Chapter 58
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Why Are You Coming Out From There?
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(3)
7.
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
Syrphi, who had left the forest and returned to the dormitory, wore a face full of obvious bewilderment.
'Th-that's...!'
A fog roiling like fierce waves.
And intermittent wolf howls echoing through the air.
It matched exactly the phenomena described in the Desert Church records for when the 'White Wolf that hides in the mist' begins its hunt.
'N-no way, did the seal break?!'
Shock, horror, disbelief.
A bouquet of emotions bloomed within her. And it was no wonder. She had just confirmed the sealing stake was properly in place on her way back.
So why had the seal broken?
And of all times, right after Syrphi left the forest.
As her eyes gleamed with questions, a sudden speculation flashed through her mind.
'Wait, could it be...!'
What if the White Wolf had actually awakened from its seal long ago? What if it had conserved its power to the utmost, then released it all at once to break free?
It was close to conjecture, but not entirely implausible.
'I've heard the White Wolf has considerable intelligence.'
Among Rudric's three kin, it was the magic beast that had lived the longest. Rumor had it its intellect rivaled that of an average human.
So perhaps the White Wolf had seen through Syrphi's intentions from the start. It might have deliberately hidden its power, only now breaking the seal with its full strength once she was gone.
The seal breaking the instant she left was proof. As if it had been waiting for her to go.
Crunch!
Syrphi bit anxiously at her nails.
'...This isn't the time!'
She had to go back now.
With the seal freshly broken, the White Wolf was at its most vulnerable, drained of mana. This was the one and only chance to tame it.
Syrphi whirled around immediately.
To head back to the forest.
But she barely took a few steps before stopping short.
Dozens of wolves emerging from the forest.
They were the White Wolf's clones. Syrphi had no choice but to turn back with a frustrated expression.
The White Wolf's clones were phantoms that moved solely on their initial purpose. No rapport could be established, nor could they be commanded.
Wolves closing in swiftly behind.
If she had run into them in the forest, she wouldn't have mounted any real resistance before being hunted. Her mana was nearly depleted right now.
But this was the academy dormitory.
And among all the dorms, it was known for having the strictest security. As if to prove it, the guards sprang into action right away.
"Magic beast sighting confirmed!"
"Guards, form defensive lines!"
The guards moved with disciplined precision.
They seemed well-practiced in fighting magic beasts, swiftly establishing a defensive formation. At the same time, they guided the students outside to evacuate.
"Everyone, get inside the dorm!"
"The dorms are safe! Evacuate now!"
All of Arsen Academy's dormitories were layered with every kind of protective magic imaginable. They had existed since ancient times, prepared for just such emergencies.
"L-Lieutenant!"
"The magic beasts keep coming in waves!"
The wolves were multiplying rapidly.
Now numbering nearly in the hundreds. With only about thirty men, they were outnumbered. The lieutenant gritted his teeth and barked.
"Any response from HQ yet?"
"Y-yes, we got a response, but..."
"Reinforcements are unavailable!"
"What?"
Hundreds of wolves nearly upon them, and no reinforcements? As the lieutenant's face twisted in anger, ready to shout something—
"It's not just here—the entire eastern sector of the academy is under magic beast attack!"
"...!?"
"But professors from the Military and Magic Faculties will join the fray soon, so we're ordered to hold out until then."
That was some relief, at least.
The professors from those two faculties were powerhouses whose strength rivaled the empire's elites.
'The problem is holding out that long...'
Anxiety flickered in his eyes. And that anxiety soon became reality.
Boom! Crash! Rumble!
The swelling wolf pack broke through the barricades and charged. The defensive line crumbled, the front slowly pushed back.
"Th-the magic beasts are flanking the defense line!"
"No! Hold them at all costs!"
"Don't let them into the dorms!"
The guards' duty was to protect the academy—and above all, ensure no students got hurt.
So they were determined to hold the final line, no matter what. Even if the dorms had protective magic, it wouldn't hold against this many magic beasts.
As the guards fulfilled their duty—
Suddenly, something changed.
Flash!
The area lit up in an instant.
As if torches had been lit all at once, the darkness lifted. Then an astonishing sight unfolded.
Whoosh!
The wolf pack lunging from the flanks suddenly dissolved into smoke and scattered.
What? What just happened?
As everyone panicked—
"Lieutenant!"
