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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Ashar Desert (2)
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"Desert gnolls. Looks like they're welcoming us to the desert."
They were quite cunning. The three desert gnolls gathering in the distance were likely a scouting party.
With the recent strange weather and all, the monsters have definitely changed.
They usually target injured monsters or humans, but now they're launching a preemptive attack.
Kyaooooo-
Just as expected, the gnolls maintained their distance, following the mercenary corps from behind.
"Cunning bastards."
They never let us get too far. If we pulled away, they chased; if we closed in, they backed off.
A long, drawn-out standoff continued.
"Seamus."
"Understood."
As they took up positions in the best spot to prepare for an ambush, Seamus's figure blurred and then vanished.
"Defensive formation."
At Lando's command, the mercenaries moved as one. They placed the camels and baggage in the center and formed a diamond-shaped defensive line facing forward.
"Kratos, can you take the front?"
"Leave it to me."
The fact that the creatures who had been keeping their distance were now closing in meant their main force was approaching.
Lando actually thought this was for the best. He wanted to see Kratos's defensive capabilities this time.
His offensive power had already been more than proven back in Kanta Village. He'd surely kill these desert gnolls without a scratch.
But in defense, what mattered wasn't attack power, but coordination with one's comrades. Standing at the forefront of the formation meant drawing all the aggro with a solid defense. Like a tank.
Kyaooooo-!
Their distinctive cries began to echo sporadically from all around.
True to their cunning nature, they didn't charge from one direction but slowly closed in from the front, left, and right, surrounding them.
About thirty of them. I wasn't sure how many I'd get the final blow on, but it was more than enough to raise my stats.
Stomping my foot down hard, sand flew up, and my foot sank a little deeper than I'd expected.
The ground, being desert sand, wasn't firm, making it hard to anchor my stance, but that was a problem I could solve with overwhelming strength.
Wasn't this the very opportunity to get stronger I'd been waiting for? Opportunities are meant to be seized. Especially one right in front of me, not one that passes by unnoticed.
Woof-
With a cry from their leader, like the bark of a dog, the monsters charged all at once.
Chomp-!
A charging gnoll, rather than using a weapon, opened its jaws wide and chomped down hard on Kratos's arm.
"Whoa-! Danger-!"
"That crazy bastard!"
The creature was clearly biting his arm, but far from bleeding or having his flesh torn, its teeth couldn't even pierce his skin.
*As expected.*
It meant Kratos's skin was that tough.
It was a fresh reminder that this body had some amazing hardware.
Thwack-!
The desert gnoll biting Kratos's arm had its head crushed with a single swing of his hammer and dropped to the ground.
And from it spewed particles of yellow light.
"That... brute."
"Wow, but his strength is insane. Is it even possible to smash a head in one go with a hammer like that? Without using aura?"
He could hear the banter from the mercenaries on the flanks, but Kratos's hammer was already flying toward the next gnoll's head.
The one he used in Rzhev had been heavier with a longer handle, but this new weapon had a wrist strap and was lighter, making it better for swinging.
Like Thor's hammer.
Thwack-! Thwack-!
The heads of the next desert gnolls to charge were just as fairly obliterated.
"Heh heh. Come on, come on."
Seeing three of their comrades die in an instant, the desert gnolls merely bared their teeth and growled, hesitating to charge.
Kratos, careful not to get overly excited, twirled his hammer, ready to smash them at a moment's notice.
"Two on the flank, move."
"Confirmed. Handing off two."
Getting excited and breaking formation all on my own would endanger my comrades—that was basic knowledge.
"He's something else, isn't he? He knows the fundamentals of teamwork. He's even properly handing off the ones that pass into his blind spot."
Lando listened to Vice-Commander Gaude's assessment, his gaze calm and fixed intently on Kratos.
*He seems excited, but only just the right amount. He's holding the line well, too. His strength is truly insane. Is he saying he can handle this much without even using mana? He'll be a help, not a hindrance.*
This was surely his first time as a mercenary or working in a group, yet his actions were not those of a rookie.
Conserving his strength, not breaking formation out of excitement, and holding the vanguard with overwhelming force to make the monsters hesitate.
He'd been worried after seeing him rampage wildly in Kanta Village, but it seemed the Captain had his reasons for this decision.
"Should we send in Seamus?"
"Let's end this."
The point was to gauge Kratos's strength and abilities, after all.
As Gaude raised his hand.
Kekekeng-
Seamus appeared from the rear and began slitting the desert gnolls' throats.
He was so swift, with no wasted motion, aiming only for their necks, that I wondered if this was the same Seamus I knew.
