Chapter 83

The battle with a Rank 5 monster. The baptism received by those who have become C-Rank adventurers.

Many who become C-Rank adventurers are talented, and they have easily defeated monsters up to Rank 4. This is the first despair they experience.

Many who have become C-Rank adventurers say that there is a wall at Rank 5.

The magic they use is at least 4th Tier. Status effect attacks such as poison, paralysis, confusion, debuffs, blindness, curses, sleep, petrification, and silence.

Yu and his party were no exception and were currently receiving this baptism.

“Guhhhhhh!”

Larit was bracing himself in the midst of the storm, but he couldn't stay in that position forever. A 2nd Tier black magic spell, "Flame Lance," was coming at him, released in sync with the wind currents.

While watching the approaching Flame Lance, Larit recalled how he ended up in this situation.

When Yu and his party left the Dryad's room and updated their blessing magic, they entered the boss room, which was far too large to be called a room. The walls and ceiling were covered with trees, and the room was about 100 meters wide and 60 meters high.

As they entered, an Eldertrent appeared from the back with a rumbling sound. The Eldertrent was much larger than the Trent they fought in the Marmar Forest, with arms like a human and a giant club in its right hand. Additionally, six humanoid flower monsters, Anemone Noids, were standing around the Eldertrent like attendants.

“Just as I thought... Eldertrent and Anemone Noids. Both are Rank 5 monsters.”

Larit's face showed no trace of his usual carefree demeanor.

Eckart used the shield skill "Stone Wall" and charged at the Eldertrent, but the flower petals on the Anemone Noids' faces, which correspond to human faces, cracked and opened. The six Anemone Noids began to chant in unison.

“Wind, gather, bind the wind, with strong wind and strong power, manifest before me and sweep away my enemies—'Hurricane'”

The six Anemone Noids simultaneously cast the 4th Tier black magic "Hurricane." The storm quickly enveloped the area, and Yu and his party braced themselves to avoid being blown away, but the enemies were not so kind. The Eldertrent simultaneously cast dozens of 2nd Tier black magic "Flame Lances."

“Even if it's 2nd Tier, to cast dozens of Flame Lances at once... What a monster!”

Larit dodged the approaching Flame Lances but was slammed into the wall by the hurricane. He looked at Yu and the others while lying on the ground. In the storm, Eckart was advancing with his Tower Shield, and Nina was clinging to Eckart's back, using him as a wall. Lena was using a barrier to protect herself from the storm but was about to be blown away. Marifa, Coro, and Sukke were lying on the ground, clinging to the floor. Yu, surprisingly, was standing upright in the storm, with Crow kneeling beside him.

“Haa!? Why can he stand in this storm?”

Eckart defended against the Flame Lances one after another with his Tower Shield while advancing, finally reaching the Eldertrent. Once he was close enough, the storm's influence diminished. Eckart looked up at the Eldertrent, only to see a giant club about to crush him.

“Guhhhhhh!”

Eckart shouted and raised his Tower Shield to block the Eldertrent's club. He managed to stop it, but the deafening sound of the club hitting the shield echoed. Eckart's feet were buried in the ground from the impact.

Eckart, who had never flinched even after being attacked by Work Ants multiple times, saw his Tower Shield warp and his arm go numb from the Eldertrent's blow, almost dropping the shield.

“Eckart, I'm going to use your shoulder.”

Nina used Eckart's shoulder as a stepping stone and leaped at the Eldertrent, but her Mithril Dagger was blocked by an invisible wall and didn't reach the Eldertrent.

“A barrier!?”

Nina was surprised to find that the Eldertrent was surrounded by a barrier, but the blocked slash had cut through the barrier. She aimed for the tear in the barrier with her Damascus Dagger.

Nina thought she had successfully landed a hit on the Eldertrent, but it was deflected by the barrier again.

“Double barriers...”

Eckart was surprised to encounter a monster that could deploy multiple barriers for the first time. In reality, the Eldertrent had four layers of barriers.

One of the Anemone Noids aimed a 3rd Tier black magic "Storm Lance" at Nina, who had lost her balance. An invisible spear approached her face but was blocked by a barrier.

The first barrier shattered with a sound like breaking glass, and the second barrier cracked but held.

