‘If you want something done right, do it yourself.’ Viers wasn’t unfamiliar with the saying.

He needed cores, he had some money but the amount was nowhere enough to buy dozens of cores. So why didn’t he simply go out there into the wilds and hunt monsters to get their cores? Just like in the video games he often played.

The Victa consumption gave him pause. During his fight with Test Subject ABC, he realized there can never be enough Victa for a Path-seeker. How many Victa would he need to spend fighting a tier 1 monster? His calculation of the subject wasn’t optimistic.

But this is still doable to a certain degree with acceptable risk-factor. I can turn into the Terribilis frog and poison the shit out of them and eat their cores. That leaves what monster should I hunt, where can I hunt them, and what dangerous element exist in the area. I still don’t know how my monster evolution works but if all goes well, this can be yet another my trump card for a rainy day.

Viers’ plan was gradually taking shape.

***

Time unceasingly moved forward, one and a half months had passed and summer was almost at its end.

Fort Boarkill.

The newly made fort to combat the beast tide. Thanks to its construction, Luxore town’s security rose up and the monster boars’ encroachment was lessened a great deal. The workers and adventurers there named the fortification ‘Boarkill’ and it stuck until it became official. However, just because there was a bulwark did not mean the boars miraculously disappear.

There, it was almost a warzone.

Tier 0, 1, and 2 boars kept appearing every few days. Sometimes they came in dozens, sometimes only a handful. Tier 0 boars were the most numerous of their kind but they serve their role as a literal meat shield competently enough. The tier 1 and 2 boars were the real damage dealer. When a group of defenders was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of monsters, more often than not, it resulted in heavy casualties.

Construction of the fort certainly helped the defender’s side a significant amount but the opposition didn't relent. Adventurers came from Luxore and neighboring towns, and yet no matter how many boars they killed there were always more that come the following days.

Tier 0 boars had the height of the chest of an adult male and weigh about 300 kg. Their hide was tough and thick, normal swords and spears barely made a scratch on them. Taking a full charge from the boars was almost a guarantee of evisceration for their twin tusks were fashioned for that purpose. No need to be said that higher tier boars were more formidable.

Most people in Luxore town had the notion that the boar crisis had passed. They had no idea the situation at Fort Boarkill was gradually worsening.

Viers was watching the situation from outside of the fort. He was standing on top of a tree branch about a hundred meters away from the contested grounds. He just saw the fight between a group of five people against three boars. The humans won but seemed injured. One of them, the cleric girl, he assumed, was providing healing to her injured companion using what appears to be earth element.

I was right, water and earth are the two attributes of the four basic elements that are most suitable for healing… Viers mused.

The adventurer group took the monster cores from the corpses and retreated. They were fighting outside the fortification, they were a scout or some kind.

Viers chose an area thick with vegetation to observe the fort; his visage was well hidden behind the trees’ foliage. He heard a rustle nearby, someone was approaching him. He let down the caution to a certain degree after realizing who she was.

“What’s on your mind?” Azure asked.

“Observing, a few hours ago there was a bigger battle. A dozen boars attacking the fort walls. The mindless beasts are dead now but the defenders suffered injuries as well.” Jor spoke with a flat tone, his face was covered with a white Hannya mask.

“What do you pick up from it?”

“That I have questions that need to be answered,” Jor plainly said.

“I shall answer your questions to the best of my ability, My Lord,” Azure spoke from another tree, from another branch. That she chose a lower branch than Viers’ to stand on showed something.

Since what they talked about was a piece of sensitive information, Viers strengthen his senses for precaution against other people snooping.

“There’s no need for that. Who knows who might be watching. A show of servitude worth much less than a tangible result in my eyes.”

“Yes, Jor… How may I help?” Farley adjusted her tone.

Viers kept observing the fort, the people coming and going, the adventurers’ movement on the walls, and other things.

“What’s the purpose of this… assault? You herded the boars here, yes?” Viers started with the most nagging question in his head.

“For thinning the opposition’s Victa reserves,” Azure answered.

“Oh? Interesting… elaborate.” Jor already had an idea but he asked for clarification nevertheless.

“Victa is very precious, without it, most Path-seekers are no threat at all. In a war between kingdoms, what would happen if one side’s army was already out of Victa or at least had less than the opponent? The side with overwhelmingly more Victa to use holds a great advantage.”

“Mmm,” Jor nodded, “you make them bleeding ammunition so they have less for the next clash. Nice strategy.”

“Our enemies caught on quick of course but there’s not much that they can do. This is a classic strategy, and when something like this happens, the church won't stay still. Priests and combatants would be sent out to deal with the problem. If they can't, mitigate the damage until the Silver Legion arrives.”

Azure’s mask had the design of a masquerade ball one. Currently, she wore a different mask from the one she used during the Faith Water battle.

“There are about a hundred Path-seekers inside that fort at this time. The bulk of them are adventurers, the church also sent some muscle there,” Azure added.

“The situation here must be quite critical… since they even conscripted the students from the TC,” Jor crossed his arms and leaned on the trunk. “And what a drama it was.”

A few days ago, some guild officials came and requested the students to ‘help’ at the fort. Most of the class was already a level 0, more useful than some soldiers who weren’t even a Path-seeker at all. Of course, they would stay relatively protected and refrained from the front lines because of their age but who knows what would happen during the battle.

Asking students to fight in a war was something unthinkable for Viers with his modern Earth’s upbringing but it happened in this world. For survival, they were scrapping the bottom of the barrel. Viers remembered his classmates’ reaction after that.

