Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Alvin and the others confronted a giant ant monster that was over two meters tall.
The ant’s teeth are sharp, and the way it opens and closes its mouth can be very frightening to those who are not prepared to fight. Its shiny outer shell that glistens in the sunlight looks solid, and the legs that support its body are thick.
Alvin and the others had never seen this monster before, but it was clearly stronger than the kobolds, and they guessed that it might be an upper-intermediate rank monster.
[It’s also coming from the north direction]
Shinji frowned at the thought of Freri who had been summoned earlier and was standing next to him. If it were possible, he would have wanted the whole party to stick together, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen, so he shouted.
”Alvin, they’re coming from the north too!”
”Gugh… Shinji! Can you take Freri and Flair and head there?”
”It can’t be helped, alright. Everyone be careful!”
Alvin felt the same way as Shinji, but decided that the only way to protect the village was to split the party in two, leaving Shinji in charge of the other side followed by the spirits.
”Okay!”
”Shinji, be careful!”
Milis, Renka and Shinji all agreed that Alvin’s decision was the best one. The monster roared and tried to attack Shinji, but Renka’s arrow pierced its head and killed it.
”I’m not going to let you through. … Al! They’re not that hard!”
Renka shouted as she picked up the next arrow.
After seeing that the arrowhead, which was reinforced with magic power, was able to easily penetrate the armor and kill it, Renka aimed at the next monster to reduce their number.
”So, it’s not that hard. Phew, it has been a long time since the three of us have fought together, so let’s keep our guard up!”
”Yeah!”
”Yeah!”
Alvin drew his great sword and charged into the swarm of ant monsters, slashing down the nearest one with a single swing and then moving on to the next one.
Naturally, Alvin was surrounded, but Renka’s arrows protected his back, killing the monsters within Alvin’s blind spot. Of course, Renka wasn’t the only one providing support.
”<Holy Sword>!��
Milis’s special magic cuts down the monsters.
The cooperation of the three of them was the same as before Shinji joined them, but the increased strength of the three of them gave them more options for action, and they were able to efficiently eradicate the swarm of monsters.
”There’s a new one coming!”
”I’m not going to be defeated at this level no matter how many come!”
”Al-kun, you mustn’t be careless, okay?”
Alvin, with a belligerent smile, looks at the monsters who had coming down. The new ant monsters, who saw the bodies of their brethren scattered all over the area, howled in rage and went into battle stance.
The battle continued until the ants stopped appearing, but Alvin and his team succeeded in defeating all of the monsters without suffering any serious injuries.
* * *
◇ ◇ ◇
”They’re small fry~noja”
”Well, the goal is to not let any of them into the village. It’s better if we don’t have to struggle, right?”
”Yes, but… it’s too easy~noja”
Shinji, who had parted ways with Alvin and the others and arrived at the north side of the village, did not have to struggle with the ant monsters.
Because, Flair, a high-ranking spirit, rampaged in the front guard.
The way she kicked away the ant monsters with her magic and fists was on par with Alvin’s performance, and Shinji felt safe leaving her in charge of the vanguard.
On the other hand, Freri has been keeping an eye on the monsters and keeping an eye out for them on other sides. It was obvious that if the monsters escaped and invaded the village, the residents would not be able to do anything about it.
And Shinji is supporting Flair.
Shinji used his <Gravity Manipulation> magic to make the ant monster’s body heavier after noticed that it had a strong outer shell. As planned, he increased the burden on the legs of the monsters that supported their heavy body, and succeeded in breaking all of their legs.
Once the legs were broken, the monsters could not move and could only stay until Flair finished them off.
Even when their reinforcements had arrived, they were immediately destroyed by Shinji’s magic, making it easy to eradicate them.
[The monsters approaching the village have been stopped]
”Phew, for now, can we breathe a sigh of relief?”
Hearing Freri’s thoughts, Shinji let out a deep breath. No matter how low the rank of the monsters was, they were still mentally fatigued from the strain of battle.
(Now, the problem is how to act from here…. The <Este> Town is probably aware of the abnormalities in the mine. So, we need to keep up with what’s going on around us…)
Shinji thought that this obvious anomaly was an opportunity to make a big and clear achievement.
Because if Alvin’s name was already well known like that after he won the tournament, if he could gain more fame, it might be possible to boost his status.
”Then, I’d like to get some information from <Este>…”
Muttering this, Shinji set out to meet up with Alvin and the others.
_______________________
For the time being, the village is out of danger.
It’s not a bad thing to be in the top ranks!
It is a clear advantage of signing a contract with a spirit to be able to divide the team and fight, and to be able to increase the number of people… Well, only high-ranking spirits can be the vanguard.