Larit and the others didn't notice, but Yu had been maintaining a barrier around Nina using his magic threads, which were still connected. Only Lena and Marifa, who had the ability to see magic, noticed this.

The Anemone Noid, surprised that its Storm Lance was blocked, quickly changed its target to Eckart and cast another Storm Lance. Eckart, still holding the Eldertrent's club, was hit directly.

“Gnnn...”

Even with the increased physical and magical defense from the shield skill "Stone Wall," there was a limit. The Storm Lance pierced through the gap in Eckart's armor, wounding his side.

The Anemone Noid, delighted by the successful hit, jumped in joy. Three other Anemone Noids began to chant Storm Lances.

“Crow, go.”

“As you wish.”

Crow stood up and ran through the storm, using the axe skill "Strong Swing" to cut through the wind. The Anemone Noid, surprised by Crow's straight approach, hastily tried to cast a Storm Lance at him but was pierced by arrows that rained down from above, letting out a strange scream.

“Coro, Sukke, this is your chance while the storm has weakened.”

Following Marifa's order, Coro and Sukke charged. Their strategy was simple: the energetic Coro would draw the enemy's attention, and Sukke would strike from the blind spot.

Crow cut down the Anemone Noid that was thrashing from the arrows, and another Anemone Noid, distracted by Coro, had its torso torn apart by Sukke's bite.

Yu sent healing magic to Eckart through the magic threads and advanced through the weakened storm using wind spirit magic.

“Guh? My wounds are healing. This is where I need to push. Shield skill 'Taunt'.”

Eckart used the shield skill "Taunt" to draw the Anemone Noids' attention to himself. The Anemone Noids, who had been casting spells at Crow and the others, turned their backs to them. Crow and the others took advantage of this and began to slaughter them.

The last Anemone Noid broke free from Eckart's taunt and tried to cast a Storm Lance at Crow and the others.

“This is payback.”

Larit, who had circled around behind, decapitated the Anemone Noid.

“Boooooooooo!”

The Eldertrent, enraged by the death of its subordinates, let out a terrifying roar.

It repeatedly swung its giant club at Eckart, who defended with the shield skill "Stone Wall." The Tower Shield was already half-destroyed, and Eckart's left arm was broken, with bone protruding, but he continued to use the taunt skill to draw the Eldertrent's attention.

The enraged Eldertrent began to chant a 5th Tier black magic, "Tornado."

While chanting, the Eldertrent continued to swing its club at Eckart. Lena's 3rd Tier black magic "Thunderclap" struck the Eldertrent, but it was blocked by the barrier. Two of the Eldertrent's barriers were destroyed, but Lena, whose Thunderclap was blocked, held a Mild staff and a Mithril staff in both hands and cast four layers of Thunderclap. The four Thunderclaps merged into a ball of lightning about five meters in diameter, which Lena aimed at the Eldertrent.

The Eldertrent, who had been focusing on Eckart, noticed the terrifying sound and stopped moving. Eckart and the others, knowing they would be caught in the blast, moved away from the Eldertrent.

The ball of lightning easily broke through the Eldertrent's remaining barrier and unleashed a storm of lightning across its body.

Despite emitting black smoke from its body, the Eldertrent's fighting spirit did not wane. Crow swung his battle axe at the Eldertrent's legs, severing its left leg, causing it to kneel.

“Guh, now it's at a good height to hit.”

Eckart, who had been hit repeatedly, clenched his right hand, and a dull sound came from the grip of his obsidian hammer.

“Hammer skill 'Crush'.”

Eckart's hammer was aimed at the Eldertrent's face, which was now defenseless without its barriers. The obsidian hammer mercilessly destroyed the Eldertrent's face and embedded itself in the ground.

Eckart, covered in blood with his left arm broken, Larit, who had broken several ribs from being blown away, and Nina, who would have died without Yu's barrier, realized that they had underestimated the Rank 5 monster.

“Is that all a Rank 5 monster can do? Let's collect the treasure chest and recover, then leave immediately.”

When Yu spoke, Larit and Eckart's bodies seemed to tremble slightly, which was not an illusion. Later, they would tell the story at the adventurer's guild, saying that this was not yet hell.