[Flight] was a Tier-4 spell for mages. Before reaching Level 4, it was almost impossible for a mage to fly.
Of course, some mages had tried to devise alternative methods of flight.
But every such method shared the same fundamental flaw.
They all relied on spells that were never originally intended for flying, merely repurposed to produce a similar effect.
And that led to a universal problem.
Mana consumption.
The cost of magic was a problem every mage could never truly escape.
The Flight spell itself consumed very little mana. No other spell could simultaneously achieve the combination of:
Carrying a person
Flexible, intuitive control
Low mana consumption
Long duration
Especially the duration.
Otherwise, if the spell ended mid-air… the mage would simply fall to their death.
After all, most mages needed chanting to cast spells.
So no matter how clever a mage tried to be, true aerial mobility before learning Flight at Level 4 was nearly impossible.
But Kanzaki Rei…
Was the exception among exceptions.
Back when he first fought the giant serpent, he had already experimented with moving by stepping on ice spikes. That experience had sparked the idea of using ice constructs for aerial movement.
Later, when his [Control] ability evolved, it was partly to experiment with improving the flexibility of that flight method.
CRACK!
[Shadow Bite]
"Stop!" Rei commanded.
The Windshadow Beast had already completely latched onto them. The Dragon Rhino twisted its massive body and came to an abrupt halt.
Fighting while moving would only make things more inconvenient for their side.
The Dragon Rhino lunged forward—but missed.
The Defender rolled straight off the back of the Dragon Rhino, tumbling across the ground several times.
Yet he stood up completely unharmed.
BOOM!
The moment he rose to his feet, the black shadow crashed into him!
"Get back!"
BANG!
The shadow completely engulfed Trand's body, piercing straight through him. He staggered half a step backward.
SWISH!
A faint emerald glow descended onto him.
Across the exposed parts of his armor, the numerous wounds were visibly closing at a speed the naked eye could track.
Hmm…
The healing efficiency looked pretty high.
And although the boss's attacks left injuries on Trand's body, they were all relatively shallow wounds.
Trand's physique was clearly far from fragile.
"A fast-recovery talent."
Rei observed silently.
The recovery speed was impressive.
By now, Rei had already ascended into the air, placing three hundred meters between himself and the boss.
Light gathered in his hand.
A massive cross formed within his palm.
CLANG!
THUD!
BOOM—
[Elemental Protection (Tier-3) (LV: 2)]
The shield in Trand's hand had already transformed into a dark earthen color.
At the same time, his armor—and even his body—became covered in a dim mist of the same hue.
Elemental defense.
Meanwhile, Ross cast another [Protection] spell onto Trand.
The black storm swept across him.
Yet aside from the gray glow around his body dimming slightly, Trand suffered no damage at all.
It looked like he could hold out for quite a long time.
And the aggro was extremely stable. The boss showed no intention whatsoever of attacking Ross.
Nearby, Maizel fired several arrows.
A few glowing arrows passed through the boss's body.
But the damage was clearly not very high.
Oh…
So this was the damage output of a Level 2 archer.
Basically…
Almost nonexistent.
This was actually the first time Rei had ever watched other people fight.
In fact, aside from himself, he hadn't even seen Iz and the others fight before.
And the conclusion was clear.
The damage was incredibly soft.
Rei raised his hand.
[Holy Light Cross (LV: 185)]
—Dispel Evil—Bind Shadows—Slayer of Evil—Light Convergence Guidance—Long Duration—Curse Purification—Filth Cleansing—Materialization—Ghost Slayer—Darkness Slayer—Tracking
Holy Light Cross was an extremely specialized spell.
Against enemies that it did not counter, its damage was practically nonexistent.
But…
If it struck a target it countered…
Rei glanced at the cross in his hand.
Three layers of Holy Light Cross were perfectly overlapped.
Then—
He threw it.
WHOOSH!
The moment the cross left his hand, the Windshadow Beast instantly sensed danger with its keen perception!
It moved like a storm, its black shadow darting sideways in an instant.
But it was useless.
Just before striking the ground, the Holy Light Cross suddenly curved back, sweeping sideways like a massive cross-shaped boomerang straight toward the Windshadow Beast—
SPLRT!
Its body was torn apart instantly.
"AAOOO—!"
A pained howl echoed through the wind!
Almost immediately, its body condensed from a nearly intangible mass of wind and shadow into the solid form of a leopard-like creature.
And the Holy Light Cross had already pierced straight through its abdomen—
BOOM!
The tremendous force didn't stop.
The Windshadow Beast was nailed directly to a nearby tree!
Pinned there, it convulsed violently, its body shaking as black smoke poured out.
Its darkness was being purified.
And that darkness itself was part of its life force.
In only five seconds, the convulsions stopped.
Its body gradually dissolved into natural elemental particles, dispersing into the air.
Rei descended slowly from the sky.
"Captain…"
Rei flashed a tooth-baring smile.
The expression of someone who looked completely invincible.
The final commission was to clear out a monster group.
Specifically, they needed to eliminate a Goblin settlement that had appeared in the wilderness.
Goblins, huh.
A truly classic monster.
Rei maintained his usual caution.
Still riding in the Dragon Rhino carriage, protected by the Defender and healer, he began bombarding the target from the farthest possible distance with magic.
[Earthfire Eruption] ×15[Rising Impact Pillar] ×18[Sinking Shadow Mire] ×5[Silent Wind Swarm] ×12[Wind Burst]
…
He had absolutely no intention of entering the settlement.
He simply threw spells from far away.
The Shadow Mire probed the ground.
Wind Burst blew away debris.
The Everlight Lamp illuminated the area.
The Wind Swarm searched for invisible targets.
Within a five-hundred-meter radius, Rei blasted everything until the land became completely bare.
Countless ice lances fell like rain.
Pillars of flame shot skyward.
Lightning flashed repeatedly.
Violent gales roared endlessly in every direction.
Let alone goblins—even a single falling leaf couldn't approach.
All that could be seen was the Goblin settlement exploding into brilliant elemental fireworks.
The goblins never even caught a glimpse of Rei's face before they were wiped out under the overwhelming barrage.
Beside him, Ross's mouth twitched.
Hey…
Is your mana infinite or something?
When he killed the Windshadow Beast, he had only blown apart one side of the forest.
But now, annihilating the goblin settlement…
The magic bombardment had continued nonstop for five entire minutes.
"Captain… that should be enough… right?"
But Rei looked toward the distant settlement and gently shook his head.
"No. I'll keep clearing it for a while."
"I've heard goblins are pretty cunning and dangerous. Better to be safe."
…
Everyone fell silent.
They already knew their captain was cautious.
But this…
This was ridiculously cautious.
These were just goblins!
At most there might be a Third-Tier Goblin Priest among them!
What goblin could possibly survive this kind of relentless magical bombardment?!
But Rei was the captain.
If he didn't want to stop, there was nothing they could do.
Finally…
After fifteen full minutes of saturated bombardment, the magic finally ceased.
In the distance, the goblin settlement had been reduced to nothing but scorched charcoal and drifting ash.
Everyone couldn't help but think the same thing.
Did the captain… perhaps have some kind of personal grudge against goblins?
After all—
He hadn't even bombarded the boss monster that brutally.