One of the new six creatures who were moving in a pack trampled the Plant Undead.
Awooooooo——!!
When the Outer Wolf howled in response to the Plant Undead’s screech, the howling of the others echoed as if in resonance.
It was a sign of berserk rage.
Their eyes which had been glowing yellow began to turn red, and the already large creatures grew to monstrous proportions.
“Shit…”
Even misfortune had its limits; encountering two random events in a row was just bad luck.
Is the [Luck] skill just a scarecrow?
Jun had roughly spent the remaining skill points on it to increase item drop rates, but it seemed useless in this situation.
Is this also an effect of the failed subjugation?
Dozens of mercenaries had their heads cut off by goblins, so who knew how far the scent of their blood had spread?
The beast-type monsters from all over the Black Forest would be converging here.
“Aiden! How long can you hold them off?”
“…I don’t think it’ll be more than a minute!”
That was all he could manage at most, but Jun smiled slightly.
“One minute? Good. I’ll leave it to you until then!”
For a lower-ranked mercenary to win against even one Outer Wolf was considered a miracle.
Holding out against six for a whole minute was beyond comprehension.
Soon, magic surged around Jun once more.
In response, Aiden charged at the fully berserk Outer Wolves.
If there was a silver lining, it was that the berserk wolves charged at Aiden first and this could buy some time for Jun to charge his magic.
Their speed increased. Is it the effect of the berserk rage?
Though he wasn’t familiar with the characteristics of the Black Forest, Aiden had information about the Outer Wolves in his mind.
The main weapon of ordinary wolves was only their sharp teeth.
However, Outer Wolves used their claws as weapons, much like tigers.
The berserk rage had made their claws even larger and sharper to the point that they grazed Aiden’s head.
It’ll be hard to block more than twice with the current sword I’m holding.
In that case, he abandoned the desire to reduce their numbers.
Aiden’s feet moved swiftly after making that decision.
Aiden ran in an outer circle and dodged the subsequent attacks to maximize the distance between Jun and the wolves.
That decision completely disrupted the formation of the Outer Wolves.
Unlike their usual coordinated attacks, the berserk Outer Wolves ignored each other’s movements and charged wildly.
In the process, they collided with each other or even harmed their own kind.
“Ugh…!”
However, the situation didn’t improve.
The frenzied wolves relentlessly attacked without a moment’s pause.
One of them opened its jaws and went for Aiden’s neck.
It looked ready to devour his head in one bite.
Unfortunately, the attack came just as he was deflecting another wolf’s attack, leaving him unable to use his sword.
“Get lost!”
But Aiden, with speed beyond normal, retrieved his sword and pierced the jaw of the charging wolf.
Keurgh—!
Without looking back at the instantly killed wolf, Aiden abandoned his sword and leaped backward.
Two wolves lunged at the spot where he had just been.
“Phew…”
It was good that he had taken out one wolf calmly, but sadly, he had lost his sword.
However, Aiden’s expression became even more composed.
“Exactly one minute.”
“Well done.”
The reply came from Jun, who had been continuously gathering magical power.
At the same time, the magic that had been gathering around him spread out in all directions.
[Detecting Target]
A portion of the dispersed magic took the shape of a circle and targeted the approaching Outer Wolves that were charging at Aiden.
It was a support spell that increased the accuracy of the magic.
Then another spell manifested.
[Rock Hold]
————!!
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Huge trees swayed, and birds soared into the sky as if they were fleeing from a disaster.
At that moment, the running Outer Wolves lost their balance and fell.
Rumblee—
The ground turned over.
At least, that was how Aiden perceived it.
“What is…”
Rock Hold.
A high-level version of the second-circle spell Hold. It was a third-circle spell.
A technique that manipulated the earth to restrain enemies.
But could that truly be called restraint?
The earth, like a monstrous creature, opened its maw and swallowed the frenzied beasts whole.
Kkaeng—!!
The only sounds that followed were the screams of the beasts being crushed to death in the pitch-black earth.
“Phew…”
Some time later.
Jun who had caused the phenomenon looked at the spot where the Outer Wolves had been. He looked like he was slightly tired.
