The five tribes alliance is composed of Tail Foxes, Arachnes, Blue Giants, Harpies and the Hydras.

 

Tail Foxes of the plain are intelligence oriented demons well versed in water magic, with their specialty being transformation magic, able to transform not only themselves, but most materials.

 

Arachnes of the mountain are agility type monsters specialized in stealth and assassination. Their specialty includes poison and thread manipulation.

 

Blue Giants of the ocean are, surprisingly, an intelligence-strength type. While their intelligence might seem wasted because of their inability to use magic, they more than make up for it with their ridiculous physical status.

 

Harpies of the sky are strength-agility type, the typical balanced physical fighter. While they are able to use wind magic, their lack of intelligence makes them only able to use basic spells.

 

Hydras of the earth are strength type monsters, capable of using earth magic. With earth magic specialized in defense, their already high physical abilities are further enhanced. Being able to move freely underground, they are also capable of performing surprise attacks.

 

Since their scope of activity is different, they don't really meet each other that often, but the chiefs still communicate through the communication orb that each village chief possesses, and there are occasional trades and encounters between different races.

 

While Tail Foxes and Blue Giants live in a group, with a mindset close to that of humans, Harpies are wanderers, and Arachnes/Hydras are hermits that live on their own. However, it appears that the tribal chiefs are still in good control of them.

 

It might be because I have been traveling on my own so far, I can somehow relate to Shilky, and she seems less strange than Rina in some aspects.

 

Well, if I met an Arachne without having Rina around, a fight would certainly have broken out.

 

Anyways, I noticed that I shouldn't attack any of the members of the five races if I want to stay around. I don't really want to hurt Rina's acquaintances either, so that is just fine. However, it also seems that some races near them submit to them.

 

Their relationship is a bit unclear, and while it depends on the race, they generally ask for help from the five tribes when they need it and offer various goods and services in return.

 

This is how the different races in the region associate with one another, and they even have a currency of their own to help with their trading.

 

Knowing this, there remains one problem: there have been some races other than the Five Tribe Alliance that I have hunted related to them.

 

Since I made sure that my identity won't be known, it's not going to pose a problem for now. But if I keep hunting in the vicinity, issues are going to rise eventually.

 

That's why I started going further away for hunting. Since I would like to come back for food, I can't go too far. But with my traveling speed, there are no problems for now.

 

I wonder if in the future when I have cleared out the surroundings, I will have to leave this place eventually.

 

No, it is a given that I will have to leave if that happens. Just like how I left the human village back then. After all, I at least want to have done my best even if the worst was to happen.

Today, I'm scouting in a forest midway between the Tail Fox village and the border to the beastmen's kingdom Expergis, situated in the East.

 

Trying to look for an appropriate target to hunt, I find a group of monsters.

 

They are bipedal humanoid monsters, with various appearances. Some are covered in fur, and the color and shape of their fur, ears, nose, and mouths are all diverse.

 

Are they beastmen?

 

If so, then they should be from Expergis. Here is close to the border, after all. Beastmen and demi-humans alike are considered as demons, which is a term that groups up the intelligent monsters. I have heard that they are descendants of both monsters and humans and possess the features of both of them. However, humans still consider them as demons, and it should be the consensus in this world.

 

There are roughly fifty of them, and their destination is a settlement of black bears.

 

Because such an armed group tries to enter their village, a black bear lookout who managed to spot them returns to their village to inform the tribe of the approaching danger.

 

There are only about twenty black bears in the village, but their average level is higher than the beastmen, so neither side has a definite advantage.

 

'Shall I help them?'

 

Since I saw some black bears back in the Tail Fox village, I have been avoiding them whenever I went out to hunt. However, helping them would be a different matter.

 

Not only would I have to expose myself, but it's also because the other side are beastmen. Even though they are considered as demons, they share lots of similarities with humans.

 

In fact, even if they didn't, they are still living creatures of this world, and it wouldn't make any difference.

 

In the end, I don't really have any reason to antagonize them more than the bears, except for the fact that I saw some of them in the village.

 

Because beastmen are the ones who invaded?

 

But I also invade other monsters, and I have accepted it as being the way this world is designed. It would be unreasonable for me to blame them for that.

 

To start with, I'm not even sure if I am capable of defeating the beastmen here. The strongest members of their group seem to be around the same level as myself, but that is not the biggest problem here.

 

There are two types of situations I should aim to create in order to use my abilities to the fullest.

