Kai stepped in front of them, intercepting the first attack. A deflection spell shimmered across her sword.

The moment the stone monster’s strike collided with her blade, the force rebounded into it, sending the creature stumbling backward and crashing into its partner, knocking both of them out of formation.

One was even hurled from the train.

With the pair separated, dealing with the remaining monster became much easier. Kai surged forward and brought her sword down in a clean vertical arc, severing the female stone monster’s neck.

A heart-wrenching cry echoed from outside as the male monster sensed its partner’s death.

While Kai kept the enraged creature occupied, Selena reached into her pocket and withdrew a small pouch.

A pungent odor escaped the moment she opened it. Inside lay five or six dark tree roots. She selected one and closed her eyes.

Not every mage could cast spells as effortlessly as Rhys.

Most required complete focus to construct a spell’s framework. A single mistake could trigger a backlash.

"Root of Despair," Selena murmured.

Several seconds later, green light flowed from her hands into the root.

The root trembled.

Then countless roots as thick as a forearm burst forth, slithering through the air like living serpents. They shot across the carriage and coiled around the legs of every stone monster they could find.

Within moments, all the monsters that entered their carriage hung suspended in the air, bound tightly by the writhing roots.

Kai simply walked between them, removing heads one after another. The battle ended before Rhys even had the chance to cast a spell.

"That’s it?" Rhys muttered, twitching his lips.

He wasn’t the only one.

Every mage and passenger in the carriage wore the same dumbfounded expression.

"So this is the power of a sect disciple," the mage from earlier whispered in awe.

"Let’s go support the other carriages," Kai said.

Only then did everyone remember that the entire train had been ambushed, not just their carriage.

"We’ll clear the rear carriages," the young mage suddenly proposed.

Kai gave him an incredulous look.

Since the attack had come from the front, the rear carriages had suffered far fewer casualties. The mages stationed there were more than capable of handling the remaining monsters.

Her stare alone made the young man shift uncomfortably.

"Let’s do that. We have Rhys with us, right?" Yuki suddenly cut in.

Kai reluctantly tore her gaze away from the unfortunate mage and turned toward Rhys instead.

"Him?" she asked skeptically.

"He’s part of our team. He should be helping us," Yuki replied.

To Kai’s surprise, Selena nodded in agreement.

Yuki shot her a brief glance, raising an eyebrow at the faint grin on the curse mage’s face.

Rhys ignored the silent exchange between the three women and merely shrugged. He didn’t see any issue with the arrangement.

Besides, he had no intention of being treated as dead weight forever.

Not when his current collection of spells surpassed anything they had shown until now. If he used Psychic Ripple enhanced by Mind Edge, those stone monsters would have been eliminated in the time Selena took to summon a spell.

[True.]

So he followed behind the three women toward the front of the train while the remaining mages split into groups.

Some stayed behind to guard the passengers in case another wave of monsters appeared.

There were no doors connecting the carriages. To move forward, they had to step outside and enter the next one manually.

Before leaving, Kai cast another spell. A faint barrier materialized around her body, wrapping her in a visible layer of protection.

An Apprentice-grade body enhancement spell, it formed a durable shield over her skin.

Selena had already pulled out another root from her pouch, while Yuki appeared far less concerned about the monsters than before. Instead, her attention lingered on Rhys, her eyes tracking his every movement.

Fortunately, the next carriage was only a few feet away, rescuing him from the discomfort of her gaze.

They crossed the gap within seconds.

Just as expected, the carriage had also been overrun by Stone Monsters. Having already dealt with them once, Kai and Selena dismantled the creatures with practiced ease.

One carriage.

Then another. Then another.

Soon, they reached the third carriage from the engine. The sight that greeted them brought all three women to an abrupt halt.

What they were witnessing should not have been possible.

Stone Monsters and Iron-Claw Baboons were fighting side by side against the mages.

Only Rhys remained clueless.

"Why are the Stone Monsters working together with the baboons?" Kai asked, frowning.

"They’re not merely fighting together," Selena replied, her eyes narrowing. "They’re coordinating their attacks."

"Whatever." Yuki cracked her knuckles. "Let’s kill them all."

Rhys nodded in agreement.

Why waste time overthinking it?

Whether the monsters were cooperating or not, killing them wasn’t any different. This time, however, Rhys had no intention of standing around.

He stepped forward.

Inside his mind, the structure of Mind Edge took shape. A thousand days of lifespan vanished instantly as the spell activated.

To the current Rhys, that amount was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Mind Edge was a passive spell. As long as he continued supplying lifespan, its effects would remain active.

The transformation was immediate. His thoughts sharpened. His senses became clearer. Even his body felt lighter, as if an endless stream of energy coursed through his veins.

The three women looked at him in confusion when he moved ahead of them. That confusion lasted only a fraction of a second. The moment they sensed the spell’s activation, disbelief spread across their faces.

"This speed," Kai’s eyes widened.

"You’re an Instant Caster!"

The monsters had already noticed their arrival. Many abandoned their current opponents and charged toward the newcomers instead.

Rhys felt excitement stir within him as the horde closed in.

Psychic Ripple erupted from him. Then another. And another.

Unlike Mind Edge, Psychic Ripple was an active spell. Each cast consumed lifespan the moment it was released.

Empowered by Mind Edge, every Psychic Ripple reached the peak of Apprentice-level strength.

Neither the Stone Monsters nor the Iron-Claw Baboons possessed strong mental defenses. The first wave injured their minds.

The second shattered their mental resistance. The third annihilated their brains from within.

One by one, monsters collapsed onto the train track. Some dropped mid-charge. Others crumpled without even understanding what had happened. Within a minute, every monster that had rushed toward them lay dead.

Rhys had killed them all alone.

Rhys tilted his head and gave the stunned Kai a wink.

"Should I clear the rest too?"

He pointed at the remaining monsters, which continued besieging the carriage without paying the slightest attention to the deaths of their companions.

The scarred woman’s mouth snapped shut.

"O-Okay."

Rhys repeated what he had done before. Invisible waves swept across the battlefield.

One monster after another collapsed.

The defending mages inside the carriage watched in stunned silence as the last Iron-Claw Baboon dropped lifelessly to the ground.

"Anything left?" Rhys asked in a friendly tone.

The mage guarding the carriage swallowed nervously.

"N-No."

"Good."

Rhys raised a hand and waved. "Let’s move on to the next carriage."

His cheerful attitude made the display even more unbelievable. The same scene repeated itself in the second carriage. Then the first.

Within minutes, every monster in the front section of the train had been wiped out by Rhys alone.

The engine carriage was heavily fortified, so none of the monsters had dared approach it.

As they finally reached the massive boulders blocking the tracks, Rhys gave the locomotive pilots a thumbs-up for stopping the train in time.

"I don’t think I can move these stones," he said, turning toward Kai. "You should be able to handle it, right?"

The scarred woman stared at him with reverence. The contempt she had shown earlier had vanished completely.

Only respect remained.

She nodded without hesitation. Whether it had been a request or a silent order no longer mattered.

Kai was not a fool. This Mind Mage was clearly an expert hiding his true strength. For someone like him, killing her would be as easy as crushing an insect.

Her heart skipped a beat as she recalled her earlier disrespect. Fortunately, he seems magnanimous enough not to take offense.

Kai silently resolved to apologize after the mission before stepping forward to clear the boulders from the tracks.

That was when a sharp whistle cut through the air.

Something was coming.

Fast.