This was my first time accompanying another party in a labyrinth dive, and I was painfully aware of how unworthy I was. Nachtlibelle operated with perfection. They were organized, effective, and always alert. Their transmission was advanced enough to let everyone communicate at once. Every move they made was described clearly in their manual, and every single one of them knew every single page and made proper use of it. It even covered what to do in a variety of unusual circumstances.
With Drachenflügel, all I did was research, pretend I knew what I was talking about, and perform what I had read in battles. Nobody was interested in battle strategy, so thinking about it had been left entirely up to me.
I couldn’t help but think that doing all of that was just a big nuisance. I knew next to nothing about battle strategy. How could I force that knowledge on others? And now that I had seen for myself how smoothly Nachtlibelle operated, I found myself pondering over how those strategies only started to mean something once they had been formed, practiced, and performed with everyone on the same page over years of experience.
Just as those thoughts crossed my mind, I got a personal transmission from Camilla.
‹I want you to aid us in combat.›
So, I really was a nuisance on the back lines. I was just trying to fill in the hole my presence had caused, but I guess I had only done the opposite. Damn it.
I needed to make my way to the front of this perfectly operating team, so I hastily walked through the troops and stood next to Camilla.
“There you are, boy.”
“Yup. Here I am.”
Camilla kept walking. Tanks stood on either side of us, blocking our blinds spots and lighting the path ahead.
“You were right. Simon picked up on a C-grade zaratan. Avoiding it is unnecessary, so we’ll be engaging in combat.”
“Right.”
“Though really, our rear unit will just be attacking it from afar. We’ll be expending nothing but magic.”
“Then…what am I supposed to do?”
“My apologies for stepping out of line here, but could you show me one of your buffs? You’ll likely have an easier time casting on someone you’re more familiar with, so Heidemarie should be the perfect person to aid you.”
It made sense. This was a good chance to test out a suspicious new support caster.
“Understood. I’ll, um, do my best.”
Camilla grinned at me and nodded.
“Heh heh! I haven’t seen you for a while!” Heidemarie seemed awfully happy to see me. The rest of Nachtlibelle were standing a bit away from us and staring. “You can’t refuse a request from our leader, after all! Take a good look at the amazing magic of the amazing elder and captain of our rear unit! I’ve grown a lot since you last saw me in action, Wim!”
“I can’t wait. So, uh… What are we doing?”
“I’ll cast [Eisspeer]. The real magic happens once I launch it at the monster, so I’ll form it myself. Work with me once I’m ready to fire. I haven’t messed with that part of the incantation.”
I could see the imposing, giant figure of the zaratan far off in the distance. Sharp crystals jutted out of the large shell on its back.
“Wim, Heidemarie! We’re still quite far away! Is this close enough for you two?!” Camilla’s voice came from somewhere behind us. She sounded a bit worried.
She was right. We really were quite a distance from the zaratan. Normal magic would have weakened drastically in the time it took to hit the monster, and most attacks would be pointless.
However, approaching any further might provoke the beast, raising its defenses. From a tactical standpoint, it was better to hit it with a surprise attack from back here while its guard was down.
“We’re fine. I think it should work.”
Heidemarie’s magic would easily reach.
“What was that, boy?!”
Apparently, I was too quiet. “U-um…”
“He said it’s fine!” Heidemarie shouted, offering me a helping hand.
“All right, then! Good luck!”
Bombarded with feelings of inadequacy, I shared a glance with Heidemarie before we returned our gazes to the zaratan.
I took a deep breath. This was nostalgic. It brought me back to the old days when we would dive into the labyrinth together.
“All righty!” Heidemarie took out her collapsible staff and held it in front of her. I wasn’t quite sure about the engineering behind it, but it clanged as it stretched out to stand even taller than she was. It was large enough to be used as a battle staff.
I hadn’t seen it in a long while; it seemed like she had done some more work on it. The entire staff was etched with ancient runes and symbols that must be enchantments. The magic stone that served as its core glowed, revealing runes flicking in and out of existence.
“Huh? Did the magic stone get smaller?”
“You’re sharp. I didn’t just make it smaller! I increased the enchantment density by 300 percent! You better be ready for it!” She grinned at me, seemingly unable to contain her joy. It cheered me up too, but I needed to focus.
“[Generieren.]”
As soon as the spell left her lips, a crystal of ice appeared above her head with a pop. Vapor flooded towards the crystal, gathering condensation as I felt the air around me grow drier and warmer.
The crystal grew in a flash, though it sometimes shrank with a loud rumble. It gradually took shape until I eventually saw a spear ready to be launched.
A newbie mage would have been flabbergasted at the sight, as this spell operated on principles far removed from those of the present day. Ice magic typically fell into the category of heat magic and was an attack that focused cold in a single spot. In other words, the highest form of ice magic were frozen attacks that resembled blizzards, not huge, physical masses like what Heidemarie had conjured.
This was what made her class of elder so special. Magic was divided into two categories: Foundational Magic and Practical Magic. Foundational Magic could be considered inorganic, as it didn’t change the nature of Magical Power or MP. Examples included transmission magic and enemy detection.
Practical Magic were the spells related to certain occupations and largely divided into the four categories of warrior, mage, priest/priestess, and granting magic. They had a much larger variety of spells than that of Foundational Magic, and were much more powerful too. This type was also commonly known as Occupational Magic.
The occupation of elder was not only incredibly rare but also considered to be the strongest. What made them so scary was the fact they could use every type of Occupational Magic.
I mean, they were obviously powerful. Even children who had the makings of becoming an elder someday would become pawns in power struggles. So, elders developed an Elder Association to protect themselves.
However, all of that was just the side-effects of being an elder, not their real job. What made elders so special was their ability to lay the foundations needed to create new magic. While those who developed spells struggled and toiled to combine elements together to create something new, elders could create what their spells were missing from scratch.
They were all-powerful, perfect beings that were in harmony with the highest levels of intellect and strength.
“Okay, Wim! Say the incantation! I, Heidemarie, approve you, Wim Strauss, to cast your granting magic on me!”
“Got it!” I observed the ice spear she had created. “[Harden], [quake]…”
I gave my orders to the spear via Heidemarie’s consciousness, minimized the air resistance, and cast a spell that would drastically raise the rigidity of the spearhead right before it landed.
“You’re enchanted!”
The buff was complete.
I made it a rule not to interfere with a mage’s output and instead only cast my buffs on the things they created. I made fires spread their flames faster, and wind reign in its full force until it reached its target. By understanding physical phenomena and breaking them down, a support caster could see the most effective way to use his spells.
“Here I go!” shouted Heidemarie, taking the lead. We glanced at each other and shouted in unison. “[Eisspeer!]”
It lasted less than a second. It didn’t even make a noise. The vacuum the ice spear left in its wake sucked up the surrounding air, creating a raging wind. It slammed right into the zaratan, managing to pierce through its shell.