The cavalry numbered around 500. Even combined, the allied forces didn't exceed a thousand. We were still outnumbered. However, the quality of the soldiers was different. Heavy plate armor, thick lances, sturdy horses clad in barding. The cavalrymen's eyes burned with fighting spirit. A world of difference from the city's defenders, trembling in fear in their shabby armor.
A few riders were swept away by the strong river current, but most of the force completed the crossing. The man who appeared to be the captain calmed his horse and scanned the riverbank area.
"What's with the monster corpse..." His eyes met mine under the shade of the tree, but he looked away as if he hadn't seen me. Then, drawing his sword, he pointed towards the north side of the city where the fierce battle was raging.
"Form ranks and charge! Crush the enemy in one sweep!"
Snort. His horse puffed air from its nostrils. The sight of hundreds of cavalrymen lining up in the rain was quite spectacular. Jenna whistled.
"Whew, cool. Looks like our job here is done. Can we just lie down and watch now?"
"I wish," I muttered.
The biggest immediate problem was solved. However, a mission warranting a triple warning wouldn't be this easy. I looked at the horses wandering near the riverbank – their riders had been swept away during the crossing.
"Know how to ride a horse?" I asked Jenna.
"Horses? Of course."
"You two?" I asked the others.
Aaron quietly shook his head. Iolka, seemingly too exhausted even to answer, just swallowed more mana potion.
"Do you know how, Oppa?" Jenna asked me.
"Nope."
"Doesn't seem very useful if I'm the only one who can ride," Jenna commented.
"Just bring one over first." The cavalry was readying their charge.
Jenna mounted an ownerless horse and gripped the reins. The horse startled slightly at the sudden rider but calmed down when Jenna gently stroked its neck. A moment later, the horse, carrying Jenna, ambled towards us.
"Is this good?" she asked.
I looked up at the sky. Amkena must have watched the entire process. Masters generally can't directly intervene in battle, but they can exert influence. The Fear Resistance Potion I drank in the tutorial was an example. In that case...
'Request Skill Book. Low-Grade Horsemanship.'
[Hero 'Han (★)' requests 'Skill Book (Horsemanship)'. Upon purchase, the hero will immediately learn the skill. Purchase requires 500 Gems. Purchase?]
[Yes (Selected) / No]
A blue light flared in mid-air, and an old book dropped down. I picked it up and opened it. The pages fluttered rapidly, and knowledge and experience regarding horses seeped into my mind.
Ting!
[Skill Awakening!]
['Han (★)' has acquired 'Horsemanship'!]
"Wh-What was that just now?" Jenna asked, startled.
"A magic book."
Horsemanship. One of the skill books available in Pick Me Up's battle shop. While skills directly related to combat couldn't be learned this way, auxiliary skills facilitating progress could.
I mounted an ownerless horse and gripped the reins. How to mount, how to hold the reins, turning, advancing, stopping, accelerating – the know-how of horsemanship flowed out naturally, like breathing. The horse I mounted joined Jenna's.
"Thought you didn't know how to ride," she remarked.
"I know now." I smirked and continued, "We follow them and eliminate any variables."
"Variables, you mean?"
"You think it's going to end just like this? Aaron, get on behind Jenna. Iolka, behind me. There's no saddle, so it'll be uncomfortable. Hold onto my back tightly."
Aaron mounted behind Jenna with her help. Then Iolka, looking pale, approached me. The potion replenished her mana, but her mental fatigue seemed unavoidable. I half-lifted, half-helped Iolka onto the horse's back. In front, the cavalry finished their charge preparations.
"Prepare to charge! Ready!"
"HUH! HUH! HUH! HUH!" Following the captain's call, the soldiers raised their weapons and roared. On the northern plain, the goblins, sensing the situation, raised their spears towards the cavalry.
We watched the scene from several meters off to the side of the formation.
"Don't join the charge. You might die needlessly. Break off towards the forest and watch the situation."
"Aaron-oppa, hold on tight so you don't fall," Jenna warned.
"R-Right," Aaron stammered.
The cavalry captain circled his steel sword above his head, then pointed it at the goblins. "All forces, charge! Show those bastards the fury of the Iron Lion!"
The captain's white horse surged across the plain. The banner bearer, waving the red flag, followed close behind. Then, hundreds of soldiers and hundreds of horses began their charge. The soldiers' shouts and the squelching sound of hooves pounding the rain-soaked earth shook the air.
"Let's go." I gripped the reins and spurred the horse's flanks. The horse snorted and began to move forward. Faster. The more I spurred, the more intense the horse's gallop became. Just by reading a book, I could handle a horse. An absurdly unrealistic situation, yet no need for surprise or joy.
