Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Rescue Operation
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An emergency meeting was held.
The vice captain spoke about the terrain characteristics where the assault team had fought, and Jun shared everything he knew without holding back.
Unlike when the raid had first begun and he'd kept silent, Jun now boldly took center stage in the meeting.
"Team 3 is gone? Damn. Looks like they failed. Tell me the names of the dungeons the other teams cleared."
The disdainful looks that had been directed at Jun initially were nowhere to be found now.
The mercenaries regained their composure and focused on his explanation.
"From now on, we have to rescue the assault team before the Fairy Queen fully recovers, and take down the Forest Guardian. Which means we don't have much time."
If the Fairy Queen fully recovered from her injuries and joined forces with the Forest Guardian, even an assault team made up entirely of level 3 players wouldn't stand a chance.
Obviously, excluding the assault team, the survivors—mere level 2 players—had zero chance of making it out alive.
That's why Jun couldn't afford to wait for Aiden's return and had to move immediately.
The swift meeting concluded, and after a brief rest, they launched the rescue operation.
"Vice Captain. A monster horde has been spotted ahead. And... a large number of Fairies too."
Lucy, the adventurer who'd been subdued by Jun earlier, finished her report, and the vice captain nodded.
The adventurers who'd been carrying out operations within the other teams now stepped forward openly as members of Azure Cloud.
'The mercenaries nearly exploded again in the process...'
Fortunately, with the goal of survival on the line, the mercenaries backed down, allowing Jun to gain command over the adventurers as well.
"Numbers?"
"At least close to a few hundred monsters, and more than thirty Fairies."
"...That's definitely the horde I saw."
The vice captain then turned to Jun, the junior mage at his side.
"Shall we execute the plan?"
"Yeah."
"...Good luck."
"You focus on your job. Make sure your captain doesn't do anything stupid."
"He's not that foolish."
"You say that in this situation?"
"..."
Leaving the speechless vice captain behind, Jun looked toward the adventurers preparing to move out quickly.
They were the adventurers from the four remaining teams, excluding the failed Team 3.
"You all memorized the map, right?"
"...Yes."
Among them were Lucy and Luke.
"Whether we save your captain and the others depends on how well we pull aggro. Don't do anything reckless."
"Got it!"
"..."
"...Ahem!"
Luke, who'd responded energetically, let out a fake cough under Jun's gaze.
He was recalling the moment he'd drawn his sword on Jun first.
"Alright, let's move."
The core of the rescue operation was drawing the attention of the clustered monsters.
It was impossible for just a few dozen level 2 players to take down hundreds of monsters.
If the level 3 adventurers joined in, it might be different.
'But we need to prepare for the fight with the Forest Guardian, so we can't exhaust ourselves now.'
That's why Jun decided to lead the swift-footed adventurers in pulling the monsters' aggro himself.
"But don't the monsters obey the Fairies' commands?"
That had been a question from one of the mercenaries during the meeting, after hearing Jun's explanation.
Most monsters in the raid obeyed the Fairies' orders.
Naturally, they wouldn't stray far from a certain range even if aggro was pulled.
And Jun was already aware of that.
"Of course. But the Fairies' commands don't always work."
There was something in this forest that drove the monsters mad.
KIIEEEEEEK——!!
A Plant Undead, procured by one of the mercenaries as per Jun's plan, shrieked as if its cheek had been slapped, echoing through the forest.
"Run!"
At Jun's shout, the adventurers bolted all at once.
The goal was to lure the monsters out of the Fairies' range.
Though their gear was level 2, the adventurers gathered here weren't just level 2 in skill.
They were all level 3 veterans.
And Jun's magic boosted them further.
Enchantment: Elemental Armory
Attribute: Wind
With the enchantment magic taking effect, the adventurers darted through the trees like fish in water.
Jun followed behind them.
'Damn!'
His mage's body held him back.
Mages had zero agility to speak of.
He'd boosted his speed with magic, but it was still woefully insufficient against the charging monsters.
"Mage! Excuse me for a sec!"
Luke rushed up to him.
In one motion, he scooped Jun around the waist and leaped forward with unbelievable power from his small frame.
'The optics aren't great, but he's reliable when it counts!'
The one who'd been an enemy moments ago was now a comrade.
