Anser stood behind the battle line, occasionally casting a cantrip to help Zahir hold it steady, though his attention never left Rand.

Battle records kept appearing, and Anser grinned from ear to ear.

Rand bounded along the defensive line, deliberately choosing the densest monster clusters. He released one or two breaths before changing position. Each burst of flame greatly eased the pressure on the humans and sent morale soaring.

The minute ended quickly. He had released at least six breaths, roughly one every ten seconds—remarkably efficient.

Toward the end, the monsters scattered whenever they saw him coming, sharply reducing the results. Even so, nearly a hundred monsters had been caught in the dragon breath.

Anser’s experience notifications never stopped. They appeared intermittently, usually awarding only a few points because the dead were all small fry, but quantity made up for quality.

The moment Rand finished, Zahir saw his signal and left the battlefield for Anser’s side.

“Do you have another?” Zahir’s eyes shone with anticipation.

“I do!” Anser laughed and reached out a hand.

“Lightning!” Zahir vividly remembered the effect Anser’s lightning had produced earlier.

“All right.”

A moment later, Zahir made an enormous leap into the monster horde to the north. After gathering himself briefly, he opened his mouth and released an explosion of lightning that knocked down an unknown number of fish-men. Even the nearby combatants’ hair stood on end, giving them absurd appearances.

To avoid friendly fire, Zahir had to push even deeper, at one point leaping to the flood’s edge and rampaging there with extraordinary arrogance. Monsters below Challenge Rating 4 could not stop him at all.

The other combatants were delighted. They took advantage of the chaos to strike ruthlessly, and the fighting became several times easier than before.

Seeing this, Anser tugged Bratt. “Come on. We’re pulling back.”

The kuo-toa might be stupid and insane, but they were still an intelligent race. Anser had already spotted several classed kuo-toa riding giant crabs and approaching this area. If they did not leave now, real trouble would follow.

“Huh?” Bratt had not gotten his fill and was practically squirming. “Why not give me one too?”

“No. Move.”

Anser withdrew at once and soon returned to the mound where Finn waited.

Bratt looked disappointed but remained beside him throughout.

“It’s too dangerous,” Anser explained.

Dragon’s Breath was extremely fast to cast, nearly instantaneous, but the person releasing it still needed time to guide the magic. Someone without spellcasting experience would be slow and easily targeted. Without sufficient strength, it was genuinely dangerous.

Besides, Dragon’s Breath and Jump together cost four mana. Anser had only eleven mana remaining. If his mana fell too low or was exhausted, a caster would enter a state of extreme fatigue, so he had to preserve some for emergencies.

Anser observed the battlefield. More humans were gathering continually, with a steady stream joining the fight. Humanity had gained control of the situation, and casualties had fallen sharply.

‘I’ve contributed enough. There’s nothing wrong with slacking off a little.’

He still remembered drawing attention and being targeted by two javelins. Bratt had nearly died. If Anser wanted to live a long life, keeping a lower profile was wiser.

All he wanted now was for the monsters injured by Dragon’s Breath to hurry up and die—preferably without a single one escaping, though that was hardly realistic.

On the battlefield, Zahir released his final breath and felt utterly exhilarated, as though his spellcasting ability had returned.

Standing on the bank of the River Chionthar, he turned to look for Anser. Instead, he saw an elderly cleric nearby pointing anxiously at the water.

“Watch the water!”

With a boom, a huge armored creature burst from the River Chionthar. Amid a cloud of spray, an enormous pincer snapped toward Zahir’s body.

The attack came without warning. Zahir retreated while casting Shield of Faith, and a dimly glowing energy field surrounded him.

Clang—

The massive claw closed on the shield but was held firmly at bay.

Just as Zahir tried to withdraw, a strange rod shot out from the monster’s back and struck the shield. Lightning erupted, shattering the barrier and blasting Zahir several meters through the air. He crashed into muddy water, his limbs stiff and unable to rise.

[Chuul, Aberration, Challenge Rating 4]

[Kuo-toa Archpriest, Kuo-toa, Challenge Rating 6]

‘An Archpriest?!’ Even at a distance, the sight made Anser’s heart lurch and filled him with the urge to run.

The Kuo-toa Archpriest had a Challenge Rating of 6, but it was also a Level 10 spellcaster, making it even more difficult than a Duergar Warlord.

The chuul was no easy opponent either. It was a Large amphibious Aberration, immune to poison and able to sense magic.

Carrying the Kuo-toa Archpriest, the chuul charged rapidly toward Zahir. Both Anser and Rand were too far away to help.

