Chapter 45
"Fog Mermen?"
"Why are Mermen...?"
The mercenaries stared blankly at the Fog Mermen's corpses, which were nothing but bones, or in some cases, not even bones remained.
"Weren't Mermen supposed to live only in clear water?"
Mermen were monsters with fish heads sporting sharp teeth, scaled bodies, and versatile webbed hands that allowed them to swim and move on all fours.
They typically inhabited large lakes or rivers.
Among them, Fog Mermen had the unique characteristic of converting surrounding mana into clean fog, which they then exhaled as if breathing.
Therefore, if one saw a thick fog suddenly appearing in a clear lakeside or riverside area, it wasn't difficult to guess their presence...
'...That's how it should have been, anyway.'
Since this swamp was a place where fog naturally occurred frequently, it was easy to mistake it for simply bad weather conditions.
'Moreover, Fog Mermen are specialized in concealing their presence within the fog.'
Unless one could expand their senses as keenly as Kain, it was difficult to detect Mermen who were deliberately hiding.
"And weren't Mermen and lizards natural enemies? Why are they in the same swamp...?"
Yes, that was also a valid point.
There were far too many things that differed from the usual situation right now.
But what could they do about it?
Exceptional circumstances were no excuse in a real fight.
"Are your ears blocked? Form ranks! They were only momentarily stunned by the magic; they'll be charging at us from all directions soon."
The visibility that had been briefly cleared by Kain's Flame Spear was already being filled again with even denser fog.
"Y-yes, sir!"
Only then did the mercenaries snap out of their daze, hurriedly drawing their weapons and beginning to form ranks under the mercenary leader's command.
"Gather the wagons together in one place and surround them! They'll pop out unexpectedly, so don't lower your guard and be ready to react instantly!"
"Understood!"
"Put the mages in the back and block thoroughly so they can't be breached! Don't look back; focus on the front! Never expose your backs!"
The mercenaries, encircling the wagons, raised their weapons towards the fog where they couldn't see an inch ahead and focused solely on their respective fronts.
This was partly to protect the mages in the rear, but also because in a situation where visibility was limited due to the fog, the moment they exposed their backs, it would become difficult to distinguish friend from foe.
The formation would collapse the moment a swung weapon hit a comrade instead of a Merman, so the mercenaries kept the minimum distance needed to see the person next to them while staring ahead.
"Just show yourselves. I'll fry you instantly."
The disciples also gathered their mana with tense expressions.
And after a suffocating silence.
Mermen began to surge out of the cold fog.
"Kyaaaack!"
"They're here!"
"Haaaaap!"
The mercenaries swung their mana-imbued weapons at the Mermen who burst out of the fog like a flood.
"Fireball!"
"Fire Arrow!"
"Fire Needle!"
"Flame Spear!"
The disciples also immediately began providing supporting fire.
"Kweeeeek!"
"Kyak...!"
The sounds of flesh tearing and blood splattering spread.
There was no time to check whose flesh was tearing or whose blood was splattering.
They simply swung their swords and shot magic at the monsters appearing before their eyes.
"Fire Wall!"
"Kweck!"
The only fortunate thing was that the fire magic used by the disciples continuously cleared the visibility in front of them, even if only slightly.
And.
"Fire Wall, Expand. Transform, Fire Arrow."
Wherever the number of Mermen momentarily surged, Kain's magic, positioned atop the central wagon, unerringly erupted, helping to maintain the stability of the formation.
"Kweeeeek!"
"Kweck...!"
The five Mermen who had simultaneously lunged at one mercenary were reduced to ashes by a Fire Wall that rose from beneath their feet.
The mana remaining in the Fire Wall was immediately recycled and transformed into a dozen Fire Arrows, which then pierced the heads of nearby Mermen.
"Wow......"
The mercenary who had almost been overwhelmed by the five Mermen's coordinated attack gaped at the flowing, continuous sequence.
"...That Kain guy, can he pull off a combo like that in this situation?"
Anias, who was relatively at ease among the disciples, bit her lip as she looked for a place to help and discovered that scene.
'I knew he could freely use additional spells, but even transformation?'
Additional calculations and additional spells weren't techniques that could be used just by having abundant mana.
'No, rather, they aren't greatly related to the amount of mana. They're closer to techniques that rely on mental power, calculation speed, and the accuracy of the calculations.'
Among the additional spells, there were also spells like 'Amplify' and 'Expand' that consumed additional mana, but even these were closer to manipulating the activity level and interaction range of mana rather than the mana quantity itself.
That's why, for someone who handled large amounts of mana, it was an easier method to gather the existing mana and infuse it into a spell or to increase the range and number of spells themselves, rather than performing additional calculations.
'Especially transformation is even more so.'
Transformation is the process of severing the connections between mana within a spell that has already manifested according to its incantation, and simultaneously weaving them anew to create a different spell.
It was akin to instantly transforming a knitted wool glove into a doll.
'He even instantly drew over a dozen arrows from the Fire Wall.'
Anias could also do something like transforming the same type of projectile one-on-one, like a Fire Needle into a Fireball.
However, drawing over a dozen Fire Arrows in such a short time from a Fire Wall that was also under the 'Expand' incantation was something Anias wouldn't even dare to attempt.
