All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 204

Their numbers were around five hundred.

That was enough to consider it a monster wave.

Of course, to stop that monster wave, the elves had emerged from the Elven Forest.

“Go!!”

Following the shout of an armored elven warrior, the elven archers readied their arrows.

-Pheeing!!

Hundreds of arrows pierced the onrushing monsters.

Perhaps because they were using the elves’ special bows, even monsters with tough hides or shells quickly collapsed.

However, the monsters’ charge did not stop.

No, it became even faster.

-Kieeeeeek!!

An unpleasant scream echoed from the sky.

A wyvern [a dragon-like creature, typically smaller and less powerful than a dragon] boasting large wings, a long tail, sharp claws, and thick scales.

The drake flapped its wings and flew towards the Elven Forest.

“Do S-class monsters also participate in waves?”

It was the lich Crescent who led that monster wave.

However, except for such special cases, it was unusual for monsters belonging to the S-class to join forces with monsters of other species.

“Then is the one leading that monster wave someone special? Kirke, find the center.”

The appearing wyvern breathed fire, attacking the forest.

Towards it, the elven archers shot arrows again.

While the drake flying in the sky dodged the arrows by flapping its wings, the spiritists summoned spirits and imbued power into the arrows.

Even the drake couldn’t block that, so it soared high into the sky.

“Shoot again!!”

As the elven commander shouted.

-Kieeeeeek!!

Another scream was heard from the sky.

“Good heavens.”

One of the elven archers muttered.

Ten.

Ten drakes were flying in.

And that wasn’t all.

“A, another monster wave has been added!!”

One of the elven warriors shooting arrows shouted.

Behind the first monster wave, more monsters were trying to emerge.

The first monster wave seemed to have just been arrow fodder.

They had consumed stamina and mana while attacking for a while.

Seeing the troubled warriors, the elven commander gritted his teeth.

“Retreat! Retreat! Lure them into the forest and fight… What?!”

While the commander was shouting, Ian ran towards the monster wave.

Seeing that, the elven commander shouted urgently.

“Stop that guy!! I don’t know who he is, but if he goes in there…”

He would be torn to pieces in less than a second by the monsters forming the wave.

Just as the commander was about to shout at the warriors.

-Kwaaaang!!

Half of the monster wave was blown away.

“Wh, what.”

“Kieeeeeeeek!!”

The giant spider, the center of the monster wave, raised its body.

It was not a normal arachne but a mutated arachne.

The entire body was black, and it had two more legs than a normal arachne, with sharp thorns growing all over its body.

The monster even spewed poison, with green fluid dripping down.

As soon as the monster saw the boy, it raised its two front legs and roared.

-Kwaaaang!!

Half of the arachne’s body was shattered in one blow.

“…Am I dreaming right now?”

“Captain!! The drakes are attacking!!”

“Ah, th, that’s right!!”

He didn’t know who that boy was, but the monster wave came first.

He had to drive those drakes away before they burned down the forest.

At that moment, the boy threw the sword he was holding into the air.

“What…?”

The sword flying in the air moved on its own, piercing the drakes.

When the sword that had killed ten drakes in an instant returned to his hand.

The powerful monster wave, including the S-class monster, was over.

“Ah… Ah!! It’s not over yet!!”

The commander, horrified by this amazing reality, quickly came to his senses.

Another wave was approaching.

A human boy.

Honestly, considering his strength, he didn’t even seem human.

Even though they had received help from him.

Even so, it was their role to protect the forest.

That’s why the commander shouted to the warriors and archers.

“Fight!! Protect the forest!!”

The second monster wave was relatively easy to defeat.

Unlike the first, it did not include very strong monsters, and it retreated after attacking for only a short while.

The commander cleared his throat and straightened his posture before approaching the boy standing among the gruesome corpses of the monsters.

“Thank you for your help. I am Rivillia Kalin, a high elf.”

When she took off her helmet and face shield, her short silver hair was revealed.

As she with red eyes politely greeted him, the boy, Ian, glanced at her and said.

“Kalin? The same family name as the Sword Saint Thiel.”

“Yes. Do you know my aunt?”

“I met her before. I am Ian Brandon.”

Ian Brandon.

A continental powerhouse treated as equal to the Sword Saint.

Rivillia hurriedly bowed.

“I’m sorry for not recognizing you!”

“No. But…”

Ian tapped the corpse of the mutated arachne and said.

“Have you ever seen something like this? I don’t think there’s anything like this in the Mial Mountains.”

“Yes? Ah… Yes. They’ve been appearing frequently lately.”

“Frequently?”

“Yes. Recently, we’ve been seeing mutants quite often in the Elven Forest.”

While Ian was silently observing, other elves approached.

They admired the sight Ian had created and reported to Rivillia.

“The surrounding area has been checked. And there are some injured among our allies, but there are no major problems.”

“Okay. Then we return to the forest.”

“But this human.”

“He is Count Ian Brandon.”

Knowing Ian’s name, the elven warriors quickly straightened their posture.

Ian, who greeted them, asked Rivillia.

