Adventurer of Flash - 05 - First Battle & Incident Occurrence

Chapter 05: First Battle & Incident Occurrence

We walked for about an hour and now stood on a hill overlooking the Tail Plains.

“The Tail Plains, known as one of the largest grasslands in the empire, is home to many monsters.”

“Indeed. The highest-ranked monster living here is the D-rank Black Horse.”

“Yes, they live in herds and are quite aggressive now because it’s their breeding season.”

“They are rare among monsters for using wind magic to attack from a distance, so be careful.”

“Yeah. I plan to start with the F-rank Goblins.”

Monster ranks start from G, then go up to F, E, D, C, B, A, S, and SS. 

An A-rank monster could devastate a village, an S-rank could destroy a city, and an SS-rank is a national disaster level. 

Adventurers also start at G-rank and can rise to SS-rank, with only three SS-rank adventurers known to exist on the continent. 

The Adventurers’ Guild is widespread, with multiple headquarters, including one in the imperial capital of the Kanan Empire, and branches in each city.

“Alright, let’s get going.”

“”Roger that.””

After about twenty minutes of walking, we spotted a group of Goblins in the distance. 

Goblins are notorious in this world, creating settlements in caves and forests, kidnapping human women and other monsters’ females for breeding. They are universally despised.

“Just leave this to me, don’t interfere.”

The three guards nodded and stepped back behind me.

“I’ll leave a few alive to test my swordsmanship.”

At that moment, I activated my hyper-speed thinking. 

Time seemed to stop, and I considered the most efficient way to defeat the goblins.

“Light Arrow.”

I converted the magic power I had stored in my fingertips into a single arrow of light and released it.

The killing light, which was more magical than a laser beam, headed straight for the group of goblins.

This beam of destruction, charged with more magic than a laser, shot straight toward the group of goblins. In the sunlight, I controlled the area; I knew their positions, magic levels, shapes, and sizes even with my eyes closed. 

The arrow pierced one goblin’s head, then refracted to hit another, and another. It took down eight of the ten goblins before dissipating.

While the remaining two goblins were still in shock, I drew my sword, used body enhancement magic, and closed the distance.

I activated hyper-speed thinking again. One goblin, enraged, swung its club at my head. I deliberately moved into its strike path. 

The goblin smirked, thinking it had me.

He deliberately plunged into a position where he was hit. The goblin grinned. He must have thought he was going to hit it.

In that instant, I enhanced my body further and dodged with a quick leap back.

“This is perfect.”

I thrust my sword straight into the goblin’s neck. Then, I took three steps forward, driving the sword through the neck of the goblin behind it. Both goblins fell, lifeless.

“That was surprisingly easy.”

Honestly, even if tens of thousands of goblins attacked, I could wipe them out instantly with magic.

“Lord Arte, that was amazing. Your combat skills are incredible. Did you defeat the first eight with magic?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I thought so. When I saw eight goblins already down and then you took out the last two with one strike, I couldn’t understand what had happened and was quite confused.”

The Light Arrow moves at the speed of light. By the time anyone realizes it’s been fired and bent to change direction, it’s already far away. 

So, I first use hyper-speed thinking to grasp the coordinates and angles before releasing it.

I wonder if there’s any creature in the world that can deal with this. No, I shouldn’t get overconfident. There are hundreds of other awakened ones on this continent alone, so I must remain vigilant.

However, 

“I am confident that no one can match the speed of my attacks.”

Afterward, we collected the magic stones from the goblins and left the area.

Back at the Balkut mansion, I took a bath and had dinner. It was a rare occasion with the whole family present.

“Al, I heard from Kevin that you defeated your first monster.”

“Don’t overdo it, okay? You’re still a child. If something happened to you, I’d be devastated.”

“But it was just goblins, and I didn’t struggle at all, so don’t worry.”

“I don’t have the courage to fight monsters yet. I’ll be starting at the academy next year, and that will likely be my first battle experience.”

“Big brother, you’re amazing!!!!”

Surrounded by my warm family, I savored the meal.

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The next morning, I called Kael and we went to the famous lookout point in Balkut. 

The purpose was to experiment with an idea that had come to me while I was in the bath the previous night.

