20: One against a hundred

The acid orb arced through the air in an emerald trajectory, precisely striking an arrow wound on the belly of one of the carrion worms.

The acid orb impacted the carrion worm's body, splattering in all directions.

Perhaps due to magic, most of the splashed acid landed on the other carrion worm.

A corrosive hiss accompanied by acrid white smoke rose, as the acid, like a living thing, seeped into the two carrion worms through their arrow wounds and shell crevices.

The two monsters let out hissing wails, their eight tentacles frantically slapping the ground.

I picked up my bow and arrows, retreating quickly, the quiver emitting a faint rustle of arrows rubbing against each other with my steps.

Before long, they once again closed the distance between us.

"Ael—Tis—Flom!"

I cast "Create Bonfire" beneath them, and magical flames erupted from the carrion worms' undersides.

A smell of charring mixed with a strange fragrance permeated the forest, as the two monsters writhed in the fire.

Thus, I continued to shoot arrows at the two carrion worms while retreating away from the anchor point, beginning a kiting strategy of sustained damage output.

During this time, I continuously cast "Create Bonfire" or used other magic scrolls to inflict more painful damage on them, slowing their advance.

Then I would run a certain distance away and continue to shoot them with arrows.

Each iron arrowhead hummed as it left the string, and the moment it pierced the carrion worm's compound eye, viscous, glowing green bodily fluid would spray onto the fir tree trunks.

In less than two minutes, these two carrion worms, larger than me, were worn down and killed.

Upon returning to the logging area, before the axe handle had even warmed in my grip, a black tide suddenly surged from the distant forest.

A large group of Mad Apess' roars converged into a sound wave, shaking fresh buds from the branches.

Vines were entangled in their decaying fur, and greenish-yellow mucus dripped from their jagged fangs.

Where the mucus dripped, the early spring wildflowers instantly withered and curled up.

At that time, I did not know that this forest was their nest, and spring happened to be their breeding season.

A dark mass in the distance, like twisted clumps of fur and flesh, surged towards me like a flowing mire.

I couldn't help but swallow, so many, almost a hundred of them.

Immediately, I also became annoyed.

What's there to fear? Last time, you almost took my life. This time, I already know your weakness: fire.

With that thought, I drew an Explosive Arrow, aiming for the center of the Mad Apes group.

Waiting for them to enter my range.

When I could clearly see their faces with their sinister smiles and their gaping, blood-red mouths stretched to their ears.

I decisively released the arrow towards the center of the Mad Apes group.

The moment the Explosive Arrow left the string, I smelled the scent of sulfur pass my nose.

When the first arrow pierced the center of the ape group, magical runes on the arrow shaft glowed with lava-like patterns—

Time seemed to freeze for half a second, then the shockwave overturned all living things within ten feet.

Under the flying sparks, charred limbs with burning fur fell like rain, finally turning into specks of black dust.

I deliberately misfired the second arrow by half a step.

The blast lifted the front-row Mad Apess into the air, their burning bodies colliding with the tree canopy, turning the tender leaves into countless falling fire butterflies.

The heat wave, carrying sparks, struck my face, yet I felt a strange tranquility amidst this hellish tableau—

More than three months of life-or-death special training had finally forged my killing instinct.

A few late-arriving Mad Apess were not affected by the previous explosion.

I put my short bow on my back and quickly pulled out another spell scroll from the leather pouch on my waist.

[Flame Arrow

Spell Level: Zero (Cantrip)

Spell School: Evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

The caster hurls a flame at a creature or object within range, making a ranged spell attack against the target.

On a hit, the target takes 1d10 fire damage.

Flammable objects not worn or carried by the target ignite if hit by this spell.

The spell's damage increases as the caster's level increases.]

This was also one of the spell scrolls I had previously generated using "Lesser Arcane Cloak."

I unrolled the scroll and chanted the incantation.

A bright red flame ignited from the edges of this spell scroll, burning the scroll to ashes in my hand.

The ashes then transformed into a ball of flame in my hand, and I forcefully hurled it at one of the Mad Apess.

"Boom..."

The Flame Arrow ignited it, and the fire, fueled by the wind, spread to a Mad Apes next to it.

On the other side, several Mad Apess were startled by the successive explosions and scattered wildly.

I chased down the ones closer to me and cast "Create Bonfire" at their feet.

A few others ran further away, and I caught up to them, dispatching them by casting "Flame Arrow" scrolls and drawing a Fire Magic Arrow from my back.

As I ran into the area where the Mad Apes group had just passed, a Mad Apes that had slipped through jumped out from behind a tree.

"Owoo..."

I could even see the parasitic worms wriggling in its gums.

Its claws were about to reach my shoulder when I dodged to the side, the wooden holy symbol on my chest scraping with a harsh sound from its claws, and putrid breath sprayed on the side of my neck.

The moment my twin blades crossed to block, the tremor from the blades made my hands numb—

These monsters were stronger than I had imagined.

"Ow..."

The Mad Apes recoiled its claws in pain.

I lunged forward, striking two blows, the blade tips cutting the Mad Apes's arm.

It retreated a few steps in fear.

"Ael—Tis—Flom!"

I cast the cantrip again, and the moment the bonfire erupted at its feet, the Mad Apes transformed into a human-shaped torch.

The surrounding grass was damp, and some small flames quickly extinguished.

Only a dead tree, affected by the fire, continued to crackle and burn.

I went back to get an axe and other tools, stepping on the still-warm scorched earth to clear the fire site.

To prevent the fire from spreading and causing a forest fire.

By the time the last flicker of flame was buried under the soil, the sun had already begun to set.

"I need to go back and cut wood quickly," I thought.

The mission countdown still had over five hours, and the shelter hadn't even begun to be built yet.