Reconnaissance Mission (2)
Their teamwork was beyond imagination.
I took the lead, with the two of them providing support. Rozette and Chloe, who normally clashed like water and oil. But this time, I was right in the middle.
Chloe was the only one I'd directly synced with before. But through the Demon Slayer, I knew Rozette's capabilities inside out as well.
That allowed me to draw out the maximum from these two rivals burning with competitive fire. I didn't bother with unnecessary praise.
Instead, whenever it was their moment to shine, I made sure they stepped up.
That alone was enough—they followed my lead perfectly.
With their ultimate rival right in front of them, they had no desire to lose.
I deliberately modulated their performances. Wasted emotional energy would only lower our scouting success rate. Just enough provocation to keep them sharp was plenty.
We have to scout all the way to the boss zone. The emblem tier depends on it.
From the dungeon's outer village toward the center, we scouted relentlessly without pause. Naturally, I led the way.
With my mana heart accelerated to its peak, my senses were razor-sharp. The demon aura lines visible in my vision guided us along the safest routes.
The two followed close behind, hurrying through the dungeon.
But as we pushed deeper toward the core, the monsters we encountered grew tougher. Rozette, who had swiftly flown up on her magic wand to scout the area, reported back.
"This village is crawling with ogre packs! Among them, there's a demonized Stone Ogre. Its minions are mostly regular ogres, and there are monster archers scattered around here and there."
"Stone Ogres are among the strongest of 3rd-form beasts. We could handle three, but taking one down stealthily and quickly? Impossible."
"You know your stuff, Chloe."
Stone Ogre.
Ogres were already troublesome monsters—massive, powerful. The Stone Ogre was an even superior variant, its hide hardened like rock.
And it's demonized, no less.
Not on the level of the 2nd-form Chaos Ogre from the entrance ceremony or the colosseum, but I had no intention of getting bogged down by it.
"Rozette, can you bump the stealth magic up another level? Chloe, hit the one I point out with an instant paralyze attack. Aim for vision blackout. Then we break through!"
A blue mana flickered around Rozette's body.
Suddenly, a haze shimmered around all three of us like heat waves. Stealth magic—not just the basic kind, but elevated. It erased not only our presence but our human scent and mana signatures, undetectable even by demon beasts.
A high-level spell that extended to the entire party.
The downside is Rozette can't cast other spells while maintaining it.
Still, it was beyond what typical 3rd-tier mages could pull off. Surprise flashed across Chloe's face, her eyes lighting up.
She clearly wanted her moment to shine too.
I raised a hand to calm her—steady your breathing, lower your profile. Then I signaled that I'd take point.
Grrrrr rumble—
The air was thick with the ragged breaths of ogres all around. I plunged straight into the heart of the pack, where the demon aura hung heaviest.
Ogres weren't known for their brains. But the Stone Ogre chieftain had positioned its minions with uncanny precision.
The surroundings were a ruined village—more developed than a rural hamlet. Right in the central road, there was no blind spot in the demon aura for three people to slip through.
I pointed to the rooftops. They had some minion monsters dotted around, but blind spots existed.
We moved carefully atop them. Normal mana users could double their physical abilities with mana, sustaining a full sprint far longer than any civilian.
But our pace now was barely a normal person's brisk walk. That traded speed for stealth.
I led them through the passages carved by those blind spots on the roofs.
Moments later, a Stone Ogre appeared below the building across from us. The one Rozette had mentioned.
Boss's minion demon beast. Stronger than a regular 3rd-form, so its aura field is thicker.
The world of demon aura lines perceived through Reinhardt blood. Regular monsters had just a few wriggling solid lines around them.
Demon beasts were different. Their lines clustered densely, forming a field that twitched in real time.
No blind spot for us three to exploit. But that was no issue. I pointed at it with a fingertip.
A faint movement of mana flew toward it.
"Grrruk?!"
The Stone Ogre panicked, whipping its head around wildly. A natural reaction—its vision had gone blind in an instant.
Chloe's paralyze needle hit its eye.
Chloe had swiftly flicked her fan, launching the needle. Its effect was immediate. The momentary disorientation warped its demon aura field.
And in that brief gap—a blind spot in the aura. I darted through it. Without a word, Rozette and Chloe followed tight on my heels.
"Grrrh—?"
The Stone Ogre growled again.
The paralysis had worn off quickly. It must have sensed something off, but a quick scan revealed nothing but its minions.
We were already beyond its aura field's reach. The stealth magic kept us invisible to its eyes.
"Gr... gr...!!"
Soon enough, the Stone Ogre regained its composure, looking as relaxed as if the vision blackout never happened. Probably chalked it up to a fleeting illusion.
No heightened alert, then.
That was why we didn't engage it directly. We just needed the momentary gap in its field. Overreacting would only raise its guard.
