Plasma (1)
The bones of the Kutlanka were wrapped in a crimson aura, truly ominous. The crimson energy enveloped bones far larger than ordinary buildings, and the empty eye sockets blazed with murderous fury.
"Shit."
That sight was all too familiar to me. After all, the guild raid boss Kutlanka in Fairy Masters appeared exactly like this—bones wrapped in crimson aura.
I had thought that when I heard the name from Plasma, it couldn't possibly be the terrifying raid boss reviving... but it seemed like it was really moving.
Can I catch that bastard?
If I could catch it, massive rewards awaited. Why do people keep joining guild raids? Even if it's difficult to defeat, the rewards are substantial enough to make it worthwhile.
Among the masters and fairies in the current extermination team, quite a few had already died. It was strange that they weren't falling despite the thieves rushing in like that. Moreover, among the thieves, there were quite a few strong masters and fairies.
So, if I could kill the Kutlanka, our party could obtain quite a lot.
There's still a healthy 7-star fairy named Plasma in the extermination team. And I have experience conquering the Kutlanka.
My intellect and Plasma's martial prowess.
With these two combined, we could sufficiently defeat the raid boss Kutlanka.
But there was a problem here.
First, the level.
Guild raids feature a variety of raid boss levels so that even low-level users can participate and earn rewards. From the lowest 30 levels, increasing by 10 levels each time, up to 300 levels—truly diverse.
Plasma is at 138 levels, so up to 90 levels higher he could even fight alone. But beyond that, Plasma couldn't hunt solo. Otherwise, he wouldn't be a raid boss.
The second problem is that the real strong ones of the enemy—the true powers of the Snake Bandits—haven't shown themselves yet.
So far, masters and fairies belonging to the Snake Bandits have appeared, but there was no one hard to deal with.
They built such a huge force, yet only such masters and fairies?
Then, why haven't the real powers of those bastards shown themselves until now?
...Plasma.
With just a little thought, I could immediately realize. The Snake Bandits knew about the powerful fairy Plasma being in the extermination team.
The purpose of the Snake Bandits was Baidu, and of course they would know about the Witch Queen who rules Baidu and her fairies.
Ah, shit. This is really fucked up.
Upon realizing the seriousness of the situation, my spine chilled. It felt like I was sweating cold sweat.
Even though they knew about Plasma, the Snake Bandits didn't run away. Instead, they harassed us continuously until we arrived here, draining our stamina.
Then, what was the reason?
It was because they had confidence that they could kill Plasma.
With the bandits in front and the reviving Kutlanka behind, we were in a literal no-win situation.
The thought that Plasma was here and I could suck on the honey for a while had long vanished from my mind. If I wanted to survive, to save Aquaril and my party members, I had to get out of here first.
But how?
The only entrance was blocked by the thieves, so without killing all those bastards, I couldn't escape.
"Aaaaaah!"
"Kuek!"
"W-what the hell are these kids?! Why so s... uwaaaah!"
"Master!"
"Shit, what the hell now?"
Screams didn't cease from the entrance of the hill.
At first, I thought they were the sounds of the enemies dying, but upon closer listening, it was familiar voices.
I turned my gaze away from the Kutlanka, which was emitting an ominous aura as if it was about to move at any moment, and looked at the fierce battle at the entrance of the hill.
More than ten men and women stood in a line, pushing forward while killing their allies. Every time they swung their weapons, not only the soldiers but also the masters and their fairies who participated in the extermination team fell, spewing blood.
Status window.
"Tch, these bastards really don't give time to think."
I confirmed that the real power of the Snake Bandits had appeared, and I scowled. They couldn't be worse.
Wait a minute. His name is [Vikendi Salmus]?
Something came to mind, so I checked the name of the man in the status window again.
Th-that's right! I'll authenticate my belief! You bastard Salmus! Bald-headed Salmus!
Earlier, when I caught the thieves in Jert village, the captured one suddenly declared he would authenticate his belief and cursed Salmus.
When I asked who Salmus was, the thief answered that he was the leader of the Snake Bandits.
So that guy.
I just took a screenshot of one guy and checked the status window, but an unexpected big shot appeared. Short buzz cut, deeply etched crow's feet, that guy was exactly the thief who said he was the leader of the Snake Bandits at that time.
118 levels... I'm fucked, but why are these strong guys coming out one after another like sausages, what's going on.
Although not as strong as Plasma, Salmus was also an enormous powerhouse. If he levels up just two more levels, he'll reach the max level of 6 stars, 120 levels, and have stats exceeding three digits.
His skill levels were also high, and above all, he possessed the [Desert Warrior (Rare)] class specialized in desert terrain, just like the [Desert Warrior (Special)] trait that has a big effect in desert terrain.
The [Desert Warrior] class increases combat power in deserts and raises the level of sand-using skills by 1 level each.
Also, the [Desert Warrior] trait increases Strength, Constitution, and Durability stats by 3 points each when in the desert.
Moreover, wearing various items that increase stats made the stats even higher.
The grade displayed in the status window was 6 stars, but it was practically 7 stars.
These crazy bastards.
