The Great Mana Energy Flood (4)
"Hic... Hoo..." "Haa... Haa..." "Everyone, quiet down for a second."
The ragged breathing had grown too irritating, so Ainz turned around with a scowl. Taking in his four teammates at a glance, he could only sigh. All four were stumbling forward with unfocused eyes. Their condition was clearly deteriorating.
"Should we rest for a bit?"
"Please... the antidote..."
Ainz glanced at the glass vial in his pocket, filled with blue liquid. Everyone was demanding the antidote due to mana energy poisoning symptoms. Yet Ainz himself still felt no significant strain on his body. There were two possibilities. Either Ainz's mana energy decomposition ability far surpassed everyone else's, or his teammates were simply exaggerating. Entertaining the latter, Ainz swept a suspicious gaze over the group.
"Here. One sip each. Don't drink it all."
In the end, Ainz handed over the antidote. If the first possibility was true, things could go very wrong. Saving the antidote only to fail the entire practical exam would be disastrous. Though it felt like a waste, minimizing risk seemed the wiser choice.
"Feeling better now?"
"Yeah. My body's finally got some life back in it."
"Then stay low and stay quiet. I've spotted a pack of Black Dogs."
"...!"
The team crouched and hid in the undergrowth following Ainz. Black Dogs? Where? They couldn't sense the creatures at all—the dense mana energy was disrupting the flow of mana. But Ainz, with his superior vision piercing the dark fog, could see them clearly. The Black Dogs were drooling as they sprinted toward some unknown destination.
"One o'clock direction. Roughly fifty of them."
"Oh. I see them now."
"If we take them all out, we'll finish the exam with plenty to spare."
Was there any need to wipe them all out? Taking down twenty and retreating would be far more efficient time-wise. Though a few slower teammates might end up in danger. Ainz entertained the thought but kept it to himself. After all, once twenty were dealt with, he could simply use his teammates as bait and escape alone.
"They're fast. Five of us sniping them pinpoint might be best?"
"No. Leave it to me."
Now was his moment to shine. Ainz grinned and stepped forward. The Black Dogs hadn't noticed them yet, still running in a pack. A wide-area spell could easily take out at least ten in one go. This was his chance to earn extra points with a flashy display.
"I'll sweep them all away in one shot."
"Hey, even so, using that much mana at once is..."
"What? Wasteful? If it weren't for my magic, we'd have been robbed by bandits in the mountains."
"..."
And because of you, we all had to put out a forest fire and hike all the way to Wist Forest, the words rose to the teammates' throats. Anger simmered, but no one could stop Ainz. He was a candidate to inherit one of the three great families, the Wigensteins, and possessed the greatest ability among them.
"Watch closely. If I get the angle right, I'll take out twenty at once... Huh?"
Ainz's expression twisted as he extended his thumb to gauge the distance. The Black Dogs, which had been running in an orderly fashion toward one direction, suddenly scattered in all directions—as if fleeing from a predator straight ahead.
"Whoa. What the—"
BOOM!
A green figure burst out from behind a massive tree. With a single swing of its club, several Black Dogs were sent flying, blood spraying as they yelped. The creature snorted violently and turned its head, revealing its face. A massive frame three or four times the size of a human. An ugly, pig-like visage. And long tusks. A mid-tier monster—an Orc.
"Why is an Orc here?!"
"Shh."
Ainz clamped a hand over the panicked teammate's mouth. Suppressing the trembling, he fell into thought. Today the mana energy fog wasn't moving, so the monsters' activity range was fixed. That meant low-tier Black Dogs and mid-tier Orcs shouldn't be clashing. Had they misread the map and ventured too deep? At the same time, had the Black Dogs gone mad and charged into the high-concentration mana energy zone? Believing two such improbable events happened simultaneously would be foolish. The more likely explanation was a disaster.
"The Orcs... they're hunting the Black Dogs...!"
"I said be quiet."
The disturbance in the mana energy flow. That explained everything. Black Dogs fleeing from high-concentration mana energy. Orcs fleeing from even higher concentrations, only to encounter and beat the Black Dogs. The mana energy concentration in Wist Forest was clearly changing—and rapidly. Otherwise, two migrating monster groups wouldn't have collided like this.
"Haa..."
As if to confirm Ainz's thoughts, the sky began to darken in an instant. Black fog started to blanket the forest. Already dim from the dense trees, it now felt like nightfall.
