Six people dressed in a mix of cloth and leather armor with steel plates visible through the ribbed areas appeared following Kieran's yell. A cloth-texture garb covered their faces leaving only their eyes visible.
Each of these people carried curved daggers similar to a kukri.
The one in the front pointed their blade at Bastion, who stood in front of the first lead caravan. "Leave the merchandise aside, and no one has to get hurt. Failure to satisfy our demands will result in a major loss of life!"
Needless to say, the one to speak was the leader of this band of thieves. This assumption was proven by the information Kieran and the others received regarding the enemies before them.
「Lv.35 Brigand Captain (Rare NPC)
Class: Sand Assaulter
Health: 451,000/451,000 (100%) 」
「Lv.33 Brigand Henchman (Elite NPC)
Class: Sand Thief
Health: 315,000/315,000 (100%) 」
"What's going on? Why are they treated as NPC and not monsters? Does this mean the battle will go quite differently as well?" Bastion asked. He wasn't frightened by this unusual situation; he only wanted to be prepared for what was to come.
"If the system categorizes them as NPCs, they must either come from an organization or a civilization. Their power should be similar to other monsters, but they may own skills," Kieran answered back as he calmly walked through the center of the caravans.
Altair wasn't too far behind as he raised both hands while holding his daggers in a reverse grip.
"And these rankings?" Bastion added.
"Hmm… they shouldn't be too much of an issue," Kieran guessed.
Elite and Rare NPCs weren't necessarily strong, especially if their levels were beneath 50. However, while their strength was comparable to Elite and Rare Monsters their intellect was not.
An NPC's intelligence usually existed on a higher plane compared to regular monsters. Furthermore, whether it was an enemy or ally NPC, they all used the same standard. The only difference between monster and NPC rankings was there was no in-between regarding the jump from a Rare NPC to an Epic NPC.
The level given by the system judged the power divide of Rare NPCs. For example, a Lv.50 Rare NPC was many times stronger than a Lv.35 Rare NPC because each level rewarded a significant jump in stats and combat prowess.
"Oh? So you have chosen to take the foolish route? Have you not heard of our feats? It'd be idiotic to risk your life for an organization that doesn't even know you exist. What…. Do you do this for fame?" the Brigand Captain chuckled. Their eyes filled with a mocking tint as they scanned over the approaching Kieran.
"Unaware of my existence? Why should I care about that? I accepted a job, so I intend to accomplish it. That means everything that stands in my way will face destruction—this includes you," Kieran answered back calmly.
However, while his demeanor seemed calm, a storm of bloody energy roiled around him as he activated Blood Mania. The presence of this power triggered the Brigand Captain's wariness as he narrowed his eyes.
'What type of power is that?' The Brigand Captain wondered. However, he still lifted the kukri in his hand with two extended fingers. This gesture caused a reaction from the two Brigand Henchmen on his left. They brandished their kukris and dashed toward Nemean and Bastion while the Brigand Captain immediately stabbed his weapon into the ground.
A variation of Earth Mana swarmed about as the floor gained a grainy texture similar to sand. In the next moment, a tide of reinforced sand towered above Kieran, intending to swallow him whole.
"Sand Wash!" The Brigand Captain bellowed.
Boom!
The tide of sand collided against the ground creating a thunderous noise. After slamming against the ground, the wave continued and knocked against the caravans, jolting all the merchants inside.
"Oh dear heavens, we are going to die!" The head merchant screamed out in fright. He took cover inside his caravan while curling up into a ball and covering his ears. The horses suffered damage from that attack despite their seemingly powerful bodies.
Pained neighs filled the forested area as the Brigand Captain stared at the small mound in the sand tide. He used this particular cluster of sand to ostensibly kill his earlier opponent. The alarm he felt came as an unexpected surprise, so he felt the need to remove this opponent from the battlefield to avoid any mishaps.
However, a soft crimson glow grew bright within the sand mound until Nemean and Bastion averted their gaze.
"Heh, kill the boss with just that? Yeah right!" Nemean smirked before locking his gaze on the Brigand henchman currently eyeing him. "You want a piece of me? Come and get it!"
"Kekeke," the Brigand Henchman responded with a sinister cackle before dissipating into bits of sand like a midnight summer breeze had carried him away. Fortunately, everyone's perception was much stronger after heeding Keiran's advice.
Nemean could sense that whatever skill this individual employed caused simply created a visual distraction because the henchman's presence could still be felt.
Clang!
A premonition occurred in Nemean's mind as he raised his left shield to block. An aged kukri appeared from within a sand flurry. However, Nemean remained calm and returned a strike to the henchman's ribcage.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The first strike connecting opened a path to Nemean unleashing a fluid chain of attacks centered around his two shields. But, he also supplemented some attacks with roundhouse kicks or flairs to throw off his opponent.
As a result, the henchman was forced to employ a skill. "Sand Daggers!"
Some of the nearby sand produced by the Brigand Captain's initial attack started to swirl and adopt the shape of crudely made daggers. Under the influence of the Brigand Henchman, these daggers raced toward Nemean from all angles.
Nemean decisively ended his chain of attack and retreated quickly with the help of his increased Agility. However, he still defended against some of the incoming sand projectiles by knocking them away.
In the meantime, Kieran burst from within the sand mound as the bloody aura surrounding his body thickened. The only difference now was that his Health had dropped below 50%.
"You really shouldn't have done that," Kieran said while cracking his neck. "You'll make the perfect sparring partner because you're nowhere as strong as Captain Liam."
Whoosh!
Kieran suddenly swung Crimson Ashrune in a horizontal arc. A disastrous presence bubbled forth as a large current of blood energy swept outward, clashing against the trees that stood on its path.
