Assault on the Hideout

The mission had begun.

Once everyone in the barracks was ready, we set out toward the bandits’ hideout. When we arrived, we hid in the surrounding area to observe the outside of the site. It was exactly as it had been described: a cave deep within the forest.

Unfortunately for us, the area around the entrance had no bushes or spots where we could hide to go unnoticed, so we were forced to enter head-on, trying not to draw too much attention.

There were two guards on each side of the entrance, plus four others patrolling the area. Unlucky for them, we already had a plan for this.

The adventurers under Lord Draum’s command readied their bows, prepared to fire. The instructor raised his hand, ready to give the order. When the perfect moment finally arrived, he dropped it sharply, signaling his men to shoot.

A rain of arrows fell upon the entrance guards, killing them swiftly. The bandits patrolling nearby were caught off guard, but before they could even process what had just happened, the knights who were with us rushed in, cutting them down. Four more bandits were eliminated in an instant.

“Wait, weren’t there two more bandits wandering around?” I asked. There were supposed to be at least six guarding the outside of the hideout.

“I sent some knights to deal with them,” Captain Edran replied. “Ah! There they are.”

Looking toward where the captain’s gaze was fixed, I saw a small group of knights approaching with the bandits’ bodies. They had been remarkably efficient.

“It’s time to go in!” the captain ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

Immediately after the order, all the knights and adventurers rushed toward the bandits’ hideout. The first to enter were the adventurers, to check if there were any kind of traps, but after a short inspection they dismissed the possibility.

“The cave hasn’t been altered. We can enter without issue,” one of them said. “We’ll report the moment we spot anything unusual.”

From my perspective, all they did was glance over the terrain briefly, but I had no idea about these things. They surely had so much experience that they could recognize when something was wrong at just a glance. No wonder Instructor Draum had chosen them.

Once the terrain’s safety was confirmed, everyone began to run again.

Something that caught my attention was the huge number of red crystals scattered across the ground. They were the same as the ones Liz had used when Lui’s condition worsened, so I could assume they were mana crystals. What would they need so many for?

“What the—? We’re under attack!” shouted one of the first bandits we encountered, but he was quickly silenced by Lord Draum’s axe. He had been cleaved in two.

“There goes the first one!” Draum roared. “Don’t fall behind, Edran!”

“I should be the one telling you that!” Edran shouted back as he cut down two more bandits with his sword.

Although I had killed monsters in the few days I had been in this world, watching people die was still something I wasn’t used to… But I needed to focus. This is how this world works, and if the bandits show no mercy to us, then we won’t show mercy to them either.

The attack continued, and the bandits’ bodies kept falling one after another before our assault. The knights’ skill in battle and their coordination made a huge difference, and the adventurers were incredibly versatile as well.

Among the most outstanding, of course, were Lord Draum and Captain Edran, who seemed to be competing to see who could cut down more bandits. Yet, leaving aside the most obvious ones, both Clay and I also seemed to have stood out.

“What the hell are these guys!?” shouted one of the bandits before being struck in the face by one of my blows, sending him flying and leaving him completely out of combat. I had said I should get used to the idea of killing, but it would still take me some time, so for now I’d just leave them unconscious.

Clay followed close behind me, attacking anyone who tried to approach, while I covered his back so he could fight without any trouble. In the eyes of many, we must have looked like an impressive duo. Liz, however, was having some trouble.

“Hya!” she cried as she swung and clashed swords with one of the bandits.

But the bandits were skilled; he deflected Liz’s blade, creating an opening and kicking her down. He was about to strike her with his sword, but I quickly came to her aid, kicking the man away.

“Liz! Are you all right!?” I asked, worried. “If this is too much, you can still fall back.”

“No!” she shouted. “I can still fight! I want to help save Lui!”

“Liz…”

Her determination to save her sister was formidable, but the bandits’ level surpassed hers. It would be dangerous for her to stay here, but if she refused to retreat, then maybe I should stay by her side for now.

“More are coming!” Clay shouted, warning everyone.

In the distance, another group of bandits appeared, but there was something different. Behind the larger group were two men in robes, each carrying a sack in one hand. Something felt wrong.

The larger group charged toward us and attacked. We had thinned their numbers earlier, but with the arrival of this new wave, things only grew more complicated.

“Liz, stay behind!” I yelled as I lunged at two bandits rushing our way. I defeated them easily, but immediately after, a third came at me, whose strike I blocked thanks to my gauntlets. They just kept coming; their numbers were starting to overwhelm us.

“They’re trying to surround us—defensive circle, now!” Captain Edran ordered.

The knights quickly formed a circle, pressing their backs together. That way, it seemed they could cover each other’s blind spots while resisting as long as possible.

Meanwhile, the robed bandits pulled something from their sacks: mana crystals. They pressed them to their chests and extended one arm toward us. Then, the palms of their hands began to glow.

“Take this!” one of them shouted as they hurled glowing spheres at us.

“Watch out!”

I managed to dodge one of the spheres aimed at me, but it struck several knights and adventurers nearby, leaving them injured and making them easy targets for other bandits.

“They’re mages!” one of the adventurers cried.

The spells they were casting didn’t seem overly powerful, but they were strong enough to wound and disorient someone in armor. With this number of enemies, it was certainly going to be a problem.

“Naoya, let’s get them!” Clay suggested, to which I nodded, and we started to run.

In no time we closed in on the mages, who kept firing at us while pulling more mana crystals from their sacks. But the delay between attacks was long enough that we didn’t have much trouble.

Clay was the first to intercept one of the robed men, stabbing him with his sword and killing him instantly. I was about to take down the other, but suddenly a bandit ambushed me from behind with his sword. I managed to block the strike with my gauntlets, but the man kicked me and leapt back.

“Die!” the mage shouted as he unleashed another spell at me.

The blast hit me square in the chest, knocking me down—an opening the swordsman bandit immediately tried to exploit to finish me off.

Thanks to my gauntlets I was able to hold back the blade, but the bandit kept forcing it down, trying to drive it into my face. Clay tried to come to my aid, but another bandit surprised him and held him back.

Damn it! What do I do!?