Chapter 70
"Grrrrrr..."
"Vwoom!"
A few seconds after I set off, thinking that we should hunt Cyclopes in droves, we encountered another monster. This was the result of my Appraisal.
――――――――――
Race: Green Windwolf Lv42
Job: Elite Pack Leader Lv2
Skill: 【Fangs】
【Claws】
【Strength Enhancement】
【Agility Enhancement】
【Intelligence Enhancement】
【Storm Magic】
【Keen Smell】
【Stealth】
【Silent Step】
【Ambush】
【Assassination Arts】
【Command】
【Coordination】
【Wind Aura】
【Fire Weakness】
【Wind Resistance】
Race: Windwolf Lv32–36
Job: Elite Pack Soldier Lv2–6
Skill: 【Fangs】
【Claws】
【Strength Enhancement】
【Agility Enhancement】
【Intelligence Enhancement】
【Wind Magic】
【Keen Smell】
【Stealth】
【Silent Step】
【Ambush】
【Assassination Arts】
【Coordination】
【Fire Weakness】
【Wind Resistance】
――――――――――
There was one Green Windwolf and six Windwolves. They were lower level than the Cyclops, but one must never underestimate the strength of a pack. Besides, the word “elite” appeared in their Jobs. There was no doubt they would work together with a high degree of skill.
If Ruby had not detected them, we would have been surrounded. None of the rest of us, myself included, noticed their approach. As expected of a born hunter.
Thanks to Ruby, we detected them in time and were able to meet the enemy head-on, turning the battle into one group against another. It reminded me once again that a scout Job was indispensable when exploring a forest.
As for how to fight them, exploiting their 【Fire Weakness】 would be the key. Jigoro can fight while wreathed in flames, so if we support him, we should be able to gain the upper hand. ...Why does this feel like the same strategy as always?
Still, the Green Windwolf’s 【Wind Aura】 is extremely concerning. Its effects are unknown, but that is all the more reason to be cautious.
"Jigoro, go for the biggest one! Watch out for the mysterious Skills 【Storm Magic】 and 【Wind Aura】!"
"Sure thing!"
"Genjuro and Iris, move up and hold back the others! Ruby, support them! I’ll apply the buffs!"
"Got it!"
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
"Cal, support Genjuro and Iris. Got it?"
"Kyukyukyu!"
"I’m counting on you. Now, Fire Enchant..."
After giving everyone their orders, I immediately sent buffs flying to each of them. I gave their weapons the fire attribute, then layered on several other buffs to raise their stats. Thanks to the fivefold buffs, everyone should have been considerably strengthened.
I also cast buffs on myself to strengthen my own abilities. In my case, though, Magic Boost was the only choice.
However, fire magic was difficult to use in the forest. If a spell missed and struck one of the surrounding trees, it could start a fire just as it would in reality. If that happened, the amount of materials we could gather in the forest would decrease until it recovered. I had actually seen a post on the forums saying that a player had caused a small fire on the northern mountain of Fars, resulting in exactly that.
There were some spells with a low chance of causing a fire, however. I would make those the basis of our tactics.
"Haha! Not bad, eh!"
"GRAAAAH!"
...While I was thinking about such complicated matters, Jigoro was thoroughly enjoying the battle. His level was 37, the highest among us. Even so, he should have been lower level than the Green Windwolf, yet he was actually gaining the upper hand in their one-on-one fight.
"Take that!"
"Awooo!"
"Now, now, be still."
"Bark!"
"You’re not getting past me!"
"Grrr!"
"Kyukyu!"
The Windwolves sensed that their leader was in danger and tried to go to its aid, but Genjuro and the others were holding them back. The plan seemed to be working. In that case, I would prepare things while I had the chance.
"Spell Adjustment, triple trap setup..."
I set up the trap and waited for an opportunity. There was no need to hurry. All I had to do was remain calm, seize the right moment, and carry out the plan with certainty.
"Here! Magic Circle, deploy—Black Thread!"
Then the opportunity arrived. One of the Windwolves leaped backward to evade Iris’s attack. I caught it the instant its feet left the ground and bound it with Black Thread.
I tossed the captured Windwolf onto the trap. Now, what would happen?
"Yipe!"
Whoa, that was more powerful than expected. I had used Spell Adjustment to increase the power of Fire Pillar while narrowing its area of effect as much as possible, then planted it in the trap. I had reduced the area to a diameter of about ten centimeters while greatly increasing the power. The three Fire Pillars pierced through the Windwolf as they burned its body. If someone told me they were a completely different spell, I might believe them.
The Windwolf, with three fist-sized holes punched through its body, died as a matter of course. Seeing one of its kind killed so easily sent a wave of dismay through the other Windwolves.
"Looking away!"
"You won’t have time!"
"For that, will you?"
"Kyooo!"
Three people and one beast pounced on the Windwolf that had inadvertently turned toward me. Iris’s wooden mallet crushed its head, Ruby’s dagger slashed through an artery, and Genjuro’s greatsword severed its neck. Cal bit into its throat and pinned it down. It would only be a matter of time before it expired.
Of the six Windwolves that had been serving as its escorts, five had been defeated in the blink of an eye. The one remaining had already begun to lose its nerve. However, with its leader still fighting Jigoro, it could not run away.
"Come now, don’t hesitate."
"...!"
We were not so lenient as to overlook the opening of a Windwolf that no longer knew what to do. Genjuro closed the distance in a single breath, and his wakizashi slashed open its throat.
The last Windwolf fell to the ground without even being able to cry out its death throes. Only the leader remained.
"Gaaaaaah!"
"GROOOO!"
