Chapter 5
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Ambush
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The carriage ran for half a day without stopping.
The sun, which had raced alongside them, was now sinking below the horizon, and the faint light of the moon and stars began to show itself in the dusky sky.
Perhaps the horses were tired, as the carriage’s speed had slowed to a crawl compared to when they first left the city.
“We should probably start looking for a place to make camp.”
Rex, the orc hero leading the detachment from the very front, decided it was time to rest the weary horses and for his men to get some sleep, however short. He brought the column to a halt.
It would take three full days of non-stop travel to get from Stratus to the capital.
Rex’s men were well-trained elite soldiers; three days without sleep wouldn’t significantly impact their combat effectiveness. Their horses, however, couldn’t run properly without periodic rest and sleep.
“Feed the horses and take a rest.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
Sensing the commotion, the masked rogue, Balder, disembarked from the carriage without a word.
“...”
“You, scout the area for a suitable place to camp.”
At Rex’s command, Balder gave a slight nod, his form blurring like mist before vanishing on the spot.
The party was currently in the middle of a dense forest.
Here, surrounded on all sides by massive, thick trees, camping carelessly could leave them vulnerable to surprise attacks from enemies creeping through the woods and undergrowth.
For that reason, the soldiers dismounted, drew their weapons, and began to stand guard.
From inside the carriage, the boy watched the faint glint of moonlight on their sharp blades and polished armor, feeling a sense of security.
Unlike the city guard stationed in Stratus, these were true elite agents dispatched from the capital.
Each one of them was easily over level 20, and the orc hero leading the squad, Rex, was an imposing level 40.
The only monsters that appeared on the roads around here were various Mutants discarded by the Mazoku for being ‘failures,’ or the occasional stray dog.
At most, they were level 1 or 2 monsters, meaning there wasn't a single enemy in the vicinity that could pose a threat to this squad.
‘Just two more days like this and we’ll be at the capital...’
The boy stared blankly at Rex, who was affectionately stroking his Komodo, and thought leisurely about what was to come.
‘I got through the most dangerous part without much trouble thanks to these high-level escorts. We should reach the capital without any issues, and as soon as we arrive, the first place I need to visit is...’
*Twang!*
In a corner of the boy’s vision, as he was casually organizing his plans, a spray of red liquid bloomed like a petal.
His focus, which had been on the Komodo acting uncharacteristically affectionate toward Rex, wavered.
The boy’s eyes refocused on the drops of blood that had blossomed in the corner of his sight. There, a soldier was slowly collapsing to the ground, an arrow piercing his neck.
“...”
Time seemed to slow down.
A heavy silence fell over the soldiers in an instant.
The sickening smell of blood he had become so familiar with in Stratus once again stung his nostrils.
The corpse, which had bloomed a flower of blood, finally crumpled to the ground.
*Clang!*
Steel armor clashed against steel, creating a deafening sound. In time with the noise, soldiers’ voices erupted from all around.
“Ambush from the east!”
“The arrows are imbued with mana!”
“Enemy’s exact position is unknown! Can’t get a headcount!”
Despite the suddenness of the attack, the well-trained soldiers relayed the fragments of information they gathered to their commander as concisely as possible.
“Dammit, Balder! Where is Balder!”
Rex roared the name of Balder, the rogue concealed by his mask.
“...Here.”
Balder appeared behind the axe-wielding Rex, his entire body covered in blood.
He had three stab wounds in his abdomen, and a large spear was embedded in his back.
As if to be expected, the wounds were infected with a virulent poison.
His skin had turned a sickly green and blue, and tears of blood streamed from his eyes.
“It’s a Mazoku ambush. About a hundred Mutants. Not a large number, but...”
“...What is this? Medic! Get the medic over here now...!”
Rex hastily turned his massive frame toward the column and bellowed.
Balder grabbed Rex’s arm with a trembling hand and shouted.
Blood spurted from his mouth, but Balder didn't stop speaking.
“Don’t interrupt me, Rex...! Conveying the intel is the priority.”
Balder paused mid-sentence to rip off his blood-soaked mask. His tongue was already going numb, and the blood-drenched mask was making it difficult to report accurately.
The face revealed beneath was marred by old scars and burnt skin.
“All the Mutants... not only possess intelligence, but they also know how to use weapons. Not just swinging them wildly... but with precise archery and spearmanship...”
Balder’s voice slowly faded.
His life was hanging by a thread, but it seemed more important to him to give Rex as much information as possible than to worry about such trivialities.
“Weapons...?”
Rex’s face contorted in disbelief at Balder’s words.
Mutants with lingering intelligence were found from time to time. It was a tactic the Mazoku sometimes used to make warriors hesitate before striking them down.
However, such Mutants usually just repeated similar phrases mechanically and were incapable of deep thought like other intelligent beings.
They were little more than puppets that moved at the Mazoku’s beck and call, with a speaking function tacked on.
