kscans

Chapter 44 - The Down Plan. Interception

Since the little birds had told him of its existence, he had already considered a method for dealing with monsters that attack from the sky, with reference to the [Anti-Monster Tactics] manual. Generally, these monsters, with bodies so large that they would be difficult to fly aerodynamically, almost without exception used wind magic for flight, and it was conceivable that they would also use wind magic for attack and defense. Therefore, it could be said that aerial combat in this world began with countermeasures against wind magic.

(Since they're flying with wind magic, if I disrupt that magic, it will be difficult for them to fly. I was planning to catch them off guard and disrupt them with my own wind magic... but three at once is tough. But if I take them on one by one, they might become wary... I guess I have no choice but to take on all three at once...)

It would be troublesome if the three of them coordinated, so if he was going to make a move, it had to be early. The distance was a concern, but this was no longer a situation where he could say such things. Relying only on the MP that had increased through his daily training, he had no choice but to go with brute force now. Of course, the reason he could remain calm even in this cornered situation was probably due to his firm resolve to survive.

...As he was thinking this without really thinking, he realized there was a way to seize the initiative other than with wind magic. It was a trick he had used several times before, but...

(...This is the first time at this distance, and with multiple targets...)

However, there was no time to hesitate. Yuri unleashed his first move.

"[Focused Beam]!"

A strong beam of light, created by light magic and given directionality, burned the eyes of the approaching monstrous birds, the Lucca. Unlike other ball-type and lance-type attack magic, its speed was overwhelmingly fast, being the speed of light, so even the swift and fast Lucca could not avoid it. Toward the Lucca, who were instantly deprived of their vision and thrown into confusion, a follow-up dark magic was unleashed.

"[Confusion]."

A dark magic that stirs up the opponent's mind and deprives them of their proper judgment. This one was originally meant to be used against a large number of opponents, so it was activated without any problem even with the three Lucca as targets. As a finishing touch, he unleashed wind magic to obstruct their flight, and they fell for it beautifully. It was no longer a matter of coordination or attack; they were desperately trying not to fall. It seemed they couldn't even properly orient themselves up and down.

"Now then... since they're moving around like crazy, it's harder to hit them... I can only use attack magic with a large area of effect. But if I carelessly use a large-scale fire magic and the feathers burn, it'll all be for nothing..."

After thinking for a moment, he decided that there was no other way but his original plan, and

"[Water Ball]."

He created three water spheres with water magic. However, these water spheres were not meant to be thrown for impact. As if to demonstrate this, these water spheres were... exceptionally large. Each was about two meters in diameter. It was a size sufficient to cover the heads of the Lucca and drown them.

"It would be more efficient if I could create water spheres directly inside their lungs or air sacs... but my aim isn't good enough for that right now... Besides, I don't even know the body structure of that monster bird, and with them thrashing around like that..."

Having three targets, which were no longer enemies but prey, was probably a big factor, but just covering their heads with the water spheres was a struggle.

However, his efforts paid off, and soon, Yuri succeeded in obtaining a large amount of down.