“Hey, you there! Run! It’s a flock of wyverns!”

“Uwaaaaahhh!”

“We’re gonna dieeeeee!”

A group of adventurers came running down the slope, screaming, while nearly ten wyverns chased after them.

Oh, so those are wyverns!

“Gyaaaaooo!”

Each one was about 3–5 meters in length, covered in vibrant green scales. Their wings were like bats', formed from thin membranes stretched between long fingers. They soared through the air, flapping their massive wings. Sharp fangs glimmered menacingly in their wide-open mouths.

“Hey, get out of here already! You’ll die!”

Oops, I got too caught up in observing them. Despite their crocodile-like grotesqueness, I couldn’t help but wonder how their meat could taste so good.

From what I could sense, they didn’t seem all that threatening—certainly not compared to the monsters I’d faced in the Forest of Destruction.

Wind Cutter!

I cast the basic wind magic spell.

“What the—?!”

“What’s with that barrage of spells?!”

Wind Cutter is an elementary spell that conjures blades of wind to slice through enemies. I fired twenty of them at once. Casting multiple spells simultaneously consumes more magical energy, but thanks to the immense mana I inherited from the Great Mage, it’s no issue. The only time I’ve even felt a dent in my mana reserves was when I used a high-level spell once.

I wasn’t sure how tough wyverns were, but I figured this attack would at least damage their wings enough to ground them. After that, I’d finish them off with follow-up magic.

Twenty blades of wind flew through the air, targeting the wyverns.

“Gyaaaaahhhh!”

Slash, slash, slash!

Thud, thud, thud.

And just like that, they were all down.

“...”

The adventurers who had been fleeing were now frozen in place, completely stunned.

“Uh... are you guys okay?” I asked.

“Huh?! Oh, yeah... I mean, we’re alive, right?”

“Am I dreaming? I’m pretty sure I got a full night’s sleep yesterday...”

“No, this is real. I just saw something impossible with my own eyes.”

“Phew, so it’s not just me losing my mind.”

Everyone seemed unable to believe what had just happened. Honestly, I was just as surprised that a basic wind spell could be this effective.

At that moment, I swore never to use this magic on a person. It’d turn into a full-blown splatter movie.

I took a closer look at the four adventurers in front of me. They were men in their late 20s to early 30s, armed with a sword, an axe, a small knife, and a bow—no magic users among them. They were caked in dirt and mud, with minor injuries here and there, but nothing too serious.

“Is everyone all right?”

“Yeah... yeah, we’re fine! My head’s still intact, right?”

“My eyes are still working, aren’t they?”

Seriously? Get a grip already.

“I’m glad to hear you’re all safe. Are there any more wyverns around?”

“No, that was all of them. Wyverns don’t usually form groups, but I’ve heard that a particularly strong individual can sometimes attract others to it. Looks like we were just really unlucky this time.”

That makes sense. If creatures like that attacked in a flock, only a select few adventurers could handle it.

“Still, leader, we’re actually incredibly lucky to have survived an encounter with a flock of wyverns!”

“True! Running into them was bad luck, but being saved by you was the best luck we’ve ever had!”

“Thank you so much! You saved our lives!”

“That level of magic... you must be a renowned mage!”

“Not at all. My apologies for the late introduction—my name is Masayoshi, just a traveling wanderer. Nice to meet you.”

“Masayoshi, huh? We’re a C-rank adventurer party called Steel Fist. I’m Ian, the leader. We owe you our lives. If not for you, one of us would have had to sacrifice themselves so the others could escape—or worse, we’d all be dead.”

This high up the mountain, with no tall trees for cover, they’d been sitting ducks for the wyverns. If they hadn’t encountered me, one of them would likely have been left behind as bait while the others fled to safety.

“Masayoshi, you’re a lifesaver! Let us repay you!”

“Oh, no need. I came here to hunt wyverns myself, so taking them all down in one go was actually a big help. If anything, could I ask to keep the wyverns as my reward?”

“Of course! They’re all yours—you’re the one who defeated them. We’d offer you gold, but unfortunately, we don’t have much on hand. Could you wait until we retrieve some from the city?”

...People in this world take gratitude way more seriously than in Japan. Maybe it’s because life here is so much more dangerous, and they value saving lives to the utmost.

“No, really, money’s not necessary. Actually, I’ve never done any dismantling before. Could you help me with that? There’s no way I could handle it alone.”

“Dismantling? Easy! Leave it to us, right, guys?”

“Of course!”

“You can count on us!”

I’d been wondering what to do with the wyverns after defeating them. This was perfect. Helping others really does pay off!