Chapter 57
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Why Are You Coming Out From There?
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(2)
4.
The wave of mist began in the eastern forest.
The sudden fog engulfed the entire eastern district of the academy bordering the woods. Noa stared at the scene with wide eyes.
'Why is the subjugation event...!'
The mist erupted like an explosion.
Wolf howls echoed in its wake.
Everything matched the prelude to the White Wolf of the Bewildering Mists' appearance.
The problem was how impossibly fast it had come.
'In the original story, it starts early April.'
To be precise, alongside the mock battle.
But now it was still early to mid-March.
There was plenty of time left. So why had the seal broken already?
'...Could there be some variable I don't know about?'
Of course, variables abounded.
Ullan enrolling in Arsen Academy was one, and turning Himmel into a bloody pulp, earning a suspension, was another.
But that was all.
None of it connected to the White Wolf of the Bewildering Mists.
'Then why...!'
The mystery gnawed at her unresolved.
Noa bit her nails.
But there was no time to ponder the reason for the event's acceleration.
"Kyaaah!"
"W-Wolves! There are wolves!"
"Uwaaah! Run!"
Chaos erupted outside the window.
Noa whipped her head around reflexively.
She wasn't alone. Ivela Elead looked toward the screams too. Soon, they witnessed something astonishing.
"...!"
A hazy white mist appeared first.
Writhing like a living creature, it quickly took shape. A wolf with pale fur.
[Kraaaang!]
The wolf, formed in an instant, roared and kicked off the ground. It prowled the forest like a real hunter stalking prey.
"What in the world is that...?"
Ivela's eyes trembled faintly.
Noa, however, stayed calm.
She knew exactly what it was.
'Even if the seal just broke, it couldn't move right away.'
It needed time to recover its strength first.
That's why the White Wolf created clones from mist and attacked every living thing in motion. To steal their mana and replenish its power.
'It's definitely the White Wolf of the Bewildering Mists.'
Only after seeing the clones did she fully accept it.
For whatever reason, the mock battle's subjugation event had been moved up. Accepting reality, she immediately planned countermeasures.
'The only way to resolve this is to subjugate the White Wolf.'
The White Wolf of the Bewildering Mists was a magic beast.
And magic beasts grew stronger the longer they endured, absorbing the world's mana.
If left unchecked, it wouldn't just regain its original power—it would surpass it, becoming a massive threat someday.
'So...'
It had to be eliminated somehow.
Now, while its power was still relatively weak, was the perfect chance.
'We have a solid shot.'
Arsen Academy was full of named powerhouses.
Ivela was right here, and with Ullan and Dilia Arpen lending their strength from elsewhere, the subjugation difficulty would plummet.
As hope flickered in Noa's eyes.
"M-Magic beast!?"
The librarian, Erban, finally peered out the window and cried out in horror. It was spot-on—the White Wolf was a magic beast.
His mistake?
His voice was too loud. Loud enough for the White Wolf's clones to notice him.
[Grrr! Woof woof!]
[Kraaaah!]
Wolves charged toward the reading room.
They scaled the walls in a flash and shattered the sturdy glass windows.
Kwajik! Crash!
As the glass shattered pathetically, the White Wolf's clones invaded the reading room.
"H-Hiiiik!"
Terror-stricken screams signaled it.
Erban's legs gave out, and he collapsed in place. An easy, unmoving prey. The wolves bared their fangs and lunged.
But they didn't reach their goal.
Flash! Slash!
A sword strike flew like lightning.
The pitch-black blade cleaved the lead wolf in half instantly. The assault faltered, and someone stepped in front of Erban.
"Are you hurt?"
The voice was flat and emotionless.
Ivela Elead.
She faced the remaining wolves without dropping her guard. Then, abruptly, she addressed Noa.
"You're Noa Darshen, right?"
"...Huh? Y-Yeah."
Caught off guard by her name, Noa nodded hesitantly. With confirmation, Ivela continued.
