Chapter 190 — Mob Hunting Is Always the Best!

1

All preparations for taking down the Patroller were complete.

Everyone appeared visibly stronger.

30th Floor.

It was time to conquer the floor where they had once suffered defeat.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

“Then, let’s open it.”

The wooden door swung open.

As expected, a Patroller was there.

But something felt off—its presence was oddly weak.

The aura of the Patroller was so diminished that it made all their previous efforts feel almost pointless.

Emerson furrowed her brow.

Even with her sensing abilities, she hadn’t anticipated this.

Everyone wore bewildered expressions.

“Looks like the Apostle’s meddled. They must have transferred their power up the tower.”

“Huh…”

“Then let’s move quickly. The longer we delay, the more it’ll hinder our growth,” Kael quickly assessed the situation and began weaving her spells.

Everyone nodded.

The Patroller was alone.

The creature that should have been there was right in its place.

Manus sighed quietly, seeing through Andrea’s feeble tricks.

An Apostle is still an Apostle.

No matter how desperately they struggled, they wouldn’t be able to break free from the grand design.

“Let’s end this quickly.”

A full-scale attack was launched.

The hapless Patroller became a sacrificial lamb.

It took barely a minute to bring it down.

Manus watched as the group attacked, nodding to himself in confidence.

‘Looks like they’ve hit level 50 by now.’

If that was the case, they were ready.

He was willing to face most of the patterns himself and lead the charge through.

He spoke as if making an announcement.

Gathering mana in his legs, he prepared to sprint.

“We’re pushing straight through. Everyone, give it your all.”

“Yes, sir!”

They ran.

They were planning to break through to where the next Patroller was in one go.

A race against time had begun.

To catch up with the line of demons, they had to run at full speed.

2

35th Floor.

Not a single demon in sight.

40th Floor.

Still nothing.

44th Floor.

They quickly defeated a Patroller.

48th Floor.

Finally, they caught up with the procession.

“There! I see them!”

“Aaah! Just wait a bit longer!”

While running, Manus made a request to Guillermo.

A skill that all Guardians must learn.

Players called it the [Taunt] skill.

“Guillermo. Two floors up, can you use the Taunt skill?”

“No problem. But, seeing how strong these guys look, I can’t guarantee I can hold them off.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

He’d finish them all off in one blow.

Manus instructed the others to prepare their spells as well.

The strategy was simple.

Guillermo would use his Taunt skill, then everyone would unleash their magic all at once.

Afterward, Guillermo would Taunt again.

They would move around and exterminate the enemies this way.

‘Looks like we’ll be speeding through the garden faster than expected. If that’s the case…’

They should also be able to deal with the second lieutenant quite easily.

Only a few weeks remained.

Taking down Andrea and getting a generous reward was crucial.

Once they defeated her, the crafting system would finally open up.

‘With that, I can make that item.’

An equipment piece that could be used up until level 80.

He would be the one to craft it, before anyone else.

“Everyone, you can cast spells while moving, right?”

“Yes.”

“Leave it to us.”

“Of course, we can do that~.”

They were brimming with confidence.

And so, on the 49th Floor.

Manus caught the right moment.

Everyone’s mana had swelled to its limit.

He, too, activated his Memorize Ring, preparing a particularly powerful spell.

Alright, now it’s time for some real mob hunting.

Manus gave the signal.

The moment they all reached the end of the staircase, Guillermo’s shield began to shine.

[Raqueso]

A basic Taunt technique swept through the surroundings.

The principle was simple.

Using mana to draw the enemy’s attention.

It was a skill that involved emitting delicious, pure mana to attract enemies.

[Screech?!]

[Screeeee?!]

[Screeeeeee-!]

The plants cried out.

Their formation broke.

The plants that were heading upwards turned around simultaneously.

Manus shouted.

“Now!”

“Let’s go!”

“Unleash everything!”

[Ardor] — [Altus]

[Frina] — [Altus]

[Anais’ Special Move: Distortion]

[Double Spread: Adoleo]

…

An indescribable explosion echoed as white light flooded the stairs.

The sound of mana stones falling filled the air.

The children, as if possessed, cast spell after spell.

Just as Guillermo was about to use his Taunt skill again, an unexpected figure stepped up.

Trace.

He could see it.

The kind of mana the demons liked.

And how to manipulate them.

[Look here!]

[Screeeee?!]

The plants’ heads all turned sharply towards Trace.

Without even giving everyone a chance to react, Trace used his chains to move with incredible agility.

“W-What?!”

“Not sure, but let’s attack while we can.”

“Max buffs! Ready and firing!”

The spells flew once more.

A kaleidoscope of magic hit their plant foes precisely.

The mob hunting seemed successful.

That was, until the door behind them opened.

“Huh?”

Emerson, who wasn’t a combatant, suddenly caught a thick scent of mana.

The massive mana only found in Patrollers.

Emerson turned around slowly, like a broken doll.

The 50th Floor Patroller.

A massive tree giant, wielding an enormous axe, appeared.

Her face turned ashen.

She didn’t scream, but instead shouted out calmly.

“A Patroller! A Patroller behind us!”

“What?!”

“Now?! Here?!”

It was a completely unexpected situation.

