Chapter 1105 – 1105. Dark Moon
“The hobgoblin mutated! Scatter and use ice magic!”
I shouted to the bewildered squad members as I jumped to my feet.
Fortunately, the squad members weren’t completely out of it. As soon as they heard my command, they immediately began manipulating their mana, preparing their spells.
Number 31 was the fastest, as always. It seemed she had been preparing her magic even before I finished speaking, and she was the first to cast the second-tier spell, Ice Arrow.
The ice arrow flew accurately, aiming for the hobgoblin’s head and hitting its mark.
Crack!
The rainwater and cold air that flowed over the hobgoblin’s head instantly froze. It was a spell that had killed a gargoyle in one hit, but the hobgoblin shook its head, shaking off the ice. Even though it had the ‘magic resistance’ trait due to the influence of the Dark Moon, it wasn’t completely ineffective. Its face was injured and covered in blood.
“Keeaaaaaaaah!”
The hobgoblin let out a roar of rage. The target of its anger was, of course, Number 31. Number 31 had a calm expression. She wasn’t surprised, nor did she retreat. Perhaps that didn’t sit well with the hobgoblin. It grabbed a piece of lumber lying nearby and threw it at Number 31.
“Barrier.”
A protective barrier appeared around Number 31’s body. The barrier blocked the lumber, and it only shook slightly.
“Ice!”
The squad members, who had surrounded the hobgoblin, simultaneously cast the first-tier spell, Ice. To be precise, the first-tier spell Ice uses cold air to create ice. It’s less effective in arid desert regions, but its effectiveness doubles in rainy conditions like now.
Crack, crackle.
The hobgoblin’s entire body froze. Its movements stopped. But the hobgoblin wasn’t dead. Its eyes were rolling around inside the ice.
‘Damn magic resistance. I can’t miss this chance. I have to kill it.’
I calculated what the most effective magic would be in this situation.
Second-tier magic, Air Strike.
Among second-tier spells, it’s one of the most powerful in terms of physical force. Although it’s also magic, so it will be affected by ‘magic resistance,’ there are no other options.
‘The power of fire magic is reduced due to the rainy weather, and it would only melt the hobgoblin’s frozen body. Earth magic is similar for the same reason.’
Now that I’ve made a decision, there’s no reason to hesitate. Hesitating for even a second during combat is dangerous.
I pulled up twelve mana rods and created the incantation.
“Air Strike.”
“Air Strike.”
Number 31 and I chanted at the same time.
The air distorted. Air Strike is essentially wind. It’s invisible to the naked eye, but the heavy rain that was constantly falling from the sky revealed the shape of the Air Strike.
The distorted space collided with the frozen hobgoblin.
Kwaaang!
The ice shattered, and the hobgoblin’s red blood fell onto the wet ground.
“Keeaaaaaaak!”
The hobgoblin roared and moved its legs.
“Maintain a certain distance and use ice magic! Do the same as before! If we repeat it two or three times, we can kill it!”
I kicked a small stone on the ground, hitting the hobgoblin’s head. It wasn’t meant to be an offensive move. From the hobgoblin’s perspective, it was just a tickle. But if you’re in a fit of rage and get hit in the head with a stone? Your mood would plummet, and you’d get even more annoyed.
The hobgoblin’s attention turned to me. It made a ferocious expression and then charged straight at me. It targeted me, the furthest away, rather than Number 31, who was closest. It was as I intended.
“Ice Arrow.”
The magic I cast flew and hit the hobgoblin’s left leg, freezing it. The hobgoblin’s body tilted.
‘I bought some time. Now, the squad members can freeze its body with ice magic, and Number 31 and I can use Air Strike.’
The hobgoblin’s mediocre intelligence was helpful. In game terms, it was easy to manage its aggro.
“……?!”
I suddenly felt a chill. Every single cell in my body was startled, and I felt an unpleasant sensation that made my hair stand on end.
