The Team's Big Brother

As everyone watched without blinking, the water ghosts finally reached the area around the trap. The ones nearest it eagerly began fighting over the corpses on the ground.

Long, slender fingers tipped with sharp claws dug out soft, slimy chunks of bloody, rotting flesh and stuffed them into their mouths.

They ate while giving low growls, looking as though they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Gauss felt his stomach turn, especially as he recalled the overpowering stench he'd caught from afar while setting the trap. He was almost ready to throw up.

Though they bore a slight resemblance to humans, in their habits and their very nature, water ghosts and humans were completely different kinds of creatures.

Watching the water ghosts fight over corpses that smelled worse than shit as if they were delicacies, Gauss firmly refused to believe the folk tale that water ghosts came from people who had drowned.

They had to be completely unrelated.

Once the water ghosts were busy eating and had let their guard down, Meva began signaling to Gauss from the other side.

Gauss saw her gesture and immediately responded with one of his own.

They'd agreed on this beforehand. It meant they could spring the trap.

Gauss activated Mage Hand.

With a thought, an invisible ghostly hand took shape in front of him, not far away.

The Mage Hand floated several yards forward and triggered the mechanism they'd set up.

"Whoosh!"

In the next instant, a large net sprang up from the ground, cutting off the water ghosts' route back to the river.

At the same time, Meva triggered the mechanism on her side.

The riverbank was wide and open, leaving little opportunity to set traps. So Meva had prepared a fire trap, taking advantage of the water ghosts' fear of flames.

"Thwip!"

A flaming arrow landed precisely among the pine resin, dry reeds, and other flammable materials they'd soaked in Fire Oil and buried in advance.

"Boom!!!"

Almost at once, a huge Fire Tongue surged up around the arrow.

The nearest water ghosts were swallowed by the flames. They fell to the ground and writhed, letting out hoarse, agonized shrieks.

"Ah!!!"

The water ghosts beyond the flames panicked. Instinctively, they tried to flee back into the water, but their escape route was cut off.

The net wasn't especially sturdy, but it would hold them back for a few moments.

The rest of the team had been lying in wait on either side of the net.

The squad closed in from both sides, surrounding the bulk of the water ghosts.

"Don't let them get away!"

Water ghosts on land weren't particularly difficult opponents. But if they escaped back into the water and gained the advantage of their environment, they'd be much harder to deal with.

Leven, Gauss, and the others stepped out.

Take out the leader first.

Gauss saw that the water ghost leader was still barking orders and immediately swung his staff.

The magic inside him rushed into the staff.

An Azure Blue orb of energy gathered in front of him.

He fixed his attention on the leading water ghost. With a flick of his mind, Magic Missile shot forth like an arrow loosed from a bow.

"Magic Missile!"

The leader spotted the flashing light and instinctively tried to dodge.

But how could an ordinary water ghost possibly react fast enough to evade a 1st Circle Spell like Magic Missile?

"Bam!"

The Magic Missile struck its rotten, soft neck. A surge of magic followed, blasting the entire neck apart and cleanly separating its head from its body!

"Thud!"

The head hit the ground and rolled a long way.

"Water Ghost killed *1"

"Monster Kill Count: 41"

"Earned the title [Water Ghost Hunter]. This title will improve as the number of creatures of this race you kill increases!"

"Current title effect: Dancer. In combat against creatures of the water ghost race, it is easier to anticipate their next move and react in advance. Current bonus: 10%."

After killing a water ghost, Gauss unlocked his fourth entry in the Monster Codex and earned a hunter title for water ghosts.

Judging from the effect, the title improved his ability to anticipate and react in combat against water ghosts. Combined with his brain's accelerated, overclocked state, ordinary water ghosts would have a hard time landing a hit on him.

Gauss put away his staff, drew his Rapier, took up his Small Round Shield, and charged after Leven.

He'd stopped after casting just one Magic Missile because Leven had quietly told him something over dinner.

Gauss had privately asked Leven to help him create more chances to get kills that night.

Leven had agreed, and had also shared his uneasy feeling about what lay ahead.

Gauss didn't know how reliable Leven's instincts were, but out of caution, he'd saved some of his magic in case something unexpected happened.

In fact, if he hadn't thought killing the water ghost leader first would leave the rest confused and leaderless—and help them conserve their strength—he wouldn't have wanted to use even that first Magic Missile.

"Kill them all!"

Doyle charged ahead, brimming with excitement.

Gauss was just as fast.

As his brain began to speed up, the world around him slowed once more.

This time, though, it felt different. Against the water ghosts, he felt far more at ease.

It was as if he were an expert who'd spent years studying water ghosts. One glance was enough to tell him what they'd do next and how they'd react.

The Dancer effect was reassuring.

Gauss rushed up to a water ghost and raised his Small Round Shield.

The next instant, the shield was already in the path of the water ghost's claw, blocking its swipe with perfect timing.

"Thud!"

The wooden shield rang with a dull impact.

A flash of steel!

Without pausing, Gauss held off the water ghost's claws and thrust his Rapier like a striking viper, aiming straight for its heart.

The moment the blade touched its slimy gray-green skin, it pierced through as easily as a pin bursting a balloon. Its soft, weak muscles offered no resistance either, and the Rapier ran straight through its body.

The blade punched a hole through it, twisted, then pulled free.

Gauss followed through with his Small Round Shield and knocked the now-powerless water ghost away.

The whole sequence flowed seamlessly!

"Water Ghost killed *1"

"Monster Kill Count: 42"

Eight more!

"Gauss, over here!" Leven suddenly called from the distance.

Gauss looked over and saw that Leven was doing exactly as they'd planned.

He'd used his skill to knock several water ghosts flying at once, creating an opening for Gauss to finish them off.

Gauss thanked him silently, then made sure Leven's effort didn't go to waste.

He sped forward with his Rapier in hand, finishing off the water ghosts struggling to get back up from the ground one by one!

The Rapier in his hand was like the scythe of Death, reaping a water ghost's life with every flash.

"Water Ghost killed *1"

"Water Ghost killed *1"

Thrusts, slashes, shield bashes, and treacherous arrows slicing through the night—

Ambushed by traps and then deprived of their leader, the water ghosts were driven back, falling one after another beneath the team's assault.

"Monster Kill Count: 49"

With only one more kill needed, Gauss glanced around at the corpses strewn across the ground.

Only the last water ghost, the one Doyle was fighting, remained.

"Doyle, leave the last one to me!"

Gauss didn't want to save this special opportunity for his next quest, and his voice grew urgent.

Doyle had been about to rush forward and strike, but at Gauss's words, he hesitated for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he stepped back.

Without turning around, he kept his eyes on the water ghost and waved to Gauss, indicating that he was giving up his opponent.

What could he do? Gauss was the team's big brother now.

The stronger side had the upper hand, and even the proud Doyle had no choice but to yield.

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