***

“I won’t go,” said Viers when it was his turn to ‘volunteer’.

Whispers and snorts of scorn could be heard after that.

“Viers, all the boys agreed to go. They need us! Come on, you’re strong. Stay behind a wall then fire a dozen magic missiles, that’s it. Our help could save lives!” Maxwell, the strongest of the class, asked Viers vehemently.

75% of the students agreed to help, all the boys and half the girls, but not Viers.

“Let it go, Max. He’s a coward,” James, Viers’ old enemy -the Classmate J- said with disdain.

“Correct, I am a coward who doesn’t want to die. Good luck to you all and be careful out there.” Viers left the class after he said so, the stares of other students stabbed his back. He didn’t care about the boys’ burning desire to play hero, reputation be damned. Since this was ultimately voluntary, no one could force him to fight if he didn’t want to.

That night, at the dorm, he talked with Paina.

“You should reconsider this. This is dangerous, even Farley doesn’t go,” he said to perhaps his sole friend at school.

“I know… but Rose is there. I want to help her…” Paina said meekly.

“I see… just, don’t do anything rash.” Viers didn’t press further.

The class was temporarily suspended as Teldo and Nakala led the students south to defend the fort. Viers watched they march like a conscripted militia. Viers had no intention of being a meat shield but he was interested in the situation at the fort.

He asked around at the cult, especially Farley, then given a mission to ‘post as a scarecrow’ at the fort’s vicinity. Since he already had the intention of giving the fort a visit, he accepted the mission because he would get paid for doing an easy mission.

Which led to Viers’ current situation.

***

Viers let the flashback ends before continuing the conversation with his ‘employee’.

“I get the purpose, but the ‘how’ escapes me. How can there be so many boars? It’s been months, since the first boar rumors; many had been killed but the boars only became more numerous.”

“We turn a boar to a demon,” Azure said plainly.

“Demon…” Viers muttered softly.

Before Viers could ask for more info, he saw a couple of tier 2 boars leading tens of lesser minions approaching the fort. Like a stampede of furious elephants, they charged forward.

“We have to see this, let’s approach closer. We kind of need to be seen in the area after all.” Azure suggested.

“Being a scarecrow, hm? As long as it’s not dangerous.” Viers jumped down the tree and made his way to the fort.

***

“Yaaah!”

Ciel pierced the head of a massive-bodied tier 2 boar with a shining sword after a lengthy fight. The boar let out loud death throes before falling down to sideways. Ciel jumped from its head and landed on her knee.

“Urghh…” Ciel coughed a few times, her condition wasn’t looking good. The battle wasn’t easy and the repeated attacks from the boars wore her down.

The injury I suffered from the darkness-user cultist hasn’t healed yet. This is… not looking good.

“Help Lady Valentine immediately! Distract the other big boar!” Another level 2 adventurer roared.

“I’m… fine,” Ciel slowly got back on her feet. She needed to put out a strong front, else the morale would drop. She’s a Silver Legion, the people on the fort looked up to her like a beacon in the darkness.

Her armor was no longer shiny and showed signs of hard use. Her brows were filled with beads of sweat, she appeared terribly tired.

The other boar trashed around and rampaged uncontrollably. After the boars breached the wall, the battle was fought inside the fort. Dozens of Arte projectiles hit the three meters height boar but it almost didn’t do any damage.

“Lady Ciel!!”

A warning from an adventurer, a tier 1 boar slipped the defensive parameter and charging towards her. Normally she could dispose of this boar with no problem but because of her injury, she just barely made in time to put her shield forward and empowered her body with Victa.

“Khhhh,” Ciel grunted when she struck the ground after being blown away by the charge. She knew she must get away but her legs felt so weak.

“BROOORRW!”

The boar charged again, Ciel prepared herself for death or heavy injury.

“Vine Bind!”

The charging boar temporarily halted by vines entangling it. A girl wearing a church’s garment stood between Ciel and the boar.

“Please get away now, Lady Valentine,” she spoke.

“You… are no match for it, run… cough,” Ciel said with difficulty, her coughing wouldn’t stop. The dark cultist she fought gifted her with an inner injury. The effort of the level 0 girl was commendable but she won’t hold the tier 1 boar for long.

“If we lose you, the men will lose hope and rout. Paina, take her away.” Rose said to her approaching friend.

“Rose, no!” Paina helped Ciel back on her feet but reluctant to leave her friend.

“Just-” Rose wanted to retort but the boar didn’t allow the luxury of leisure chatting. It broke free of the binding, a train of bulging muscles with red eyes sought the destruction of the three girls in front of it.

Time seemed to slow down. Ciel extended her sword, trying to cast a projectile of light but it wasn’t cast fast enough. Paina carried Ciel’s body as fast as she can while covering the two of them with a water barrier. While Rose, stood bravely, separating the beast from her friend and the Silver Legion lady.

Her legs trembling, tears forming at the edge of her eyes. Her palms were wet with sweat. She was not a battle-hardened veteran, facing a charging monstrous boar frightened her greatly.

But.

Do the right thing, she recited over and over again on her head. Everyone, lend me your strength...

Rose was ready to cast an Arte, she was no match for the boar but she hoped she would cause mutual destruction with it. At least injured the boar enough so Paina and Ciel could reach safety.

The boar was almost upon her. Rose’s eyes were filled with determination. But fate had another plan, in that moment of life and death, Rose’s necklace emitted a strong holy aura.