Kim Songcheol moved with Flight Magic. Not upwards, but sideways.

With exquisite control, he used Flight Magic in short bursts, moving several meters in an instant, as if someone had abruptly pushed him sideways.

CRACKLE…!

As his boots touched the ground and slid across it, a magic circle spread out in all directions.

CRACKLE!

A volley of Lightning Spears, imbued with Red Lightning, shot towards Wolf.

The crimson light beams converged, forming a massive current.

“Not a chance!”

Gray smoke rose around Wolf, then coalesced, forming the shape of an animal. It looked as if he was surrounded by dozens of animal spirits.

The spirits rapidly spun, encircling Wolf.

CRACKLE!

The crimson light beams struck the gray shield and shattered into pieces. It would be more accurate to say they were ground to dust.

Red sparks flew in all directions, but the shield remained firm.

Furthermore, as soon as the defense was complete, the animal spirits shot towards Kim Songcheol.

Kim Songcheol tried to evade by maneuvering with Flight Magic, but the spirits persistently chased him.

They even completely shredded anything that got in their way.

After changing direction a couple of times, Kim Songcheol gave up on escaping and raised his hand forward.

Magic formulas were deployed at incredible speed, and red light erupted from two points of the magic circle.

The two lights shot towards the spirits, twisting around each other to form a spiral.

CRACKLE!

The Bolt Bringer began to advance, crushing the projectiles like a drill.

In the face of the spiral’s rotational force, the pale spirits screamed and vanished.

As Kim Songcheol imbued the magic with a slight will, the spiral whipped around like a snake, obliterating all the spirits.

The next target was Wolf.

The Bolt Bringer bared its fangs like a snake stalking its prey, closing the distance to Wolf with every passing moment.

“Hmph.”

Wolf’s eyes flashed. A gray aura surged from his entire body, gathering in his four legs and maw, emitting a deep light.

Wolf ran directly towards the Bolt Bringer.

His speed was so great it was difficult to follow with the eyes.

The next scene was something that surprised even Kim Songcheol.

CRACKLE!

Wolf bit the Bolt Bringer.

He confronted magic made of energy with his biting force.

Logically, his maw should have been torn, but instead, the Bolt Bringer vanished between his sharp teeth.

It seemed he had applied a magical defense to his maw and activated it by biting.

“Unbelie…”

I’ve seen many ways to defend against magic, but none as wild as this.

The wolf quickly closed the distance.

After accelerating in just a couple of steps, it launched itself towards Kim Songcheol, kicking off the ground.

Kim Songcheol backed away and used Over Brain.

The world slowed down, and the wolf was also in that world.

The wolf, suspended in mid-air, slowed down dramatically. But there was no time to relax. It was only relatively slower; for a mage, it was still fast.

Kim Songcheol cast Arc Linear, the most powerful magic he currently possessed.

As it was a 5th Circle magic, casting took some time. It wasn’t comparable to other mages, but it was a tight fit to match the wolf’s charging speed.

Finally, the moment Over Brain was released.

A streak of red light flashed, aiming for the wolf’s right shoulder.

Whoosh!

…!

The wolf hurriedly conjured grey smoke, but it was too late. Considering Arc Linear’s penetration power, even if it had been perfectly enveloped in grey smoke, it wouldn’t have been blocked.

Arc Linear accurately entered the wolf’s left shoulder and exited its back.

“Aargh…!”

The wolf swallowed a scream and fell backward. A fairly large hole was pierced, but it wasn’t a fatal wound, as there was no intention to kill it in the first place.

The wolf quickly got up on three legs and retreated. Its yellow eyes gleamed even more fiercely than before.

…You made a mistake.

The wolf said.

Next time, it would be better to choose your opponents carefully before rushing in.

No, it’s not me, but you who made a mistake. To allow me time.

The wolf heavily set its raised left leg on the ground. Then, a green light rose from the surrounding grass and plants, then flowed along the ground towards the wolf.

The green light gathered precisely on the wound, shining brightly.

