So I'm a Spider, So What?, Vol. 8 Page 10

  My apprentice senses the meaning behind my gaze and begins to explain the basics of our strategy.

  “Yes, sir. Our strategy is simple. We’ll station soldiers around the area so the ogre can’t run away. Then we’ll nail it with a huge magical barrage, close in on the bastard, and finish it off.”

  Hrmmm. Well. I suppose that’s correct.

  I wish she could’ve explained with a bit more depth, however.

  The reason I’ll be starting with a preemptive magic strike across a wide area is in order to neutralize the exploding magic swords that killed more than half the adventurers in the previous battle.

  These swords were evidently buried underground and explode when stepped on.

  Most likely, a certain amount of pressure causes them to go off.

  This is precious information paid for in blood by many an adventurer.

  We have no way of knowing exactly how many trump cards the enemy possesses, but this strategy should eliminate one of them, at least.

  It’s hard to say whether that information was worth the sacrifice of all those adventurers’ lives, but they died all the same, so we must accept it and act upon this information with reverence and respect.

  “That’s the long and short of it, Master. We’ll be counting on ya.”

  “What are you saying? That is your job, is it not?”

  “Huh?”

  Apprentice Two stares at me for a moment, then slowly points at herself.

  Silently, I nod.

  “Whaaat?! Me?!”

  She’s overreacting, as usual.

  All she has to do is sweep the area clean with powerful magic.

  “I can’t do it! No way in hell!”

  “Young lady! You should never deem something impossible before you’ve attempted it! You won’t know what you’re capable of unless you try!”

  For once, Nyudoz actually says something sensible.

  Indeed, I don’t believe I’ve asked the impossible of her in the least.

  I proposed this only because I believe my apprentice can do it.

  “Indeed, there is no harm in giving it a try. Even if you fail, the worst that can happen is that I will laugh at you for hours afterward.”

  “Wow, Master, you’re the worst!”

  “I believe you mean best.”

  My apprentice continues whining for a while, but eventually she senses that I have no intention of relenting and grumbles as she starts channeling her magic.

  Hrmmm. It appears that she’s chosen the Gale Magic spell Falling Sky.

  It is a wide-range attack spell that strikes the ground with a blast of air.

  It isn’t particularly lethal, only powerful enough to slow down an advancing army, so it isn’t a terribly popular spell.

  However, when you reach my level of aptitude, you can easily crush someone to death with it.

  And the advantage of this spell is that it consumes relatively little MP despite its wide range.

  This is the perfect spell for my young disciple to cover the entire area of the ogre’s forest.

  A good judgment.

  However, her slow, sloppy rune structure proves that she still has a long way to go.

  After quite a while, Apprentice Two finishes her spell and activates it.

  The compressed air smashes down onto the ground, shaking the very earth.

  Branches snap off the trees in the area, and the snow piled on the ground goes flying into the air.

  Then another set of tremors runs through the ground, different from the ones caused by Falling Sky.

  The trees that weren’t completely destroyed by my apprentice’s spell break free at the trunk before getting blown away, and the snow disappears into eruptions of flame.

  It looks as if a powerful fire-type spell has unfolded before us.

  “Goodness me.”

  Despite myself, I murmur in surprise and admiration.

  Aurel’s spell has set off the exploding magic swords the ogre set in the ground, just as it was supposed to.

  However, I never expected the results to be so drastic.

  How many magic swords must have been in the earth to cause such massive destruction?

  If we had charged in without a plan, it would have resulted in nothing but a second act of the tragedy that befell the first adventurer band.

  We shall have to tread even more carefully from here on out.

  As my assistant stares at the blaze before her, she slumps to the ground in shock.

  Although I suppose part of that is exhaustion from expending so much of her magic energy.

  “Now’s our chance! All units, charge!”

  As soon as the explosions cease, Nyudoz shouts an order.

  It isn’t as loud as the explosions were, but surely the soldiers must have all heard him.

  They start to move immediately.

  But if they were able to hear it, the ogre must have heard it as well.

  Without a doubt, it will soon be on the move.

  “Nyudoz, I shall join you on the front lines. Fall back, Apprentice Two.”

  “Oh-ho!”

  “Gotcha, sir.”

  Nyudoz and I march forward with the soldiers.

  Since my apprentice has used up her magic, it’s best for her to stay away from the front lines.

  Sharpening my senses, I proceed toward where the ogre’s presence seems strongest.

  The ground has been torn up by the explosions, while fallen trees also slow our advance.

  Crossing over the difficult terrain carefully, we proceed slowly but surely toward the ogre.

  “Hrmmm?!”

  However, the ogre will not simply wait for us to arrive.

  Something flies toward us and lands in the ground before our eyes.

  “A magic sword?!”

  Nyudoz’s shout is correct.

  “It’s going to explode! Stay away from it!”

  Obeying his order, the soldiers give the magic sword a wide berth.

  However, a dreadful premonition strikes me, and I Appraise the sword.

  “No! Fall back!”

  Just as I shout a warning, another magic sword comes flying and lands in the earth some distance from the first one.