Whoosh—

At the critical moment, a javelin screamed toward the chuul. Its reactions were too slow to evade, so it could only raise a pincer to block.

The shell shattered like a spiderweb. More than half the javelin sank into it, stopping the chuul and drawing a piercing shriek.

“What incredible strength!” Bratt exclaimed.

Anser looked into the distance. On the bank of the River Chionthar, a burly figure in a red surcoat with a golden flame had already thrown a second javelin. He then drew a greataxe and charged.

‘He looks like Flaming Fist.’ Anser recognized the clothing.

The second javelin hit again, both accurate and vicious.

The delay gave Zahir time to shake off the paralysis and rise. Holy light flashed over him, healing most of his injuries, and he charged after the burly man.

The chuul swung its enormous pincers, producing deep, frightening whistles through the air.

Zahir and the other man focused on mobile combat. The chuul was stronger than a Duergar Warlord, but its reactions were slow and its intelligence low, making it manageable for elite classed individuals.

They were far more wary of the Kuo-toa Archpriest riding on its back.

Yet aside from occasionally releasing a rather weak bolt of lightning, the Kuo-toa Archpriest made little impact.

“He’s lost his spellcasting ability!” Understanding struck Anser.

The Weave treated everyone equally. Aside from a few spell-like abilities, the Kuo-toa Archpriest also depended on spell slots.

“Come on. We’re going over too.” Anser lifted his staff and ran toward the riverbank. He could not pass up this opportunity. He might even gain some experience.

By the time the three reached the riverbank, the chuul had lost one forelimb. Judging by the wound, the burly Flaming Fist warrior had done it.

Anser focused on him. Attributes were easier to detect during combat.

[Flaming Fist Elite, Human, Level 8 Barbarian (Berserker)]

‘So strong. No wonder he can fight a chuul head-on.’

Even without powerful feats, a Level 8 classed individual’s attributes would inevitably have improved enormously.

The two men had clearly realized that the Kuo-toa Archpriest was not much of a threat. They coordinated with one another and attacked ferociously.

The Flaming Fist elite moved into the chuul’s blind spot, lowered his head, and bent forward as red light rose from his body. An instant later, he charged behind the chuul like a bull, moving so quickly that he left a string of afterimages. He raised his greataxe high, violent rage swirling around it, then brought it down with all his momentum.

The chuul barely had time to turn before the greataxe descended. It struck beside the base of its leg and buried itself deep in the creature’s waist. Blue-green fluid sprayed outward, and its body went limp before collapsing to the ground with a splash.

Zahir seized the opportunity, stepped forward, and drove his sword into the chuul’s neck all the way to the hilt.

Anser had just raised a hand to finish it when he sensed a strange fluctuation of magic from the Kuo-toa Archpriest.

“Careful—”

He shouted and immediately activated the Ring of Spell Storing. Three glowing missiles screamed toward the Kuo-toa Archpriest.

In the next instant, surging blue-violet energy erupted from the Archpriest and spread across an area more than ten meters wide. A tremendous thunderclap and necrotic energy swallowed Zahir and the other man. Standing water vaporized, leaving the ground covered in dark-purple and black corrosion.

The three Magic Missiles disintegrated in midair the moment they approached, accomplishing nothing.

‘It’s over.’ Anser’s heart went cold.

Thanks to all the honored readers for your support and suggestions!

Creature Types:

Aberration: A truly alien being, such as an aboleth, beholder, flumph, or mind flayer.

Beast: A non-humanoid natural creature, such as a horse, wolf, or most giant animals.

Celestial: A magical creature connected to the Upper Planes, such as an angel or pegasus.

Construct: A creature created by magic, such as a homunculus, modron, or shield guardian.

Dragon: A scaled creature of ancient origin, such as a red dragon or wyvern.

Elemental: A creature from an Elemental Plane, such as an efreet or water elemental.

Fey: A creature associated with the Feywild or forces of nature, such as a dryad, sprite, or pixie.

Fiend: A creature associated with the terrifying Lower Planes, such as a balor or hell hound.

Giant: A towering humanoid-shaped creature, such as a cyclops, fire giant, or troll.

Humanoid: A person defined by identity and profession, such as a mage, pirate, or warrior. Its members span many races.

Monstrosity: An unnatural creature of strange origin, such as a mimic or owlbear.

Ooze: A gelatinous creature, including black puddings and world-eating slimes.

Plant: A sentient plant or fungus monster, such as a myconid, shambling mound, or treant.

Undead: Ghosts and the dead restored to “life,” such as specters, vampires, or zombies.

(End of Chapter)