The moment I joined the front lines, a sea breeze—thick with the stench of blood and brine—slapped my cheek.
The heads of deep-sea agwi writhing atop the sand were thrashing mere inches from my face, whipping their tentacles about.
Blood from the soldier they had just devoured dripped in thick drops from between their teeth.
"Ranged support, move to the rear! Archers, stone-throwers, behind the front lines!"
An NCO at the rear of the formation screamed himself hoarse.
*It made sense for me to head to the rear, too, but...*
I hesitated, staff in hand.
No matter how I looked at it, if the front lines broke, the rear wouldn't matter—we'd all be finished.
Sailleon was also stealing glances, gauging my reaction.
A strange sense of solidarity was plastered across his face—one that said, "Let's get out of here together."
"Ribeu, isn't the rear where you belong?"
I pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"That's true, but we're in the same party, so..."
"Don't worry about that. Go and hold your position."
Baldik simply raised his shield and shoved me aside with his shoulder.
"Th-then I'll go to the rear too—"
"Not you. We're short on front-liners. You learned close-quarters combat too, didn't you?"
"No!!"
Sailleon's scream was swallowed by the sea wind.
In the end, Baldik grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away.
Even Ranseun and Hain, both non-combatants, had to go to the front lines.
I turned back, catching my breath for a moment, and surveyed the battlefield.
As Baldik had said, our forces were far too few.
Even if this was a border region, defending the coast with such meager strength was absurd.
*Strange... Did they leave this place empty on purpose?*
When I approached the NCO, he regarded me with a pleased expression and asked,
"Are you an archer, by any chance?"
"No, sir."
His face visibly fell in an instant.
But soon, he spotted the staff peeking slightly out from between the folds of my robe, and his eyes lit up.
He looked me up and down for a moment, then cautiously asked,
"Don't tell me... you're a mage?"
I gave a brief nod.
The NCO's expression changed in an instant.
Just moments before, his face had been etched with exhaustion. Now, his eyes glittered as though he'd discovered an oasis in a desert.
"A mage, in a place like this... It's an honor."
He bowed his head slightly as though addressing a nobleman, then immediately surveyed the surroundings.
Then he guided me to the tallest ladder-style watchtower in the rear.
"From here, you'll have a clear view of the beach. Please strike immediately if the enemies mass against our front line. Can you do it?"
I took a breath in the wind—thick with the smell of seawater and blood—and answered,
"It's possible, but... with water, I can use much stronger magic."
"Haha, we're in the middle of the sea. It doesn't get better than this."
"Hmm..."
I narrowed my eyes, gazing down at the sea from the watchtower.
Too far. The visibility was good, but the distance made it too difficult to pull seawater up directly.
"Could you bring me water in something like a bathtub?"
"Pardon?"
The NCO's expression froze.
A mage asking for a bathtub in the middle of a tense battlefield—he seemed unable to process my words for a moment.
And really, I couldn't blame him.
"You don't need to bring it all the way up here. Just leave it at the bottom of the ladder. I can draw it up from there."
"Ah... yes, understood. I'll bring some soldiers with me."
He nodded and hurriedly turned toward the rear.
Then he bellowed at a signal soldier:
"All spare soldiers, assemble! These deep-sea bastards' luck has run out! A mage is providing support!"
At his cry, the surrounding soldiers stirred.
From below the watchtower and from behind the front lines, I could feel eyes turning to look this way.
I straightened my staff and looked down at the sea.
Grotesquely bloated deep-sea agwi were climbing ashore, cutting through the waves.
Their skin was tangled with coral and seashells like armor, and their tentacles whipped about in all directions.
*Good... Time to show them something spectacular today.*
Before long, two soldiers came grunting and pushing a large wooden bathtub from either side.
Seawater sloshed and splashed inside it.
From atop the watchtower, I gauged the distance; the moment the tub entered my range, I raised my hand and stopped the soldiers.
"That's the spot. Thank you for your effort."
As the soldiers set down the tub, panting, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
The brine and reek of blood permeating the air swept through my lungs.
Mana slowly welled up from my fingertips.
