"Dammit! Die, you gross monster!"
Galadriel shouted in annoyance as she cut through a gigantic slime that was twice her size.
She had slashed the monster so many times yet it kept attacking and showed no signs of being injured.
'Dammit! I should've listened to Evla and bought elemental magic stones!'
Evla was their party's mage so she was most knowledgeable when it came to fighting monsters like slimes that require heavy damage in order to defeat them.
Fire or ice magic was the best choice when fighting them. One could usually get this from magic stones known as elemental stones.
Galadriel only had her measly aura reserves to rely on.
They had been fighting since yesterday. More monsters than the ones they defeated suddenly appeared during the night. Those mutated dogs and fully grown parasites were the least of their worries.
Their archer and ranger, Brianelle, reported that the inner city wall had been breached just an hour ago. The monsters were wrecking everything in their path.
Galadriel could even hear the destruction from where she was standing.
The slime finally showed signs of injury as a part of its body fell onto the ground. With renewed vigor, Galadriel roared like a dragon as she poured every ounce of her aura into her sword.
◇◇◇
The monster she was fighting down the street was finally defeated. Because she had succeeded in killing it, Galadriel decided to go back to the church.
She was currently inside the church with the rest of her party members. All of them were exhausted from fighting all night long.
Some dog-like monsters tried to get through the gate and attack them but the monsters left soon after which confused them all. It happened right when they heard the inner city wall was breached.
The parasites Klimp mentioned also attacked the church but they—like slimes—were really weak to fire. Evla had to drink potions and cast 1st rank Fire Wisps all night until she collapsed from mana exhaustion.
Galadriel's other companions didn't have it good either. Masral, their tank had to set up defenses all around the church's estate. His martial skill [Fortify Castle] could strengthen defenses by three times their normal weight. Sadly, the skill took a lot out of him so he was also out of it by morning.
It took quite a while for them to recover but the main issue was that all their potions were finished.
The party's other swordsman and archer had to stay behind and protect the building while Galadriel, Klimp, Masral and Evla were pushing back the monsters outside. Since they were outside, they didn't have access to all potions that the party brought here. The two who stayed behind were the ones who used everything.
Now all of them were near their limits.
"Haa… Haa… Can you sense more monsters around here, Evla?" Galadriel asked that while panting.
"…I'm out of mana, you idiot. How can I use my clairvoyance if I don't have mana?"
"Ugh…!" Galadriel groaned in annoyance, "None of this would've happened if the two of you just saved some for us! Look at the two of you, you're barely exhausted at all!"
Galadriel pointed at their archer and swordsman.
"Hey, we didn't expect you guys to come back so we tried our best to protect the people here," the archer replied, "Besides, we managed to save everyone, right? Shouldn't we leave before those monsters from the gate reach us here?"
"Don't try and change the subject!"
But what they said made sense. Wouldn't it be better to just have everyone leave while they had this window of freedom?
The reason they decided to remain here to fight off the monsters was because the church and the orphanage building were behind one of the most secure defenses of the entire city. This was because the church here was the only church the city had so the city government made sure to hire knights and have strong defenses built.
Were it not for that then they would've abandoned these people.
"About that…"
The front door opened up when Galadriel was about to give an answer.
"Bethany? What's wrong?"
"S-Sorry for disturbing all of you, Lady Galadriel… I bring bad news."
'Ugh, can this day get any worse…?'
Galadriel took a calm deep breath, "Tell us."
"Our food supply has run out. Before the city was put on lockdown, we had donations coming in every single day. Most of these donations would be food from shelters or food schemes while others would give money to buy food. We never needed to buy food so we locked the money away each time they bring some to us. We can't buy food from merchants or stores anymore since everyone left."
"What the fuck…" Galadriel held her face with both her hands.
Their day worsened as she feared it would.
"We're exhausted… We have no potions… And now we don't have food…? Hahaha…"
"Ignore our leader, miss Bethany," Klimp spoke, "Can't we salvage from the houses in the neighborhood?"
"I doubt any of the houses have food in them since people looted the houses of others during the chaos."
