Experience Bonus Time

“Kyeeeeee!!”

The Shadow Gryphon I recently recruited from the A-Rank Dungeon 【Black Wing Hall】 shrieked piercingly as it soared through the sky.

Riding on the Gryphon’s back, I surveyed from above the horde of monsters that had closed in right up to the royal capital’s walls.

“That’s an insane number of monsters… Could the dungeons around the capital really be collapsing one after another?”

‘Truly, truly—it’s an unprecedented catastrophe.’

Using Vanargand’s spatial transfer, I warped instantly from Ardion to the front of the royal city, but it had already turned into a battlefield.

I entrusted Rin to Vanargand’s interior and immediately summoned Shadows.

I gave them the order: ‘Kill the monsters. But never harm humans.’

“Hm… that’s bad—Ekarraat, I’m borrowing Dread’s Crimson Moon.’”

From atop the Gryphon, the battlefield was easy to observe.

I spotted a monster about to strike a robed mage, and I leapt down from the Gryphon.

“《Moon-Annihilating Cleave (Immortal Blood Pain)》”

While falling through the air I trapped the crimson blade against my arm and drew it—coating it with blood.

Combining the energy gained from the fall, I drove a full-power strike into the monster!

――Slash!

“Gyaaaaaa!?!?”

“Are you okay!?”

“……(nod, nod)”

The monster was cleaved in two along its central line.

Blood splattered back as I reached out to the Mage who had been targeted by the monster.

The Mage, too terrified to speak, trembled as they took my hand.

“If you can still fight, then fight. If not, fall back and rest.”

After confirming there were no outward injuries, I held Dread’s Crimson Moon and cut straight into the horde.

“It’s Experience bonus time!”

‘First you help adventurers, and now you treat monsters as Experience. I can’t tell if you’re hypocritical or hypocritically evil.’

“(Shut up).”

I’m just covering up my embarrassment.

My Level climbed rapidly as the Shadows kept defeating monsters.

I was Level 104 until yesterday, but I’ve risen three levels today alone.

Now that I’m in triple digits and the Experience required to level up had been ballooning, it felt good to level up smoothly for the first time in a while.

――Slash!

――Slash!

――Slash slash slash slash!

I used Imihizuki on the large, tough monsters and the Falcon Twin Blades I obtained when I defeated the Gryphon on the countless small fry, sprinting across the battlefield and slicing them as I passed.

“That’s about it for now—Shadow Field—Shadow Necromance.”

I cut down monsters in the chaotic battlefield and confirmed that the adventurers had reformed their lines and were stabilizing.

I extended my shadows to a diameter of 100 meters and gathered Shadows extracted from the monsters’ corpses.

I gave the newly commanded Shadows the same order: ‘Kill monsters, do not harm humans.’

＊＊＊

Afterwards I continued hopping between battle zones via Vanargand’s spatial transfer, repeatedly summoning Shadows and extracting Shadows.

Thanks to the explosive increase in Shadows, I managed to push the monsters that had been right at the capital’s gates back several hundred meters.

The battle zones east and south of the capital were particularly dire.

It seemed veteran adventurers were assigned elsewhere, and the forces here were mid-rank and rookies short of veteran level, with monsters nearly touching the barrier, so I focused on supporting them centrally.

At first the adventurers were puzzled by the presence of Shadows, but realizing they did no harm, they cooperated with the Shadows to push back the monsters.

To be honest, even if they were recognized as enemies and attacked, it wasn’t a problem since I could resurrect them infinitely.

By contrast, I rarely went to the west side.

That area was handled by the Palace knights and Holy Knights, and since my identity was completely exposed there, I would transfer in only for an instant, command monsters with Shadow Necromance, and then immediately transfer out again to avoid extra trouble.

But those Holy Knights were crafty; seeing the Shadows they were certain the extermination target ‘Shadow Necromancer’ had come to the capital, yet the commanders switched to tactics that assumed using the Shadows and skillfully managed the monsters.

‘They really are convenient people.’

“Well, in this situation it’s true you have to use whatever you can to get through it.”

Also, on the north side of the capital I rarely personally went to slay monsters.

That area had many strong monsters, but it was commanded by humanity’s strongest, Almugard.

Frankly, they were fighting so steadily that I thought they might have managed even without the Shadows.

The window announced the level up.

I’ve gained six levels today alone.

For an ordinary adventurer to raise their Level from 104 to 110 would probably take several years.

No matter how many monsters I slay or good deeds I do, the palace probably won’t lift the bounty on me.

If so, being able to obtain massive Experience and Shadows here was a stroke of luck.

“I was utterly defeated by that mummy bastard last time… but I won’t lose this time.”

Having leveled up rapidly, I compared my current stats to the previous ones.

“Alright, my level’s gone up quite a bit, and the battle zones are mostly taken care of.”

I circled the capital on the Gryphon while checking the situation on the ground.

“So then… the only thing left is to take down the final boss.”

I turned my gaze to the monster likely of the highest rank in this large-scale dungeon collapse.

It stood in the northern battle zone of the capital, and its form was clearly visible even from here.

By estimate—it was a mountain-like behemoth over fifty meters in length.

A bipedal humanoid—yet a giant-type monster far too huge.

“Ekarraat—do you know that one’s name?”

‘Probably a Titan. A-Rank Dungeon Boss—yet possessing strength approaching S-rank. You could call it a special A-rank.’

“Then—shall we go get the main dish?”

I guided the Gryphon and raced through the sky toward the giant.