Challenging the Gate (4)
"Everyone, run! I'll try to hold it off somehow!"
The opponent was at least an A-rank magic beast. An unknown entity that even Han Yeseo, S-rank or not, couldn't guarantee a flawless victory against.
If it possessed a type of mystery she couldn't counter, there was nothing she could do but try to endure.
If luck wasn't on her side, she might just be defeated right then and there.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter—
But even so, there was nothing the other hunters could do to help.
If this had been a C-rank or B-rank Gate, maybe someone could have lent a hand. But this was an E-rank Gate.
Help? They'd be lucky if they didn't get in the way.
Just because they were nicknamed 'the Hulk,' 'the Weasel,' or 'the Average Joe' didn't make them experts. As I said before, anyone capable of soloing an E-rank Gate would have headed to a D-rank Gate or higher.
These guys were greenhorns who had only cleared an E-rank Gate a handful of times. They had only pretended to be veterans to hit on me.
It was only wise to leave everything to Han Yeseo and run.
Living Ice
Even as we fled, Yeseo attacked the wolf.
The wolf deftly evaded the attack, but Yeseo remained unfazed.
Yeseo and the wolf traded blows continuously. A tense standoff ensued.
Yeseo held back her skills, unsure of what hidden threats the wolf might possess, and the wolf did the same.
Perhaps because it was an A-rank, it possessed some intelligence. It was engaging in a psychological battle with Yeseo.
"Tsk...!"
But no matter how smart it was, it was still only an A-rank. A magic beast was a magic beast.
Even with intelligence, it could never match a human.
The magic beast slowly lowered its stance and began gathering mana in its maw.
It seemed to have misjudged Yeseo as weak, failing to realize she was holding back her full power because her primary goal was simply to stall.
Isn't low intelligence a good thing, you ask? It would have been if Yeseo's victory condition was simply defeating it.
But right now, Yeseo's goal wasn't victory, but defense. She had to block the wolf by any means necessary until we escaped.
In other words, we had far more to lose, and if the opponent lacked intelligence...
...it was highly likely we would suffer massive casualties.
Just like now.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAR!!!!!!!!!!
The magic beast let out a mana-infused roar.
The echoing cry, saturated with mana, began to blanket the interior of the Gate.
Sound is a type of wave. When infused with mana, it wrought havoc on the human body. One by one, the fleeing hunters collapsed like dominos.
I could feel it instinctively.
That was a skill used by the magic beast.
And that skill would reach me in a matter of seconds. This was no time to be picky.
I hastily deployed a defensive spell.
Protection
Clang—!
"Ugh..."
Though it was a hastily constructed spell, it worked wonders. This was possible because in the realm of mysteries, a favorable compatibility allows even a low-tier spell to hold the upper hand.
Even an E-rank technique can work against an A-rank.
Of course, it didn't block it perfectly. Even if the theory was flawless, it was a spell cast on the fly while running.
Expecting full performance was asking too much.
This is the absolute worst...!
I hadn't even properly explored a Gate yet, and now I was facing an A-rank. The situation was dire.
I looked around.
Everyone except me was unconscious. The E-rank hunters couldn't withstand the skill of an A-rank magic beast.
The only ones still conscious were me, a wizard, and Han Yeseo, who had endured the stun through sheer S-rank physical stats.
"I-Is everyone okay?"
Even in that situation, Yeseo was checking on us.
Ice Age
Though she couldn't actually come over to help since the magic beast kept targeting her.
Yeseo would probably win. The magic beast had overextended.
It probably intended to knock out all the runners first, deal with Yeseo, and then slaughter the rest of us.
But Yeseo was an S-rank hunter. Having unleashed a skill of that scale, the magic beast had exhausted its reserves and would eventually lose.
However, the problem was that Yeseo had too many people to protect.
If the magic beast realized it couldn't defeat Yeseo, it would start targeting us instead. And many would die.
There is a way, but how should I go about it...?
A method came to mind.
A way to turn the tide and ensure everyone walked out alive, if only it succeeded.
But the chance of failure was quite high, and there was little to no reward even if it succeeded.
Right now, my body was only slightly paralyzed. If I wanted to move, I could.
I knew one or two spells that guaranteed mobility, so if I wanted to save only myself, I could easily escape.
Should I really take such a risk to attack that magic beast?
...Let's weigh the options. If it succeeds, there is no loss. So I need to look at the probability of success.
For most high-risk, high-return strategies, if they succeed, the risk is practically non-existent.
Gambling is only a problem because you lose money; if you could guarantee a win, there would be no downside.
But let's think like a wizard. I must evaluate the variables that could cause my plan to fail.
Suppose I devised two plans: one succeeded, and one failed.
What would be the variable that determined their success or failure?
Me.
If I execute it perfectly, the plan will succeed without fail.
And avoiding action out of fear of failure is entirely unbefitting of a wizard.
While one cannot calculate the exact value of a human life, I can confidently say that a scenario where no one dies is far better than one where many do.
Therefore, I will execute it.
Because that is what a wizard does.
The theory is perfect. So I must pull it off!
Wizards are an extremely unique class. While other classes rely on unique abilities, system-provided skills, or mana-infused physical reinforcement to fight...
...wizards construct and cast their own spells from scratch.
And because of this characteristic, wizards possess a singular, peculiar advantage.
Even with a low level of mastery, they can replicate the techniques of those at a much higher level.
Unless it involves a unique ability, as long as they can draw the exact same magic circle and channel the exact same mana...
...in theory, an E-rank wizard's spell can possess the exact same destructive power as an SS-rank wizard's.