"Ah… Then is there a supermarket nearby? Those places are usually very secure."
Bethany shook her head.
Klimp looked at Galadriel, "I think it's best if we call everyone here, miss Bethany."
"Uhm, okay. I'll let them know." Bethany left, no questions asked.
◇◇◇
Of the total parties who were gathered at the Guild from all over the empire, only 10 were sent towards Nuaria city to face the monster wave. 20 of them would be stationed on the border wall while 13 of them were scattered throughout the Empire.
The reason so many were assigned to the border wall was because Daraia wanted them to chase the monsters towards the Southeast of the city, leading them straight to an ambush. The 10 sent into the city would use a pincer and attack the monsters from behind.
Of course, it wouldn't be easy to handle a monster wave alone as a single Guild so Daraia called for reinforcements from the Mercenary Guild, Magic Guilds and Assassin Guilds.
There were also independent guilds here which consisted of various parties joined together. They would attack the monsters in any direction since their jobs were to pick off the monsters' numbers randomly.
Misteltein and Red Storm were two of the parties part of the 10 parties that would be the pincer group. This was because of the firepower that each party held.
· Nova had one of the greatest physical strengths among the adventurers so he was assigned to be a vanguard in the group raid.
· Lucri was placed in a mage corps which consisted of every mage of the entire Guild. They were joined by mages from the Magic Guild as well to add extra firepower.
Arnold found the situation pleasing since his party member would be watched by everyone when she used 8th rank magic. The Magic Guild being here was also a good opportunity.
Once they had their own guildhouse then it will be important to secure sponsors since buying everything themselves would be troublesome. Their primary source of income would be dungeon raiding but that wasn't an option now given the fact that all adventurers were forbidden from entering any dungeons.
Sponsors would allow them to buy all the necessary things needed to run their own guildhouse. Plus, it was highly possible that people would sign up to join Misteltein once everything was over.
Arnold stood on one of the buildings as he overlooked the city. He could see the monsters destroying things in the distance.
There were some very large monsters further away. It didn't look like they could get to the city yet since the smaller monsters were in the way.
Arnold looked to the woman beside him, "Miss Cameria, I think it's time we move out. If those larger monsters make it here then many of us will be crushed. Our assigned formations will also be disrupted."
Judging by the biggest one that was as large as a 30m building, he could deduce that it was probably S-rank or a smidge stronger. The small monsters didn't seem like big threats if one were to exclude their numbers.
"We need to wait a little longer," Cameria responded, "Let's give the monsters a chance to come towards us first. From the looks of it, and given the fact that we're standing near the border wall which acts as a fortress, we're at an advantage. If their numbers overwhelm us then we can just retreat back to the wall. See? Some monsters already spotted us and are headed here."
Arnold looked towards where she pointed.
Indeed, there were a bunch of monsters running towards the wall. There were people standing near the gate after all.
The adventurers who were sent into the city were baiting the monsters towards the wall.
'Hm… Those are demons.' Arnold thought as he saw the wings on the back of one of them. The monster had the stature and build of a human but its body was completely different from one. It had long arms and short legs. Its face resembled stuff out of nightmares.
'Vetis must be nearby. He's purposely sending those monsters here.'
If that was the case then he's probably looking at Arnold right at this moment.
Arnold had to find the party who came to the city before everything started.
'Why the hell didn't they leave the moment they heard the outer wall fall? Are they idiots?'
"Should we handle those monsters ourselves?" one of the S-rankers asked.
Besides Nova and Cameria, there were 8 S-rankers who were tasked with leading the ten parties to initiate the pincer attack.
Nova was the only A-ranker here which made him stick out like a sore thumb.
"Yes, can three of you head down there and cause a big enough commotion? We need to pull the monsters to the gate."
"Roger." The man looked at the people next to him, "Then the three of us will go."
"—Actually, I'd like to go as well. I want to search the houses for any survivors." Arnold raised his hand.
"What? Why?" Cameria frowned, "I hold the highest position so you should follow my orders, Nova."
"I get it but I want to see if there are still people held up in their houses. We humans hide from things we don't have the courage to face."
