Edren had clearly seen better days. His physical state made that much obvious. His hair was caked with dirt and mud, his clothes were peppered with cuts and tears, and stress lines were etched plainly across his face.
Yet, all the same, the blue-haired boy persevered in a way that he didn't think suited him.
"Ed!"
"Don't call me that."
"Ren then!"
"I don't like that, either..."
"How's the squad leader doing? Any progress?"
Edren's eyes shifted toward Amali, who hadn't moved an inch since yesterday. He then looked at the warriors being, for lack of a better wording, brutalised by the massive troll.
'Aren't they resilient...' he mused grimly, wondering how they'd kept this up for so long.
"Despite how it looks, she's actually very aware of what's going on. When that thing appeared—" He pointed at the towering beast. "—she had to start adjusting her spell to increase its scale, and then again when the other monsters scattered."
"Then why don't you step in at the front?" the spiky purple-haired girl asked innocently. "You're the fastest caster in Cardana, after all—even including the adults."
Edren ran a hand down his face, looking at her properly for the first time during the conversation.
"Aylo." He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"Don't suggest something like that ever again."
'If I fought that thing...'
Edren's mind immediately filled with vivid images of his own demise in increasingly creative ways.
'Impossible. Not happening.'
He lightly pressed a hand against his stomach, the stress of the situation and his thoughts churning uncomfortably.
Aylo stared at him, entirely oblivious to his internal distress.
The two mages leaned back as an ice spire tore across them and met its target in a much larger-than-normal weevil.
"What were you going to do if that hit me?" Edren asked calmly, adjusting his eyewear.
Belonica scoffed. "I was hoping it would."
Edren gave her a concerned look, but couldn't respond before being shoved aside.
"What about me?" Aylo chimed, bouncing energetically around the ice mage. "I was there too!"
"You're annoying too, so it was three for one."
"Eehhhh."
Bzzzt
Bzzzzzzt
"Hm?" Edren muttered from the ground, lifting the metal strip hanging from the thread tied around his wrist.
"Hello?"
"You guys can hear me, yeah?"
"Hellllooooo—"
He shot up instantly, and with a quick scan of the battlefield, he could see that everyone else was reacting to the same thing.
"Shut up," Lavere said. "We're here. More importantly, how'd you get this working?"
"Something was jamming the signal—er... the mana waves, rather."
"Was it a monster? Did you kill it?"
"Yes to the first question, no to the second."
Edren and Belonica met gazes, the latter shrugging before they both turned back to their respective communication mediums.
"Here's the deal," Reoloy said.
Their attention sharpened, though the fighters struggled to stay focused while fending off the giant's blows.
"You guys keep doing what you're doing. There's a prime monster in the forest. I'm going to kill it."
The area froze. Some eyes widened, while others simply paused mid-motion, still processing the words.
Amali's eyes remained closed as she continued chanting, but a faint smile crept onto her face.
"Hahahaha."
"Don't entertain him!" Avron snapped. "We're coming to you. Where are you?"
"Not telling~"
"You little—!"
Roy's laughter grew louder, and slowly, a few snorts and muffled chuckles started slipping through the line.
Looking around, Edren noticed even the lancers and swordsmen locked in combat with the weevil troll were smiling.
"If those guys can still be dumbasses, then the situation isn't so bad."
"Is that how it is?" A girl twirled her sword, laughing heartily. "I'll take your word for it!"
"Um, that's not how that works," Fen said lazily. "Roy's strong, the outsider's weird, and Avron... is stupid beyond belief."
"Oi," Avron gritted out.
"Fen!" Boyd yelled excitedly, relief flooding his system. "You're alright!"
"Alright is a stretch..."
Laughter echoed through the line again.
'Have they lost their minds?' Edren questioned, not understanding what was happening right now.
"Roy," Reoloy called.
"Yeah?"
"To put it simply, if there was a dominance chart for everything in the forest, you'd be up there," Reoloy started. "But I'm not counting on you to take care of everything."
"...Okay?"
