Among the advancing monster horde, the fastest were the skeleton riders and several nimble magical beasts, numbering between two to three hundred.
Orson quickly regained focus. These elite mobs all had HP exceeding 10,000. Sending the NPC soldiers to form a shield wall against them would be a futile effort—at best, they'd last two or three turns before being trampled into paste.
"Whisper of the Wind!"
With the casting efficiency boost from Whisper of the Wind, Orson initiated a Level 5 Quaking Stone Spikes, but instead of targeting the monster cluster, he cast the spell 600 meters away from the city wall.
Massive stone pillars erupted from the ground, manipulated by Orson into forming over a dozen stone chevaux-de-frise—an effective obstacle against cavalry.
Everyone knows that whether it's mounted cavalry or a reckless drunk driver, they all fear these things the most.
Though they couldn't directly damage the monsters, they significantly slowed their advance. Each stone barrier was two meters high, spaced three meters apart, forming a "no-go zone" for cavalry in the open field outside the city.
This is the power of earth-element magic: though its offensive capabilities lag behind, its versatility is unparalleled. In guild wars or defensive battles, a single earth-specialized Grand Mage can hold an entire frontline alone.
After completing the first defensive line, Orson didn't attack immediately. He waited for the 1 minute and 45-second cooldown of Quaking Stone Spikes to finish.
"Mount up, everyone! Ten on each flank! Corral the scattered monsters toward the chevaux-de-frise!"
At Orson's command, the NPC soldiers mounted their horses and rode out, granting him the rare privilege of commanding NPC troops like a general.
Most of the 20+ NPCs were infantry and archers. The inner city boasted the elite heavy cavalry, leaving only these lightly armored soldiers for the outskirts. Mounted, they gained no stat bonuses, but their light equipment made them faster than most monsters—perfect for drawing aggro.
After waiting over a minute, Orson erected a second row of chevaux-de-frise 500 meters from the wall.
This time, the barriers were spaced closer together and formed a V-shape.
With his sharp gaze, Orson anticipated the skeletal riders hitting the first set of barriers, causing a bottleneck for the following monsters. Ultimately, the horde would jam up in the V-shaped chevaux-de-frise, creating a classic "pocket formation."
True to his calculations, a cacophony of crashes erupted. Bone fragments flew in all directions as Orson observed.
Over ten skeletal riders slammed into the barriers, shattering themselves and their skeletal steeds into pieces.
As undead creatures, skeleton riders lacked intelligence and blindly charged forward without evasion. Even reduced to a mangled state, they dragged their broken limbs onward.
Under Orson's orders, the NPC soldiers galloped around, drawing scattered monsters into a concentrated group again.
Orson, leading the remaining 10 archers, approached the bottleneck. The archers lined up and readied their bows.
As more monsters flooded into the pocket, Orson smirked. "Let's test the new skill."
A crimson six-pointed star flared into existence, radiating heatwaves. The surrounding temperature rose sharply, and the air brimmed with fiery magic energy.
A massive flaming dragon, over 20 meters long, coalesced in the air with a deafening roar.
The Flame Dragon let out a menacing cry, its fiery form almost lifelike, as it unleashed dozens of fireballs into the horde.
"...This is a C-tier spell?"
Even Orson doubted himself.
The Flame Dragon released five waves of fireballs over its 15-second duration, dealing massive AOE damage. Though its single-target damage was modest, its area control rivaled some A-tier spells.
The passive skill Blazing Burn triggered, finishing off numerous critically injured skeleton riders.
In moments, the battlefield outside the city turned into a fiery hellscape. Dozens of monsters burned to ash, with hundreds more unable to advance past the barriers.
If any stragglers escaped the pocket formation, the archers quickly finished them off.
"You've slain an elite skeleton rider. Experience +600."
"You've slain a magic ape. Experience +450."
"You've slain a goblin cavalry. Experience +430."
Orson's experience bar surged upward. Within minutes, his level 16 XP hit 15%. At this rate, he could level up in less than 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heaps of task items and monster materials filled his inventory.
"Boss Bai is invincible!"
"Boss Bai, hail the conquering hero!"
The NPC soldiers cheered wildly, showering Orson with exaggerated praise. He accepted it all with a smug grin, reveling in their sycophantic flattery.
### Players' Perspective:
"Where are my monsters?!"
"Why are they running away?!"
Players grinding mobs in the area were baffled as nearby monsters bolted en masse. No matter what attacks they used, the monsters ignored them, sprinting toward a single destination as if lured by a feast.
Player A: "What's going on? Every hit shows as Miss."
Player B: "Let's follow them. Maybe we've triggered an event."
The players followed the horde and were met with an astonishing sight:
A sea of monsters, numbering in the thousands, swarmed toward the city wall. Amidst the chaos, a fiery dragon rampaged, leaving only ashes in its wake.
"Oh my god! That's a fire dragon!?"
"A 10,000-HP elite monster goes down in seconds?! Is this the power of an NPC mage?"
The players stared, slack-jawed, as Boss Bai unleashed his overwhelming magic.
"This NPC is too strong! What kind of hidden quest is tied to him?"
A hopeful player boldly approached Orson, plastering on a fawning grin.
"Oh great mage, is there any way I might assist you?"
But others quickly derided him:
"Scrub, get lost! You're level 13 with green gear—what help could you possibly offer?"
"I'm level 15 and a fire specialist! Pick me, mage, and I'll prove my worth!"
Suppressing laughter, Orson continued casting, maintaining his aloof "NPC grandeur."
"I hear rumors of a guild, Dragon's Kiss Guild?" Orson said.
The players froze in shock.
"The mage knows Dragon's Kiss Guild?"
Orson sneered. "Heard of them? Of course."
His expression darkened. "The chaos outside the city, the innocent lives lost—it's all because of Dragon's Kiss Guild and their heinous deeds."
The players blinked, puzzled. No such system announcements had occurred.
"You're all here for quests, aren't you?" Orson shifted the topic, struggling to stifle his laughter.
"A quest! It's real!" The players were elated.
Orson nodded sagely. "List ten crimes of Dragon's Kiss Guild. Spread the word. Let all nations know their atrocities. Once completed, report to the inner city's Guard Captain Wesley for your reward."
The players were dumbstruck. Was that...it?
Still, they erupted into cheers.
"Such a kind and benevolent mage!"