They would be crushed from the falling buildings was what he was getting at.
"Alright... Throw a flare scroll to let us know if you find anyone."
"Affirmative. Then shall we?" Arnold looked at the man from earlier.
He grunted and nodded.
◇◇◇
Elora was nervous.
Her hands were sweating so much that she almost dropped her staff multiple times while reading through the magic book she brought along. The magic book had sections which she marked as important: specifically the spells Nova instructed her to cast.
'How am I supposed to cast this!?'
She already had the magic sheets that Daraia and the Magic Guild gave her so there was no need for her to be reading the spells descriptions or trying to understand them.
The reason she was reading them was because she wanted to familiarize herself with the spells. But seeing how difficult the words that were being used in the descriptions, she was on the verge of running away from her current situation.
Every single person on the wall was looking at her. She felt like she was a circus clown performing for an audience. Elora was never one for crowds after all so she wanted to go home.
But.
Their party's leader placed full trust in her and her abilities so Elora was placing a lot on the line right now. If she failed then she would be bringing him shame and would probably be kicked out of the party.
She didn't want that.
The only wish she ever had since becoming an adventurer was to have a party where she belonged. It shouldn't be pity like when Sylphy invited her to join their party.
Elora wanted to earn a role as a member of a team, especially if they were higher ranked than her.
She remembered her solo days ever since she was accepted into Nova's party.
Thinking back now she didn't see him as anything other than a pretty face. He was probably one of the handsomest guys she had ever met ever since she began adventuring.
Elora wasn't someone who cared about love and such despite being 17 already. Many guys have tried to buy her drinks and take her to bed but she was smart enough to always be careful when hanging out alone in bars.
There was that one time that a guy even pretended he wanted her in his party but said that there was one condition: she had to sleep with him.
Elora was tempted to accept such offers when she was at her lowest days but she remembered Sylphy's words from long ago:
-"Remember that no adventurer starts out great. Clint and I didn't even have a place to sleep or a stable source of income. We didn't originally plan on becoming adventurers. But our situation changed when we partied up with Lucia and Crull who are older and more experienced. The two of them were like our mentors who guided us through everything. Find someone like that instead of blindly accepting whichever scumbag you come across."
Nova was definitely someone she admired and looked up to. He knew a lot of things which was why she preferred following his lead every step of the way. She was doubtful at first but she came to understand that he was the one she was searching for all along.
What angered her was how he didn't view their partnership as valuably as she did. He disappeared twice already. They never had a chance to do quests together other than two exceptions.
She thought at first that he was lying when he said that he wanted to fight strong monsters together with comrades he made along the way.
To be honest, Nova didn't seem like someone who needed companions in the first place. He could solo his way to become a high-class adventurer.
Anyone who witnessed his power up until now would agree.
Remembering how childish she was for being angry at him made Elora blush. He genuinely looked sorry for not being able to contact her for these past few months.
"The main attack force is moving, Lucri," someone's voice came from beside her, "You should get ready to attack. Everyone else at the Magic Guild will follow your lead."
Elora turned around to look at the person.
It was a tall woman with short black hair who wore a long dark purple robe. She adjusted her glasses as she looked over the city with her narrowed blue eyes.
Her name was Admeera. She was the Guild Master of the Magic Guild that came to support the Adventurer Guild in their subjugation.
Well, Admeera had made it clear that she had an ulterior motive for coming here. They had apparently been working on various new spells to add to the [Arcane Magic Book of The World]; the book contained every spell ever created through history.
New spells are made nearly every year. Arcane arts had been used so much that humans had been able to make utility magic that improves the lives of many.
The Magic Guild was dedicated to everything involving magic.
It was a good thing that she came with her people since the group's firepower was significantly increased.
"Uhm, miss Admeera, is it really alright for me to attack first? I might mess it up…"
Elora looked at the magic sheets as she said that.
"Although others chose to not believe Nova about what he said, I believe that your talents are special. Never in my career as a teacher and guild master have I ever seen or heard of someone capable of using magic beyond their capabilities. Magic sheets were initially created by grand wizards who exceeded 4th rank magic. Anything above 4th rank places a large burden on one's mana pool. So it was extremely unwise for anyone to consecutively use magic beyond the norm."
