Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Instant Resolution
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To add why this situation wasn't dangerous, this wasn't the middle of some open field like before—it was the base camp.
In other words, our territory.
We'd already set up all sorts of magic traps around the camp in preparation for something like this.
And the result?
Boom!
Scree-eech!
One of the [Demon Crows] charging straight for the base camp actually stepped on a flame trap and went tumbling down.
Charred pitch-black and rolling across the ground—it was total déjà vu.
"Three left now."
"...That spell packs a real punch, huh?"
"Unless they're total idiots, they won't even step on it."
"Perfect for demon scum, then."
We watched the remaining ones while sorting out our gear.
Barundel and Thompson quickly slipped their gear back on, and Kayla focused on regenerating her spent mana.
Of course, recovering mana would take a decent chunk of time, and Barundel and Thompson didn't have much stamina left either—their conditions weren't great.
On the flip side, my mana had fully recharged ages ago.
-Mana regeneration increased by 300%.
'Moments like this really show why mythic traits are so reliable.'
It was beyond normal mana recovery speeds.
If only my total mana pool grew bigger, I'd have zero complaints.
But that was a matter of time and money.
Anyway, right now, everyone except me was in rough shape.
Actually, even I hadn't fully healed my legs yet, so maybe I was only half-recovered?
That meant any upcoming fights had to be as efficient as possible—no waste at all. And to maximize efficiency, there was only one play.
'Quick and decisive.'
Hummm!
Before Barundel and Thompson finished gearing up, I stepped forward and gathered my mana.
Well, less "stepped forward" and more just unleashed it from where I stood—but that was plenty.
I wasn't some short-armed warrior wannabe. I was the supreme long-range DPS of [Devil Fantasy]... a mage.
Crackle!
Yellow lightning arced out from the electric orb like fireworks.
My imagination in my head manifesting straight into magic.
Not from a spellbook, but something I created myself—that was the mythic trait shining in full force.
...Zzzzt!
The [Demon Crows] convulsed, electrocuted.
And I didn't stop there—I unleashed light beams next.
Pew! Pew!
Not the wild area coverage from before, but with near-instant cast times from my Aldeon training, they hit single targets hard enough.
Screech!
Holes riddled their bodies like sponges, and maybe awakened by the pain, they finally started using their heads.
Caw!
Flutter!
One getting pummeled by beams realized charging in blindly meant certain death and abruptly spread a wing.
Black feathers came hurtling my way.
Shwick!
As expected of demons—even their feathers were razor-sharp daggers.
And in my injured state, dodging was out of the question.
Of course, it wasn't a problem.
I wasn't alone.
Thud thud thud!
Barundel had his shield out in a flash, hopping up to smack the incoming feathers aside.
"I'll handle your protection, so just trust me and focus on your magic."
Who knew a dwarf's back could feel this reassuring?
"Got it. Just hold on a bit."
I put my full trust in Barundel and drew up more mana.
Even after using it just moments ago, it was already back to full.
Hummm!
My circles were low, so double-casting was my limit, but with near-limitless spells, cast count didn't matter.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Two at a time.
Endless barrages of light beams.
'You won't take another step.'
Scree-eech!
They'd come all this way with grand ambitions of revenge, but all they could do was scream.
From their perspective, though, it wasn't unfair.
This was the law of the jungle they lived by.
The weak die, the strong survive.
And they were learning that lesson down to their bones.
Pew! Clang! Crash!
I kept firing beams, Barundel deflected feathers, Thompson body-slammed any that broke through...
Then Kayla joined in once her mana recovered, ramping up the pressure—and the fight ended without a hitch.
And then.
Whoooosh!
Energy from the [Demon Crow] corpses flowed into me, and my body flashed bright for a second.
The level-up I'd been waiting for had finally arrived.
"Hup."
I spun my arms, tilted my neck, stomped in place.
Always felt amazing, no matter how many times.
Unlike before, when it felt like I was lugging around a heavy load, now my body felt light enough to float away.
Even my wrecked legs were fully healed.
I patted each of my sprawled-out companions on the shoulder with my refreshed body.
"Good work, everyone."
"Huh?"
Their faces twisted like they'd seen a ghost.
"How...?"
