Chapter 31

Half an hour after the red flare was confirmed.

Finally, a flag was lowered from the side defense tower, and the defenders appeared on the wall.

Their number was approximately thirty.

The unit was primarily composed of Second-Class Guards who possessed ranged attack capabilities.

Additionally, forty guards who only had melee attacks emerged from the outer gate to launch an offensive.

Most of the Third-Class Guards and low-ranking adventurers, who were predominantly E-Rank and below, remained in the square, ready to defend in case the gates or walls were breached.

The elite First-Class Guards were currently absent, accompanying the expedition to the neighboring town.

Middle-ranking adventurers, who were D-Rank and above, were also out of the fight as they were hunting in places from which they could not return immediately.

Against the monsters with their sturdy and regenerative abilities, it was difficult to deliver a fatal blow without martial or magical skills.

However, these skills were limited by each individual's skill tree, restricting the weapons they could use and the situations in which they could be applied.

In other words, adventurers, with their unique and specialized skills, were not suited for the uniform training and deployment of soldiers.

In essence, only archers blessed by the Wind God Ro could perfectly use bows against monsters, and only shield bearers granted the protection of the Earth God Gyadros could skillfully handle shields.

Moreover, when it came to offensive magical skills, only those who could use fire could employ them until they reached the mid-branch skill level.

"Multiple reactions detected on the north wall!"

The report from the lightning user, who used <Electric Detection>, prompted the defenders to run along the wall in unison.

Already, in several spots below the wall, monsters were gathering like ants around sugar.

The green-skinned sub-humans, recognizing the presence of humans within the defensive walls, let out strange cries and waved their arms like apes.

Several Hobgoblins, mounted on vicious armored boars, charged towards the stone wall.

Foaming at the mouth, the armored boars, tasked with the role of battering rams, gouged the wall, scattering debris.

At the moment of impact, the Hobgoblins leaped up and began to climb the stone wall.

"Damn it! Don't get cocky, you Hobgoblins. I'll knock you down right now!"

"Hey, idiot! Don't show your face recklessly!"

The moment a magic user leaned out from the parapet, several Hobgoblins, as if waiting, hurled stones.

The stones, thrown with the monstrous strength nearly twice that of a human, reached the top of the wall with terrifying speed.

Several stones grazed the parapet and shattered, one of them piercing the skull of a careless magic user.

The man fell backward, dead before he could even scream.

"Even though it's been a while since we've been in actual combat, what a state we're in. The enemy is numerous. Stay focused!"

"But we can't see the ground properly from here."

Most magical skills required visual confirmation to activate.

In a situation where the defenders could not see the ground from the parapet, their offensive capabilities were almost completely nullified.

The side defense towers were meant to address this, but their number was far too few compared to the length of the defensive wall.

"Then, this. Great supporter of the earth, grant me. Let the sky, the wanderer, be anchored—<Magnetic Rock Shield>."

With the earth user's incantation, a brown mass suddenly appeared in the air.

The incoming stones were drawn to the mass, changing their trajectory and converging on it.

The mass, taking the hits in its place, crumbled and shrank rapidly, shedding fragments.

"It won't last long. There are too many—<Magnetic Rock Shield>!"

The earth user, who summoned a new projectile shield, was cheered on by the guards with bows.

"Leave the ones climbing the wall to us."

"Then, the boars are my turn. I'll turn them into roasted pork."

With those words, a bard blew a loud horn.

It was a magical song, <Bravery Ode>, to heighten spirits and dispel fear.

The archers, who briefly peeked to confirm the positions of the monsters, fired their arrows in quick succession.

The arrows, launched from the bowstrings, drew curves and pierced the backs of the Hobgoblins clinging to the wall.

The arrows, designed with only two fletchings to fly in a circular pattern, were a clever adaptation to avoid hitting allies in the chaotic hunting grounds.

"From the Tree of Liberation, come and burn. Taste the great might of the flames—<Explosive Flame>."

With two fingers raised, the fire user thrust his staff outside the parapet.

A silent fireball, the size of a child's head, exploded magnificently on the back of an armored boar that had its head stuck in the stone wall.

The flames, burning the boar intensely, spread as new fireballs to the surrounding area.

The Hobgoblins, who were about to throw stones near the boar, were also engulfed in flames and rolled on the ground.

"Damn, they're not falling easily."

