Chapter 458 - A Chain of Beasts and a Swirling Wind
Base construction, check. Food supplies, check. Combat strength, mostly check. Since we all gathered, our group's survival experience has been progressing so smoothly you could even call it smooth sailing.
Our roster is skewed, with only three artisan-type players. However, since the skills of at least a majority of them as magi-tech engineers far exceed the general average, our unbalanced composition has somehow managed to find its equilibrium.
Everyone gets along well, too… which might not be all that rare in Arcadia, a world full of decent people. Still, it's a blessing nonetheless.
It’s not like we had a grand vision for the future. Yet, it’s certain that we all, on the whole, felt a loose, gentle sense of “security.”
—And that is precisely why…
"Hmm… quite a vision of hell we've got here."
"Your tone is way too calm!"
The scene of pure pandemonium was such a stark contrast, such a dizzying drop from the peace we'd known, that it felt like some kind of wild festival. After casually lopping off the head of a long-bodied creature, my muttered comment earned me a lightning-fast retort from a mage I'd just saved from peril.
The second raid began at 10:00 PM on the second night, just as predicted.
Facing a swarm of [Stardust Beasts] roughly five times the size of the previous night's, our defensive line was currently a chaotic free-for-all, with shouts and roars echoing from every corner.
Compared to the top-tier players and Istians I know so well, the members of our group are, frankly, lacking in firepower. Perhaps due to a preference for stability, they're all quite durable, so I'm not worried about them getting taken down too quickly…
But even so, they probably can't last the full hour like yesterday. Not like this.
"Alright then… Rob-san! Think you can handle the rest if I cut their numbers in half?"
I posed the question to the squad leader as I jumped in to support his precarious position. Rob-san, the dual-wielder, had just finished cutting down a wolf and shot me a bewildered look for a second—
"You make it sound so easy… Of course we can! We're counting on you!"
"You got it. Leave it to me."
I gave the [Samidorizuki] in my hand a light flick—and then followed the path I'd laid, leaping forward.
The wolves and monkeys had modest specs, and we were used to them from yesterday, so a small pack should be manageable. As for the boars, by clearing the forest and creating more space, we'd increased the time we had before they made contact, allowing our back line to easily deal with their simple-minded charges.
So, it made sense for my targets to be… the three new types of creatures.
Newcomer number one: the rabbit-type. It's nimble and delivers surprisingly skillful kicks with its decent strength stat. When I think of rabbits, the [Ruby Bullet Rabbit] comes to mind, but compared to that thing, these are just adorable.
They seem to prefer getting into close-quarters combat, but their tiny bodies don't lend them much in the way of presence. Even with their rabbit-like agility, my personal standard for that is the ridiculously overpowered murderous bullet-rabbit—so this level of speed is practically pet-like.
"[Lumina Raygust]."
I activated the evolved, conveniently powerful skill. The wind, which in its previous [Wear-earlwind] form was limited to my limbs, now cloaked my entire body. I proceeded to knock down the little bunnies that were harassing a nearby melee fighter, striking them with my hands, feet, elbows, and knees as I spotted them.
They showed hints of reacting to my dash, suggesting they were some kind of anti-high-speed-attacker, but…
Too bad for you. Come back when you can handle my 'Matoi' footwork.
"Whoa, brutal… Thanks!"
Still, they're probably tough opponents for heavy weapon users. I gave a V-sign to the greatsword wielder who had been getting tossed around, and then moved on to clean up the big guys.
Newcomer number two: the snake-type. It’s… not quite ten meters long, is it? Regardless, it's far larger and longer than a player, and it attacks by writhing its massive body.
On top of its raw toughness from its sheer size, it's an order of magnitude more troublesome than the boars, which only charge in straight lines. This thing is cautious and cunning in its attacks—however, with sufficient attack power and the means to close the distance, it's just a big target.
"Hup—there."
I stepped in, and with a single flash, the jade blade of my sword cleanly severed the great serpent's head—the second one since I'd saved that other group member.
Its wind-up for an attack involves it swaying its head back, but since I can reach it with a jump, it just looks like it's presenting its neck to me, saying, “Here you go.”
I think you should try a more compact attack motion. Come back when you've practiced.
And then, newcomer number three—to be honest, even I can't be careless with this one. Not because it's a threat to me personally, but… oh, crap.
"[Rocket]!"
A black cannonball shot up from a corner of the battlefield, easily clearing our defensive line and arcing down toward the center of our base. A decent size, a decent speed—I caught up to that black ball with a low-power [Rocket] assisted by my [Maristake Boots], and at the same time,
"Acrobatic Summersau—lt!"
"—W-Wha-hyai!?"
My admittedly bizarre aerial roundhouse kick (wind-enchanted) made a clean hit, sending the large ball of fur… or rather, the round sheep-type monster, flying into the distance like a soccer ball.
Apparently, I didn't quite manage to deplete its HP. Stubborn thing.
That was the new food source candidate. During the day, they apparently just run away with that ridiculous jumping power if you encounter them, so unfortunately, we couldn't have mutton for dinner tonight.
"Whoa, you okay?"
"I-I thought my legs were going to give out…!"
"You mean they didn't?"
She was probably reacting to the impact sound of my flashy kick up close. I let Nono-san pull up Nia, who had shrieked and fallen on her butt, and kept my distance. She shot me a disgruntled look, but I'm wearing a windstorm right now, so please forgive me.
"My, my! As expected, rushing in to save the day!"