The loosely held tension snapped tight in an instant.

This was genuinely unanticipated.

However, by now, they could call themselves seasoned veterans.

They quickly figured out what to do in the sudden turn of events.

Before Manus could even speak, Nia quickly issued orders.

“I’ll handle the rear. The rest of you, focus on the front. Melanie, provide support here!”

“Yes, understood!”

“Manus, let’s take it down together.”

Manus smiled and nodded.

Right, they were finally capable of handling these kinds of situations.

Feeling a sense of pride, he looked up at the Patroller.

With a party of this caliber, they could definitely win.

The Patroller, driven by blind hostility, raised its enormous axe.

A massive axe that looked like it could crush everything in its path.

Melanie made a split-second decision.

Could they block that axe?

‘No, this time we dodge and counterattack.’

She quickly enchanted herself with a wind spirit.

But her plan was disrupted by someone else’s magic.

[Necto]

[Yugosus]

Crunch-

Chains of mana pierced the Patroller’s body.

It was Manus.

In that brief instant, Melanie adjusted her decision.

Defense wasn’t needed, so it was time to go on the offensive.

The essence of combat magic surged.

The spirits turned into blades and shot toward the Patroller.

A strike that showed the teachings of Professor Jennifer in full.

[Roarrr!]

The Patroller’s ankles bore wounds.

Where the wind blades had grazed, deep gashes formed, gradually destabilizing its balance.

And then, a barrage of lightning-like spells rained down.

“Let’s end this quickly.”

“Melanie, bind its attacks. Spirits are better at binding magic.”

“Got it.”

Combat isn’t the only answer.

The spirits possessed tremendous potential, and Manus knew how to utilize them.

Magic could take various forms to unleash its power.

The same was likely true for spirits.

‘You can help, right?’

-Of course!

-Trust us!

-You’re getting quite good at handling us!

The spirits swelled.

The power of the wind spirits turned into a massive chain and flew out.

A chain that not only bound but continuously inflicted damage.

The whirlwind-like chain gnawed at the surface of the tree giant.

The three fighters pushed hard, making it clear that they wouldn’t let the Patroller launch a single attack.

Manus knew now wasn’t the time to conserve mana.

Had Andrea predicted even this scenario?

‘Probably not. This is only the second boss, after all.’

The command she had given earlier must have overlapped.

Just a few hours ago, another Patroller had appeared.

The overlapping situation had created a pincer attack, but it couldn’t really be called a successful strategy.

Manus gauged his remaining mana.

He could comfortably fire off one or two 5th-Class spells.

Checking the Memorize Ring, he estimated he could use Altus twice.

No point in dragging it out.

Here we go—

‘Since there probably aren’t many demons ahead, I’ll use a big one now and recover as we go up.’

Manus decided to unleash his full power.

He closed his eyes, focusing.

Seeing this, Nia and Melanie adjusted their positions to guard him.

Boom-!

Mana surged, forming two magic circles.

[Double Spread]

[Frina] — [Grandis Ensis]

[Glacius Arma]

A massive battering ram made of ice appeared midair.

Manus added to it, activating the Memorize Ring.

Radiant light infused the magic circle.

Even Manus himself was eager to see how much destruction this would cause.

“Everyone, back off.”

“Fall back!”

“Did you hear that? Get behind me!”

After confirming that the team had retreated, Manus released the held magic.

It’s said people in the north still die by icicles falling from rooftops.

This giant made of wood would meet a similar fate—skewered by massive ice.

[Roarrr-!]

The giant roared, breaking its bindings as it took a step forward.

It raised its axe, intending to crush everything.

But with its slow, cumbersome movements, there was no way to avoid the incoming projectile.

“Die skewered.”

Boom-!

The only thing that can break overwhelming mass is an even greater force.

Face this greater power and die.

The giant, which had been swinging its axe, fell backward.

[Ughhhhh-!]

Grass and earth scattered throughout the garden.

The giant fell like an ancient tree being cut down, emitting a grotesque sound as it collapsed.

The aftermath of the spell even reached the demons charging at them, causing significant damage.

And the impact didn’t end there—even Kael and the others felt its effect.

That was the power of a 5th-Class spell.

If Kael hadn’t urgently cast [Flamma], it would have impacted their ability to continue fighting.

“Whoa…”

“What’s this chill all of a sudden?”

“It seems like it was Senior Manus’ spell.”

Guillermo and Anais turned around, their faces showing shock.

He had advanced yet again, without them realizing it…

But they weren’t surprised anymore.

Instead, they felt reassured.

He had become someone they could aspire to catch up to—a goal that filled them with determination.

Now they knew they could reach that height.

Covered in the frost falling like snow, they wiped out every remaining enemy.

If Andrea had seen this scene, she might have screamed at the devastation.

“We won!”

“Look at all these mana stones!”

“Look, Senior! We found a pretty decent artifact here.”

Emerson ran over to where the giant had fallen and picked up an artifact.

A belt that looked valuable at first glance.

Manus’ eyes widened when he saw it.

An unexpected reward had appeared.

To get this so soon?

Even Manus could see the name of the belt.

[Belt of the Selfish Mind]

An item usable until the max level had dropped.

–TL Notes–
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