The Water Magician

When I cut the chapter at a good stopping point, it ended up being a bit longer than intended...

In the direction that Abel and the others were heading, there were investigation teams from Central University.

However, they were not given any leeway to assess their surroundings.

This was because dozens of fire attribute magic spells were flying towards them, aimed at those who had no idea what was happening.

"Ughhh!"

"It's hot! It's hot!"

The sound of despair filled the air.

Such a situation rarely applies to their circumstances.

They were, after all, mere researchers.

Moreover, not all of them were involved with magic. In fact, there were more who couldn't use magic than those who could.

This is because researchers skilled in magic usually conduct their studies at the Magical University.

And very few had experience in the battlefield.

There was no way they could respond to a sudden attack.

It was the adventurers who could manage that.

"Magicians, deploy the magic barrier!"

The magic barrier is a type of attributeless magic that can deflect many attack spells, making it an incredibly useful tool.

Even beginner magicians can use it, and it's one of the first spells learned by magicians who go on adventures or into battle.

However, its durability cannot be considered high.

Thus, once magicians reach a certain level of proficiency, they generally use their own attack magic to negate enemy spells. This method is called 'annihilation.'

However, in a situation like this, where they needed to protect many non-combatants... it was true that they had no choice but to rely on the magic barrier.

"Damn it, what the hell is that?"

"I don't know. It's a monster I've never seen before... it's got a tail, so it's definitely a monster."

Walking upright on two legs, some of them were clad in what looked like armor, while others wore what seemed like robes. From a distance, they could even be mistaken for humans.

But the significant difference from humans was that they had large, reptilian tails protruding from their bodies.

They could be described as a kind of 'aberration.'

The adventurers had no clear answers for each other's questions.

However, one figure stood frozen with wide eyes.

It was the guild leader, Clive.

And Clive murmured,

"That's... a devil..."

His murmur was very quiet, but it was heard by the nearby adventurers.

He was the leader of the C-rank adventurers hired as escorts from the royal capital.

"Did you just say devil, Clive-san?"

"Y-yes... I've only read about them in books, but their characteristics match exactly..."

While Clive answered, he couldn't take his eyes off the devils.

"Damn it... fifty devils, this isn't a joke."

The leader had indeed heard the legends about the devils.

They are said to be adversaries of gods and angels.

They are said to be creatures that magic does not affect.

They are said to be beings that cannot be defeated by humans.

They are said to embody despair.

The adventurers hired by the Central University investigation team were fighting bravely.

They protected the investigation team with the magic barrier while coordinating their counterattacks with magic.

But as the legends foretold, all of their spells were deflected.

In that case, the only option left was close combat.

However, since the devils were not approaching, the adventurers had no choice but to attack first.

The distance between them was about a hundred meters.

It would take several seconds to close that distance.

In the meantime, they had to avoid the devils' magic attacks.

They had to dodge the spells, defend against them, or deflect them with their shields.

Each party had established the know-how needed to weave through magic and get into close combat.

There are monsters that primarily use long-range attack magic, and sometimes it's necessary to hunt them down.

"Alright, let's go!"

"Yeah!"

And the adventurers began to run.

The magicians were protecting the non-combatants with their magic barriers.

The priest was healing the injured.

The front-liners were making a final push to engage the devils in close combat.