 

First is an assassination. If I manage to land the first strike before they realize, depending on how I aim for weak points with my hardest hitting move, I can even kill my opponent in a single strike. Even without that, if I can heavily injure my opponent so their fighting abilities will be hindered, I will gain a significant advantage.

 

Second is a drawn out battle. Because I have a high mana pool and can continuously use my light magic to not only heal myself but also restore my stamina, I can keep on fighting without slowing down, until I can't handle it mentally or I run out of mana. But there is one danger to this method, and it's the fact that I can't do anything about instant death or receiving more damage than I can heal. Since my strength is low, the former is more likely.

 

The downside of it is that except for those two situations, I am rather weak. If I don't employ assassination methods, then short battles are the most common; and my abilities are not suitable for that. It might be okay if I was fighting opponents weaker than myself, but in the case where they have an equal or higher level than myself, being dragged into that kind of situation should generally be avoided.

 

And in order to get either one of the two situations to occur, there is a common requirement. It's knowledge of my opponent. I need to know their weak points and defensive abilities to perform a successful surprise attack. I need to know their skills and habits in order to drag out a battle without dying. And the biggest problem here is that I have never fought a beastman before.

 

In the end, I decide to just watch and see how it goes. Thinking about it, having a chance to watch a fight like this is valuable, and I should just enjoy the opportunity.

“General Magnus, we have almost reached the black bears den.”

 

The one at the head of the group is a sturdy looking beastman a bit smaller than 2m in height. If I have to describe his features, he looks like a wolf.

 

I remember that Expergis was founded and lead by a werewolf. It would make sense if he was also a werewolf.

 

“I see. Hellfire division, stand by. Rick, come forth.”

 

The one called Rick walks to the front of the rows. To my surprise, he doesn't have any characteristic features of a beastman.

 

Is he a human?

 

As I see it, he is quite powerful. I would say that he is at the same level as the one called Magnus. Since humans start off weak, they are generally lower leveled than demons. In fact, none of the humans I had met back in the Southern continent were nearly as powerful as him. Are all the humans living in this continent that strong? Maybe they had to become so in order to survive, since I have heard there is no human settlement here.

 

He is a black-haired man looking to be around his twenties, smaller in height than Magnus. With a muscular body, he is carrying a great sword with a confident expression.

 

“Yes, yes. No worries here.” Rick responds casually, at which Magnus frowns for a second, but returns to commanding the army.

 

As they advance in formation, they soon encounter the group of black bears who are also fully prepared to battle.

 

A black bear that is at least twice as taller than the rest, with a level befitting its size howls loudly, and all the bears start to charge towards the beastmen; he must have been the leader.

 

“Inferno division, fire!” At Magnus's command, twenty beastmen who were lined up gather their mana, and release their magic.

 

I have encountered some monsters using fire magic before, but the result here completely surpassed my expectations.

 

A combined fire magic that targets an area.

 

A sea of red flame is created where the bears are located.

 

Fire is an element most suited to offense, especially when it comes to area of effect (AOE) magic.

 

As one mage is able to scorch the whole area, by combining the power of twenty, they are able to create a death zone.

 

'It doesn't add up.'

 

Even considering that, the output is too much compared to the casters' levels.

 

Usually, there are losses when adding up power like that. The best example would be my wind magic. I can increase my speed, but the more I do, the less efficient it becomes. It should be the same. When the fire surpasses a certain limit, they should require a lot more mana in order to increase the firepower even further.

 

And the result I see doesn't match my estimations.

 

Why is that?

 

Each black bear seems to be defending itself with a barrier of earth. That would normally be effective to counter the fire, but the power is just too overwhelming. I thought their forces would be about equal at 20 vs. 50, but it seems just 20 of the beastmen are enough to overwhelm them.

 

Even so, they won't be able to defeat those bears easily. The individual levels of the casters are lower than the bears, and even though their firepower has been multiplied, the difference in level combined with their high defensive abilities, including the barrier of earth they have created, enable them to defend themselves against the scorching heat.

 

That being said, the bears won't be able to attack easily either. Besides the twenty fire mages, there are other beastmen on standby waiting for the bears to make their move. If the bears tried to attack disregarding their defense, they would get burned to a crisp.

 

As if they realize this, they are focusing on defense. They should be able to hold on for a while, but it doesn't change that their fate is sealed if they don't find an opening.

