Chapter 53

The Wizard’s Way of Survival (4)

Kang Min-hyuk’s eyes were everywhere. As he evaded one Werewolf, he was attacking another. As soon as he conceived a maneuver, it became a reality – before the Werewolf’s attack had landed, the aura from his sword slashed through its limbs. He attained a perfect result every time he made a move…rather than the experience being alien, it felt natural.

Klinssman was young and had undergone little physical training. His physical development achieved through mana should, realistically, have been a little slower than normal, contrary to Kang Min-hyuk’s idea. Strangely, however, Klinssman’s body did not fail Kang Min-hyuk’s admittedly high expectations. The mana accumulated through the energy of nature rather than the reinforcement liquid was powerful enough to cut down A-class monsters. Klinss’s own body was capable of the strength and speed that Kang Min-hyuk had always craved. It seemed to respond seamlessly to the slightest thought, like a well-oiled machine. The rapport between body and mind was incredibly smooth. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Rrrroooaaaaar!”

Blood bubbles frothed onto the blade that tunneled through a Werewolf’s chin; it gnashed and thrashed against the cool metal. It had aimed for Klinssman’s shoulder, but his reflexes were too refined, and he dodged the bite easily. It was the same throughout the entire battle. Amid obscene violence, Klinssman’s body belied his youth and the brief duration of training. It was an ability that increased from moment to moment, like a dry sponge absorbing water. At first, Min-hyuk thought that mana was the single source of talent, but as he spent more time in Klinssman’s body, he realized more depth to his skill.

“You are a really mysterious being.”

He thought, mid-fight. He could not comprehend it. Eventually, he gave up trying and simply accepted the situation as it was. The only reasonable explanation was that Klinssman was a genius. He had been born a warrior, and that’s what he had to be. For the moment, Kang Min-hyuk struggled to suggest a further hypothesis. Klinss’s talent exceeded that of Lee Jun-ho, and he was the strongest swordsman Kang Min-hyuk had ever met. He was greater even than his father, Kang Deok-cheol. His father was strong, yes, very much so, but in direct comparison to Lee Jun-ho, it was clear who would be the victor.

However, Klinssman expressed potential that surpassed even Lee Jun-ho’s. He had mana talent and physical ability: nothing was missing. If the small amount of training Klinssman had undergone so far could produce such astounding results, he would become a monster in the future.

“I envy you.”

Kang Min-hyuk meant it. The Werewolf was a class-A monster. A hunter’s worth is measured by whether they can or cannot defeat such a beast.

Because they are strong?

Yes…Class A monsters are the most threatening enemies, but not only for that reason. They are higher predators, but there are a lot of them. It is a kind of monster that you will see many times while working as a hunter, so those incapable of defeating them, or a flock of them, are not recognized. Kang Min-hyuk, who was not born with mana talent, certainly couldn’t hope to be recognized in his own body.

Most warriors would struggle against such a high-class predator. Klinssman was different. Even Kang Min-hyuk could not predict the limits of his potential. One thing was certain: Klinssman was no longer weak.

Brrriing!

Guardian swordsmanship defense was demonstrated. Although the Werewolves rushed in, the hard mana mitigated the shock that Kang Min-hyuk would receive. It was more valuable than expected. No matter how narrow the wall might be, Kang Min-hyuk’s experience and Klinss’ physical talent did not let a single enemy pass. Kang Min-hyuk felt a quiet yearning to inhabit Klinssman’s body more permanently; they made an excellent team.

A Werewolf’s head soared through the air.

The top of the wall gradually regained stability.

* * *

It was a bloody battle verging on disaster. Even with thousands of Werewolves, they could not have crossed the Royal Magic Academy walls with their strength alone, but they eventually crossed the walls with the buff of Werewolf Lord. It was a gate of tremendous power that most countries had fallen to, but the Royal Academy of Magic walls remained intact. It deserved to be the heart of England.

Kang Min-hyuk seemed to be shaken for a moment, but after completely driving a Werewolf from the wall, he regained stability.

“Sea Blaster.”

Hwaahak.

Bash!

Another archmage appeared and used the seventh-circle magic, and a tsunami of colossal power swept the Werewolf group away. The monsters were mercilessly bombarded from the wall. It was a scene that proved why the wizard is recognized for their value in the Suseongjeon. The difference between the wizards of the reinforced civilization was that their power was so much greater.

Thud!

RRRRrumble!

The ground shook.

The crisis had passed, but the gate remained open.

“In the end, we will have to face Werewolf Lord.”

Kang Min-hyuk looked over the city wall, brushing blood out of his eyes and off his clothes.