  And before the soldiers can react, a bright light arcs into the air.

  “Is it too late?!”

  Watching the front lines fall back, I realize that my warning might not have made it in time.

  The sword sticking out of the ground wasn’t an exploding one.

  It’s imbued with lightning.

  A powerful electric current surges between the first sword and the second.

  The soldiers standing at the front are brought down by the electric shock.

  A scent of burning flesh fills the air.

  The ones who took a direct hit were probably killed instantly.

  What horrifying power.

  And that’s not the only thing to fear about these magic swords.

  A wall of lightning now blocks our way forward, covering the ground between the two swords.

  The same lightning that was powerful enough to kill those soldiers in an instant is flowing continuously, forming a formidable barrier.

  If we try to press forward recklessly, we’ll only increase the number of casualties even further.

  But we cannot simply withdraw without doing anything.

  “Hrmph! I shall pull that sword out of the ground myself!”

  “Foolishness. Even you would not be unharmed if you touch that sword.”

  As I stop Nyudoz from running up to the sword that’s producing the lightning, a new magic sword comes flying through the lightning barrier.

  Unlike the others, this one is clearly aimed straight toward us.

  “Watch out!”

  I quickly prepare a spell and launch it at the magic sword.

  A Fireball, the kind of magic I specialize in best, crashes into the sword and causes an explosion in midair.

  The shock waves send several soldi
ers flying to the ground.

  Fortunately, they’ve only been knocked down and aren’t severely injured, but I have no doubt that it would have ended quite differently if that explosion struck them directly.

  So the ogre is able to throw exploding swords as well as planting them in the ground.

  This does not bode well.

  If we’re pinned in place by this lightning barrier, the lot of us will be sitting ducks for more of those exploding swords, worsening our losses.

  We simply must do something.

  I look past the barrier to see beyond.

  Though it should be impossible to see it with the naked eye, my Clairvoyance skill allows me to detect where the ogre stands.

  It holds a magic sword in each hand, preparing to throw them this way at any moment.

  What an enormous creature.

  The magic swords in its hands are average-size long swords, but the size of the ogre makes them look like daggers.

  Ogres grow larger each time they evolve.

  In which case, it’s safe to assume that this ogre has evolved a considerable number of times.

  In fact, it has evolved to a King, the pinnacle of the ogre species.

  The ogre flings one of the magic swords.

  I use another spell to meet it in midair, the resulting explosion eliciting more shouts among the soldiers.

  “Don’t lose your heads!”

  Thanks to Nyudoz’s scolding, they manage to hold the line.

  However, if they keep getting attacked one-sidedly, some of these soldiers will surely flee soon.

  I have no intention of simply waiting around for that eventuality.

  “We’ve let this beast have its way long enough. Time for a little surprise of our own.”

  No doubt my current expression is a rather evil one.

  “It’s your time to shine, Nyudoz.”

  “Hrmmm?!”

  I place a hand on Nyudoz’s shoulder.

  Shortly afterward, he disappears on the spot.

  Then he reappears again, directly in front of the ogre’s eyes.

  “Grrrgh?!”

  “What?!”

  Nyudoz and the ogre let out surprised cries at the same time.

  Spatial Magic: Teleport.

  I used that spell to surpass the lightning barrier and send Nyudoz over to the ogre.

  Perhaps I should have warned Nyudoz first, but it’s possible that the ogre would catch wind of our plan with augmented hearing or the like, so I felt this was the best way to catch the creature off guard.

  Besides, Nyudoz functions on pure animal instinct.

  If nothing else, I trust him to take the appropriate action without even thinking.

  Sure enough, his surprise lasts only a fraction of a second before he slashes at the ogre.

  As Nyudoz’s sword closes in, the ogre abandons the magic sword it was ready to throw and instead draws one of the magic swords at its waist to block the attack.

  It must have changed its mind because blocking with the throwing sword would cause it to explode, hurting the ogre itself.

  The monster was able to judge that in an instant and calmly decide on appropriate countermeasures.

  What a terrifying creature.

  The two swords clash; then their wielders both leap back.

  With that, the sword fight between Nyudoz and the ogre begins.

  The ogre swings its two swords, blocking Nyudoz’s attacks.

  Its swords are of strange make: slightly curved blades with only a single sharpened side.

  They look small compared to the ogre’s giant body, but when they lock with Nyudoz’s long sword, they appear to be about the same size.

  This seems ill-suited to the ogre’s giant stature, but not enough so to create an opening.

  Most likely, the creature evolved so rapidly that it outgrew the swords that had been the proper size some time ago.

  Nyudoz, who was once famous as a master of swordsmanship, seems to be handling the ogre’s two-sword style with ease.

  Though the ogre may have more weapons, it’s far outmatched by Nyudoz’s excellent swordsmanship, so it cannot quite gain the upper hand.

  Hrmmm.

  If one of its one-handed swords can block Nyudoz’s attack, then the ogre would seem to have the advantage in brute strength.

  But no doubt Nyudoz is far superior in technique.

