Colin and Kase said nothing. They sat on the edge of the bed, grabbed the bread and cheese from the plate, and stuffed it into their mouths.

They had been reluctant to eat the ration packs Edwin had given them, and now they were starving.

"That noble kid from earlier is no big deal," Bob said, leaning in and lowering his voice. "The Stone Family is just a minor Knight Clan from the north. I heard they already sold their manor to their liege lord to pay off debts. I guess that guy was forced to become an Adventurer to make some money."

Colin swallowed the hard, scratchy bread. "I have no interest in picking a fight with him, either."

"There’s no need to clash with someone like that, but he’s probably a good fighter. After all, the northern Knight Clans still hold to their old martial traditions."

No sooner had he spoken than a commotion erupted outside the window.

Words like "monsters" and "attack" squeezed through the cracks in the window frame.

Bob silently stood and bolted the window shut.

He looked at the other two in the room. "All right, lads. Time to earn your keep."

The two of them took two huge bites of bread and washed it down with a gulp of water.

They tossed their unnecessary baggage in the room and rushed out the door.

"Attack! Get up, you short-lived fools!" the Elf yelled at the top of his lungs. Adventurers who hadn’t even had a chance to sleep yet began emerging from the tavern and their assigned rooms, gathering in the village’s small square.

Colin kept pace, joining the others as they assembled.

Someone shouted from a distance, "Where are the enemies?"

"They’re on the road, be here in about half an hour. If you don’t believe me, you can go back to sleep with your ass in the air," the Elf retorted irritably.

The man who had shouted didn’t reply, simply leading his companions quickly into the square in silence.

’Scouting half an hour in advance?’ Colin thought. ’It’s a real blessing to have a competent Scout on the team.’

The other members of the Gray Squad also made their way to the square.

The four of them conferred for a moment. The sturdy man and the Elf took half of the Adventurers and left, while Colin followed the rest to the other gate of Silverpine Village.

"All ranged fighters, over here!" the Halfling yelled.

A few men clutching Short Bows moved closer.

The Halfling glanced at the hesitant Kase and Colin and yelled, "I remember you two. One of you knows Magic, and the other’s good with a Catapult. Get over here! We’ll need you to help us deal with the Druids later."

Colin tugged at Kase, who was reluctantly trying to hide, and they went to stand with the other archers.

The group climbed a ladder onto the roof of a thatched hut.

The view from here was good. They could see the entire entrance and part of the area beyond the wooden wall. They also hauled up a few wooden planks to use as temporary cover.

The wooden walls of a small village like this weren’t wide enough to stand on, and there were no watchtowers, so this was the only place for them.

The rest of the Adventurers stood in a disorganized group at the village gate.

Since Adventurers aren’t an army, they wielded all sorts of weapons, and there was little coordination among them. Most just stood around, waiting to face the impending attack.

There was still some time before the enemy would arrive.

Torches around the wooden wall were lit, providing illumination.

Everyone stood their ground, staying vigilant while making occasional small talk.

"How much good is a mob like this going to do?" the Halfling complained, toying with the Dagger in his hand.

"Even in normal times, only about three in ten Adventurers are actual professionals," the Mage said, flipping through a small notebook. "And that’s not even counting all the refugees who’ve joined their ranks now."

With that, he squatted down and began chanting a Spell in a low voice.

At the same time, he extended his right hand, tracing a Magic Rune in the air stroke by stroke. The small notebook in his other hand began to emit a faint blue glow.

Colin watched the Mage’s every move with curiosity.

The seconds ticked by.

At some point, despite the lack of wind, the trees around the village began to rustle. Countless shadowy figures scurried across the ground.

"They’re here!" the Halfling at his side shouted.

He gave a lazy stretch and produced a Hand Crossbow from somewhere.

The Mage finally opened his eyes. His once-brown irises now emitted a faint, light-blue glow.

Just then, the flickering Torchlight illuminated the approaching monsters.

The first to appear were the small ones with sharp talons that had attacked Colin before. They were the most numerous, but mixed in among them were monsters roughly the size of a human.

Without exception, these man-sized monsters were hunchbacked, their bodies covered in spines as long as Daggers.

Now, Colin knew the name for these monsters—Blights.

And "Blight" was just the general term for these creatures.

The small ones were Twig Blights, and the spiky ones were Needle Blights.

According to the Dwarves, they were born from a wooden stake used to impale a Vampire, cultivated by one of the Fallen Druids. These things were also used as weapons by many Druids who felt the world was becoming too urbanized, a way to ensure they could reclaim more space for Nature.

With just a few Blight seeds, vast swathes of forest could be slowly corrupted, creating horrifying numbers of Blights in an incredibly short amount of time.

Colin looked out at the hundreds of monsters swarming outside the village wall.

To create monsters on this scale, the infiltration by the Frostland Druids was clearly no spur-of-the-moment decision.

These recollections flashed through his mind in an instant.

Colin quickly focused on his Casting. His companions sprang into action, drawing bows and nocking arrows to aim at their respective targets.

With a swing of his arm, a Flaming Arrow shot forth.

The monster it hit leaped about, engulfed in flames and howling in agony.

That ball of Flame was like a starting gun. Arrows and stones flew from all around, landing amidst the horde of monsters.

The Mage hurled a ball of flame of his own and asked casually, "Which Magic Academy did you graduate from?"

"I’m self-taught," Colin replied, launching another Flame.

"Ah, no wonder," the Mage rambled on. "The practical type, are you? Your Casting Speed and stability are much better than those apprentices who just bury their noses in books at the academy. Not every Mage can cast spells while wearing a Chain Armor Shirt..."

The Halfling, having just fired a Crossbow Arrow, muttered, "If you turned all those words into a Spell, you could’ve killed several more Blights."

The Mage swore a few times under his breath and said no more.

Colin, who had indeed found the man a bit chatty, felt himself relax. Casting was a delicate task that required concentration.

In the darkness, Colin dimly saw several Needle Blights suddenly halt.

As he ducked behind their cover, he, Kase, the Halfling, and the Mage all shouted in unison, "Get down!"

As Kase ducked, he also shoved a few of the slower-reacting archers down behind the planks.

THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!

Peeking out from behind the plank, Colin saw several sharp wooden spines that had sprouted from the board in front of them, like a crop of deadly bamboo shoots.

’It feels like a small-scale war,’ he thought.

As he had that thought, Colin continued his Casting, taking every opportunity to return fire, viciously blasting the monsters hiding in the darkness with his Flames.