I yelled to Jenna following behind, "Break sideways! Get out of arrow range!"
Ping! Pipipipiping! Dozens, hundreds of bolts flew from the goblin side simultaneously. Most whizzed through the air or hit the ground. But some found their mark.
"Aaaaaargh!" An unlucky soldier hit by a stray bolt fell from his horse, only to be trampled into mince by the horses following behind.
I ducked my head slightly. A stray bolt grazed past my head. Iolka, clinging to my waist, let out a small scream.
"Get clear!" Pulling the right rein, the horse turned. The cavalry's target was the main goblin force at the North Gate. We broke off to the right of the formation and headed towards the forest. Jenna followed.
Shortly after, the cavalry vanguard clashed with the goblins. Hundreds of goblins, pierced by lances and trampled by hooves, instantly turned into bloody pulp. Goblins were naturally smaller than humans; they stood no chance against the crushing force of hundreds of kilograms of horse and rider. The cavalry, spread out in a line, swept through the main goblin body like a vacuum cleaner.
The raindrops striking my face with the wind gradually lessened. Riding along the border between the forest and the plain, I kept my eyes fixed on the woods. Low growling sounds echoed from between the trees.
[Goblin Rider Lv.??? X 211]
'Just as I thought.' They were lying in ambush in the forest, preparing to surprise the cavalry. They would likely emerge to strike the flank once the cavalry's momentum died down – wolves lacked the sheer power to directly counter warhorses. A countermeasure to the cavalry's overwhelming charge was also in place.
[Ogre Lv.??? X 23]
"KRAAAAAAH!" Ogres burst out from the forest. They charged towards the cavalry, who were regrouping after their initial breakthrough. Far off, the cavalry captain drew his sword again. The second clash began. The clang of steel and screams rang out loudly.
I spoke to Iolka behind me. "Iolka, got any energy left?"
"Somehow," she replied weakly.
"You saw them too. If those things join the battle, it'll get messy." The weakening rain stopped completely. Raising my right index finger, I checked the wind direction. A north wind. I said, "We're going to ride through the forest now. You set it on fire."
"I can do it, but the firepower will be weak."
"Just stop them from coming out. No, just keep them from forming ranks." If the goblin riders formed up and hit the cavalry's flank simultaneously, the damage would be immense. No need to kill them all, just prevent that. Iolka nodded.
"Jenna, you and Aaron dismount. Once the fire spreads, kill off any stragglers." Mounted combat skills would be ideal, but without the skill, it's difficult. The two dismounted, readying their bow and spear.
"Go." Iolka closed her eyes and chanted.
I looked towards the North Gate. The cavalry and ogres were entangled in combat. Over half the original goblins were dead or incapacitated. A few goblins tried climbing ladders to breach the outer wall but failed.
'Didn't even need to go to the inner wall, huh.'
I kicked the horse's flank with my heel. It started galloping. My eyes met those of a goblin at the far left edge of the forest. The goblin stroked its wolf, eyes gleaming. I gave it the middle finger.
[Ignite!]
FWOOSH! Flames erupted behind the horse. Branches and leaves caught fire, burning intensely. The rain had stopped. With the north wind, the fire began spreading to nearby trees. Flames scattered along the path the horse ran. The fire spread instantaneously.
"Kiaaa!" Only then did the goblin riders burst out of the forest. Most ran towards the cavalry battling the ogres, but some pursued me. Not worth engaging. I turned the horse's head, increased speed, and shook them off. All the while, I continued riding in a straight line, burning the forest. The firepower was weak, so few actually burned to death, but I didn't expect that. The goal was to prevent the goblin riders from forming ranks and to trigger their innate fear of fire. Cavalry is a mighty spear when united, but just small needles when scattered.
The Iron Lion Cavalry was well-trained, maintaining their charge momentum even against the ogres. The goblin riders who joined the fray were simply ground down. Jenna and Aaron fought off a few stragglers in a corner of the forest, their backs to the fire.
Finally, the circuit around the forest was complete. Leaping off the horse, I thrust my sword backward. The blade pierced the wolf charging me from under the jaw, went through its brain, and reached the heart of the goblin riding it – the last ones chasing me.
I pulled out the sword. The wolf and goblin died without even a scream.
"Heeeheehee-neigh!" The horse whinnied and bucked its back. Iolka, still on it, swayed precariously. I barely caught her as she was about to fall. The horse that threw Iolka bolted off without a backward glance.
"You okay?"
"Yes..."
"Good work." I pushed her too hard. Her face was completely ashen. Using any more magic now might trigger mana overflow – a dangerous state mages enter when overexerting their mana.
