episode_0044
by adminSome time has passed since the marathon started.
In terms of distance, this happened when I had run about 3km.
‘… The barrier has been broken.’
Although I broke up earlier than expected, the gap between me and the other cadets had already widened considerably.
If I run hard, I will maintain some advantage. With that thought in mind, I poured more and more magical power into my muscles.
‘Generally, pace control is important in a marathon, but horsepower is even more important in this race.’
The 42km long marathon course is divided into five sections, one 2km long and four 10km long.
The first area I passed through was a 2km grassland section that extends from the starting point, the outskirts of the city, to the second area.
This section is actually a warm-up section. The ground you have to run on is paved, and other than the wind blowing around you, there are no significant obstacles.
Therefore, I also increased my speed in this section and passed quickly.
And I reached the second section that I am currently covering. This is a section where natural obstacles have begun to be placed in earnest, and it is a forest section where the grass on the land has grown tall and dense with trees and various plants.
‘From here, everyone can keenly understand why a simple running like a marathon was chosen as an event.’
There is no need to worry about the road. This is because something like a string of magic is spread throughout the progress path.
Unless you’re an idiot who can’t detect magic, there’s little risk of getting lost and going into the wrong place.
Nevertheless, many cadets face difficulties starting from the first section, the forest section.
“Cruck!”
This is because of Mother Nature’s ecosystem.
‘It’s finally started!’
All five sections of the route used in this race are in undeveloped nature with only route markings.
There are no dungeons or monsters, but there are many wild animals and plants that have become similar to monsters due to growing up by receiving the magic power of the World Tree.
Naturally, there are no paved roads to be found.
“Kkegaeng!?”
He engulfed his body in magic using a strong body technique, and in order to run quickly, he swung his heavily strengthened body and struck at the animal that rushed at him.
I didn’t want to use too much strength, so I controlled my strength appropriately, so it didn’t die, but I felt sorry for a moment when I saw it fly helplessly and hit a tree.
Because I was only looking ahead, I couldn’t even see what kind of animal it was, but I didn’t have time to worry about that right now.
‘It’s not just animals that are the problem, plants are the bigger problem.’
The animal simply lunges and attacks. It is not difficult to block because the trajectory is large and its presence is easily felt.
But plants are different. There are few elements that can be called trajectories, and above all, everything lined up in all directions from the tips of the feet are plants.
The grass and flower stems that step on your feet, the trees that fill your eyes, and the leaves that pile up above your head and block out the sunlight are like this.
Chop-!
“Ugh… !”
Even before the cataclysm, Australia’s ecosystem was famous for being unusual compared to other regions. As a person of the 21st century, pictures and information about Australia’s flora and fauna that I often see on the Internet immediately come to mind.
Those guys went through a rare event called a cataclysm, and even received the magic power of the World Tree for a long time, building a new, unique ecosystem.
‘I’m going crazy, really.’
The grass, which looks like a compressed spring, spreads out like a spring as soon as I step on it, entangling my feet.
A huge Venus flytrap-like plant falls towards me and opens its mouth.
The pile of dirt under my feet and the surrounding ground cave in, and a sweet scent rises from underneath.
As I looked down, I saw a sweet-smelling liquid and the corpses of all kinds of creatures floating in it.
‘… ‘It gives me goosebumps.’
Carnivorous plants, which were originally vicious, have become larger and more powerful, and even common plants have various unusual properties.
‘It’s a shame because they’re setting up a barrier.’
Nevertheless, my forward speed was not greatly hindered. This is thanks to the detection barrier that is always maintained, reading the surroundings at every moment and inserting information into my head.
My vision was severely hampered by the sunlight obscured by dense plants and leaves, but aside from my eyesight, I have a way to notice and prepare for changes in my surroundings in real time.
I jumped over the plants that grabbed my ankles, and I jumped over the hollow, ambush-type plants that formed a barrier on the ground.
He cut down attacking plants by swinging his barrier armament, and protected himself with a barrier from plants that shoot poison or fruit.
The attacks of wild beasts that attacked from time to time were also responded to by firing barrier weapons at a long distance.
‘… ‘The end is almost in sight.’
How hard did he run like that?
Slowly, the end began to come into view.
But at that moment.
‘what?’
A strange feeling swept over my entire body.
A sudden feeling of discomfort. The barrier has no reaction. It’s not like anyone got close to me.
Then why? Why did I feel so creepy? While pondering that fact, I moved forward.
The moment I crossed the second area, which was full of plants, and entered the third area, where streams of water were pouring in from all directions.
“Ha… !”
I was able to recognize the identity of the creepy feeling of discomfort.
Whioooo-!
The shadows, which could not be clearly seen because the sky had been obscured by dense vegetation, hit the leaves of the densely decorated trees and bounced off without reaching the ground and were scattered by the wind.
As I entered the third area, I was swept away by the dense vegetation and the disappearance of the leaves that covered the sky.
And then, as if she recognized me, the girl in the sky turned her head and shouted at me.
“I’ll go first!”