That was why most Mutants couldn’t use weapons. They couldn’t even open and close their own hands at will, so it was impossible for them to demonstrate sophisticated swordsmanship or spearmanship.
“Run, Rex...”
But Balder insisted the Mutants could use weapons, and he didn’t retract his statement even in the face of Rex’s disbelief.
And with those final words to flee, the rogue with the face marred by old burns and scars, Balder, collapsed to the ground and breathed his last.
“...”
The final words of a comrade, now a cold corpse on the ground. The mana-infused arrow that had struck down his subordinate.
It didn't take Rex long to process the situation and make a decision.
“All troops! Mount your horses, now! We push north and break through the forest!”
“...What is this now?”
The boy, who had been watching the situation unfold from the carriage, couldn’t hide his bewilderment as the scene suddenly reeked of blood.
Mutants that use weapons? Mana-infused arrows?
Something was clearly wrong.
Weapon-wielding Mutants were high-tier monsters one would only expect to see in the game’s final stages, during battles with the regional Overlords. They were not enemies one should encounter on this forest road to the capital, a very early-game area.
“Get down!”
Herion grabbed the shoulder of the boy, whose mind was racing to comprehend the situation, and pulled him down to the carriage floor.
*Thwump—!*
An arrow embedded itself in the carriage wall. Naturally, every arrowhead was coated in a deadly poison.
The fear of death.
It flew at him along with the hail of arrows, but the boy’s mind did not stop thinking.
He wasn't out of breath, nor were his senses blurring.
His mind simply kept turning, calmly assessing the situation and searching for the optimal course of action.
“Mage! Contact the capital at once! An Overlord has appeared!”
“What... an Over, what?!”
Herion asked, pressing herself flat against the carriage floor.
It seemed she was not able to assess the situation as calmly as the boy.
“An Overlord has appeared! Only an Overlord can create Mutants capable of wielding weapons! This isn't an opponent we can handle on our own. Hurry! Every second counts!”
“Aaaargh!”
As the boy was explaining the situation to Herion, another scream filled the air.
A horse carrying a soldier was struck by a volley of arrows from the forest and collapsed.
As a result, a soldier in steel plate armor was sent tumbling dozens of times, falling behind the rest of the column.
“Wait, wait!”
The soldier who had fallen from his horse desperately shouted at his comrades, who were getting farther away.
“Captain, Felix is...!”
Someone in the column spotted their fallen comrade and was about to say something to Rex at the front.
*Whoosh!*
In that instant, a human-shaped Mutant wielding a pitch-black greatsword cleanly severed the head of the fallen soldier, Felix.
“...”
The soldier who witnessed his comrade’s death said nothing more.
*Rumble, rumble!*
The horses pulling the carriage, too, were seized by instinctual terror and began to gallop frantically.
The boy gripped the corner of the carriage tightly with his one good arm to keep from being thrown out.
The mage, Herion, lying prone beside the boy, took out a crystal orb hidden within her robes and began to chant.
Herion’s quiet incantation was lost to the boy’s ears, drowned out by the rattling of the carriage and the desperate curses of the soldiers.
“I can’t reach headquarters! It seems like some kind of mana-jamming field is spread across the area...!”
After wrestling with the crystal orb for a while, Herion spoke in a voice trembling with fear. It seemed a deep despair had spread through her mind, just as it had with the other soldiers.
“Shit...”
A curse escaped his lips.
For some reason, it seemed the Overlord had a thorough plan to annihilate them here.
‘This isn’t an enemy I can handle just by using Blooming. An Overlord’s level is at least 80, even at the lowest estimate.’
Even the orc hero, Rex, who was currently at the forefront breaking a path for their retreat, was no match for an Overlord. The level difference between them was more than double.
Moreover, the actual difference in power was not just double but exponentially greater. It was clear that even ten of Rex wouldn't be able to leave a single scratch on an Overlord.
The boy gritted his teeth, his thoughts concluded.
“I’ll do something about the mana-jamming field! So...”
*Crash!*
Before he could finish his sentence, the carriage carrying him and Herion was thrown high into the air.
The world once again began to move in slow motion.
In the corner of his eye, the boy saw the leg of a horse, crushed beneath the carriage it had been pulling after being struck by an arrow and collapsing.
Then, the faint moonlight reflecting off the numerous arrowheads flying toward him illuminated his face.
Herion, who had been launched into the air with the boy, quickly began to deploy a barrier using her crystal orb.
‘Death.’
Those two chilling words once again flashed through the boy’s mind.
His body was so frail and weak that simply falling on the street was enough to break an arm.
What would happen to a boy with such a fragile body if he were thrown from a carriage moving at full speed and crashed to the ground?
Naturally, every bone in his body would break, and all his organs would rupture.
The boy didn't need to think hard to realize that the Grim Reaper's scythe was resting on his shoulder.
“Blooming.”
Therefore, there was no hesitation.
