153. The Family's Crisis (6)
Time Acceleration
Thought Acceleration
Clang!
The spear tip deflected the incoming blade from the front, sending a heavy clash of metal echoing through the air.
In the instant the repelled blade floated into the empty space, Eunhyeon's spearhead pierced the chest of the hunting dog straight ahead with ruthless precision.
"Guh...!"
The surrounding comrades froze at the hunting dog's reaction as it collapsed to the ground, its chest pierced clean through in an instant.
"......!"
Their shock at the speed—faster than before, too fast to even perceive—lasted only a moment before their gazes turned serious. They charged at Eunhyeon once more.
Attacks rained in from all directions, but Eunhyeon deflected them with the spear blade, blocked with the shaft, and twisted his body to evade by the slimmest margins. His response was nothing short of divine.
Even as four hunting dogs swarmed from front, back, left, right—every direction—with relentless assaults, they couldn't land so much as a scratch on him.
His sensing ability made it seem like he had eyes in the back of his head, countering every incoming strike flawlessly. Smiles began to creep across the hunting dogs' lips.
"Haha!"
'He's getting faster.'
Excitement surged through them, the thrill spreading euphoria that set their bodies alight.
Despite one comrade dying with a spear through his chest, there was no grief in their eyes—no mourning for a fallen ally.
All they felt from their weapons was the burning desire to conquer Eunhyeon.
They thought only of victory, of subduing him, unleashing a furious barrage.
"Raaargh!"
In a flash, the four hunting dogs pulled back. A massive brute bellowed into the air, his arms swelling like balloons as he swung a gigantic battle axe down with bulging biceps.
Kaang!
Eunhyeon guarded against the weight and momentum of the plunging axe with his seemingly fragile spear shaft.
Crack!
Though the guard succeeded, the immense force cracked the shaft instantly. Eunhyeon's eyes caught it, and his accelerated thoughts urged evasion over resistance.
"Kuh...!"
He twisted the spear at an angle to deflect the axe, shifting sideways to fully escape its slashing arc.
The spear, having endured less than 0.5 seconds of blocking, snapped in two. With all his might, he stabbed the broken shaft into the nape of the axe-wielding hunting dog.
"Gaaargh!"
The scream echoed as the battle axe hunter met his end, but the others showed no sorrow for their comrade.
Three-Digit Magic
Ice Needle
Rock Spear
Confirming the horde of projectiles conjured in the air by magic, Eunhyeon yanked the spear shaft from the hunting dog's neck.
Ice spikes in numbers enough to blanket the sky, massive rock spears—he eyed them all.
Quantities no single mage could produce alone. But five mages activating the same spells in unison showcased the hunting dogs' seasoned combat experience and group synergy.
Eunhyeon gripped the two broken halves, one in each hand, and activated his mana.
The hunting dogs, who had pressured him relentlessly, pulled back the moment the skyward magic readied, avoiding its sweep.
Hundreds of razor-sharp ice spikes began pouring down around Eunhyeon like rain.
Kaang! Kaang! Kaaang!
Swirling the broken shafts, he shattered each ice spike one by one—too fast for the naked eye, beyond visual capture.
As Eunhyeon focused on the ice rain, a distant hunting dog hurled one of his twin axes at him with full force.
"Tch."
Sensing the axe aimed at his temple, Eunhyeon clicked his tongue softly and swatted it away with one broken shaft.
Shattering ice spikes amid constant impacts, one shaft's durability finally gave out under the strain and his mana.
He cleared the rest with the remaining shaft, but his expression soured at the sight of the rock spear—now vastly larger, spinning wildly.
It had started as a spear, but after the ice barrage bought time, infused with more mana, it grew, morphing into a reinforced, rounded, pointed conical lance.
Its spin added weight, casting a massive shadow over the sky. This was no mere three-digit magic.
The airborne rock lance plunged, rotating like a massive drill to pulverize Eunhyeon entirely.
Aegis
Eunhyeon instantly activated his divine power, deploying the god's armament etched into his soul before him.
Kwaaaang!
The colossal rock lance clashed with the divine shield, shaking the earth and whipping up a dust-laden gale that engulfed the area.
"Ngh...!"
The hunting dogs, who had kept their distance, were swept by the backlash, pushed back bit by bit.
The mages who conjured the lance hastily pooled power for a barrier, shielding themselves from the raging dust storm.
"Ha! He blocked that too!?"
Baron smirked at Eunhyeon standing unscathed amid the rock debris from the direct clash.
But this was a contingency they'd prepared for.
As they formed the barrier, habit had them readying the next move.
Above the obscured rock lance, blue lightning crackled fiercely from a higher vantage.
Four-Digit Magic
Chain Lightning
Bolt Shower
Pajijik!
Blue lightning from the sky struck Eunhyeon atop his head at light speed.
"......?"
They'd seen it hit dead-on, yet his form blurred with afterimages. The two casting mages blinked in confusion.
"Gahk!"
Startled by a scream beside them, one mage whipped around.
The broken spear blade was embedded in his fellow mage's nape. He hastily cast a protective spell.
No time for grief—the veteran mage faced the approaching Eunhyeon and responded instantly.
Thud!
"Kuh...!"
A mana-infused punch hammered the barrier, which rang and cracked instantly.