The ground returned to normal as if nothing had happened, but it retained the “nutrients” within its belly.
Gulp—
Aiden swallowed dryly at that sight and gave Jun a bewildered look.
This is a third-circle spell?
In the past, Aiden had encountered many mages.
Among them was a fourth-circle mage, but even the miracles he performed weren’t as terrifying as this.
“Senior, just now, that was…”
“Wait, Aiden.”
“Yes?”
Jun’s expression was still tense despite the overwhelming battle they had just fought.
And Aiden soon realized why.
The Outer Wolves were not their only enemies.
A faint tremor was felt in the now calm earth.
As they turned towards the source of the tremor, they discovered—
“A golem…?!”
A huge figure reaching four meters in height.
A self-operating type golem that was covered in green moss looked down at Jun and Aiden with glowing green eyes.
***
“Aiden! You can’t take its attacks head-on!”
At Jun’s shout, Aiden grabbed a nearby shield instead of his sword which he had yet to retrieve.
At that moment, the golem moved.
Kiiiiiieeeeeeeg——!!
The golem’s roar resembled the sound of grinding metal.
Its large fist tore through the air as it flew towards them.
[Shield]
Jun urgently cast a shield in front of Aiden.
However, the [Shield] only held the golem’s fist for a brief moment before shattering like glass.
If head-on doesn’t work…!
He had to deflect it.
With a desperate resolve, the shield Aiden held glowed faintly red.
Booom——!
The moment the golem’s fist and the shield met, the shield twisted strangely.
Even though the attack was deflected, Aiden was sent flying through the air before crashing to the ground.
“Argh!”
Aiden rolled on the ground several times before struggling to stand up amidst the dust.
“What strength…!”
Had he not protected his body with magical power at the moment of impact, the shield would have been crushed entirely.
But even that wasn’t enough.
Damn it. It’s broken!
The arm holding the shield betrayed his will and refused to move.
That wasn’t the only piece of despairing news.
Of all things, a golem…
There were several reasons why lower-level mages are overlooked in <Blackout>.
The small mana pool prevents them from using magic multiple times, and their lack of stamina requires frequent rests.
There were many other issues, but the biggest reason lay with monsters like that golem.
Magic resistance…
Golems were known to have been created in ancient times and they inherently had high magic resistance.
This was why so many mages tasted the bitterness of defeat in <Blackout>.
***
Golems.
Back when he was Lee Jeong-jun, golems were infamous for bringing despair to mage players on the <Blackout> community site.
-What the hell is with this damn golem bastard?
-Developers, you bastards! Stop hating on mages!
-I’ve spent over 100 million gold on gear, skill books, and potions, but I can’t take down a single golem. Is this even a game??
-Developer: If you don’t like it, don’t play as a mage, lol.
-I was planning to play as a mage in my second playthrough, but after reading this, I changed my mind. Thanks.
-Lol, I’m saving up 1 billion gold for my third playthrough. Let’s go, perseverance!
┕ Received 1 billion…
That was why there was only one thing mage players could do.
They recruited powerful warrior NPCs into their parties and relentlessly cast buff spells on them.
After that, all they could do was pray for victory. That was the only option for mage players at the time.
If Aiden’s condition was normal, we might have been able to exploit some weakness…
The problem was that neither Jun nor Aiden were in normal condition.
It had been less than a day since their battle with the goblins.
Aiden was still suffering from the effects of paralysis poison, and Jun was exhausted from the prolonged forced march.
“Haah… Seriously, our luck is just awful.”
The golem’s gaze turned to Jun after confirming that Aiden was half-incapacitated.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
After muttering those words as if to comfort himself, Jun put his hand on the choker around his neck as usual.
A thin thread of magical power flowed from his hand to the choker. The magic thread created in a certain pattern like a knitting yarn formed a kind of language and dug itself into the choker.
[Deciphering the spell…]
[Deciphering complete.]
[The influence of the spell, ‘Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim’, is reduced by 10 percent.]
A wave of magical power that was incomparable to before flowed around Jun.
If magic had emotions, what would this scene express for them?
When the thick magical power threads bounced off the air as if they were out of control, distortions appeared in the space.