Leveling up and recovering all wounds and fatigue.
Maybe... this was the true power of a mythic trait?
***
"No way—you had an ability that broken?!"
Once I finished explaining, Barundel raised his voice in a way that was totally unlike him.
Using the word "broken" didn't even suit him, but he was clearly shocked out of his mind.
Or maybe it was the only way to describe it.
Kayla was just as worked up.
"No wonder you never looked tired during the whole hunt..."
She wasn't just surprised—she looked kinda hollowed out, and I knew exactly what that face meant.
'...When I first got hooked on zombie games and saw mages fight, I made that face too.'
Simple term for it: the emptiness from relative deprivation?
Kayla, fresh off her red potions, was probably feeling something similar.
But what could I do? It was the truth.
"You've got your own strengths, Kayla."
"Get your hand off me."
"...Right."
I dropped the lame pep talk and turned to the relatively unscathed Thompson.
Well, "unscathed" in a different sense.
"Heh heh..."
For some reason, Thompson had been giving me these dopey looks and creepy chuckles.
At this point, a question from a few days ago was bubbling back up.
"...Mister, what's your deal?"
"Oh, just... feels like I'm closer to the top ranker now."
"Closer? How?"
"You told us when that precious ability triggers. Nothing builds trust like sharing secrets, right?"
"...Ah, yeah."
Honestly, even hearing the reason, I didn't get it.
Was this really that big a deal?
'It wasn't even a secret.'
No one asked, that's all.
As I was thinking that, Thompson spoke up again.
"Anyway, that's for real? You get that ability from killing demons?"
"Yeah. The cooldown gets longer the more you use it, but that's the condition."
"That's one hell of an ability. In a way, doesn't that make the top ranker born to hunt demons?"
"Uh... is that how it is?"
"Obviously! Never heard of anything like it in all my years!"
Thompson shouted that, then started muttering again with that sleazy grin.
Something about being a born hero or whatever... but whatever he was thinking, it wasn't my problem.
What I needed to focus on was the time we were wasting.
Clap!
I clapped once to grab everyone's attention.
"Alright, rested up enough? Let's get back to it."
And then.
"What? Hunt again?"
"T-Top ranker, isn't that pushing it? Sun's about to set..."
"...Not sure how many rounds we've done already. Feels tougher than a full training session."
As expected, my exhausted teammates started griping.
But I wasn't changing my mind.
Hunting only paid off real dividends at the absolute limit.
I'd prepared for pushback like this.
"You can't rest even if you wanted to."
"What're you talking about?"
To Thompson's question, I pulled out what I'd stashed away.
Pitch-black with a faint sheen—like obsidian.
"That's..."
"A [Crow Core]."
Called a [Crow Core], it was an item that dropped from [Demon Crows] at a certain rate when they died.
We'd lucked out on the first one, and its effect...
"Holding this makes them smell it and keep swarming. Something about avenging their kin."
Simple.
Crow bait.
"Y-You...!"
Kayla pointed at me, looking utterly baffled.
"So you're saying... those guys earlier came because...?"
Her magic training must've sharpened her mind—she'd pieced it together already.
Instead of denying it, I just flashed a grin.
"Bingo."
They had no idea.
How much I'd suffered sneaking off to grab this core without anyone noticing.
My still-injured legs dragging, knee slamming into a rock—it still throbbed just thinking about it.
"Hand it over! Gotta smash it right now!"
"Where?"
Swish.
As I dodged Kayla lunging for the [Crow Core]...
A signal flare went off right on cue.
Scree-eech!
Music to my ears.
"What're you waiting for? Gear up!"
I urged them on, and they shot me glares.
They must've realized it was too late to turn back.
They all stared at me and said in unison.
"...Demon. A real demon."
"No doubt. How about we take this one out first?"
"Not enough. We capture him, torture him too? I'll handle the roasting."
Whoosh!
Flames bloomed over Kayla's staff, flickering like they wanted to strike me down.
But I just shrugged, totally unfazed.
"Why's everyone overreacting?"
Didn't they sign up for this when they agreed to head beyond the border?
No clue why they were flipping out now.
'Join my party, and this is par for the course, right?'
RPGs aren't games you beat without grinding.