Chapter 276

Chapter 279: Quantity is Meaningless Before a Mage! (Please Subscribe!)

The sun was high in the sky.

The blazing sun hung directly above, illuminating the bustling and crowded East Main Street with its lively atmosphere.

However, at this moment, the air on the main street was tense enough to make breathing difficult.

“Ruguguuuh…!”

Under the intense sunlight, amidst the vibrant flags fluttering in the wind, there was an anomaly that seemed out of place.

The surrounding residents appropriately let out screams of terror or were too shocked to speak.

Even though they lived in the Labyrinth City of Orario, monsters were still a distant concept to them.

Watching performances like the Monster Festival hosted by Ganesha’s Familial Group couldn’t fully bridge that gap.

For most people, experiencing a monster’s rampage up close for the first time led to panic and chaos as they fled.

Unbeknownst to them, the monster (Sword-horned Deer) paid no attention to them, only looking around as if searching for something, excitedly pushing aside and trampling obstacles while roughly wandering nearby.

But in the next instant… a sudden change occurred. In that moment, something darted through their field of vision.

Most civilians hadn’t even noticed the change when a thunderous explosion rang out in their ears.

Piercing!

A golden and silver light streaked across the street, landing like cannonballs and instantly annihilating the Sword-horned Deer running down the middle of the street from afar.

Adventurers who had just realized they needed to deal with the monster froze, and citizens who hadn’t managed to escape were startled into trembling shoulders by the explosive sound.

Amidst the burst of dust that crushed the paving stones without intent, Izay slightly shrugged.

He wasn’t going to pay for it; clearly, the floor was too fragile and broke on its own. (Floor: You’re lying! Not even a monster could harm me!)

Ignoring the audience’s inner monologue, Izay quickly turned his body and followed the magical indication toward the location of the next monster.

“—Gah!?”

Racing around the street corner, Izay almost simultaneously met face-to-face with a monster called “Troll.”

—Instant kill.

The moment it appeared, Izay pinned it against the wall, his righteous spear tip piercing through it along with its Magic Stone, turning it into a pile of dust.

“Rumble rumble rumble…”

At that moment, a sudden tremor ran beneath Izay’s feet.

The ground shook several times, not enough to lose balance, but the surrounding area was indeed trembling slightly.

It was like the continuous aftershocks after a major earthquake.

Weak yet dangerous.

“Let’s move to a less populated area; it seems something unpleasant has taken notice of me…”

Izay received feedback from the ‘Zodiac Disk,’ allowing him to perceive things others couldn’t.

Generally speaking, the ‘Zodiac Disk’ perception magic captures ‘people’ or ‘objects’ around the flat surface.

That’s because Izay spreads the Zodiac Mark along the ground.

But it isn’t incapable of detecting underground or aerial targets—it depends on how it’s applied.

Like now.

Izay allowed his mana to seep into the bricks, soil, and rock pillars beneath, and a complex maze akin to a Dungeon materialized in his mind.

It was Orario’s urban sewer system.

With the prevalence of Magic Stones in Orario, the city had nearly replicated a full electrical appliance system. Naturally, there was no lack of tap water. And logically, sewers existed too.

Household wastewater eventually drained into a vast network of sewers beneath the city, covering the entire underground area of Orario. Dense Magic Stone purification devices were also installed throughout.

Or, put simply, water purifiers—purification columns arranged like fences purified the wastewater flowing through, converting it into clean drinking water.

This intricate web of purification columns and winding waterways created the perfect hidden zone. Even the Guild Headquarters couldn’t fully grasp the current situation within.

If someone wanted to hide something illicit here, it would be exceptionally convenient!

The tremors underfoot were the best example.

Understanding what that thing was, Izay immediately headed towards a sparsely populated area.

While fleeing, he defeated another monster rampaging through the streets and arrived in a less crowded alleyway.

The shaking sensation following his movements grew stronger, even making the buildings groan.

When that vibration reached its peak,

“Boom—!”

A large amount of dust erupted from a corner of the alley. A long, snake-like monster never seen before emerged, digging through and destroying the stone slabs from below.

The monster continued to cause vibrations, emerging from the dust and writhing its serpentine body in defiance.

Its entire body was covered in yellow-green scales resembling snake scales. Its shape was extremely elongated, describable only as a “line.”

At the top was a seed-like swollen bud, and there were no visible organs like a mouth or eyes, making it hard to determine if it even had a head.

Despite its unique appearance and unfamiliar traits, it bore similarities to the new species encountered during the expedition.

“Man-eating flowers? Specifically targeting me? Giving me so much face!?”

After observing the first one with his naked eye, several more of these “snake”-shaped monsters burst out of the ground. They kept coming in endless waves! And more lay in wait underground.

The quantity of monsters was something Izay had stopped caring about ever since becoming an adventurer.

Quantity means nothing before a mage!

However, having a clear understanding of their true nature, Izay wouldn’t hastily label them as monsters.

Look at these creatures whose appearances resemble “snakes,” behaving exactly like “snakes”… They’re clearly man-eating flowers!!

Facing off against potential Level 5 and above abilities, Izay thought to himself.

With a smirk of disdain on his face, he charged forward with his righteous spear, showing absolutely no fear despite being outnumbered.

First, he fired a reinforced magic bullet as a sign of respect!

“—‘Blessing·Starfall’!!”

“BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!”

An azure blue light exploded.

The overwhelming magical brilliance engulfed the entire alley, with Starflame roaring and sweeping everywhere.

Yet, it caused minimal damage to the surrounding buildings, at most charring them black.

Consciously controlling the aftermath of the battle, Izay restricted most of the magic’s power to the center of the explosion, directing any excess force skyward.

Under the encircling azure Starflame, the sky above this area erupted in flames of light.