Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Witch's Forest (3)
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Two of the colossal divine soldiers had fallen.
That left just three remaining.
Colton and his comrades were working hard to transport mana stones, but the Erbonak Order was collecting data on the colossal divine soldiers even faster.
Now, the number of enemies pouring in through the entrance had reached the hundreds.
All the magic circles they'd painstakingly prepared had been exhausted.
Jun considered going all out with Overheat and casting spells directly, but he quickly gave up on the idea.
"The efficiency would be too low."
The enemies' holy power had already adapted to his magic.
Even the [Lightning Call] he'd unleashed at the end had only neutralized a few foes.
"Dungeon mechanics are such a pain, seriously."
In the end, Jun decided to retreat.
"Maya still hasn't shown up..."
Still, he wasn't overly anxious.
Judging by the occasional explosions echoing from the rear, they were all coming from spots where he'd asked Maya to gather materials.
She had probably collected nearly everything by now.
"Sunbae! The defensive line's been breached!"
"Let's pull back too!"
At the same time, Jun activated warrior-type golems using the mana stones he'd prepared in advance.
The golems' eyes blazed with deep blue light as they sprang to life and charged straight at the enemy.
Warrior-type golems activated.
The Erbonak Order's holy power hadn't adapted to the warrior-type golems yet.
Of course, the holy knights weren't weak, so the golems wouldn't hold them off perfectly, but they could at least slow their advance somewhat.
"Let's go!"
"Yes!"
Aiden, too, couldn't think of a way to face that many enemies head-on, so he followed Jun deeper into the city.
"What do we do from here?"
"We prepare another way to fight back against them."
Jun glanced beyond the walls at the colossal divine soldiers, their bodies now cracked all over.
With two down, the burden on the remaining ones had grown immensely.
Once they all fell, phase four would begin.
"H-Hey! Mage! Is everything going smoothly?!"
Right on cue, Colton and his mercenary band arrived at the central temple in the city, scanning their surroundings with anxious eyes.
From their perspective, it must have felt like the world was going mad.
Maya had vanished somewhere, explosions were booming all over the city, and now the colossal divine soldiers were falling one by one. Their anxiety was at its peak.
"It's fine. Everything's going according to plan. More importantly, what about the mana stones?"
"We've pretty much used up everything in the city!"
"What about the ones I told you to save?"
"Over there!"
Colton pointed to a pile of mana stones scattered haphazardly beneath the temple's pillars.
"Good. Then let's get started right away. Cover me while I work."
"Y-Yeah, got it!"
Colton headed straight for the clock tower overlooking the city square, and Jun began drawing new magic circles on the ground with mana stones.
"Aiden, from now on, focus entirely on recovering your condition. You'll need to shine soon."
"Understood!"
Aiden had been hauling mana stones nonstop for hours and was utterly exhausted.
Yet his face lit up.
He'd spent all that time just moving stones without any real action.
If Jun was saying that, his moment to step up was surely coming.
Aiden sat down right there and began meditating to restore his stamina.
Colton's shout came less than an hour later.
"Th-They're coming! The enemies are here!!"
Fear laced the voice of the usually composed Colton.
It couldn't be helped.
The colossal divine soldiers, which seemed invincible no matter what they did, were falling one after another, and the enemy numbers were overwhelming.
One slip-up, and death would come knocking.
The only reason Colton and his mercenaries were holding it together was Jun's calm expression—he still seemed unflappable.
'There are so damn many. Whew.'
But that was just Jun's acting.
If the raid leader showed any sign of cracking, the team would collapse first.
Jun's heart was pounding too.
'The old days were better, honestly.'
It had been just over a year.
There had been countless more dangerous moments than this.
Yet Jun was shaking now because, back then, it had mostly been just his own life on the line.
Mistakes meant dying alone; success meant surviving alone.
The Forest Guardian raid?
Jun had had no choice then, and it wasn't even his doing.
It was pure desperation to survive.
But now?
Most of this situation stemmed from his own choices.
Only then did Jun truly understand what it meant to sit in the leader's seat.
'Responsibility weighs this heavy, huh.'
The pressure would have crushed him back when he was just "Lee Jung-jun."
But the current Jun was a completely different person.
It wasn't thanks to [Unyielding Will] or [Steadfast Heart].
Countless experiences and the scars of survival were holding his mentality together.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
That was why Jun could face the marching enemies approaching without flinching.
"Colton, take your comrades and fall back."
"Y-You sure you'll be okay?"
"You're all exhausted anyway."
His mercenaries had been running around the city for half a day straight; they could barely swing a sword.
'They weren't meant to handle the Order's forces in the first place. Not at level 2.'
Holy warriors, maybe—but holy knights? Impossible.
