*BOOM…!*
“Wow. Dude. That’s flashy.”
From far away, light burst forth.
For a moment, I thought the sun was rising.
It dawned on me shortly after that it was the flames erupting from the mountain.
That crazy bastard…
Is that even a human? More like a siege weapon.
I really can’t fathom what I was thinking when I gave that loser supporting character Aintz such ridiculous power.
But now, he wouldn’t just be a supporting loser anymore.
He’s leveled up from a third-rate villain drenched in arrogance and inferiority to a hero.
If I save him, he’ll definitely become a useful comrade.
With that thought, I dashed through the rugged forest.
*CRAAAW!*
“Geez.”
As I moved deeper into the woods, the size of Fenrir kept growing.
I didn’t have time to take out each and every one of them.
At least there was the silver lining that the number of magical beasts had clearly decreased this far into the forest.
*Cough…! Ugh. Damn it.*
The issue was that the speed at which the mana energy was accumulating was also quickening.
I hurriedly took out the antidote from my bag and gulped it down.
One bottle should… be enough.
I think I can make it to the lake I’m aiming for.
“This really is a famous sword!”
At first, I aimed solely for their vital points, but it turned out that wasn’t necessary.
Even swinging randomly towards the legs of the attacking beasts was enough to *CLANK CLANK* cut them down.
Of course, the fact that they were charging at me with incredible speed helped a lot, but still, it shouldn’t be possible without decent cutting power.
That old woman, she must be some famous blacksmith.
I don’t recall any blacksmiths famous enough to leave a name behind in Whist Forest.
“She’s probably just a pretty decent blacksmith.”
Impressive but maybe not enough to impact the main story.
Still, discovering this level of blacksmithing is quite something.
I better remember her.
If I ever need to craft a sword, I’ll find her.
*SWOOSH…!*
Raindrops began to fall slowly, intensifying into a torrential downpour.
If it’s raining, that’s great.
With all this water around, I won’t even need to go to the lake.
By now, Aintz might be crying his eyes out.
Since all the flames were extinguished.
This should be enough.
“Come back, Aintz.”
I stopped right there and stretched my arms up.
With my mere 1000 mana, there are a few things I can do.
One of them is flashing magic. If I pour all my 1000 mana into it, I can launch a temporarily glowing flare.
But it’s not just a regular one.
I mix light with highly concentrated mana energy and shoot it up.
No matter how intelligent a magical beast is, it can’t resist this combination.
Whatever they are doing, they instinctively flock towards it.
Like a cat entranced by a fluttering feather.
*CRASH…!*
The flash infused with mana soared into the sky with a deafening bang.
Illuminating the darkness.
So that it could be seen from anywhere in Whist Forest.
No, even from the village, it would be visible.
“Direct hit effect.”
In an instant, the ground began to tremble all around.
Could it really make this kind of tremor when all the magical beasts started gathering in one place?
I’m going to feel guilty for what I’m about to do to the researchers studying them.
I’m going to obliterate their sample population.
“Damn it. They’re coming in droves.”
As the magical beasts rushing from afar filled my view, sharp teeth began to collide.
I’d be dead just from being trampled there.
I couldn’t see well from up high, but it was clear to me that at least tens of thousands of beasts were gathering.
I mean, it was only natural since all the magical beasts from Whist Forest were here.
“Aintz must have finally gotten out.”
I couldn’t do anything but believe he had left the forest.
I couldn’t wait any longer.
‘Selection and concentration. Using 5 seconds on mana sensitivity.’
As soon as I activated the ability, I began converting all the surrounding mana energy into mana.
In just a few seconds, the mana that melts my veins and destroys my organs was no longer poison to me but power itself.
In other words, this place filled with high-concentration mana energy was optimized for my rampage.
I had been saving my abilities for this moment.
Wanting to use selection and concentration for even just one more second.
Desiring to break down as much mana energy into mana as possible.
The fortunate thing is that there’s no limit to the amount of mana and mana power stored in my body.
‘Convert mana to mana power.’
In an instant, the mana flowing through my body exceeded its maximum limit of 1000, skyrocketing past 100,000.
I felt strength overflowing from my whole body as if it were pouring out.
I guess the reason the maximum limit would gradually decrease after surpassing it is due to loss.
I had to hurry and start before the loss became too great.
“Spell deployment…”
As the magical beasts tangled with each other, they were pushed by a force from behind, forming a towering wave.
I was literally watching a magical beast wave.
I closed my eyes and focused on the spell.
The element was electricity.
Since it was going to hold an unprecedented amount of mana, I reinforced it to endure.
And if I didn’t want to see the spell explode midway, I had to make it as simple as possible.
The effect generated by executing the completed spell was electric discharge.
In other words, it was a discharge.
“Discharge!”
As the spell clicked into place, my hair stood on end.
My whole body began to shine white—
*CRACKLE…!*
Releasing white lightning in all directions.
The magical beasts that got too close instantly turned red hot and burned to black ash, turning into white dust.
The electric discharge spread along the raindrops, creating a radial spider web.
I must have cooked the entire Whist Forest.
…If my calculations are wrong, I might have also scorched the village.
*COUGH…!*
*…*
I collapsed to my knees, taking deep breaths.
Before I knew it, the ground was filled with fine white ash.
The thought of this all being the corpses of magical beasts made me want to puke, but I held it down.
“I did it…”
I really did it.
