The operation proceeded without a hitch.
With my body enhanced by holy power and further boosted with reinforcement spells, it’s impossible for those low-tier mobs to withstand the force.

“Annoying.”

Odette clicked her tongue at the Blue Wolves’ coordinated movements.
It’s true that their pack behavior and innate stealth make them irritating for simple mobs.

But to me, their movements were just too predictable.

[ Lv 33 ]

What’s the point of hiding?
The floating level indicator in the air shows their position in real-time anyway.

“Odette, right side.”
“Got it.”

Boom—!!

The grassy ground was now covered with chunks of flesh and streaks of crimson, courtesy of Odette.

‘No level-up, huh?’

Honestly, I was hoping for one, but I guess it was too much to ask.
Once you hit level 40, you don’t level up just by taking down a few monsters—the experience points required increase drastically.

‘But the pace is good.’

Still, everything is progressing smoothly. I was comfortably riding the “bus” when—

[ Lv 37 ]

A level indicator floating on the left side in the air.
Looks like one of the stragglers from Aisha’s side.
Finally, it’s my turn to step in.

[ 3-Star Magic: Blade Wind ]

Three compressed gusts of slicing wind shot out from my fingertips.

Slash—
A chilling, wet sound echoed as the White Wolf was sliced into three parts.

‘Wow.’

From the moment I started forming the spell to its actual activation—
The entire process felt fundamentally different from before.
It must be thanks to the new passive skill I acquired.

——————————————————————-

[ Transcendence of Power ]
Grade: S
Type: Passive

Drastically increases mana efficiency.

Drastically increases mana recovery.

Drastically increases magic output.

Drastically increases the soul’s caliber.

———————————————————————–

An S-rank passive skill, [Transcendence of Power].
In the game, it just made the damage numbers appear higher, but now it feels like I’ve mastered the magic itself.

‘Is this the power of an S-rank skill?’

I was just musing when—

Boom—!!

With Odette’s final punch, the last Blue Wolf was taken down.

Step, step—
Through the settling dust, Odette appeared, shaking the blood from her hands.

“……”
How on earth does she qualify as a saint?
No matter how many times I see it, it’s still hard to get used to.

“All done.”
“Good job, Odette.”

The battle was over in an instant.
I turned my head toward Aisha and Arrote.

“Hey!! Stop grinning from behind and do something!!”
“Haha, my apologies. Aisha seemed so eager that I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt.”
“W-What do you mean…!”

Their bickering reached my ears, but it didn’t seem like a problem.

“Let’s join up with them.”

Odette nodded with her usual indifferent expression.
Maybe it’s just me, but her cynical attitude somehow seemed cute.

The pack of Blue Wolves was still facing off against Aisha.
A wide-area spell would be useful right now…

‘This should work.’

I activated a spell floating in mid-air, and soon, magic took shape.

[ 3-Star Magic: Lightning Chain ]

Electric currents crackled between my outstretched fingers, intertwining like tangled wires.
Condensed to the limit, the mass of electricity shot forward with a distorted sound.

Crackle—!!

The surge of lightning swept over the pack of Blue Wolves that had been facing Aisha.
The blue fur of the wolves crackled with sparks as the electric current scraped against them.

Not wanting to be outdone, Aisha also activated her magic.

[ 4-Star Magic: Over Freeze ]

Aisha’s mana swept through the Blue Wolves in front of her.
The intense cold left behind by the magic rose from the ground.

Crack—!!
An enormous prison of ice manifested with a resounding crack.

“As expected from Aisha, quite the remarkable technique.”
Arrote praised with a smile, but Aisha glared at him with cold, frosty breaths.

However, before she could retort—

Rumble—
A powerful tremor shook the ground, vibrating through the entire area.

“W-What’s going on?!”
Barely managing to steady herself, Aisha looked up.
A massive magic circle appeared in the air, and a column of water erupted from the lake.

[ How dare you… ]

A voice infused with mana crushed the surrounding space like a shockwave.
It’s just like the cutscene from the game.

[ You insignificant humans… ]

A translucent white fox materialized atop the water column.

[ Lv 60 / Zelus ]

‘It’s here.’

The reason I led our group to the <Mirror Lake> in the first place.
It’s because there’s no better place for Aisha’s first power-up than here.

The Advanced Spirit, Zelus.
A named monster that appears after clearing out all the subordinate spirits in the area.

For an ice-type mage like Aisha, Zelus is a must-have 1st-tier familiar.
Right now, there’s no better familiar for her anywhere.

Not only that, capturing Zelus grants the <Tear of Zelus>.
As a tear from an advanced spirit, simply consuming it will drastically increase elemental affinity.

Time to boost my own stats while also raising Aisha’s favorability.

[ You shall… pay the price… ]

Honestly, Zelus isn’t an opponent we should be taking on at this stage.
Spirits are tricky to deal with, regardless of their level.
And on top of that, Aisha’s ice element makes her a poor match against Zelus.

But with both Arrote and Odette on our side, we’ve met all the conditions for success.
Arrote may be hiding his true power, but as a man from the Holy Empire, he’s essentially a fanatic when it comes to anything related to the Saintess.

Splash—
A torrent of water shot out from the column, forming a massive hand aimed at Odette.

At that moment—

“Tsk.”
Arrote’s always-closed eyes suddenly snapped open, glinting sharply.

Screeeeeech—!!
A distorted, tearing noise filled the air, as if space itself was being ripped apart.

[ …What is this? ]

Slash—
A massive thread-like line appeared mid-air.
Numerous crisscrossing lines formed diagonal patterns in the space.

“What the heck is that…?”
Aisha muttered in disbelief.

Crack—
Like cracks forming on glass, Zelus’s spell shattered into countless pieces, scattering into the air.
With the supporting mana gone, the water column also collapsed, leaving behind only the dazed white fox standing on the ground.

[ …Hic ]

Not quite the dignified figure one would expect.
Arrote scratched his head with a sheepish smile.

“Haha, is everyone alright?”

As expected.
Good thing I brought him along.