In a sudden burst of heat, Ronan's fireball barrage wiped out more than half of the monster group that had gathered in the room.
Except for a few lucky monsters and the area he avoided to prevent hitting Jeanne and Rose, every other direction was scorched by Ronan's fireballs.
"Sizzle."
Flames crawled over broken wooden clubs and scorched remains. In an instant, the room was covered in corpses.
Heaps of shattered, barely recognizable charred remains gave off a pungent, foul smell. Seeing this for the first time, Aura and Lorie instinctively covered their mouths and leaned over, gagging.
"This..." Lorie and Aura couldn't maintain their expressions. This sight destroyed the clean picture they had of adventuring.
Ronan looked at them. They looked miserable, almost throwing up their breakfast and slumping on the floor. His gaze was calm.
"Now you understand, don't you? Adventuring is not clean or pretty. This is the cruelty behind it."
"Y-you... Damn you, Ronan!"
Lorie looked up stubbornly. She fought back the urge to vomit while glaring at Ronan, who had a slight smirk on his face.
Ignoring Lorie and Aura for a moment, the fight on the other side was still going.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The moment the pressure decreased, Jeanne and Rose seized the chance and counterattacked!
Rose stepped forward with her left foot, her right foot following into a low stance. She held the pure white kite shield firmly in front of her.
An Orc's club slammed down. Rose turned her wrist and met the strike at an angle. The shield did not take the full force head-on. It guided the impact away, making the Orc's balance shift.
She blocked the next attack from the side, lowered her shoulder, and slammed her shield forward!
The Orc staggered.
The moment Ronan created the opening, Rose used the gap in the enemies' confusion. The sword in her right hand flashed forward.
Her blade cut into the Orcs' vital points. Blood sprayed out, and their large bodies collapsed heavily!
Jeanne was not going to fall behind.
Her spear swept out, pushing back the surrounding enemies and clearing space for herself.
With a sharp look in her eyes, her long spear cut through the air. She stepped in, twisted her waist, and drove the spear forward.
The tip pierced through a monster's neck, pulled free, then spun into another sweep before the body even hit the ground.
"Cinder. Cinder. Cinder."
Ronan, now able to move more freely, switched to precise fire support for his teammates. Small flames shot from the tip of his staff, hitting monsters that tried to slip past Jeanne and Rose.
At the same time, he glanced at Lorie and Aura. They had recovered and were standing back-to-back, alert and nervous.
"You two, this is a rare chance. Go help them. Get used to real combat!"
Lorie was already restless. Even if Ronan hadn't spoken, she was ready to go.
Now that she had permission, she threw down her supporter backpack, drew her sword with a clear ring, and rushed forward!
"Rose, I'm coming to help!"
Hearing Lorie's voice behind her, Rose's serious expression softened visibly.
"Lorie, I'll take the lead. You support me."
"Understood!"
Lorie held her sword with one hand, her face tense. She took her stance.
"Howl, storm!"
"Gale Chant!"
After the short chant, her blonde hair and hunting gear fluttered in the wind. Invisible wind armor wrapped around her body and blade, pushing her speed and power higher.
Combined with her Skills, Lorie's strength instantly rose.
"Hmph, just some Orcs!" In her strengthened state, Lorie charged forward with confidence.
Rose, who had just cut down a monster, looked sideways and said softly, "Be careful, Lorie."
An Orc swung its wooden club down at Rose. Rose blocked it with her shield, forcing the club to slide aside.
Lorie used that moment to rush in from the side. Wind gathered around her blade as she slashed at the Orc's leg.
The cut was not enough to kill it, but it broke the monster's posture.
Rose moved the moment the Orc staggered. Her shield struck its chest, and her sword followed immediately, cutting across its throat.
The Orc fell with a heavy thud.
On the other side, Aura bit her lip. Holding her Magic ready for so long had drained her Mind and left her exhausted. Sweat dampened her silver hair.
"Aura, activate your Magic. Push the battle line forward for Jeanne."
Hearing the order, Aura endured the pain of Mind fatigue and nodded through gritted teeth.
"U-Understood!"
She took a few breaths, trying to steady herself. She suddenly opened her eyes.