The surrounding plants seemed to have lost a bit of their green hue, but astonishingly, all of the wolf’s wounds had healed.

You intend to face me in the forest? How arrogant, mage.

The wolf bared its teeth and growled. A slight sneer seemed to hang at the corner of its mouth.

It was as if it was asking, ‘How’s my recovery ability?’

It’s not arrogance…

Shut up!

…But you’re the one yelling.

The wolf once again flared up its grey aura. The grey aura spun quickly and powerfully around it. It was preparation for Arc Linear.

Having finished its preparations, the wolf began to run through the forest.

It charged towards Kim Songcheol, then suddenly changed direction and darted behind the trees. The wolf did not stop.

It made full use of the dense trees, disorienting his vision.

It seemed to be trying to make it impossible to know when or where it would attack.

The moment the wolf, darting between the trees, suddenly disappeared, it unexpectedly dropped from above.

A powerful grey aura shimmered around the wolf’s red maw. Not to mention the swirling grey spirits protecting it.

Whoosh!

But all those attempts were in vain.

The moment Kim Songcheol’s Arc Linear touched the shield, the spirits screamed and scattered, and a red beam pierced Wolf’s left shoulder.

“Aargh…!”

Wolf collapsed to the ground with his left shoulder pierced, exactly as before. It was like deja vu.

This time, Wolf’s eyes wavered.

It wasn’t so much that his shoulder was pierced again, but the fact that no follow-up attack came again that created pressure.

Because it felt like he was being given leeway.

He didn’t take his eyes off Kim Songcheol, and once again gathered Green Light energy to heal his shoulder.

This time, he didn’t say anything.

No, it was more like he couldn’t.

It was hard to speak in front of Kim Songcheol’s indifferent expression.

‘Should I block it one more time? I think that would do it.’

Kim Songcheol thought as he watched him.

Wolf seemed to be on the verge of collapse. This would be the last attack, and if he blocked even this, he would break down.

That meant he would be ready to talk.

“Grrr…”

Wolf forced himself to gather his fighting spirit. He bared his sharp teeth and his yellow eyes gleamed.

Then, as if he had decided something, his eyes flashed.

Whoosh!

Grey Aura exploded from his entire body. The energy drew a clear image of Wolf in the air. The image of Wolf howled loudly and was sucked into his body.

His muscles bulged and his fur stood on end. An extraordinary Aura at a glance.

‘Shall we do this properly?’

Kim Songcheol also fully entered combat mode. In response to that resolve, the Oneness that had been dormant in his body emerged.

The Oneness was located behind Kim Songcheol, beginning to emit a brilliant golden light.

It was at that moment.

…?

Wolf’s sharp gaze softened instantly. His eyes were filled with the golden light emitted by the Oneness.

Wolf’s Aura completely scattered, and he tucked his tail between his legs in an instant.

“I, I’m just a Mercenary. I have no official position with ‘Pain’!”

Wolf bowed his head as if to bury it in the ground, looking at Kim Songcheol’s expression.

A sudden change in stance.

Kim Songcheol was also flustered, but he didn’t show it.

Instead, his mind was racing.

‘Pain?’

An unfamiliar word appeared. Kim Songcheol decided it would be better to pretend he knew rather than ask.

He immediately began to act.

“Now we can talk. I was wondering what Pain was up to…”

For some reason, Wolf seemed ready to talk.

There was no need to miss this opportunity.

“Pain is just giving a gift to a new recruit. It has no official connection to the ‘Magic Alliance’.”

It seemed Wolf was mistaken that Kim Songcheol came from a place called the Magic Alliance.

Pain also seemed to be the name of an organization. This was evident from the mention of a gift for a ‘new recruit’.

“If you say there’s no official connection, should I just say, ‘Yes, I understand,’ and back off?”

“Th-that…”

“Tell me properly. I’ll decide whether there’s an official connection or not.”

“…”

Wolf seemed to be contemplating while observing Kim Songcheol’s expression, but soon opened his mouth.