"Th-there's someone over there!"
Spring's Crown, the girls' dormitory, fifth floor.
Someone sat on the balcony.
A petite girl in a hat and cloak symbolizing a mage. Seeing her flowing silver hair, the lieutenant murmured blankly.
"...Dilia Arpen?"
He recognized her identity at a glance.
It was only natural. She was the center of attention among this year's freshmen and a celebrity.
He'd also heard she was the duchy's genius mage. If Dilia joined the fight against the magic beasts, it would be a huge help.
'But that's not right.'
Even if she could help, sending a student into battle wasn't the guards' job. So the lieutenant shouted immediately.
"It's dangerous here! Get back inside!"
"Leave this to us...!"
To send Dilia back to her room.
But Dilia acted faster. Her lips moved ceaselessly, then she spread both hands into the air.
And in that moment.
All sorts of lights adorned the night sky.
Countless starlights.
The stars, usually buried in the pitch-black night, shone especially bright tonight, asserting their presence.
Was it because of the dazzling light?
Not only the guards but even the White Wolf's clones reflexively looked up at the sky. At the same time, Dilia's hand pointed to the ground.
"Fall."
With that short command as the signal.
All the starlight from the sky rained down to earth.
One destination only.
Where the White Wolf's clones gathered.
Shoooo! Boom!
Starting with the first starlight hitting the ground, an immense barrage swallowed the wolves.
Wolves turning to smoke and scattering.
Strangely, not a single starlight fell on the guards' side.
A short while later.
All the starlight vanished.
The wolves on the ground were gone too, swept away with it. Staring at the overwhelming scene, the lieutenant swallowed dryly.
'So this is the duchy's genius mage.'
Now he truly understood.
Why Dilia was famous. Why she was called the duchy's hope. With awe in his eyes, he looked up at her.
And at the same time.
Dilia wore a sullen expression.
"...Ullan was in my dream."
She had been enjoying a sweet time, only woken by the wolves' howls.
Realizing this right away.
Fury engulfed Dilia. She immediately detected where the wolves were thickest and unleashed her 6th-circle spell, 'Starfall Bombardment.'
It eliminated the source of the problem, but she couldn't just pick up where her sweet dream left off.
Dilia sighed.
Meanwhile, around then.
Syrphi, who had witnessed the scene from not far away, widened her eyes. It was due to the tremendous power Dilia had just displayed.
'With that power...!'
Subduing the White Wolf freed from its seal and taming it wouldn't be hard.
Desire colored her eyes.
She had to borrow Dilia's power somehow to reach the White Wolf.
"Ov-over there!"
Having quickly formed a plan.
Syrphi shouted urgently.
"I saw a giant wolf in the forest!"
"A giant wolf?"
"Yes! I was out for some air earlier..."
Then she spilled the whole story.
About a wolf the size of a building endlessly spawning wolves using mist.
It wasn't a lie.
It was one of the White Wolf's actual abilities.
A moment later, as her tale ended, the guards' faces grew grave.
"So, unless we take down that giant wolf, the attacks won't stop?"
"Y-yes!"
Syrphi nodded vigorously.
But the guards' expressions darkened.
"We can't handle it alone."
"We should wait for reinforcements first..."
"No need to worry about that."
Then a calm voice rang out.
A swordsman in his late thirties appeared with around a hundred troops. It was the guard captain, Roen Pillawd.
"I heard the story. We'll join you."
They had just come from slaying the wolves that attacked Lion's Crown and looked plenty ready for more.
And one more.
Someone else offering her strength.
"I'll go too."
"What? But you're..."
"If we leave it, the casualties will grow."
Dilia Arpen.
Roen sighed deeply at her mention of growing casualties.
"Sigh, alright. You're right. We need to end this quickly."
He didn't want to rely on a student's power if possible, but this was an exception. The wolves were ferocious, and casualties had already occurred.
"Forgive me. Can I ask for your cooperation?"
"Yes."
Dilia nodded calmly.
But her reason for joining the wolf extermination was slightly different.
'I'm wide awake anyway.'
It would take time to fall back asleep.
And even if she did, she couldn't continue that sweet dream from before.
'So...'
She needed to vent her anger on the culprit that chased sleep away. Malice glinted in Dilia's golden eyes.
Whether aware of this or not.
Syrphi inwardly cheered.
'Perfect. This is enough!'
