An emergency meeting followed.
The Vice Leader explained the terrain where the Assault Force had fought, while Jun freely shared all the information he possessed.
Unlike at the beginning of the Conquest Operation, when he had remained silent throughout the meeting, Jun now stood squarely at its center and spoke without hesitation.
“Team 3 is missing? Damn it. Looks like they failed. Tell me the names of the dungeons the other teams Cleared.”
There was no longer any trace of the contempt with which the mercenaries had initially regarded him.
Having regained their composure, they focused intently on Jun’s explanation.
“From this point on, we have to rescue the Assault Force and subjugate the Forest Guardian before the Fairy Queen fully recovers. In other words, we don’t have much time.”
If the Fairy Queen completely recovered from her injuries and joined forces with the Forest Guardian, even a Raid Group composed entirely of Level 3 players could no longer count on victory.
Naturally, those who were merely Level 2 players outside the Assault Force would have no chance whatsoever of surviving.
That was why Jun had no choice but to move before Aiden returned.
The meeting was concluded as quickly as possible, and after a brief rest, they immediately launched the rescue operation.
“Vice Leader. A group of monsters has been spotted ahead. And…… there are also a large number of Fairies.”
Lucy, the Adventurer whom Jun had previously subdued, finished her report, and the Vice Leader nodded.
The Adventurers who had been carrying out their assignments within the other teams had now stopped hiding their affiliation with Azure Cloud and begun taking action openly.
‘The mercenaries almost exploded again when that happened…….’
Fortunately, the need to survive forced the mercenaries to take a step back, and Jun consequently obtained command authority over the Adventurers as well.
“How many?”
“At least several hundred monsters. There are more than thirty Fairies too.”
“……Then it’s definitely the same group I saw.”
The Vice Leader then turned to Jun, the Low-Rank Mage beside him.
“Are you going through with the plan?”
“Yeah.”
“……I wish you good fortune.”
“Worry about doing your own job properly. Keep a close eye on your Leader and make sure he doesn’t try anything stupid.”
“He is not that foolish a man.”
“You can say that after everything that’s happened?”
“…….”
Leaving the speechless Vice Leader behind, Jun turned toward the Adventurers preparing to move.
They were the Adventurers assigned to the four surviving teams, excluding Team 3, which had failed its dungeon.
“You memorized the map, right?”
“……Yes.”
Lucy and Luke were among them.
“Whether we can save your Leader and companions depends on how well we draw the Aggro. Don’t try anything stupid.”
“Got it!”
“…….”
“……Ahem!”
Luke, who had answered energetically, cleared his throat when Jun stared at him.
Apparently, he had remembered that he had been the first to draw his sword against Jun.
“Good. Then let’s go.”
The core of the rescue operation was drawing the attention of the clustered monsters away.
There was no way a few dozen Level 2 players could kill several hundred monsters.
It would be a different story if the Level 3 Adventurers joined the fight, but—
‘We still have to prepare for the battle against the Forest Guardian. I can’t have them exhausting themselves already.’
That was why Jun decided to personally draw the monsters’ Aggro with the swift-footed Adventurers.
“But aren’t the monsters obeying the Fairies?”
That was a question one of the mercenaries had asked during the meeting.
Most of the monsters in the Conquest Operation obeyed the Fairies’ commands.
Naturally, even if Jun’s group tried to draw their Aggro, the monsters would probably refuse to leave a certain range.
Jun already knew that.
“Of course. But that doesn’t mean the Fairies’ commands always work.”
There was something in this forest capable of stripping monsters of their reason.
SCREEEEEEEEEECH——!!
The Plant Undead, freshly slapped across the face, screamed loudly enough to shake the forest.
As Jun had planned, one of the mercenaries had gone out and captured it for them.
“Run!”
At Jun’s shout, the Adventurers all began running at once.
Their objective was to keep running until the monsters left the range of the Fairies’ influence.
The Adventurers gathered here might be using Level 2 equipment, but their actual abilities were not Level 2.
Every one of them was a Level 3 fighter.
And Jun’s magic enhanced them further.