Despite being pierced by several arrows, the Hobgoblins continued to climb the stone wall.

Seeing this, the lightning user rubbed his hands together and silently touched the stone wall.

A moment later, a swarm of small lightning bolts, resembling purple snakes, ran across the entire stone wall.

The moment the lightning touched them, the monsters froze like statues, stopping all movement.

With the monsters immobilized, arrows were immediately rained down on them.

The Hobgoblins, with several arrows piercing their faces, fell to the ground with groans as the effect of <Electric Stasis Array> wore off.

"Alright, let's push them back!"

The fire user, with one finger raised, released <Explosive Flame> again.

The armored boars and the surrounding Hobgoblins burst into flames, but new monsters quickly overran their corpses.

After using <Explosive Flame> a second time and exhausting his available uses, the magic user retreated from the parapet and moved to the back.

There, in stark contrast to the battlefield filled with battle cries and screams, the soothing voice of a bard singing praises to the gods accompanied the sound of a harp.

The magic user, who had sat down, recovered his magic power with the effect of the song, while the archers, drenched in the water user's <Regeneration Spring>, regained their strength.

The monsters, trying to overwhelm the defenders with sheer numbers, were barely held off by the stone wall and the efficient movements of the former adventurers.

As the momentum gradually waned and the situation seemed to be tilting in favor of the humans, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, black gravel was launched from the shadows of the trees and landed on the wall.

The gravel attached to the bodies of the guards, causing their armor to discolor and rot.

Upon reaching the skin, it began to corrode and melt the flesh.

This was one of the dark skills granted by the evil gods, known as <Corrosive Bullet>.

"Finally, they show themselves. They've given us a hard time."

"Lord of the Tree of Life. Purify the afflicted children—<Purifying Rain>."

Numerous water droplets fell, instantly neutralizing the spread of the corrosive poison.

The archers, whose leather armor had been reduced to tatters, stood with angry expressions, their bows drawn and infused with battle aura.

—<Reversing Arrow>!

This martial skill allowed the user to retaliate against the attacker with certainty.

Several arrows, launched into the air, created whirlwinds from their fletchings and pierced the brains of the Hobgoblin shamans hiding in the trees.

While <Explosive Flame> could have been used to expose them, it carried a high risk of spreading to the forest.

To avoid this, the defenders waited for the shamans to launch their attack.

With the troublesome flanking monsters eliminated, it was now the turn of the ground forces.

"Alright, give the signal."

The defense captain nodded, and the bard blew the horn three times.

As the echo faded, the outer gate opened, and the waiting guards rushed out.

The squad, raising battle cries to match the monsters, attacked the flanks with their preferred weapons.

The axes, swung with ease, decapitated the goblins, and the armored boars, impaled by spears, fell to the ground.

The red-hot short swords sliced through the monsters, and the iron maces, swung with force, shattered bones.

Among them, the most prominent was an elderly man clad in golden partial armor.

Wearing a helmet with elaborate decorations, he wielded a double-bladed axe with both hands, mowing down the Hobgoblins like cutting grass.

Suddenly, the man's axe was enveloped in intense light.

Simultaneously, dark clouds gathered rapidly in the sky.

Seeing this, the surrounding guards hurriedly retreated along the path they had come.

The monsters, mistaking the old man's raised axe for an opportunity, rushed towards him.

The massive axe was swung down.

Almost simultaneously, several massive lightning bolts struck the ground.

—<Thunderfall>.

Blinding lightning illuminated the sky, and a deafening thunderclap echoed.

The stone wall shook violently, and the ground was gouged, sending debris flying.

After the thunder subsided, what remained were blackened, charred lumps that had once been monsters.

One of the guards, looking down at the wall, spat when he felt raindrops on his cheek.

"Damn, the chief went overboard. Hey, let's move under the roof before the rain starts."

"Got it. Hey, let's pull back."

Dadan nodded in satisfaction, hearing the victory horn above.

He lovingly touched the stone wall that had withstood the assault and looked around, thinking of a question that had just occurred to him.

According to Thor's report, only the north wall had been repaired.

Yet, the monsters had deliberately attacked here.

The intelligence of the Hobgoblins was not so low that they would focus their attack on a well-defended area.

Most importantly, the boss who led them was nowhere to be seen.

As the light rain began to fall, the old former adventurer muttered bitterly.

"…Damn, was this a feint?"