Of course... constructing a spell of that scale is incredibly difficult, the difference in mana capacity is vast, and above all...
...the ranks are ultimately divided by the countless variables of real combat and the presence of unique abilities.
A unique ability isn't something you can just awaken through study.
And there was no way to change the other factors either.
But compared to ordinary wizards, I had one distinct advantage.
Time.
Right now, I had time.
The wolf didn't yet realize Yeseo was stronger than it. While it would be best for Yeseo to defeat it, things would get complicated if she rushed in and the wolf possessed some mystery to counter her.
So she would stall for as long as possible until the others woke up and escaped.
She could probably buy about ten minutes.
I channeled mana from my hand to draw an intricate magic circle. Geometric shapes formed along a single, continuous line.
I stacked layers of magic onto the completed circular array. Lacking the mastery for parallel processing, I had to calculate and overlay each spell one by one.
Magic is the creation of mystery. And when mysteries are stacked, they boast devastating power.
A spell that doubles one's speed might only make them slightly faster than a car.
But what if you layered a spell that converted your body into sound on top of that? In an instant, you could move at Mach 2.
Increase the pressure to compress it, then overlay a spell to raise the temperature. Apply a faint spatial spell to fundamentally prevent any leakage.
What I was attempting was a high-output spell utilizing all kinds of natural phenomena.
The most powerful spell I had seen on NewTube, recommended by the forum user 'WizardCrab'.
It wasn't practical enough to be used in actual combat.
And even if it succeeded, the destructive power was enough to obliterate everything in the vicinity. It was a technique I had only learned to fantasize about using in the distant future.
Dust gathered is still just dust.
But does that mean dust can never topple a mountain? Even cancer begins with a single cell.
And until the very moment it kills a human, cancer remains a mere speck compared to the rest of the body.
Spreading destructive power over a wide area is meaningless.
A powerful explosion. I will concentrate it into a single point to pierce through.
It doesn't need to be sustained. Just for a single moment.
It only needs to be more powerful than that magic beast for a single fraction of a second.
I'm ready.
Had about eight minutes passed? The grand spell was ready.
I checked and double-checked. There were no flaws in this grand spell.
Yeseo... looks like she's struggling.
Unlike my spell, Yeseo's condition was at its worst.
She was desperately trying to buy time against the magic beast.
But she was struggling, forced to launch powerful attacks to intercept the beast whenever it tried to target the unconscious hunters.
At this rate, she would collapse from exhaustion in a few minutes. Or while she tried to recover her strength, the others would be slaughtered.
And then, the magic beast seemed to realize something.
It realized that targeting the others was far more effective than targeting Yeseo.
"Ah...! No...!"
Ignoring Yeseo, the magic beast finally lunged toward the fallen hunters. The malice of an A-rank beast bore down on the D-rank and lower hunters.
She couldn't block it. Even if Yeseo was an S-rank, her opponent was a top-tier A-rank magic beast.
Achieving a perfect victory while carrying dead weight was impossible.
Which made this the perfect moment.
The distance between Yeseo and the magic beast had widened.
While it remained wary of Yeseo, it was completely ignoring us.
My trump card, prepared for the worst-case scenario.
I chanted the grand spell.
Explosion
BOOM—
A massive explosion erupted from behind me and surged toward the magic beast.
Perhaps because I had compressed space to minimize the contact surface, the blast radius wasn't as large as the deafening sound suggested.
But a narrow range didn't mean the power had vanished. On the contrary, concentrating the same force into a tighter space only amplified the pressure.
The compressed explosion eventually broke the speed of sound. The spell raced toward the beast, leaving the sound of its own blast trailing behind.
By the time the magic beast finally perceived my grand spell...
...it was already far too late to dodge.
KA-BOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!
A massive orange flame slammed directly into the magic beast's flank. Utter shock was written all over its snout.
And as the pain finally registered, its face contorted in agony.
Rumble—
The wolf, which had been so massive it felt overwhelmingly oppressive.
That very magic beast finally collapsed, coughing up blood.
It wasn't anyone else's skill.
It was solely due to my magic.
Groan—
Screeech—!
The magic beast let out a low groan, not quite dead yet.
Its entire body began to shudder, and crimson blood, rather than mana, spilled from its mouth.
But that only lasted a moment. Soon, it lay limp, gasping for breath.
I could tell instinctively. It was barely clinging to life; it would die soon.
The magic beast was defeated.
By none other than my magic.
For the first time, I had done my job properly as a wizard.
However.
"What was that just now...?"
While the magic beast was the biggest victim of the incident, Yeseo was no less bewildered.
The beast she had been fighting, a hopeless situation where saving everyone seemed impossible.
In that very moment, a miracle had suddenly occurred.
When Yeseo turned around, her eyes locked with mine.
Specifically, with me, the only person standing amidst a field of unconscious bodies.
"Um... Sowol?"
Yeseo stared at me, her face a mask of utter confusion.
I couldn't even pin it on someone else. There wasn't a single conscious human left here besides me and Yeseo.
There are only two suspects, and one of them knows she's innocent. So, who could the culprit be?
Thud—
I don't know~ I'll think about it later~
Of course, that didn't really matter right now. Exhaustion washed over me, and I collapsed onto the grass.
The warm sunlight heated the meadow, and a fresh breeze tickled my skin.
The interior of the Gate, which had been filled with the dread of death just moments ago, was now more peaceful than ever.
Today, I successfully cleared an E-rank Gate.
And took down an A-rank magic beast in the process.
It was a highly successful Gate debut.