Chapter 56: Alchemist’s Dungeon (2)
Chapter 56: Alchemist’s Dungeon (2)
“Damn it! Not… not these wolf bastards again!”
“If you have time to complain, get into formation!”
I quickly moved to block Ahn Sol’s front, then pulled Ahn Hyun’s arm to form a triangular formation. The number of wolves before us was staggering, too many to count at a glance. I could feel my skin tingle from the ferocious aura they were radiating.
I bit my lip. The caravan’s tracks had vanished without a trace. Logically, the tracks should have become clearer the deeper we went, but at some point, they had just disappeared. I’d wandered around for a while, trying to find any other sign, but it was as if we were bewitched; I couldn’t find a single clue. Just as I was about to activate Third Eye, we had the bad luck of being ambushed by wolves.
Even if these were wolves from the Black Forest, I was confident I could handle over a hundred of them on my own in my current state. The problem was the kids. They had struggled against a pack of just over twenty before, and this time, the numbers looked to be more than double that. It wasn’t their first time, but with well over forty wolves glaring at us with gleaming eyes, it was only natural for these brand-new rookies to be terrified.
“O-Oppa.”
“Don’t back down!”
Despite my shout, Yoojung subconsciously took a step back. At that moment, the wolves let out a collective howl. Hearing the cries of over forty beasts at once, Ahn Hyun, Ahn Sol, and Yoojung all flinched, their faces pale with fear. I heard Ahn Hyun muttering something beside me, but before I could even ask what he’d said, the wolves charged, rapidly closing the distance between us.
We’d be overrun at this rate. There was no time to reassure them. Yoojung and Ahn Hyun both had dazed expressions before they snapped back to their senses and gripped their weapons. I was relieved they’d at least come to, but that didn’t change the fact that we were at a disadvantage. I grit my teeth and drew my sword.
“Ahn Sol, support me with Protect for a moment and slowly back away. I’m breaking formation.”
“Wh-What? Oppa? Oppa!”
With no time to explain or convince them, I gripped my sword and surged forward. Seeing me burst out, the wolves opened their maws wide, baring their sharp fangs. I heard a scream from behind me, but this was not a situation I could control with simple support. Besides, with this many enemies, there was no guarantee the others could keep up. In the end, the only solution was to reveal a little more of my true strength.
The first clash between me and the wolves began.
With a single leap, I entered the center of the pack and swept my mana-infused sword sideways. The result exceeded what I’d expected and surprised even me. The Authority of Sword Specialist was remarkable. Its synergy with my sword-training experience made it feel even stronger.
“Protect!”
Just in time, Sol cast Protect on me. The wolves that had been charging so fiercely seemed stunned, staring at me as if they couldn’t believe so many of their pack had fallen to a single strike. But it was only for a moment. Perhaps because they still had the advantage in numbers, four or five of them broke off toward the others, while the remaining thirty swarmed me.
I instantly dispatched two wolves rushing me from both sides, then immediately spun around and sliced through the torso of another that was leaping at me. Hot blood drenched my body. I glanced over at the others and was relieved to see they had composed themselves and were holding their own against the ferocious wolves. Still, there were too many left. A thrill ran through me as I found myself in a disadvantageous(?) battle for the first time in a while. I let my sword hang low before once again cleaving through my surroundings with a powerful swing.
“Kyehang!”
Swish!
It was no longer a matter of killing one wolf per swing. Two or three were caught as a matter of course, and when a critical hit landed, six went flying as before. Before I could even think about moving it, my sword was already flowing along the optimal path. Unity of Sword and Self had activated.
“Kyehang! Keng!”
Swish! Swish!
As I swung my sword again and again, the torsos of the wolves charging me from the front were cleanly severed. The next moment, I felt a murderous intent from behind. As I started to turn, I felt something clamp down hard on my thigh. I swung my sword behind me while looking down to see one of them with its teeth sunk into my thigh, growling.
“My durability isn’t something you can pierce.”