They'd be swept away mercilessly by auras forged from holy power.
Instead, Jun turned to Aiden.
Even in this dire situation, Aiden kept meditating.
He wouldn't rise until Jun called him.
To honor that trust, Jun double-checked the numerous magic circles etched into the ground, then cast a spell on Aiden.
Fog of Silence
Stealth-type magic. Greatly reduces presence.
The stealth spell from the Goblin Lord subjugation, now far more robust than before. A thick fog enveloped Aiden, masking his presence.
The enemy forces reaching the square halted.
"Are these the witch's minions?"
"Minions? You're the ones invading a lone woman's quiet home. Invaders always have the best excuses."
Dialogue wouldn't work anyway, but Jun muttered it to ease his tension.
"You've held us off admirably until now, but your fate ends here. The gods shall deliver divine punishment."
"Bullshit."
Holy knights advanced slowly, shields raised.
Holy warriors gripped spears behind them, while mounted archers took aim at Jun.
"Hoo... So this is what Gandalf felt like."
Recalling a certain wizard from the movies, Jun gazed out beyond the walls.
'I've already used up most of my 4th-circle spells.'
The devastating [Lightning Call].
The advance-halting [Earth Burst].
Even [Air Bomb], weaker in raw power but excellent for crowd control.
None of them would perform at full strength now.
'Am I still far from ready...?'
Jun's eyes turned back to the walls. The colossal divine soldiers' cracks had widened further, screeching as they charged the enemy.
They looked like flames flickering on the verge of extinction, blazing their final light.
But they still had time before burning out.
'Maya's probably gathered all the materials by now. To neutralize them, phase four needs to start.'
And for that, all the colossal divine soldiers had to fall.
Which meant Jun had to hold off these ancient zealots alone until then.
"... "
His heart circles spun.
The mana he'd been gathering responded instantly, and the countless images now utterly familiar sucked it in.
"I've still got plenty of magic left."
[Interpreting Word of Power...]
[Interpretation complete.]
[Word of Power, 'Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim' influence reduced by 15 percent.]
Rooooar—
Mana surged wildly.
Still immature, it followed its master's will, gathering naturally around him.
Was this what a dragon's awakening looked like in legends?
The swirling mana compressed intensely, warping space itself.
'The best spell to buy time...'
Like a porcupine, an absolute defensive field rejecting all intrusion formed in his mind.
Lightning Whip
Lightning-elemental whip unleashed amid azure light.
A lightning whip lashed out in a blaze of blue.
No need for accuracy buffs.
Wherever it swung forward, enemies were there.
"The witch's minion attacks!"
"Block it!"
Holy knights thrust shields to intercept the lightning whip, but—
"Grraaagh!"
"Gaaahhh!"
"M-My body...!!"
Dozens collapsed helplessly in one go.
Without even checking the results, Jun chanted again.
High-Speed Chant
Lightning Whip
He chanted the same spell repeatedly.
His surging mana responded to his mental images, coalescing.
Zzzzzzzzap—!!
Five whips thrashed wildly through the air.
The sheer pressure halted even the fearless Order zealots in their tracks.
"Graaaahhh!!"
"Gaaaaahhh!"
Screams erupted from all directions.
Ignoring them, Jun chanted once more.
Countless mental images swirled in his mind.
Each tore the enemy apart in myriad ways.
And mana manifested those images into reality.
A state of no-self.
The weight of leadership had vanished; his inner world filled solely with images of hunting and killing foes.
"Insane..."
Colton, now away from the battlefield, gaped in stunned silence.
He knew Jun was no ordinary mage.
But that had only been average-level exceptional.
A mage better than most.
That was Colton's image of Jun.
With his long career, Colton had heard tales of far greater mages.
Mages in the 7th stratum who called down meteors.
Ones who could raze cities single-handedly.
Compared to them, Jun was still unripe fruit.
Yet Colton couldn't close his mouth at the scene Jun was creating.
'In just one month...'
Yes.
Colton vividly remembered Jun from the raid a month ago.
The frail mage who panted after a short run.
He'd had a hidden trump card back then, enough to impress Colton—but just an outstanding mage, nothing more.
But now?
How could anyone link this to the Jun of a month ago?
Through years as a mercenary, he'd seen countless people.
Some geniuses unworthy of the name, and even greater talents.
But none had grown like Jun.
Suddenly, Colton wondered if he was witnessing history.
'If this kid survives another year, five, ten...'
He might reach heights Colton couldn't even dream of looking up at.
Perhaps pioneering a realm no one had touched.
That vision ignited his imagination.
"You're crazy, mage..."
At this level, jealousy didn't even factor.
Only awe remained.
Nothing else.