Ch.56Turning Point (2)

The arrow’s arrival and Elin’s appearance. Those two events were undoubtedly connected.

That made sense, as Elin was holding a bow I’d never seen before. One that emanated mana flow.

‘A magical tool.’

Considering it had pierced through the tough hide of the Great Red Bear, it must be quite powerful.

Since elves are known for their longevity and rarely leave the Great Forest…

It wouldn’t be strange if they had one or two more items like this.

Anyway, her appearance had made the situation considerably better.

Though we hadn’t completely turned the tide yet…

‘This is manageable now.’

Finally, there was hope for victory rather than just survival.

Lael seemed to notice this too and immediately began giving directions.

“Elin, Crow will come with me to handle one of them! Derin, draw the attention of the other one!”

At the same time, the uninjured Great Red Bear charged toward Derin.

“Ah… of course I get the dangerous job again.”

Derin grumbled while narrowly avoiding the heavy swinging paw.

And so the temporary party Black Crow—consisting of a warrior, a thief, an archer, and a Warlock who was also an Academy professor—began their full-scale battle against the S-Rank Monsters.

Grooooar—!!!

A terrifying roar echoed through the forest as Lael stepped forward to confront the Great Red Bear.

Bang—!

The collision of her greatsword and the bear’s paw created a gust of wind.

The overwhelming force made her knees buckle despite her mana-reinforced body.

Yet Lael persisted, tenaciously holding her ground.

I continuously fired spells to cover her, but they were blocked by the monster’s tough hide, failing to inflict meaningful damage.

“Elin, how many more times can you use that technique?”

“Probably two more times. But it takes about a minute to gather mana…”

“That’s enough. Aim for the heart with both remaining shots.”

“T-that’s… I’m using this for the first time today…”

Elin’s expression clouded with anxiety.

She seemed to lack confidence in handling the bow properly.

I had somewhat anticipated this.

The most ideal attack to finish a monster would be a surprise strike.

Elin had used that opportunity to hit the monster’s arm, so naturally there must have been a reason.

But we had no choice. My magic kept getting blocked, black magic was avoided, and ordinary blades couldn’t inflict damage.

In the end, our victory depended on Elin.

All I could do was instill confidence in her.

“I believe in you. You can do it.”

“B-but…”

Words alone weren’t enough, it seemed…

In that case.

“If we get through this, let’s go eat somewhere. There are many delicious restaurants in the Royal Capital.”

I thought providing some motivation might help.

Anyone can perform beyond their abilities when given a good reason.

But I didn’t expect her reaction to be like this.

“…Just the two of us?”

“Uh, yeah. I guess so.”

“I’ll try. No, I’ll definitely do it.”

Elin, who had been shooting arrows normally, adjusted her posture and drew the bowstring. Green mana began gathering in the shape of an arrow.

Bang—! Bang—!

Amid the intense situation where magic and greatsword confronted the monster, she seemed to have regained her composure without wavering.

I could see determination in her eyes to succeed somehow.

Though I felt her motivation might be somewhat impure…

Well, surviving comes first.

I left her behind and rushed to Lael, who was on the verge of collapse.

For a mage to allow a monster to close the distance meant certain death, but this was the only way to land black magic.

With no mana potions left, all I could use was…

“Blackout”

As soon as I spoke those words, the Great Red Bear swung its remaining arm.

Whoosh—!

Sharp claws extended from its paw as it rushed toward me, intending to take my head off.

A truly desperate situation.

Everything I’d experienced flashed before my eyes.

Just when I thought I was going to die, the claws barely missed my face.

The fact that the Great Red Bear was pressuring Lael with one arm actually worked in my favor.

Naturally, my black magic hit its mark.

Taking advantage of the monster’s momentary hesitation, Lael rolled away from the pressure.

“Crow, thanks for saving me. But don’t do that again. I thought my heart would stop.”

She approached me, pouring potion on her body, and I shook my head in disagreement.

