Vadim Igorson; the Society Master of the Mercenary Hall, the Sunkissed Dwarf, Leon's Guardian, and an avid monster hunter; was putting his heart and soul into dealing with an astonishing number of Red-eye Centipedes.

A Centipede Stampede is the phrase to describe this… Maybe.

Vadim handled the swarm on his own using nothing but cunning and tact. The Red-eye Centipedes are horrible creatures that expand almost endlessly if left unchecked and would climb from the underground to the surface to attack whatever dwells up there. The Dwarves were very familiar with these bugs as they live underground thus it is considered to be part of the subterranean fauna.

Regardless, the way Vadim handled these bugs was admirable. They normally move in swarms underground and damage the land severely by just like ants, they follow a trail of chemicals left by those who walk ahead to assert a trail for the group. What Vadim did was to figure out the location of the actual swarm, get to its front and try to guide it with Earth Magic.

Some would say that simply attacking these subterranean creatures by trying to trap them with Earth Magic would be effective but that is far from the truth. The Red-eye Centipedes can use Earth Magic maybe way better than anything else, so hindering them with Earth is a waste of time.

Guiding them is another story altogether.

Vadim started to carve a trail for the centipedes in the front slowly so they could follow it without detecting him and thus he started leading the swarm into the place he prepared.

This continued until he trapped the centipedes into a stream that kept going around itself in circles with no front or end. He carved a path for them and slowly forced them through it in a swarm behavior that appears usually with the ants. It is known as the Death Spiral or more commonly as the Ant Mill.

While the ants normally die from exhaustion in their ant mills, the centipedes have a better chance to escape the mill provided they start finding traces of their hormones out of it.

Meanwhile, some people were looking from a fair distance at the performance of the Society Master and seemed in mind to take a closer look. They stood over a higher land level overlooking the valley where Vadim was using his magic.

"This is admirable! A Mercenary with both the understanding and the ability can achieve a lot." One of the ladies said joining her hand together as her words fell on the Prince's ears.

"Keep your wits about you. I can sense more of those bugs underground and it seems that the Dwarf is trying to gather all of them one place at once." A Knight blocked the path of the students before they walk further into the valley.

Yet amidst all the students, one didn't seem to care about the warning and walked down with a small group of female students following him.

"Your Highness, let's not interfere with the Mercenaries' business." The knight implored the Prince who was at the lead of that group.

The Prince didn't reply except with a look of disinterest towards the Knight as the girls next to him started yapping.

"Hmph! Society Master or not, that down there is a whole lot of bugs."

"His Highness is one of the few that can use Fire Magic which instantly kills those things."

"Yes, and these are a lot of bugs. Some of them will spread around and we will manage to gain some decent experience."

The girls did talk but Prince Edward was actually narrowing his eyes in the direction of Vadim. He knows him, that infamous Dwarf. On top of that, there is something those girls around him failed to remember.

"Every Dwarf has inborn Proficiency in both Earth and Fire." The Prince merely commented.

"…"

That particular girl who was all out about him being some insane pyromancer had to stop talking as she realized how idiotic she was just now. Dwarves are known as the masters of both Earth and Fire Magic, it is an inborn gift within them and part of their racial proficiency, something that the humans surely lack.

In his desire to witness the Fire Magic as it is used by a talented dwarf, the Prince walked down the valley to get a better sight of the dwarf despite the nagging of his knights. In the end, he still walked down and was followed by the five girls and some of the knights but as they were within a hundred meters from the dwarf, a few figures appeared in front of them from the bushes.

"Halt!"

A feminine voice spoke as a tan-skinned girl put ahead her shield and aimed at the knights with her spear. Her actions were an insult to them but she seemed not to care.

"What are the Knights doing here?" She asked.

"Something wrong?" Prince Edward raised his hand for his knights to halt.

"Wrong? Those people walk like elephants! They will alert the centipedes!" She spoke in a low tone to signal them not to make noises as she lowered her spear.

