Chapter 31: This Is Really A Farming Ground

Zishan glanced toward the larger Magic Beasts approaching the western line before returning his attention to the smaller creatures gathering around them.

His grin widened.

’Hehe. Who said I had to burn the big bastards first?’

The Ironback Razorboars and Gravethorn Bulls were considerably more resistant to his Fire Magic, but the Ridgefang Hounds surrounding them were another matter entirely.

Even if Wildfire Requiem couldn’t successfully establish Pyre Marks on every larger beast, he could still use the smaller creatures to spread the flames throughout the battlefield. When a marked hound died, its Funeral Bloom would create another explosion capable of damaging anything standing nearby, including the big bastards that were so annoyingly resistant to his fire.

Zishan raised his right hand.

"WILDFIRE REQUIEM!"

An enormous surge of Fire Mana gathered around him before erupting across the western approach. This time, he deliberately targeted the densely packed Ridgefang Hounds surrounding the larger creatures, investing another 200 Mana into the Skill.

Several hounds were engulfed in flames, their bodies twisting violently as Pyre Marks appeared across their fur. The magical fire spread toward nearby creatures, and when the first marked beast collapsed, an explosion erupted directly beside one of the Ironback Razorboars.

The enormous beast stumbled, and Zishan’s eyes brightened when he realized that the explosions were still capable of damaging creatures resistant to the Pyre Marks. "HAHAHAHA! THAT’S RIGHT! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?!"

Another burning hound collapsed beside its legs, forcing the beast to stagger again as flames erupted beneath its armored body.

Several larger creatures continued approaching without suffering nearly as much damage, forcing Zishan to click his tongue in irritation. His Skill was ridiculously powerful against densely packed enemies, but he was beginning to understand why the System had warned him about enemy resistance. These bastards were clearly much more troublesome than the Level 40 hounds he had massacred earlier.

Then, another explosion killed two smaller beasts.

[DING!]

[Magic Beast Defeated!]

[EXP Gained: 800]

[Magic Beast Defeated!]

[EXP Gained: 800]

[Magic Beast Defeated!]

[EXP Gained: 760]

[Magic Beast Defeated!]

[EXP Gained: 760]

Zishan forgot about his disappointment when the latest EXP notifications appeared. "HAHAHAHA! NEVER MIND! THIS IS STILL FUCKING AMAZING!"

A frown formed on his face. "However, it should be noted that the EXP gained from killing beasts of the same Level over and over again would decrease over time, as the difference in Levels would be reduced to zero in no time..."

He checked his remaining Mana before examining the battlefield again. There were still plenty of smaller beasts approaching, and several groups had begun gathering around the surviving Razorboars.

With only 140 Mana remaining, he couldn’t afford another large casting. Nevertheless, the minimum expenditure of Wildfire Requiem was only 100 Mana, which was more than enough to ignite a smaller group.

Naturally, Zishan did exactly that.

Another burst of magical flames swept across the approaching creatures, forcing the leading hounds to scatter as fresh Pyre Marks began appearing among them. The spell did not produce anything close to the devastation of his earlier 200-Mana casting, but several explosions still followed as the burning beasts collapsed.

By the time the flames began weakening, his remaining Mana had fallen to 40. And that was when Zishan finally understood why Mana Depletion was such an unpleasant experience.

The sudden emptiness inside his Mana channels made his head feel strangely light, while an uncomfortable sensation spread throughout his body. Although he could still move normally, he was beginning to experience the familiar mental exhaustion that accompanied using too much Mana in a short period.

"Fuck. That’s not comfortable at all. It’s the same feeling I felt when I used appraisal too much."

Then, he remembered the reinforced satchel behind the barricade.

Zishan retrieved one of his Mana Recovery Potions, removed its stopper, and drank the entire bottle without hesitation.

The cool liquid flowed down his throat, and a refreshing sensation gradually spread throughout his body as his Mana began recovering. He could practically feel his exhausted Mana channels responding to the medicine, allowing him to recover faster. Coupled with the Eternal Wellspring Fragment Bloodline’s passive effect that enabled him to recover mana faster, it felt like a breeze!

"WHOOOO! THIS SHIT IS AMAZING!"

