episode_0158

A chill ran down my spine.

“……”

Was it a mere hunch? Or was it the killing intent I instinctively sensed?

With a strange sensation I couldn’t identify, I abruptly opened my eyelids.

And the single word that burst out reflexively was concise.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

Crazy.

CRASH!

What did I just see? Was it reality or a dream? I had no time to judge such things; my body simply moved first.

I stretched out my hand and spread cold air. The cold air spread, freezing the entire entrance of the cave, which instantly became a barrier.

It was merely a trivial stopgap measure. The giant’s attack had shattered such an ice wall in an instant.

“Huh.”

I couldn’t help but sigh in dismay. After all, the barrier I had installed with all my sincerity had been breached by ‘that kind’ of attack.

What kind of attack was it, you ask? There was no need for a lengthy explanation. The giant had simply stretched out a single finger, whether it was its index or middle finger, and demolished the cave entrance.

“Ugh, eh…?”

From that moment on, no matter how deeply asleep one was, they would have instantly woken up.

Lee Seo-ssi, who had been lazily purring while on night watch, blinked her eyes weakly.

“Damn it…!”

I scowled fiercely and lunged forward.

I should have realized it when she launched a surprise attack right from our first meeting. This woman, while seemingly quite normal, seems to have about 2% of a hopeless case in her.

Just then, the giant’s horrifying eyes rolled towards Lee Seo-ssi.

I pulled her into my arms and tumbled across the cave floor, and the giant’s finger plunged into her original position as if it had been waiting.

CRUNCH!

“……Seriously insane.”

Watching the stone floor simply crumple as if it were styrofoam, I had to genuinely curse.

Not ‘thump’ or ‘boom’, but ‘crunch’? That sound was utterly chilling.

Putting everything else aside, why on earth was this guy here?

And what about the others?

*Surely they weren’t taken down.*

I wanted to believe they weren’t, but I couldn’t ignore the possibility. Even Cheon Soyul, Ryu Jinseong, or Ryu Seeun, who had finished her absorption.

Those three should be able to gain the upper hand against an S-class demonic beast—.

Perhaps another problem had arisen. What was so special about an anomaly?

Even this situation, where only the two of us were separated by a landslide, was an anomaly if anything.

There was nothing I could do. The situation here wasn’t peaceful enough for me to worry about their condition. I had to focus on the present.

*Calm down.*

The giant is blocking the cave entrance. If I tried to slip out, my body would be crushed just by attempting it.

If I didn’t want to be squashed and burst by a finger like an insect, I had to refrain from dangerous attempts.

So what options were left? Without needing to think for long, only one calculation immediately came to mind.

*Stalling for time.*

If the giant was freely roaming despite Cheon Soyul and the others not being defeated, there were a few possibilities to consider.

For example, they might have needed rest, including mana replenishment… and thus, didn’t bother to pursue the retreating giant.

They probably judged that there was no need for a short-term decisive battle as long as it wasn’t heading towards the civilian houses below the mountain range.

Unfortunately, it seems that due to that, the aggro was drawn to us, but anyway.

“Whew.”

I took a quick breath and extended my hand.

Lee Seo-ssi, who had been half-thrown aside by me just moments ago, belatedly came to her senses and frantically drew her dagger.

“A-are you okay? Hyunjin-kun, I-I’m really sorry. I dozed off for a moment…”

“……It’s fine, just put your knife away. It doesn’t look like it’ll be much help.”

I sighed as I spoke. Perhaps because I was a bit too direct, Lee Seo-ssi made a tearful face, but I couldn’t help it.

I wasn’t being harsh just because she dozed off. In the current situation, a close-range fighter like her, closer to a scout-type, couldn’t be of much help.

To inflict damage on such a massive demonic beast, mages were necessary.

But now we were virtually trapped inside the cave, and using large-scale magic here carried the risk of collapse.

Ultimately, I had to go back to square one and buy time. Buy time until the main force realized the situation and their support arrived again.

I met the giant’s gaze intensely. The S-class demonic beast, whose eyes rolled about grotesquely, was utterly bizarre on this first encounter.