"The centipedes are deaf!" One of the knights laughed as he looked at his colleagues.

"And blind too." The female mercenary replied, "But how do you think they sense around?"

"…" A knight wouldn't normally stand silent in the presence of a mercenary but a certain prince was glaring with the edge of his eye at the knight who just laughed causing the man to freeze in fear.

"How do they sense around?" As he cut his glare at the knight, the prince asked the mercenary.

"They sense vibrations." She replied, "Footsteps, sounds… even breathing."

The Prince nodded.

"I apologize." He said with a bright smile, "We will keep quiet."

"Thank you, milord… and sorry about earlier."

"It's all good." Edward smiled vividly as his handsome face and bright teeth gave him extra glamor, "Didn't catch your name."

The female mercenary felt embarrassed yet compiled to reply but she was still awkward as her colleagues around her were not to her feminine side and might ridicule her.

"It is Pearl, milord."

"And precious as one."

His smooth reply made the girl break into a smile as she liked the compliment but in the end, she had to put on a hard face.

"Ah! He's doing it again!"

"Hitting on another girl already?"

"Probably because she's tall and older than us."

"His Highness likes older women?"

As the girls chartered quietly behind him, Pearl spoke to the Prince.

"Milord, if you wish to join the hunt, make sure to stand back and prepare."

"What are we waiting for?" He asked.

"When Boss Vadim gives the signal, we will all strike! Please keep your guard up until then." Pearl replied and guided the Prince to a stalking spot away from the senses of the centipedes.

She obviously didn't figure out he is the prince on her own and didn't dare to ask for his identity since he wasn't going around swinging his name around like most members of the second estate. He simply crouched down on the ground beside her and the stalking began.

"May I ask a question?" Before the Prince would initiate a conversation with the female mercenary, Nora Frye, who was following him around with his team, spoke first.

"Yes?" Pearl looked towards her.

"I heard that our Academy's headmistress is overseeing the mercenaries operation of the mercenaries taking care of the centipedes." Nora said in an inquisitive tone.

"Wh- Why would someone of such high status oversee us?" Pearl replied with a puzzled look.

"She is not here?" The Prince asked.

"No, milord."

"She is not in the Academy Camp either." Nora added as if she is not interested anymore, "I wonder."

Her question may seem harmless since she was asking about one of the powerful figures who is guarding the students. Still, the fact that Eleanor is in neither places where she is supposed to be was alarming for some.

"Here it is."

But this and that aside for now since Vadim started to move.

Since the beginning, his hand movement was all about casting Earth Magic. He didn't move his feet and remained still but his arms were waving together freely as those who manipulate the air. This technique gave him special access to the fine particles of the earth which is sand.

By solidifying the sand, he created a path even the burrowing bugs can't penetrate and skillfully gathered as much as he can and then…

On the other side of the Prince's party sat a different team of mercenaries silent and ready in formation with many other teams.

Leon was there. He was sitting, waiting, frowning, but most likely keeping to himself.

The alertness level in his head was screaming with every whiff of air as used the spell [Air Magic - Aero Detection] to check whatever was around him thoroughly and kept counting and calculating. He was not with his team of mercenaries but rather joined the ones who accompanied Vadim.

Despite the fact that he saw everything and he could utilize the spell [Knowledge Magic - Read], he was unable to understand Vadim's magic.

It was Earth alright, but it had more to it. Something he didn't fully understand.

This neither came from his knowledge of the Arcane Theory or his Read spell but he put facts and logic together and wondered what sort of Magic would put those Beasts to such a harmony of death. Charming a creature to walk into a trap is surely something grand yet so hidden that his almighty Knowledge Magic is unable to spot it.

Maybe after this is done, he can ask Vadim a few questions and use the bond between him and the former Leon to get something useful.

But that wasn't the time of such thoughts, the
Centipede Stampede has grown enough for a mass kill move.

What will it be?

Leon wondered on a side, Prince Edward carried the same look of anticipation on the other side and it happened.