'How confident must he be to use such intricate techniques... Could it be that consistently doing the mana refinement work he told us about helps with things like that?'
She had tried it after Kain told her last time, half in disbelief, but it felt like there hadn't been much change, which was frustrating. However, she now felt she should endure and try it a bit more.
'I will definitely catch up. Even that Kain hasn't reached the 4th Circle yet. Surely, he wouldn't be deliberately not reaching the 4th Circle if he could.'
She had never heard rumors of such a mage in her life.
Clearly, Kain's skill itself was superior to Anias', but if she was lucky and gained enlightenment, there was still a possibility that she could reach the 4th Circle before Kain.
'Wait, but if Kain is in the 3rd Circle now... Was Derrick that skilled when he was at the 3rd Circle?'
That thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Derrick Siers, currently vying for the top two spots in the clan's ranking competition, the most talented disciple among Cristan's children, and the high wall Anias had to overcome.
When Derrick Siers was at the 3rd Circle, was he stronger than the current Kain?
Anias paused, realizing she didn't have the confidence to answer that question.
But she soon shook her head.
'...No. Don't dwell on meaningless thoughts. I need to focus on myself right now.'
Defeat the monsters before her and find a way to break through the 4th Circle during the rest of the journey.
"Flame Spear, Divide!"
Anias widened her eyes and began to concentrate her mind.
Meanwhile, Kain continued to distribute his magic in the most efficient way possible, keeping his senses constantly sharp.
'So far, so good.'
The defensive line was solid, and as long as his and the disciples' offense continued, they could maintain at least minimal visibility.
"Uwaaaaa!"
"Dieeeeee!"
"Fire Arrow!"
The Fog Mermen, being monsters specialized in hiding in the fog and ambushing, were aggressive and agile, but their physical durability itself wasn't particularly outstanding.
Thanks to this, each of the disciples' spells was landing as an effective hit.
"But how long are these things going to keep coming out!"
"It's endless?"
"Ugh, just stop coming out already! You bastards!"
But the problem was their numbers.
Even if they were said to be highly fertile monsters, the number of Mermen killed in the continuous battle had already far exceeded dozens.
Normally, the number of monsters pouring out should be decreasing by now, but their offensive showed no signs of weakening.
No matter how solid a formation they fought in, if the battle dragged on for too long, their muscles would tire, the mana accumulated in their bodies would run out, their momentum would falter, and eventually, they would be overwhelmed.
"Kyaaaaao!"
"Oh, damn it! It stepped on me and jumped!"
Sure enough, one mercenary, momentarily exhausted, failed to deal with a Merman immediately.
The Merman that followed right behind stepped on his shield and swung its webbed hand towards Bolio behind him.
"Whoa, Fireball!"
Fortunately, Bolio immediately leaped to the side and cast a Fireball.
"Kweeeck!"
The Merman, hit squarely by the Fireball at close range, burned and collapsed.
"Huh-huh, huh."
"Are you alright! I'm sorry... ugh! I'll focus on the front for now!"
"Of course I'm alright!"
Bolio, panting for breath, clenched his fist as if proud of what he had just done.
"Practicing using magic while moving was worth it. Alright! Come at me, fish-heads! Fireball!"
No one had yet fallen out of combat, but it was undeniable that the solid formation was gradually cracking.
'At this rate, it'll become dangerous soon.'
Kain had also been gathering mana in preparation for such a situation, but the proportion of fire mana within the gathered mana in this environment was bound to be small.
The reason Kain had been splitting and further splitting his magic from earlier was to utilize the limited fire mana as much as possible.
Because he knew that the number of Mermen lurking behind this fog still far exceeded everyone's expectations.
"Fire Arrow, Divide, Scatter. Transform, Fire Needle."
Two Fire Arrows instantly multiplied to ten, spreading out and piercing the Mermen.
Instead of the outer mana that had already interacted upon impact, he extracted the intact inner mana, transformed it into Fire Needles, and aimed at nearby Mermen once more.
"Keeeeek!"
"Kueck!"
That was truly mana utilization pushed to its absolute limit.
'Their numbers are greater than even I initially anticipated.'
The sense of unease Kain had felt upon seeing the state of the soil before entering the central region.
That was likely the cause of this abnormal situation.
'At first, I thought some tricky giant mutant monster might appear...'
Instead, monsters that weren't difficult to deal with individually but had overwhelmingly large numbers had appeared.
'It's about time to make a decision.'
Even though the disciples hadn't faced strong monsters before, this much should be a valuable experience for them in their own way.
Kain looked at the fog that quickly filled in densely no matter how much they cleared it.
The single Flame Spear he had cast initially to pierce the fog.
And the terrain he had partially confirmed while providing supporting fire until now was already imprinted in his mind like a three-dimensional map.
As soon as Kain made his decision, he leaped off the wagon.
"Just hold out until I get back."
"Yes?"
"It won't take long."
"What do you mean—"
The mercenary leader asked back in surprise.
"Kyaooock!"
"Damn it!"
Slash.
By the time he had slashed down a Merman in front of him, Kain had already disappeared into the fog.