[Enchantment-Type: Elemental Armory]
[Enchanted Attribute: Wind]
The moment the Enchantment Magic took effect, the Adventurers began racing between the trees like fish released into water.
Jun ran after them as well, but—
‘Damn it!’
His Mage physique held him back.
Mages possessed virtually no agility to speak of.
Jun had used magic to increase his movement speed, but compared to the monsters charging after them, it was nowhere near enough.
“Mage! Excuse me for a moment!”
Luke ran over to Jun.
He wrapped an arm around Jun’s waist and launched himself forward with a force that seemed impossible for someone of his small stature.
‘This looks ridiculous, but damn, he’s reliable at times like this!’
Someone who had been his enemy only a short while ago was now his ally.
It was deeply ironic.
But to survive in this world, Jun had learned that one had to accept things like that.
That was one of the lessons the past year had taught him.
Unlike the enclosed dungeon, the forest was an open field with room in every direction, and the Adventurers tore through it at tremendous speed.
Even while carrying another person in his arms, Luke was clearly faster than the monsters pursuing them.
‘The monsters are in a state of madness too…… but this really is impressive.’
Once again feeling the difference in physical ability between himself and a Level 3 player, Jun shouted.
“Too fast!”
Since he was dangling from Luke’s side, he could not say much more, but the Adventurers understood.
Their objective was to draw the monsters’ attention, not escape from them completely.
They also needed to conserve Mana, so they paced themselves as they continued racing between the trees.
Before long, they reached their intended destination.
“The rear?”
“Right behind us!”
The sight of several hundred monsters charging after them with murderous intent was terrifying enough to make anyone’s knees tremble.
Nevertheless, the Adventurers entered the area they had reached.
The dungeon that Team 3 had failed to Clear.
Its theme resembled that of Team 4’s ‘Rotten Tree Root’ dungeon, which Jun and Aiden had explored.
However, even those who had grown accustomed to the Black Forest frowned as a revolting stench assaulted their noses.
“Was ‘Corpse Flower Depths’ always this bad?”
“No chance. It’s probably related to the Fairy Queen waking up.”
As the two Adventurers’ conversation suggested, the dungeon was called ‘Corpse Flower Depths.’
It was an underground dungeon inhabited by Plant Undead.
Jun had chosen it as their escape route because monsters from outside could not enter a dungeon.
The plan was to race through the dungeon, kill the boss in the Boss Room, and then use the Warp Gate to reunite with the rescue team.
“We’re going to keep running like this?”
“We have to.”
“Damn it. We’re going to be running a lot today.”
Fortunately, despite its name, ‘Corpse Flower Depths’ was a Field-Type Dungeon.
When Jun spotted the enormous flower in the distance illuminating the dark underground area, he sighed in relief.
“Looks like they at least reached the Boss Room.”
The boss monster of Corpse Flower Depths was a Beast-Type monster consumed by Plant Undead—
the ‘Plant Warg.’
Only once the creature awakened would the enormous flower in the center bloom, so the fact that it was already open proved that Team 3 had reached the Boss Room.
“How long if we go straight there?”
“About half a day.”
One of the Adventurers answered after using [Pilgrim’s Dawn].
The Divine Authority of an Adventurer was undeniably useful in a situation like this.
“Good. Then we’ll rest briefly and move immediately afterward.”
They were pressed for time, but Jun ordered a short rest so that they could think further ahead.
The people gathered here had Cleared their respective dungeons less than a day ago, and they had just sprinted through the forest while expending Mana.
They were too guilty about what they had done to complain, but the Adventurers’ exhaustion was far greater than it appeared.
‘And once we kill the Warg and get outside, we’ll have to fight the Forest Guardian immediately.’
That was why Jun had no choice but to allow a short rest.
These Adventurers would have to form the core of their strength against the Forest Guardian.
Sure enough, at Jun’s order, the Adventurers lay down to get even a little sleep.
Team 3 had already cleared the monsters from the immediate area, so they did not even need to post a watch.
Jun was also sitting down and easing his exhaustion when Luke wandered over.
Jun casually asked him—
“Aren’t you going to rest?”
“Ahem! I might not be confident about everything else, but stamina is one thing I’m good at.”