A tighter formation would make stealthy breakthroughs impossible.
"Well done, Chloe."
At my praise, Chloe bashfully hid her face behind her fan. Rozette, meanwhile, couldn't conceal her shock.
Rozette gets it too—how impressive Chloe's feat was.
Stone Ogre. As the name implied, its hide was incredibly thick. Piercing it with a normal needle? Impossible. Even its eye was protected by layers.
Yet Chloe nailed the eye at the perfect timing.
A temporary wind-attribute alchemy transmutation at her fan's tip. Flicking it launched the needle with pinpoint accuracy and power. Masterful alchemy.
And the paralyze toxin's potency was exquisitely tuned—just strong enough to pierce its defenses and stun it briefly, but short enough not to arouse suspicion.
She knows demon beasts and monsters inside out. Adjusted the dose to their traits.
A genius alchemist, but her monster studies for combat were equally diligent. Under my command, the two rivals spurred each other on, showcasing their skills. It was immensely helpful to me.
***
The party paused for a moment.
This was a reconnaissance mission. Even taking the shortest path, we had to log every monster and demon beast we encountered.
It's already late afternoon.
I quickly alchemized dirt chairs. The three of us sat for a brief rest.
Chloe took the recording mana stone I handed her. She checked the logs hurriedly and spoke.
"This is top-tier recon data. Shortest route to the boss's core zone, demon beasts and monster counts along it, even nearby terrain—all meticulously recorded."
She was right. My perfect perception of aura blind spots gave us the luxury for thorough scouting.
Secure the blind zones, and we could circle nearby freely.
The logs stored in the mana stone were clean and organized, not cluttered.
"It's like executing dungeon recon theory straight from the training manual. Textbook perfect, minimizing all variables. This rivals not just reserve platoons, but Imperial Capital Guard scouts."
I glanced at Chloe. No flattery—cold, merchant-like appraisal of value. She wasn't wrong.
A territorialized 2nd-form demon beast dungeon. High difficulty meant recon wasn't easy. Usually reserved for Guard scouts or Pantheon 3rd-year elite reserve cadets.
Not something three 3rd-tier cadets should pull off.
Rozette chimed in.
"Yeah. I never thought we'd reach near the boss zone without a hitch. All thanks to Yulian's senses!"
"The witch is right. Without the Count, we'd have been spotted by a demon beast at least once. My senses are sharp, but perceiving demon aura like him? Impossible. True Reinhardt... no, Count Yulian is exceptional."
"And Yulian leading the party was spot-on. I couldn't pull that off, even with platoon leader quals."
Endless praise from the sectional reps—Pantheon's all-time greats.
But I didn't get carried away.
"You two did the heavy lifting. No need to make a fuss."
Agnes's rosario. The precious relic warded off pointless arrogance too. Its mental stabilization was remarkable.
Just a 2nd-form. Recon, not hunt. No room for satisfaction.
Autumn Nest assault would demand far tougher foes.
We rested a bit longer.
No direct demon beast fights meant less mental corruption from aura. But unlike me, Chloe and Rozette were starting to flag.
"Eval deadline's tomorrow, so we'll hit the boss zone then. Time to prep camp. Rozette, the recording stone."
Rozette gripped the stone. With illusion magic, she projected the stored recon data into a holographic map in the air.
"Even camping in a monster-free spot like this, detection's always a risk. Enemies everywhere. No room for yesterday's luxury shelter."
They nodded. A night without holy power. In emergencies, fall back via the safe routes on the map.
Ready to bolt anytime—no need for elaborate shelters. Nor the stamina for it.
"A shame. Yesterday's was comfy for a dungeon—thanks to your alchemy efforts. Perfect for overnighting."
Chloe seemed more than a little disappointed. Rozette flinched visibly, catching the innuendo in "comfy."
"E-even for eval... it's a mission! Not a vacation!"
Chloe's regret? Obviously, no steamy night with me tonight.
"Anyway, let's move. Camp before sundown."
The three rose again.
***
Night fell.
The three lay down in the campsite.
"Ugh... my whole body's aching."
Rozette groaned. She and Chloe looked exhausted. The curse of demon aura, plus unresolved fatigue from the full-power eval, then straight into a new dungeon.
Scouting all day? Being fine would be weirder.
The shelter gap was stark too. Yesterday's earthen house was an inn; tonight's was a trench dug into the ground.
Alchemy and magic widened the underground space plenty, but no luxury for separate rooms.
So the three shared one trench. Mixed genders, scents and breaths mingling close.
But I remained unfazed, speaking calmly.
"The earth golems and spirits will handle watch. Relax a bit. Sleep quick—boss zone tomorrow."
I covered up and lay down. They pretended to obey, closing eyes and settling.
But the dungeon night was long. Chloe and Rozette didn't drift off easily.