Their steps echoed in the cave hall, which would have been devoid of light if not for Hoshino’s convenient spell. It was common for goblins to set traps ranging from poisoned arrows to pitfalls in their dens, but according to Dawn, no such thing had been done, and the group had not encountered any.

  The walk was almost relaxing.

  Verity watched the balls of light floating around them with great curiosity. Ever since he had fought that mage bandit, he’d been wanting to know more about magic. He had tried asking his master, but she quickly made it clear that she was hopeless when it came to the arcane.

  Verity approached Hoshino, slowing his step to match her pace. “That spell – [Light], right?” He asked.

  Hoshino turned to him, a grin on her face. “Non! It is unbecoming of a knight to find interest in the arcane,” She began, making Verity regret even asking. “But I shall consider it your reward for that stellar performance! Yes, that is indeed the spell [Light]!”

  A soft hum escaped Verity as he stroked his chin. “I see… so, if you don’t mind me asking, how does magic work exactly?”

  Hoshino shook her head. “That is much too vague a question, my Knight!” She pointed to his spear. “How would you reply if I asked how Spearman ship worked? Could you answer that?”

  Verity paused, considering her words and eventually nodded, forced to admit that what she said made sense. So, he rephrased his question. “Alright,” He said. “Then, I suppose I’m wondering how come some mages exclusively cast fire or water magic, while others cast wind, or even why you cast light magic which I’ve never seen before?”

  “Hpmh, that’s easy! It’s due to magical affinities! I have a Greater affinity for Light and a Minor affinity for Wind so I use those elements.” She smirked. “I’m quite talented indeed!”

  “So you can’t use any, say, water spells?” Verity followed up.

  Hoshino gasped, as if she’d been insulted. “Of course I can!!” She closed her eyes. “O water that grants life to all beings, hear my plea and appear before me - Waterball!”

  A sphere of water levitated above her palm, but exploded and flowed down her arm as quickly as it came. Hoshino smiled awkwardly, scrambling for an excuse to give Verity.

  Before she could, Jerin interjected, listening to the conversation from the corner of his ear. “A magical affinity simply means they have an easier time casting said type of magic. Most mages still learn the simplest spells of the main elements.”

  Verity raised an eyebrow. “Main elements?”

  Felicia chimed in this time. Erilsa knew a little about magic, so she’d had the chance to learn from her. “I can answer that one,” She declared. “There are four main elements: Wind, Flames, Earth and Water and four alternative elements: Sound, Lightning, Mind and Metal… or so I’ve heard.”

  This was all new information to Verity. He had realized that magic had rules as he fought more mages, but he had never been able to quite understand what those rules were.

  Proudly, Hoshino stuck her thumb to her chest. “And should any mage awaken an affinity that does not exist within these boundaries, such as my glorious Light magic, they are deemed Aberrant! I am a singularity!”

  Marco poked one of the light balls with his finger. “Still, if I understand correctly, you’re not the only one who can use this spell, right?”

  Once more, Jerin replied before Hoshino could, a scoff escaping his lips. “[Light] is one of the most common spells used by Mages. Despite it stemming from an obscure affinity, it’s simple enough and convenient enough to be considered mandatory to any self-respecting mage.”

  “Indeed!” Hoshino exclaimed. “I see you’re quite knowledgeable Knight Jerin, but you will soon come to realize that Light magic has many more uses than illuminating dark caves!”

  The Knight ignored her. He preferred actions over words, and he’d see for himself whether she was simply boasting or whether she spoke truthfully.

  In any case, Verity was quite pleased with what he had learned. He wasn’t planning on trying his hand at magic anytime soon, but he was always willing to know more about this new world and rules.

  “Fascinating…” Verity mumbled as he was stopped in his tracks by Dawn’s outstretched arm.

  “You smell that?” the Thief asked with a smirk.

  Verity sniffed, and immediately grimaced. Indeed, a putrid stench had come to surround them, sticking to their skin and invading their nostrils.

  Dawn crouched, lowering his voice. “The goblin camp is near, but I’m not crazy enough to check for myself~.” He turned to Jerin. “So, what do you want to do, ?”

