Chương 20: [BL] 20. Taste of battle [2]

The battle was over the moment the Horseman descended on the unsuspecting Kobolds' line. Their charge broke the monster's back and their confidence. Those who glanced back saw their brethren being crushed under mighty horses' hooves, and they could be next. The Kobolds did not waste time running, scrambling across every burrow they could find while Josha and the horsemen harried those who retreated down the slope into further caves.

Willow and Habel, the two ranged fighters, took advantage of the situation and fired their spells and spears. Habel especially did not offer any mercy as he hurled his spears into the burrow, rendering it useless as his spear pinned the Kobold inside. Even now, a pained scream filled the cave. Willow, on the other hand, took notice of Habel's spear. She came to a stop in her run. Eight Kobolds scrambled to a burrow dug in between two large rocks, just enough space for the Kobolds to crawl through.

She opened both of her palms, and a dark spear made of wind was born just beyond her, swirling with intense hunger. Seeing this, the Kobolds pushed each other as one struggled to crawl through. Their shrieks came desperately. Willow did not wait and released the dark spear. It whistled through two Kobolds' bodies, skewering their chests and necks, then into the holes, where the sound of ripping flesh and scales mixed with the keening wind.

[You grow Stronger] [You recover four Dark Wind Runes] The other four could only watch in fear and soon recognised their burrow was no longer usable, so their eyes gazed at Willow. Fear overwhelmed them as they charged with frenzied fury.

"Watch out!" Shera and one guard stepped forward to defend Willow. The [Witch] must have levelled up, for she shot a mist from her hand; this time it coiled around one Kobold's neck and tightened around it, tripping the creature down. They met the charge with their swords. A [Guard] punched his shield and sent out a concussive blast that sent the Kobold staggering backward, almost losing its balance, and the human pounced, killing two Kobolds with a jab and finishing the other two with brutal efficiency.

Willow watched a bit jealously as those longer swords fit better for a fight. Still, her short sword was nice to use, since it wasn't awkward to swing while she cast Sever. I just need more practice. Shera sheathed her sword and turned to Willow with a big grin, a bit uncharacteristic for the girl she had known for only a short while.

Shera had seemed like a soft, pampered girl when Willow first met her, but now it was clear she also took pleasure in fighting, and just like Mera, she had been looking forward to this. In a world where their bodies grew stronger from killing, perhaps that was a normal instinct to have. Before Shera spoke, a prompt blasted through their vision. [You grow stronger]"You got it too?" Shera asked, and she nodded.

"I never will get used to this exp boost." They made their way back to the group. So far, no one had died. Every horse looked fresh, although a bit spooked, except for the three horsemen's horses that had been running nonstop to take the Kobolds on their backs. Habel commanded a Class Stone extraction, and the Guards happily did so. Shera and Willow approached Josha, who tended to Enzo, whispering a good job to the horse.

His eyes flitted to someone—his brother alongside another guard who had been assigned to make sure a burrow shut down completely. They stuffed a Kobold body in and rolled the stone to close it for good.

"My Lady," Habel called to her.

"Do you need a Rune flower? We'll set aside most of it for you." [Enhancer] [Severance II]—The Dark Wind can now notice food so poor in quality that it would rather not eat it, yet its hunger does not stop. Allow Wind Mage to instantly sever a limb from anything five levels below and ten Arcanic levels below her own. Severance will be cast through Sever with a focused intent by the Wind Mage. Grant +5 Arcanic and +1 Dark Wind Rune.

Grant an additional 10% Arcanic to Wind Mage when she focuses her Sever intent with words. Willow stopped for a moment before checking her Runes. This Enhancer: why did it have two tiers already? It took her five seconds to realise it had just upgraded because she'd levelled up more than once. But how come a new Enhancer upgraded over the old one? She read it carefully and guessed the additional Arcanic word intent, and the stats were the bonus she got from the second tier. Maybe because I rely on Scythe too much?

Now I ended up getting an Enhancer to strengthen it further. The Guidance Spirit even claimed that now she could cast it with a word, but she was unsure whether to do it. It might be embarrassing, but still the extra Arcanic… Name: Willow [Wind Mage] Class: [Wind Mage—Level 7→10] Outfit: [Wind Mage Outfit] Rune: [Dark Wind 7/7] [+ 100%] Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Attribute: [1 Strength, 2 Dexterity, 2 Vitality, 4 Constitution, 7 Sense, 23 Arcanic] [7 Dark Wind Rune] Spell: [-50%] Sever II [2] Dismember [4] Ravenous Spear [4] Enhancer: [Ravenous Wind] [Devour] [Ravenous Eyes] [Severance II]"My Runes are full, Habel." Willow smiled at the [Legionary].

"I can keep going."

"Very well," the gruff man nodded and went to the rest of the guards, barking commands, mostly about how they were going to utilise every horse next. Willow found herself bunched against the cave wall, hugging her knees close, mindlessly drawing a smiley face with a random stick she found in the large earth mound. The stick just stuck in it, and she could not help but pull it out. She added two horns above the smiley face and scowled at it. What was that earlier?

When she smiled down on the Kobold before she slit its throat? A sweet jubilation danced inside her, and she wanted to do it again. Was it an effect of Ravenous Wind? She did not even realise she drew the face's mouth into a devilish grin with fangs and all. Willow stomped on the drawing and sighed.

"What's with you?" Shera asked, staring at her with arched eyebrows, Josha beside her.