The Sergeant, who had been desperately trying to organize the western defenders, turned toward him. "SOLDIER WALKER! FOCUS ON WHAT’S IN FRONT OF YOU! STOP SHOUTING SO MUCH!"

Zishan raised the empty bottle with an enormous grin. "AYE AYE, SERGEANT! I’M JUST VERY GRATEFUL FOR OUR KINGDOM’S EXCELLENT MEDICAL SUPPLIES!"

The Sergeant stared at him for several seconds before returning his attention to the approaching horde. He had absolutely no intention of trying to understand this young man. Otherwise, it’d cause him more stress.

The other Soldiers, however, were stumped by Zishan’s spamming of spells. As Soldiers, they did not have that kind of capacity as he did. Even the Corporals present couldn’t understand the absurdity of the young man’s capabilities as a Soldier.

Meanwhile, Zishan was already retrieving another potion from his satchel. The first bottle had begun restoring his reserves, but considering how much Mana he had consumed, he wanted to recover as quickly as possible before the larger beasts reached the barricade.

Of course, drinking those potions wouldn’t suddenly make his magic unlimited. He still needed time for his Mana to recover, and repeatedly exhausting himself could become dangerous if he was careless.

He checked the battlefield once more, waited until another group of beasts gathered around a heavily armored creature, and raised his hand.

"WILDFIRE REQUIEM!"

The western approach erupted in flames again.

Zishan, however, apparently had no intention of stopping.

Whenever a densely packed group approached the barricade, he would begin gathering Fire Mana around his hand. Enormous waves of magical flames would spread throughout the enemy formation, forcing the surviving beasts to scatter while the soldiers eliminated those that managed to escape.

The more frequently he used Wildfire Requiem, the better he became at distinguishing between enemies that could be marked directly and those better attacked through explosions from nearby weaker creatures.

The result was considerably more efficient than indiscriminately throwing enormous quantities of Mana at every beast he encountered.

The Sergeant noticed those marks. He found Zishan’s approach efficient as well.

"ARCHERS! PRIORITIZE THE UNMARKED BEASTS! MELEE UNITS, FINISH OFF ANYTHING THAT BREAKS THROUGH!"

The soldiers followed his orders, allowing Zishan to concentrate on the densely packed portions of the horde while the others dealt with the surviving enemies.

For the first time since the attack began, the western defensive line started recovering some of its earlier stability. Unfortunately for the Magic Beasts, Zishan interpreted that improvement as permission to become even more unreasonable.

"HAHAHAHA! GET CLOSER, YOU BASTARDS! WHY ARE YOU ALL SPREADING OUT?!"

Sometimes, the surviving Razorboars would even force their way through the burning ground and approach the barricade before he could establish another effective chain reaction.

Nevertheless, his excitement continued increasing as the EXP notifications accumulated. He had also managed to kill some of the higher-Level beasts, including a few Razorboars and a Gravethorn Bull. Their Fire resistance was still troublesome, but repeated Funeral Bloom explosions were gradually wearing them down.

[DING!]

[Magic Beast Defeated!]

[EXP Gained: 1,060]

[DING!]

[Magic Beast Defeated!]

[EXP Gained: 1,220]

Several more notifications appeared as another group of burning creatures collapsed.

Zishan had already stopped reading most of them individually.

His attention was now divided between monitoring his recovering Mana, identifying suitable targets, and determining which groups would produce the most effective chain reactions.

Then, he noticed something rather wonderful.

He was leveling up again!

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

"HAHAHAHA! FUCK! THIS IS REALLY A FARMING GROUND!"

A wounded Ridgefang Hound suddenly managed to leap over the damaged barricade while Zishan was distracted by his notifications.

Fortunately, he noticed the creature before it could reach him.

The beast lunged toward his shoulder, forcing him to shift sideways while raising his sword. Its jaws snapped shut beside his arm, and Zishan drove his blade across its neck before retreating several steps.

The strike didn’t kill it, but another soldier intervened and finished the injured creature.

"Soldier Walker! Watch your surroundings!" the Sergeant shouted.

"YES, SERGEANT!"

Zishan returned his attention to the battlefield, although he couldn’t help noticing that his body had responded rather comfortably to the sudden attack.

He hadn’t moved quite that smoothly during his earlier battles.

Then, a familiar notification appeared.