"Cut the fancy tricks and just move like you want to," Reoloy continued. "You'd do better that way. Don't think about the extras, just beat what's in front of you into the dirt—that's enough."
Silence.
"You get me?"
"Aye," Roy affirmed.
"Oh, and another thing—," Reoloy said. "Hello? Did he just leave after that?"
"Of course, he did, he's in the middle of a fight," Lavere pointed out dryly.
"On that note, so are we, so if we could get some time to handle things..." Belonica said, conjuring an ice pillar for defence. "That would be great."
"Reoloy, we found the sludge dragon's corpse," Lavere said, speeding along the discussion after hearing the girl's comment. "We were going to search for the perpetrator, but now that you say you found a prime monster, then maybe it's responsible."
"Which is why we should join up with him and keep it contained."
"After hearing that, I get you Tangerine, Lavere..." Reoloy began after a pause. Some couldn't help but snicker at Avron's nickname. "But I'll still take care of it solo."
"...Are you sure?" Lavere asked.
"Positive. Besides, I don't think the prime is responsible for your sludge dragon corpse. My... observations tell me it's been stationary this whole time. Just in case, you guys follow your original plan and prioritise getting back to town safely."
"Then we'll do just that," Edam chimed, her smile audible through the devices. "Edren!"
A chill ran down the bespectacled mage's spine.
"Your big sister's coming to save you," Edam added. "So if you die or get injured before I get there, I'll use you for target practice."
He gripped his hair, flailing dramatically on the ground.
"Fuuuuck!"
"What was that?"
"He said he'll be holding the line even more brilliantly in preparation for your arrival," Belonica replied flatly.
Edam chuckled. "My brother's finally becoming impressive. I'll look forward to it."
Edren turned away in a mix of anger and gratitude, visibly struggling to process his own emotions.
"So that's that," Reoloy said. "Good luck. Don't do anything stupid and die."
"You're not the one to say that, outsider..." Fen, Edam, and Belonica said in unison.
"Is that so?" Reoloy laughed.
His relaxed energy proved contagious, and despite everything, smiles broke through.
"Don't croak either," Edren said calmly, though internally he was raging. 'So that I can punch you later for putting me in this situation!'
"Hoh? I don't know who you are, but I won't guy!"
"Hey, that 'guy' is my brother!"
"I don't really know you either, but okay!"
"Lavere, he's a little shit! I want to shoot him, can I—?"
A beat of silence passed.
"Lavere?"
"...I'll only ask this one last time," the blonde began. "Are you sure you don't need help?"
Everyone—including Edren—seemed to sober up, fully tuning back into the line.
It was obvious what was happening. Lavere was worried—more than any of them had ever seen her. It was shocking even. The "ice queen" was showing concern for someone who had been a stranger slightly over a week ago.
Simple, flippant words weren't going to be enough to ease her mind.
Luckily, Reoloy seemed to take her concern more seriously than they'd expected.
"Hey, it's me," he finally said. "Remember what I told you? It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be the start."
"Yeah, and what?" Lavere asked.
"I have a long way to go, but through this whole mess, I've gotten my start. I can't tell you not to worry, so I won't. Instead, I'll say this—trust me. I'll pull it off. My miracle run isn't over yet, and I still have lots to show you."
"Is that okay with you?" he added.
"...I'll hold you to that," she relented.
'Did we just... intrude on a private moment?' Everyone thought.
"Hey," Aylo said cheerfully. "Were you guys just flirti—?"
Belonica slammed her foot into the girl's face, then immediately grabbed her own necklace and brought it to her mouth.
"Thenwe'resettled. Seesomeofyouguyssoon. Goodluckbyebye!"
Almost as if agreeing silently, everyone disconnected at once.
The platinum-haired mage leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees, taking slow breaths as Edren walked past her, cape fluttering in the wind.
"What are you doing now?" she asked between breaths, glancing up.
"Trying to survive."
Light-blue mana flared to life around him, then he stretched his arms forward, brown symbols forming around his wrists in compact rings.
"Earth Bind."