"It's nothing," she said quickly, hiding her reddened face under her arms. [Hunt Party 3/3] [Hunter—Level 1] [Rider—Level 6] [Frost Witch—Level 4]"You two are about to catch up to Raven," Willow said, slightly surprised by their levels. If the wide, cocky grins on both of their faces were any sign, they puffed out their chests. Josha's [Rider] leather armor had Kobold's blood, still running down the lacquer-like surface, darkening it.

"It's thanks to you, seriously," Josha said, scratching the back of his head.

"I can't even begin to tell you how much this means to us, Willow."

"And I'm sorry for slapping you; I shouldn't have done that. I'm glad you're here," Shera added with a teasing grin. Willow sputtered a laugh and was about to tease her back when suddenly, something felt amiss. A sense of irritation rose within her. This was her own feeling, no longer foreign… Her eyes widened, and Willow pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Oh, dear, don't worry about it. By tomorrow, everyone in this backwater village will be glad you did that." Mistress Alyn's words replayed inside her, and so did Mera's words.

"I don't want you to live in my shadow." But are you fine with people forgetting you already? Willow wanted to ask her. In a way, she wished for both of them to look at her and still remember Mera. Maybe it's just for now? I doubt they have forgotten her.

"Yep, you better be thankful," Willow said haughtily. She opened her palm at Josha, who shook his head in disbelief, and he knelt on one knee and pulled her up.

"They're ready," Shera said, pointing at the guards who were running a small formation practice overseen by Habel.

"Any Class Stone?" Willow asked.

"We got one," Josha said as they walked to the group.

"A Spearman Class Stone."

"Only one?"

"Yes, only one. Class Stones are scarce. Honestly, we're lucky with my Rider Class."

"Can we give it to one of the unclassed outside then?"

"Ah, about that…" Josha mumbled.

"We will hold it back, my lady," Habel said, walking toward them, head still observing the horsemen.

"Based on what you tell me about your Grand Hunt, it required you to have parties equal to your Ranger class, so having the capability to create a level-one class holder will be for your own benefit."

"I can see the logic," Willow said.

"Fine, we do that." Habel bowed in response. At this, Shera and Josha glanced at each other with a bit of discomfort marring their eyes. She knew what those were. They thought that harvested Class Stones should be for the village, and they didn't want to bring it up because both of them were currently inside Willow's party, so they didn't want to do anything to jeopardise it. Willow changed the topic that surely both of them would be eager to help her with.

"Speaking of the Grand Hunt. I think this is a chance for me to level up my Hunter Class safely, don't you think?" Willow asked.

"Oh! Right! We cannot be a party anymore if your Ranger class was still level one," Shera realised and hung her head down, dejected.

"I think that is wise," Josha added.

"This rift is a green rift and one that we will close soon."

"My lady, while I realised that levelling your Hunter is a good choice considering your future, I wish you to hold back on it. We shall proceed with a horse charge from now on to the heart of this rift and destroy the Dungeon Core in one swoop. Your firepower will be essential. Not having your wind will surely kill our momentum." Willow chewed the bottom of her lip and thought about it. What Habel said made sense, but when they got out of this rift, they would face much stronger monsters…

"Your Hunter class is based on your bowmanship, does it not? I will procure a bow for you." Hmm, that might be difficult since she had never held one before.

"Fine, I think I will hold on to it. Can you train me with a bow when you have time, Habel?"

"It will be my pleasure."

"Thanks." Habel turned and strode to his horse. He held his hand down for Willow and pulled her up behind him. She needed to make a mental note not to forget to use Sever by words when she got the chance. Josha and Shera shared a horse, and Willow could not help but worry for them when Habel assigned Josha as the spear-end of the triangle formation. His brother Jaquin rode beside him with spear and sword and refused to talk with Josha.

Behind him, Shera glared at Jaquin, and the girl exchanged a worried glance back with Willow. She positioned herself not a meter behind Josha, in relative safety.

"Are you sure about this formation?" Willow asked. Their backs were exposed, and three other horsemen right beside them finally formed the triangle, making up the inside.

"This is the most optimal formation. You do not have to worry. Being forced into a life-and-death situation will set aside any kind of problem."

"I hope you're right," Willow mumbled. The cavalry moved immediately, with Josha leading the line the moment the scout Habel had sent relayed the information to the commander. He nodded and signalled the charge. What Willow heard made her jaw drop, and Willow had a half desire to stop this insane charge, but the other half told her that Habel'd know what he was doing. Not a minute after, every horseman went into a gallop, and the charge started in earnest. Josha veered in response to a winding downward slope.

Willow gripped the saddle, and her hair tossed upward when they bolted downward onto even ground again. But in front, the cave expanded into an enormous cavern where three rocky mounds rose like a small mountain. Above them were Kobolds wielding bows; they aimed down into the kill zone where, this time, spear-holding Kobolds awaited them.

"Are we stopping—""Charge! Trampled them!" Habel screamed, and Josha in front responded, spurring Enzo faster. Cold fog rolled out of Shera after Jaquin punched his shield forward, sending a blast of wind to push back the first line of the kobolds. When the arrow came, three aegis of blue summoned, blocking half of them, but they broke apart almost in an instant. Willow yelped and lowered her head. She braced herself to look and noticed the cavalry had just run the arrows.

"Get ready to dismount, my lady. I will drop you to take one of those mounds. After you do so, please start to shower your dark wind upon them." Talk about pressure.

"I will do it," Willow said, and she repeated.

"I will."