I defended the village from the magical beast wave while ensuring the safe return of Team One, Aintz, and the assistant.
I managed to do it without that bastard Hertlocker.
Seeing that I could pull this off, maybe Hertlocker wasn’t worth all the fuss after all.
I could’ve probably swapped him out for a chimpanzee, and the story would have rolled along just fine.
Wait, maybe without that bastard’s face who unconsciously seduces women, things would be harder.
*HA HA…*
I couldn’t overcome mana exhaustion and collapsed right there.
Is this also the effect of exhaustion?
My body was so hot, and I felt sleepy.
*Cough…! What the…!*
No, that’s not it.
Seeing blood splatter from my mouth.
Damn it, is this mana energy poisoning?
“The antidote…”
It was empty.
Somehow, I think I’m an idiot.
I didn’t think about the return journey.
What about the recovery potion?
That’s not an option either.
It could restore my immediately damaged body, but the accumulated mana energy would remain, and I’d end up breaking down again in no time.
It would be like pouring water into a bottomless bucket.
“Damn it… After all that…”
Just a moment ago, I was so happy there were no casualties…
This damn idiot…
To make a mistake like this at the very end.
Ah, if Vafe was to show up anywhere, wouldn’t it be now, as I’m about to die?
“That damn thing…”
I raised my right hand just in case, but Vafe was still nowhere to be found.
That bastard…
While the master is dying, he doesn’t even bother to show his face.
*GKAHA…!*
I crawled and crawled.
In the direction I came from.
But I couldn’t get far before feeling my limbs lose all sensation, rendering my entire body immobile.
My senses were slowly fading away, and my vision grew hazy.
Still, I moved.
Actually, I wasn’t even sure if I was moving.
I felt nothing.
But I didn’t give up.
At some point, my vision filled with bright light.
Ah. Did I finally make it?
*
“Oh my god…”
Dozens of white thunders struck a single point in Whist Forest.
Actually, it was the other way around.
The discharge was surging upward from below, reaching the clouds.
In an instant, the entirety of Whist Forest was filled with bright light before darkening again as if it was a lie.
“What on earth…?”
Sergey’s mouth dropped open.
He had never seen such a scale of magic in his life.
He had seen fire magic that could blow away an entire castle, but he had never heard of lighting magic that could engulf an entire forest.
He had never even thought it possible.
“It’s Aintz! Aintz is coming back!”
“Aintz!”
Students rushed out as they spotted someone trudging out from the forest.
He looked like he was in really bad shape due to being heavily engulfed in mana energy.
“Professor. Schlus… Schlus just went into the forest, right?”
“Uh… Yeah.”
“That guy! He lured the magical beasts and self-destructed!”
“Okay, then drink the antidote first.”
Gazing toward Whist Forest, Sergey felt a growing unease.
He wanted to rush to find Schlus immediately, but the problem was that the light emanated from a place too deep.
Even now, the concentration of mana energy was thickening in real time, and if they ventured in there, it was highly likely they wouldn’t come out due to insufficient antidote.
To be honest, if alone, he would’ve gone in without hesitation, but now he had students and villagers to protect…
“Damn it. Schlus, you bastard.”
Thinking back, it was Schlus who had asked him to protect the villagers and students.
But then, did he know it would come to this and choose to sacrifice himself…?
No, that couldn’t be it.
There’s no way he could have predicted this far ahead.
Sergey clicked his tongue, shaking his head.
“The fog is clearing!”
“Ugh. It’s too bright…”
Soon, the fog that had turned the sky pitch black began to withdraw.
Breathing became much easier, which indicated the mana energy concentration was stabilizing significantly.
There was no more time to delay.
Sergey led the healthy guards and students to search.
“Schlus!”
“Schlus Hainkel!”
The faces of the students who called out Schlus didn’t lose their shock.
At first, the magical beasts that looked like they were electrocuted and dead morphed into charred remains, making them unrecognizable deeper in.
The trees were burned or singed as well.
Students couldn’t close their mouths as they were confronted with the overwhelming sight showcasing the power of the magic they had just seen.
Meanwhile, the worst-case scenario flashed through Sergey’s mind.
That Schlus might be nowhere to be found.
That he himself might have burned to ash in the magic of his own making.
If that were the case…
“I remember him wearing a ring.”
There would only be one ring left at the scene.
Sergey prepared himself mentally.
He was used to this as a former soldier, but he didn’t know about the other students.
Sergey was growing increasingly anxious.
“I found him! Schlus!”
“What?!”
A bright voice echoed from somewhere.
Everyone rushed in the direction of Sergey and the students.
There, Aintz was happily lifting up the unconscious upper body of Schlus with a beaming smile.
His clothes were blackened with soot, but there were no major injuries on his body.
Seeing his pale complexion, Sergey felt a lump in his throat.
“Ah, but I’m a bit cold. Someone, make a fire with fire magic! I’ve used all my mana…”
“Aintz. Move your hand for a second.”
“Ah, yes. Professor.”
Sergey placed his hand on Schlus’s chest.
His expression became troubled.
Next, his wrist, then his neck.
Slowly pulling his hand back and rising, Sergey clenched his eyes shut.
“Why, why, professor? What’s wrong?”
The students grew agitated.
Sergey couldn’t bring himself to lie to them.
“Schlus…”
Calmly and with composure.
He had to convey the cruel truth.
“He’s… dead.”
His heartbeat, his pulse, everything was gone.