‘The mana in the atmosphere has changed. The mana, which was already fierce due to the influence of the Dark Moon, has become even more intense.’
Even though I knew the hobgoblin was limping towards me, I couldn’t help but turn my gaze away.
It was Number 31.
Her red eyes were gleaming, and she was drawing a spell in the center of the intense mana.
‘It’s definitely not second-tier. Third-tier…? No. This is similar to when Instructor Venus uses magic…’
Number 31’s raincoat fluttered. Her purple hair danced upwards. There was no wind blowing right now. The wind around her was the movement of mana.
“Number 31! Stop!!”
I shouted, pulling strength from my gut.
It was no use. Number 31’s red eyes were fixed on the hobgoblin. She didn’t even glance at me.
‘What is it? Why is Number 31 going berserk?’
Number 31’s magic manifested. A smile appeared on Number 31’s lips. I felt a chill and quickly moved away from the hobgoblin.
The wind blew.
It gathered around the hobgoblin, leaving traces on the ground as if scratching it with claws.
The hobgoblin swung its fists and feet at the formless wind. Needless to say, it couldn’t stop the wind with that.
The wind grew stronger over time and began to rotate around the hobgoblin.
Fourth-tier magic. Tornado.
‘It’s not an ordinary tornado. Even though it’s small, it has given physical properties to each gust of wind. In other words, it’s a tornado that has applied Wind Cutter to each gust of wind.’
The hobgoblin’s body was sliced by the wind. The tornado began to be stained red. It was the hobgoblin’s blood.
The tornado lasted for about 30 seconds before disappearing.
The hobgoblin had turned into a mess of blood, flesh, and bone fragments.
“Ahahaha, ahahahahaha.”
I heard Number 31’s laughter. I felt cold sweat on my back as I looked at Number 31. She was smiling while looking at the dark moon, and she was clearly different from her usual self.
“…….”
I, along with the squad members, didn’t relax. We felt a strong sense of unease from Number 31 and prepared to fight at any moment.
Static. Crackle.
A sound came from the radio. I quickly picked up the radio.
“Number 211. Do you hear me?”
“…Instructor Venus. I hear you.”
“I’m watching the situation. I’m on my way, so retreat with your squad members! Hurry!”
Instructor Venus, who always spoke calmly, sounded urgent. This meant that this situation was unexpected even for him.
“Get away from Number 31! Quickly!”
The squad members acted quickly. They immediately moved away from Number 31.
“Ahahahahaha.”
Number 31 kept laughing.
Mana gathered around her, fluctuating wildly. The mud on the ground was heaving, and the rain falling from the sky avoided only her.
I was so tense that I was sweating cold sweat, but at the same time, I calmly speculated about Number 31’s identity.
Several possibilities came to mind. After comparing various things, the most likely guess was one.
‘Witch factor. She seemed happy when the Dark Moon rose, and her magic ability increased even though she’s not a black mage.’
If Number 31 had a witch factor, it would explain everything.
Considering the instructors’ reactions, she probably had a witch factor from birth.
‘I don’t know exactly what her background is, but it’s 100% certain that she has a special lineage.’
Mana gathered in front of her.
I focused my mind and analyzed the incantation.
Third-tier magic, Air Boom.
Fourth-tier magic, Levitation.
Number 31’s body floated into the sky. It was the effect of the fourth-tier magic, Levitation.
The problem was the third-tier magic, Air Boom. After calculating the incantation and mana, it was a third-tier spell in name only, and its power was as strong as a fifth-tier spell.
‘Is she planning to wipe out this entire area with Air Boom?’
If it were just me, I could somehow endure it. I could activate multiple barriers and use the artifact I received from Instructor Lexi. But the other squad members were different. They couldn’t cast magic as quickly as I could.
I glanced at the sky.
Even if Thunder Bolt was impossible, I could probably use the fourth-tier magic, Lightning Strike, if I used the dark clouds.
