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"There."
Bonita quickly scanned the state of the encampment.
"Ten tents, one armory, one warehouse."
"Looks like about twenty people."
"Probably around that."
Davian asked,
"Everyone remember the plan?"
"Watch your step."
"They're not swordsmen or mages."
"The sand is ever-changing."
"Alright, let's go."
With Davian in the lead.
Bonita to his right rear.
Bellum to his left rear.
Nubes stood at the very back.
The four of them maintained their formation as they approached the encampment beside the oasis.
With each step, they focused all their senses on the ground beneath their feet.
"It's quiet, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
Just like Bonita said.
They had gotten quite close, but they couldn't sense any movement.
"Be careful. As long as we're stepping on the sand, they've already noticed our presence."
After a moment.
"There's really no one here?"
Bellum shouted after lifting the last tent flap.
The encampment was empty.
"Empty means..."
"Maybe they went off to steal something?"
"Let's find them quickly."
"Should we split up and search?"
"No, that's dangerous."
If it were somewhere else, they could look for other traces like footprints or scents, but...
In the desert, no trace lasts long.
A single gust of wind is enough to erase all footprints and scents. That's the desert.
Just then.
Davian heard the sound of weapons clashing.
"It's that way."
Davian, Bonita, Bellum, Nubes.
Since forming the Grey Bear Expedition, which marked the beginning of Davian's crew.
This was the first time they'd formed a party only with their swordsmanship classmates.
It was a party without a mage or healer to provide support from the rear.
Instead, their movement speed was the fastest of any party they had formed so far.
Even Nubes, the slowest and bulkiest, could run more than three times faster than an average mage.
Before long.
"There!"
A large-scale battle scene came into view below the hill.
"It's a merchant caravan."
Hearing Bonita's words, Bellum narrowed his eyes and examined the scene below the hill.
"That's the Caligo Merchant Guild's flag!"
"The Caligo Merchant Guild?"
"Yeah, the biggest guild on the continent."
Nubes asked,
"Wasn't your family's guild the biggest, Bellum?"
"No. Our guild is the only large guild run by a noble family. The largest in scale is the Caligo Merchant Guild."
The four friends rushed down the hill without hesitation.
Swish.
Davian, creating an ice sword, shouted.
"We're helping the merchants!"
"Of course!"
"Let's go!"
"Hoorah!"
Ten cargo wagons.
But there were more than 50 warriors surrounding the wagons, weapons drawn.
Mages emitting magical power could also be seen here and there.
Oliver Axel.
One of the top five hired warriors of the Caligo Merchant Guild and the person in charge of this merchant run.
'Damn it!'
If he could just finish this job well.
He could gather all the money he had aimed for.
He planned to prepare a mansion large enough for his entire family to live in.
And bring his scattered family back together.
What's more.
If he could just finish this job well.
The guild master had promised to offer Oliver Axel the position of next chief guard.
The chief guard of the largest merchant guild on the continent.
It was a worthy position to be rewarded for a lifetime of effort.
In terms of the money he could earn, it was a much better position than even a corps commander in the royal army.
'Damn it!'
Above all.
He thought his swordsmanship had reached a certain level.
Thieves or robbers targeting the guild's goods?
He didn't even need to draw his sword against those guys.
There were still a few old warriors in the guild who thought they were the best, but.
Oliver was now confident that he would never lose if he fought them one-on-one.
'If I can just finish this job well!'
He had heard stories that several merchant guilds passing through the central desert area had been attacked recently, but.
He thought that was just because they had hired mediocre mercenaries.
Swoosh.
The ground in front of her suddenly caved in.
Suddenly, a human head and arms emerged from the sand.
Then, they threw a net with several weights attached to the end.
The net was made of something that couldn't be cut even with a sword.
Whoosh!
Oliver quickly stepped back and jumped.
'Damn sand!'
Because the sand underfoot kept sinking, it was hard to move as fast as on flat ground.
Normally, he would have easily escaped the range of that damn net, but.
It wasn't easy this time either.
Just as the net was about to cover Oliver Axel's head.
He quickly rolled to the side again.
If he got caught in that damn net, it was over.
None of the comrades who had been caught in the net and pulled into the sand had ever come out alive.
He wondered if the people he was fighting were even human.
Were they moles?
Or were they creatures that could breathe freely and move freely in the sand like fish?
They certainly looked human.
But were they monsters, demons, or goblins?
Or maybe sand fairies?
What the hell were they?
'Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!'
Already more than half of the guild warriors had been defeated.
The mercenaries they had brought to fill the ranks had all disappeared.
Swoosh!
A trident sprang out from under his feet, aiming for Oliver's lower body.
He quickly turned his body to avoid the attack and struck the trident with his sword.
The trident, having failed in its attack, disappeared back into the sand.
Swoosh.
A human torso rose about 5 meters away.
In its hand was the same trident, and it stared intently at Oliver.
'How did it get over there again!'
It grinned and disappeared back into the sand.
'Bastards.'
Just then.
He saw four people running down the hill over there.
They were all wearing the same clothes, but they weren't soldiers.
'School uniforms?'
Narrowing his eyes, he saw that they were young boys and girls.
Oliver Axel shouted without realizing it.
"Don't come! Don't come this way! It's dangerous! This is hell!"
Several piles of sand moved quickly towards the boys and girls.
It was like.
