The scene where multiple targets are locked on, I like it.
It seems like I've come to another world, but what should I do? - Chapter 32
"Mission accomplished. Let's withdraw immediately."
Hartis shouted, and everyone began packing their belongings and preparing to leave.
"I'm sorry. Since it wasn't too deep, I let my guard down. Something definitely feels like it's approaching."
Like the previous goblins, skills must be consciously used to unleash their power. Just in case, during the morning gathering, everyone had checked with 'Recognition' sensei, but only Hartis and Arie had 'Alert.' Arie was below 1, and Hartis was at 2+. The saying "Tie your helmet tight before you ride" echoed strongly in my mind.
My 'Alert' still hasn't kicked in at all. To prepare for emergencies, the core was carried by Watris, with Hartis leading, and Deed and Arie guarding from behind. Honestly, among us, I'm absolutely terrible at running both in speed and endurance. Honestly, if I ran even 2 kilometers at a jog, my head would spin. I don't think I could keep up with Watris, who's a girl.
Preparations were complete, and we began to move when a distant howl came from the downwind side. Hartis made a serious face. It seemed to be coming from the village direction.
"That sounds like wolves, but the voice is too deep? Just in case, let's detour upwind."
If there aren't many, individual elimination could be considered, but we don't know their true nature. A river with fast currents was nearby on the upwind side, and it was decided to cross it and meet them head-on.
We began running through the trees while keeping watch. The distant howls grew closer, and their numbers increased.
"They're pretty fast. And they aren't wolves either. There are over 10 of them in a pack."
Here, we abandoned our escape plans. Due to my slow legs, we were being chased one-sidedly. We decided to climb trees and engage with magic. It was judged that if their numbers have limits, it would be advantageous to rest and continue attacking.
"If they're wolf-like creatures, there should also be limits to the size of their packs. Let's proceed with this plan."
We hurriedly climbed nearby trees. Me, Hartis, Deed, Arie, and Watris each took positions about 5 meters up in different trees.
Soon, wolf-like creatures ran into the area below the trees. They were quite large, over 1.5 meters in length.
"Wait, those are clearly not wolves, right? Do you know anything about them?"
I asked Hartis.
"I'm sorry, but I've never seen them before either. They haven't been reported."
After checking with 'Recognition' sensei, it seemed they were wolves that had adapted to areas with high mana and become monsters. Their hide's strength had also increased, so treating them as regular wolves wouldn't work.
Their numbers kept increasing. Some individuals continued howling. If they were wolf packs, there would be fewer than 10, but now there were over 15. A few jumped excitedly around the base of the trees.
Hartis nodded to Deed. Watris took aim and cast a spell, sending a fireball towards one of the creatures' faces. It flew backward, but after shaking off the burns on its face, it became excited again and began jumping around the tree.
Watris shook her head. The concept of penetration wasn't enough. Also, the method of burning their lungs required the front line to distract them and open their mouths. She was uncertain if she could do it in this situation.
They weren't good at climbing trees, so none came up.
I imagined compressing a spherical ball of wind with a diameter of 10 cm down to about 5 mm.
"Attribute: Wind. Pressure definition. Shape: A cone with a radius of 5 mm and height of 1 cm. Fixed at the front of my right index finger, 10 cm away. Rotate the cone as it moves forward and fire. Speed: 150 km/h."
I aimed for the face of one of the creatures that was watching me. I hesitated between targeting the waist to stop their movement or aiming for the head first to reduce numbers.
"Execute."
As soon as I muttered, the creature's face exploded. Good, it worked. I clenched my fist and pulled back my arm.
"It's bad,"
Hartis whispered, cooling my head.
"How many can we quickly fire with this power?"
Looking around, there were about 15 before, but excluding the one we killed earlier, there were now over 20. Plus, some continued howling.
"If this continues, they'll keep coming."
The area in front of me darkened. Even within the same pack, there could be more. Moreover, the pack might not be limited to this number. We didn't know when other packs would notice us. If we don't reduce their numbers soon, we're doomed.
Was it a multiple spell? We had no choice but to improvise on the spot. I wished I had practiced more, but there was no time for that.
<Notice: Excessive use of spells can lead to serious complications.>
Ah, 'Sage' sensei scared me.
I didn't want to overuse it, but...
"God, what kind of symptoms does excessive spell use cause?"
I asked in my mind.
"Nice to meet you the first time, I'm Alecto, the one who controls spells."
The answer came back. A young male voice echoed in my head.
"When mana and magic power conversion is overloaded, magic power explodes inside the brain. It's like a brain hemorrhage in humans. The initial symptoms are nausea or headaches after using excessive spells. However, it's not an actual hemorrhage, so it will go away over time. If you ignore these symptoms and use even more spells excessively, the excess magic power can cause physical damage to the brain. Simply put, it could lead to a real brain hemorrhage."
I didn't know how to treat a brain hemorrhage or have any expectations of recovery. It might as well be death.
"Since the guest is in trouble, I'll help control this time. However, I can only assist by reducing excessive returns and prolonging their effects. You'll probably be unconscious for a few days. Be prepared. I'm monitoring the situation once our conversation is done."
A ray of hope appeared. What I had sown, I would reap.
"Thank you. Please take care of me."
I thanked him in my mind.
Looking around, there were over 30 creatures. For now, no one was howling. Maybe this was just one pack gathering.
"Hartis-san, I'll handle things from here, but I'll definitely kill them all. Please deal with the aftermath."
Without waiting for a response, I imagined compressing a spherical ball of wind with a diameter of 10 cm down to about 5 mm.
I visualized crosshairs and set them on each creature's head. Noticing some might be out of sight, I carefully placed the crosshairs. Counting them, there were 34. The targeting images were fixed on all their heads. This was something I'd have to control in the future. My mind felt like it was panicking.
"Attribute: Wind. Pressure definition. Shape: A cone with a radius of 5 mm and height of 1 cm. Number of materializations set to 34, centered at the front of my right index finger, fixed at 30 cm. Each target is aimed at individually. Rotate the cones as they move forward and fire. Speed: 150 km/h."
I imagined each bullet flying towards its respective target. My right hand was fixed in the air. All I had to do was wait for the right timing.
Suddenly, the invisible bullets shot out from above and flew toward their targets. The creatures closest by were hit almost simultaneously, their heads exploding one after another. Looking around, all of them were down. None moved.
We can go back. We can finally go back.
Just as I thought that, a loud 'Bak' echoed in my head.
Everything went black, and I felt myself falling off the branch before losing consciousness.