Chapter 393. Vidal’s Intent
"Alright—begin!"
The princess acting as referee announced the start of the battle.
Vidal nocked an arrow to his great bow, pulling the string taut as he aimed above the heads of the three young adventurers.
(Well then, let’s see what you’re made of.)
With a skill’s glow coursing from his arm to the bow, Vidal smirked, the corner of his mouth curling upward.
For him, this battle was a way to gauge the abilities of those three young adventurers.
At first glance, he had recognized that all three had surpassed their limits.
He also sensed that their levels were likely equal to or higher than his own.
But battle prowess isn’t determined solely by levels.
While levels are critical, factors like skills, equipment, stat balance, and tactics heavily influence overall strength.
(If they’re just mediocre enough to lose to us, I can’t count on them.)
Vidal had witnessed Fenrir up close in the city of Tulam and felt its overwhelming "pressure" to an unbearable degree.
Facing it with subpar strength would be nothing more than a march to certain death.
Vidal’s gut feeling suggested that perhaps a hundred seasoned level-25 awakeners might fight that monstrosity to a standstill—or better.
But even that instinct wasn’t foolproof.
He could be wrong, and the outcome would vary greatly depending on ability compatibility or the flow of battle.
Even with such a force, there was no guarantee that he and his entire mercenary band would survive.
Without sufficient compensation, the risk wouldn’t be worth the reward—that had been Vidal’s initial assessment.
Then, an unexpected variable appeared: those three adventurers.
Their arrival significantly shifted the balance of Vidal’s instinctual calculations.
(If they join the hunt, the risks drop considerably.)
He even found himself thinking, (Maybe just those three alone could secure victory.)
That was how overwhelming the power he sensed from them was.
But again, this was just Vidal’s vague intuition—not certainty.
He needed more evidence to base his decision.
On top of that, he couldn’t back down in front of his mercenaries.
Those fools—though to Vidal, they were endearingly foolish—wouldn’t understand the three’s strength without experiencing it firsthand.
This battle was also a ritual to earn his subordinates’ approval.
(Show your strength to my men—that’s my other goal.)
"Sorry, boys, staying bunched up makes you an easy target—[Arrow Rain]!"
Vidal let loose a sharp volley from his great bow.
The glowing arrows streaked toward the heads of the young adventurers.
"Right back at you—[Explosion]!"
Almost simultaneously, the young, baby-faced mage girl cast a fire-based magic attack.
The fireball she unleashed bypassed the frontline mercenaries and hurtled toward Vidal’s rear guard.
(A fire mage, huh? Handy against that frost wolf…)
But for now, Vidal would taste its power.
The fireball struck the ground at his feet, triggering a fierce explosion.
Vidal prided himself on his agility, but avoiding this was out of the question.
He and the four mercenaries nearby were engulfed in the blazing inferno.
"Ugh…!"
The sheer impact and heat of the flames overwhelmed him.
Vidal had once faced a fire dragon in battle, but even the dragon’s scorching breath paled in comparison to the fireball’s immense power.
Still, he wasn’t immediately incapacitated.
Though he took significant damage, it wasn’t critical.
The same couldn’t be said for the four mercenaries around him.
"Arghhh!"
Three collapsed to the ground, and the fourth dropped to one knee, barely staying upright.
"…Seriously? We’re all wearing Anti Magic Rings here," Vidal muttered, managing a wry smile.
The sheer destructive force rendered tactics irrelevant.
But the mage girl seemed dissatisfied.
"Ugh! One of them’s still standing!"
She probably meant "other than Vidal, who’s broken through his limits."
All of Vidal’s mercenaries were level-25 seasoned Awakened Ones.
Yet she dismissed them with such ease.
"Tch. Guess that’s the kind of world she sees," Vidal grumbled, nocking another arrow as he assessed the situation.
The remaining two—an armored youth and a woman dressed in black—seemed to have used support magic in their opening moves.
"Kazane, Yuzuki, you alright?"
"I dodged half, so I’m okay. But it still took nearly half my HP."
"Same here. If I take three or four more hits like that, I’m done for."
Though they had taken damage, neither appeared on the brink of defeat.
Vidal’s bow skill, [Arrow Rain], caused arrows to split mid-flight, raining down on all targets within range.
While its power matched that of normal attacks, combined with Vidal’s high attack stat, it could wipe out groups of mid-tier monsters like ogres, saber-tooths, flame skulls, or ghouls in one shot.
Meanwhile, four magic-focused mercenaries aimed a barrage of spells at the woman in black.
Their plan was simple: take down the weakest-looking one first, then the mage girl, and finally the sturdy armored youth.
Yet, even after the concentrated fire, the woman in black remained unscathed.
She didn’t appear to be bluffing, either.
Half-dodging magical attacks, which are typically hard to evade, was unheard of.
"Damn it, these guys are tough!"
"But we’ve got the numbers! Surround and crush them!"
The mercenaries’ melee fighters, armed with swords, axes, and spears, charged at the adventurers.
Ten of them in total.
"Kazane, can you handle the frontlines as planned?"
"Yeah, somehow. Guess I’ll have to step it up."
"But with this many, even I might get caught in the crossfire."
The black-clad woman remarked.
The armored youth, wielding a spear and shield, and the black-clad woman, armed with dual daggers, moved forward while the mage girl retreated to the rear.
It appeared to be a two-frontline, one-rearline formation.
"Heh, I’ll slice that outfit to shreds and leave you stark naked!"
"Yaaahh!"
The mercenaries unleashed a barrage of attacks, their blades swinging and thrusting toward the adventurers in unison.