The Terrifying Talent
The Terrifying Talent
Sssssssk—
The horrific burns covering the monster's body squirmed with an eerie friction sound. The speed at which its charred skin sloughed off, revealing fresh crimson flesh beneath, defied imagination.
Its regenerative ability was monstrous.
The creature let out a low growl, hot white steam violently hissing from its torn mouth. In mere seconds, all its wounds had vanished, and it lunged toward me once more.
[Kreeeeaaaah!!]
Planting its grotesquely elongated arms—reaching past its knees—onto the ground, it closed the distance with a gait more beast than human.
"Load."
I leveled the forbidden tome at it again. Condensed mana swirled at the book's edge as I took aim between its eyes, finger poised on the final trigger.
"Fir—"
KWA-BOOOOOM—!
Before the command even left my lips, a deafening explosion tore through the air. A streak of light grazed past my shoulder and struck the monster square in the chest.
KWA-BOOM!
KWA-BOOM!!
But it didn't stop there. A barrage of sharp, air-rending shockwaves followed, lashing the creature's limbs like a storm of blades. I turned my head toward the source of this unexpected support fire.
Flutter, flutter.
Dozens of forbidden tomes, the ones that had been trailing me, floated midair. Their pages flapped in eerie unison, resonating with a strange magical harmony.
Huuuuuum—
Each book began glowing in its own distinct hue. Then, from their wide-open pages, spells erupted—scorching red flames, freezing blue ice, slicing green wind, destructive yellow lightning. Prismatic flashes of magic drowned the corridor's darkness as they surged toward the monster.
KWA-BOOOM!!
KWA-BOOM!!
KWA-BOOM!
An overwhelming, relentless bombardment.
When the dust cleared, the creature's body was riddled with wounds so deep its bones were exposed.
"...Useful."
Just moments ago, I had found these books nothing but a nuisance. I never imagined they'd be this helpful. Ironically, the one I had trusted—Lantern—seemed utterly useless now.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Had it sensed my thoughts? Lantern flickered on and off indignantly. Naturally, I ignored it. There was no time to indulge its tantrums right now.
Bzzzzzt—
It trembled violently, radiating resentment. As if it believed it hadn't been given a fair chance to prove itself.
"Then step up on your own."
I gestured dismissively toward the books unleashing magic behind me.
Unlike them, you're just sitting there doing nothing. My gaze conveyed the unspoken jab.
Lantern shuddered briefly before beginning its own bizarre spectacle.
It hovered motionless in the air, its inner flame swelling ominously. Gathering energy, perhaps?
I was growing curious, but unfortunately, I couldn't afford to focus on it.
[Kreeeeaaaah!!]
The monster was regenerating through the magical barrage, inching closer.
Shifting my attention back, I watched its grotesquely contorted joints propel it forward and muttered softly:
"Fire."
The forbidden tome in my hand unleashed its stored energy.
KWA-BOOOOOM!!
The charging monster vanished into a pillar of light, evaporating as if erased. When the blinding radiance faded, I frowned at the sight of its mangled form sprawled on the ground.
"Tch."
A short exhale escaped my lips. Despite injuries that rendered the word "mortal wound" inadequate, its flesh writhed ceaselessly, stitching itself back together.
Only two options remained:
Either keep bombarding it until its stamina gave out, or sever its regeneration at the source.
"Hmm..."
After a brief deliberation, the latter seemed far more efficient. A war of attrition was too unpredictable.
For all I knew, I might collapse first.
Which meant figuring out how to stop its healing. Unfortunately, I had no expertise in this, so I turned to the so-called expert.
"Ha-rin. Any way to stop that thing from regenerating?"
"W-Way? I-I'm not sure..."
"You're a Witch, aren't you? No curses to halt recovery?"
"Well, there are, but..."
She trailed off, hesitating. Where was the pride of a prestigious family's heir? She was cowering, gauging my reaction. I fixed her with an icy stare.
"Cast it. Now."
"O-Okay."
Flustered, she hastily gripped her broom and began chanting.
"Yukar!"
Swinging the broom, she unleashed an invisible wave of cursed energy toward the monster. Impressively sharp, the curse struck just as the creature's wounds were about to close—
SHATTER!
A sickening, glass-like resonance filled the air as her curse bounced off the monster's pale hide, shattering harmlessly.
"..."
I stared at her blankly.
"I-It's not my fault! Everyone knows normal magic doesn't work on aberrations!"
Fidgeting, she blurted out excuses. I reached a conclusion.
This girl is useless.
"W-Wait! Don't look at me like that! I can help!"
Ha-rin's face flushed red as she protested.
Desperation dripped from her voice, her demeanor oddly mirroring Lantern's antics behind me. Hoping it was just my imagination, I mustered patience for one last attempt.
"Fine. Then restrain it."
Given how she'd dismissed the other mages earlier, she must've been confident in her skills. This should've been easy for her.
But that hope vanished instantly.
"Frate!"
Stabbing her broom downward, she summoned thorned vines that erupted like tidal waves, coiling around the monster. Yet, the seemingly sturdy bindings didn't delay it for even a second.
Rip. Tear.
A casual flick of the monster's wrist shredded the vines effortlessly. Ha-rin's face twisted in despair.
"How are we supposed to fight a calamity-class aberration...?"
Tears welled in her eyes.