A truly veteran assassin.
"Switch to offense. Finish this within five minutes."
***
For a first battle, it was rather anticlimactic. Kratos's new head-smasher had been a star, killing fifteen monsters, while Seamus wreaked havoc from the rear.
"Wow. This is really something."
And the mercenaries who had gathered the monsters Kratos killed while butchering them for magic stones were left speechless.
Normally, arrows pierced and swords sliced, but Kratos's hammer was a blunt weapon. It bludgeoned.
And the heads of the monsters set aside were all crushed beyond recognition.
"Can a normal hammer even cause this much damage?"
"Not me."
"Forget taking them out of the fight, was it even possible to literally cave in a skull with a hammer?"
"And he didn't even use mana. That means it was pure physical strength. How does that kind of power come from a body like his? He's not even built like Reinhardt."
"I'm telling you, it's just brute force. But with strength like that, at least his brain doesn't have to work too hard. Look at Vice-Commander Gaude."
As the strategist, Gaude's role was to constantly use his head, assess situations, and make calculations.
All the mercenaries of the 10th squad trusted and followed Gaude's decisions.
However, Gaude was also constantly tormented by the need to devise the best tactics.
"Just take the essential magic stones. We're moving out immediately."
Travel in the desert was relentless.
The daytime temperature hovered above 40 degrees, while at night it dropped below freezing. Sleeping at night was also a problem.
Moreover, unlike before, the monsters were now active.
Thus, finding a safe place to sleep was another challenge. Especially on a long journey.
The extreme environment would continue unabated.
***
"The situation in the desert is dire. You should consider deploying additional units."
With many of its squads away on missions, a heavy atmosphere hung over the White Mercenary Corps.
Sending the 12th and 3rd squads to scout the desert wasn't enough; they had also dispatched the 7th and 9th to defend Kanta Village. On top of that, the 10th squad was scouting the central region.
Five squads were tied up trying to resolve this desert issue! Currently, only the reserve squad for base defense and one other for emergencies remained at headquarters.
"The monster waves are getting worse by the day. The number and grade of monsters pouring out from the central region are also increasing."
Commander Peri Batoni, sitting in the seat of honor, frowned. Mike Hoare's strength could have resolved this quickly, but he was away on a long mission.
To the great Shadow Mountains in the south.
After confirming that a figure from the Imperial Palace had been corrupted by demonic energy, the Shadow Mountains were identified as the place where the most anomalies related to that energy were occurring.
The mountains had always been teeming with monsters corrupted by demonic energy and prone to strange phenomena, but the scale and severity had recently intensified.
"Hah. Anyway, what's the news from Lando? Anything special? I only saw the report that his regular check-in arrived."
In that case, their only hope was Lando, who was heading toward the desert's core. They could only pray he would find a solution there.
If he could just confirm the cause, they could immediately deploy all available resources to resolve it.
But at the same time, expectations were low. Trying to cross the desert while fighting through these monster waves was nothing short of madness.
Of course, they couldn't have predicted a wave of this magnitude, but if they had, they wouldn't have sent the 10th squad alone.
The 10th squad wasn't a combat-focused unit in the first place. They specialized in reconnaissance, assassination, and surprise attacks.
"Nothing yet. The report from the day before yesterday said they had traveled a ten-day distance, but it seems the monster resistance is formidable. They're being drawn into battle more than twice a day, which is slowing them down."
"Haaah... should I be glad they even made it a ten-day distance? Two battles a day... Any reports since then?"
"Hmm... the reports are becoming less frequent. It seems there's communication interference closer to the center. A lot of static, too."
It was a real mess. If they were moving while fighting such battles, their casualties must be significant.
If the 10th squad returned after this mission, they might have to be completely reorganized. Failure was looming over this mission as well.
If this continued, their control over the Ashar region would undoubtedly weaken even further.
The biggest reason the White Mercenary Corps had been able to establish itself here was the Empire's indifference and the monster-infested environment.
The White Mercenary Corps provided the functions of a state that were lacking, in exchange for influence, but if they couldn't solve this problem?
"Uh, well... the last report said they have yet to suffer any casualties."
"None?"
No casualties? The monster waves attacking Kanta Village are all coming from the desert's core.
And the 10th squad, heading into that core, has no casualties? While fighting twice a day?
Is that even possible?
"They report that they are advancing, one way or another. And... they repeatedly emphasized that the role of Kratos, the one recently assigned to the 10th squad, has been decisive."
Kratos? Why was that mercenary's name suddenly popping up? He was a rookie assigned to the mission purely for experience.
Besides, I heard he can't even use aura properly.