 

It is fortunate that I am able to observe this anomaly, because if I took this attack head-on miscalculating their power, then there is no way I would have survived. My resistances to fire and cold are both on the low side, and combined with my low strength, an attack of this level would be fatal.

 

I analyze their mana. Mana detection allows me to obtain information about the amount and its type. The type only tells whether it is fire, water, etc., and doesn't help with finding out how it is used, though. Since it is obvious that they are using fire magic, it isn't really helpful.

 

In the end, the only thing you can tell from the mana is how much they used. But that doesn't mean I can't find out how they are creating such an output.

 

When magic is used, mana is converted into a physical phenomenon, and that process is called magic. Naturally, the mana is consumed in the process, and I can observe how the amount changes over time.

 

Of course, I need to have knowledge about fire magic in order draw any conclusions, but fortunately, I did meet monsters using fire magic before, and I am aware of the process.

 

Creating fire using mana consists of two things. One is generating enough heat or energy to initiate the combustion, and the other is creating the material necessary to make fire. I can distinguish the two uses of mana, since if the material is created, it can also be observed.

 

With that in mind, I quickly notice one thing. The amount of heat is rather low compared to the output. It seems that the heat from different fire magic spells synergize with each other to increase the heat even further, hence it is not necessary to generate it using fire magic.

 

Some of the casters aren't even adding in heat with their magic. Their formulation itself must have been created for this particular strategy.

 

But then, won't one person be able to do the same, if he has enough mana? Sure, being able to combine the forces of twenty people without losing anything but gaining power instead is amazing. But if the gain is something one can pull off alone, then the only advantage of being in a group is the high amount of mana that can be manipulated at once.

 

Ah, I see. The way they formulate their magic without putting heat into it is a lot simpler. That way, they are able to cast their magic more efficiently.

 

On top of that, in order to effectively use the synergy method, it takes some time to initiate the process. After all, once the magic has been performed, the heat functions like on Earth, and it takes time to spread out. However, there was no window during which the heat was building up, and it would mean that they have some casters that were laying groundwork before they started. In order for it to be undetected until the actual fire magic starts, they would need to hide their flow of mana, and also take extra measures to conceal the generated heat.

 

To confirm the theory, I use the detection magic of both wind and light attributes to fully research the area. It is difficult to get a grasp of a concealment magic, not to mention the remnants of it. However, the caster's individual level is on the low side, and he had to hide his mana in all directions instead of a specific target, so it makes it easier to find it.

At the same time, I need to hide my use of magic from them as well, so I proceed carefully.

 

After a while, I find what I was looking for. Yep, I can't think of any other way, so it was true after all. However, I focus on a small discrepancy I found with wind magic during the process.

 

What is this?

 

A small perturbation of air is detected.

 

It is by no means natural.

 

However, I can't find any trace of its origin.

 

A chill runs down my spine.

 

If this is artificial, then the caster is more skilled than I am.

 

I have always fought with that possibility in mind, but I only ran into that kind of situation once, and that was a long time ago.

 

To be honest, I was becoming conceited with my ability to hide and detect.

 

I need to examine it more closely. After all, if it is a detection skill, then it would have either found me already, or won't be able to find me even if I observe it a bit more closely. Either way, I'm better off checking it out.

 

A directional distortion. Is this wind magic? I'm not too sure. I could find out if I interfered with it directly, but then I would be discovered for sure.

 

The way it is directed, as expected, is towards the battlefield. As I thought, it is a detection magic.

 

Thankfully, the caster of the spell doesn't seem to have found me yet.

 

I let out a sigh of relief. If it’s an opponent I can’t even find, then I don’t even want to think about what would happen in case he detects me.

 

With that in mind, I turn my attention back to the beastmen and the bears. There is nothing else I can do about the unknown opponent anyway.

So, what was I thinking about? That's right, the magic to prepare the field suitable for their group strategy; that is a much more complicated spell, and you need to have both the correct abilities and practice in order to pull it off. Among the 20 casters, they undoubtedly have some people assigned for the job.

 

So they are specialized in different fields, and by gathering their strength like that, they are able to perform something way out of their abilities. That is actually quite amazing.

 

It would have one critical drawback, though. Since they are specialized in that group strategy, they will be relatively weaker individually. The twenty of them are probably like a unit that always function together. No, they could also have a smaller group of 3~5 people work together with the same strategy.

 

Actually, the true strength of this method would show when they work in more numbers. It can be seen as a way for the weak ones to fight the stronger, but it is extremely efficient as they can combine the power and further enhance it. Of course, it's not like they could increase the numbers infinitely, since the efficiency of the magic will decrease as the distance increases. So with too many people, those who are too far away won't be able to contribute much.

