Chapter 138
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Field Boss Defense Battle (1)
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Parting the fresh white mist and scanning the area with [Scan], Jun moved in the direction where the faintest life forces flickered.
"What about them?"
At Eleanor's question, Jun narrowed his eyes as he spotted the fallen group with [Bright Eyes] and replied.
"It's the Hertex Adventure Party. They're badly injured."
"Tch, guess we should go check on them."
Even an adventure party that had staked out territory on the 4th floor wouldn't have a senior priest along, so Jun nodded.
"H-Hold it. Who are you people?"
"White Whale Mercenary Corps. We heard the commotion and came to see what was up."
"Wh-What? White Whale Mercenary Corps?"
"We've got a senior priest here. She wants to tend to your wounded."
"......Just a moment, please wait."
An adventurer who recognized Eleanor's priestly robes despite his mangled leg hobbled hurriedly into the tunnel.
It seemed like a hastily dug tunnel, as plenty of seriously injured people were visible further inside.
"Would you like to come in?"
"Much obliged."
With permission granted, they entered the tunnel, where they found a mage who looked like the one who'd made it and the leader of the Hertex Adventure Party, Hertex himself.
"Never thought we'd meet in such sorry shape. The situation's dire, but... good to see you. I'm Hertex, leading this bunch."
The man who introduced himself as Hertex had a sturdy build marred everywhere by torn skin and gashes.
"I'm Jun, leading the White Whale Mercenary Corps."
"To think I'd meet the famous mage amid all this racket. My deepest apologies for the disturbance."
"Greetings can wait—the situation doesn't allow for it, as you said. How about getting treated by our priest first instead?"
"Ngh...... I'll accept the favor."
Though the conversation stayed calm and collected, Jun was inwardly quite rattled.
'According to the info Cloi gave me before we left, Hertex is an adventurer who's reached level 6.'
His party members were all seasoned veterans too, the kind who normally operated on the 5th floor if it weren't for times like these.
How the hell had a group like that ended up in such a state?
"Urgh...... From your expression, you've got a lot of questions."
"My apologies."
"No need. I owe you an explanation anyway."
As Eleanor treated him, Hertex explained what had happened.
They'd gotten word of a field boss appearing at an unusual time and rushed to alert everyone in the field, with Hertex leading his party out immediately.
They weren't as prepared as they would be in a normal year, but they were still pros.
The plan was to clash once with the field boss, push it back, then quickly post a request for reinforcements.
But that plan had gone off the rails from the start.
"It... it appeared."
"It?"
"......A Twin-Headed Troll. An irregular field boss."
Unaware of that fact, Hertex had tried to take it on solo and gotten crushed.
And as befitting a field boss, it had a horde of monsters in tow.
Caught off guard by the extra forces, the Hertex Adventure Party had their lines shattered, suffering heavy losses as they retreated.
That was when the explanation was interrupted.
"Damn it, it's coming this way!"
"Grah! My leg's still broken...!"
"Evac anyone who can't fight to the rear right now!"
"But Captain, that'll break our formation!"
The Hertex Adventure Party, already beaten once, fell into chaos.
Hertex, a level 6 powerhouse, had inflicted serious wounds on it during the retreat, but in that brief window, it had recovered and was marching forward again.
Worse, the field monsters drawn by its feral aura were gathering too.
With their current numbers, defense was utterly impossible.
"Hertex. We'll lure them away. You take your wounded and get out while you can."
"......You sure? That thing..."
"We know enough about it, and we don't plan to go toe-to-toe."
"Hoo. No choice with things like this. May Hermes bless you."
They couldn't just abandon these people to die—not ethically, and not for the merc corps' reputation either.
'The Hertex Adventure Party has a name for itself. Ditching them would spread bad rumors.'
The field was already crawling with mercenaries and adventurers besides them.
And simple luring wouldn't be too tough.
"Eleanor, finish healing those folks. Maya, guard Eleanor."
"Got it, Captain."
"You got it!"
Leaving the two who'd help the rear most, Jun headed out with Aiden, whose agility and stamina were top-notch.
"Senior, anything else I can do?"
"Some of the monster pack might swing wide to cut off the retreat. Intercept those."
"On it!"
As the adventure party scrambled to prepare their withdrawal, the ground began to rumble.
The monster horde had closed in.
"About thirty up front. Double that behind them."
"That's a lot......"
"This is when preemptive strike wins. I'll hit 'em first—keep an eye out for any slipping around the sides, Aiden."
"Yes, sir!"
Aiden nodded eagerly too.