It was ironic, but to survive in this world, you had to accept that much.
That was the lesson Jun had learned over the past year.
Unlike the cramped dungeon, the open field allowed the adventurers to tear through the forest at incredible speeds.
Even Luke, carrying someone despite his small size, outpaced the monsters clearly.
'The monsters are in a frenzy too... but still, impressive.'
Feeling anew the physical prowess of a level 3 player, Jun shouted.
"Too fast!"
Hanging on, he couldn't say more, but the adventurers understood.
Their goal was to draw attention, not fully escape.
And they needed to conserve mana, so they paced themselves while weaving through the trees.
Soon, they reached their intended destination.
"Rear guard?"
"Right behind!"
The sight of hundreds of monsters charging with murderous intent was enough to make legs shake.
But they plunged into the space ahead.
Into the dungeon where Team 3 had failed to clear the boss.
It was a dungeon with a theme similar to the 'Rotten Tree Root' that Jun and Aiden had visited with Team 4.
But even those somewhat accustomed to the Black Forest wrinkled their noses at the overpowering stench assaulting them.
"Was 'Corpse Flower Underground' always this bad?"
"No way. Probably related to the Fairy Queen awakening."
As the two adventurers chatted, the dungeon's name was 'Corpse Flower Underground'.
A subterranean dungeon infested with Plant Undead.
They were using the fact that outside monsters couldn't enter the dungeon as an escape route.
The plan was to speed through, slay the boss in the boss room, and warp gate to rendezvous with the rescue team.
"We just gonna keep running?"
"Yep."
"Damn. Gonna be a lot of running."
Fortunately, unlike its name, 'Corpse Flower Underground' was a field-type dungeon.
Spotting a massive flower illuminating the dark depths in the distance, Jun sighed in relief.
"Looks like they made it to the boss room at least."
The boss monster of Corpse Flower Underground was a beast-type corrupted by Plant Undead: the 'Plant Warg'.
The giant flower in the center bloomed only when it awakened, confirming Team 3 had reached the boss room.
"How long straight to it?"
"About half a day."
One adventurer answered using [Dawn of the Pilgrim].
Adventurer abilities were handy in situations like this.
"Good. Rest a bit, then move."
Time was critical, but Jun ordered a short break to see the bigger picture.
These people had cleared their dungeons less than a day ago and just sprinted through the forest using mana.
They were silent due to guilt, but their fatigue was beyond imagination.
'And after the Warg, we'll fight the Forest Guardian right away.'
Jun had no choice but to allow the brief rest.
They'd be the main force against the Forest Guardian.
Sure enough, at his command, the adventurers lay down for a short nap.
This area had been cleared by Team 3, so no watch was needed.
As Jun sat resting, Luke sauntered over.
"Not resting?" Jun asked casually.
"Ahem! I may not know much, but stamina's my thing."
Luke's endurance was impressive, and he was a skilled warrior who could handle aura.
'Makes sense. Once you awaken aura, mana recovery speeds up a lot.'
In some ways, warriors recovered mana faster than mages.
Unlike mages who needed meditation, warriors regained it just by breathing.
"So, what do you want?"
"Well... I know it's shameless to say this now, but I wanted to apologize."
"..."
"I know that look. I get it—our actions are unforgivable."
"And?"
"Ugh... Selfishness? Yeah, selfishness. I just need to say it to ease my conscience a bit..."
'Too honest, huh.'
Jun understood the sentiment.
He had no intention of forgiving them, but if it improved their condition, he could let it slide.
Lives mattered more than apologies.
"Sorry. Feels like we used you, Mage."
As Luke finished and returned to his spot, Lucy nearby met Jun's eyes, startled, and looked away.
Her sharp ears as a ranged DPS had caught the conversation.
She was just as uncomfortable around Jun.
'If you're gonna pull crap like this, at least succeed.'
The awkward silence passed quickly during the short rest, and when time was up, they hurried onward.
"Plant Undead corpse over there."
"Compared to the first one, time of death?"
"About a day difference from the signs."
"They're progressing by the book."
Unlike the maze-type dungeon Team 4 had tackled under Jun and Aiden, field-type dungeons had different strategies.
Maze-types offered little space to avoid monsters but had fewer and less frequent intrusion events.
