Flames ignited around the mana-coated arrowhead.
Light and heat poured from it. However, rather than dispersing into the air, they gathered around the arrowhead that served as their medium.
Even though there should have been no space left for more power, the flames continued forcing their way inside, compressing into a single concentrated mass.
Ian deliberately stopped breathing. His eyes gleamed as he released the string with a sharp gaze.
TWANG!
The arrow vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye. Leaving a crimson trail behind it, it traced an arc through the air and descended.
Mael was disappointed.
He did not need to watch until the end to know where it would land.
Unless an unexpected gust of wind blew or one of the monsters deliberately leaped forward to be struck, the arrow would hit the empty ground.
For someone who had confidently suggested exterminating the monsters emerging from the Outer Gate with nothing but a bow and arrows, Ian’s archery appeared remarkably poor.
But that was not the case.
The arrow had never been intended to kill an enemy.
THUNK!
That was probably the sound it made.
They could not hear it over the Hyullangs’ howling, but they could easily imagine it.
The flames condensed within the arrowhead surged along the shaft, then spread broadly to either side and formed a wall.
It was not particularly long.
Nor was it especially thick.
It would not burn for very long either.
One fact, however, was undeniable.
A barrier of fire now blocked the path leading toward the village.
‘……!’
All beasts feared fire.
Monsters were no exception.
A small flame might have been different, but they would never carelessly approach a blaze raging with such intensity. It was instinct.
The Hyullangs that had been leading the charge toward the village faltered.
‘He imbued an arrow with the power of fire.’
Had Ian poured too much power into it, the arrow would have turned to ash before reaching its destination.
The fact that it had not meant that he had controlled the flames with extraordinary precision.
In the meantime, Ian fired two more arrows.
“…Oh!”
Mael unconsciously exclaimed in admiration.
Both arrows buried themselves in the backs of the Hyullangs’ skulls.
Not only did they pierce through bone and tear into the brain, but flames soon engulfed them as well.
Like fire devouring dry wood and swelling in size, the Hyullangs’ heads began to burn where they stood.
“Two.”
Ian’s satisfied voice rang out.
One after another, arrows left his hand.
TWANG, TWANG.
The bowstring sounded like the plucked strings of an instrument.
Even though the distance was relatively short, the arrows displayed astonishing accuracy.
“Five.”
The Hyullangs had been staring blankly at their burning kin. Only after three more of their number collapsed did they finally turn around.
Their blazing eyes fixed upon the hill.
Even from this distance, Ian could feel the thick killing intent pouring from them.
AWWOOOO!
With savage howls, they began charging.
Mael and Marie drew their swords.
The long blades extended before them, ready to swing at any moment.
Remarkably, their stances were identical, as though copied from the same painting.
It was proof of how thoroughly they had been trained.
After firing his sixth arrow, Ian glanced at them while nocking the seventh.
“Why are you standing there staring? Are you not going to throw your spears?”
There was a simple reason why the knights of House Berger were called spearmen.
They were skilled with spears, certainly, but before beginning battle, they also hurled spears formed from flame.
Every member of the order was therefore required to create and throw a flaming spear, and its effectiveness had been proven through countless battles.
Mael turned toward Ian.
A hollow laugh came from inside his helmet.
“It is not that we will not. We cannot.”
“You two, geniuses among geniuses, cannot do it?”
“We have not learned it yet. Naturally, we cannot.”
“I do not understand what is natural about that. You should have been able to imitate it after watching it…. I truly cannot believe this.”
“Did I not tell you? Marie and I are only Level 2, and we have only just completed our probationary period.”
“You do not deny being geniuses?”
“It is the truth.”
What an insufferable man.
He truly knew nothing of humility.
Thinking him thoroughly irritating, Ian released another arrow.
It buried itself precisely between the eyes of a Hyullang climbing the hill.
No matter how tenacious their vitality was, they would still die if an arrow pierced the head or throat.
The creature toppled backward, knocking down the Hyullang following behind it.
“Seven.”
Ian fired the eighth arrow.
“Eight. Nine. Ten.”
He continued shooting.
When he released the thirteenth arrow, he clicked his tongue.
“Tsk!”
He missed.
Regrettably, the arrow merely grazed the creature’s ear.
He fired again, but that shot missed as well.
Had the targets been standing still, striking them would have been much easier. Accurately hitting creatures whose bodies rose and fell with every stride was difficult.
‘Remain calm.’
Two Red Spear Knights stood beside him.
They had only just completed their probationary period and were still merely Level 2, but both were geniuses.
In the future, they would be praised as heroes.
As long as they were protecting him, he had nothing to fear.
Maintaining his composure, Ian swallowed once and aimed the bow.
The monsters were now close.
Ten arrows remained.
Twenty-two Hyullangs remained.
Ian fired five more arrows, but two of them missed.
He had very few arrows left.
Once he used them all, he would be empty-handed.