With that simple word, a massive bolt of lightning struck down from under the clear moonlight.
The myriad of incoming arrows were struck by the lightning and turned to white ash on the spot, and a great fire spread through the dense surrounding trees.
“...”
Herion, who had barely managed to protect herself from the impact, stared blankly at the colossal lightning bolt that had struck before her, and at the boy who stood perfectly fine even after taking its full force.
*Whoosh!*
The sound of the air being split struck the boy’s eardrums with a chill.
As if they had been waiting for this very moment, countless arrows, their sharp tips aimed solely at the boy, began to fly at him all at once.
*Fizzle...!*
However, they all vanished before they could leave a single scratch on the boy's skin.
The electric current emanating from the boy’s body had turned them all into white ash.
A cloud of white powder surrounded the boy, obscuring his vision.
“...Try contacting headquarters again. The jamming magic should have been destroyed with the first lightning strike.”
“Ah... r-right!”
The mage in the red robe, Herion, quickly infused her crystal orb with mana.
Fortunately, the orb functioned normally. The mud-stained crystal began to glow with a red light, transmitting the voice of a communications mage from the allied headquarters.
—*Ah, ah. Secure line. Secure com...*
“Capital Royal Guard, 1st Infantry Division, 6th Squad, 4th-Circle Mage Herion Kriates! Requesting immediate backup for headquarters! Current position is coordinates 07-11.36!”
Herion requested support from headquarters in a voice that was almost a scream. There was no time for trivial procedures like securing the line.
—*Uh... What seems to be the problem? Please provide a brief summary of the current sit...*
“Mutants capable of wielding weapons have appeared! I don’t know why, but it seems an Overlord has shown himself! We need immediate...”
Herion cut off the support officer and hastily explained the situation.
*Whoosh!*
An arrow imbued with mana flew toward Herion’s side as she shouted, spittle flying onto the crystal orb.
Having confirmed that arrows were ineffective against the boy, the Mutants had apparently changed their strategy to eliminating the communications officer calling for reinforcements.
*Flick!*
Seeing this, the boy flicked his fingers in the direction the arrow came from, unleashing a thin bolt of lightning.
The electric charge, traveling at 100,000 kilometers per second, met the arrow flying toward the mage and instantly became a massive lightning bolt, incinerating the entire nearby forest.
“I’ve reached headquarters! Reinforcements are on their way to our current position!”
In the meantime, Herion, having finished her communication, shouted at the top of her lungs. It was an unbelievably loud voice to come from such a slender throat.
“What’s the distance from headquarters to here? We’ll all be dead before reinforcements arrive! Get up and get on my horse, now!”
A soldier in silver armor shouted as he galloped over in response to Herion’s cry.
“Did you report the situation clearly?”
Unlike the shouting soldier, Rex calmly asked Herion.
“Yes! I told them there are Mutants that can use weapons... I made it clear that an Overlord has appeared!”
“What... an Overlord? *That* appeared?”
The soldiers, who were just now regrouping and getting a clearer picture of the situation, all turned pale and looked around with terrified eyes. The despair and fear in their eyes deepened.
“Dammit... Why now, of all times, for that monster to show up after three years without a single clue...!”
“Estellasia, please watch over us. Please!”
Herion once again shouted loudly at her despair-drenched comrades.
“This is the first appearance of the Overlord in three years...! *He* will absolutely not miss this chance! We just need to buy time. I gave ‘him’ the coordinates to this location, so we must not move too far from this spot, Rex!”
Rex, who had halted his Komodo, scrunched his face as his mind raced.
‘Indeed, if news of an Overlord’s appearance reaches headquarters, ‘he’ will undoubtedly come to our aid.’
The problem was whether his squad could hold out against these Mutants until ‘he’ arrived.
Fighting these monsters here, or continuing to move on horseback and Komodo.
Rex endlessly weighed which of the two options had a higher probability of survival.
‘No matter how fast he rides, it will take at least three minutes to get from the capital to here.’
Could they hold on?
For three minutes?
In their current state?
Rex’s squad was well-trained and more than capable of handling ordinary Mazoku and their Mutants, but they were woefully inadequate against an Overlord and his creations.
Those things were monsters of a different caliber.
If he had to risk his life just to defeat a single one of the Overlord’s Mutants, what would happen to his squad members?
They would undoubtedly be swept away like leaves in the wind.
‘...But.’
*BOOM!*
Behind Herion, who was lying flat on the ground in her red robes, another massive bolt of lightning struck.
The white-haired boy, his expression unchanging as if this were nothing, was in the process of burning down the entire surrounding forest.
In the sight of the white-haired boy incinerating the forest, Rex saw a glimmer of hope.
It was an incredibly bright light. Just like lightning.
‘...If that boy fights with us, it’s not an entirely impossible scenario.’
“All units, prepare for battle!”
Rex dismounted his Komodo, raising his heavy battle-axe.
The time for resistance had begun.