I whispered quietly and thrust my sword down. A fountain of blood erupted from the wolf’s head. After kicking away the wolf as it collapsed with a resentful look, I rampaged through the area like a sword demon. After swinging my sword to my heart’s content for some time, I was about to turn again when I realized my surroundings had gone quiet.
The battle had entered a lull. The pack, which had numbered over forty, was now reduced to just over ten. In that short time, more than thirty wolves had been slaughtered. My plan to show off a little of my strength had gone a bit too far.
A dark smile spread across my face as the instinct for slaughter began to take over. The whimpering wolves took a hesitant step back. I took a deliberate step forward to match them, and the wolves, which had been cautiously watching me, began yelping and scrambling away without a second glance.
Where do you think you’re going? Drunk on battle, I was about to give chase when I heard urgent shouts from behind me.
“Hyung!”
“Oppa!”
“Oppa!”
The moment I heard their cries, I returned to my senses. They couldn’t have seen my smile because my back was turned, but I had unquestionably gone too far in this battle. What should I do? What should I say? The questions filled my mind.
Just then, as I lowered my head, I saw my body, drenched in blood. I sniffed the scent of blood for a moment and came up with a good idea. It was pathetic that I had to resort to acting in situations like this, but I had no choice. My movements just now had clearly crossed a line. Suspicion sprouts from the smallest things, so it was best to nip it in the bud.
“Ugh!”
“Hyung! Are you okay?”
Hearing the kids rushing toward me, I let out a series of dry heaves and let my body slump to the ground. Of course, I didn’t forget to pant heavily on purpose. Coughing up blood would have been the icing on the cake, but they might raise a fuss about turning back if I did that.
“Haa, haa!”
As sweat poured from my body and I forced a pained expression, their helpless faces came into view. Hyun was hurriedly pulling a potion from his bag, Sol was rapidly chanting a healing spell, and Yoojung was trying to strip off my clothes. W-What is she doing?
“Hyung! Hyung! Get a hold of yourself!”
“Oppa! Oppa!”
“B-Be quiet. Stop shouting….”
“Hyung. Drink this, quickly!”
Seeing Ahn Hyun press a potion bottle to my lips, I shook my head vigorously and waved my hand. Yoojung, who had already managed to pull my shirt halfway off, stuck her head inside to examine me closely, then tilted her head in confusion.
“What? There aren’t any external injuries. Don’t tell me… he hurt his lower body?”
“Ugh… Everyone, please, just stay still….”
As I slowly circulated my mana, I saw white steam rising from my body and looked at Sol with an urgent expression. I figured a top student like her would surely recognize this. Sol, who had been in the middle of her healing incantation, saw the white haze rising from my body and her face went deathly pale.
“Move!”
“Gah! Wh-What’s with her all of a sudden?”
“I said move!”
Yoojung flinched and backed away from Sol’s fierce, almost devouring glare—an expression she had never shown before. Sol placed a hand on my chest and slowly sent mana into my body, apparently to examine my internal condition. Seizing the opportunity, I violently stirred my mana together with the Eternal Flame, making it appear completely out of control.
“N-No way!”
“What on earth is going on?”
“H-His mana is running wild. It looks like Mana Reversal!”
“A Reversal Phenomenon? Then…”
“Waaah!”
After finishing her sentence, Sol burst into tears and hugged my face. I could feel her warm tears and breath on my skin. Ahn Hyun and Yoojung, who also seemed to know a thing or two about the Mana Reversal Phenomenon, just stared at me with devastated expressions.
“Damn it… I shouldn’t have just stood there in a daze…!”
“What do we do… What in the world….”
“…Everyone, be quiet.”
Deciding that was enough, I pretended to struggle upright. Sol, who was streaming tears, and Hyun and Yoojung all immediately stared at me as though they were witnessing a superhuman feat. With white haze still rising from my body, I sat cross-legged. The kids seemed to understand what I intended and quickly moved away.
“Everyone… just keep watch for a moment.”
