The Fastest Horse in the World
The fastest horse in the world? The answer is simple: a horse running with holy power injected into it.
Thanks to Leon’s help, I caught up to the First Prince and stood atop the wooden giant’s shoulder, looking down over the battlefield. Snow was falling. In a world dyed pure white, I raised my hand. The wooden soldiers charged at the enemy in perfect sync.
“Fire!”
At the Second Prince, Isaac Eternno’s command, the soldiers nocked arrows while the mages prepared their spells. Fireballs and arrows flew toward us. The wooden giant swept its hand in front of its face, and both arrows and flames sank into its palm. Flames roared violently. Still burning, the giant slammed its massive fist into the ground.
BOOOOOOM!
A tremendous shockwave erupted, sending soldiers flying in every direction. The wooden giant’s hand shattered. It had taken the full brunt of the magic and arrows. Growth wasn’t invincible. Of course it would take damage when attacked.
But there was a reason it was called a unique magic. I drew on my mana and poured it into the giant’s broken hand. Instantly, the damaged limb sprouted new growth and restored itself. As long as my mana allowed, it could recover endlessly. That was one of the powers of Growth.
“Release.”
The southern knights who followed Isaac each manifested their own ideal. Some summoned gauntlets, others helmets, cloaks, or full suits of armor. Their momentum exploded upward in response.
The knights who had sliced through the wooden soldiers now clung to the giant. A sword wreathed in flame carved into its leg. I poured mana in and restored it. A blade carrying the wind sliced off its arm. I restored that too.
During that series of exchanges, Isaac figured out how my magic worked.
“It recovers the summons by using mana! Keep pressing until the mana runs out!”
At Isaac’s shout, the knights changed tactics. Instead of pouring everything into one decisive strike, they switched to slowly chipping away.
“Gaaah!”
One knight was sent flying by the giant’s kick, but the enemies paid it no mind and continued their assault. A knight who had reached the second stage of liberation wasn’t about to die from a mere kick, so they focused on the task at hand.
A knight struck by the giant’s fist flew into the sky. The knight beside him sliced off the giant’s arm. The giant’s foot stomped down on another. Yet another knight cut off its leg. And it recovered. Even if its hand was severed, its arm chopped off, its foot crushed, or its waist sliced in two, the giant kept regenerating without pause.
Someone shouted in a loud voice.
“Keep pushing! It’s almost out of mana!”
The knights’ injuries were increasing from the giant’s attacks, but so was my mana consumption. It was steadily draining away. The knights, now familiar with fighting the wooden giant, simultaneously sliced off both of its legs. They grew back again.
“Just a little more!”
A knight who dodged the giant’s fist swung his sword. The wound left by the wind-attribute knight worsened, and the giant’s arm fell off with a thud. It grew back again.
“We’re almost there!”
Flames blazed fiercely as a sword stabbed into the giant’s back. And… it grew back again.
“…….”
The knights’ attacks stopped. They looked up at the sky with stunned expressions. The wooden giant still stood tall on the earth, unmoving, its two legs planted firmly.
Someone muttered quietly.
“Just… how much mana does it have?”
Mana reserves remain far from depletion.
*
“Mana is something you’re born with. Everyone has a different limit, and that limit is decided the moment you’re born.”
“So this damn magic requires talent for literally everything?”
At Kelton’s words, I crossed my arms. This cursed magic demanded innate elemental aptitude, an exceptional sense for raising one’s rank, and even a massive mana pool from birth. When I grumbled, Kelton stuck his pipe in his mouth and shook his head.
“Is there any field in this world that doesn’t require talent?”
“So, did I at least get blessed with mana? I must have, right?”
I had no special elemental aptitude and lacked any outstanding sense for deepening my understanding of elements, so I figured maybe I’d been gifted with mana instead. But Kelton just chuckled and lit his pipe.
Huuu.
After blowing out a long puff of smoke, Kelton spoke.
“Not even a trace.”
“I feel like I’m going to cry from how unfair this is.”
“If you had been born with mana talent, you’d already be having problems controlling the ever-increasing amount.”
