Chapter 10: The Aberrant Beast Horde
Under the blood moon, the terrifying moonlight grew increasingly bright.
Matthew could clearly feel the corrupting and distorting power becoming stronger.
Correspondingly, the frequency and number of aberrant creatures appearing were increasing.
It wasn't just aberrant black wolves attacking the convoy; soon, the infamous swamp murlocs of the Misty Swamp began to emerge.
Swamp murlocs, along with similarly diminutive goblins and kobolds, were often called the cockroach species of the material plane.
Individually, they weren't strong; even an ordinary adult woman could easily bully them.
Many children who underwent training had their first real combat missions against murlocs, goblins, and kobolds.
However, despite being weak individually, these three species consistently ranked among the top three in the yearly rankings of creatures that killed the most humans and adventurers in the wild!
The main reason for this was their large numbers and extremely high reproductive rates.
If not regularly culled, within three years, they could infest swampy areas and rivers like the Misty Swamp.
Murlocs, too, could be corrupted by the crimson moon and undergo terrifying mutations.
Their one-meter-tall bodies would swell to nearly 1.2 meters, and their short limbs would elongate, becoming muscular and bone-spiked claws.
*Slash!*
A sharp sword cleaved through the gaping maw of a murloc, and its blood-streaked body wobbled before collapsing.
Angela didn't pause to collect loot but quickly retreated to the front of the carriage, warily eyeing the aberrant murlocs on either side of the convoy while skillfully directing:
"Murloc heads are fragile; aim for a killing blow when you get the chance."
"They may be small and agile, but they lack jumping ability. Use shields in tandem for defense, and pair up spearmen to take them down."
Despite her limited combat experience, Angela's extensive formal military training made her well-suited to command, particularly against such straightforward enemies as aberrant murlocs.
Although the Searle family soldiers might not be the most outstanding individually, their obedience and coordination were exceptional.
Seven or eight aberrant murlocs lunged at six shield-bearers, mindlessly flailing their claws against the shields, leaving bloody marks before being skewered by spears thrust from behind the shields.
The guttural growls of the murlocs soon fell silent.
From the initial excitement to the quiet cleanup, the soldiers who participated in the battle were becoming increasingly seasoned.
Any stray aberrant creatures were swiftly dispatched by the now battle-hardened soldiers.
If too many aberrant creatures appeared, Angela and Steward Ralph would step in to quickly eliminate a few before returning to their positions.
"…earned 30 experience points."
"…earned 20 experience points."
"…"
Listening to the series of notifications, Matthew took the opportunity to analyze the differences behind each experience point gain.
"The size doesn't seem to differ much…"
"The level of aberration is similar…"
"The identity doesn't matter much either…"
"The most likely explanation is the difference in class levels…"
"How interesting… Are there really that many murlocs with class levels in the Misty Swamp?"
"If a murloc can become a class-level aberrant creature, it means their original numbers were at least in the hundreds…"
"So, these few murloc class-level aberrant creatures might be the last 'essence' of a thousand murlocs!"
"Even in such circumstances, the number of murlocs continues to grow…"
"..."
Matthew had a hunch that in this real world, even the creatures he used to dismiss and ignore might bring unexpected trouble…
While the soldiers were getting increasingly excited, the nervous cart drivers were also beginning to relax.
They occasionally glanced enviously at the soldiers sharing gold coins, their minds full of thoughts as they quietly conversed with one another.
"Another piece of magical material, that's the fifth one, right?"
"No, it's the sixth already. All four squads have shared some gold…"
"But not everyone got gold coins…"
"Even so, the shield-bearers have each earned over 90 silver coins!"
"90 silver coins? It used to take us four months to earn that much…"
"That depends on the harvest…"
"Do you think we should…?"
"Forget it. Most class-level fighters don't end well. Better to live a quiet life farming."
"That's just talk. If you really wanted a quiet life, you wouldn't have come here with us, would you?"
"Well…"
It must be said that while the cart drivers might have limited vision, they didn't lack courage or the desire for a better life.
This was, in fact, one of Matthew's goals!
To ignite the desire for change in more people, to provide them with some assistance, to disrupt the old order, and to naturally support this transformation, thus driving the entire territory forward.
This was Matthew's true intention!
Simply farming wouldn't change the world!
The end result would be to die quietly, without a sound!
Because the earth-shattering change was coming!
After traveling for another half hour, the convoy showed little fatigue.
Adequate food supplies, the relatively relaxed atmosphere, and occasional exciting rewards kept everyone in good spirits.
*Roar!*
*Croak! Croak!*
*Hiss! Hiss!*
The sound of roars echoed all around, drawing closer.
The convoy was moving further away from the Misty Swamp, allowing them to see the approaching aberrant creatures from a greater distance.
This time, the number of aberrant creatures was overwhelming. Matthew quickly counted, estimating there were at least thirty or forty.
This was an alarming number!
It wasn't just more black wolves and murlocs; there was also a terrifying new creature.
Swamp Crocodiles!
Ordinary swamp crocodiles already had a challenge rating of 5.
In swampy terrain, even mid-level class fighters would hesitate to challenge them.
After the aberration, while they no longer relied on ambushes, they became even more dangerous.
These creatures were seven meters long, with toothy maws that made up a third of their body length.
Their gray-black scales gleamed eerily, and occasionally split open to reveal thin, twisted tendrils of flesh.
Their limbs had grown stronger and longer, allowing them to crawl rapidly forward.
The sound of them slapping through the mud was terrifying.
Their challenge rating had now reached 7+!
And there were two of them!
The other aberrant creatures weren't easy to deal with either.
Any aberrant creature that survived the initial chaos meant it possessed the combat power of a class fighter.
Over time, as they devoured more flesh and their infection deepened, their mutated limbs became more terrifying, and their strength increased.
Handling seven or eight at a time was already the convoy's limit.
Now, with three or four dozen appearing at once, the situation could easily lead to significant casualties, or even break up the convoy entirely.
The soldiers, now battle-hardened, were well aware of this, and their faces turned pale.
The cart drivers were also panicking as the howls grew closer.
Seeing morale plummet, Steward Ralph stood tall, ready to give an inspiring speech, unwilling to let things spiral out of control.
But Matthew was faster. He stood up, looking at the ten-plus black wolves charging from behind, and raised his staff.
Drawing on his mental strength, mana gathered within him, flowing through the spell model, conducted through the staff's structure, transforming into a bright red fireball that flew toward the distant enemies with a roar!
"Fireball!"