Supporting Iolka, I slowly walked towards the plain.
The battle on the plain was winding down. The goblins were already wiped out, and only a few remaining ogres roared, swinging their hammers sluggishly. But even their roars would soon cease. Of course, allied casualties were also heavy.
'About 100 soldier survivors.' The city defenders had already suffered many losses before the cavalry arrived. The cavalry lost about half fighting the ogres, and then most of the rest when the riders joined. If I hadn't set the fire, they might have been annihilated.
The forest behind us was still burning intensely. It looked like the whole thing might burn down, but that didn't matter. Probably for the best. It was a massive goblin nesting ground anyway. If it burned down completely, the goblins would be cleaned out too.
Jenna and Aaron joined us from afar. Both looked terrible. Their leather armor was stained with rain, blood, and soot. Jenna wiped her blackened nose with the back of her hand.
The last remaining ogre was putting up a final struggle. Dozens of arrows stuck out of its body. The hand swinging the hammer slowed. The plain was a gruesome sight, piled with various corpses: human, goblin, horse, wolf, ogre – five different kinds. It was impossible to tell which was which. Limbs were missing, everything covered in blood, rainwater, and mud. Aaron grimaced.
Finally, the last ogre collapsed to the ground.
The cavalry captain on his white horse removed his helmet. The North Gate of the city opened, and a man who looked like the garrison commander emerged. The two spoke in front of the gate. Too far to hear, and I didn't care anyway.
From a corner of the outer wall, Edith waved. Everyone seemed unharmed. Looked like no casualties on their end. No message about returning to the Goddess's embrace popped up either.
"No one died," Aaron noted.
"See? We're different from the 5th floor too!" Jenna chirped. "So why aren't we going back? Isn't the mission over?"
"Shouldn't we put out that fire?" Aaron asked.
"Eh? How are we supposed to put that out?" Jenna countered. The two bantered as they followed me.
'Come to think of it, something's strange.' All monsters were dealt with. Only I and the human remnants were left on the plain. Yet, the stage clear message hadn't appeared.
I scanned the surroundings again. Corpses, corpses, and more corpses. The city with its walls, broken siege ladders. Nothing left to do anywhere.
[Now Loading...]
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
[Restoring...]
[Connection lost due to a server error. Please wait a moment.]
"...?!"
Beside me, Jenna and Aaron were talking. Jenna was laughing, exasperated, and Aaron was agreeing.
No. They were frozen mid-conversation.
I looked around again. Aaron and Jenna. The officers discussing the situation. Edith watching me from the wall. Soldiers carrying the wounded. Everything had stopped. Only I was moving.
「Look behind you.」
I turned around. The burning forest. Amidst the smoke and flames, someone was watching me. I couldn't make out the face clearly, couldn't perceive the form. But I knew with certainty that something was there. A message floated above its head.
[SS▩SH黑⊙∈※ Lv.999]
"You, bastard..."
Beside it stood a figure draped in a black robe.
[Black Priest Lv.15]
The figure glanced towards me, then disappeared deeper into the burning forest.
「You.」 An unpleasant voice echoed in my mind. 「I will wait.」
[Restoration complete!]
[Reconnecting to the server. We apologize for the inconvenience.]
The sky brightened. Time began flowing again. I stood rooted to the spot.
"Oppa?" Jenna called.
"..."
The figure was gone. I clenched my teeth. Black Priest. A monster never reported appearing on the lower floors. Its characteristics... characteristics were...
"Boss, is something wrong?" Aaron asked.
I looked around again. The plain was filled with corpses of all kinds. On the walls. Below the walls. At the gate entrance. Inside the gate.
I said, "You three."
"Yes?"
"Listen carefully to what I say now." Their gazes focused on me. "Run straight into the city. Back to the spot where we first appeared. Ignore whatever happens around you. Just do your task. Got it?"
"What do you mean?" Jenna asked.
"It's not over yet."
I looked towards the gate entrance. The cavalry captain and garrison commander, who had been conversing face-to-face, were now masses of bloody pulp. Dragging an iron hammer dripping with gore, a figure opened its mouth.
"Uoooorrr." What came out wasn't an earth-shaking roar, but something closer to a groan emanating from the depths of its chest.
A hole appeared in the chest of a soldier carrying a wounded comrade on a stretcher. The thing that had been dead moments before, twitched and crawled out.
"Wh-What is this..."
There had been no hint. A completely random pattern, designed solely to screw over the player.
No, wait... there was...
I couldn't possibly forget. The voice of the one who summoned me to this hell.
All around, things that were corpses began to rise.
[Living Corpse Lv.??? X 2436]