Large, seemingly malleable columns of earth erupted from the ground, surging upward before tightly coiling around the troll's massive frame and pinning it in place.
The restraints twisted and compressed around its limbs and torso like giant earthen serpents, the ground beneath them groaning under the strain.
Beads of sweat quickly formed across Edren's face as he fought to maintain the spell against the monster's overwhelming resistance.
"Go ahead!" Edren yelled, veins bulging at his temples. "Attack it now while it's still tied up!"
The response was immediate.
Lancers shot forward from every direction, boots striking the ground in rapid rhythm as mana flooded their legs, propelling them across the battlefield at enhanced speed. Their spears glinted with a faint green sheen, tips carving bright arcs through the air as they descended upon the immobilised giant.
Swordsmen followed close behind, weaving through the chaos and using the protruding earth bindings as footholds to launch themselves higher.
A storm of attacks crashed into the Weevil Troll all at once.
Mana blades screeched against hardened flesh, deep gashes tearing across its arms and legs as strikes landed in rapid succession without pause.
One lancer drove his weapon into its collar, giving the beast no time to even scream, while another pierced through its torso. A swordswoman sprinted across one of Edren's restraints before twisting into a spinning slash that carved across its face, tearing into one of its six sickly, beady yellow eyes.
The giant shuddered violently beneath the barrage, muscles bulging as its restraints trembled and cracked under the strain.
Then its eyes shifted.
Even so, Edren's expression didn't waver. His face strained as he curled his fingers, crossing his extended arms into an X-shape.
"Move!" he screamed.
Crack
The earth restraints detonated outward, and the fragments hung in the air for a split second before ripping back into the troll like bullets.
The frontliners shot backwards, expressions controlled despite the great danger pressing at their backs.
One swordsman slowed in his escape too soon and was caught unaware as the monster's arm snapped outward and hit him with a glancing blow that folded his body around the impact before launching him through a cluster of trees.
"Shit!" Boyd shouted, staring after where his comrade vanished.
Edren arrived beside them moments later, hovering with just barely enough control to stabilise his stop.
"Two of you go check on him."
"But our hovers are on cooldown," Boyd replied. "It'll take us longer to go and come back."
Edren's gaze drifted wearily to the giant's imposing form.
"Us mages haven't used up ours yet," he said stiffly. "Go. The two back there will protect Amali. Digo and I will fight in the front with the other six vanguards and cover for them until she's ready to deploy her spell."
Boyd hesitated—then he and another lancer broke off, accelerating into mana-enhanced strides.
Edren sighed.
Now that he was closer, it took everything he had not to let his weak knees give out completely.
Grey skin. Ugly, deformed yellow teeth. An alarmingly thin abdomen and rib-wrapped chest—offset by disproportionately bulky shoulders, arms, and lower extremities.
Grassy hair spilt from its head all the way down its body, trailing even across the ground like overgrown vines.
And most bothersome of all, the weevils burrowed into its fleshier parts that gave the creature its name.
It was a well-known symbiotic relationship.
The weevils fed on the troll's flesh while aiding in its hunts, and in return, the troll's healing factor activated once it was sufficiently fed—forming a self-sustaining loop of destruction and recovery.
The weevil troll roared, scooping up scattered monster corpses the giant insects had gathered and shovelling them into its mouth.
The sound shook the canopy overhead as all five of its remaining eyes widened in fury.
Blood streamed down its face from the ruined eye and the mangled bodies it chewed on, dripping between and from jagged teeth as its massive, burly arm swept across the battlefield in a wide arc. Air exploded outward, and the militia members crouched low as uprooted earth, shattered stone, and broken bindings were hurled through the forest like artillery.
After its frenzy, it went completely still. Smoke bellowed from its wounds as they sealed shut—every injury recovering except its eye.
Through it all, Edren remained rooted in place, sweat pouring down his face as he fought to ignore the fact that a shard of debris had narrowly skimmed his cheek, drawing blood.
His eyes widened exaggeratedly.
"...When my sister arrives," he whispered fearfully. "Tell her this was from before we heard from them."