I wanted to try creating an optical lens. This technology, used in telescopes and microscopes, doesn’t exist in this world yet.

Optical lenses work by utilizing the refractive and dispersive properties of light. If I could manipulate the refractive and dispersive properties of my conjunctiva, cornea, and iris to mimic an optical lens, I might be able to create a telescope effect.

Within a one-kilometer radius, I can manipulate magic to perceive everything clearly. However, beyond that range, it becomes difficult, so turning my own eyes into a telescope seemed like a good solution.

I decided to give it a try, but it was extremely challenging to adjust. It looked like it would take a lot of time to master this skill. After three hours of persistent effort, I finally succeeded. 

Realizing it was already noon, I ate the sandwiches Kael had brought.

“These sandwiches are really good, Kael.”

“Yes, our chefs are quite skilled.”

We finished our meal while chatting and then began observing the area around Balkut. When we looked out over the Tail Plains, we saw a herd of Black Horses running.

“Those must be the D-rank Black Horses. They’re chasing an E-rank Tail Boar. Their coordination in hunting is impressive.”

Black Horses are omnivores, so they basically attack and eat any creature weaker than themselves.

Afterward, the Black Horses used wind magic to hunt down a Tail Boar, a native species of the Tail Plains, and began eating it.

“That looks like the human equivalent of Air Slash.”

“Black Horses not only enhance their speed by wrapping their bodies in wind but are also skilled at long-range attacks. Young master, please be careful if you encounter them.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

As we watched for a while, I noticed something unusual.

“Hmm? There’s a foal with a small horn growing on its head.”

“I can’t see it from here, but it’s likely a variant. A black horse monster with a horn would be an evolved species called a Bicorn, wouldn’t it?”

“A Bicorn? The B-rank one?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Seriously? Could you arrange for a report to be sent to the Adventurers’ Guild?”

“Understood. I’ll also inform the Lord.”

“Thanks.”

We quickly returned to the mansion, where I opened the Encyclopedia of World Monsters. Monsters, like the Bicorn we saw earlier, can occasionally be born as variants. These variant monsters evolve when they reach their growth limits. 

Regular monsters can also evolve if they have the potential, but the evolution rate for variants is significantly higher. A B-rank Bicorn is already dangerous, but once it evolves, it becomes unstoppable. If it comes to that, I’ll have to step in.

As monsters increase in rank, their intelligence also rises. If the Bicorn we saw earlier grows and starts leading a herd, it will undoubtedly disrupt the balance of the Tail Plains. Merchants and travelers wouldn’t want to pass through an area where B-rank monsters roam freely. 

Moreover, that place is a crucial hunting ground for novice adventurers. We need to deal with the Bicorn before it matures into an adult. Just like the wild animals in the world I came from, the monsters here grow quickly.

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A few days later, as expected, a problem arose. An A-rank monster appeared in the Tail Plains. It is believed to have come from the “Forest of Demons,” a high-rank monster den at the base of the Heavenly Dragon Mountains.

Typically, monsters don’t move far from their habitats. However, if they lose a territorial battle or are driven out of their herd, they may wander alone. Such individuals are called “flowing monsters.”

Currently, one hundred high-ranking adventurers dispatched by the Adventurers’ Guild and four hundred elite members of the Marquis family’s “Black Dragon Knights” have been sent to deal with it. This knight order reports directly to the commander, so my father is also on the scene.

I’ve heard that the S-rank party “Lion King’s Claw,” based in the fortress city of Balkut, is away on a mission in the imperial capital. In their place, three A-rank parties have been dispatched.

An A-rank monster is about as strong as an A-rank party can handle, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, my father is leading the Black Dragon Knights. There’s no need to worry.

Using a large number of people against an A-rank monster is pointless and will only lead to more casualties, so the strategy is to use a small, elite force.

But…

“Kael, let’s go. We need to head out too.”

“The Lord will be furious. If anything happens to you, young master, it will be a problem for the entire empire.”

“I’ll handle it.”

“That’s just like you, young master. Haha. I know there’s no stopping you once you’ve decided, so let’s go right away.”

“Yeah.”

My pride won’t let me do nothing while my family is fighting. Since this was urgent, we rode out on horseback.

When we arrived at the Tail Plains, what we found was “hell.”