“You said there are many monsters like this?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you have any captured or anything like that? Or where do they appear most often?”

“Um… As it happens, we have a captured monster, so would you like to go see it?”

“I understand. Let’s go.”

Guided by Rivillia, Ian entered the Elven Forest.

Not far into the forest, a small village appeared.

An elf was standing guard at the entrance of the forest.

“Hmm? Why are you here?”

“That’s what I want to ask.”

It was Overlord Gust, the leader of the guardians.

Seeing her holding her greatsword at the entrance, Ian asked, and Gust was also puzzled.

“Is it strange for an elf to be in the Elven Forest, or is it strange for a human to be in the Elven Forest?”

“If you put it that way, I have nothing to say.”

Ian shrugged and told her what had happened in the Forest of the Warrior.

And after hearing the story that monsters were forming a society and the story of Primbel, she frowned.

“They’re using their heads quite a bit.”

“Anyway, if Primbel’s words are true, there are dragonkins here too, and monsters are forming a society.”

“Hmm…”

Gust pondered and looked at Rivillia standing next to Ian.

“Why?”

“No. Didn’t you say you caught a monster last time? It seems like we can show him that.”

“That’s what I was going to do anyway. Count, let’s go.”

The three, including Gust, headed to the center of the village.

There were several orcs chained there.

The problem was the appearance of the orcs.

The entire body was black, and they were tall.

In addition, their muscles were not as large as those of ordinary orcs, and they looked generally sleek.

“These orcs approached near the World Tree three days ago. The problem is their movements.”

“What’s wrong with them?”

“They were faster and more stealthy than the elves in the forest.”

Elves are also excellent rangers.

That’s why they move faster than any other race in the forest, but these orcs were different.

“If we had made a mistake, we would have missed them and allowed them to reach the World Tree. This was the first time it was this dangerous since the troll that the Sword Saint caught last time.”

At Rivillia’s report, Ian looked at one of the orcs with interest.

The orc, noticing Ian’s gaze, growled lowly and glared.

“This… is different from ordinary orcs.”

“You can tell just by looking. I wonder if they’re cursed or something? Ah. I heard that there are orcs with black skin among the southern orcs.”

Instead of answering Gust’s words, Ian suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at the orc.

“Can I kill them?”

“Since we received help earlier, please do as you wish, Count.”

As soon as he received her permission, Ian quickly swung his sword.

“Kuh-uh-uh…”

At the same time, the chest of one of the orcs split open.

Even though the orc was dead, Ian did not stop moving his sword.

In an instant, Ian disassembled the orc and said calmly.

“This orc. The muscles are quite different from ordinary orcs. So are the bones. I need to investigate in more detail, but there are also differences in the organs.”

“Why do you know so much about orcs?”

“The academy also teaches monster anatomy.”

“Then… does that mean this isn’t an orc?”

“That’s not it. It’s an orc. It’s an orc, but…”

Ian tapped the orc’s corpse.

“I’d say it’s an evolved orc.”

“Yes? What?”

Rivillia was even more puzzled.

Ian slowly explained to her.

“It’s a theory proposed by the Torman School of the Magic Tower. Life changes into traits that are advantageous for survival and reproduction.”

Ian said lightly and continued to speak to Rivillia, who was silently staring at him.

“The northern orcs and the southern orcs have different appearances and different lifestyles, right? That’s because they’ve been separated for a long time and evolved in different directions.”

As Ian said, there is quite a difference between the northern and southern orcs.

The southern orcs, who call themselves warriors who know honor, do not do things like ambushes.

They always fight head-on and willingly follow the orders of the strong when they lose.

But the northern orcs were different.

They use ambushes as well as traps, and they also run away or steal.

“I also know that theory. But I don’t believe it.”

She said in a slightly cold tone.

The Torman School’s theory is too radical and is not easily accepted in this era.

Especially the elves, who tend to be rigid.

That was even more true for high elves.

“Anyway, it seems like it changed that way. There are no traces of being modified into a chimera either.”

“But doesn’t evolution take a long time to happen slowly? Wouldn’t it be more accurate to see it as a mutation that happened by chance?”

“How do you know that?”

“You have to know it to properly deny it.”

Ian didn’t pay much attention to Rivillia’s cold tone.

“Of course, that’s also a possibility. But there are not many mutants. Were these the only orcs who invaded three days ago?”

“…No.”

Rivillia bit her lip briefly.

There were over fifty of those orcs.

“That many mutants happen by chance, and they also move together by chance? And you said there are many other mutated monsters.”

As Ian said with a smile, Rivillia shook her head.

“But evolution is also a bit strange.”

“Well. That’s right. There’s nothing to say yet.”

Without definite evidence, he couldn’t say anything.

Ian got up from his seat and said.

“I need to investigate the surroundings first. Is there any unknown ruins or a place where monsters gather near here? Ah. And if there is a place with this pattern, please let me know.”

When Ian showed the emblem of Rubellin and asked, Rivillia was startled and said without realizing it.

“Huh? This emblem. It’s also an emblem that is in the place where the World Tree is.”