She gripped her staff with her right hand and spread her arms. Her legs were together, her posture straight. Her eyes locked onto the distant monsters, and she began a solemn chant:
Ancient hunger buried beneath the fertile soil!
Entwine, Thorns of Ever-Green! Feed on pain, sing with their cries!
Aura had only chanted two lines, but the remaining monsters started to panic. Even without real intelligence, the monsters sensed deadly danger through their instincts.
"ROOOAAAR!"
Facing the monsters that suddenly went wild, the front line reacted at once. Jeanne shifted her spear and forced the nearest Orc back with a hard thrust. Rose raised her shield and locked the line in place.
Ronan, who was guarding Aura, kept swinging his staff. Cinder fired again and again, burning the hands, faces, and legs of monsters that tried to rush past the front.
Within this prison...
Roots, pierce their skin! Vines, crush their bones!
Suck the surging heat!
Drink the fading light!
With your life force...
Water my body! Nourish my soul!
"Harvest Feast Carnival!"
As Aura's chant finished, a large amount of Magic burst from her. Her silver hair fluttered in the wind, mixing with the Magic particles around her. For a moment, every eye was on Aura.
Aura gave a short shout, and her Magic erupted.
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
As Aura's Magic activated, the floor of the 10th Floor shook violently. Thick vines burst from the ground, growing and multiplying wildly.
Stone cracked. Dust rose. The vines forced their way through the ground like living ropes, spreading across the battlefield in an instant.
"Ha!" Aura held her staff and pointed forward. Those vines moved like living creatures following her orders. They rushed toward the Orcs surrounding Jeanne.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
The vines whipped through the air and struck hard. The powerful impact easily sent the heavy monsters flying.
One Orc tried to smash the vines with its club, but the vines wrapped around the weapon, twisted, and tore it out of the monster's hands.
Another Orc tried to rush through by force. Three vines shot up from the ground, wrapped around its legs, and dragged it down.
Then, Aura's eyes sharpened. Those vines seemed to become extensions of her limbs. Moving with her will, they quickly wrapped around the monsters' bodies, binding them like cocoons.
And it didn't stop there. Under everyone's shocked gaze, the trapped monsters were drained in just a few breaths. Their bodies shriveled, their strength vanished, and they turned into dried-up corpses.
The sight was brutal.
"Ah..."
Ronan had been watching Aura closely. The moment the vines began to drain the life and Mind of the monsters, Aura's face suddenly flushed. Her whole body went weak, her breathing became uneven, and her legs shook uncontrollably. She stumbled and almost fell.
If Ronan hadn't caught her immediately, her Magic might have been cut off by force.
If Magic was interrupted by force, the consequences would be much worse than this.
"Hold on, Aura. Your Magic is strong, so some side effects are unavoidable. You need to overcome this yourself."
"I... I understand..."
Aura, her face burning hot, gritted her teeth to maintain the Magic. She controlled the vines to keep crushing every target in sight.
The vines tightened again and again. Bones cracked under the pressure. Monsters that tried to crawl away were dragged back and crushed into the ground.
She didn't relax until the monsters in the area were completely wiped out. She quickly cut off the flow of her Mind. As soon as the strain disappeared, she couldn't support herself anymore and fell into Ronan's arms.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Aura curled up in his arms, her face flushed. She buried her hot cheeks into Ronan's arm. Even the tips of her ears were bright red with shame.
Inside, she was breaking down.
This is too much! Why does my Magic have such a terrible side effect?! The image I worked so hard to keep... it's all ruined! How can I... face anyone again!
...
Looking down at Aura, who was trying to pretend nothing had happened, Ronan's face stiffened. She was just lying to herself.
He sighed softly and looked toward Jeanne, Rose, and Lorie as they walked over.
"Everyone, good work."
Ronan nodded to them, his gaze passing over Aura as she hid her face in his arms.
"Jeanne, take care of Aura. Her Magic is strong, but it has some... minor side effects. You understand."
After saying that, he looked at the other two.
"Rose, Lorie, come with me. We are starting the supporter training now."
"Lesson one: we start with extracting the magic stones."