The Runic Alchemist

Chapter 213: Chaos & Chance

Damian tried to walk as if he belonged in the camp, quickly making his way toward the large tent. A few soldiers turned to look at him twice, noting his casual clothing, but fortunately, no one stopped him in their hurry, as he strolled past the mage's tent.

Two high-ranking soldiers stood guard in front, so Damian veered to the side and discreetly sliced through the tough tent fabric with an air blade, cutting a small rectangular opening just big enough for him to enter.

Inside, there he was—busy with a couple of ladies, all naked.

'Why is every guy I go killing is busy doing this shit..? In the middle of a freaking war at that…'

The second-rank mage was too preoccupied to notice Damian. Wasting no time, Damian summoned his spear and hurled it with extra force, piercing the mage's chest in the middle of his act. The two women—soldiers or maids, Damian wasn't sure—screamed, attracting the attention of soldiers outside.

Damian retrieved his spear and quickly slipped back out through the hole he'd created, heading toward another luxurious tent.

As he ran, soldiers tried to block his way, only to fall within minutes, overwhelmed by his speed and deadly spear technique, more than technique his base strength was something barely anyone could contend against. Meanwhile, Damian could hear loud explosions and booming crashes from the opposite side of the camp.

Many soldiers, confused and unsure of what to do, attacked him on sight without hesitation.

When Damian neared the second tent, the second-rank mage had emerged, prepared this time. Although the mage managed to block Damian's spear several times with a shield spell, he failed to notice the runic scroll lying on the ground. In his haste to attack, he stepped onto it while chanting, surrounded by soldiers ready to protect him.

Damian simply jumped back, smiling. Getting free of all the brave warriors.

A few seconds later, a towering pillar of red-hot flames engulfed the mage and his soldiers, reducing them to ash. The spell had been on no ordinary parchment; it was a three normal parchment scroll, sewn together to amplify its power. Damian used the back to change it from a wormhole spell to this, actively ruining the wormhole runic circle at front so as not to activate both at once.

With his task complete, Damian sprinted toward the source of the loud fighting, on the other side of the camp. When he arrived, he saw Kazak—The furious white tiger—going berserk, pummeling a mage into a bloody mess with his giant fists. One mage was already dead. Damian could not sense him, and this one was on the brink of death.

Damian watched, letting Kazak finish, while he practiced his spearmanship, cutting down any nearby soldiers coming their way.

He had already maxed out his swordsmanship to level 9 in these few days with constant use, instead of when he practiced at the Goldilock estate with no target, killing someone or something using the sword skill was more efficient to level it- though Damian had hear that was for just low level people, as one went higher the techniques matter more than the killing, and now it was time to level his spearmanship.

Damian hoped to gain more experience when they entered the dungeon, though any chance of practice was valuable. It was hard for these Ashenvale soldiers to cross the mountain so quickly, and the monsters coming from the river they could defend against for a while, before getting overwhelmed.. even if they attacked them like this in confusion.

In any way Damian figured he'd have enough time to further develop his weapon skills in the dungeon before fighting.

The temptation to undergo his second job ascension loomed in Damian's mind, but he knew the Arcane Synthesis skill was crucial, and he didn't want to abandon it. He could also level it after the ascension though, and there were many other mage options and other side jobs he wanted to explore that didn't involve his main skills.

Maybe just entering the ascension trial to see his options wasn't a bad idea. As long as he didn't activate the trial, it should work. The only limiting factor for most people was the cost of an ascension stone, but Damian had no such restriction. He could do it whenever he pleased.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Still, he'd have to confirm with someone. He'd read about it in a book, but real-life experience was always more reliable.

Kazak roared in fury, finishing off his opponent. Damian cut through the horde of first-ranker soldiers to reach him. He could already sense multiple second-rankers approaching, so they had to move quickly. Kazak noticed Damian and understood the plan. They converged, fighting side by side, tearing through hundreds of soldiers with spear, claws, and fists.