"Ullan told me. Said you're pretty strong."
"U-Ullan said that?"
"Yeah. Said you'd breeze through the preliminary rounds of the selection tournament, no problem."
Recalling that moment.
Ivela asked again.
"So, how strong are you really?"
"W-Well, I can at least hold my own against one person..."
"Could you take out those wolves too?"
The wolves were multiplying steadily.
Even the future Sword Princess would struggle against so many. Especially since they weren't ordinary wolves, but clones of the White Wolf.
Noa was different.
She was a shaman, and shamans excelled in one-versus-many combat.
So she affirmed immediately.
"Yeah, if I have enough time."
"Good. Got it."
A faint smile curved her lips.
With resolve in her eyes, Ivela gripped her longsword tighter. Staring down the wolves poised to charge, she said.
"I'll buy you time. In return, protect the librarian and deal with the wolves."
"Got it! Leave it to me!"
Noa replied spiritedly.
Her face lit up instantly. And why not? She'd not only had a normal conversation with Ivela but was now fighting alongside her.
'We might even become friends soon...'
The thought filled her with energy.
As she let slip a silly grin, Ivela shouted sharply in warning.
"Watch out! They're coming!"
Noa snapped back to focus.
This was her chance to bond with Ivela. No way she'd waste it. She shifted into combat stance immediately.
Shwoosh!
Blue talismans filled the air.
Sensing the threat, the wolves switched targets to Noa. But with Ivela there, they couldn't close in.
And in that interval.
Noa completed her spell in a flash.
"Sorry, Librarian!"
She bowed to Erban.
Then her spell activated.
Kabooom!
A fierce explosion from the talismans.
As desks and bookshelves throughout the reading room were engulfed in flames.
Battles erupted across the academy.
5.
The wolves' sudden assault.
As Arsen Academy descended into chaos, Ullan strolled leisurely through the mist.
The fog blanketed the entire forest in white.
It covered the ground and sky alike, making it hard to discern directions.
Yet Ullan strode forward confidently.
A clear target pierced the haze.
'The magic beast's presence.'
When the mist first began.
He'd sensed it sharply from one spot.
It had faded considerably now, but he could still gauge its location.
After walking some time.
A new presence emerged. Faint like smoke, yet undeniably real. Moments later, something blocked his path.
[Grrr!]
A pack of a dozen wolves.
Faint magic beast aura clung to them. As Ullan drew his axe, the wolves flinched and backed away.
This wasn't mere caution.
Fear trembled in their eyes. Noticing this, Ullan frowned in puzzlement.
'What's this? Scared of the axe?'
Beasts and magic beasts hated the scent of iron.
They were wary of weapons, specifically.
But never this overtly terrified.
'This is a hassle.'
Ullan preferred a direct charge.
Then he could just cleave them in two. Instead, the wolves slunk back without attacking intent.
But only briefly.
As Ullan pressed toward the initial presence, the wolves bared teeth and finally attacked.
Thud! Crunch!
And were bisected.
Ullan's axe knew no mercy. He halved every lunging wolf.
Something felt off, though.
It wasn't like cleaving wolves—like slicing empty air. Soon, Ullan realized why.
"Smoke?"
The bisected wolves dissolved into smoke without exception. It looked just like the mist clearing gradually.
"Clones, huh?"
Some magic beasts did that.
Hid their main body elsewhere and sent clones to scout prey. Recalling his past life, Ullan muttered.
"Gotta target the real one, then."
This type spawned clones endlessly until defeated. One of the kinds his past self hated most.
Ullan furrowed his brow.
"Would've been easier with Sven."
Sven Isaac, the hero party's sniper.
He excelled at detecting hidden foes. No enemy escaped Sven's eyes, no matter the distance.
But no help now.
Still a ways off from meeting Sven.
'No problem.'
A bit regrettable, but he'd prepared for days like this.
In the half-year since regressing.