“Everyone’s risking their lives. I’m no different.”

Risking your life to survive. That’s the natural mindset of an adventurer.

She didn’t seem pleased with my answer but sighed and moved forward again, knowing there was no alternative.

The Great Red Bear, which should have been blinded, began to move.

I wondered if the black magic hadn’t worked, but…

‘No, that’s not it.’

Its attacks were clearly weaker than before.

Thanks to that, Lael was able to dodge occasionally, meaning the Blackout spell was working effectively.

After the promised minute passed, Elin began running toward the monster.

Still with her bowstring drawn.

“Lael! Duck!”

The distance at which she thought she could definitely hit was about 10 meters.

Failing grade for an archer, but…

Fwooosh—!

The power was passing grade.

Perhaps due to the close range, the enhanced power created a massive hole in the Great Red Bear’s chest.

With that single attack, the massive body collapsed, and the creature met its end.

Successfully defeating an S-Rank Monster would normally be cause for celebration, but we couldn’t rejoice.

Grrrr….

The remaining Great Red Bear had witnessed its companion’s fall.

We still had this one to deal with.

“Derin! Fall back!”

At Lael’s shout, Derin retreated, and Lael’s greatsword blocked the heavily swung paw.

Derin, covered in sharp, torn wounds, poured potion on her injuries while breathing heavily.

“Haa… Haa…”

But there was little time for rest, so she quickly returned to Lael’s side to face the Great Red Bear.

Thanks to Derin’s return, the situation became a bit more manageable.

If things continued like this, everyone could succeed in the subjugation without major injuries.

…Or so I thought.

Until the Great Red Bear ignored Lael and Derin and charged at Elin.

I’d never considered monsters to possess intelligence, but this one was clearly learning from its companion’s death.

I was momentarily stunned by the unbelievable scene unfolding before me.

“Elin, what are you doing?! Dodge!!!”

“No, just a little more… just a little more and I’ll have it.”

Despite the rapidly closing distance between her and the monster, Elin didn’t flee. But she couldn’t hide her fear, as the hand drawing the bowstring trembled slightly.

‘She’s definitely going to die.’

That thought filled my mind, and just before the massive paw reached her…

I threw myself forward and pushed her forcefully to the side.

Fwooosh—!

The arrow shot from her disrupted stance pierced the monster’s shoulder instead of its heart. Meanwhile, sharp claws reduced my shoulder to tatters.

Blood streamed down my arm, and my body screamed in excruciating pain.

Our last hope had been dashed, and everyone’s expressions turned to despair.

But…

Bang—!!

Lael’s greatsword blocked the Great Red Bear’s follow-up attack.

“Are you okay?!”

No one had given up, and neither had I.

“Let me borrow this.”

I rummaged through Lael’s magic pouch and took out all the mana potions inside.

‘Not enough…!’

“Derin! Throw me any remaining mana potions!”

“Got it!”

While dodging the Great Red Bear’s attacks, Derin took two mana potions from her magic pouch and threw them to me.

That made six in total.

‘This will be close.’

Even if I drank all of these, using Instant Death would certainly deplete my mana.

Then I wouldn’t be able to move for a while due to mana exhaustion.

In other words, I had just one chance. If this failed, it would truly mean death.

I drank all six potions and tossed the empty bottles to the ground.

My depleting mana was replenished, and I could feel vitality flowing through my mana circulation system.

The mana problem was somehow solved, but the issue was the medium.

When using black magic, I always needed a medium nearby, which meant I should lure the monster to this spot, but…

‘I’d lose the timing.’

Of course, I’d already tried this method. And it had failed spectacularly.

These creatures had surprisingly good instincts and were too fast, easily avoiding my attempts.

So this time, I planned to go to it instead.

I took out a dagger and began carving wounds into my body. Each time the sharp blade pierced my skin, blood gushed out.

If there was no small pool of blood available…

I would create an equivalent amount from my own body.