Dilia Arpen.
And now the guard captain too.
With them, they could definitely corner the White Wolf, making it much easier to tame.
'I'll be the White Wolf's master!'
She wouldn't yield to anyone.
Intense obsession filled Syrphi's eyes.
But once again, she had no idea.
That before she even set out to find the White Wolf, someone else had already encountered it.
8.
Deep in the eastern forest, inside a burrow.
A strange standoff continued.
The White Wolf, freshly freed from its seal, and an unexpected visitor: Ullan.
Unlike the White Wolf baring its massive fangs with growls of wariness and threat, Ullan just blankly stared at its scruff.
More precisely, at the black axe embedded there: Gula. Then he snapped to his senses.
"Guess I should pull the axe out first."
The Axe of Gluttony, Gula.
He didn't know why it was stuck in the scruff, but it was the weapon he'd wanted to claim.
So Ullan stepped forward.
To retrieve Gula.
But at that moment.
Thud! Boom!
The burrow shook violently.
The White Wolf, sensing his approach, had twisted its body, causing the quake. Dirt rained from the ceiling, narrowing the passage further.
Ullan halted his steps.
At this rate, the burrow would collapse before he reached it. His eyes gleamed coldly at the sight.
"..."
It was clear killing intent.
Directed, naturally, at the White Wolf.
Ullan decided to deal with the wolf before pulling the axe.
'But...'
There was one minor issue.
The burrow passage was too narrow to swing an axe.
After a brief ponder, Ullan made his choice.
'If I can't use the axe.'
He'd use another weapon.
The most primal weapon given to man.
His fist.
Thud!
He tossed the axe onto a pile of dirt.
Then lightly loosened up. He activated Spirit throughout his body, pushing his physical abilities to the limit.
Meanwhile.
Sensing something ominous, perhaps?
The White Wolf growled lowly. It rolled its crimson demonic eyes, observing Ullan.
But it read nothing. Naturally so. Ullan just stretched impassively.
Once preparations were complete.
Ullan took one step forward.
And in that instant, Ullan's figure vanished from the White Wolf's sight.
[...!]
Disorientation filled its demonic eyes.
Not just the figure—its presence and aura vanished completely.
He hadn't looked away, so how had it disappeared? As the White Wolf panicked—
Step!
A familiar footfall.
Ullan reappeared.
The problem: right in front of its nose. And a fist flying toward its face.
Crack!
A massive fist slamming into its face.
Bones crunching somewhere, its muzzle crumpling inward. Hit so hard, teeth rained out.
A bizarre scream erupted suddenly.
But Ullan didn't stop. He mercilessly pummeled the White Wolf. Grabbed its tail and thrashed it relentlessly.
Boom! Bang bang bang! Crash!
Part of the burrow collapsed in the process, but he didn't care. Soon after, the one-sided beating ended, leaving the White Wolf buried in dirt.
Exhausted? Unconscious?
It didn't twitch. Seeing it limp, Ullan strode over.
Over half its body was buried, but the scruff was exposed—facing him, no less.
Ullan reached out without hesitation.
To pull Gula from the scruff.
Grip!
He just grasped the handle.
Yet it fit perfectly, like an axe he'd always wielded.
Feeling the odd sensation, Ullan tried to pull it. But strangely, it wouldn't budge.
"Stuck pretty deep, huh."
Likely.
Like the stake he'd pulled earlier.
"In that case..."
He'd do as before.
Ullan gripped the handle with both hands. Placed his foot on the wolf's neck, then tensed his forearms, back, and waist in sequence.
Strength rivaling a giant's.
The axe couldn't withstand it.
Crunch! Rip rip!
With a clamor, it slowly came free.
Moments later.
Ullan successfully extracted the axe.
Gula, coated in the White Wolf's blood and flesh.
As he stared at it—
Suddenly, something happened.
Vrrr! Vrrr!
First, intense vibration.
The axe trembled fiercely. Then, gale-force winds swirled around it.
"This is..."
Ominous phenomena in succession.
Ullan narrowed his eyes.
"A magic weapon, perhaps?"
He'd seen a few in his past life.
Weapons possessing mystical power on their own. Collectively called magic weapons.
Magic weapons far outclassed normal ones but had one flaw.
They chose their wielders, despite being tools.
To use one properly, you had to be acknowledged as its master. Or thoroughly break it in.
