In the first place, there were few sea-related Monsters in this game… The fact that it hadn’t appeared meant I couldn’t determine its strength with my knowledge.

My ‘Fire Lance’ was able to blow away its tentacle… but while I was thinking, more tentacles extended from the sea surface. Kuuza immediately countered them. He shot out a ‘Fire Lance’ just like me, intercepting the tentacles.

He couldn’t defeat it with one blow, but he dealt with it by continuously showering it with more flames and then shouted,

“It seems to be a big one…!”

He attacked further simultaneously with his declaration… The Kraken’s attack speed was quite something, but Kuuza’s exceeded that of the Monster. His Magic attacks, almost like No-Chant Casting, accurately burned the tentacles.

Then the Kraken regenerated its tentacles, not to be outdone… Hmm, considering that Kuuza’s abilities were quite effective, it’s probably an ability that Sofia and Sylvie can counter.

Immediately after thinking that, Sofia then unleashed ‘Lightning.’ The Lightning Flash headed towards the Kraken—towards its True Self in the water—stimulating the entire seawater. It definitely took damage.

Not to be outdone, I also used ‘Holy Shot’ and fired it into the tentacle. The Light Bullet pierced through, and just as the tentacle stopped moving, Kuuza’s flames followed up with another attack.

“It seems I won’t have a turn,”

Sylvie said. Or rather, she couldn’t intervene because it was underwater.

In a game, you might be able to deal damage regardless… but while I was thinking, Kuuza unleashed more Magic. He didn’t seem to be worried about his remaining Magic Power, so I moved closer to him and asked,

“Is your Magic Power okay?”

“It doesn’t look like we have time to worry about that…!”

More flames. All of them were Lower-tier Magic, but they were still destroying the Kraken’s tentacles.

Then Sofia unleashed Magic at its True Self with a Lightning Strike. It was clear that the tentacles’ movements were slower compared to the beginning due to this attack, and they were definitely taking damage.

“Sylvie, assist Sofia.”

While I gave instructions, I prepared another magic spell… At this point, Kuuza spoke after casting her magic.

“It seems its legs regenerate. In that case, we have no choice but to aim for its True Self… but if we let Sofia continue attacking, there’s a chance it might escape.”

“Indeed. If it escapes into the ocean, it might be difficult to pursue.”

“That’s why. Could you buy me some time? I’ll finish it with a special magic spell.”

“–Understood.”

Agreeing to the plan, I gave instructions to Sofia and Sylvie. As a result, the three of us stood with our swords drawn, protecting Kuuza.

The legs attacked relentlessly. Sofia and I fended them off with Sword Techniques and Magic, and Sylvie also provided support. I heard Kuuza’s incantation from behind… and clearly understood what kind of magic she was going to use.

This is– I recognized that Kuuza’s magic power was rising even further. Is she planning to take down the Kraken in one fell swoop with this attack?

Then the Kraken stretched out its legs, not to be outdone. It was probably reacting to Kuuza’s magic power and trying to finish us off. But we sealed it away. I burned it with my “Fire Lance,” and Sofia shot it through with her “Lightning”– at that moment, Kuuza’s magic was finally complete.

“Oh Heavens! Obey my command and destroy that enemy!”

The space in the air where the Kraken was thought to be warped. I immediately instructed Sofia and the others to “cover your ears.” Immediately after, a lightning strike burst forth with a white flash.

Advanced Lightning Magic “Sky Cleave”… This magic unleashes a massive amount of lightning from above the enemy, characterized by its flashy effects. The one Kuuza cast was indeed quite spectacular, and a flash and explosion enveloped us.

And then, the magic ended… leaving only a silent inlet. I remained cautious for a while, but realizing that not even a single leg of the Kraken was visible, I spoke.

“It seems we defeated it.”

“–It appears so.”

It was an unfamiliar voice. Immediately, everyone uniformly turned their heads.

Near the entrance, there was a being that appeared to be a Spirit. It looked like a young girl, clad in simple clothes and with emerald-colored hair. She looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old.

“Nereids, I presume.”

Lefin appeared. The Nereids then widened her eyes in surprise.

“You are…!”

“I heard that the Nereids’ dwelling was occupied by a monster, so I came to help.”

As Lefin spoke, the Nereids looked at us once… and then showed her gratitude.

“Thank you for helping us.”

“Was the monster we just fought the commander?”

I asked. The Nereids nodded vigorously,

“Yes. Due to the appearance of that monster, we were forced to evacuate deeper into the cave interior from here.”

“Were you not attacked?”

“It seemed to be tasked with stopping our movements as Spirits… Of course, if we attacked from our side, a relentless counterattack would come.”

With those words, I somewhat understood the monster’s objective.

As evidenced by their caution towards the Spirit God, the Demon King is paying attention to the Spirits. The fact that they are stalling the spirits related to the sea is probably because they are preparing for an invasion from the Southern Region.

Perhaps the monster didn’t actively try to kill the Nereids because it was being cautious… or perhaps the Demon Race had ordered them not to interfere further to avoid provoking Water King Azua. In any case, it’s clear that the Demon Race is making moves in the Southern Region in conjunction with their invasion of the Northern Region.

“Should we also investigate the dwellings of other Spirits?”

Kuuza spoke, gazing at the sea surface where the monster was gone.

“This isn’t the only dwelling of Spirits, but…”

“Please leave that to us.”

Lefin responded to him.

“There are many Spirit dwellings. You won’t have time to visit all of them. This is a situation that we Spirits should deal with in cooperation.”

“I see… However, the Demon King is raising a large army in the Northern Region, and it seems they are definitely making various moves in the Southern Region as well.”

“We will investigate that.”

The Nereids said. I replied, “I’ll leave it to you.”

The battle in the cave was over. And Kuuza’s abilities were also proven.

“But I didn’t expect you could even use Advanced Magic.”

On the way back, I mentioned him.

“Is that Magic Kuuza’s specialty?”

“Not really. Well, it’s one of the Magic I mastered while traveling and researching Magic. I never had a chance to use it because I’m too vulnerable when I’m alone.”

Kuuza said, looking at me.

“I was really helped by the book this time. I wasn’t planning on going alone, but there was a possibility that the Warriors in town wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“It’s natural for us, who fight against Demon Races and Monsters. So, what are you going to do next?”

“Hmm…”

Kuuza looked up at the sky and started thinking. So, what’s the best thing to do?

I confirmed his abilities. In addition, he also possesses the ‘Three Powers’ characteristic he had in the game.

Considering the party balance, I had thought about recruiting a Magic-user. Although it was a chance encounter, like with Sylvie, considering that meeting him here is also a kind of fate–

“Kuuza.”

Suddenly, Sylvie called his name.

“If you don’t have any particular plans for the future, why don’t you fight with us? You’re known as a ‘Wandering Mage’ and you fight Monsters… our goals should align.”

“Goals… indeed.”

Kuuza spoke, then fell into deeper thought.

I looked at Sofia. She also nodded in agreement with Sylvie.

It must include his abilities… I nodded back to her and turned my body to speak to Kuuza.