Even a rushed barrier shouldn't falter from one strike—this power was staggering.
As Eunhyeon wound up for a second punch to shatter it, he dodged a greatsword swinging in from the side.
Kwang!
Eunhyeon pinned the blade—slashing air and embedding in the ground—with his foot on its flat.
Springing off it, he spun midair and slammed a kick into the hunting dog's temple.
"Guhk!"
The hunting dog instinctively dropped the sword to guard his head, but matching Eunhyeon's time-accelerated moves was impossible.
No time to confirm the knockout—Eunhyeon reset his stance, pulling back his right fist slightly.
Juhyeonseong Geukwonryu
Sammae Bongkwon (Three Flames Collapsing Fist)
Craaaack!
The already fragile barrier shattered pathetically. Before the tense mage inside could scream, Eunhyeon's fist pierced his gut, bursting his body apart.
"Whew~!"
Baron whistled in admiration at the scene.
Four subordinates dead, one unconscious, yet he stood arms crossed, grinning at Eunhyeon.
"Weird, huh? You're even faster than before. Movements so quick they're invisible. And it feels like you know all our moves in advance."
Unaware of the goddess-granted buffs—time and thought acceleration—Baron saw Eunhyeon as an intriguing toy.
"......"
Eunhyeon ignored Baron's questions and gaze.
The remaining hunting dogs circled him at a distance, facing off warily.
With comrades dropping so easily and no intel or counters gained, caution was inevitable.
As all eyes locked on Eunhyeon—
Vroooom!
A roaring object drew their stares to the temple.
Charging at breakneck speed toward the hunting dogs and Eunhyeon, it dwarfed ordinary carriages in velocity and compactness.
Thick rubber tires, steel wheels—not wood—propelled by dual-wheel drive. A sight unseen on the continent.
Atop it, a very young girl straddled the seat, a blonde woman clinging tightly to her waist.
The cargo cart fixed behind the reborn magic-tech motorcycle held a familiar fat toad-faced man, hardening the hunting dogs' expressions.
Seizing the distraction, Eunhyeon pointed at Ashton. Emilia nodded, steered toward him, grabbed his arm, and flung him into the cart like luggage with deft skill.
"Gaaak!"
Ashton—shoulder torn open by Eunhyeon's javelin, on the brink of death from blood loss—splattered crimson as his head smacked the cart.
The hunting dogs gawked blankly as the exotic vehicle leisurely exited the road.
But only briefly—Eunhyeon pulled a potion from his inventory, smashing it on the ground.
The empty vial, sealed with pure white light, erupted in blinding radiance, swallowing the surroundings.
"Kuhk!"
A one-digit light spell preserved via alchemy in potion form acted as a perfect flash grenade.
"Gaaah! My eyes!"
The intense flash overwhelmed them; they clawed at their faces, screaming.
Baron covered his eyes just in time but stared blankly upon seeing Eunhyeon vanished once the light faded.
"Ha... that bastard."
Thinking of the man who'd slain his hounds and escaped so cleverly, Baron smirked.
"The engine's too loud. We'll think about fixing that later."
"Master's assessment is correct. This unit concurs that the current frame has significant room for improvement."
The massive magic-engine roar risked pursuit despite their escape, so midway they muffled it with a soundproof spell as a stopgap.
"By now, any chase will take time. Stow the motorcycle back in the Inventory for now."
"Command accepted."
Emilia nodded at Eunhyeon's order. Touching the bike, it vanished in an instant amid its rumbling fury.
Inspired by Renat's summoning and reverse-summoning in the prior necromancer fight, this new subspace spell—developed with Iliana—was kept secret, unlike their gate magic.
Renat's was borrowed divine might; this was pure Eunhyeon-Iliana ingenuity, drawing on arcane knowledge's essence—priceless and pride-inducing.
"All that's left are these guys... and the lady."
"Haa... haa..."
Eunhyeon glanced at Elenoa panting against a tree, then at Ashton and Bark crammed in the cart, pondering.
"Emilia. Set up the tent. We're camping here tonight."
Keeping Ashton alive mattered, but Elenoa's condition was dire.
Fearing overexertion from evasion would worsen her, Eunhyeon boldly chose to camp.
"Command accepted. Additionally, this unit has one report for Master."
"What is it?"
"A potion vial was found while binding the toad."
"...Toad? You mean this guy?"
Pointing dubiously at Bark, Eunhyeon got a nod of confirmation.
"This unit's database could not classify it as human. It was designated 'giant toad' as the closest match."
"......"
Speechless for a moment, Eunhyeon pressed on.
"Go ahead."
"Analysis of the vial revealed traces of Lady Elenoa's saliva. It is inferred she ingested the contents."
"What did she drink?"
He stanched Ashton's gaping shoulder wound, binding it crudely to stabilize.
Shoddy first aid—the precise surgery his javelin wound demanded was beyond what he cared to give.
"Excluding Lady Elenoa's saliva, analysis concluded the liquid was an aphrodisiac used in brothels."
"...What?"
Setting aside how Emilia knew brothel drug compositions—
He glared at the trash who'd drugged his half-sister and pimped her to countless men.
A sudden urge to reopen Ashton's shoulder washed over Eunhyeon.