He hadn't just mastered double-digit mental math. He'd devised new techniques unused in his past life.
This one included.
Thud!
He set his axe down.
Suddenly kneeling, Ullan pressed both palms to the ground. Like coiling to sprint. He closed his eyes and began slow breaths.
"Hooo. Haaa."
Rhythmic breathing.
His senses sharpened gradually.
His heartbeat boomed loud.
Wind rustling leaves, wolves' paws on earth—he heard it all.
Soon after.
Sounds coalesced into intel, forming a map. Invisible to eyes, felt only by Ullan.
At the center of his heightened senses.
He stimulated with Spirit. Like a droplet rippling a still pond. His senses expanded rapidly.
Shh shh shh!
Color flooded the monochrome map.
Soon, he sensed presences across the eastern forest. Among them, one wolf aura stood out—far stronger than the rest.
"...Found you."
Ullan grinned, baring teeth.
This was Search—activating Spirit to extend senses and pinpoint targets.
A scouting technique Ullan had devised by adapting Sven's skills.
"Same one I sensed first."
The main body matched the initial presence. No more hesitation needed.
Whoosh!
Retrieving his axe, he dashed off.
Thick mist couldn't block his sight. Location locked; only reaching it remained.
[Awooooo—!]
At that instant.
The ground quaked with a wolf's howl. The mist thinned, revealing hundreds of wolves barring his path.
[Grrr! Woof!]
[Kraaaaa!]
Killing intent exploded outward.
Fierce enough to buckle knees momentarily. But Ullan just smirked.
"Should've come at me like this from the start."
As the wolves dropped all pretense.
Ullan unleashed his full power too.
With Spirit maxed out, he stepped forward.
Step!
Beyond lay the master's domain.
Non-masters couldn't even perceive time's flow. Even if it was the moment their bodies turned to smoke.
Step!
Another step from Ullan.
Wind blew then.
Shhh!
Mist far thinner now. Ullan walked on as if nothing happened.
No more wolf sounds.
6.
En route to his goal.
Ullan spotted familiar stakes. Like the ones he'd pulled up. But he ignored them. Prioritizing the main body mattered more.
How long had he walked?
He finally neared the target. Scanning lightly, he found the likely hiding spot.
"A burrow?"
A pit like a burrow's mouth.
As if a subterranean monster had yawned wide. Ullan entered without pause.
The burrow delved deep.
Navigating the dark passage, the magic beast aura intensified gradually.
The presence sharpened.
Soon, the burrow's master appeared.
[Grrr!]
It growled threateningly.
A wolf with snow-white fur. Eyes burned like flames, fangs thick and viciously sharp.
Other traits hardly mattered.
The standout feature: its massive frame.
Crouched tight, it still filled the burrow—hinting at its true enormity.
That wasn't all.
Up close, its eyes gleamed like demonic eyes imbued with special power.
Just meeting them would overwhelm most instantly.
Ullan felt nothing, of course.
[Grr! Grrr!]
The wolf growled relentlessly.
Yet its cries lacked vigor. Its huddled form looked utterly drained, like it'd lost all stamina.
While observing.
Something caught Ullan's eye.
"That..."
A wound on the wolf's nape.
Something was lodged there.
At first, a large thorn. But no.
Peering closely with narrowed eyes, Ullan identified it.
"An axe?"
Its haft pitch-black.
Too small for a two-hander, too large for a hand axe—awkward size. Staring at it, Ullan puzzled.
"Feels familiar..."
He'd seen it before.
Recently, too. Frowning, he rummaged memories. Then it clicked.
"Ah, right."
The book he'd read before passing out.
The one Ivela gave him. Realizing, Ullan tilted his head, even more baffled.
"But why's that here?"
The axe embedded in the wolf's nape was one of the twin axes he'd resolved to claim.
Forged from a stone of longing, it absorbed mana, and with enough mana, could restore itself anytime.
The Axe of Gluttony, Gula.