Chapter 41

‘As I thought, they’re heading to the Ruins.’

At this point, he had to admit it, even if he didn’t want to. Perhaps the one who had infiltrated the Ruins in the first Cycle and delivered the end to Taewoon’s party was none other than Charlotte.

‘What on earth is the goal?’

He couldn’t know for now. One thing was certain: an unavoidable situation had already been created.

“You did come after all, Instructor.”

“Did you notice I was following you?”

“No. I just assumed you would.”

Charlotte’s face looked incredibly vacant. In a way, it felt as if she had become a doll wearing a human mask.

“What exactly is your scheme? What do you want to do in the Ruins?”

[You already know that much? Then this conversation will be brief.]

Reje, appearing instantly from the Magic Tome held in Charlotte’s arms, blocked Taewoon’s path with a fishy smile.

[If there is something you are curious about, ask. I can answer the young master to some extent.]

“Then I won’t hold back. What did you do to Charlotte?”

[It is nothing much; I simply granted the lady’s wish. In fact, has she not now reached a position in the academy where no one can oppose her?]

Sophistry.

It might seem that way to someone else, but the wish Charlotte truly desired would never have been something like that.

“Can she return to her original self?”

[Well… it would be difficult now. The lady has already become half-assimilated with the Magic Tome, serving as its shell and foundation.]

“Why did you do such a thing?”

[Because this is the task I must perform, and there is no one else but her who can achieve it.]

It made no sense.

He felt that even if they continued to exchange words, no meaningful conclusion would be reached.

Pulling out the Sacred Bird’s Claw from his breast, Taewoon’s expression turned solemn as he began to charge toward the Magic Tome held in Charlotte’s arms.

“…Instructor, you can’t do that.”

Before he knew it, mysterious patterns manifested on the back of Charlotte’s hand as she opened the book, and a violent storm of Magical Power erupted, creating blade-like winds in all directions.

Following this, Charlotte closed her eyes tightly and visualized something; suddenly, a mysterious hammer appeared in her hand, pointing toward the air.

[My lady, you should be able to handle this on your own now, right?]

“Yes. I think I can make something quite decent today.”

As Charlotte swung the hammer once, multicolored lights gathered, beginning to embroider the air with strange arrangements and characters.

By the time the second hammer strike followed, it had already formed a complex circuit and transformed into several giant beasts and insects.

“…Go.”

“…….”

‘…Tsk.’

He was certain he could use the Sacred Bird’s Claw if he could just get close, but Charlotte’s skill as a Magician had already risen to a level incomparable to before.

Five giant spiders and two beasts resembling leopards and wolves. The Aura emanating from them was far from ordinary.

However, Taewoon was no longer a Hunter who would be tripped up by mediocre obstacles.

Summoning two Mirror Spiders through the power of the Spider Orb, Taewoon sent them to the left to block the enemies’ path and focused his gaze on the remaining beasts.

‘…At that level, I can sweep them all away in an instant.’

Tensing every muscle in his body, he leaped in a flash and thrust his spear, targeting only the vital points.

The spiders, which had just been about to spit poison from their mouths, were gifted three large holes in their bodies and immediately perished, scattering into light.

They likely didn’t even realize how they had met their end. That was how fast he was.

‘Four more!’

He charged, diving through the gaps of the poison spat simultaneously from two directions and the spiderwebs aiming for his flanks.

Using a sudden brake as a feint, he narrowly avoided the front leg of a spider leaping from a rock and launched a counterattack.

It was a thrust of pure speed.

Along with sounds like exploding bombs, the bodies of the spiders made of light burst one after another.

As this process repeated several more times, there were no longer any obstacles remaining in the path. It was, quite literally, a slaughter.

“As expected… the Instructor is amazing. Reje told me. That you are a powerhouse on par with a high-ranking Magician, you just don’t flaunt your strength.”

“…….”

“But it still won’t work. Reje’s power is on a completely different trajectory from ordinary Magic Tomes.”

The final third hammer strike swung, and a beast with the head of a lion, the scales of a fish, and the tail of a snake appeared, letting out a loud roar.

‘…This one won’t be easy.’

Taewoon took a breath and focused his mind. His eyes slowly closed, and the red Wax Mask revealed its form.

‘I’ll end this in one go if possible.’

In the Theater of the Final Rampart, Taewoon had fought Iosis for several days, eventually absorbing all of his profound spearmanship.

The way to grip the spear. Breathing. Posture. The way to thrust. The way to throw.

Countless subtleties were contained in every small movement, and Taewoon had mastered them by receiving them directly with his body.

Standing face-to-face with the giant beast, Taewoon breathed calmly.

Then, he focused his spirit into the tip of the spear.

The beast, which had been circling around Taewoon, began to charge with claws and teeth bared.

