Construction Mage - Chapter 72: Plunging In Pt.2

AN: Hey everyone! Sorry for not posting for a while without any communication. It wasn't something I intended at all, but I have been struggling to adjust. To be honest, I've had to make some major changes to my lifestyle for health reasons, but that means less free time and revamping my sleep schedule. That has completely broken my routine, and I couldn't get back into writing during this time. I'm trying to get back into it, so I'd be grateful if you were patient with me as I try my best to bring everything back to normal.

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The scene unfolded quite quickly. Neither Clay nor Malik had to wait long before the source of the disturbance came into view. As they had suspected, it came from other humans, namely Delvers, who were in a full fighting retreat.

A full group of five, with four of them completely decked out in expensive-looking gear, was currently being chased by a group of kobolds equal in number. While their equipment looked like the real deal, from the way they hastily retreated in a formation that threatened to break apart any second, it wasn’t difficult to tell they weren’t that experienced.

It went without saying that powerful groups wouldn’t be running away from monsters on the first layer, but it wasn’t like they were entirely incompetent either. The fact that they were even in a formation while retreating spoke of some discipline. 

From personal experience, Clay knew it was a feat that wasn’t easy to accomplish without training, as people often ran for themselves when they were on their back foot. That was especially so when it came to beginners who frequented the first layer. 

Seeing this, curiosity got the better of Clay as he did a double-take at the kobolds that managed to cause a somewhat disciplined party to retreat. They were of a variant he had never seen before. 

The most powerful type of kobold he had encountered so far was the Kobold Knight. They wore full plate armor and wielded a proper sword that could do some serious damage if landed correctly. The pressure of going up against a humanoid tank that was wielding a proper weapon that could potentially cut through lesser armor was a hurdle numerous new Delvers had to overcome. Clay’s own encounter left a lasting impression on him, something he wouldn’t forget anytime soon, despite being able to easily take them on now as long as he had ample preparation.

As for these unfamiliar kobolds, they seemed even more menacing, but in a different way. They weren’t armored from head to toe, only wearing a hauberk, and some loose plates around their shoulders or arms. In return, they were able to move much more nimbly, rivaling that of the Kobold Cutthroats. Combined with their stronger physique that boasted a full size larger than any common kobold, and the sinister cleavers they held in each hand, there was no doubt of them being a considerable threat.

That wasn’t all, though; there was another type of kobold that caught Clay’s eye. Following close behind the three cleaver-wielders were two hooded ones who were holding wooden staves. It was safe to say that these kobolds were magic casters. They posed an entirely new type of threat.

In unison, the presence of the five kobolds constantly pressured the shield wielder from the human party. Their aggression was being kept in because the Delvers had means of counterattacking from range.

Despite being preoccupied, the red-haired woman at the head of the retreat noticed Clay not long after they came into view. Just as they wanted to call out, a flash of light drew their attention back to their foes. One of the kobolds wielding the staves had launched a bright red fireball straight at their party. It was only the size of a basketball, but it flew like a comet at the humans. Reflexively, the human party all huddled behind their shield wielder.

The man of ‌average build spun the large kite shield around like a toy, causing it to grow brighter and brighter with each revolution before slamming it into the ground before him.

“Aegis!” he shouted.

An orange light expanded rapidly in defiance of the oncoming fireball. It was the same shape as the kite shield, but several times larger. Within a second, the kobold’s spell crashed into the light, causing a blinding explosion to fill the tunnels.

For the first time since Clay entered the dungeon, he witnessed a Delver from one of the physical classes use a skill akin to magic. At the same time, it was also his first time seeing a monster cast a spell as well.

Both parties were disoriented for only a brief moment before they continued their fight. The shield managed to block the fireball, but the battle was far from over. One of the slender men immediately stepped out of cover and fired off a shot from his bow while a woman with midnight blue hair scattered what seemed to be pebbles at the oncoming kobolds.

Their maneuver bought the party some distance from the monsters and allowed the red-haired woman a chance to speak.

“Friends!” she yelled out in a stern voice. “Keep your distance, or we’ll be forced to deal with you, too. I’d advise you two to start running back the way you came as quickly as possible!”

For a moment, Clay almost wanted to just dismiss his elemental and comply. The presence of both humans and unfamiliar monsters wasn’t something he would like to deal with. Not getting involved—running away—was just what he wanted. However, that meant exposing his back to a group of desperate Delvers. There was no telling what they would resort to in their hour of need. They could very well aim at them at any time to leave a body to distract the kobolds. The trope of tripping over others in an apocalypse situation to distract pursuing zombies existed for a reason.