And as though reacting to that energy, the water in the tub trembled slightly, then surged in an instant.
*FWOOOOSH!*
A massive column of water shot up from the bathtub.
The column rising from the tub traced a strange curve, as though a waterfall were flowing in reverse, soaring into the sky.
"Wh-whoa?"
"It-it's magic!"
The soldiers watching from the side swallowed their breath and murmured in an uproar.
I coiled the column of water into a sphere midair, compressing it tighter and tighter.
My condition was peak, and my mana was full.
There was no better environment to push myself to the limit.
Two blue spheres, far larger than a human head, began to vibrate heavily in the air.
They swelled taut, as though droplets might burst, and traces of mana like wave patterns rippled across their surfaces.
*Just a little more... Hold together.*
I had already surpassed my limits, but today, the spheres did not collapse.
Finally, the giant spheres were complete—each approaching the size of my upper body, barely small enough to wrap my arms around.
I clenched my teeth and shouted,
"Tell everyone to pull back from the front line! I'm firing from the rear!"
A soldier who had been watching the spectacle below practically tumbled into a run, sprinting toward the front line.
After he whispered urgently to the NCO, the officer looked up at my watchtower, eyes wide.
"Front line, retreat! Everyone fall back!"
At his roar, the soldiers quickly reformed their ranks and fell back.
In the space that emptied in an instant, the monsters faltered, waving their tentacles about in confusion.
Then, as if bewildered, they slowly crept toward us.
But it was already too late.
[Water Bomb]
*SHWAAAAH!*
The massive spheres swelled as if to burst and fell.
At the sharp whistling sound cutting through the air, some of the monsters flinched instinctively.
*KABOOOM!*
At the point where the first sphere exploded, seawater and sand erupted like a storm.
Tentacles were severed and scattered through the air, and the coral shells that had been as hard as armor fragmented into shrapnel.
Six of them alone were tangled together, screaming as they were blown off the beach.
*KWA-BOOOOM!*
Soon after, the second explosion detonated.
Moisture, debris, and pieces of deep-sea agwi flesh poured down like a heavy rain.
The three in the center had their upper bodies blown clean off, and even the ones around them rolled across the sand with severed tentacles and fins.
The center of the encirclement was emptied by the azure bombardment, and over ten monster corpses already lay strewn across the beach.
The seawater was dyed thickly black-red, and the stench of blood mixed with the waves reached even the watchtower.
Only about twenty monsters remained.
"Long live the mage!"
"They're breaking! Push!"
The soldiers' cheers spread like waves, but I didn't even have the luxury to listen to their roars.
"Haa... haa..."
My breath came ragged, rising all the way to my throat, and my vision subtly swayed.
My head buzzed as though a bell had been rung, and cold sweat trickled down my spine.
*Even if I had some leeway... this was too much.*
My mana itself hadn't bottomed out yet.
But this compression method had been like forcibly cramming more than my body could contain into a vessel.
An overload akin to running until my heart was on the verge of stopping.
I felt it in my bones—I definitely shouldn't push my power this far next time.
Even so, the results were undeniable.
The center of the beach had completely collapsed, and the remains of the monsters swept out by the waves floated atop the seawater.
*Good... With this, I've seized the initiative.*
Leaning on my staff, I slowly regulated my breathing.
The battle wasn't over yet, but its direction already seemed decided.
***
That fiercely fought battle came to a more hollow end than expected.
All that lay strewn across the sand were torn dead deep-sea agwi, broken spears, and blood-stained armor.
The remaining creatures ultimately failed to break our front lines, and vanished into the sea, waving their tentacles.
The NCO muttered, catching his breath.
"Damn it... We could've gotten them."
Several soldiers ran to the shore and hurled their spears, but it was already too late.
Only the blood spreading across the water's surface remained in place of their trail.
Leaning on my staff, I cast my gaze beyond the waves.
*That wasn't just a random hunt for prey.*
Their retreat was orderly, as though they had moved under someone's command.
Until the last tentacle disappeared beneath the waves, that strange sense of unease did not vanish.
"Good work."