*It’s a shame Ryu Seeun isn’t here, but…*

Still, it’s fine. I could handle it alone. Even if it’s not as strong as the Black Ice Tree that is currently surrounding Cheongsong Academy…

If I could manifest enough defensive power to protect Lee Seo-ssi and myself, at that level.

Whoosh!

I would surely be able to buy enough time against an S-class demonic beast.

Cold air began to swirl around me.

Did the giant notice what I was trying to do? The creature, with its eyes strangely lowered, pulled its hand back again, but—

“Too late.”

I was a step faster. Even if the creature was surprisingly nimble for its enormous body when thrusting its finger, it wasn’t so fast that I wouldn’t even have enough time to cast a single spell.

BOOM!

I stomped heavily on the ground. The cold energy that spread from my toes brought an ice age inside the cave, and furthermore, I installed ‘roots’ in front of the entrance.

Yes, roots. Tree roots incredibly huge as if treated with some drug, their strength maximized with plant manipulation abilities.

RUMBLE!

The Ice Tree shot up. It was blue, not black, as it wasn’t a collaboration with Seeun.

My own original unique magic.

[……!]

I positioned the roots at the entrance, and adjusted the trunk and branches to extend outwards, simultaneously carrying out a deterrent against the giant.

The creature widened its eyes and thrust its hand. Was it just my imagination that I felt impatience in its attempt to grab the Ice Tree?

*It’s useless.*

It was impossible anyway. Even an S-class demonic beast couldn’t extinguish the Ice Tree in a short period. It was that high-level of magic.

CRACKLE!

As I expected, the giant couldn’t even lay a fingertip on the Ice Tree. The cold air that erupted beforehand had frozen its fingers.

[…….]

The giant’s expression stiffened. Was feeling that also just my imagination?

I let out a small laugh and defiantly raised my middle finger at the creature.

“Go to hell, you demon spawn.”

And a laser fired from the giant’s eye tore through my side.

I staggered, maintaining the posture of having raised my finger.

“……Ah.”

“H-Hyunjin-kun—!!”

Listening to Lee Seo-ssi’s horrified voice, I thought to myself.

*Damn it, I shouldn’t have provoked it.*

THUD!

From beneath my fallen body, a sticky pool of blood began to seep out.

*****

“Whew…”

Cheon Soyul leaned against the building wall and sank down weakly. The battle, which had lasted for several hours, had placed a considerable physical burden on her.

At a young age, she had gained the power of an A-class Awakener, and furthermore, she was a genius mage who had grown enough to be able to contend with the Bishop of the Moonlight Cult, presumed to be an S-class villain.

Naturally, in a situation like this, she had no choice but to be the most active.

“……It hurts.”

Cheon Soyul frowned slightly and stretched her stiff arm back and forth. It had only been a few weeks since her bones were shattered in the fight with the Bishop.

She had removed the cast to fight, but… the pain hadn’t fully subsided.

But what could she do? Ryu Jinseong had currently lost some of his original power, and Ryu Seeun’s absorption of the realm was not yet complete.

The role of leading the battle most proactively inevitably fell to her.

And it wasn’t without results. She had successfully repelled the S-class demonic beast, alongside Ryu Jinseong, who was not in optimal condition.

If it had tried to descend into the city, they would have had to stop it with all their might, but the giant didn’t do that; instead, it went deeper into the mountain range.

Now, they would rest for a night, and tomorrow they would have to pursue it and finish it off.

Lee Hyunjin’s whereabouts were still unknown. Yet, she still had the power of ice.

Cheon Soyul subtly conjured cold energy above her palm.

And she tried her best to regain her mental and physical composure.

*He’ll be fine. It’s fine. As long as this power remains, it means Lee Hyunjin’s unique characteristic is still functioning…*

If the power of ice bestowed upon her didn’t disappear, Lee Hyunjin’s survival was certain.

Just as Cheon Soyul was thinking that, trying to steady her trembling fingertips.

CRACKLE!

The cold energy above her palm dispersed.

In an instant, suddenly, without warning.

As if denying the thought she had just had, the trust she had held so firmly in Lee Hyunjin’s survival…

Directly contradicting it.

“……”

Cheon Soyul’s golden eyes trembled greatly.