The Dwarf opened up a flask, drank its content, and breathed it out. So Fire appeared and he was breathing it like a Dragon.

Fire Breath! A technique from the apex of fire manipulation. In terms of intensity and power, it is a whole different league to everything known to man.

It tore through the Red-eye Centipedes and annihilated them on a scale that is akin to the destruction of the molecule structure.

Call it whatever you call it but the Fire was not just any normal fire. A normal fire is practically the weakest element since Earth, Water and Air can just turn it off but this Fire was eating away whatever it touches as if it was packed with explosive power in its wake.

"Holy shit!"

Leon cursed in his mind and waited until the spectacle was over still opening his mouth in awe of the feat Vadim displayed.

But it was almost the time.

The reason why Vadim gathered many Mercenaries here is not to secure the place but for a very different reason altogether.

Not all the centipedes will die, the lucky ones and the ones that didn't join the trap will be almost 10% of the total targets but they will panic and run from the fire.

And they ran.

"NOW!"

Pearl shouted as she charged ahead with her team ahead with many other teams forming a barrier against the centipedes and that started crashing away.

This undergoing kind of Centipedes has small legs thus its mobility above the ground was terrible especially with fire scaring them.

"SPEARS!"

And an array of spears started shredding the beasts on a rapid scale but there were struggles and lots of danger.

"Claim and Burst! Fireball!"

In an attempt to take a big chunk of the Centipedes, Prince Edward took a vantage point and cast one of the strongest spells he knows.

*Kaboom!"

Fireball, a universally famous spell for destruction. As it lands, it explodes and devastates its target(s).

"Good job, milord. One more time." Pearl shouted to encourage Prince Edward who took down a big chunk of the burden by himself.

"I can't, I need to charge for another half minute." He said.

"Will cover you!"

As he started to gather more Fire Mana, he started to scan the centipedes to where to hit next. Five more Fireballs over the span of 3 minutes will completely fix the situation but…

Half a minute was all that another someone wanted.

*Crackle* *Crackle* *Crackle* *Crackle* *Crackle*

*SPREAD FIRE*

*SCREECH!*

Just like that, the monsters were all lit on fire in one go and a man jumped over the barricade of Mercenaries with a longsword in hand and a spear in the other. His face was covered by a helm but he was on the smaller side compared to a regular mercenary.

A burning centipede twirled its body from the pain of burning and almost collided against him but the tip of his spear found itself in its head barely penetrating the exoskeleton but the sword strike that followed split the centipede's head open.

It didn't stop here. The swordplay of this lone wolf was so superb that it made cutting the burning centipedes as if cutting butter with a hot.

Leon's spear performance was poor since he never really learned how to use one before so he used it to pin the enemies and with his [Blade Technique Lv.6] guaranteed him a perfect and natural style of swordsmanship he never really used before with a longsword.

Still, when his spear's shaft broke, he held the sword by two hands and started cutting around the centipedes like a maniac.

And it was then when he decided to go a little bit all out.

"Wind Reinforcement! Wind Blade!"

And as he started using the wind on his weapon and all of a sudden, the Fire Mana and the Wind Mana reacted together in a cyclone of flame dancing around his sword.

"Hya!" And with a final strike, he took down one of the Centipedes in a half.

His style and movement attracted attention from all the surroundings. When he cut a whole centipede horizontally with one strike, his power exploded in an instant.

The last centipedes attacked him from the back thus he formed the earth around it to keep it in check before ceremonially taking its head with a single swoop before it would potentially escape.

Simultaneously, Prince Edward killed the last one on his side with his bow and started towards those strong mercenaries. No matter what, he didn't like their existence one bit.

< LEVEL UP! >

< [Polearm Technique Lv.1] was added to your Status >

< [Throwing Technique Lv.1] was added to your Status >

< [Fire Resistance] Level Up (1 → 2) >

< [Enhanced Mana Sense] Level Up (1 → 2) >

< [Enhanced Stamina] Level Up (1 → 3) >