Luke certainly possessed impressive stamina, and he was an excellent Warrior capable of using Aura.
‘Well, once a Warrior awakens Aura, their Mana recovery becomes quite fast too.’
In some respects, Warriors actually recovered Mana more efficiently than Mages.
Unlike Mages, who had to meditate, Warriors could recover a certain amount of Mana simply through breathing.
“So, what do you want?”
“Well…… I know I’ve got a lot of nerve saying this now, but I wanted to apologize.”
“…….”
“I know looking at me like that is completely fair. I know what we did isn’t something that can easily be forgiven either.”
“And?”
“Urgh…… Maybe it’s just selfishness? Yeah, selfishness. I thought I might feel at least a little better if I said it out loud…….”
‘Isn’t he being a little too honest?’
Jun understood the feeling.
He had no particular intention of forgiving Luke, but if saying it aloud improved Luke’s condition, Jun did not mind listening.
What mattered to Jun was not Luke’s apology.
It was staying alive.
“I’m sorry. It feels like we used you, Mage.”
Luke finished speaking and returned to his place.
Just then, Lucy, who had been nearby, met Jun’s eyes and quickly looked away in surprise.
Perhaps because she fought at range and had sharp hearing, she seemed to have heard the conversation.
She was clearly just as uncomfortable around Jun.
‘If you were going to pull something like this, you could’ve at least succeeded.’
In any case, the short rest passed quickly beneath the uncomfortable silence.
Once the allotted time ended, they hurried onward again.
“There’s a Plant Undead corpse over there.”
“Compared to the first one we found, how long ago did this one die?”
“Judging from the traces, there’s about a day’s difference.”
“So they definitely advanced while following the proper strategy.”
Unlike the Maze-Type Dungeon explored by Team 4, led by Jun and Aiden, Field-Type Dungeons required a slightly different approach.
Maze-Type Dungeons had the disadvantage of offering little space to avoid monsters, but the frequency of Random Encounters and the number of monsters appearing in those encounters were comparatively low.
Field-Type Dungeons, on the other hand, had the advantage of being difficult to get lost in.
However, Random Encounters involving dozens of monsters at once could occur.
That was why the standard strategy was to circle around from the outer edges while subjugating monsters gradually.
‘Team 3 probably followed the strategy too. That means everything up to this point went according to the standard route.’
As they continued, Jun repeatedly had the Adventurers inspect the corpses of monsters along the way and gathered information from them.
Because this was not a dungeon they were Clearing from the beginning themselves, information like this was extremely important.
‘Just as expected…… We’ll reach it in half a day.’
The dungeon was not particularly large.
With the Adventurers running at full speed, they soon reached its center, where the Boss Room was located.
“The smell is even worse.”
“It’s bad enough to interfere with combat.”
“Phew.”
They were already exhausted, and the stench permeating the entire dungeon was so severe that calling it painful barely did it justice.
But they were almost there.
Beneath the enormous flower visible even from afar, the Adventurers spotted a wolf growling toward them.
The only difference was that this was no ordinary Outer Wolf.
It was an enormous wolf standing on two legs.
‘Just as expected. Its eyes are dark crimson.’
There was no need for further confirmation.
It had been strengthened by the Fairy Queen.
Sure enough, the creature advanced first, the flower growing from the back of its neck swaying with every movement.
Unlike a beast that cautiously tested its prey before attacking, this creature possessed no reason.
Only madness.
GRRRRRR——!!
Despite its enormous size, the way it kicked off the ground and charged resembled a violent gust of wind.
The Adventurers, strengthened by Jun’s buffs, immediately scattered.
Jun also escaped the creature’s attack range with Luke’s help.
‘Damn it. I either need to improve my Vitality or learn some mobility magic soon.’
Dangling from the side of someone smaller than himself was not an especially pleasant experience.
Even less so when his life was at stake.
But unlike Jun’s indignity, the battle itself proceeded smoothly.
The Fairy Queen might have enhanced the Plant Warg, but its basic patterns had not changed much.
And every Adventurer gathered here had spent months training in preparation for this exact type of situation.