“Nine each. Can you manage that?”
“Of course. Please retreat farther behind us.”
As though they had agreed beforehand, Mael and Marie stepped forward together as they spoke.
A reddish haze shimmered around their bodies, releasing waves of heat, while the swords in their hands glowed scarlet.
Ian did not argue and obediently stepped back.
‘I should have brought a sword.’
Even if he wanted to help, there was little he could do in close combat with only a bow and arrows.
Using the bow as a club risked damaging it beyond repair.
As for the arrows, they were useful only for stabbing or striking downward.
Even then, their shafts were not particularly thick and would snap under the slightest force, making them disposable at best.
SKREEEE!
At last, the Hyullangs descended upon them with shrill cries.
The two Red Spear Knights moved.
Every sweep of their swords severed a Hyullang’s neck.
There was no hesitation in their movements.
They took their positions as they had been trained, assumed their stances, and swung according to the situation.
Their actions were concise and entirely free of waste.
The result was equally clean.
The head of the first Hyullang to charge them flew into the air.
Only afterward did blood erupt from its neck.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, Mael and Marie steadily reduced the monsters’ numbers without displaying any particular haste.
The Hyullangs’ claws could not pierce the Red Spear Knights’ armor.
Their teeth recoiled from the heat before they could properly bite.
“To think it was this simple.”
They had nearly allowed fear to make them retreat.
Had they done so, Ian might truly have regretted it.
Hyullangs reproduced at an extraordinary rate. Beginning with this village, they would have multiplied to a terrifying number.
However, it was still too early to relax.
“Young Master!”
Mael cried out in alarm.
One Hyullang forced its way through the gap between Mael and Marie and charged directly toward Ian.
Only a few meters separated them.
It could reach him in a single leap.
As expected, it did exactly that.
“I must have looked like an easy target.”
Naturally.
He held no dangerous blade and wore no protective shell of armor.
Ian reached into his quiver and drew an arrow.
He immediately spun it between his fingers, reversed his grip, and turned his body.
SKREE?
His timing was perfect.
That movement alone allowed him to evade the Hyullang as it lunged with its claws extended and gums bared.
Simply evading it was not enough.
Ian raised the hand holding the arrow.
The back of the Hyullang’s skull was directly before him.
Could he pierce it?
He did not doubt himself.
He could.
He had already drawn upon his mana and strengthened his body.
His physical abilities had surpassed those of an ordinary person.
Just like that—
He drove the arrow downward with all his strength.
CRUNCH!
The Hyullang’s body slammed into the ground.
It twitched and convulsed for a moment before going limp.
Ian released the arrow shaft and rose.
“Are you unharmed?”
Mael hurried over from behind and asked.
Ian nodded.
“I am fine. What about you?”
“The same. More importantly, I apologize. It slipped past me….”
“You did nothing wrong. It was my fault for not retreating farther. Forget it. More importantly, the two of you smell.”
It was not merely the smell of blood.
There was the scent of roasting meat, the stench of burning flesh, and countless other odors mixed together.
Mael sniffed several times before tilting his head as though he noticed nothing unusual.
Come to think of it, that helmet was enchanted.
Ian knew that one enchantment enhanced the wearer’s vision, while another purified the air to prevent poisoning through respiration.
The Red Spear Knights were not alone in this.
The continent’s most renowned knightly orders likely imbued their equipment with even more enchantments.
Ian had seen such things himself.
That was why knights were so troublesome to fight.
In any case, Ian stepped back from Mael.
The distance did nothing to lessen the odor.
Now that he was conscious of it, the smell seemed even stronger.
“…Is it truly that bad?”
“Yes. Remove your helmet if you do not believe me. You will notice it immediately.”
“No. After hearing you say that, how could I doubt you?”
“Wash yourselves when we reach the village. Judging by how they are cheering, they would probably give you oiled cloth and fine sand without asking for payment.”
Mael turned toward the village.
Outside the palisade, the villagers were raising crude spears and farming tools such as pitchforks and shovel handles over their heads in celebration.
They had probably emerged prepared to die, yet they had not needed to shed a single drop of blood.
Their reaction was understandable.
“That will not be necessary. We can use scrolls before boarding the carriage later. This armor is excellent in every respect, but maintaining it is extremely difficult. If we roll it in sand, we might damage the magic circles engraved into the metal plates, so we must be careful.”
That made sense.
One could tell simply by looking at it.
The armor had been constructed from numerous materials—metal, leather, fur, and cloth—not only for practicality but for appearance as well.
“Do as you please.”
“Yes. Would you like a scroll as well, Young Master? We have spares.”
Ian shook his head.
A little blood had splashed onto him when he fought the final Hyullang at close range, but he was still relatively clean.
“Later. Do you have a spare blade? Give me one if you do.”
“Why do you need a blade?”
“I need to recover the arrows. I also intend to collect the Mana Stones.”