Chapter 54
A small flicker of excited mana approached the monster in a very unassuming manner and attached itself to its skin.
A small explosion erupted, and the skin peeled off.
The skin had been sturdy enough that mages were having a hard time damaging it, yet this small spell succeeded.
A needle-hole-like wound opened, and blood began seeping out slowly — but it didn't end there.
Mana continued attaching itself to the monster's body, creating wounds everywhere.
A chain violently lodged through the wound, and flesh splattered everywhere.
Ryan smiled.
He slowly transmitted the command.
"Maintain defense and avoid direct contact by dodging instead of using shields. Attack only at the points where small needle wounds appear. We will wear it down slowly."
The mages instantly followed directions and began attacking only the bleeding points, which continued appearing on the monster's body.
"What do you think, young man? Could you lend a hand with your ability as well? Your class fellow is working hard," he asked Percival with his usual smile.
Percival jerked his head at the sudden discovery.
The monster was being worn down before their eyes, and it would be done soon.
He began conjuring mana, and various sizes of wind blades shot out, attacking the monster violently and ripping its skin apart.
"Not bad," Ryan praised, but his eyes narrowed.
Some wind blades became blurry, as if the spellcaster had diffused them just before the attack.
He looked at Percival thoughtfully.
Percival continued sending out wind blades, and one of them lodged into the monster's back, instantly making its way to its heart.
Pssssssss
Smoke rose and scattered in the wind.
The monster's heart had already been exhausted, and there was no trace of mana left in it.
Percival let out a sigh and carefully scanned his surroundings. It seemed nobody had noticed.
Flickers of mana stars were still dancing around the heart, going in and out of existence.
Azek opened his eyes.
Thud.
The monster's huge frame crashed down with a loud noise.
Behind him, a mage collapsed to his knees.
This had been an intelligent monster, and they had taken care of it with such a small number.
Smiles broke out across the party. A young mage clapped his neighbor on the shoulder. Someone let out a shaky laugh of disbelief.
No one knew who started it, but a shout resounded:
"We did it!"
The tension in the atmosphere released, replaced by laughter, back-slapping, and the deep, shaky breaths of relief.
---
Their celebration was short-lived.
Hssssssss... Grrrrrrr...
They slowly crawled underground with bated breaths.
There were three intelligent monsters above ground, and the worst was the one with a keen nose. They kept getting delayed because it nearly succeeded in marking their position. It had to be distracted, which cost them a dear number of mana crystals to effectively evade its detection.
They were circling the east side of the forest, where monster density was relatively lower compared to other areas.
They had already taken care of many basic and mid-grade monsters, and Ryan specifically assigned students to handle the basic ones, while he personally took care of the high-grade monsters with the mages.
Since they couldn't dispose of the carcasses, it had attracted intelligent monsters to the area.
Azek continued casting a thin veil of mana.
He reported to Ryan shortly afterward.
"There are very few monsters in the surroundings. Only these three intelligent monsters are in the area."
Ryan listened and pondered. This was strategically a good place to start, but taking on all three would be a stretch.
It had taken them quite some time and half the party going full assault to take care of one.
If they could take down two, the last one would spell their doom.
Ryan was deep in thought.
Percival shifted his posture.
He tried to say something but stopped. He had wanted to voice his opinion. But couldn't.
Ryan looked at him and lifted his eyebrows.
"Do you have something to say?"
Percival took a deep breath.
"Nothing," he said and looked down at his feet. If I speak, Ryan will definitely suspect something. I have already come this far. I can't make any mistakes now.
His back was drenched in cold sweat.
Hmmmm.
Ryan shifted his focus back to the map.
Three red dots marked the monsters' positions.
One side was surrounded by forest, and on another side, a hill with a stream flowed, littered with stones and boulders.
They had been underground for nearly two hours, but the monsters continued to follow them everywhere. Before, it had been only one, but as time passed, basic and mid-grade monsters continued to decline, and intelligent ones started following them.
He thought and came up with a plan.
One move. One mistake. One chance.
Whether they took care of them in one go or dragged out time, they had to choose an option.
"All parties, pay attention. We have two options: either drag it out or take care of these abominations at once."
He paused.
Percival clenched his fists.
"I have decided to take care of all three at once," Parcival said. "Gather around for details."
He cast an elaborate spell. An underground flat area came into existence, multiple tunnels opening into it like spokes from a hub.
Everyone gathered inside. The plan was laid out in detail.
Azek sent a sound transmission to Ryan after the meeting ended. Parcival watched Ryan's face tighten, then relax into deep thought. Ryan resumed his activity while secretly passing commands—hand signals, subtle nods. Azek got a reply and nodded, satisfied.
The mages took their positions, preparing for the upcoming battle.
Parcival leaned against the tunnel wall, arms crossed, a faint smile on his face.
Finally, they had chosen the second option.
He had been a nervous wreck, inventing plausible theories to make the party fight instead of dragging.
He looked down at his feet.
His right foot pressed the insole. A hidden needle squeezed a drop of blood from his sole. It seeped into his shoe.
A spell was written on the bottom of his shoes. Faint traces of blood mana leaked out.
He exhaled through the slight pain and let the faint traces of mana—now mixed with the wind spell—spread through the tunnels above ground.
Above, the eel-like monster with multiple ant-like legs had been sniffing around. It perked up its nose, sensing something in the air.
Parcival released the spell and channeled fresh wind mana. The blood traces on his heels—and the spell itself—wiped clean.
He took deep breaths. Let the tension roll off his shoulders.
Finally his effort paid off.
The blood spell had done its work.
The battle was near.