Ceria Alfheim was moving across the sky with golden hair fluttering and a soft green wind swirling around her.
The identity of the faint sense of discomfort was the presence of Seria Alfheim passing overhead.
“Spirit magic is a real scam.”
In order to be more aware of the danger approaching me, I had reduced the barrier to the height of the surrounding vegetation, so I didn’t notice it.
She rises at least a hundred meters above the ground and flies toward the finish line at incredible speed.
‘Fly with wind elemental magic.’
It’s a wise choice. As long as you have enough horsepower, there is no need to move your body to lose stamina, and because there are no obstacles, the speed is also overwhelmingly fast.
And above all, all the obstacles in the five areas distributed over 42km are focused on keeping the cadets running on the ground in check.
If you fly in the air, you can easily skip all the obstacles.
match-!
By clasping their hands and forming a seal, the scope of the detection barrier was expanded.
From the starting point, where no one is already there, to the finish line, which can be reached after covering five areas.
Almost the entire marathon area was surrounded by a barrier and we looked to see where the other cadets were currently located.
‘… As expected, everyone is behind me except Ceria Alfheim.’
Of course, my skill in barrier techniques and the limit to the amount of information my brain can accept are two different things.
Instead of increasing the detection range, a lot of information was omitted and only location information and magic information were accepted, but it was still quite accurate.
‘The leader is… ‘I don’t know who it is.’
The person running at the head of the group of cadets who had been stranded by the barrier I had set up was unexpectedly the cadets’ magical power that I had experienced for the first time.
Cheon Yu-hwa doesn’t have any magic power, so she won’t be caught by the detection barrier, but she’ll still be doing well.
‘Ironically, the marathon itself is disadvantageous to physical cadets.’
Unlike a typical marathon, this is a race in which fluidity and instantaneous judgment to cope with various situations are more important than a strong body and outstanding stamina.
‘If you don’t hurry, you might catch up soon.’
Perhaps he was someone who had mastered magic or mystery specializing in movement, but the speed at which the distance narrowed was unusual.
Furthermore, he could not let Seria Alfheim go like this, so he increased his speed even further and went straight ahead.
Strange creatures such as large crayfish and fish with many teeth were popping up all over the place.
The current of water is quite strong, and even the ground you walk on is extremely slippery due to moss and water.
but.
phut-!
‘It’s enough to lay a foundation.’
Why didn’t I think of this when I was passing through the forest? As soon as I saw Ceria Alfheim flying past me in the sky, I immediately put the thought that came to my mind into action.
Using the barrier as a stepping stone, move forward by continuously creating footholds in the air.
In this case, there is a fatal disadvantage in that it is impossible to check the path laid on the ground… .
‘Read everything through the detection barrier and proceed.’
Ultimately, it is a string made of magical power, so the detection barrier captures it all and puts the information into my head.
However, even as she ran high in the sky, she had no intention of narrowing the gap with Seria Alfheim at all.
In a way, it was natural. Because there was a fundamental difference in the way she and I traversed the sky.
‘As expected, Ceria Alfheim has good compatibility with elemental magic.’
In my case, I run forward by moving my legs hard while creating a foothold with a barrier.
Of course, speed is determined by my running skills and strength, and the only way to give me additional strength is rune magic, which I have a low level of proficiency in.
We are still moving forward with the help of rune magic, but the gap with Seria Alfheim is starting to widen.
‘It’s flying like an airplane engine, so I can’t catch up with it by running.’
Float your body with the spirit of wind, and fly forward by receiving propulsion from being hit by the wind given by the spirit.
From the beginning, I had set up a barrier to block the path at the starting point, so they were chasing her in a similar way. If I hadn’t tried to block the way by putting up a barrier, Ceria Alfheim might have already reached the finish line.
‘Still, it’s not too late.’
The technique was calculated, the arms were extended forward, the position was specified, and the calculated technique was deployed.
‘If it is difficult to specify the exact location, solve the problem by covering a wide area at once.’
A circuit imbued with magical power brought the magic to reality. A huge spherical barrier appeared in the empty sky.
Wow! I tightened my grip and clenched my fist. The huge spherical barrier quickly contracted, reducing the space inside.
The same barrier technique used to kill Hela in Helheim. But now it has stopped shrinking at a certain size.
“Sung Yu-jin! Is it really like this?!”
Ceria Alfheim, who had already gotten close enough to make eye contact with me, spoke passionately with an absurd expression on her face.
The reason why the distance, which had been quite wide until just a moment ago, was narrowed was simple.
It wasn’t that she was pushed to where I was, but that I tied her feet with a barrier technique and hit her.
Like a bird in a cage, Ceria Alfheim, trapped inside a round barrier, pounded on the barrier.
… The horse was beaten, but in fact, the inside was already in shambles due to the enormous power of elemental magic and magic.
“I will go first.”
Saying that, I passed through the third area. Before I knew it, I could see the fourth district below my feet, and the boundary line of the fifth district in the distance.
“It’s not a good idea to be in the way at a sports competition!!!”
I tried to ignore Ceria Alfheim’s desperate cries and increased my speed.
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