"Ah, yes."
Long after the deep-sea agwi had disappeared into the ocean, I continued to gaze at the waves.
In the meantime, the NCO strode up the watchtower and greeted me.
"Thanks to you, we were able to hold them back."
"No, it was all thanks to the soldiers' hard work."
I said that, but honestly, by kill count, I might have been the highest.
But it had only been possible because the soldiers held the front line to the end; that credit couldn't be denied.
"I heard my superior spoke of compensation. You'll probably receive a bit more than the promised amount."
"Ah, really?"
Well, the contract had been signed without knowing I was a mage, so that was only natural.
The NCO's attitude toward me had clearly changed, and his eyes held the unmistakable bearing of one treating a distinguished guest.
"With power like yours, word will spread soon even on Keuronseom."
"Haha."
I forced a smile at his words, but one thought kept circling in my mind.
*It's hard to believe this was a simple raid... something's off.*
"Has this happened often?"
"No, there have been similar cases a few times, but this is the first time they've attacked on such a large scale."
"Then... was that earthquake earlier related?"
"The earthquakes aren't new. However, we too suspect they may be the cause of this situation."
As I thought, there had been earthquakes before.
"If there was such a precedent, shouldn't you have reinforced your troops?"
"Haha, we'd love to. But since this is a border region... differences in troop numbers quickly become sensitive issues between nations. We can't increase our numbers arbitrarily."
Ah, politics...
I understood what he meant, yet the irony made me tilt my head.
Lives were hanging in the balance, yet layered on top of that were complex diplomacy and the balance of power.
"You've got it rough."
"I'm grateful you see it that way."
After the brief conversation, we descended the watchtower together.
"So the checkpoint will resume immediately?"
"Hmm... probably not right away. There's the aftermath to deal with, and things have become rather complicated in many ways."
A shadow briefly crossed his expression.
*A lot of soldiers died.*
This man who had been smiling before me just moments ago had likely lost subordinates he'd been laughing and talking with only hours before.
That he was still treating me with respect seemed almost strange.
"I would love to let you pass through immediately... but unfortunately, kingdom law prevents it."
"That sentiment alone is enough."
Just then, a soldier approached and pressed his mouth to the NCO's ear.
As he listened to the whisper, the blood drained from his face in an instant.
"...An urgent matter has come up, so I must take my leave. Thank you again for today."
"Ah, yes. Go ahead."
He bowed his head briefly, then hurried away with the soldier, disappearing beyond the checkpoint.
*What is it?*
Just moments ago he had been visibly relieved. For him to scrunch up his face and run off like that...
There was no doubt—more bad news had arrived.
Fresh misfortune striking right after battle—truly a terrible day.
As I descended from the watchtower and started toward the checkpoint, a familiar voice rang out from afar.
"Boss!"
Along with the shout, Sailleon raised his hand high and waved it.
Beside him, Baldik was blankly dusting off his sand-covered armor, while Ranseun was still catching his breath, leaning on the tip of his spear.
"Still alive, I see."
"What about you? From up there, it looked like... you were making quite the racket."
Sailleon grinned as he asked, but the exhaustion in his smile was palpable.
As I drew closer, I saw armor stained from battle, scratch marks, and dried bloodstains.
"It was pretty rough over here, but thanks to Baldik, we managed to hold out to the end."
Ranseun said calmly.
So that was why Baldik had looked so haggard.
At those words, Sailleon glanced sideways and playfully added,
"Right. After you dropped that huge blast from the back, those bastards turned tail and ran. Everyone's jaws dropped so hard they couldn't fight for a while."
"Stop exaggerating."
I waved my hand off and looked them over.
Fortunately, none of the three had serious injuries—their faces were simply etched with exhaustion and tension.
"The checkpoint will be closed for the time being. We should just stay here tonight."
"Fine by me. Honestly, if you told me to get on another boat today, I'd just collapse right here."
Sailleon shrugged as if shaking off a chill.
"...I agree......"
Listening to Baldik's dying voice, I slowly began walking toward the village, leaving behind the beach where the echoes of battle still lingered.