Damian activated the wormhole spell he had prepared earlier and had been on hold for a while now, the two of them jumped through it, emerging in a secluded area hidden among the bushes. It was still in sight but barely noticeable. Despite their attempt to remain unnoticed, some soldiers had spotted them and were in pursuit.

However, Damian and Kazak were both as fast as they were strong, and they sprinted away, using old vines to climb the mountain and cutting them as they went up to block their pursuers.

The first-ranker soldiers struggled to keep up, and even the long-range attacks from the second-rankers posed little threat as they made their escape. They climbed high enough that no spells could reach them, though they still had a clear view of the camp below. And finally breathed in relief.

"The monsters aren't affected," Kazak remarked, sitting on his haunches as he leaned over the edge of the cliff.

"Well, it was a long shot," Damian replied, using his fiery red spear to burn the blood off of it before storing it away. "Maybe the esper wasn't there and is busy gathering more monsters."

"Should we wait for him or her to come back?" Kazak suggested.

"It won't be easy next time. They'll be ready for us, and they might figure out that we can somehow locate their mages or have secret intel on their numbers and classes," Damian reasoned.

"Yeah, taking down four second-rankers is already a great result. Let's go, inform the others to prepare."

"Not to mention the countless first-rankers you ripped apart like they were made of paper."

"Says the guy who silently took out two second-rankers even before me and sliced his way through a sea of soldiers. What kind of first-ranker are you, really?"

Damian just smiled in response as he stood up from the edge.

"I've heard about prestigious, powerful jobs for first-rankers that can even rival a second-ranker's strength, but yours is on a whole other level... I can't believe the Eldians haven't adopted you yet."

"I don't really care much about their kingdom," Damian replied casually.

"And yet, here you are, risking your life because you promised 'her' something," the beastman said with a knowing smile.

"It's just part of a deal. Don't go thinking you're special or anything," Damian muttered, clearly annoyed by the middle-aged man's antics. He turned around and waddled away, his expression full of annoyance. Yet all he received was more laughter in return.

It took longer to ascend than it had to descend, but before evening fell, they managed to rejoin the group and relay everything that had transpired.

"You did what?" Sam asked, shocked.

"..Attacked them. Killed some guys," Damian answered nonchalantly.

"Wasn't that risky? Won't they know we're onto them and retaliate right away?" Einar asked, concerned.

"They were going to attack regardless. Even if they mobilize now, we've still got a few days before they reach us. It's better they know we're aware of their plans—it'll put them on edge. Now they'll be less relaxed while gathering monsters and will rush their attack. It was a calculated risk for the esper, and we took our chances," Kazak explained calmly.

It would be perfect if they could get the guy responsible for the monster control but well, they tried, which was all they could do. Now, it was time to prepare for defense and counterattack.

They spent another night camping halfway down the mountain on the village side, but by early morning, they had made it back to camp. Damian, Sam, and Einar, along with the mage-soldier, quickly returned to their camp, while the beastmen—under Kazak's lead—began preparing to defend their valley against the massive attack they now knew for sure was coming.

Damian reported everything back to the captains, gathering them once more in the hall. Reactions ranged from surprise to outright shock as he mentioned the attack, but no one raised any serious objections. They quickly began discussing defense strategies, agreeing to relocate the camp into the valley for better protection.

They would also move the nearby villagers, as it would be impossible to defend such a large area if Ashenvale's soldiers came in force.

"Covering the river and blocking the valley entrance are our top priorities," Royce concluded. "I ask all captains to deploy their best scouts to monitor enemy movements in the nearby forest."

"Sounds like you guys have it handled," Damian remarked casually.

"Where are you going?" Mira asked, eyeing the trio with suspicion, though her tone had a playful edge. Continue reading on mvl

"We found the place for the camp, dealt with the annoyance that came along, and got the beastmen on board. Now it's time for our reward," Damian said, smiling.

"What do you mean?" one of the captains asked, confused.

"We're going to enter the dungeon. Call me if you need any help... though I'm sure you capable seniors can handle everything just fine," Damian said with a grin.