Episode 220
Episode 220
Contrary to the White Tiger Tower students' misunderstanding, Lee Han had absolutely no intention of capturing the Rock Drake.
Knowing full well the creature's formidable defenses, such recklessness was unthinkable.
'Lure it out.'
There was no need to confront it head-on, nor to simply give up and flee.
Lure it out.
This flexible adaptability was precisely why mages were always in high demand as elite personnel wherever they went.
While other adventurers had to risk their lives in direct combat or abandon their quests and flee, mages always had third or fourth options available.
And Lee Han had a particular advantage in this regard.
Even among mages, he stood out for his exceptionally broad range of studies.
'If I provoke it and then redirect its attention...'
Durgyu aside, he couldn't simply hand over the Rock Drake to the White Tiger Tower students now gathered at the descending path below.
By any means necessary, secure it!
"Wo, Wo-Wardanaz. Promise me one thing."
"?"
"That you won't try to capture the Rock Drake."
"......"
Lee Han gave the trembling White Tiger Tower students a disdainful look.
'I already said I won't capture it...'
"Fine. I promise."
"...You—you mean it?"
"Of course."
"......"
The White Tiger Tower students stared intently at Lee Han's expression.
His face was like an impassive sculpture—even with his words, they couldn't bring themselves to believe him.
"...Really, truly—"
"Ask me one more time and I'll use you as bait first."
"!"
At Lee Han's words, the White Tiger Tower student clamped his mouth shut in fright.
It hadn't sounded like a joke.
'Did I make a mistake bringing these idiots along...'
Lee Han had left his other friends back at the hillside, bringing only the White Tiger Tower students for this approach.
After all, luring the Rock Drake didn't require many people. More numbers would only make the Invisibility Magic more difficult.
He'd brought the White Tiger Tower students because their agility and quick reflexes would make them useful in emergencies and...
'If I went alone, even with Durgyu, they wouldn't listen to me.'
...to ensure that, if necessary, he could issue commands to the other White Tiger Tower students stationed on the hill.
Even those who wouldn't obey Lee Han's orders would have no choice but to comply—albeit with tears in their eyes—if their friends were by his side.
Essentially half-hostages!
Of course, the White Tiger Tower students beside Lee Han remained oblivious to their actual situation.
They simply stared at the Rock Drake with tense expressions.
"But will the Rock Drake even react to just a Water Orb? Most magic won't work on—"
"That's why I hit its weak spot."
"......"
'Why the hell would you do that?!'
The White Tiger Tower students wept inwardly.
They'd thought it was just a provocation, but he'd struck its weak spot without them even realizing...
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
The Rock Drake tore its gaze from the hillside and began moving in the opposite direction.
It seemed determined to find whoever had dared strike its nose.
'Do your thing, Sharkan.'
Crack!
At Lee Han's signal, Sharkan—who had been waiting nearby—burst forth.
Startled by the sudden appearance of the green-furred panther, the Rock Drake whipped its head around.
-■■■...
Sharkan didn't overexert himself.
Rather than charging at a monster far larger and more heavily armored than himself, he let out a sharp, taunting cry.
Then, without hesitation, he turned and fled. The Rock Drake, incensed, moved to pursue.
"Bones, seize the foe."
Lee Han murmured the incantation in a low voice.
The distinctive Negative Energy of Black Magic coiled through the air as bone shackles materialized around the Rock Drake's forelimbs.
Clank!
In truth, it was a meaningless gesture.
Just as tying a rope around a giant's finger wouldn't restrain the giant itself.
The bone restraints around the Rock Drake's limbs would be shattered in under a second.
Yet Lee Han paid no heed and continued chanting.
"Bones, seize the foe. Bones, seize the foe. Bones..."
If one won't do, then two.
If two won't do, then three.
In an instant, the bone restraints multiplied, clinging tightly to the Rock Drake's forelegs.
It still didn't mean much, but it was clear the Rock Drake's temper had been thoroughly provoked.
First, it got hit by a Water Orb, then some undead monster taunted it, and now these annoying bone restraints on top of that.
-■■■... ■■■...
"Flames, distort the air."
When a vaguely mage-like figure flickered into existence amid all that, the Rock Drake finally exploded in rage.
The sluggishness it had shown until now vanished, and it began a frenzied charge, tearing up the solid ground beneath it in the truest sense.
KWA-DDDRDDDDUK!
The sheer force of its charge was terrifying enough to feel like an earthquake to the nearby students.
"Did... did it leave? It's gone, right?"
"Yeah."
The White Tiger Tower students sighed in relief, wiping their chests.
At least Wardanaz kept his promise and didn't go through with something as reckless as hunting a Rock Drake.
Thank goodness, really!
"You all, go up the hill and tell them you chased the Rock Drake away. They won't know what's happening from up there, so they'll be confused."
"R-right. We'll go now."
"I'll go check on the other students—"
Lee Han paused mid-sentence.
From the direction where the Blue Dragon Tower students were waiting, another Rock Drake had appeared.
"......"
"......"
The unexpected situation froze the students' minds in place.
But Lee Han immediately sprang into action.
"Go tell them you chased the Rock Drake away! I'll shake this one off and catch up!"
"Wo... Wardanaz!"
The White Tiger Tower students instinctively called out his name.
No matter how absurdly reckless he was, no matter how much of a master of dark magic he might be, they couldn't help but acknowledge the sight of Wardanaz rushing to save his friends without hesitation in a situation like this.
"...Be careful!"
"Stop wasting time with useless chatter and go report already!"
"S-sorry."
When Lee Han genuinely scowled and snapped at them, the White Tiger Tower students averted their eyes.
He didn't have to get that angry...
Even though his friends were camouflaged on the other side of the hill, Lee Han couldn't relax. He quickly ran with Sharkan in tow.
