Troll Knight (1)

We carefully followed them, taking care not to make a sound. We were waiting for the moment they gave up pursuing the players.

"Everyone, be ready to fight at any moment. The first strike is crucial."

I checked that everyone had nodded at my whispered instructions. The beginning is crucial in all things, especially in battle. Ideally, we should always seize the initiative and maintain control of the fight.

However, unexpected things are bound to happen. The real test of skill is taking control of the flow again after that.

"…All right, now's the time. Astral Magic Circle, release standby—Flame Band."

"!?"

I released the magic I had been keeping on standby. It was 【Fire Magic】's Flame Band.

Five fireballs appeared from the magic circle floating right beside me, flying one each toward the five Trolls. They left trails of flame as they clung to the monsters, then began burning their bodies all at once.

They had the weakness 【Fire Attribute Weakness】, and this was a surprise attack. The effect of my 【Assassination Arts】 had unquestionably increased its power. The higher-level, armored Troll Knight aside, the lower-level, unarmored Trolls were rapidly losing HP.

I had avoided using 【Fire Magic】 in the forest as much as possible because of the risk of spreading flames, but Flame Band was convenient because it fixed the flames' intensity and position. Of course, if the burning Trolls started thrashing around, all that consideration would be for nothing.

"Come on, follow-up attack! Spell Adjustment, Stone Pillar!"

"Spell Adjustment, Wind Lance—"

So we added follow-up attacks to keep them from moving around. First came a barrage of magic from Shiitake and Uru. Shiitake had only learned 【Earth Magic】, while Uru could use 【Wind Magic】 and 【Water Magic】. However, using 【Water Magic】 now would put out the flames, so Uru was using only wind.

"Come on, go, go! Give 'em hell!"

Next, a huge flock of crows summoned by Shichikou's 【Summoning Arts】 launched a suicidal attack. Unlike me, he specialized in Summoning Arts. He had advanced from Apprentice Mage to Apprentice Summoner, and then finally to Summoner.

The monsters he summoned were completely different in performance from the ones I had summoned when I was at his level. I had made do by having defense-specialized individuals serve as walls or self-destruct, but I suppose there was no way I could beat a specialist.

His control also seemed to have become more precise. The crows he summoned began concentrating their attacks on the Trolls' heads. The Troll Knight had been trying to approach us while enduring its burning body and the magical follow-up attacks, but it could not ignore having its vision completely obscured by crows attacking its face with beaks and claws. It stopped and swung its weapon around desperately to drive them away.

"Huh. So weak monsters get killed by the shockwaves even without a direct hit. Here, have some more."

Thanks to specializing in 【Summoning Arts】, Shichikou's mana cost per monster had also fallen considerably. Moreover, the first thing he had summoned was a level-ten Big Crow, so it required little mana in the first place. Replenishing his depleted forces was therefore no great effort for him. With that, our preparations were complete.

"All right! Charge!"

"Let's not hold everyone back!"

"We'll make quick work of them."

"Of course."

The Trolls, engulfed in fire, wounded by magic, and swarmed by crows, were attacked by the rest of our companions. At that moment, I ended the effect of Flame Band. Even though we were switching to close combat, friendly fire was enabled in the current environment, so my flames would scorch our allies as well. Some of them also had 【Fire Attribute Weakness】, so if I left it active, I might end up killing them myself.

"Hah-hah! Let's do this, you lot!"

"Grrr!"

"(Flap, flap)"

The first to burst from the bushes and charge in was, of course, Sei. Fil the Horn Wolf answered the spirited battle cry with a short growl, while Tess the Fairy responded by adorably flapping her wings.

From there, it was over in an instant. Fey's horns pierced the Troll's lower abdomen, Tess's Light Lance impaled its chest, and Sei's club smashed into its head. The smooth three-hit combo from the three of them (?) cleanly knocked down the already dying Troll. Hmm, their coordination with their tamed monsters might rival mine with Cal. The only reason I won't say it surpasses ours is simple pride.

"A little unfair, but forgive me, okay?"

Shishu's legs were fast, so she quickly circled behind the Troll. She fixed its body in place by driving all eight legs into its back, then bit down hard on its neck. 【Fangs】 was a 【Skill】 that spider-type creatures possessed from the start, but hers had been honed through the harsh battles she had endured and evolved into 【Great Fangs】. Her large fangs, befitting a giant spider, were as vicious as a pair of heavy-duty cutters. The Troll's cervical vertebrae, already barely holding on, snapped with a dull crack.

When we first met, she seemed a little poor at combat itself, but that was no longer true. By now, she had slaughtered so many monsters that any other player watching would probably think we were insane. She had also become accustomed to fighting itself, and her visceral method of biting monsters had become completely natural. Perhaps she was the one who had changed the most during this event.

"Fireball, then a flurry of slashes… or something like that."

Toji ran toward the Troll and fired a Fireball into its face. Shichikou's crows were still there, but she paid them no mind. What nerve!

Then, using the twin swords I had imbued with the Fire attribute beforehand through 【Enchantment Arts】, she slashed the Troll from every direction. Her movements were so masterful that they almost looked like a sword dance. The Troll desperately tried to block her strikes, but it could not stop them all.