After watching them nod about three times a second, I slowly entered meditation. Once I entered contemplation, I tended to lose all sense of time, so I couldn’t allow myself to sink too deeply. Besides, I needed to use Third Eye properly, and now seemed like the right time.
The tracks had definitely been getting stronger, then they had vanished in an instant. The most likely cause was a barrier. However, a normal barrier would have given off a mana reaction, but I couldn’t feel a single trace of energy. It seemed to be a Path Barrier, one that utilized a route rather than direct opposition.
I slowly activated Third Eye and began to meticulously scan the surrounding forest.
*
“Hoo…”
When the analysis ended, I released a long breath. It hadn’t been as taxing as viewing the 〈Truth〉 of past events during the Rite of Passage, but it was far harder than merely reading information. Taking comfort in having found the vanished tracks, I opened my eyes.
Blink.
Blink, blink.
Blink?
Blink, blink?
“……”
“Oppa?”
“Orabeoni?”
Ahn Hyun stood nearby with his spear raised, guarding the surroundings with a grim expression. At the girls’ calls, he turned and met my eyes. I watched Hyun’s mouth slowly fall open. After prying the girls away as they frantically felt my face, I finally managed to stand.
“Oppa. Your body? Are you okay? Huh?”
“For now. I’ve suppressed it, so as long as I don’t overdo it, I’ll be fine.”
“Hyung. Here. Quickly.”
“Ah, no. A stamina potion won’t do anything for a Mana Reversal Phenomenon….”
I wanted to say it was useless, but I couldn’t bring myself to refuse after seeing Ahn Hyun’s face. In the end, I had no choice but to accept the potion with an awkward expression. It seemed he was desperate to make me drink it.
As I uncorked the potion and gulped it down, the kids’ heads followed my movements, tilting up and then down. I shrugged as if to ask what was wrong, and Yoojung spoke up, crestfallen.
“Um… Oppa. Don’t you think we should turn back for now?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I heard from Sol. A Mana Reversal Phenomenon doesn’t just happen once. If it’s not treated perfectly after it manifests, there’s a high chance it’ll happen again….”
“I told you I suppressed it for now. I can get it treated properly when we get back to the city.”
“Still…”
“Instead of worrying about that, look at you all right now…. Ugh. Never mind. Just when I thought you were getting better, you’re back to square one. Weren’t you taught to never back down from monsters? Doing that is the same as openly telling them you’re afraid.”
Of course, I knew they had a right to feel a little wronged. It was their first time seeing over forty wolves at once, after all. In any case, when I cut them off in a tone that left no room for argument, Hyun and Yoojung hung their heads.
I had been planning to give them a stern lecture if they shot back with, “Why did you charge out on your own?” or “Weren’t you the one who broke formation?” But it seemed they knew they were in the wrong.
Despite my scolding, they still wore worried expressions. It seemed my pained grimaces while activating Third Eye had been effective. (That part was genuinely difficult.)
I stretched for a moment to loosen up my body, then looked at the kids, who were hanging on my every word, and spoke.
“Anyway, I have no intention of turning back. Especially not because of me. So all of you, get a grip. I’ll let it slide this time, but if you show the same attitude again, I really won’t let you off easy.”
“H-Hyung. But… Sol said a Mana Reversal Phenomenon is…”
“No buts. I know my own body best. I can still manage. Stop worrying and focus on yourselves.”
Only after I finished speaking did they slowly begin to gather their belongings. But their faces were all so dejected that the slightly relaxed atmosphere we had before encountering the wolves seemed to have vanished in an instant. Seeing their morale plummet, I was reminded of the position I held in this group.
As I turned to leave, I could feel their hopeful gazes on my back. But I had absolutely no intention of going back. First, we had to retrace our steps. We needed to return to the spot where the tracks had disappeared and change our direction.
As expected, I had failed to find the trail because a Path Barrier had been laid across it—a barrier capable of revealing an entirely different world with a single step. The realization that I had finally grasped a clue to Alchemist’s Dungeon filled me with excitement.