Nono-san teased me as usual, but even she couldn't hide the fact that she was shaken. Tetsu-san next to her was barely maintaining his composure…
"This is still too dangerous… maybe it's better if you all hide indoors?"
"Aww, but I want to watch if I can."
"I can't tell if you're scared or not…"
I get it, but… yeah, okay.
I get it. Which means I should do my best to ensure they can continue watching. As for those rampaging sheep, which seem to be firing randomly without even picking a target, I'll just have to take responsibility for shooting down every last one of them myself.
In that case…
"Nia, hold this for me—ah, it's heavy. Be careful if you're going to carry it."
"Huh? O-Oh, okay. I don't, mind."
I unhooked the [Samidorizuki] from my right hip, scabbard and all, and placed it on a nearby tree stump, entrusting it to my partner. My inventory is full, so I can't store it, and it's a bit heavy hanging at my waist… but most importantly…
Against these opponents, my master's blade is still overkill, and I don't want to waste its durability. I can't exactly ask anyone else to maintain it until the event is over.
"Alright, time to thin the herd a bit."
I summoned the shortswords to both hands and, after a moment's hesitation, activated [Trance]. I had fired off that last kick in a panic, but I should be able to deal with the sheep from the edge of the battlefield with my own two feet.
And with that, it's time.
"Well then, I'm off."
With a light wave of my hand and a final glance at their three faces, a mixture of exasperation and something else, I ignited my legs and dashed across the flat ground we had all worked so hard to level during the day.
As I passed the rabbits, their ears twitched in reaction, but I mowed them down with a sweep of my hand mid-stride. The languid snakes seemed to move in slow motion, so I chopped them up from head to tail. Any sheep I spotted, I riddled with holes from my shortswords before they could jump, and if one managed to get airborne, I chased it down and knocked it out of the sky.
—In conclusion, for me at least, this is still a cakewalk.
—But at the same time, I had to wonder: Is this really the right difficulty for a general audience event?
The first day's raid was manageable enough that they could have handled it without me, at worst. But this time… I suspect that without at least a few high-tier combatants—not necessarily rankers, but skilled players—a complete victory would have been difficult.
A hard-won victory at best; at worst, a war of attrition that could have resulted in casualties. For only the second assault, the difficulty spike feels a bit too steep.
Now, as for why… well, I have my suspicions—oh my, what a large party has arrived.
I don't believe you have a reservation, but I doubt you'll turn back if I ask you to.
Without hitting the brakes, I ran onward, letting the wind gather the wind, and targeted the massive swarm pouring out from the surrounding forest.
The “charge” was more than sufficient.
This will be its first practical application… but I think it's time to let loose with a big one!
"Sorry! Clear out!"
"—Spread out! The General's doing something! Run, run, run!"
After confirming that the squad had quickly responded to my warning and evacuated the “projected impact zone,” I slammed the accelerator I had been easing off of.
Before me was a full house of small fry like monkeys and rabbits, as well as big game like boars and snakes. A horde of roughly thirty creatures had swarmed out, and as I charged them, a vortex of wind began to swirl around my body… roaring, swelling, compressing to its absolute limit.
[Lumina Raygust]—the protective winds surrounding the user grow in ferocity the faster and longer they run.
And once the wind, stored to its breaking point, is unleashed from my hands…
"Alright, fly away—[Destruct]!"
What erupted was a great storm that swallowed everything before me.
My long white hair and the hem of my clothes whipped violently, and my legs, planted like anchors, gouged deep into the earth as I was pushed back. A moment later, after a roar that sounded nothing like wind had passed, all that remained was…
"W-Woooooooooow…"
"That's insane."
"Terrifying."
"Let's not get on his bad side."
"It's on such a different level it's making me laugh…!"
A catastrophe so great that I had no choice but to accept their various comments.
Staring in awe at the aftermath of my own attack, which had unleashed far more power than I had ever imagined and carved out a small chunk of the forest, I gave a single, silent nod.
"…………The… anti-mob performance is, pretty decent, I guess?"
As I brushed the occasional falling leaf from my hair—the words I'd intended to speak calmly may have trembled just a little.
I'll keep it a secret that even I was scared witless by how much more brutal it was than I'd expected—about three times as much.
・[Lumina Raygust] — The third stage evolution of the [Gusty Rim] line.
From its predecessor [Wear-earlwind], the wind's area of effect has been expanded beyond the limbs to offer protection to other parts of the body. Additionally, the wind's power now accumulates based on the user's movement speed and distance traveled. The 'Release' function has been enhanced, and at maximum charge, the special assault skill [Destruct] can be activated.
While the scale of the phenomenon appears dramatic, its power is only enough to blow away 'decently-leveled mobs,' making it a mid-tier, wide-range skill. A truly strong player like Tiger ☆ Star could break through it while humming a tune. It might give them a little surprise, though.
Additionally, as the wind's power accumulates, its offensive and defensive enhancement properties also increase. After a certain charge level, it can be expected to function as an 'enchantment,' adding power to attack actions. However, be warned: maintaining a max charge for too long will eventually cause it to backfire, resulting in significant self-inflicted damage.
As a fundamental prerequisite, unless you're a freak who runs around the battlefield at ridiculous speeds like a tuna, you can't accumulate much wind power. Therefore, the ability to easily convert it into area-of-effect firepower is an exception unique to the protagonist. Of course, since the skill itself is currently unique, there's no exception to speak of.
Yep, pretty decent performance.
The author has just released character designs for the exclusive magi-tech engineer, following the self-proclaimed maid, on X. If you're interested, please take a look.
Oh, and the Arcadia book version is out tomorrow! Time flies!!!