"Sure thing." Digo gave a thumbs-up.
He was a hulking figure for a mage—short, faded brown hair and tattoos covering most of his exposed skin, though only those on his arms and shoulders were visible now.
Heaving a deep exhale, Edren's trembling steadied.
"That helped," he said seriously. "I just realised I'm more scared of Edam than I am of this thing. I can fight now."
'You couldn't before?' was the collective thought—except Digo, who was already preparing a spell.
Pale cyan symbols fluttered around him, air pooling into his immediate vicinity before erupting into a massive jet stream.
"Let's go all out from the start."
Edren glanced at him. "You're more energetic than usual."
"You heard that outsider, right?" Digo grinned. "We've only ever heard about prime monsters from old man Berk. They're literally beyond anything we know—and yet, that guy who's weaker than us—is gonna run straight at it."
"Isn't that exciting?!"
"Suicidal, you mean." Edren shook his head. "A guy like that can't have a long life ahead of him."
"It's got me fired up!" Digo exclaimed, clenching his fist, ignoring him entirely. "Let's use the thing we practised—Fusion Magic!"
THUMP
The troll approached, each step heavy and delayed by its own massive bulk.
Six vibrant teal formula rings spun around Edren's wrists, more sigils blazing behind him.
"This one time... I'll play along."
---
"You'd better keep the communications available," Reoloy said lightly. "Or else."
He then laughed, much to Gaiskas's unease.
He was in a good mood, even though he'd let a derivative get away from him and was currently heading toward a monster of a strength level he probably didn't fully understand.
Prime.
In RON, the number one was an extremely important signifier of both relevance and significance. It was why the word stood out so much, regardless of the context it appeared in.
The only time that importance was overshadowed was when Supremes entered the conversation, but that was an entirely different matter.
When it came to monsters, primes were creatures that stood at the pinnacle of the regions they dominated. In other words, the gap between them and everything else was astronomical.
So why was Reoloy challenging such a being?
"You're sure, right?" he asked, slowly swinging the mirror around and slightly dizzying the laikern.
"Yes, I'm sure..." Gaiskas muttered. "I started the stampede—"
It paused after receiving a look.
"'Stampede'..." it corrected stiffly, "by inciting a singular beast in this direction."
Its gaze drifted wistfully into the distance, toward the waves of mana pouring from the edge of the forest.
"It probably possesses a kind of crowd-control skill that lets it drive other creatures into a frenzy," Gaiskas explained. "But that doesn't explain why it hasn't moved personally. We could speculate all day, but I already more or less know the answer."
"Some kind of magic seal?" Reoloy guessed casually.
Gaiskas blinked before straightening, deciding not to be surprised anymore.
Reoloy continued strolling leisurely, the faint sound of flowing water becoming clearer nearby.
"If there's a seal, then there's a mage who placed it there," he said grimly. "Even if the prime's power is restricted, that might end up being the bigger problem."
He stepped out into a slightly open stretch, and for the first time in a while, the endless walls of trees finally gave way to a different view.
In front of him, a river curved through the land, creating a sizeable divide between his side and the one beyond. Its silver-blue waters flowed down from the distant mountains he could just barely make out. The peaks rose high along the horizon, their upper reaches swallowed by drifting clouds and faint mist.
Stone outcroppings jutted from the earth along the riverbanks, while scattered sections of tall grass shifted in the breeze.
Farther ahead, the forest thinned unevenly, revealing warped trees, torn earth, and deep gouges carved into the terrain—as if several massive things had repeatedly passed through the area.
"The mountains are on that side… so I'm going this way—toward the massive traces of devastation. Great."
Reoloy started walking again, eventually catching sight of miniature rat-like creatures scurrying through the grass and between scattered stones.
"Gaiskas."
Corrupt purple mana sprang from the laikern's fingertips, sweeping over the monsters and withering them into nothingness. This time, however, no noticeable change occurred within the ancient entity—a fact it seemed openly disappointed by.
It clasped its hands together almost endearingly before drifting directly into Reoloy's face.
