Just as the soldier Jani had described, these monsters were bizarre and difficult to describe. They resembled giant octopuses crawling on land, but their bodies were like withered tree trunks, gnarled and wrinkled.
Firefly couldn't see any heads or facial features on these creatures. Instead, they propelled themselves across the ground using five or six root-like tentacles.
Described like this, the monsters might not sound particularly formidable. But what if each one was over three meters long, some even approaching four?
Firefly circled the area once more, finding no sign of human soldiers. It seemed they had all evacuated. With no reason to hesitate, she plunged into battle.
Combat! Exhilarating!
In the real world, Firefly might have hesitated. But this was merely a temporary Instance spawned from a Dimensional Rift, with no other humans around—just a horde of cannon fodder monsters. What better place to test her skills?
In the next instant, a "meteor" plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground with a searing inferno.
Boom—!!!
Without using any special techniques, Firefly executed a simple yet undeniably stylish landing. Within a radius of over ten meters around her, the earth instantly transformed into scorched black wasteland. Every monster caught within the blast radius ignited instantly and was reduced to ashes in mere seconds.
Even the monsters over ten meters away were being ignited by the scorching heatwave, their bodies erupting in flames.
Casually aiming in a random direction, Firefly selected a "lucky" target. She raised her right fist to shoulder height, leaned slightly forward, and adopted a stance of coiled power.
Instantly, a torrent of blazing flames erupted from her fist.
BHF-Heavenly Fire!
Firefly could see the name of the technique displayed in her helmet. Despite its flashy name, it was essentially just a standard punch.
The distance of over ten meters vanished in an instant as her flame-wreathed fist slammed into the designated target. The three-meter-tall monster exploded like a watermelon, its blood instantly vaporized by the extreme heat of the impact. Firefly didn't have to worry about being splattered with gore.
[ So fragile... ] Firefly thought, watching the spectacle unfold.
She hadn't fully grasped it when she casually cleared the area upon landing, but now, after delivering this direct punch, she clearly felt as if she were striking a sheet of paper.
If this were a game, she'd have to give it a terrible rating for its abysmal impact feedback.
Meanwhile, the perspective shifted to Wesley's group. They had barely left the inn and hadn't even begun their investigation when a squad of fully armed knights appeared before them.
From a distance, they sensed a palpable aura of murderous intent.
Well, to be more precise, they caught a foul stench.
The knights' armor should have been silver-gray, but as they drew closer, Wesley could clearly see that it was riddled with dents and pits, and stained with patches of dried, dark red blood.
The stench likely emanated from the armor itself. These battle-hardened soldiers, constantly engaged in warfare, had little time for daily cleaning. Over time, the blood of their enemies had splattered and hardened on the metal. Combined with the sweat of wearing full plate armor in the sweltering heat, the mixture of dried blood and body odor created a unique, overpowering stench that could be detected from afar.
In a way, the mere scent emanating from this knight was enough to tell that he was a seasoned warrior with countless kills to his name. Calling it "killing intent" seemed perfectly fitting. The stronger the scent, the more enemies he had slain, equating to a heavier killing intent.
As Wesley and his companions exchanged grave looks, the lead knight suddenly knelt on one knee. His booming voice echoed from within his helmet, "Gentlemen, the City Lord requests your presence!"
Wesley blinked in surprise. After a moment's contemplation, he accepted the invitation.
Soon, guided by the knight, they arrived at an ancient manor in the heart of the city. There, they found an elderly man with snow-white hair and a beard that nearly obscured his face. His eyes were almost entirely closed as he leaned on a cane, without any attendants, standing alone at the manor's entrance to greet Wesley and his party.
The moment the old man laid eyes on Wesley, his nearly closed eyes widened in astonishment. His cloudy gaze seemed to clear slightly as he exclaimed, "At last! This old man has finally met the Chosen ones!"
The old man rushed forward excitedly, grabbing Wesley's right hand. "The Royal Preceptor of old sacrificed his life to deliver this prophecy: 'When the Republic of Yaraham teeters on the brink of destruction, when Feid City becomes the front line of war, the Destiny's Chosen who will save the Republic shall descend upon this place!'"
"They are of noble character, seeking no reward. They wear strange, never-before-seen garments, and they are strikingly handsome. Their arrival is sudden and without warning; no one knows where they come from. And finally... they possess unimaginable power!"
If Firefly were here, she'd undoubtedly scoff, "Well, isn't this the main quest? We can't leave until we meet the clearance conditions, so of course we have to act noble!"
Wesley remained silent for a moment before asking, "What must we do?"
This was actually a good thing. The Otherworld seemed straightforward, a pure test of combat prowess without any hidden tricks. Therefore, gathering intelligence on the enemy was paramount.
Soon, Wesley and his companions were ushered into a room. After a servant brought them tea, the City Lord continued, "The monsters attacking the Republic grow stronger by the minute. In the earliest days, they were weaker than wild beasts—mere insect-like creatures that the Republic barely noticed."
"But within a few years, they rapidly grew to the size of adult humans. At first, an ordinary person could kill one with their bare hands. Later, even ordinary iron weapons struggled to wound them. The Republic had to rely on enchanted weapons to slay them."
"Yet just this year, they've evolved again. Now standing nearly three meters tall with skin as hard as steel, even the Republic's sharpest enchanted weapons struggle to pierce their defenses! This is why we suffered such a devastating defeat at the front lines recently..."