 

How intriguing. I wonder if the same strategy can be applied with other attributes? Water for sure, with the ice magic, wind and earth? I'm not too sure.

I focus on the fight once again. What would happen next? If I was in the bears' position, then how would I react?

The bear chief that I saw earlier roars.

 

Yep, of course it would be like this. They would want to charge in and break the formation. They aren't able to hold on much longer, and running away is not an option, so that is the only way. However, only their chief seems to be capable of taking action, since the bears are bearly holding on. Oops.

 

“Futile efforts. Rick, it's your turn.”

 

And of course, they would have a countermeasure for that. I'm truly glad that I am able to observe this fight, because they are thoroughly playing into the palm of their hands. How scary.

 

“Finally, I was getting bored of all this. You better give me a good fight.”

 

Facing the black-haired warrior wielding his greatsword with a confident smile, the black bear charges in. Despite the difference in stature, Rick blocks the bear's claw that comes with powerful momentum.

 

“Aren't you being too hasty? Even if your kind is in danger, you won't be able to achieve anything this way.”

 

“Puny human, get out of the way!”

 

“Come on now, do you still think that after that exchange?”

 

Rick uses his raw strength to push back the black bear with his greatsword. Surprised, the bear chief carefully readies himself for the next exchange.

 

“I like that look better. Don't blame me if you end up dying, let's roll!”

The way Rick fights somehow reminds me of Will. It might be because he also used a greatsword, and his age was similar to Rick when I first met him. They seem to be both a balanced warrior type with a good combination of strength and agility. However, their similarities only go to this extent.

 

Not only is Rick's level much higher than Will's back then, but also I notice that their ways of fighting are different. If Will's swordsmanship was a polished technique taught by mercenaries and adventurers, Rick's is much more crude and unrefined. It is a common feature found among the monsters that fight ceaselessly, which also applies to my case.

 

However, that doesn't mean that it is weaker. After all, your level increases a lot more rapidly to compensate for the lack of finesse, and the swordsmanship honed from real combat situations are better suited in fights against monsters. In the end, since the trained skills involve practicing against other humans, the swordsmanship is naturally more fitted to fight humans or humanoid opponents. Monsters on the other hand, have different physiques, and their techniques also differ from that of humans. In the end, Rick's swordsmanship has its own advantage, which is its flexibility.

 

Since it doesn't have a specific form, it is able to swiftly adjust to any kind of situation and is able to fight against all kinds of monsters, and when combined with the high level coming from the real battles, it is in no aspect inferior.

 

As they keep fighting, the wounds on the bear increase. It is clear as day who has the advantage. However, I knew that all along. My current concern is something else.

 

'Is he holding back?'

 

He is purposefully avoiding dealing critical blows to the black bear chief. What is his purpose? As I look at his expression wondering about that, I realize it.

 

He is enjoying this.

 

I have always killed my opponent as fast as I can unless I am trying to learn something from them.

 

After all, it is how I can minimize the danger.

 

Looking at him smiling as he keeps fighting, I remember something.

 

In my previous life, I liked playing games. It wasn't only because I didn't have much else to do, but I just really enjoyed playing games back then.

 

Because my body was weak and I was never able to do anything I wanted to do, I was fascinated by how I could execute whatever I figured in a game.

 

That thought stayed when I first reincarnated in this world. Learning that I have a healthy body capable of using sword and magic, I was excited to all the possibilities that offered.

 

However, that line of thought ended when I had my first battle. The feeling of killing, it is something I still can't get used to. Well, there is no hesitation anymore, but I simply can't enjoy it.

 

After losing my family, I only thought about getting stronger. I admit that planning how I should grow and fight could sometimes be called enjoyable. However, the battles themselves were never fun. There is always danger to my life, and killing still leaves a bitter taste.

 

If it was like a game where I can revive, or if I could view monsters as mindless beings, would I be able to have fun fighting? Even though the fights in this world are much more exciting than the games I have played in my previous life, I still can't call them fun.

 

“This seems to be your limit. See you again in the afterlife.”

 

Rick raises his hand to give him the finishing blow. His expression is full of respect for the fallen enemy.

 

Can I do the same?

 

Probably not.

 

I want to watch him a bit longer.

 

Because he looked so happy, even though I know that I can’t, I also want to share that feeling.