Tch.
Clicking my tongue, I turned back to the monster, now fully regenerated and rising.
No choice. I'll have to do this alone.
Ha-rin stared blankly at the back of the man standing before her.
Si-woo.
The name of the man who had wounded an aberration with divine magic of terrifying potency.
Normally, harming an aberration was impossible unless you were a high-rank mage. Yet Si-woo had done it. The aberration now lay bleeding from his spell.
Had he been hiding his strength? No, unlikely. Her eyes—the Heavenly Eye—could pierce through even a 9th Class Mage's facade.
Which meant Si-woo, at her own level, had succeeded where others failed. How?
She found him remarkable.
Though usually stingy with praise, she couldn't help but marvel now.
Just who is he?
His face was unfamiliar—not from any renowned family.
At their age, reaching 5th Class would've made him famous, yet she'd never heard of him.
Only one explanation remained.
He's been hiding his power all along.
KWA-KA-KA-KABOOM—!
The magic books trailing him unfurled in unison, unleashing dozens of spells.
She watched, mesmerized, as magic rained down like a meteor shower.
How much mental fortitude did it take to control so many tomes at once?
And the golden book in his hand was extraordinary. Clearly in a league of its own. The golden pillar of energy it emitted was proof enough for anyone.
But power like that came at a cost. Normally, each use demanded a heavy toll.
"Fire."
KWA-BOOOOOM—!
Yet Si-woo showed no recoil. This was already his second cast—likely more. How was he unaffected?
No way.
An absurd hypothesis flashed through her mind.
It couldn't be.
But she had to confirm it.
Why? Because she was curious.
Peeking over his shoulder, she focused her violet eyes on the golden tome.
Her pupils shimmered with a bluish hue.
Heavenly Eye.
She saw what ordinary humans couldn't.
And what she saw made her exhale sharply.
Hah.
The book had developed hairline cracks.
So fine that only someone with eyes like hers would notice.
But those cracks told one thing.
The recoil wasn't being borne by the user—but by the book itself.
Why? The answer came easily.
The books loved him.
They wanted to be used by him, so they redirected the backlash onto themselves.
It was laughably ridiculous.
She'd grown up surrounded by magic tomes. She prided herself on knowing just how arrogant and capricious they could be.
And that's why she could say with certainty:
He wasn't human.
Or rather, his talent was beyond human.
For someone who believed talent was everything, this was the highest praise.
Ha-rin stared dazedly at Si-woo's back, her chest tingling strangely.
"Ha-rin. Any way to stop that thing from regenerating?"
He'd asked her earlier.
"W-Way? I-I'm not sure..."
Of course, she could cast curses to halt recovery—but the target was the issue. Common sense said curses wouldn't work on aberrations.
Still, she tried.
And as expected, it bounced off.
She'd braced for his scorn, terrified he'd see her as no better than the weaklings she herself dismissed.
But thankfully, he didn't lash out.
His expression wasn't pleased, but he didn't berate her.
Even kindly gave her a second chance!
She was moved.
Even after failing again, she didn't cower.
Si-woo...
Because instead of blaming her, he simply turned to face the aberration alone.
So cool.
Her vision grew hazy.
Ha-rin, who'd been sniffling moments ago, suddenly stared at me blankly.
No idea why. Not that I cared. From the start, she'd struck me as odd, so this wasn't out of character.
Either way, I refocused on the monster.
How to stop its regeneration?
As I pondered, a cold, heavy sensation pressed against my right hand.
Looking down, I found Lantern clutched tightly in my grip.
Fwoooosh—
Behind its glass, sinister black flames—like molten abyss—flickered to life.
Huuuuuum—
A faint vibration pulsed from its core, almost as if whispering to me.
"Ready to show me?"
Huuuuuuuum.
A confident tremor tickled my palm. Adjusting my grip, I gave a short command.
"Then show me now."
The moment I spoke, the black flames exploded outward. A colossal shadow seeped from Lantern's base, swallowing the opulent corridor in an instant.
"Hahaha... A 7th Class Archmage, you said...?"
Behind me, the necromancer's hollow laughter echoed, laced with irreversible defeat and bottomless despair.
"As I thought..."
Ha-rin watched me with a dazed, dreamy expression.
Hiiiiisss—!!
The shadow's erosion left no trace of the castle. Gilded walls, towering ceilings—all vanished into darkness. Only an eerie silence and void remained.
[Domain Expansion]
[Kreeeeaaaah—!!]
Unfazed by the environment's shift, the monster charged. With the books' barrage halted, it lunged unimpeded—
Thud.
But never reached me.
Countless shadow hooks shot from the darkness, seizing its limbs and ripping them apart in an instant.
[SKREEEEEEE!!]
As if such pain were trivial, the monster writhed, its severed limbs already regenerating.
But the darkness was faster.
Squelch. Tear. Riiiiip.
[Kreeeeaaaah!!]
Its agonized shrieks mingled with the grotesque sounds of muscle and bone being torn asunder.
Regeneration was futile—each attempt met with even more brutal dismemberment.
"Of course it's Si-woo! You can even use a Domain!"
Domain? So this was a Domain?
I glanced at Lantern in my hand.
You're more impressive than I thought.
Bzzzzzt—
Did it understand the praise?
Lantern trembled gleefully, emitting a pleased vibration against my palm.