Two giant war golems had fallen.
Now, only three remained.
Although Colton and his comrades were working hard to transport the magic stones, the Erbonach Church was collecting data on the war golems even faster.
The number of enemies pouring in through the entrance had now reached the hundreds.
Every magic circle Jun had painstakingly prepared had been completely exhausted.
Jun briefly considered casting magic himself, even at the risk of overheat, but quickly dismissed the idea.
“The efficiency’s just too low.”
By now, the church’s divine power had already adapted to Jun’s magic.
Even his final [Lightning Call] had only managed to disable a few enemies.
“This dungeon’s mechanics are seriously messed up.”
In the end, Jun decided to retreat.
“It seems Maya isn’t done yet….”
Still, he wasn’t overly worried.
Judging by the occasional loud booms coming from the rear, they were coming from the locations where he asked Maya to gather materials.
By now, she must have collected nearly all of them.
“Senior! The defensive line has been breached!”
“Let’s pull out too!”
At the same time, Jun activated the warrior-type golems using the magic stones he had prepared in advance.
The golems sprang to life and immediately charged at the enemies with their eyes glowing a deep blue.
The divine power of the Erbonach Church had not yet adapted to the warrior-type golems.
Of course, the paladins weren’t weak, so the golems wouldn’t be able to stop them completely, but they could at least slow their advance.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
Aiden, who also couldn’t think of a way to face that many enemies, followed Jun and took cover deeper inside the city.
“What should we do now?”
“We need to prepare another way to fight them.”
Jun looked beyond the city walls at the giant war golems; their bodies were riddled with cracks.
With two of them down, the burden on the remaining war golems had greatly increased.
Once they all fell, the fourth phase would begin.
“H-Hey! Mr. Mage! Is everything really going according to plan?!”
Colton and his mercenary group who had just arrived at the temple in the center of the city looked around anxiously.
From their perspective, it was a maddening situation.
Maya had been missing for some time, and instead, loud explosions were echoing from various parts of the city.
On top of that, the giant war golems were falling, which only heightened their unease.
“Don’t worry. Everything’s going as planned. More importantly, what about the magic stones?”
“We’ve almost used up all the ones in the city!”
“And the ones I told you to save?”
“Over there!”
Under the pillar of the temple where Colton pointed, a number of magic stones were scattered carelessly.
“Good. Let’s get started. Keep an eye on the surroundings for me.”
“Yeah, got it!”
Colton immediately headed towards the clock tower positioned in the city square, while Jun began drawing a magic circle on the ground again using the stones.
“Aiden, from now on, focus on recovering your condition as much as possible. You’ll have to step up soon.”
“Understood!”
Aiden, who had spent hours moving magic stones without rest, was completely exhausted.
Even so, Aiden’s expression was bright.
Up until now, he’d been doing nothing but transporting stones, without a chance to truly contribute.
Since Jun said that, it was clear that his moment to shine was coming.
Aiden sat down and began to meditate. He focused on regaining his strength.
***
Colton’s shout came just under an hour later.
“They’re coming! The enemy is coming!!”
There was a hint of fear even in Colton’s normally calm voice.
It couldn’t be helped.
One by one, the giant war golems that seemed impossible to defeat were starting to fall, and the number of enemies was overwhelming.
One small mistake and death would be upon them.
The only reason Colton and his mercenary group managed to keep their composure was the calmness that still lingered on Jun’s face.
There are so many of them. Ugh.
But that too was just Jun putting on an act.
If the leader showing the way faltered, the team members would be the first to crumble.
Jun’s heart was trembling all the same.
Things were easier back then.
It had been just over a year.
There had been countless moments more dangerous than this.
Yet the reason Jun was so shaken now was because, until this point, it had mostly been his own life at stake.
If he made a mistake, he died alone. If he succeeded, he survived alone.
The Forest Guardian raid?
Back then, Jun hadn’t even had a choice, nor was it a situation he had created.
At that time, it was nothing more than a desperate struggle for survival.
But how about now?
Most of what was happening now was the result of Jun’s own decisions.
It was then that Jun truly understood what it meant to sit in the leader’s seat.
So this is how heavy responsibility feels.
The pressure was something that the old Lee Jeong-jun wouldn’t have been able to bear.
But now, Jun was a completely different person.
It wasn’t because of any [Steadfast Will] or [Unwavering Heart].
It was the countless experiences and the marks of survival that were holding Jun’s mind together.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Because of that, Jun was able to face the approaching enemy forces without wavering.
“Colton, take your men and retreat.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“You’re all exhausted already.”
In fact, his mercenary group was so worn out from running around the city for half a day that even swinging their swords had become difficult.
The church’s forces aren’t something a Level 2 mercenary can handle in the first place.
Maybe he could handle a crusader, but a paladin would be impossible.
He would be ruthlessly swept away by the aura formed from divine power.
Instead, Jun turned to Aiden.
Despite the situation, Aiden continued to meditate.
He showed no sign of getting up until Jun called for him.
In order to live up to that trust, Jun checked the numerous magic circles etched into the ground one last time and then cast a spell over Aiden.