Field-types rarely let you get lost but could spawn dozens of monsters at once.
Thus, circling the outskirts for clears was the drawback.
'Team 3 followed protocol, so up to here it's standard.'
Jun continued having the adventurers check monster corpses for intel.
Crucial info since they weren't starting from scratch.
'As expected... half a day will get us there.'
The dungeon wasn't huge, and with full sprint, they soon reached the central boss room.
"Smell got worse."
"Bad enough to hinder fighting."
"Hoo."
The exhaustion amplified the dungeon-wide stench to torturous levels.
But the end was near.
They spotted a lone wolf growling beneath the massive flower visible from afar.
Except it wasn't a normal Outer Wolf—it was a bipedal giant wolf.
'As expected, eyes are dark red.'
No need to confirm; it was enhanced by the Fairy Queen.
Sure enough, it charged first, flower on its neck flapping, lacking any caution of a beast—pure madness.
GRRRRR——!!
Despite its massive bulk, its pounce was like a ferocious gale.
Jun's buffed adventurers split apart in response.
Jun escaped its range with Luke's help.
'Damn. Need to boost stamina or learn mobility spells.'
Dangling from someone smaller wasn't pleasant.
Especially with life on the line.
But unlike Jun's plight, the battle progressed smoothly.
Though enhanced by the Fairy Queen, its patterns hadn't changed much, and these adventurers had trained for months for such scenarios.
"How long till the spell's ready?"
Jun shouted back at Luke.
"Three minutes!"
He'd been prepping, but hanging off Luke made focus harder than usual.
Thanks to [Unyielding Will] and [Steadfast Heart], it was even possible—other mages couldn't dream of it.
"You heard! Three minutes! Hold out!!"
With their combat power, slaying the Plant Warg wasn't hard.
But they were fatigued, and needed reserves for the Forest Guardian.
So Jun planned a one-shot with big magic, like before.
"Set me down!"
"Got it!"
After gaining distance, Jun hit the ground and began weaving his gathered mana.
But variables always strike unexpectedly.
KYAAAARRR——!!
"Huh?"
"Undead!"
"Damn, why now?!"
Dozens of undead burst from the ground.
A new pattern for the Plant Warg, added only when enhanced by the Fairy Queen.
But it required accumulating damage on the Plant Undead first...
'Damn, forgot about that!'
This Warg hadn't just fought Jun's group.
It had battled Team 3 before, and their damage had triggered the summon.
Hard to gauge damage on undead, so he'd overlooked it.
"Watch out!"
Luke sliced the neck of an undead erupting beside them, but the most spawned right under them.
Jun soon realized why.
'That attire...!'
Unlike regular beast undead, distinct appearance, freshly dead...
Corpses from the failed Team 3.
"Urk! Mage! Behind!"
Luke blocked the front, but undead appeared behind too.
Jun scanned the battlefield with [Bright Eyes].
'Formation's broken.'
The surprise foes shattered their lines; the Plant Warg targeted isolated Lucy.
A bloodied-sword adventurer corpse approached Jun's back.
In that instant, Jun coldly assessed the situation and future clashes, then decided.
Interpreting...
Interpretation complete.
Divine Language effect of 'Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim' reduced by 10%.
His imagery: flames.
Inferno in a furnace, superheated blaze melting steel, devouring and liquefying all.
⟨ Tinder ⟩
A mere 1-circle spell, but the ignited spark swelled massively on a wave of vast mana.
KIIIAAAAA——!!
The spell exploited the gap targeting an adventurer, coiling around the Plant Warg.
Wind
A small sphere of wind formed at the blaze's core.
"Grgh...!!"
But it wasn't ordinary wind.
Saturated with Jun's mana, compressed to its limit.
The wind asserted itself amid the maxed-out flames, doubling their size and maximizing power.
Like a wildfire spreading, it engulfed the Plant Warg and erupted into a soaring pillar of fire.
"What magic is that...?"
"No way..."
The adventurers, unable to imagine it was a 1-circle combo, forgot the urgency staring at the inferno.
"Mage!!"
"Guhk!"
But Jun wasn't the only one landing a fatal blow.
An undead awakened by the Plant Warg pierced his chest with its sword.