People who could use magic beyond 4th rank were known as superhumans. This was why becoming an Elite Mage of the Seven Magic Towers was so difficult.
Not only was learning magic beyond 4th rank difficult, not everyone had the talent to go that far. Of course, not every Elite Mage had the ability to cast 5th rank magic or higher. Some of them were average when it came to arcane arts but were extremely gifted in the academic department.
"Miss Admeera believes I can do it?"
Admeera didn't answer Elora right away. She looked at the magic sheets in contemplation before looking back at Elora.
"Me believing it or not doesn't matter. As long as you believe in yourself just like Misteltein's leader then you can probably do it."
She emphasized "probably".
A determined expression appeared on Elora's face. She grabbed the magic sheets and walked towards the edge of the wall.
She looked at all the adventurers and members of the Magic Guild before choosing which one to cast.
All of them seemed doubtful whether Elora could do this or not.
Some were even mocking her audibly.
"Nova's lapdog."
"He's like a child who listens to whatever his father says."
"He can't decide anything on his own."
Those were but some of the things that she heard the people say to each other.
Ignoring whatever they were saying, Elora chose the spell: "Ice Typhoon."
She breathed deeply and calmly.
Her goal was to cast the spells, not worry about what others were saying.
The only one whose opinion mattered to her was Nova.
Elora tore the magic sheet.
The direction the wind was blowing changed entirely.
A cold gust swept across the wall.
White mist formed at an alarming rate.
People held their breath as they were witnessing something they never believed was possible.
The one who was the most bewildered was the caster.
Elora looked blankly at the twisting cloud of pure ice above her head. It was spinning at an alarming speed.
She looked back to the monsters that were coming this way. Luckily there wasn't any civilians around the area otherwise a lot of people would've frozen to death.
The spell wasn't completely active yet which was why the temperature didn't drop that low.
Elora poured more mana into the spell.
It was relatively easy.
Why did she doubt herself all this time? It felt like she was casting a 1st rank spell.
She looked around.
She could see many adventurers and mages alike gawk at her with their mouths open. Even Admeera—who was calm and collected—was looking up at the spell with widened eyes.
'I see. No one believed I could do it other than sir Nova.'
Elora hid a smile as she walked forwards down the wall. Her outstretched arm slowly came down as the cloud was moving with her.
Were it any normal spell then Elora would've needed to evoke an incantation but with this she didn't have to.
But that didn't mean she didn't want to. To her magic incantations was a ritual for all mages. It doesn't matter which rank the spell falls in, it had to get a chant.
"Freezer of worlds, causer of Ice Ages and bringer of cold," Elora began chanting what she read in the magic book, "Allow me to harness absolute zero combined with the power of a typhoon—[Ice Typhoon]!"
Everything turned snow-white almost immediately after the spell was thrown.
The streets, buildings, pavements… Everything was covered in ice before crumbling to bits and pieces due to the force of the twisting cloud.
The monsters heading towards the border wall were also covered in the ice before falling apart.
A powerful gust of wind blew across the entire city when Elora closed her fist, causing the spell to rupture.
Magic spells were connected to its user's mana channels through a link known as "mana strings". These were only able to hold the spell under the user's control so long as the user keeps their hands open.
But if they close their hands then the link is severed, causing the spell to combust regardless of the nature of the spell. Every spell had a source that causes it to explode.
That source was its mana.
Magic sheets didn't just have spells contained in them but the mana of their creators as well. One couldn't infuse a spell into something if you don't use mana after all.
There was a sufficient amount of mana in the spell that Elora used so she didn't have to use that much of her own.
Only once the white mist and powerful wind receded could everyone see the aftermath.
Loud gulps echoed around Elora when they saw the field of ice. The area in which the spell exploded was devoid of anything besides shards of ice.
Elora's fists tightened.
She did it.
Elora heard someone mutter: "A new Archmage might've been born," but she had no idea who it was.