Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Rain and his friends watched from a distance as the Raging Phoenix's warriors executed their tactical retreat after securing another win in the war. They couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as Rain's well-devised plan unfolded precisely as intended.

The enemies had fallen into the trap, expending a significant amount of their attention and resources on the warriors and their appearance, completely unaware of the true objective that Rain had set in motion.

As the warriors fought and the enemies scratched their heads in puzzlement, Rain bided his time patiently. He knew that the moisture in the air was slowly rising, thanks to the efforts of Seadir and his followers, setting the stage for the next phase of his cunning plan. It was all part of Rain's strategy to gain a tactical advantage and outmaneuver the opposition and the enemies.

Thanks to all that, Rain got a bunch of levels in the Frost King's path.

Level 10: Frost Armor Summon a protective shield made of ice that reduces incoming damage and enhances your resistance to fire attacks. Minus ten points per level of physical damage and Minus twenty points of fire damage per level.

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Level 15: Icy Blast Unleash a freezing blast of ice magic, dealing area damage and slowing down your foes. Decreases their movement and attack speed by one percent per level.

Level 20: Glacial Aura Surround yourself with a frigid aura, granting resistance to physical damage and reducing the speed of nearby enemies. Minus twenty points of physical damage per level and minus one percent of movement speed per level.

Level 25: Hailstorm Strike Summon a hailstorm that showers your enemies with shards of ice, causing damage over time.

Rain never expected that the skill he just used would be something he was going to learn soon… it was convenient since it made him gain even more experience.

"Hehehe, things are getting better and better," Rain smirked. "My intelligence is my highest parameter now, so my magic is a lot more efficient. Still, why do I feel a bit weird… we didn't kill all the slimes, but we still got stronger without losing a single warrior."

Something seemed off… maybe it was the enemies behavior that made Rain feel like that. They were weirdly cautious of his actions, even though it benefitted him, maybe his mind games got them good.

Regardless, the whole Raging Phoenix returned to the town and began to rest and clean their equipment. The fight didn't last that long, but such maintenance had to be done periodically… the worst thing that could happen was that their gear would lose durability. Most of the equipment was more expensive than they could earn in five years and the kingdom paid them rather well, after all.

"Rain, something is off," Jori suddenly said.

Rain turned to the side and then saw Jori and Reca looking to the West, the direction they came from. When Rain did the same, he was able to see an army of slimes approaching and they were rather fast.

"... Hmm, this unexpected," Rain said while holding his chin. "The enemies want us to waste time here, so why would they risk losing more troops today?"

Rain was very aware that seizing the opportunity when the enemies dropped their guard was a highly effective strategy in many cases. However, he understood that this approach was most effective when the enemy's plan didn't revolve around prolonging the battle or when time was of the essence.

In this particular situation, Rain's plan was more elaborate, involving a patient waiting game and the subtle manipulation of environmental factors to maximize their tactical advantage. It was a clear sign to his adaptability and strategic thinking, considering the bigger picture in order to cause as much damage as possible with minimal losses.

While Rain was watching the monsters and Jori and Reca went to spread the message about the enemy attack, he saw two forces moving from the back of the monster army, and then they moved to the sides.

Rain squinted his eyes while looking at that, a frontal attack and a pincer one… that was smart. It would have been smarter if they tried to hide that. Regardless, that wasn't something the magic people usually would do.

"They definitely are receiving tips from someone else," Rain thought. "Probably someone that has the knowledge about the dungeons."

Rain was determined to uncover the identity of the person aiding the magic people. He reasoned that it couldn't be the same individual who had destroyed two of the tribes, and the possibility of it being the hooded person with teleportation abilities or the demi-human who had branded thousands of magic people and demi-humans weighed on his mind.

As the situation continued to proceed, Rain knew that uncovering the truth about this mysterious ally would be crucial to their efforts and their understanding of the enemy's intentions. That person would have a lot of answers to his questions, after all.

Before long, Rain confirmed that the two forces that were going to attack their sides were composed of magic people. Each side only had five hundred soldiers, and considering their aura, they were golem masters and heat sorcerers, and they were mixed up.

"Their aura is… a lot stronger than before," Rain furrowed his eyebrows. "This isn't good."

The golem masters supposedly had around thirty thousand mana points, enough to summon three golems, but their current mana seemed at least three times bigger than that and it was bigger than even Rain's.

His first guess was that the Gemini tribe buffed them, so that power up was supposed to last thirty minutes. Fortunately, the warriors quickly assumed their positions to fight the enemies after Rain opened some paths on the walls. Three thousand of them would fight the slimes, and one thousand in the north and another on the south.

The slimes slowed down a bit, but then they eventually showed their true power… when they were five hundred meters away, all of them fired ice spears at the warriors. It was better than acid… or so Rain thought.