"For now, send support in the direction the 10th squad headed."
First, they had to confirm if the 10th squad was still alive and whether they could complete the mission.
As it stood, the 10th squad was the White Mercenary Corps' only hope.
***
"Hah. Hah. Hah. Battle over."
The moment the battle ended, every squad member collapsed where they stood.
"This is crazy. Crazy. It's insane."
"Haaah. Just shut up. Use that time to recover your stamina."
"Have we ever fought like this before? I don't think even the war was this bad."
They no longer had the strength to stand. Everyone sank to the ground, not caring if sand stuck to their sweat or got inside their clothes, sitting right next to pools of blood.
"Thanks again, Kratos."
"I'll buy you a big round of beers when we get back."
"Damn. Can't even use aura properly, but he's way better than us."
"Still, it's a strange method. Converting all his aura into physical strength. Never heard of anything like it."
Many misunderstandings about Kratos were piling up, but naturally, he had no intention of correcting them.
Sometimes, misunderstandings create prejudice, and prejudice becomes a perception that gets lodged in people's minds.
Like how Kratos couldn't use aura but possessed a special ability to convert it into internal strength.
And how his fighting style gave off an incredibly crude and barbaric impression.
"Captain, the watch..."
"Let it be for now. We're too exhausted. Lots of wounded, too. It's usually quiet for a while after a big fight."
Normally, they should have set up a perimeter watch and taken turns resting without letting their guard down like this.
But Lando didn't have the energy for that either and simply plopped onto the ground. Ten days since leaving Kanta Village.
He couldn't even remember how many battles they'd fought. There were even times they had to keep moving without a wink of sleep.
"How many days' distance have we covered?"
"Ten days' worth. Still a ways to go to the center."
At those words, everyone's head drooped. They hadn't received a single resupply. On top of that, the water and food they'd brought were nearly gone.
No, the food was already gone. If they ran out of water, they'd truly be finished.
"Hey, Kratos, don't you need to rest?"
"Hmm, I'm still fine. You all get some good rest while you can. I'll stand watch."
"Hah, seriously. Your stamina is really something else."
While everyone else was panting for breath, Lando stared at Kratos, who was calmly regulating his breathing, as if looking at a monster.
*What in the world is he?*
There was no sign of exhaustion. In fact, a faint smile played on his lips. At this point, wasn't that just madness?
No, could a person even smile in a situation like this?
Ten straight days of battle. No matter what anyone said, the credit for getting this far without any casualties belonged mostly to Kratos.
No, it was *because* of Kratos. This was a reality that no one here could deny.
His occasional, sharp analysis that came out of nowhere. And on top of that, his consideration for his comrades.
Of course.
*Sweet. I've already raised Talent, Spiritual Power, and Intelligence by 1 stat point each. It's like a Hell Cow experience farm. Yeah, keep 'em coming. Keep 'em coming. Ah, but I'm so damn hungry. Hoo.*
Kratos was simply in a good mood because his stats were shooting up. Of course, the pain of hunger was just as great as his joy.
Thankfully, he'd had the foresight to save food at the beginning when supplies were plentiful, just in case.
"Hoo. We'll have to rest nearby today. I don't think we can move much farther."
"Seamus! Campsite!"
"Understood!"
Rather than pushing themselves unnecessarily, it was a much better choice to set up a proper guard a short distance away and rest.
Perhaps because another battle was over, the squad members' expressions relaxed a bit. Usually, after one attack, there wouldn't be another for about seven to eight hours.
They were probably thinking they could finally get some deep sleep.
Lando set up camp near a rocky mountain that Seamus had scouted, a good distance from the battle site.
This situation was also a kind of habit. At the entrance to the desert, they had been on high alert, as battles were constant and they never knew when the next one would occur.
But now, after every battle on the way here, there had been at least six hours without an attack, right? It'll be the same this time. Everyone was thinking along those lines.
Why? Because everyone was injured, exhausted, and struggling.
*It's most dangerous at times like these. The monsters that were appearing nonstop suddenly vanish?*
In my experience, that means one of two things. No, the conclusion is singular.
The calm before the storm.
Either we're close to our destination, or there's a monster so powerful that the others tremble in fear.
But perhaps because they were exhausted from the long battles, no one was thinking clearly.
They were just vaguely hoping there would be no more enemies, wishing they wouldn't encounter any more, running on wishful thinking.
And isn't this kind of situation a common cliché?
Rumble-rumble-rumble-
Yeah, just like now.
Kratos grabbed the hammer—now so familiar in his hands that its original color was lost, stained a dark crimson—and shouted.
"Battle stations-!!"