‘No, I won’t use Lightning Strike.’
Instructor Venus was coming from behind. I couldn’t show my full power and talent here. I hardened my heart. Even if the squad members died, I would hide my abilities for the future.
Just as I was about to create the incantation for a barrier, Instructor Venus appeared. As soon as he showed himself, he shouted and used magic.
“Get back!!”
An invisible wall of mana extended from him, surrounding Number 31. Air Boom occurred, but it was blocked by the wall of mana. All the squad members were safe.
I knew it was a type of barrier magic.
‘He hastily activated it, so the incantation is sloppy, but he barely managed to block Number 31’s Air Boom. Is that the level of a fifth-tier mage?’
Instructor Venus rushed towards Number 31. Magic flashed beneath his feet.
‘The magic that serves as a foothold is… an application of Barrier.’
In terms of incantation, it was simpler than first-tier magic. But the casting speed was incredibly fast. Considering that you could fall and suffer a fatal injury if you slipped even a little due to the nature of the foothold floating in the air, you also had to time it well.
Even if I could easily follow the magic itself, it seemed impossible to apply it like Instructor Venus.
I retreated with the squad members, watching the battle between Number 31 and Instructor Venus.
‘Instructor Venus is trying to subdue Number 31. Number 31 isn’t being pushed back much either.’
Instructor Venus used magic efficiently. He used the right magic at the right time. For example, if Number 31 used the second-tier magic Ice Arrow, he would block it with the first-tier magic Fire.
‘He’s not just blocking it to cancel it out, but he’s neutralizing the cold air of the Ice Arrow with Fire.’
It was like he was using the differences in elemental attributes to the extreme.
‘Just watching is helpful.’
The battle continued. Instructor Venus’s hand grazed Number 31’s neck. Startled, Number 31 shot into the sky. The smile on Number 31’s face, who was silhouetted against the dark clouds, completely disappeared. Number 31’s mana soared into the sky.
Rumble.
The dark clouds flashed.
‘It’s Lightning Spike…!’
Lightning fell towards Instructor Venus.
“Dome Ground.”
Instructor Venus’s faint voice was heard. Immediately after, dirt rose into the sky around him, forming a dome. The temporary earth structure easily blocked the Lightning Spike.
The dome, having fulfilled its role, didn’t collapse but instead shot upwards, flying towards Number 31.
Number 31’s Levitation faltered as she was hit in the forehead with a pile of dirt. Her body descended before stopping mid-air. Barely maintaining her magic, Number 31 glared at Instructor Venus as if she wanted to kill him and raised her mana.
The mana that was felt from Number 31 was incomparable to anything before.
“Stop! Stop it and come to your senses, Number 31!”
Instructor Venus shouted.
There was no way Number 31, who was in a berserk state, would listen to him. Instructor Venus activated Dome Ground again.
Bang.
Kwakwakwang. Bang.
Explosions rang out.
The third-tier magic, Air Boom, occurred indiscriminately.
In less than 10 seconds, Air Boom occurred more than 10 times, devastating the ground. Instructor Venus’s Dome Ground was also shattered. Instructor Venus tried to protect his body by surrounding himself with a barrier, but even that wasn’t easy. His body was flying around due to the aftermath of Air Boom. However, his barrier remained unbroken and continued to be maintained.
“No…!”
Instructor Venus shouted.
The one who used the magic, Number 31, couldn’t protect her own body and was caught in the aftermath of Air Boom, flying around in the air. In addition, Number 31 seemed to have fainted mid-way, and her Levitation was released, causing her to fall downwards. Unfortunately, the area below was a waterfall.
“Number 211!!! Save Number 31!!”
Instructor Venus shouted at me, who was closest to Number 31.
I gritted my teeth and ran towards Number 31.
If I didn’t do anything here, Instructor Venus would shift the blame onto me and kill me. It was obvious without even looking.
‘If I want to live, I have to save Number 31!’