I checked the status windows of the other bastards next to him too. His fairies and two masters were 6 stars, and the rest were 5 stars.
"Alan."
I instinctively sensed that something unusual was happening, and Kaniasia approached me. Even as she called me, her gaze was directed at the enemies.
"Let's run, Kaniasia."
"What?"
"We can't win against those guys even if we die and come back. So, we have to escape from here."
"....."
Fortunately, Kaniasia wasn't a fool. She didn't say useless things like abandoning comrades to escape.
"Where?"
"There."
"... Alan, it seems you've misdirected your direction now."
Kaniasia's face hardened as she turned to look behind me following my finger. Because the direction I pointed was a cliff.
"No, I pointed correctly."
"But Alan! There..."
"I know. I know, but the only place to escape is there. You're not thinking of breaking through those bastards, are you? That's just suicide."
"....."
Kaniasia tried to say more, but eventually closed her mouth. She also knew that the only way to escape was down the cliff.
"No other way, right?"
"Yeah. As you can see, those we can fight against aren't the ones we can deal with."
The masters and fairies of the extermination team were never much weaker than us. Most were 3 stars and 4 stars. Rather, purely looking at the grades, our party could be said to be the weakest.
Those masters and fairies died instantly, unlike the soldiers. If we ran there, it wouldn't change. They would die without lasting 10 seconds.
"If we cling to the cliff and go down, it should somehow work. Or..."
There is a way not to escape.
"....."
Right, the Plasma that had been quietly standing there was about to act.
Although it would be hard to kill the strong ones including the leader of the Snake Bandits, Salmus, it could at least clear the way.
But the problem was that Plasma was hesitating.
Plasma's face, reminiscent of a wolf, was as hard as stone. This was the first time he had looked so serious since the extermination team left on the expedition.
He was alternately looking at the Kutlanka wrapped in crimson aura, the commander Pazniri who was very flustered beside him, and the group of Salmus pushing in from this side.
It looked like he was pondering where to start solving it.
To survive and get out from here, I have no choice but to use Plasma.
After a moment of contemplation, I decided and approached him.
"Plasma-nim."
"... What is it?"
When I spoke, his gaze returned with annoyance. The favor he had shown me until now was nowhere to be seen in his gray eyes.
If this were during the expedition, he would have flinched and retreated at that gaze. But in a situation where life was at stake, I couldn't retreat.
Move, lifeline!
"Plasma-nim has noticed, but the bones of the Kutlanka are not normal. I have a pretty good intuition... it seems like the Kutlanka will revive within a few minutes."
"... So, what do you want to say?"
It seemed he was surprised that I realized the same thing as him. His eyes widened slightly.
"Our party will go down the cliff to confront the Kutlanka. In the meantime, you block or rather kill them."
"... You mean me? Impossible. Didn't I say before? The Kutlanka can only be killed by the all-seeing Witch Queen personally..."
"I remember all the words you gave me at that time. Yes, it's definitely a strong monster. But now it's just a bunch of bones, right? It will be much weaker than when you fought the Kutlanka. Although our party is weak, we can at least stall for time."
"... You might all die before you go down the cliff."
What the hell is this guy trying to do now? Shut up and listen to me!
What was this guy's thinking in saying such useless words and dragging precious time?
I wanted to shout to shut up and follow my words. But then a beating would come flying? So, I endured. If he hits me, my head will be crushed and I'll die.
"I said it? That my intuition is good. You have already noticed that Plasma-nim is an enormous powerhouse. And if you sincerely act, it will take some time, but you can kill those thief bastards."
"... Indeed, your intuition is good."
Plasma nodded and admitted that my words were true. Then, he looked at the commander Pazniri beside me.
"Commander Pazniri."
"Y-yes?"
Commander Pazniri, who was startled by the unexpected appearance of strong people, addressed Plasma with honorifics. That meant he was very startled.
"You, follow one master down the cliff. One master? Please take care of Commander Pazniri."
"W-what, Plasma-nim! What does that mean? Go down the cliff! Isn't it enough that you just kill all those thief bastards? I'm sure the Witch Queen told you to protect me..."
"If I fight while protecting you, I can't kill those bastards. So, go down. And don't argue with my words. If you don't want to die."
"... Hic!"
Perhaps because he hardened his heart, killing intent was in Plasma's eyes. It was like that of a wolf that had started hunting.
Poor, inexperienced Commander Pazniri flinched and even hiccuped at that gaze.
"Piku. Can you take your master down the cliff?"
"... Possible."
"Then do so. One master. As I said earlier, please take care of Commander Pazniri. My master's command to me was to protect Commander Pazniri. Please help me carry out my master's orders. I will definitely repay that favor."
"Leave it to me. Ah, and one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Please let Chae Gillard and his party come down with us."
"Understood."
Chae Gillard was much better than other masters. Moreover, for some reason, his thoughts flowed similarly to mine. If the level of the Kutlanka that would revive soon was low, we could hunt with him.
And Plasma readily accepted my request.
He glared at the group of Salmus approaching from this side and said.
"Anyway, it's more convenient for me that there are no people here. If I stay here, they'll all die."
Srrring-!
The 7-star fairy, Plasma, drew his sword from his waist.