He was under a lot of pressure from those four words: Magic Alliance.

“I heard that a new recruit joined Pain. I don’t know the details, but it seems they’re from the place that ruled the base before Bluebell became Bluebell. There’s a plan to reclaim that place, and Pain assigned a few people, including me, to them.”

“Then you’re also part of Pain, aren’t you?”

“Again, I’m a mercenary. I’m just here to gather monsters and cause chaos.”

“That’s hard to believe. What if I just kill you here…”

Kim Songcheol pressed Wolf harder. He intended to crush him completely while he had the upper hand.

In a dungeon, one should not act as they would on Earth.

Kim Songcheol knew that.

“W-wait!”

Sure enough, Wolf urgently shouted, and began spilling all the information he knew.

He even told him the number of prepared hunters and the approximate level of hunters he had grasped.

And one important piece of information.

The Bluebell raiders were waiting for one hunter.

That hunter would be the core of the Bluebell raid, and the strongest hunter among the raiders.

“They’ll raid as soon as that foe arrives?”

“That’s right. They’ll arrive within a week at the earliest. That’s all I know.”

It seemed he had gathered almost all the information he could extract.

As Kim Songcheol stared down at him, Wolf flinched and trembled.

“You’re very scared, aren’t you?”

“I-I’ve seen a mage with that golden circle, just like you. Though their presence wasn’t as strong as yours, the magic that mage used was terrifying. You, too… must be hiding such magic.”

“Did you see another mage from the Magic Alliance?”

“…”

Wolf merely nodded, as if he didn’t even want to speak of it.

‘From what I hear, it seems to be a place where mages who have mastered second-tier magic wander around quite often…’

Kim Songcheol had never seen a mage who had mastered the second-tier magic system yet.

He had a considerable official interest in this ‘Magic Alliance’ place, but for now, he had no way to contact them, nor the leisure to look for them.

‘I’ll have to ask the Celestial Spirit Maiden when she arrives.’

It was at this time that Kim Songcheol came to that conclusion.

“I express my gratitude for not killing me. If… if you’re done, may I leave?”

Wolf asked cautiously.

“Hmm.”

Kim Songcheol considered what would happen if he just let Wolf go.

Only a few seconds passed, but Wolf quickly added more.

“I, I will return as I am. You don’t have to worry about the story of your existence leaking out. I will disappear without ever contacting them. Whether they live or die is none of my business.”

“Live or die?”

“Yes. If you are protecting Bluebell, then Pain is wasting their time. They’re not attacking with all their might, and a Hunter discovered for a mere New Recruit gift couldn’t possibly be stronger than you, could they?”

Wolf hadn’t even seen that Hunter, yet he was already certain. That Kim Songcheol would be stronger.

Kim Songcheol felt a strange sensation.

Wolf had witnessed the power of a Mage who had achieved Oneness, other than Kim Songcheol, and that power seemed to leave no room for doubt.

‘Wait a minute. Then can’t I do it too? If I learn, that is.’

Kim Songcheol’s Oneness was only half-complete.

What Peter gave him was a set of ‘2nd-tier Magic Basic Theory Books’. He didn’t give him 2nd-tier Magic itself.

That’s why it could be called half-complete.

What if Kim Songcheol learned 2nd-tier Magic?

Could he become similar in level to the Mage Wolf witnessed?

If he reached a similar level, as Wolf said, Kim Songcheol might be able to protect Bluebell himself.

‘I didn’t even think about that. That I could be at the turning point…’

Kim Songcheol was a little embarrassed, but it was perhaps natural that he hadn’t thought of it.

2nd-tier Magic is expensive.

Until now, he didn’t have enough Points to buy it.

But now, he felt he could gather enough if he scraped and scrounged. He had some Points saved up, and a few avenues for earning more Points seemed to appear.

“You said you were a Mercenary, right?”

Kim Songcheol asked.

“That’s right.”

“Then you must carry some Points with you?”

At that question, Wolf looked up at Kim Songcheol with ominous eyes.

“Why… are you asking that?”