The movement of a shark hunting prey on the sea.
Damn bastards.
He had already seen it earlier.
They could move deeper and move around.
They were deliberately approaching in a way that was obvious on the sand like that.
To instill fear.
"Run away! Watch your step!"
The boy running at the very front suddenly sprinkled water on the sand.
As if to put out a fire, he spread water widely on the ground.
'What is he doing?'
In the meantime, the piles of sand arrived near the boys and girls.
Just then.
Creeeak.
The ground froze over.
No, the water sprinkled on the sand froze.
The place that had been a desert where feet sank until just now became a sparkling ice rink.
"Uh, uh! Uh!"
Thud.
The huge student at the very back slipped and rolled on the ice.
"Ugh, you big guy! What are you doing running the same way as on sand! You have to slide down!"
The girl who looked back shouted sharply.
The big guy who fell on his butt scratched the back of his head as he continued to slide down.
"Oh, right. I forgot."
"Ugh, that big guy. What's the point of explaining the plan in advance."
It seemed like something wasn't working according to plan.
If the purpose of those children was to slide down to this point.
The huge guy was also accomplishing his purpose.
No, rather, he started sliding down even faster in the same position, spinning around and falling on his butt.
"Huh? Huh?"
"Hey! Big guy! Where are you going!"
"Uwoooo!"
In the meantime, while his attention was taken away by the big guy and the girl who somehow looked good together.
This time, a huge whirlwind formed at the boundary between the ice and the desert.
The whirlwind gradually grew in intensity, as if trying to connect the desert and the sky.
As sand was swept up into the whirlwind, several sand human torsos that were nearby were revealed.
Slash!
Oliver's eyes widened more than ever before.
The red-haired girl who had been sliding down the ice without saying anything.
She roughly tied her long hair back while coming down the ice.
Then, she quickly leaped forward and swung her sword.
Comfortable movement as if it were flat ground even though it was on ice.
A clean stance.
Above all.
Blindingly clean sword path.
The heads of two sand humans, who were bewildered as they had exposed their upper bodies due to the swept-up sand, were instantly cut off.
'Perfect... swordsmanship.'
That wizard boy who ran down quickly and scattered powerful magic was also amazing.
But in the eyes of Oliver Axel, who had held a sword his whole life, the red-haired girl's swordsmanship was much more impressive.
He thought he had reached a certain position now.
But that amazingly clean sword path.
It had reached a level that he couldn't dare to imitate.
Slash!
"What!"
Oliver Axel, who turned his head towards the sound, shouted without realizing it.
That terrifying wizard guy who had been scattering magic until just now.
Swung a transparent sword greatly.
The sword plunged into the sand as it was and came out.
It was just as one of the sand humans, who saw their comrades dying, was trying to quickly enter the sand.
Oliver Axel could instinctively tell.
Although it was not visible to the eye.
The sand human who had just tried to hide his body under the sand was killed with a single blow.
Likewise, a clean sword path.
Perfect swordsmanship.
It was then.
"Nubes!"
"Uweck!"
A net shot up from the side of the big guy who had come down the ice slide and was standing on the sand.
Oliver was startled and reached out his hand.
Unfortunately, a distance he couldn't reach.
'No!'
If he got covered in that net and sucked into the sand.
He would never come out alive again.
Maybe they wouldn't even find the body.
'He's still a young student...'
The net completely wrapped around the big boy's body.
Whack!
The net tensed up as it was.
'This is the end! He's getting sucked in now!'
Dozens of comrades and mercenaries had disappeared into the sand like that.
But.
"What is this?"
The big guy grabbed the tense net with one hand.
'....Huh?'
"Urrachaaaa!"
He shouted in a strange voice and pulled the net strongly.
Pop!
'Pop?'
An incredibly light sound was heard.
One of the sand humans who was holding the other end of the net was pulled out of the desert.
Oliver Axel's mouth dropped open.
'What tremendous power...'
It was a net thrown to pull the big guy into the sand.
On the contrary, the sand human who threw the net was pulled out of the desert by the force of the big guy pulling.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
As the big guy turned his body, the sand human holding the end of the net spun helplessly in the sky.
Whirr.
Eventually, the sand human let go of the net and flew far away.
But.
The amazing thing didn't end there.
Tear, rip.
The big guy who grabbed the net that was entangling his body with both hands.
Began to tear the net.
"Why is this so tough?"
Tear, rip.
'What is that...'
The net that couldn't be cut even with a sword was torn in half and thrown on the ground.
'He's a monster...'
The girl who had been constantly nagging from before came up and kicked the monster's leg.
'No! You shouldn't touch that monster! It's dangerous!'
"Ugh, you strong but stupid guy. Where did you throw your sword and shield? You should just fight with your bare hands. It suits you better."
'Oh, no! You mustn't provoke that monster! Run away! That monster tears people apart!'
The monster raised his huge arm.
Terrifying muscles wriggled.
Muscles that had torn the net that couldn't be cut even with a sword as if it were tearing old clothes, muscles that were more than enough to tear people apart.
Just as Oliver Axel was about to close his eyes tightly.
The monster's huge arm reached the back of his head.
Scratch, scratch.
"Hehe. I missed it while rolling just now. Where's my sword? Have you seen it, Bellum?"
"Ugh, you strong but stupid guy. Go find it quickly!"
"Okay."
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