“Then how much mana talent do I actually have?”
“Hmm. Average at best? Maybe below average?”
“All my magic talents are like this.”
When I clicked my tongue in disappointment, Kelton tapped out his pipe and continued.
“But it’s not like there’s no way forward.”
“I knew I could count on you, Sir Kelton.”
“What do you think you need to do to increase your mana?”
“Well… doesn’t it increase when your rank goes up?”
“Let me correct one thing first. Rank and mana have absolutely no relation.”
No relation? It was true that even after reaching the first rank, my mana pool hadn’t changed at all. I had assumed it was because my rank was still low, but apparently they were never connected to begin with.
“But don’t all archmages have enormous mana pools?”
“That’s the most common misconception. It’s not that they have a lot of mana because their rank is high. They have a lot of mana because they’ve been training for long enough to become archmages. Even if you suddenly became a fifth-rank mage right now, your mana would stay exactly the same.”
“That’s not the common method, then.”
“What’s common or uncommon? You sometimes talk like you’ve lived in another world.”
“Actually, I’m a reincarnated person.”
Kelton raised a finger and produced a small flame.
“The way a mage increases their mana is simple. Just keep using magic.”
“That’s it?”
“Then your mana will naturally increase up to your predetermined limit. However…”
Fwoosh. Kelton extinguished the flame and narrowed his eyes, lips moving carefully.
“Most mages never see the limit of the mana they were given.”
“Even you, Sir Kelton?”
“I still haven’t reached my limit either. That’s why I haven’t seen it.”
That was surprising. Even Kelton, who had trained without rest for over seventy years, had yet to reach his mana limit.
“Of course, in the early days when you’ve just learned magic, it grows quickly. But the growth gradually slows down.”
“So eventually it stops increasing at all?”
“Exactly.”
“Then how do you strengthen the growth rate?”
“You catch on fast, my disciple.”
Kelton activated his magic again. This time, a much larger fireball blazed into existence.
“You push your mana to its absolute limit. No. You go beyond the limit. That’s how mana grows quickly.”
“Just hearing it sounds like an abnormal method.”
“Using magic past your limit. It sounds easy, but there’s a reason it’s called a limit. Unless you’re in an extreme situation, unless your life is truly on the line, most people can’t cross it.”
“And you’re recommending this to your disciple?”
“You think I want to? …But my master told me that if I ever took a disciple, I should make them try it.”
“So it’s a method strongly recommended by your master’s master.”
That was rather fresh. I tapped my cheek.
“Anyway, you’ve never actually done it yourself, right?”
“It’s closer to a method I tried and failed at.”
“Is it difficult?”
“Extremely.”
“Hmmm.”
So I had to overcome the state of depleted mana and still cast magic…
“The important thing is willpower. Even if someone forcibly drains your mana to zero, it’s meaningless. You have to surpass the limit with your own strength for the mana to grow.”
“That’s annoyingly complicated. I’ll try it.”
“You probably won’t succeed. It’s that diffi—”
The next day.
Kelton stared at me with an incredulous expression.
“Just what the hell is magic to you?”
“Everything.”
“Without any real threat to your life, just the thought that you need to use more magic makes you cross the limit. You’re not sane.”
“But I did it, didn’t I?”
I grinned weakly, my body completely exhausted.
I asked, “What if I push magic itself past its limit? Would that increase too?”
“What are you planning now?”
“No, I’m not planning anything. It’s just that my elemental understanding hasn’t been improving lately.”
“You’re going to jump into fire next.”
“But if my elemental understanding increases, isn’t that a good thing?”
Kelton let out a deep sigh. It was the kind of sigh you’d make if you’d seen the future.
He pressed a hand to his forehead and said, “You’ll die.”
“I just need to get slightly burned, right?”
“Sometimes I wonder if you’re really a girl. Take better care of yourself.”
“Actually, I was a man in my previous life.”
“Just focus on your magic training.”
And so I trained every single day using the method Kelton taught me. Whether it rained or snowed, I walked around using magic on the streetlamps. When my mana ran out, I pushed past the limit and kept casting. For seven years straight. Not a single day skipped.