Countless threads of such magic flowed from Jun’s neck and enveloped the entire area.
***
One of the many reasons for the popularity of the game <Blackout> was its intricate game system, as well as its difficulty.
After tasting despair once, players would ponder why they had failed.
And at the moment when the player’s creativity combined with the hints embedded in the game, the previously insurmountable problem would be solved.
The thrill of that moment is indescribable.
Jun who was a veteran of <Blackout> in the past also got hooked on the game after experiencing that unforgettable thrill.
Golems were one of those types of monsters.
Even when he was deeply invested in the mage class, he had encountered golems.
Despite pouring out so much magical power that his already limited mana pool was nearly depleted, he had only been able to reduce their health by 20 percent, which left him with a sense of frustration.
Especially since his character had invested everything in firepower, the despair he felt at that time was indescribable.
Actually, I knew it even then. That this game couldn’t be solved with just firepower alone.
That’s why Lee Jeong-Jun set aside his stubbornness and learned utility magic for the first time.
“Phew…”
A small sense of release came from the choker wrapped around his neck.
Now, the talent he had sealed away was partially returning to him at this moment.
As evidence, the surrounding magical power reacted to the magical power he held which created a faint vibration.
It’s been a while. This feeling.
Basically, all humans in this world accumulate magical power within their bodies.
Whether they were swordsmen, mages, or hunters.
But [Mana Body] was different.
Mana was him, and he was mana.
According to this truth, all the mana (magical power) in the spaces of this world resonated with his own.
When seeing him like that, his master once said:
– Such arrogance, impudence, and boundless talent.
At that time, he didn’t know. The extent of his own talent.
However, now that he had lived in this world for a year, Jun acknowledged the words his master had spoken at that time.
It’s disgusting to share the same sentiment as you, but you were right.
Although small, everything within his domain felt like an extension of his body.
Whatever the distance, he could reach, see, and feel it by simply reaching out his hand.
It was truly as if they were one and the same.
My skills are still lacking, so I cannot control it perfectly.
Could he reach that seemingly close yet distant realm one day?
To do that, I must deal with this creature first.
Unlike in the game, the golem which exuded a tremendous sense of intimidation was right before him.
It lowered its stance.
This was one of its skills called [Charge]. This skill brought despair to shield warriors just like it did to mages.
The golem’s charge, which had a compressed weight to match its large body, had the [Armor Crash] trait.
Blocking that attack head-on would be madness, as it neutralizes most defense skills.
A typical mage would cast a haste spell to dodge that skill
The spell that provided the agility mages lacked was a lifesaver, but Jun’s choice was different.
With the mana body, there’s no need to dodge.
He cast the spell that turned imagination into reality.
In his mind, he envisioned a giant rock.
A rock that stood firm against the inevitable adversary of time.
Though it was scratched by the wind and eroded by sandstorms, the rock only grew stronger and endured everything that threatened to move it from its place.
I draw it. My imagination.
Casting a spell wasn’t just about reciting an incantation and injecting mana accordingly.
The more detailed the caster’s mental image, the more precisely the magic circle projected that image with mana.
Like a sculptor imitating a woman created by the gods, delicate threads of mana shaped the image he envisioned into reality.
The completed shield was far sturdier than the one that had previously helped Aiden.
As soon as the magic was completed, the golem rushed forward.
When the rock forged by the mage and the artificially created golem collided, a huge shockwave erupted in the air.
***
“Ugh!”
Aiden, who witnessed the scene from behind, grimaced as the dust storm swept over him.
“He blocked it…?!”
The rock that had silently endured the passage of time had stopped the golem’s charge.
At the same time, the golem’s movements noticeably slowed down.
As a consequence of the failed charge, it was afflicted with a status ailment [Groggy (Stunned)].
“Argh…!”
A searing pain that started in his arm seemed to pierce his entire body, but Aiden struggled to get back on his feet.
The groggy state would last only about ten seconds.
Somehow, Aiden pulled himself together and headed toward the corpse of the Outer Wolf that had been flung away by the shockwave.
He retrieved the sword embedded in the creature’s body and looked at the back of the golem, which had shaken off its groggy state.
He couldn’t waste the time Jun had earned for him.
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