Having used his summon for some time before this, his mana was also running near its end. Now that he had assessed the situation, the chance of being able to run away was high as long as he obstructed the Delvers briefly so they would be forced to confront the monsters again. However, that meant abandoning them and practically turning on them.

If I’m aiming to reach the second layer anytime soon, I shouldn’t be letting some monsters from the first layer force me to consider decisions like these as my first choice.

Gritting his teeth, Clay breathed in deeply in preparation to project his voice.

“We’re not running. We’ll help you take those kobolds on!” Clay shouted back. “I’ll make an opening, get ready to counterattack!”

With that, the earth elemental began jogging down the tunnel toward the Delvers, and Clay began to chant while following close behind. It caused the fleeing party to flinch at the possibly hostile move, but they quickly resolved themselves. They would either be sandwiched between two threats or they truly had reinforcements. The former meant their doom, and they realized there was no point in worrying about it. It took a split second before they committed to the more positive outcome, ignoring the worst-case scenario as they turned back to the monsters.

The only exception was the red-haired woman. She nocked an arrow and pointed it at Clay.

“You! Are you picking a fight? Hurry and call off your golem!” she cried out in panic before turning to his companions. “Thomas, we’ve got company!”

“Just trust them for now!” the shield bearer yelled back.

“But—”

As the Delvers argued, Clay had gotten close enough to make out their features. It was only then that he realized these people weren’t complete strangers. They had been acquainted. They were a group of young adults—teenagers, to be precise. The red-haired woman just so happened to be the one who had once accused him of being a dungeon bandit and had gotten him into a jail cell. 

He had fond memories of them, though. While he had suffered, it had only been for half a day. As compensation, he even received the Meditate skill book, so there were no hard feelings on his end. At the end of the day, there were just kids in his eyes, much like the high school part-timers he had dealt with plenty of times over the years. 

“Alara, was it? You should be aiming your arrows at monsters, not me. There’s no time to waste!”

His words broke the two Delvers out of their argument. They turned in his direction and stared at his face. Clay could see the very moment realization dawned on them, as they, in turn, recognized him.

Clay stopped just a few steps away from Alara, while the golem continued onwards. The moment he did so, he pointed his palm at the oncoming group of kobolds and fired off his spell. A spire of hardened earth sailed through the air. It lined up perfectly with the way the kobolds were running, but in the last moments, the one at the front tilted to the side, causing the spell to hit the loose pauldron it wore on its arm. The tip broke apart while the rest of the projectile ricocheted off.

Did it do that on purpose? I thought moves like that were reserved for martial arts masters or something!

Thankfully, the Earth Blast was more of a distraction than the main entrée. A second after it deflected the attack, the golem arrived on the scene. The Delvers parted for it before joining in on the attack. The arrows they fired, combined with the narrow corridor, meant it was nearly impossible for the kobolds to get out of the way in time as the earth elemental slammed into the trio at the front. All three of the cleaver-wielding kobolds were knocked clean off their feet.

All this happened just in time for Clay to run out of mana. The summon scattered into dust right after impact. It was the cost of rushing in while casting another spell on top of maintaining the elemental. Combat meditation could do only so much. His mana expenditure was just too great.

If Clay were by himself, he would be in real big trouble right about now, but currently, that wasn’t the case.

The Delvers, led by the guardian named Thomas, understood their assignment. Their melee combatants leapt into the fray behind the elemental. The moment the kobolds were knocked down, the blue-haired woman sank her daggers into one of the monsters while Thomas slammed his shield down on another.

The third one was met with a club by the sturdy man who appeared to be the party’s porter. His attack was followed by arrows from their two rangers. Clay didn’t even need to cast again—or so he thought.

Everything had appeared to be over, with three of the five kobolds being taken out in short order, but that was too good to be true. The kobold, who had been stabbed by the blue-haired woman, suddenly began to glow. A warm yellow light enveloped it for a split second, and then it abruptly swung its clever before the woman would thrust out again. Having been caught off guard, the clever caught her torso despite her efforts to jump back.

Blood flew across the stony path as Clay swiftly pointed the palm of his hand to the culprit behind the sudden turn of events.

That must be a healing spell—so it wasn’t a pair of kobold mages, but one of them was a healer of some sort. They look the same, but that completely changes what to look out for.

Quickly finishing his chant, Clay fired off a spell at the high-priority target before it could heal any more of its allies. As if thinking the same thing, the two rangers did the same. Three different attacks focused on the healer. All three landed right on target, knocking the kobold over.

Unfortunately, that meant the last remaining kobold mage was left to its own devices. It managed to finish casting another fireball, except this time, it was aimed straight at Clay. With the shield user too far away to provide protection, Clay was faced with a burning ball of destruction.

I could really use an Earth Wall spell or something similar, right about now…

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