He figured drawing attention without killing them outright was doable.
"Alright...... Let's kick things off spicy."
[Multi-Chant]
[Scan]
[Detecting Target]
While his allies readied their retreat, Jun poured all his gathered mana into a single spell at once.
His imagery: a wildfire.
A natural disaster bigger and more widespread than anything else.
[Flame Rage]
Spiraling fireball erupts
The spiraling fireball summoned at the spell's end spun tautly.
Fwoooosh—
A crimson orb floating in the air.
The crystallized essence left by Sergei’s chimera, a 7th-circle mage.
It granted insights at times, but its true excellence lay in amplifying fire attributes.
Roooaaarrr!!
The spiraling fireball shot forward far faster than before, spinning at unimaginable speeds as it hurtled toward the monster horde hidden in the mist.
The monsters, startled by the intense heat piercing even the fog, scattered left and right to dodge the fireball.
Unlike before, its speed was impressive, but beast-type monsters could still react.
But that wasn't the right choice.
The fireball didn't vanish just because they dodged.
Penetrating safely to the center of the monster formation, the spiraling fireball finally...
Fwoooooosh—!!!
...exploded its pent-up fury in one go, spewing massive flames that incinerated the surrounding monsters.
Kiiiiieee!!
Kyaaaaoooo!!
The single spell scattered the monsters every which way as they fled the insane blaze.
"Whoa......"
Aiden stared at the spectacle, momentarily entranced.
The saying about prepared mages being scary? It was made for his senior.
Kuoooooh—!!!
Reacting to the flames, perhaps—the Twin-Headed Troll's roar erupted from nearby.
Having gained experience from the prior clash with Hertex's party, it unleashed a mana-disrupting roar to shatter the spell.
But...
"Looks like it's burned through a ton of mana."
Still affected by the fight with Hertex's party, Jun's spell didn't waver in the slightest.
Plus, Jun was now fairly accustomed to ancient magic.
With far more refined and sturdy spell patterns, it wouldn't break under that level of roar.
Kruuuuaaa!
Though it lacked mana this time, it was enough to rally the panicked monsters.
"Not on my watch."
Jun had no intention of standing idle.
His imagery now: the wrath of nature, gathered and condensed.
[Lightning Call: Modified Form - Thundercloud]
Enhanced with ancient magic
Inheriting Mongmong's cast spell, infusing his own imagery, and packing in extra mana to unleash.
Boosted by ancient magic's durability, [Lightning Call] held far more mana than before.
Zzzzt—!!!!
In an instant, the world flashed white.
Thunder boomed loud enough to deafen.
K-Kraaak......
A death-rattle scream echoed from beyond the mist.
Of course, one hit wouldn't kill it...
'Can't push further—too risky for me.'
The scattered monsters were sensing his mana and charging this way.
"Aiden!"
"Yes, senior!"
Aiden, who'd been holding their attention, responded to Jun's call.
"Fall back?"
"Yeah, let's bolt!"
They'd done plenty.
Jun quickly buffed Aiden with enhancement spells, then used [Burning Step] himself to escape the area.
[Burning Step]
Soon, the troll's enraged bellow echoed from afar as it regained its senses.
"Incredible......"
Hertex's murmur drew nods from his party members.
The mage by his side agreed.
"That heat we felt when they left... it was no joke. Felt like profoundly deep magic."
"You sensed it too?"
"Yes."
Hertex deeply agreed with the mage, Mulder.
An enormous mana surge had rippled through in that short time.
"Fire and lightning together......"
The crackling thunder from behind was terrifying enough to make you not want to look.
What kind of prep went into power like that?
"How's the body holding up, old man?"
"Thanks to the priestess, I'm good. No issues running."
"Muscles are still pretty shocked. Messed up your mana flow too. Don't overdo it or the wounds'll reopen."
"......Appreciate the advice."
And somehow, they even had a senior priest in their merc corps—that was the envy of envies.
'Maybe it's a blessing this mess happened now?'
The thought crossed his mind, but he shook his head and snapped out of it.
"Hurry to the [Checkpoint]! Then round up everyone who can move and support the White Whale Mercenary Corps! Got it?!"
They'd received help; time to return the favor.
Rescuing a mage who struggled with mobility would cost them too.
Just as his members started responding...
"We've arrived."
"......!"
Hertex was grateful in that moment for being a superhuman level 6.
......Or he'd have shrieked like a little girl and lost all dignity as captain.
The mage had appeared silently from the mist, splattered in blood.
Living as a Mage in the Hero Party Chapter 139