Werewolf Lord was located at the very rear. The scary thing about the Epic Monster that they would find there was that the gate wouldn’t disappear unless it died by its own hand. Therefore, it was not a step to be attempted until the time was right. As long as they are human, there would come a time when their stamina and mana would drop, and then the initiative was passed to the Werewolf.

It was strange that despite knowing the Epic Monster’s nature, the Archmage did not forcefully attack. Would it be possible to aim from afar? The high-class wizards must have been aware of the Epic Monster’s traits.

Suddenly, a tremendous amount of mana swung over the wall.

“Summon Gigant!”

Whooosh.

The wind raged. Mana was concentrated on the wall, and in an instant, a subspace opened, and a creature unlike any they’d ever seen before reared its giant head.

“…Golem?”

Golem was a creature crafted by magic. The amount of available magic was completely different from Kang Min-hyuk’s world, but the Gigante had the same characteristics as a golem. It was akin to a human with a body made of special minerals, but it was almost 10m in size, with a bull’s horn on its head and huge axes in both hands.

Thud!

Gigante landed on the floor and swung his ax.

Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwang!

Werewolves in front of them were swept away at once. Kang Min-hyuk was captivated by the beast’s strength. It differed from the golems found in his memories. Golems in their own world are not yet fully developed and have only executed a few action commands like an AI robot just taking its steps. The golems in this world were different. With the enormous amount of magic emitted by Gigante, Kang Min-hyuk was full of goosebumps.

“What is it?”

As he turned my head, Elisha was looking down at Kang Min-hyuk.

“What is that strange look? Is it your first time seeing Gigante?”

* * *

The physical body is not trained in Klinss’ world, where magical civilization has developed, because there is no need to do so.

“The invention of the golem changed the game of magical civilization.”

There are many types of magical creatures. There are soldier golems similar in size to humans, and there are golems in the form of suits that wizards can wear directly to increase their physical abilities. However, the collective, called the flower of golem technology, was the battle weapon Gigantic, boasting enormous size and magical power. It took tremendous human resources and minerals to make it. However, Gigante satisfies people’s expectations enough to produce it. Just like now.

Quaang!

Gigante trampled the Werewolves. Among them were A-class Werewolves, but the Werewolf that couldn’t be avoided was crushed by a powerful magic power emitted by Gigante. He used his ax to pummel the enemies around him.

Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwang!

Gigante was an aggregate that created Orichalcum (a very special mineral) and thousands of mana stones. To move this monster, many wizards must inject power.

Hwaah.

Above the walls, dozens of wizards injected magic into Gigante through mana links. Even with that large number of personnel, Gigante cannot last long, but his strength is sufficient for a short time. He broke through the monsters and rushed to Werewolf Lord. The wizards dedicated to Mercury flew alongside him in the direction of Werewolf Lord.

The attack of Werewolf Lord began.

Gigante’s immense power hit the Werewolf Lord, and the magic of the wizards fell on it from the sky. Werewolf Lord’s rebellion was fierce. As if proving why he was an Epic Monster, his powerful claw attacks severely crushed Gigante’s solid body.

“Flare!”

“Fire Rain.”

Wow!

Kwakwakwang!

Werewolf Lord had no way to counteract the magic of the wizards falling from the sky. His feet were completely tied to Gigante, and the wizards slowly hacked into the beast’s stamina, buying time.

A fierce battle broke out. The earth shook, and the sky was angry. With Gigante’s ax swaying and swooping overhead, he was forced to end up at Werewolf Lord.

Quaang!

Kr-kr-kr-krackle.

The gate became distorted. In confirmation of the Lord’s death, and the dark passage gradually melted away. Kang Min-hyuk stared at it blankly.

“This is the power of this world.”

It didn’t make sense at first. With their strength, which is bound to be weak in close-quarters combat, how can they prevent monsters’ attacks? Klinssman’s world has built its own way of survival over its 2000 years of history. Thoroughly utilizing the advantageous highlands to reduce the number of enemies when fighting in close proximity, a magical artifact such as Gigante was put on the front line. By employing such processes, the strength of the sword-wielding warriors was not necessary.

Kang Min-hyuk’s prejudice had unknowingly generated disappeared completely through this battle, and he felt his vision expanding.

“Mages are strong, after all.”

[Code Red End, Code Red End]

[The Green Dragon situation has ended.]

It was over. Kang Min-hyuk plunged into his seat. He didn’t feel it during the battle, but he plunged into deep fatigue upon its completion. He felt a strange sensation, as though he was being watched…in the same way, as he had been captivated by the Gigante, the people in the C-1 area couldn’t help but stare at Kang Min-hyuk.