"Huu... Haa..." "Hah... Hah... Haaah..."
To make matters worse, the teammates were already showing symptoms of mana energy poisoning. Ainz could be certain now—this wasn't an act. Their faces had gone pale as they retched; there was no faking that. Even Ainz was starting to feel dizzy, his head spinning.
Wouldn't it be better if I just drank it all myself?
Even if he gave the antidote to his teammates, they'd be back in this state within three minutes. Wouldn't it be better to send them all back and drink the rest himself, then sweep everything alone in peak condition? He could earn extra points that way. Ainz seriously considered it—until Schlus's words echoed in his mind.
Great power comes with great responsibility. Remember that, Ainz.
Great power. That must refer to his superior mana energy decomposition ability. If he possessed such a gift, he had a duty—a responsibility—to show consideration to those who lacked it. That was the proper conduct of a noble.
"Here. Take one sip each, then we're retreating immediately. Stay quiet while drinking."
He passed over the half-empty vial. After one sip each, nothing would remain. But that was fine. He could endure mana energy better than the others. So this level of sacrifice was acceptable. Only now did Ainz begin to understand what Schlus had meant.
"Here, Ainz."
"Alright, let's move—"
Ainz accepted the glass bottle without thinking, then froze. A half-sip of antidote still remained inside. Looking at his teammates, he saw them all smiling at him, their conditions visibly improved. Ainz shook his head and downed the antidote in one gulp. Though it was only half a sip, the effect was sufficient. His narrowed vision widened, and his body moved without delay.
"Listen up. When we retreat, we'll run straight between those two big trees. I'll bring up the rear and intercept any monsters following us. If your mana runs out, the person in front switches to the back. We keep rotating until we exit the forest. Got it?"
"Okay."
"Understood."
The students nodded with determined eyes. They couldn't wait for the monsters to disappear—they'd be poisoned again in no time. With the mana energy fog advancing in real time, the window before poisoning would be even shorter.
"Run!"
Ainz and his team kicked off the ground and sprinted. Their internal circuits activated simultaneously, pushing their bodies to the limit. Soon they were dashing through the forest at speeds rivaling horses.
"Kgh! They're coming in droves!"
The Orc pack, noticing them, gave chase at terrifying speed. They weren't slower in the slightest—some were even faster.
"I'll turn you all to dust... Huh?"
Waiting for the Orcs to gather behind them, Ainz extended his hand to cast magic—then recoiled in shock. The Orc pack had spread out widely to both sides.
Don't tell me... they're minimizing damage from wide-area magic?
So Orc intelligence was on another level compared to Black Dogs. Ainz clicked his tongue and erased the wide-area spell formula. It would be better to use pinpoint magic to blast the Orcs closing in one by one.
"Aah! Orcs straight ahead!"
"What?!"
The teammates up front skidded to a halt. Unable to stop in time, Ainz burst through them—
"Hah!"
"Kueeek!"
He drove a kick into the chest of the Orc that appeared in front. Its ribs caved in deeply as it flew backward, never to rise again.
"Damn it..."
But there wasn't just one Orc ahead. Dozens... no, perhaps hundreds. They had taken a shortcut and blocked the path. Behind them, the Orcs were closing the distance as well.
"W-we're surrounded! What do we do?"
"Calm down, everyone. We'll break through the encirclement with concentrated fire and escape. See that spot with fewer Orcs? We'll head—"
"Hic... Hah... I can't hold on anymore..."
To top it all off, the teammates were showing poisoning symptoms again. They were already running on fumes when they needed every ounce of firepower. I'll have to do this alone. Ainz was the only one still standing properly. He clenched his fists. I'll throw a light flame spell over there to make a wall of fire, then pierce five or six Orcs with a beam spell over here... He was formulating the plan when—
Whoosh...
"Huh?"
A sudden chill swept over them. It wasn't his imagination. Frost was forming on the leaves in real time. It was supposed to be summer—how was this possible?
Crack-crack-crack!
In that instant, a gust of wind howled and engulfed the surroundings. Ainz and his teammates, who had shut their eyes against the swirling wind, gaped in astonishment. The Orcs had all frozen solid, encased in white ice, unable to move.
"Hey now. Trying to burn down the forest, are we?"
"...!"
A playful voice rang out. It was someone whose presence they hadn't felt until now—but right now, they were overjoyed to hear it. Perched on a tree branch, grinning down at them, was the teaching assistant of Professor Sergei.