But the distance was too great.
'Damn it.'
"Flames, distort the air!"
Lee Han conjured an illusion around him—anything to draw the Rock Drake's attention.
"Light, arise!"
A massive sphere of light floated into existence. The sheer intensity of its radiance even startled the distant Rock Drake.
'Got it. Its attention is—'
-Grrrruuuu.
Sharkan let out a bewildered sound.
Right before their eyes, the Rock Drake began sinking into the ground.
"......"
Lee Han couldn't help but be stunned by this unfamiliar behavior.
He'd read in books that Rock Drakes faced opponents they could defeat head-on but burrowed underground to wait for an opportunity when they sensed a threat...
So it was true!
'Did I make the light magic too strong?!'
From the Rock Drake's perspective, the sphere of light was unnecessarily intense and dazzling—enough to feel threatening.
Suddenly, Sharkan began frantically pawing at the ground, then grabbed Lee Han's sleeve and yanked hard.
-Grrrrr! Grr!
"!"
Lee Han wasn't so slow that he'd miss that signal. He immediately tried to move away.
But the Rock Drake's movement speed was far faster than he'd anticipated.
KWA-DDDRDDDDUK!
With a deafening roar, the Rock Drake erupted from beneath the ground.
As the earth shattered and debris and dust flew everywhere, Lee Han desperately chanted a spell.
"Move!"
An iron sphere anchored itself firmly in midair. Lee Han grabbed it with his hand and strained with his entire body.
'If I lose balance, I'm dead!'
How long did he hold on?
For a moment, the ground beneath him rose as if solidly supporting him.
'Wait...'
That wasn't the ground.
It was the Rock Drake's massive back.
"......"
Lee Han was horrified to realize he was now standing atop the Rock Drake's back.
Due to dodging the Rock Drake that burst out from underground the wrong way, Lee Han ended up on its back.
'...No. Is this actually fortunate?'
At first, he felt dizzy enough to lose his balance, but Lee Han quickly regained his composure.
Fortunately, it seemed the Rock Drake hadn't noticed that someone was on its back.
Moreover, having vented its anger by smashing the suspicious glowing mass nearby, it began striding forward with heavy steps.
'Once we reach a nearby hill, I should jump off immediately.'
Lee Han resolved to look up slow-fall spells as soon as he got back.
After today, he realized that if he didn't learn one, he'd have no idea what might happen in the futu—
-■■...
-■■ ■■■...
"......"
Lee Han couldn't find a nearby hill to jump off.
Because, of all things, the Rock Drake he was riding had just run into the other Rock Drake that had stormed off in anger earlier.
No wonder the direction felt familiar...!
Thud, thud.
Thud, thud, thud.
The two Rock Drakes glared at each other. The tension was palpable—neither seemed willing to back down.
And indeed, neither did.
"...Wai—"
CRASH!!!!!
The two Rock Drakes violently collided.
As the creature's back shook wildly beneath him, Lee Han thought to himself:
'...If Professor Ingoldel ever struggles to find a good place for swordsmanship training, I should recommend the back of a Rock Drake.'
"Hurry up! You idiots! Why are you all so slow?!"
"Huff, huff... Those bastards... How do they... have so much stamina...?"
The students from the Blue Dragon Tower who had joined them mercilessly urged on the White Tiger Tower students.
Among the White Tiger Tower students who had heard the situation, not a single one refused to go rescue Wardanaz.
-Hah. You Blue Dragon Tower guys should just stay here and rest.
-You're too slow to be any help.
In fact, they reacted like this.
But surprisingly, the Blue Dragon Tower students were far more energetic.
Thinking about it, it made sense.
The White Tiger Tower students had been conserving water while scouting the area, and they had just been working frantically to block the Rock Drake from emerging.
Naturally, the Blue Dragon Tower students, who had moved around more comfortably, were less exhausted.
"Moradi. Thanks. I thought you'd refuse."
At Durgyu's words, Giselle shrugged.
"Maybe because we worked together in swordsmanship class, you've grown close... Ah, no. Sorry."
When Giselle glared at him like she wanted to murder him, Durgyu shut his mouth.
"Wardanaz risked his life to lure the Rock Drake away. If we don't go help, these idiots won't just sit still. That's why we're going."
"I see."
"So please, stop talking nonsense. Choi. Got it? Ever since we left the academy, why the hell have you been—"
"......"
Durgyu regretted it.
'I shouldn't have said anything...'
After ruthlessly insulting Durgyu's character (idiot, pushover, fool, the kind of guy who'd get pickpocketed by a street beggar, etc.), Giselle, having vented some frustration, changed the subject.
"One thing. There's something I don't understand."
"What?"
"Why did Wardanaz help us?"
"......"
Durgyu chose not to mention that he had told Lee Han the location of the underground exit.
Because Giselle's verbal abuse would've tripled in intensity.
"W-Well... Wardanaz might seem cold, but he actually values friendship..."
"Didn't I tell you to stop talking nonsense? There's definitely some ulterior motive. No one helps without a reason."
People always judge others by their own standards. Naturally, Giselle was no exception.
If there wasn't some hidden agenda, why would he help?!
Giselle furrowed her brow, lost in thought as she tried to decipher Wardanaz's inscrutable, sinister mind.
Of course, there was no such ulterior motive.
"L-Look!! Over there!!!"
"Stop being so dramatic. It's not like the water's gone bad—why do you scream like that every time you see something...?"
Giselle's snappy retort cut off abruptly.
Even Durgyu stared ahead with a stunned expression.
Because right in front of them, two Rock Drakes lay collapsed.
"......"
"I-I told you! Wardanaz has been wanting to take down a Rock Drake since earlier!"
In the silence that followed, the voice of one White Tiger Tower student rang out conspicuously loud.