[Fog of Silence]
It was the same stealth-type magic he had used during the Goblin Lord subjugation.
The now more refined magical fog greatly reduced Aiden’s presence.
Soon, the enemy forces that had reached the square came to a halt.
“Are you the ones siding with the evil witch?”
“Evil? You’re the ones invading a woman’s quiet home, and you have the nerve to call her evil? Invaders always have so many excuses, excuses.”
The conversation wouldn’t get through anyway, but Jun muttered and tried to ease the tension.
“It seems you’ve held up well enough until now, but this is where your fate ends. The gods will deliver their divine punishment.”
“Shit.”
Some crusaders slowly approached with their shields up.
Behind them were paladins holding spears, and a few mounted archers aimed their bows at Jun.
“Hah… Is this how Gandalf felt?”
Jun thought of a certain legendary character from a movie before he looked beyond the city walls.
I’ve already used up most of my fourth-circle spells.
The most powerful of them was [Lightning Call].
[Earth Burst], which was perfect for hindering the enemy’s advance.
And [Air Bomb], while not as destructive as the others, possessed powerful stopping force.
Now, none of them would be able to display their full potential.
Is it… still not time?
Once again, Jun’s eyes turned to the space beyond the walls. The giant war golems, now with even deeper cracks, screeched as they charged at the enemy.
They looked like flames on the verge of burning out, exploding in one final burst of light.
But there was still some time before those flames would fade completely.
Maya should’ve gathered all the materials by now. The fourth phase needs to begin to neutralize them.
For that to happen, all of the war golems had to fall.
That meant Jun would have to face these ancient fanatics alone until then.
“……”
His heart’s magic circles began to turn.
The magical power he had been drawing up since earlier responded instantly, and countless familiar images now effortlessly absorbed the magical power.
“I still have a lot of magical power.”
[Deciphering the spell…]
[Deciphering complete.]
[The influence of the spell, ‘Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim’, is reduced by 15 percent.]
Whooooooooosh—
His magical power surged violently.
Magical power naturally gathered around his side, following their still inexperienced master.
He wondered if the sight of a dragon spiraling in a storm would look like this.
The merging magical power swirled together, compressed to such a degree that even the space around it began to distort.
The most suitable magic to buy time.
A magnetic field that allowed no intrusion was etched into his mindscape. Like a hedgehog’s spines bristling defensively.
[Lightning Whip]
A whip of lightning glowing blue lashed out.
There was no need for a spell to assist its accuracy.
Wherever it struck in front of him, enemies would be there.
“The witch’s minion is attacking!”
“Block it!”
The crusaders raised their shields to fend off the lightning whip, but—
“Gruuuurrk!”
“Kyaaaaah!”
“M-My body…!!”
Dozens of enemies collapsed helplessly in a single blow.
Without even checking the results, Jun cast another spell.
[Fast Casting]
[Lightning Whip]
He chanted the same spell several times.
The surging magical power responded to its master’s will and gathered together.
Crackle-crackle-crackle――!!
Five whips lashed violently through the air.
The force was so overwhelming that even the crusaders, who knew no fear, halted their advance.
“Graaaah!!”
“Gaaaaaaaahhk!”
Screams erupted from all directions.
Ignoring the cries, Jun cast another spell.
Countless visions swirled in his mind.
Each one showed a different way to tear the enemies apart.
And the magical power accepted the will of those visions, manifesting them into reality.
A state of pure concentration.
The weight of his title as a leader had long vanished. His mind was filled only with the drive to seek and kill his enemies.
***
“That’s crazy…”
Colton who was now away from the battlefield stared in a daze with his mouth hanging open.
He had always known Jun was different from other mages.
But even then, it had only seemed like he was a cut above the rest.
A mage better than most.
That was all Colton had thought of Jun.
Colton, with his long career, had heard stories of far greater mages than Jun.
There were mages at the seventh circle who could summon meteors, or even those powerful enough to destroy entire cities on their own.
Compared to them, Jun was still an unripe fruit.
Yet, Colton couldn’t help but be speechless at the spectacle Jun was creating.
Only after a month…
That was right.
Colton vividly remembered the Jun he had seen just a month ago during the raid.
A frail mage who seemed ready to collapse after running only a short distance.
Even back then, Jun had a few hidden tricks up his sleeve, enough to be impressive. But he was still just a mage worthy of mild admiration.
But now, how could anyone look at him and recall the Jun from a month ago?
Colton had lived as a mercenary for a long time and saw countless people along the way.
Some of them had rightly earned the title of genius, and others were even more extraordinary.
But none of them had ever shown the kind of growth Jun had.
Suddenly, Colton wondered if he was standing in a moment of history.
If that guy manages to endure for a year, then five, and even ten years…
By then, wouldn’t he have reached a height so great that Colton couldn’t even lift his head to look at him?
Perhaps he would be the first to step into a new realm that no one else had ever reached.
Such a future stirred Colton’s imagination intensely.
“How crazy are you, Mr. Mage…?”
At that level, even jealousy didn’t arise in his heart.
There was only awe.
No other emotion came to him.
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