Dissection

The calm environment was broken by the sounds of several raindrops falling incessantly from the ceiling. They pattered onto the solid soil in the area the adventurers were situated in, signaling the start of a new turn. It seems that the upper surface was now experiencing another round of Everrain's sporadic weather.

In an instant, with the visions of the adventurers being partially covered by the cascading water, sharp movements filled with killing intent finally arrived.

"Look out!" Alex was the first to notice something was wrong.

Using the skill, [Swift Slide], he managed to pull up beside Brian and quickly raised his shield to deflect an incoming attack.

Cling!

Ringing sounds vibrated through the air as a primitive stone-pointed spear splashed into a small puddle. The short exchange prompted the rest of the adventurers to raise their guard.

Following Alex's line of sight in the direction of the surprise attack, Leo quickly spotted a human-sized fish head poking out from an above ceiling. Choosing not to miss this opportunity, he opened up his left hand and pointed it directly at the partially submerged creature.

[Ice Lance]!

The air in front of his left palm condensed into three ice constructs in the shape of spears, all of which were released simultaneously towards the target. Being imbued with Everrain's power, these ice lances moved with blinding speed, imbedding deeply into the monster before it could react.

Very soon, blood started to dye the upper ceiling, with traces of it slowly trailing down towards the ground, mixing in with the surrounding rain. Not long after, the creature eventually fell into a giant puddle, its limp body splashing up a volume of water; three ice spears stuck out prominently from its torso, slowly turning red due to the leaking blood.

This sudden killing immediately sparked the rest of the monster's brethren to reveal themselves. Breaking out from the various hiding places, they charged at the adventurers angrily, hoping to disrupt their enemies' composure with sheer ferocity.

"Rarrrrggghhhhh!"

Screeches filled the area as five more monsters resembling the one Leo killed swiftly raced across the wet terrain. Their footsteps were both efficient and familiar, not wasting a single breath as they lunged their way to taste the fresh blood of these human beings. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, that was their way of life.

Tightly grasped in their hands were primitively built spears, along with some basic knives and clubs crafted from the materials in the environment.

"Guys, get ready!" Alex gave his allies a sharp warning before the battle commenced.

Assembling in coordination, Alex moved to the front to be the first to engage the rabid creatures, followed by Judy, who readied her wand for assistance.

Still remaining in his seat, Leo drove his carrier beside the two to provide additional support; Sarah, on the other hand, who was charged with protecting their employer, maintained a position that guarded Brian from any other threats that were hiding in plain sight.

As their enemies drew closer, Leo got a more detailed glimpse of their physical appearances.

The five monsters were bipedal, each possessing a full body covered mainly in dark green scales. Their anatomy included four limbs which heavily resembled that of humans, save for the four fingers and toes on each end. These sixteen appendages also had webbing in between, a supplementary feature most likely for better adaptation in aquatic environments.

The heads of these creatures were extremely fish-like, having gills hanging beneath the jawline to help serve for underwater excursions. However, Leo noted that the particular features of their heads did not resemble any monster type he had ever studied before. The most distinguishing traits were the hook-shaped teeth that were too long to be concealed within their mouths, as well as a pair of marble white eyes which almost seemed to lack vision. But perhaps most curious was the single appendage which extended from above their foreheads, hanging down like a short rope with the end of its tip curling into a small ball point.

'Is that a sensor?' Leo pondered as he prepared to cast another spell. He narrowed his eyes in concentration when the enemies were about to get within Alex's striking range. 'That thing almost looks like a tentacle. Hmm... it's quite possible they might actually be blind, having to live down here for so long.

'Were these the monsters that attacked the previous mercenary group before us?"

Before any further speculation could be made, the monsters finally struck. The one in the lead had thrusted forward with its stone-headed spear against the armored adventurer, intending for him to be its first victim. But the attack ultimately failed to connect, as Alex easily side-stepped the thrust and countered with a quick sword slash drawn from the waist horizontally.

Despite not having any skills being applied, the monster was still instantly cleaved in half without any resistance. Thanks to the sword carrying Leo's enchantments, the scales on the creature's torso were unable to prevent the blade from thoroughly cutting through its flesh, completely leaving the severed sections of its body lying uselessly on the ground.

The sight of the lead monster being swiftly struck down without suspense caused the other members to instinctively change the directions of their charge. They now began avoiding the armored warrior, instead choosing to aim for the remaining humans. Unfortunately for them, the rest of the adventurers were hardly much easier.

Judy launched more spells to block off and cripple the monster's assault, giving time for Alex to kill off a few more.

Nearby, Leo was also about to cast accompanying spells from his sword. However a split second later, he decided to forego the use of magic for a more efficient approach.

'I should probably save up some mana at this juncture,' Leo cautiously reasoned. 'There's no need to waste spells on killing just this small group.'

Keeping his hand pressed atop the carrier, he allowed two of the creatures to enter closer to his vehicle before instantly transforming its front hood into a more offensive tool.

The magic core within the carrier lit up and manipulated the front part of the structure, shaping a section of it into a large buzz-saw that extended forward and greeted the invading monsters.

The buzz-saw spun at high velocity, emitting a thin but ominous sound that would cause normal individuals to shiver upon hearing it. A moment later, horrible screeches and wails echoed through the air.

"AAIIEEEEEE!!!"

"AAAUUUUUGGHHHH!!!"

The two monsters only saw a shimmering glare of metal before quickly being shredded apart. Their torsos and limbs, along with their weapons, fell into scattered pieces and left a dark pool of blood permeating the wet soil.

A few flecks of flesh and blood found their way onto the front hood of the carrier, narrowly missing its occupier's hand.

Looking closely at this miserable sight, Leo, for a short moment, found himself resisting the urge to flinch away. Although it was caused by his own doing, the original purpose of this transformation was actually intended to serve as a method of clearing away obstructions during long-distance travel. Upon crafting this feature, he eventually got the inspiration to utilize it during combat, though he never had any gruesome intentions.

'Perhaps I should have added a different feature,' Leo sighed, noticing Brian's trembling posture a couple meters away, and the scared face the latter was making. 'Then again, I still had to make do with the limited time and resources on hand back at Madelin's workshop. Maybe I'll change it when I return home.'

Positioned beside the shaking researcher, Sarah was covering her ears whilst remarking to herself, "I still can't get used to that awful noise."

During the trip the group took before coming to Everrain, Leo had once demonstrated this buzz-saw to carve a pathway through some thick tree trunks that had inadvertently blocked the road.

"Oh my..." Brian's legs were still trembling at the scene. Staring up at Leo with a questioning gaze, he asked tentatively, "I don't mean to doubt your approach to handling these kinds of situations, but was there a need to use that kind of weapon? Couldn't you have used that ice spell again?"

Leo did his best to respond as nonchalantly as he could, "I, uh, simply wanted to be more efficient. The transformations don't really use up that much mana, you see."

"Oh, okay..."

Brian slowly released a long breath through his nostrils to relax his nerves. After a moment passed, he then started glancing over at the other adventurers.

By the time Leo activated the buzz-saw feature during the fight, Alex and Judy already quickly swept through the remaining monsters. Unlike Leo's opponents, the other monsters' body parts were in much cleaner conditions, albeit still more or less badly damaged.

Contrary to what his frightened appearance might suggest, Brian actually took the initiative to head over in the direction of those monster corpses. While doing so, he also brought along one of the bags he used for his research.