The battle between Jigoro and the Green Windwolf had also entered its final stage. Jigoro, covered in shallow cuts, had grappled with the Green Windwolf, whose fur was marked with conspicuous scorch marks, and had somehow bitten into its throat. H-Hey, that isn’t how humans fight!
The Green Windwolf thrashed desperately even after being bitten. It wrapped its body in wind, and that wind began cutting into Jigoro’s skin. I see—that was the effect of 【Wind Aura】.
"G...gah...ghk..."
But that was not enough to tear Jigoro away. Even as his entire body was cut to pieces, he never stopped biting, and he finished off the Green Windwolf.
――――――――――
You won the battle.
Your tamed monster’s Race level has increased.
Your tamed monster’s Job level has increased.
――――――――――
Oh! Cal leveled up! He had been active during the Cyclops battle, and more importantly, he had just accomplished the impressive feat of almost single-handedly defeating one of the Windwolves. As expected of a dragon—Cal was growing rapidly!
"Ahh! That was fun!"
"...How can you say that after a battle like that?"
Jigoro, covered in wounds from head to toe, said this with the most refreshed smile imaginable. I did not think my reaction was at all misplaced. Iris and Ruby were both expressing their agreement by quivering their tentacles and surfaces, respectively.
"Hmm... Izam! Next time a formidable foe appears, will you let me take the front line?!"
"Sigh... Fine."
"G-Grandpa..."
That’s right. Of the five of us, two were battle junkies who felt joy in fighting powerful opponents. Watching Jigoro enjoy himself as he struggled must have made them unable to suppress their urges.
Honestly, what a troublesome old man. Even his grandchild is exasperated.
"Ah, Izam. I’ve finished stripping the corpses. They gave us nothing but good items!"
"Oh? Let’s have a look..."
――――――――――
Windwolf Hide Quality: Good Rarity: R (Rare)
The slightly green-tinged hide of a Windwolf.
It retains the wind attribute it possessed in life and could be used to make armor resistant to wind.
Windwolf Fang Quality: Good Rarity: R (Rare)
A sharp Windwolf fang.
It retains the wind attribute it possessed in life and could be used to make a weapon with the wind attribute.
Green Windwolf Hide Quality: Poor Rarity: S (Special)
The beautiful green hide of a Green Windwolf.
It retains the wind attribute it possessed in life, and in the hands of a skilled artisan, it could be made into armor with special effects.
――――――――――
Wow! Amazing! They really are all excellent items. Material for armor with resistance is especially wonderful. We had more or less figured out how to defeat them, so they were worth seeking out and hunting.
The shame was the Green Windwolf’s hide. Some of it must have been ruined by Jigoro’s flame-wreathed fists. That had lowered its quality. ...From now on, I would leave it to Genjuro even when there was no particular reason to.
The part of the description that interests me is ‘with special effects.’ It must mean more than simple resistance to an attribute. The Windwolf’s description clearly states that it grants resistance to wind.
Could armor made from Green Windwolf hide come with a function that allowed the wearer to cloak themselves in 【Wind Aura】? If so, it would be perfect for Jigoro. He can naturally use fire and lightning, and now he could cloak himself in wind as well. What kind of cheat is that?
Putting that aside, our armor had not received any major updates in a long time. We had merely been taking the armor Iris made quite a while ago and heavily modifying it with option parts.
Thanks to Iris’s skill, its defensive power was still on par with frontline equipment. However, this was Vetus Floating Island, a deathtrap where the lowest-level enemy we had encountered so far was level 32. Armor based on drops from around the first town would surely not be able to keep up anymore.
I was also interested in weapons with attributes. If we had those, I could devote what I currently spent on attribute enchantments through 【Enchanting】 to strengthening our stats instead.
Once we found a place where we could settle down, I would ask Iris to make proper weapons and armor. Everyone would busily gather materials while Iris experimented and refined her work to create our equipment—it was a rather ideal scene, wasn’t it?
But for now, our goal was simply to get out of this dangerous forest. There should be some kind of settlement outside. Now, straight ahead...
"Aaaaaah!"
"Huh? Was that a scream?"
...That had been my plan, anyway. But a scream had come from somewhere—and quite nearby, too.
Now, what should we do? Did someone really need rescuing, or was it a trap meant to lure in do-gooders? No, in a game like this, there were bound to be nasty monsters that did exactly that. The auditory hallucinations from 【Dark Arts】 were the ultimate example, weren’t they?
"Let’s go help them!"
"Kindness is never wasted, as they say."
Well, Ruby and Genjuro seemed determined to help. They apparently had not considered the possibility of a trap in the slightest. Still, that was the straightforward and proper human response.
"If it’s a trap, we’ll just eat our way out!"
Jigoro was eager to go as well. He seemed to have considered the possibility of a trap, but knowing him, he might actually be hoping to get deceived. I certainly had ended up with a pair of brothers who possessed some troublesome thought processes.
"Let’s go take a look for now!"
I knew Iris would say that without even asking. She was a kindhearted girl by nature. Even if everyone else had said no, she surely would have insisted that we ought to go.
"Kyukyu, kyukyu!"
Cal was probably just imitating what everyone else was saying, but the way he tugged at the hem of my robe with his mouth made me think he might understand. If so, he was a clever little one.
"Then let’s go!"
Everyone was raring to go, so I had no choice but to join them. Besides, if this really was a trap, we could simply eat our way through it, just as Jigoro had said. All I had to do was rack my rather empty skull for a solution.
In stories, this sort of role was the privilege of a hero in the making. But having a villain in the making like me do it was also an entertaining prospect! My apologies to the one being rescued, though!