"When we approach the beast, I can freely devour it, yes?"
"Look at it wrong, and I'll poke a hole through your head."
"…Right."
Before long, they arrived at their destination—the point where the river widened into a massive basin.
The landscape opened dramatically around them. The flowing current spread outward into a broad body of water whose surface reflected the pale sky above in fractured ribbons of silver and blue.
Large stone formations rose from the basin's edges like weathered pillars, while one of the jagged cliff walls encircling Cardana stood imposingly at the back of the scenic expanse.
Sloping earth enclosed sections of the area in an uneven natural ring.
Sparse clusters of grey-barked trees stood around the outskirts, their trunks bent and twisted as though shaped by years of pressure or some unnatural influence.
Patches of reeds and long grass swayed gently along the water's edge, the wind carrying with it the cool scent of mist and damp stone.
What was unusual, however, was that the river ended there.
It didn't continue onward toward the ocean.
The immense volume of water simply gathered within the basin and stopped—remaining perfectly still, as if entirely undisturbed by the incoming current. The river flowed into it, yet the surface sat eerily calm, without ripples, without motion, like a frozen mirror laid across the earth.
"How eerie…"
Reoloy didn't get too much time to take in the view as his gaze quickly settled on the other presences in the space.
Or rather—one presence, since…
"Well, the mage was here all right," he said, staring at the corpse riddled with puncture wounds. "Hasn't been dead for long. Looks like your little stunt screwed him over more than anyone else."
He glanced sideways at Gaiskas, who coughed into his fist.
"You should focus on your opponent."
Lying beneath the largest tree on the other shallow end of the basin, fully shaded by ethereal orange leaves glimmering under the midday sun, was a stag—or at least, what appeared to be one.
Noticing him, it rose slowly—like it was pushing against an unseen pressure that resisted every inch of movement.
Only after that did it fully take shape in view.
The stag was vast—roughly the height of a large coach bus—yet unnervingly lean, its frame composed of smooth, obsidian-black skin that looked almost metallic under the light. There was no fur, no softness, only a refined, unnatural surface that caught the basin's glow in muted reflections.
Across its body, glowing yellow lines pulsed in slow, rhythmic patterns—like living energy circuits embedded beneath its surface. They branched along its limbs, traced its ribs, and coiled around its neck, converging at a hollowed, diamond-shaped mark set into the centre of its forehead.
Its head carried a crown of antlers that immediately dominated its silhouette.
A tangled array of horns swept backwards in layered, branching forms, except for eight that thrust upward in uneven majesty. Each of these upward-pointing antlers was etched with fractures of light resembling lightning scars running through them. From right to left, the colours stood distinct—red, green, blue, silver, amber-orange, pale purple, black, and gold—each horn carrying its own unique glow, as though each were an independent conduit of power.
Even standing still, the antlers did not feel static.
They hummed with restrained motion—like a storm held in suspension.
And the stag simply watched him, as though waiting for even the slightest sign of movement now that he had stepped into its presence.
"The boss—Royal Stag of the Southwestern Basin appears."
"What?"
Reoloy shook his head slightly. "You wouldn't get it."
The monster huffed, straining its legs as it tried to strike against the water beneath its hooves, but the motion came out uneven—forced, restrained.
"Is it just me, or has it been struggling since earlier? It hasn't even rushed me—almost like it's—"
"Stuck in place."
Gaiskas's brow rose.
"You can't see it? There are chains binding it to that tree. It's a decent sealing spell array, but it shouldn't be able to hold that thing like this..."
"So what's happening?"
It held a hand against its chin in contemplation, studying the invisible restraints from a distance.
"I'm assuming it's a mental thing," Gaiskas said at last.
'Ah, like circus elephants that were raised in captivity.' Reoloy stretched his arms, his eyes softening slightly. "That's sad."
"Very," Gaiskas agreed. "What now?"
The ring structure on Reoloy's glove snapped outward into a claw before the spectral overlap formed over it.
"I'll take advantage of that restriction and put it out of its misery."