The shade of red grew within the Brigand Captain's gaze as he stared at the incoming retaliation.
"Sand Vanquisher!" The Brigand Captain bellowed after snapping out of his sudden daze. A sharpened blade of compact sand billowed toward the incoming Crimson Current as Kieran revealed a slight smirk.
Boom!
The impact of the two attacks sent trace amounts of blood and sand everywhere. But, Kieran didn't await the result of the collision. While the two attacks attempted to fend off each other, he turned into a crimson blur that operated under cover of these two large attacks.
Conversely, the Brigand Captain restlessly awaited the moment his attack gained the upper hand to attack again. It never registered in his mind that the opposing side wouldn't do the same.
By the time he became privy to the situation, six blood blades were fast approaching his position from an opening on his right side.
"Damn you! Where is your honor?!" The Brigade Captain scowled indignantly. Three of the blood blades were parried by him, but the other three successfully left wounds on his body that couldn't be ignored.
"Honor? Are you an idiot or what? Why would I conduct any honorable battle with someone engaging in unlawful acts—come on now," Kieran sneered.
While Kieran kept the Brigand Captain busy, Alice prepared a spell that caused mana vibrations on a large scale. Soon enough, fire elements appeared in a large quantity.
'I need to improve my Mana Conversion and Element Manipulation Paths else the gathering rate will remain unacceptable.''
Unlike when she worked with pure Mana without elements, Alice now needed to put Mana through two processes before she could unleash her skills. The first process was conversion, where the gathered pure Mana was converted into Elemental Mana. From this step, the Mana needed to be contained and controlled until the quantity and quality reached a sufficient degree. Only once that occurred was Alice free to unleash one of her large spells.
Alice was truly fortunate to have competent teammates at a time like this because those two processes left her extremely vulnerable. Altair singlehandedly fended off the three remaining Brigand Henchmen to give Alice the time needed to complete her flame spell.
Roughly thirty seconds later, she aimed her staff at the battlefield Altair tended to. "Altair, fall back. I'm ready!"
"Understood," Altair exclaimed before activating Swift Steps. The skill allowed Altair to create ample space between him and the Brigand Henchmen.
"Firestorm Burst!" Alice exclaimed. An extensive collection of Fire Mana accumulated above the three Brigand Henchmen before merging in a large sphere. The sphere then imploded on itself, creating a violent spiral of flames that cascaded within a certain radius.
Ticks of fire damage occurred every 0.2 seconds as the Health bars of these Brigand Henchmen drained rapidly. In exchange for releasing such a frightening attack, Alice exhausted almost 60% of her current Mana pool, which was essentially triple Kieran's.
In other words, this skill required over 1,500 Mana to release. Of course, it wasn't just any old skill available to all Elementalist. No, Alice acquired this skill after revealing her talent for magic to the High Instructor of Aeredale Kingdom's Mage Academy.
Although she could choose from a variety of skills due to her Full Element Alignment, Alice chose a singular focus for now and that was Fire. The decision happened because Alice understood that her current team specialized in quick bursts of damage to get the job done.
Thus, she wouldn't explore the other available avenues of magic until the need for heightened utility arose. Just knowing simple spells of each element was enough for the time being.
While Alice trapped the Brigand Henchmen in a cage of flaming peril, Kieran goaded the Brigand Captain. "You see, we aren't like your former run-ins—we won't blindly fight you. We'll play our advantages and play them well. Six of you is far from enough to deal with my party."
"Foolish! Do you think we are the only ones? We are only the beginning. I suggest you return before making a mistake that can't be undone. Killing a member of the Desertborn Brigands is not a wise decision. We will hunt you, and we will avenge our brothers," the Brigand Captain spat venomously with a harsh gaze.
However, Kieran chuckled amusedly. "You speak as if you'll live to tell the tale. They'll get the eventual message, but it won't be from you."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Kieran performed a simple stabbing action, but three violent tempests of nigh unstoppable blood energy pierced forth and honed in on the Brigand Captain's movements despite his attempts to evade it.
If one looked closely, one'd realize Kieran's eyes radiating a crimson hue that deepened marginally with each passing second. This hue was accompanied by an episode of extreme focus. Evidently, he was consuming his mental strength to alter the Sanguinem Tempest's paths, something he could perform before.
'It seems something has been unlocked because of Lillian's curiosity. I should thank her properly because it's thanks to her efforts that I can imagine using long-range blood attacks in the future. The usual restraints of a Berserker won't limit me,' Kieran thought.
In the end, the Brigand Captain gave up on running away and stood still, allowing the three tempests to skewer his body, creating a ghastly sight. The Brigand Captain stared at Kieran hatefully while he fell to his knees.
〈System: You have gained 85,648 Experience.〉
All of a sudden, Kieran turned around and fired another Crimson Current into the firestorm Alice created, reaping the lives of the Brigands burning inside it.
〈System: You have gained 64,244 Experience.〉
'The experience isn't bad, but it could be better given the level difference. Though I suppose a three and five level difference isn't all that terrible. But… those were only the weakest, as the captain said. It'll only get more difficult from here on out,' Kieran thought.
Kieran and Altair assisted Nemean and Bastion, making quick work of the remaining two Brigand Henchmen. Fortunately, because of the quest reward received when Kieran completed the Adventurers' Guild, he had acquired enough Experience to reach Lv.30!
〈System: Congratulations, you have leveled up. [Lv.29→Lv.30]〉
〈System: You have received 12 UAP and 8 SP.〉
〈System: The «True Berserker»'s Lv.30 skills are now accessible to you.〉
