A strange irritation lingered in Kanzaki Rei's chest.
Yesterday he'd been blocked by a mysterious stranger. Today he'd been forced to deal with a riddle-speaking fortune teller.
What a bunch of incomprehensible people.
Ensure safety. Stay hidden. Grow steadily.
That was the survival principle Kanzaki Rei had set for himself in this other world.
If something was dangerous—don't do it.
If something looked suspicious—avoid it.
Yet because of a few words from a Diviner, he was now heading straight toward obvious danger.
Knowingly jumping into a fire pit.
It made his whole body feel restless.
[West Gate of Rhein Town]
Kanzaki Rei stood on an Ice Shuttle, floating high in the air.
From this height, he could see the distant horizon swallowed by a massive black mass…
When did they arrive?
What kind of situation was this?
Was that dark, endless wave…
the monster tide?
How could it appear so suddenly?
How were they supposed to fight something like this?
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang—
A rapid series of alarm bells rang throughout the town!
Adventurers in the guild were shaken awake.
Those sleeping in the inns rushed outside in panic.
Some of them hadn't even had time to put on their pants!
"Monster tide!"
"The monster tide is invading!"
"Emergency situation!"
"Damn it, why?!"
"Why is it happening now?!"
"Everything was fine yesterday!"
"Even if a monster tide had begun gathering, it shouldn't form an invasion this quickly!"
"What's going on?!"
"Wake up! Wake up! The monster tide has formed!"
The town itself was surrounded by city walls.
In a world filled with monsters everywhere, any settlement inhabited by people would construct walls to keep them out.
Kanzaki Rei descended and landed atop the wall, looking toward the distance.
These monsters had clearly gathered all of a sudden.
In just a single morning, they had already formed into a massive horde.
Was this man-made?
The only explanation Kanzaki Rei could think of was that someone had deliberately triggered the formation of the monster tide, intending to flatten Rhein Town.
At the very front were the fastest monsters.
At a glance, they were mostly cannon fodder.
The most common monsters—mostly Tier 1 and Tier 2, with very few Tier 3.
Further behind them came the Elites and Lords.
But compared to the endless sea of monsters, those higher-tier creatures were only a small minority.
Kanzaki Rei's right hand summoned his staff.
"Staff of Distant Echo."
This staff was worth 350 gold coins and dramatically increased casting range.
Thanks to it, Kanzaki Rei's maximum casting distance had reached one kilometer.
He began chanting.
"Lightning that gallops in wrath,the final note that severs life—rage!"
[Magic Learned — Chain Lightning (Tier 2) (LV: 1)]
Boom!
Lightning burst through the monster horde, streaking from one body to the next!
[Chain Lightning — Proficiency EXP +30,000]
[Chain Lightning — Proficiency EXP +1,050,000]
This was an incantation Pally had taught him before he left.
What she told him was simple:
You don't need a spellbook to learn magic. Hearing the incantation is enough for you.
[Chain Lightning (LV: 36)]— Instant casting— Increased chain count— Each chain strikes more targets— Greater power— Generates persistent electric arcs
Chain Lightning was a spell designed specifically for crowd combat.
With a single cast—combined with Triple Casting—dozens of monsters were instantly killed.
The proficiency experience surged by over a million.
Kanzaki Rei continued chanting.
"Blazing flames,form a land of obstruction—rise!"
Whoosh!
[Magic Learned — Flame Belt (Tier 2) (LV: 1)]
A wide, blazing road of fire stretched across the battlefield!
"ROAAAR!"
"GRRRAAAH!"
"AOOOO!"
…
The monsters cried out in agony.
As they rushed forward recklessly, they inevitably ran straight through the wall of fire.
Their bodies ignited instantly.
Some weaker monsters rolled across the ground in pain after crossing the flames.
After a few desperate tumbles—
they burned to death.
Meanwhile, Kanzaki Rei continuously received notifications of rising proficiency.
[Flame Belt (Tier 2) (LV: 44)]— Instant casting— Wider and longer flame paths— Extended burn duration— Higher burn temperature— Targets within the Flame Belt receive increased burning damage
He raised his hand again.
Chain Lightning erupted in arcs.
Flame Belts spread across the battlefield one after another.
Whoosh—
Crackle!
Electric arcs danced wildly through the monster tide as creatures collapsed in waves!
Most monsters that crossed the Flame Belt managed to run only a dozen meters before collapsing while still burning.
Kanzaki Rei alone had formed an entire defensive line.
It almost felt…
not that difficult.
That thought surfaced in his mind.
Most monsters were weak.
Area-of-effect attacks could kill them instantly.
Then Kanzaki Rei shifted his gaze toward several Lord-class monsters further in the distance.
They were mostly Tier 1–3 Lords.
[Fangtooth Rabbit King][Hundred-Claw Centipede][Wraith Knight King]
"Earthfire Cataclysm."
BOOM!
Molten earth erupted beneath the Fangtooth Rabbit King, pillars of magma bursting upward!
Lava and flame impaled the Rabbit King instantly, piercing straight through its body.
Meanwhile, the Hundred-Claw Centipede had its hundred legs severed almost instantly by a sweeping storm of Life Wind Blades.
Along with it—
an entire cluster of nearby monsters was sliced apart.
The Wraith Knight King was pursued by three Holy Judgment Crosses.
It raised its sword and struck one cross aside—
but the remaining two speared straight into its body.
Ghostly energy burst out as most of its body was obliterated in an instant.
Kanzaki Rei stood alone atop the city wall.
Aside from chanting a few lines at the start—
he said nothing else.
He simply stood there.
Yet magic rained across the battlefield like a storm.
Entire swaths of monsters were blasted into empty zones within the black tide.
If it weren't for the overwhelming waves of mana constantly surging from him, one might think he was merely a silent spectator.
At this moment, several mages who had arrived on the wall noticed the small figure holding a staff beside them.
What they saw…
was not a child.
What they saw was—
a pillar of magical power, surging skyward like a celestial column.
Compared to Kanzaki Rei's mana, their own felt as insignificant as ants.
Pitiful.
Yet they still joined the battle.
Raising their staffs from atop the wall.
"Freezing ice…"
"Condense into a spike…"
"Pierce!"
An Ice Spike formed beside one of the mages.
Whoosh!
It shot toward a distant monster.
Thud—
It pierced through the monster's leg.
But failed to kill it.
Seeing this, Kanzaki Rei's lips twitched slightly.
He rarely had the chance to watch other mages fight.
Now that he did—
they really were weak.
Just as that thought formed in his mind—
he suddenly heard a chant he had never heard before.
A mage wearing a blue wizard hat raised a blue staff high into the air.
"Ascending clouds of mist,sweep across the heavens—lofty winds,blow everything away!"
Whoooosh!
The sky and earth changed color!
A violent gale erupted between heaven and earth.
A massive tornado formed beneath the mage's incantation!
[Tornado (Tier 4)]
ROOOOOAR—
The raging tornado crushed across the ground.
Every monster touched by it was lifted helplessly into the air—
then hurled away by the storm!
They soared high before being flung far into the distance.
SMASH!
Their bodies slammed into the ground in bloody ruin.
Some even crashed into other monsters, killing them as well.
A high-tier mage.
A Level 4 Mage had already mastered spells capable of slightly altering the course of a battlefield.
Indeed—
this was completely different from the small-scale skirmishes of Level 1–2 magic.