  Goblins generally had a similar sleep cycle to humans, but since these were cave goblins, their body could have very well lost track of time due to the lack of sunlight. The horde might have been wide awake, and as an experienced knight, Jerin knew caution to be a virtue in these situations.

  Still, goblins were goblins at the end of the day, and excessive caution could be just as detrimental.

  “Mage, I want a ball of light with enough power to mimic daylight in there.”

  There was no need to tell her twice. “Heh, simple task.”

  Hoshino pointed her wand forward, and chanted her spell. “Extinguish the darkness - Illuminate!”

  The four balls of light which had followed the group merged into one, and that larger ball grew brighter as it flew toward the direction of the goblin camp.

  As it flew away, Jerin equipped his mace and shield, preparing himself for battle. “Thief, you’ll take care of any archer or shaman hidden in the rear. Martial Artist, you protect the mage. The other two, you’re with me,” he commanded, not leaving any room for argument.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Dawn smirked, unsheathing daggers from his leather vest. “Righto~”

  At the same time, Marco’s head dropped. He’d been tasked with babysitting duty again.

  As for Verity and Felicia, they both raised their weapons. One was steeling himself for the battle to come, while the other wondered if this expedition would turn out to be a bore.

  Soon enough, light bright as the suns emerged from the cave’s chamber, and Hoshino gave the group a thumbs up. “Rejoice, for I have banished the darkness!”

  It didn’t take long before vile screeches and the chaos of bare flesh scraping against stone echoed in the cave halls. Evidently, the goblins had noticed the light, and they were quite displeased with it.

  Jerin closed the visor of his steel helmet and marched forward. “Follow after me, and stick to the plan.”

  The six of them marched into the chamber, brimming with confidence, boredom, resolve, or perhaps more complicated emotions.

  What met them, however, was beyond anything they could have ever expected

  At a simple glance, there weren’t just one or two dozen goblins. No, the chamber which reeked of filth, blood, and waste, housed at the very least, hundreds of these monsters.

  Their sheer numbers were certainly shocking, but if that was all, it wouldn’t have given someone like Knight Jerin pause. The real problem lay among them. Side by side with the goblins stood ogres, gnolls, kobolds, and even . This defied nature.

  Goblins cowered from orcs.

  Ogres preyed on all that moved.

  Kobolds fled from gnolls.

  At least, that was how it should have been, yet here they stood as one.

  Jerin couldn’t make sense of it, but as he stood in his stupor, hundreds of eyes turned to him, madness flickering within them. He had little time to think.

  Should they run?

  Should they fight?

  He thought.

  His reasoning was sound. Even so, he simply couldn’t give the order. The words refused to leave his lips, and for the first time in a long while, Knight Jerin hesitated.

  On his right, a smooth voice cut through his thoughts. Long black hair brushed past him as Felicia stepped forward. “This promises to be fun.” She declared, unsheathing her longsword.

  On his left, the artificial sun's light reflected off a silver spear. Verity shifted his grip, eyes narrowing. “Huh, not bad,” he mumbled.

  From the rear, Hoshino’s voice rang out like a war drum. “Go, my Knights! Bring me victory!!” she exclaimed.

  Marco paced beside her, his fists itching for something to smash.

  “SCREECH!!”

  “GRRRR”

  “GRAK VORR!”

  The monsters charged. It was already too late to flee, but Jerin didn’t care. Seeing the approaching horde, he scoffed. “To me, you beasts!!” He shouted as he activated [Taunt].

  A swarm of creatures poured toward him and he lifted his mace, eagerto crush their bodies into paste.

  In a blur, both Verity and Felicia disappeared while Dawn melted into the shadows.

  On his side, Verity aimed for those who hadn’t been affected by the [Taunt]. He shot toward a group of goblins who’s eyes hadn’t yet fallen on him. Swinging, thrusting, slashing, he barely took a few seconds to slaughter them all, then moved on to the next group before their screams could fade.

  They had been scary opponents during the tutorial, but now they amounted to nothing more than green stains smeared on his spear. The goblins screeched, they clawed, and they fought with their brittle swords, but there was little they could do against Verity.