Simultaneously, a clear light flickered at the tip of Taewoon’s spear.

‘Extend the foot, and determine where to thrust.’

The spear was a weapon with considerable reach, but it was nothing compared to the enemy before him.

However, for some reason, the result of this battle was appearing vividly in Taewoon’s mind.

‘Right now!’

In an instant, Taewoon’s Magical Power boiled violently, and an explosive Aura erupted.

A peerless spearmanship that looked exactly like the Empire’s Seven Knights, piercing through the enemy’s claws and teeth to accurately impale the heart.

Blue light flickered, embroidering the air.

Soon, the one collapsing and scattering into light was the body of the giant beast, which now had a large hole in its heart.

The movement was like a single petal drifting down a stream. It was a sign that Taewoon’s spearmanship had reached a realm beyond that of Iosis.

[My lady, bring out another page. Against a seasoned enemy, one must not give them time to adapt to the attacks.]

“…Yes. I’ll do that.”

After contemplating the next move for a moment, Charlotte, as if instinctively realizing the answer, turned the page without hesitation and opened a new chapter of the book.

“…Blue Coral.”

At Charlotte’s signal, a giant wall of water appeared in the air along with Magical Power that felt refreshing, and it began to close the distance toward Taewoon moment by moment.

Once the gap had narrowed sufficiently, Charlotte changed the wall into the form of a violent wave and fired it directly toward the ground where Taewoon stood.

“…Pierce through, Barata.”

Instantly firing several branches to perfectly pierce through the center of the wave, Taewoon used it as a rail—just as he had when facing Melissa—and began to approach Charlotte with explosive speed.

“…….”

As Charlotte moved the page again and gestured, hideous witches, the kind one would see in classic fairy tales, appeared riding brooms and began to pour down toward Taewoon.

It was a truly surreal sight, but Taewoon maintained his calm breathing and swung his spear, accurately piercing the torsos of the witches one by one.

“You’ve improved a lot, but this is a bit lacking.”

“…….”

“Didn’t you say my skills wouldn’t be enough?”

At Taewoon’s sarcasm, Charlotte’s brow twitched for a moment. Then, the gathered witches began to transform into one giant figure, craving each other’s souls.

“Go.”

───!!

As Charlotte commanded with half-closed eyes as if possessed, a terrifying laughter that made one’s mind go blank shook the ears.

Then, Taewoon gently closed his eyes, took his stance, gripped the spear, and raised his arm above his shoulder.

“…….”

Extremely sharply refined Magical Power flowed down his arm and permeated the entire spear without a single gap.

And.

Like a dragon crossing the sky through wind and rain, Barata flew straight forward, showcasing its power.

The strike, fired in a straight line and reaching right in front of Charlotte, pierced through even the giant witch’s form, grazing past it and embedding itself into the rock behind.

And then,

Using the Red Man’s power to instantly appear near Charlotte, Taewoon poured strength into the hand holding the Sacred Bird’s Claw and accurately slashed through the center of the Magic Tome floating in the air.

“Ugh……”

There was a definite sensation in his hand.

Charlotte stepped back several times, glaring at Taewoon with a look of utter panic, and the Magic Tome lay on the ground, having completely lost its previous light.

“You can’t go to the Ruins. Go back to the academy quietly.”

“I can’t. Reje said so. That it’s something that must be done. Must be…”

Slumping down with a completely vacant expression, Charlotte repeatedly repeated the same words, hanging her head low.

And when she lifted her face again, the spark in Charlotte’s eyes had completely vanished.

“I tried to grow the vessel quickly, but it seems there is a limit after all.”

At the voice that felt strangely alien, Taewoon was startled and examined Charlotte’s appearance again. He could tell that someone else had seized control of the body.

“You are……”

“Honestly, I didn’t expect the young master to cling to us this persistently. Is there some special reason?”

There is no such grand reason. It is simply because he must stop the two of them to get closer to the Conclusion of the Theater.

“That place is originally an Altar. An Altar to offer a fitting sacrifice every hundred years and appease a greedy beast.”

“What does that mean?”

“The time for the Ritual has approached. There is no one left who can suppress the creature’s thirst, and soon the light of death will fill the nearby cities.”

It was an abrupt story, but somehow it felt familiar.

Wasn’t the ‘light of death’ referring to the very situation Taewoon’s party had faced during the first Cycle?

“So, are you saying you’re going to stop it?”

“It is not such a grand thing. We simply return to nothingness together. Since a suitable candidate has appeared before my eyes, everyone in the city should simply express their gratitude to the lady.”

In other words, Reje was saying that he intended to use his contractor, Charlotte, as a tool to end the disaster of the Ruins.

At such an absurd course of action, Taewoon, wearing a look of disgust, let out a hollow laugh.