We followed the tracks deeper into the sewers until we suddenly emerged into a massive plaza.
We were likely directly beneath the city center. Gaping tunnels opened up in every direction, marking a convergence point for the various waterways.
"This looks like a prime hiding spot," I remarked.
"Yes," Sylpha agreed, her hand resting near her blade. "I can sense something lurking about."
The ground was covered in tracks. It seemed the creatures had made this place their stronghold.
"Let's flush them out."
Purification System Holy Magic: Sunshine.
A magic orb of brilliant light rose slowly above my head. This specific spell created a massive, hovering light source. While bringing a beacon into the darkness usually made one an easy target, Sunshine doubled as an offensive spell, which mitigated the risk to some extent.
The darkness vanished as if scorched by the midday sun.
"Squeeak!?"
Rats scurried from their hiding places, but those caught in the radius collapsed and evaporated before they could reach safety.
"That light... is it Holy Magic? Come to think of it, you did visit the church recently. To think you've mastered it already—as expected of Master Lloyd."
"You're amazing, Lloyd! Even the filth in the sewers is vanishing!" Ren added.
Caked-on mud and grime crumbled away like sand under the light. Holy Magic was actually quite the convenient cleaning tool.
"Hey, Jiruel. Rats and sludge aren't monsters, right? Why did they vanish like that?"
"Sunshine uses sacred light to purge impurity," Jiruel explained. "Nothing screams 'impure' quite like rats and sludge, so the effect manifested accordingly. Though I must say, your range and potency are entirely off the charts. Your mana capacity is truly breathtaking, Master Lloyd."
"But Master," Grimo interjected, "if you keep up a wide-range attack like this, no monster’s gonna dare come near us."
He had a point. As I was wondering how to handle it, Shiro bounded out in front of me.
"Woof!"
"I see, I see... Master Lloyd, Shiro says it’ll go find some monsters and herd 'em back here."
"Oh? Well then, Shiro, I’ll leave it to you."
"Woof-woof!"
Shiro let out a proud bark and took off at a frantic pace. After waiting a short while for Shiro to return, I heard a cacophony approaching from one of the tunnels. A massive swarm of rats burst out, fleeing for their lives.
"Woof! Woof-woof-woof!"
Shiro was right on their heels, nipping at them to keep them moving. As the swarm poured into the plaza, they were immediately bathed in the radiance of Sunshine.
"Squeeak!?"
The rats evaporated instantly. The spell was incredibly effective; the living avalanche of rodents was annihilated in the blink of an eye.
"Whimper...?"
Shiro looked dejected, seemingly shocked that the rats it had gone through the trouble of herding had vanished so quickly.
"Don't let it get to you, Shiro. Bring me something bigger next time."
"Woof!"
Perked up by my consolation, the bearwolf immediately regained its spirit and dove back into the tunnels. Hmm, Sunshine having such a massive area of effect was a bit of a double-edged sword. I suppose I’d just consider this heavy-duty sewer maintenance for now.
"Master Lloyd, here comes another batch!"
This time, mixed in with the rats were several Slimes—slime-type monsters. It seemed Shiro had successfully brought back some actual combatants. There were no Ghouls yet, but I could at least begin my experiments.
First, the rats caught in the light vanished. Next, the Slimes ground to a halt.
"Pigyaa!?"
They clearly loathed the light and couldn't bring themselves to get closer. They turned their backs to me and tried to push past Shiro.
"Woof!"
Shiro lashed out with its sharp claws. Even as the Slimes were torn apart, they desperately tried to flee. Among monsters, Slimes possessed incredible regenerative abilities; a minor physical attack would usually be healed in an instant.
"Lloyd, the Slimes are getting away!" Ren called out.
"...Can't be helped. I'll block their path."
Fire System Magic: Flame Prison Barrier.
Walls of fire erupted from the ground, encircling the Slimes.
"Pigee! Pigee!"
The Slimes shrieked. Trapped and unable to escape, they watched as the circle of flames gradually tightened.
This was the perfect chance to test the efficacy of Sunshine. As I moved the floating magic orb closer, the Slimes illuminated by the concentrated light began to go limp, as if their very life force was being drained. They continued to regenerate, but the light scorched their bodies anew every time they did. Before long, the Slimes stopped moving entirely and vanished into wisps of smoke.
"I see. Sunshine is primarily meant to repel monsters, but it can still kill them given enough time. A spell that can cover such a wide area without harming allies is quite a find."
Wide-range magic usually carried the risk of friendly fire. But with Sunshine, my allies were perfectly safe, and since it provided constant area-of-effect damage, it was an excellent counter to sneak attacks. The fact that it was a bit flashy was a minor drawback, but there was no doubt it was a highly versatile spell.
"Sunshine isn't supposed to have much offensive power to begin with," Jiruel muttered, sounding horrified. "To use it as if slow-roasting them over a low flame... What a devilish application! Master Lloyd is truly a terrifying person...!"
"Heh, that's one chilling way to go," Grimo added. "I actually feel for the little blobs."
The two of them were whispering to each other. Was I using the spell in some strange way?
"Master Lloyd."
Suddenly, Sylpha’s voice turned sharp. She was staring intently into the depths of the tunnel, her eyes fixed on the pitch-black darkness. From that void, I felt a presence—the same one we had been tracking since we arrived.
A sharp clack echoed through the plaza as a figure stepped into the light.
It had a corpse-like blue face, festering skin, blood-red eyes, and sharp fangs.
A Ghoul.
"Ghh... Urgh..."
The creature let out a guttural groan and bared its fangs, glaring at us with mindless hunger.
It looked like the main event had finally arrived.