  At times, an orc, or an ogre would stand in his way, or even attempt to catch him off guard, but that strategy had yet to succeed. Killing them was more difficult due to their tougher skin and the orc’s regenerative abilities, but Verity dispatched them with ruthless efficiency.

  [You have slain an enemy]

  [You have slain an enemy]

  [You have slain an enemy]

  […]

  Meanwhile, on her side, Felicia sought out the monsters who seemed more powerful, mercilessly mowing down any weakling who dared stand in her way. Her sword danced through the mass of abominations, its edge slicing through their skin as though it were paper. Before they could even understand what had happened to them, their heads had fallen to the ground, their world turned upside down.

  Far from them, Dawn moved like a silent reaper, slipping through their ranks, and appearing in the dark reaches of their rear. Any shaman who foolishly attempted to cast a spell in his presence had their throats slit, and any archer who drew their bows found their hearts pierced by the cold steel of his dagger. The monsters of the rear were quick to notice his presence, but against such a nimble Thief, they struggled to even catch his shadow.

  Those who managed to get through the massacre, and advance past the vanguards, were met with another wall, this one even taller.

  “Finally!” Marco grinned as his fist caved in an orc’s chest, robbing it of its breath.

  In the same moment, however, another orc to his right brought down its cleaver to split Marco’s head in two.

  Hoshino’s eyes widened as she scrambled to cast . “C-careful!!” She shouted, failing to take hold of the surrounding mana in her haste.

  Marco’s head turned toward the attack one heartbeat too late, and the orc’s cleaver hit the mark before he could even raise his guard.

  A web of cracks spread through his skull, and blood poured from the wound — or that’s what would have happened to any other adventurer who took this blow.

  Marco, however, simply winced as the cleaver shattered above his head and the orc’s face gave way to his fist, sending it crashing to the ground.

  Hoshino blinked, disbelief in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

  “R-Right! I should expect at least that much from my Knight of Iron! Haha!”

  The adventurers moved with precision, purpose, and a cunning that far surpassed the Silver-rank. The battlefield became a masterpiece of carnage, the cold stone its canvas, and the adventurers its ruthless artists.

  They were skilled, much more than the monsters, certainly, but there were only six of them.

  Even ants could defeat a tiger if there were enough of them.

  For some, their breaths quickened, and for others, their weapons dulled. Mistakes led to shallow wounds, which led to larger mistakes, which led to larger wounds.

  The adventurers, after slaying dozens of monsters each, began to show signs of weakness, indecision, and fatigue. Even Felicia, in her unparalleled skill, failed to fully avoid an arrow flying past her, earning a minor incision on her cheek.

  One person could only crush, cut or stab so many monsters.

  Fortunately, they had a mage.

  Hoshino, who had been discreetly supporting the battlefield with gusts of wind, flashes of light, all the while escaping the monsters who managed to get past even Marco, quickly understood that the enemy’s advantage would soon become undeniable.

  She knocked a goblin away with her wand. “Iron!! Protect me! No monster is to reach for fifteen seconds!”

  She did not bother waiting for an answer and began chanting. “O Stars so bright, O skies so high–”

  Marco rushed to her, crashing his fists against each other with a smirk. “So that’s going to be a big one, huh.” Heat rose from his skin. “[Power Surge],” He muttered, raising his speed and power to unreasonable heights.

  For the next fifteen seconds, not a hair on Hoshino’s head would be threatened under his watch.

  “Lend me your gaze and unleash your wrath at my decree

  I command you, forge a path from the heavens to the underworld—”

  A luminous magical circle as wide as the chamber itself appeared on the ceiling, and all with a modicum of sense shuddered at the power contained within. For a breath, the fighting stopped, and all eyes were drawn above.

  Dawn let out a dry chuckle. “Hey…We’re totally in the line of fire…” He glanced around. “...And there isn’t a single shadow for me to hide in…”

  Verity’s jaw dropped as he stared at the magical circle. He turned to the mage. “...Hoshino?”

  “Let darkness flee, let evil cower, let those who oppose me suffer!”

  With a final, powerful cry, she unleashed the spell.

  “Destructive Magic - Empyrean Ray!”

  A blinding beam of light descended from above.