The result, as you can see, wasn’t bad at all.
“Why won’t you fall already!”
Leaving behind someone’s scream, I activated my magic.
Fwoosh.
The flames of predation wrapped around the wooden giant’s fist. The flames of predation devoured everything. Stone, animals, medicinal herbs, people, emotions, memories, trees—nothing was spared. It devoured everything with savage hunger.
Everything it consumed became nutrients. It became part of the body. It became mine.
That was why it was called ‘predation.’ It ate, digested, and absorbed. Hence, the flames of predation.
Using the wooden giant’s fist as prey, the flames of predation grew larger and larger. As long as I supplied mana, the wooden giant would grow infinitely. The flames of predation would also grow endlessly as long as there was something to devour.
When the two met, the outcome was obvious.
A flaming fist large enough to scorch the sky filled the world. A catastrophe descended upon the knights who stood with their mouths agape.
The season changed. The snow-covered plain reached midsummer. Standing tall amid the scene of utter destruction, I spoke to Isaac, who had rolled across the ground four times from the impact.
“By any chance, Sir Isaac, do you possess any magic?”
“You dare…”
Isaac glared at me with bloodshot eyes. He was a swordsman. Of course he would have Refinement magic. However—
“Unfortunately, I already have Refinement. If I take it again, Cheongya will get sulky. You don’t have any other magic, do you?”
At my question, Isaac stood up and shouted orders to his knights.
“Kill that witch immediately!”
“The Witch of Vengeance, Ruina, has arrived—the one who can make even a crying child stop instantly.”
The flames of predation clung once more to the restored giant’s hand.
KWAAAAAANG—!
A fist that set the world ablaze crashed into the earth. Among the incapacitated knights and soldiers, Isaac staggered.
“Checkmate.”
“…….”
Isaac closed his mouth. He had realized the situation was hopeless. Right now, Isaac had spread his forces thin. He had divided his troops, which meant he couldn’t concentrate his power. Fighting the entire southern army would be difficult even for me, but with this much force, it was more than manageable.
That was when it happened.
A cloud of dust rose beyond the horizon. Color returned to Isaac’s face. It seemed the southern army that had scattered after hearing the commotion was regrouping.
Couldn’t be helped. I swallowed my annoyance and prepared another spell—then stopped.
The flag at the head of the army was a different color from the southern army I knew. Isaac also froze and muttered.
“Why… is the Capital Defense Force here?”
Despair colored Isaac’s expression. The appearance of the Capital Defense Force was that unexpected.
At the head of the Capital Defense Force, the commander spoke in a friendly voice.
“Second Prince. It has been a long time.”
“Why are you here right now… don’t tell me—”
“His Majesty the Emperor gave me advice. What a shame. Second Prince.”
“…….”
The First Prince, Orphin Eternno, stepped forward. Beside him stood the commander of the Capital Defense Force.
“Surrender, Isaac.”
“…….”
Isaac’s shoulders slumped. He had realized it was all over.
And so, the Second Prince’s rebellion came to an end.
A plan executed without proper preparation is far more likely to fail than succeed.
Right after, a voice rang out from thin air, and everyone looked up. A human-shaped illusion appeared beside the Second Prince. It looked like a mirage.
“Morpheus!”
The First Prince called out the name of the seventh-rank mage famous as the Nightmare of the South. Oooong—! A crack enveloped the Second Prince’s body.
It’s a big loss, but what can we do? At least we can save his life. Well then, everyone, until next time.
The Capital Defense commander swung his sword in a hurry, but the Second Prince vanished even faster. Having witnessed Morpheus’s unique magic, the commander clicked his tongue lightly and ordered his subordinates.
“So something like that was possible. Can’t be helped. Everyone, listen up! The leader of the rebellion has fled, but the rebel army remains. Capture every last one of them.”
“Understood.”
The Capital Defense soldiers scattered. Watching them, I dismissed the wooden giant and walked over to Haze, who had been standing there in a daze, and held out my hand.
“Give me the magic.”
“Here you are.”
Good. With this, today’s work was finished too.