Jigoro, who approached with naked murderous intent, and Genjuro, who could make me feel as though my palms were sweating just by facing him, offered a different kind of spectacle. Those two pulverized their enemies with heavy blows, while she steadily whittled them down with a flurry of attacks. It was extremely impressive to watch. If blood effects existed, it would have been not merely eye-catching but a splatter show with blood spraying through the air.

"Right, right, left! Then a straight right! And bite!"

Moss-san possessed tremendous strength for someone so small. He was a bat, yet his unusual character build made him a frontline fighter focused on hand-to-hand combat like Jigoro, and it was surprisingly effective.

He flew around the enemy while using small, jab-like attacks with both feet to break its guard, then slammed his wing-hands into it to inflict stun. Finally, he bit into its neck and drained its blood. It was a dazzling display of skill.

By the way, before his evolution, his vampirism only restored HP. Apparently, his evolution added a short-term doping effect. The duration was truly brief, and it seemed to depend on the level of the opponent whose blood he drank, so there was no need to deliberately seek out targets. Still, it was certainly useful when fighting one battle after another.

"Hey! Whoa! Somebody! Help me!"

Eiji, who had gone alone to hold off the Troll Knight, was screaming. He used a huge shield and heavy armor, making him the most defensive member of our group. That was why we had assigned him an enemy we knew he could not be taken down by something like this, but apparently holding it back alone was too much even for him.

"I'll help you now. Astral Magic Circle, activate—Dark Arm."

"Gah!?"

I had my hands free now, so I began providing support. One of my favorite 【Dark Magic】 spells, Dark Arm, seized the Troll Knight's four limbs and the nape of its neck. At least Eiji should be able to catch his breath now.

"Whew! You saved me!"

"Hrryaaah!"

"Baa, baa."

Taking advantage of the Troll Knight being immobilized, Eiji fell back once and gulped down a Recovery Potion. Naturally, these were made using 【Alchemy】 by Shiitake and me. Making enough Recovery Potions for everyone except me, who took damage from them, had been a pain, but the two of us finished it without spending too much time.

In the meantime, Shiitake threw poison dumplings made by kneading together poisonous spores and poisonous herbs, while Uru tried to put the Troll Knight to sleep with cries. Both of them knew that their magic could not inflict much damage.

Their Race-specific Skills were actually much more powerful. It was also a great help that they could inflict status ailments such as poison, paralysis, and sleep. Oh! I have no idea how many it has been, but a poison marker has appeared thanks to the poison dumplings!

"Eiji, I'll heal you too. I need you to play the wall again."

"Leave it to me!"

"Sei, attack from the right. Toji and Moss-san, attack from the left. Shishu, fall back and provide support with your webs."

"Got it!"

"Shiitake and Uru, keep supporting us with status attacks. However, try not to use anything with limited uses unless necessary."

"Okay!"

The frontline group finished dealing with the surrounding Trolls, and I cast 【Soul Arts】' Minor Soul Heal on Eiji. At almost the same time, the Troll Knight broke free of Dark Arm. Oh, it broke free much faster than I expected. Even if it was only one of many soldiers, it was higher-level, so I suppose this was to be expected.

"GRAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Whoa!?"

"I-I can't move!?"

The freed Troll Knight raised a roar with bloodshot eyes. A tingling shock ran through my body, while everyone else came to a complete stop. Looking closely, I saw that the word Stun was displayed on every member's marker except mine.

This is bad! I've seen this several times before! We were stunned by the effect of 【Roar】! Jigoro said it was useful for quickly finishing off weak monsters, but from the receiving end, it was an extremely troublesome 【Skill】!

"GROOOOOOOOAAAH!"

The Troll Knight raised its axe in anger and charged straight at me. Since the others had been stopped by 【Roar】, it probably targeted me first because I looked the weakest while still being able to move. My appearance, which suggested I could be knocked out in a single blow, must have encouraged it as well.

In fact, I was the most vulnerable to blunt attacks among my companions. That remained true even after taking my high-quality armor into account. Shiitake and Uru were both lower-level mage types, but Shiitake had 【Slashing Weakness】 balanced by 【Bludgeoning Resistance】. Uru even had 【Physical Resistance】. So in reality, they were surprisingly fine even if an enemy got close.

I'm a skeleton who's weak to blunt attacks anyway, aren't I? On top of that, I'm a mage, and my current Job is priest-type, so of course I'm weak at close range. Damn it!

"Tch, who'd have thought we'd suddenly be in danger here…! Guess I have no choice. Come down!"

"Tap, tap, tap…"

"Gah!?"

Just in case something like this happened, I had hidden a Bull Demon in the tree canopy as a reserve force. If the effect of 【Roar】 had reached overhead, it would have been useless, but apparently it had not, much to my relief.

"GRAAAH!"

"Kak…"

The Bull Demon fell from above and clung to the Troll Knight's back. It held on for a while, but was easily shaken off through sheer arm strength. However, the time it created allowed us to recover from Stun. This was shaping up to be a much fiercer battle than planned, but since we had started the fight, we would win it and turn it into experience points!