“How long until your spell is ready?”
Jun shouted back at Luke’s question.
“Three minutes!”
He had already begun preparing the spell some time ago.
However, concentrating was more difficult than usual while dangling from Luke’s side as they moved.
He could only manage even this much thanks to [Steadfast Will] and [Unwavering Heart].
Most other Mages would not even have attempted such a feat.
“You all heard him?! Three minutes! Just hold out until then!”
With the combat power gathered here, subjugating the Plant Warg itself would not have been particularly difficult.
But the Adventurers were already exhausted.
They also needed to conserve enough strength for the battle against the Forest Guardian afterward.
That was why Jun intended to use a large spell, just as he had before, and kill the creature in a single blow.
“Put me down now!”
“Got it!”
Once they had created enough distance from the Plant Warg, Luke lowered Jun to the ground.
Jun immediately began constructing a Mana Pattern with the power he had gathered.
But variables always appeared when one least expected them.
SKREEEEEEEEEECH——!!
“Huh?”
“U-undead!”
“Damn it! Why already?!”
Dozens of Undead began crawling out of the ground.
It was a pattern the Plant Warg did not normally possess.
It appeared only when the creature had been enhanced by the Fairy Queen.
However, for this summoning pattern to trigger, a certain amount of damage had to have accumulated beforehand……
‘Damn it. I forgot!’
Jun and the Adventurers were not the first opponents this Plant Warg had fought.
It had already battled Team 3.
The damage the previous Adventurers had inflicted had carried over far enough to trigger the summoning pattern.
Because it was so difficult to judge the severity of injuries on an Undead creature, Jun had overlooked that detail.
“Careful!”
Beside him, Luke cut off the head of an Undead crawling out of the ground.
Unfortunately, the largest number of Undead were emerging from the ground around the two of them.
It did not take Jun long to realize why.
‘Those clothes……!’
Unlike the ordinary Beast-Type Undead, these corpses looked unmistakably different.
And judging from how recently they had died……
They were the corpses of Team 3.
“Urgh! Mage! Behind you!”
Luke was holding back the Undead attacking Jun from the front, but more had already appeared behind him.
Jun rapidly swept his gaze across the battlefield with [Keen Eyes].
‘The formation’s already collapsed.’
The unexpected ambush had shattered the Adventurers’ formation almost immediately.
Meanwhile, the Plant Warg was charging toward Lucy, who had become separated from the others.
Behind Jun, the corpse of an Adventurer approached with a blood-soaked sword aimed at his back.
In that fleeting instant, Jun coldly assessed the current situation and even projected how the battle would unfold from there.
Then he made his decision.
[Interpreting Word of Power…….]
[Interpretation complete.]
[Reducing the influence of the Word of Power, ‘Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim,’ by 10 percent.]
The image he envisioned was fire.
An inferno blazing inside a furnace, hot enough to melt steel, swallowing and consuming everything that entered it.
[Tinder(Tinder)]
It was merely a 1st-Circle spell.
But the tiny flame ignited in midair was swept up by a vast tide of Mana and expanded explosively.
SKREEEEEEEEEECH——!!
Taking advantage of the moment when the Plant Warg was focused on the Adventurer before it, the suddenly manifested flames wrapped around its body.
[Dual Casting]
[Wind]
A small sphere of wind appeared at the heart of the flames.
“Urgh……!!”
But the wind Jun created was no ordinary breeze.
Like the fire, it devoured an enormous amount of his Mana and was compressed to its absolute limit.
Within the flames burning at their peak, the wind asserted its presence.
The blaze doubled in size.
Its destructive power surged.
The fire swallowed the Plant Warg’s entire body like a spreading forest fire, then rose into the air as a towering pillar of flame.
“What kind of magic is that……?”
“Good heavens…….”
The Adventurers could never have imagined that the result before them had been created by combining two mere 1st-Circle spells.
For a moment, they even forgot the urgency of the situation and stared at the pillar of fire.
“Mage!!”
“Guh!”
But Jun was not the only one to land a lethal blow.
The sword of an Undead awakened by the Plant Warg pierced straight through Jun’s chest.