  There is a certain crudeness to the ogre’s movements.

  As if it hasn’t received any proper training and is fighting on pure reflexes.

  I suppose that is indeed the case.

  How would an ogre possibly undergo formal training?

  But if it’s a match for Nyudoz even without training, this creature has terrifying potential.

  An even match, eh?

  But Nyudoz is known as one of the greatest masters of swordsmanship.

  His old age has not tarnished his abilities, and now that the previous sword-king has vanished, he is undoubtedly the strongest swordsman in the empire.

  How can this ogre hold its own against him?

  If we don’t do something about this monster here and now, it might soon grow beyond our ability to fight it.

  On top of that, there’s the unknown power the adventurers’ guild described: a sudden, drastic increase in stats, as well as total recovery.

  Nyudoz is holding his own right now, but we must not let our guards down yet.

  I activate Earth Magic.

  An earthen spear bursts from the ground, pushing up the lightning sword that was stuck there.

  The magic sword is stuck in the tip of the protrusion of earth.

  With the sword in the air, the lightning barrier it was emitting has been raised as well.

  “Now! Charge through the gap!”

  As I shout, I deal with the other magic swords in the same way.

  It’s a simple solution that allows us to deal with the lightning swords without touching them.

  As I move the rest of the swords, a path opens up for the soldiers, who begin to charge toward the ogre.

  No matter how strong it might be, being outnumbered will surely leave the monster at a disadvantage.

  If it had the kind of unthinkable strength wielded by that great being, this would be a different story, but if it is only about as strong as Nyudoz, the support of the soldiers should be a big help.

  As well as my own support, of course.

  If the ogre favors using fire and lightning, it’s safe to assume that it has a high resistance to damage from those elements.

  In that case, my best bet for a long-distance attack is perhaps light.

  I prepare a spell.

  It’s the lowest grade of Light Magic.

  Normally, it has a low cost, but I supply the spell with an excessive amount of magic power.

  It’s a technique I learned from those spiders.

  It took more than two years to perfect, but as a result, my mastery of magic has been massively enhanced.

  Now, even when I cast a low-grade spell, I can successfully increase the amount of magic used in order to make it many times more powerful.

  And yet, the amount of time it takes to invoke does not change.

  I am still far below the level of that master of magic, but I’ve taken another step closer to the heights of occultism.

  Soon, I activate my extra powerful Light Magic spell.

  The advantage of Light Magic is that it hits almost as soon as it is fired, making it easier to accurately aim at a small area.

  Thanks to that, I can avoid the rapidly moving Nyudoz and strike only the ogre with my spell.

  The Light Magic lands squarely on the ogre’s feet, just as I planned.

  The direct hit slows the ogre’s movements.

  Immediately spotting the opening, Nyudoz strikes out boldly.

  The ogre swings the sword in its right hand, producing fire from the tip.

  However, the raging flames don’t reach Nyudoz.

  For Nyudoz’s
sword is a magic sword, as well, this one imbued with Wind Magic.

  The blowing wind scatters the flames before they can take hold.

  Nyudoz pushes right through where the flames were, bringing his sword down toward the ogre, who blocks the strike with the magic sword in its left hand.

  Lightning crackles out of the second blade, and Nyudoz is blown backward.

  But such a minor blow could never kill that man.

  As the ogre focuses on driving Nyudoz away, I hit it with more Light Magic.

  This time, the spell has more power than before.

  The magic strikes the ogre right in the head.

  Even this mighty monster surely cannot survive if it loses its head.

  The ogre’s body twists and falls.

  As it goes down, it flings the sword in its hand.

  A vain struggle, but the lightning sword strikes one of the approaching soldiers, stealing away his life.

  What an unlucky soul.

  But this is where it ends.

  And yet, a moment later, the ogre is surrounded by light and stands up.

  The wound I inflicted upon its head is disappearing.

  Impossible!

  We were indeed told that it had the ability to completely recover, but how could that apply even to a fatal wound?!

  Unthinkable. This is as if we were fighting an immortal beast.

  If its healing was able to save it from that head wound, the only way I can think to defeat it would be to tear it apart so completely that even that healing could not re-form it.

  Then I suppose a lesser spell simply won’t do, even if enhanced with more magic power.

  Even a greater spell may not destroy it unless I provide it with extra magic.

  Can I do it?

  Yes, I have reached a level of confidence where I can infuse a lesser spell with extra magic power and pull it off perfectly.

  However, when it comes to more advanced magic, I am still a touch nervous.

  The only spell of mine powerful enough to blow away that ogre’s giant body would most likely be Inferno Magic, the advanced form of the Fire Magic at which I so excel.

  Inferno Magic is already difficult to cast and control, so if I add magic on top of that?

  It would be next to impossible, even for me.

  In fact, Inferno Magic is not meant to be used by one person alone in the first place.

  It is a spell generally constructed by multiple mages using the Cooperation skill.

  My second apprentice often tells me that I must not be human to be able to use that spell on my own, but now I face an even more impossible task: infusing this spell with extra magic.