"Keeeee!"
The wolf-mounted goblins sped past us, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured our vision.
There were about 27 of them.
Counting the goblins and wolves separately, that's 54 creatures.
The goblins wore iron armor and were armed with crossbows and swords. The wolves were enormous, large enough to be mistaken for horses.
'Annoying bastards have shown up.'
One or two would be manageable, but close to 30 was practically a cavalry unit.
The goblin riders that had sprinted past us turned around and charged straight towards us.
"What should we do?" Jenna asked urgently.
"What do you think! Shoot them!" I yelled back.
Jenna quickly nocked an arrow and drew her bowstring.
A goblin swinging its sword at the front tumbled down along with its wolf.
'Why did it have to be a plain?'
I grimaced. We were completely exposed to the charge of twenty-odd goblin riders. They kicked up dust as they rushed towards us.
"Grrrr!"
"Kiaaaah!"
The howls of wolves and the screams of goblins merged into a terrifying chorus.
We needed a different strategy than the previous floor.
"Aaron, when they clash with us, dodge sideways and kill them. Can you do it?"
"I'll try!"
"You..." I turned to Iolka. "...Later!"
A crossbow bolt flew straight for my face. I slapped it away with my shield, spun around, and swung my sword. The upper body of the leading goblin was sliced diagonally. I immediately rolled on the ground, getting out of the charge's path.
Goblins slashed at me as they passed. I blocked with my shield and backpedaled.
"Aaron!"
"Yes!"
Aaron, who was behind me, thrust his spear. The spearhead pierced a goblin's breastplate. At that instant, a bolt flew towards the exposed Aaron. I split it with my sword.
Jenna's arrow brought down a goblin at the rear.
Blocking another bolt aimed at Jenna with my shield, I yelled, "Iolka! Start casting!"
"Casting?"
"Don't make me repeat myself! Didn't you say you were a magician? Kill all of them!"
"I need time!"
"How much?"
"One minute!"
The goblins launched their second charge. This time, a wolf's jaws aimed for my face. I dropped flat on the ground and shoved my sword into the creature's mouth.
Then I rolled again.
"Just cast!"
Iolka nodded frantically and closed her eyes.
[La Gran Sedus.]
A deep, resonant voice, seeming to echo widely, flowed from Iolka's lips.
A line of flame ignited at her feet. It thickened, twisting around her entire body like a rising serpent.
'So this... is magic.'
The heat radiating from Iolka tickled my cheeks.
With our shorter range and lack of mobility, Aaron and I had no means to initiate an attack first. The ones who needed to shine here were Jenna, the archer, and Iolka, the magician.
"Aaron, block the bolts heading for Jenna. Let her focus on shooting."
"Yes, Boss!"
Aaron twirled his spear, deflecting bolts. Through the gap, Jenna's arrow flew, piercing another goblin.
'One minute. That's not enough time.'
It took 30 seconds at most for them to pass us and charge again.
"Kia, kiaaa!"
Realizing she was casting magic, a group of goblin riders broke off and charged directly at Iolka. I positioned myself in front of her, deflecting and cutting down arrows.
A mage is priority target number one, whether friend or foe. I could buy some time alone, but stopping them completely was impossible. I couldn't handle the frontal charge of nearly 30 goblin riders by myself.
"You'll have a shield up while casting, right?" Mages usually deployed a personal impact barrier while casting, in addition to party member protection.
"Can't you answer? Or can't you hear me?"
I glanced back. Iolka's eyes, flickering with the color of flames, were locked shut as she ceaselessly muttered something.
About 10 seconds until the riders reached us. Jenna took down one more, but they showed no sign of stopping. The goblins swung their swords above their heads and kicked their wolves' flanks.
"If you stay there, you'll be swept away by the charge!" Aaron warned Iolka.
"Can't you cast while moving?" I yelled.
"Boss, it's dangerous!" Aaron shouted.
"Ugh!"
I grabbed Iolka and rolled sideways again. Blades scraped across my back and shoulder. My arms stung hotly, as if burned by the flames Iolka emitted.
"Wh-what are you doing?!" Iolka shrieked.
"You're a real liability, you know that?"
If she had a barrier up, I wouldn't have been able to grab her. Which meant she was just standing there, casting completely unprotected.
"Liability?! I'm diverting that mana into firepower!" she protested indignantly.
"Whatever," I snapped.
I clenched and unclenched my hands, which had brushed through the flames. They throbbed, but I could still move them.
Having completed their third charge, the goblin riders galloped back for their fourth. Their target was undeniably Iolka.
If their target had been me, Aaron, or Jenna, we could have baited the charge, evaded, and counterattacked until they were wiped out. But Iolka was different. Wearing cumbersome clothes, with pitiful stamina and agility, she seemed likely to get trampled and killed if anything went wrong.
Well, if I really needed a solution, I could just throw Iolka out as bait and kill the enemies afterwards.
I scanned the surroundings again. We were in a plain, but not far off, there was a forest.
"We're changing position. See the forest behind us? Get inside."
"Isn't it a dead end?" Aaron asked.
"We'll worry about that then."