Ullan's method was the latter.
Recalling how to tame magic weapons, he gripped the axe tight. Then slammed it viciously into the ground.
Clang!
Impact hard enough to chip the blade.
The whirlwind halted instantly. Taking the cue, Ullan swung wildly at the ground and walls.
'How to tame a magic weapon.'
The method was simple.
Swing it until it was on the verge of breaking. Like riding a wild horse until it exhausted its strength.
Thud! Crack! Smash!
He hammered rocks protruding from the floor until they shattered. The blade nicked and scarred, but he ignored it.
'Even if it breaks, mana can restore it.'
He had two companions who could share mana: Noa and Dilia. So he continued the brute-force taming.
And the result.
Finally, the vibrations stopped.
The winds dissipated. Gula, which had raged fiercely, turned docile as a lamb.
Only then did Ullan smile satisfactorily.
"There we go."
The pitch-black axe had turned gray, but he didn't mind. The color didn't matter.
Tucking Gula roughly at his waist.
Ullan retrieved his Monster Bloodstone axe. His eyes flashed coldly.
"Now then..."
Time to end the White Wolf.
No sense leaving a magic beast alive.
But turning his head—
Ullan blinked in surprise. The White Wolf was gone.
'Not gone.'
Its presence and aura lingered.
From the piled dirt. Ullan dug it out immediately. Soon, he found the limp White Wolf.
One problem, though.
"Why'd it shrink?"
It wasn't massive anymore.
Smaller than his forearm. Its appearance had become much cuter. Like a wolf-fox mix.
And another change.
"Why no demonic energy...?"
The power all magic beasts should have.
No demonic energy at all.
The giant White Wolf was clearly a magic beast, but this shrunken one wasn't.
Instead, a mystical power emanated.
Purest mana. On the plains, beasts with such power were called one thing.
'Spirit Beast.'
Not rampaging magic beasts driven mad by mana, but sacred creatures that accumulated pure mana over long years.
His plains homeland had them too.
Gthuh, the forest guardian spirit.
It had become a magic beast due to mana rampage for some reason, but it was originally a Spirit Beast.
Then.
Twitch!
The White Wolf stirred.
Moments later, blinking its fluffy eyes, it woke—and upon seeing Ullan, it startled back in fear.
It crouched low, growling fiercely—or trying to. But so small now, it wasn't threatening.
Watching it—
Ullan sheathed his axe.
"Not a magic beast, so no need to kill."
All he sensed from the shrunken White Wolf was fear and wariness toward him.
No demonic energy, no killing intent.
Moreover, plains lore said killing a Spirit Beast without reason brought the curse of ages.
So as he turned to leave—
Gurgle!
A sudden sound hit his ears.
From the White Wolf.
Exhausted and limp.
Ullan picked up the bundle near the axe and set it before the White Wolf.
"Eat if you want."
The fruits he'd picked earlier.
No particular reason for the kindness.
Perhaps repayment for granting him the Axe of Gluttony, Gula.
The White Wolf sniffed, then bit one fruit.
Crunch crunch!
Sweet and ripe.
It liked it, wagging its tail as it devoured it eagerly. The rest followed.
In the blink of an eye, the meal was gone.
The White Wolf looked up at Ullan with scarlet eyes.
As if demanding more.
"Sorry, that's all."
Did it understand?
It snorted and curled up again. Ullan spoke gruffly to it.
"And this isn't a place for you anyway. No prey in this forest. Better find another hunting ground."
That was all.
He turned without regret.
"I'll take the axe. You stay safe."
Patting Gula.
He headed for the burrow entrance.
Left alone, the White Wolf silently watched his back. More precisely, stared intently at the rune engraved on it.
Meanwhile.
Thud! Rumble!
Ullan cleared the dirt blocking the entrance. As he exited the burrow—
"U-Ullan?!"
A familiar voice rang out suddenly.
A face wide-eyed in shock.
Noa. And she wasn't alone at the burrow mouth.
"Why are you here...?"
Ivela, Dilia, and Syrphi too.
And over a hundred guards encircling the burrow. As he regarded them—
"You're supposed to be suspended and confined to the dorms."
Suddenly, someone stepped forward.
A swordsman in his late thirties.
"...Why are you here?"
The guard captain, Roen Pillawd.
His gaze toward Ullan sharpened fiercely.