I dashed forward, stabbed the foremost goblin, and threw it downwards. When the goblin's wolf opened its jaws, I kicked it in the forehead. Then I immediately dodged sideways.
"Ahhhhh!"
Iolka, caught in the riders' charge path, ran for dear life, her dress billowing. The group of goblins swept past her and moved further away.
After that charge, there was an opening.
"Now! Run!"
Jenna and Aaron retracted their weapons and sprinted towards the forest.
"Is it blocked?" I yelled.
"Looks like we can get in!" Jenna called back.
As expected, this was a linked field where the forest and plain connected.
I grabbed the flustered Iolka's hand and ran for the trees.
"As soon as we're in the forest, start casting again. Aim for the entrance where we came in."
"My hand! It hurts! Just a little gentler..."
"Did you understand?"
"Yes, I understood!"
"Good."
I gripped her hand tighter and dragged her into the forest.
The goblin riders, having circled back, now aimed their crossbows at us.
"Get in!"
I stepped in front of Iolka, blocking bolts with my shield. Iolka was clutching her right hand, looking miserable.
"What are you doing? Get in!"
I kicked Iolka from behind.
"Treating me like this..." she muttered indignantly.
"There's no treatment to receive if you're dead, right?"
Grumbling, Iolka finally entered the forest.
A moment later, a red glow began to flare up from within the woods.
Only I remained on the plain.
Knowing that cavalry couldn't exert their full strength in the forest, they would surely target me. I slowly started counting to 60 internally.
"Boss, come in! It's dangerous!" Aaron shouted from the woods.
"Wait there. I'll be right there."
I took a light breath.
['Han (★)' has entered a Berserk state!]
My second time going berserk today.
A wave of dizziness washed over me, but I managed to withstand it. I tightened my grip on my sword. Realizing I was alone, the goblins stopped their linear charges and instead circled me, firing bolts and swinging swords.
Block the bolts with the shield.
Meet the swords with my own.
"Don't come out!" I roared at Aaron, who was about to emerge from the forest. "If you come out, they'll scatter. I'm gathering these bastards to bring them in all at once."
The circle surrounding me began to tighten. The frequency of swinging blades increased drastically. Crouched amidst the onslaught of steel, I counted the time.
'15 seconds left?'
I filled my lungs with air.
Three swords swung simultaneously. Lowering my body to gain momentum, I swept my sword in a wide arc. Blades clanged away, and one goblin spurted blood as it tumbled backward.
"Out of the way!"
Leading with my shield, I broke through the encirclement in one burst.
No need to think after that. I sprinted towards the forest with all my might. The red glow within the trees intensified violently. The goblins streamed after me in a single file line.
Jenna, hidden near the edge of the forest, shouted, "Oppa!"
"I know!"
It seemed Iolka was ready.
Just before entering the forest, I dropped flat, hugging the ground.
Twenty wolves and goblins thundered right behind me.
At that moment.
[Ignite!]
A storm of fire erupted from between the trees, engulfing my vision. The blazing inferno swallowed the charging goblin riders from the front.
"Doesn't look like it's over yet!" I heard Aaron yell.
I crawled out of the fire's range. My back felt scorching hot, as if it had been burned.
[Incinerate!]
KA-KWAKWAKWANG!
A deafening explosion followed, accompanied by a shockwave. The flames that had engulfed the goblin rider horde erupted simultaneously. Charred goblin corpses were caught in the blast and flung high into the air.
[Sublimate!]
From the epicenter of the explosion, a pillar of fire several meters high shot upwards. Swirling like a hurricane, laden with powerful currents, it spun, scattering the burning, flame-engulfed corpses in all directions.
"..."
[Stage Clear!]
[Reward – 20,000G, Iron Ore (B) x 3, Wolf Pelt x 5]
[MVP - 'Iolka (★★★)']
['Aaron (★)', 'Iolka (★★★)' leveled up!]
We returned to the dimensional rift.
Aaron muttered in a stunned voice, "What in the world was that just now..."
Over twenty goblin riders, annihilated by a single spell.
"That was amazing!" Jenna exclaimed.
"Ohohoho! This is the power of the great flame! I told you, didn't I? That you'd be blown away when I showed you my magic! I am the Witch of the Libel County! Iolka Libel..."
Mid-boastful laugh, Iolka abruptly collapsed forward.
"Uh, Unni?" Jenna asked, concerned.
"This woman," I stated flatly, "has terrible stamina." (Literal translation is 'premature ejaculation,' used metaphorically here for running out of steam quickly after one big effort.)
During the one-minute cast time, she could do nothing else and required absolute protection from party members. She couldn't use any support magic, and her strength, constitution, and agility were below even 1-star standards.
I've summoned and utilized countless mages, but this type was exceptionally rare, an outlier. But rare didn't mean entirely unseen. Such types did exist, albeit infrequently.
To use a tank analogy, it was like ripping off the tracks, stripping away the armor plating, and just crudely upsizing the main cannon.
'Still, her destructive power alone is worth acknowledging.'
It seems it's about time we graduated from the standard front-mid-rear setup.