Chapter 61

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: The Red Man】

‘Before the other two interfere, I’ll take this one down for sure!’

Using the power of The Red Man to close the distance in an instant, Taewoon summoned the vines of Barata in mid-air and began targeting the eagle-shaped Magical Beast.

Unless it was in the air, there was no way the creature could maintain the same mobility it had shown before.

Ultimately, after being struck repeatedly by Barata’s vines, the creature let out a shriek and tumbled across the ground, and Taewoon’s spear immediately flew toward its nape.

The spear and claws clashed, sending light sparks flying.

Surprisingly, the beast responded to Taewoon’s attack even while fallen, but Taewoon remained unfazed, setting his stance and unleashing a torrent of consecutive strikes like a surging wave.

The Magical Beast resisted with all its might in terror, but having lost all its advantages, it could no longer display any further strength.

Finally, Taewoon’s spear pierced the beast’s neck, and simultaneously, dark red blood surged out, soaking the surrounding grass and trees.

Having dealt with one Magical Beast in an instant, Taewoon shifted his gaze toward the remaining Manticore and Hydra.

‘…Both of them are formidable foes.’

The Lake Hydra was powerful enough to instantly kill the Goldini Merchant Guild executive who had given even Taewoon a hard time, and it was certain that the Manticore possessed strength that was not inferior to it.

In essence, they were not enemies that could be overcome through a straightforward frontal assault.

“Leo! Leo! Wake up!”

To make matters worse, Leo, who had been severely wounded, had collapsed and was unable to even open her eyes properly.

It was too much for just Yerin and Taewoon.

However, there was no one to help them right now, and the enemies before them would not give them time to think.

‘Damn it, since it’s come to this, I have no choice.’

He didn’t want to have a reunion in a situation like this, but given the circumstances, it couldn’t be helped.

Concentrating his mind, Taewoon began to recall the image of a girl from his memories with firm intent.

【Viewing Privilege, ‘Companion of Memories’ has been activated.】

【Please select a recorded companion.】

▶Who Opened It? – Charlotte, Apprentice Magician of Redhook Magician Academy

As the cluster of light faded, Charlotte appeared in the middle of the battlefield. Seeing the surrounding situation, she tilted her head with a bewildered expression.

“Instructor? Huh… what is this…?”

Perhaps she had realized the information about the Theater in real-time, just as Jain or Theogenes had, as Charlotte fell deep into thought with wide eyes.

Unfortunately, however, this was not a situation where she could afford such leisure.

“I’ll explain later! For now, can you help me?”

“Ah, yes… I understand. What do I need to do?”

“Remegethon! Use Remegethon to absorb that Hydra’s attack!”

“Yes!”

While Taewoon was summoning Charlotte, the Hydra, its face already flushed with rage, was preparing to breathe out poisonous smoke to melt the enemies before it.

At that, Charlotte’s gaze turned serious as she took her stance and raised her hand, but for some reason, Remegethon did not appear.

“Uh… there’s no response at all?”

“What?”

“Not only is the summon not working, but I can feel that the contract has been severed. What on earth happened?”

Charlotte muttered in disbelief. Just in case, Taewoon immediately summoned Remegethon and handed it to her, but the Remegethon bound to Taewoon no longer seemed to follow Charlotte’s will.

“I don’t know why it’s with you, Instructor, but I don’t think I can use it.”

“This can’t be happening… Do you have anything else?”

“Well, I have the Magic Tome from the Ruins, but as you know…”

He had been told that although she had barely managed to form a contract, she could not control the power of the curse contained within it.

However, in the current situation, that might actually be more helpful.

Soon, the crouching Hydra exhaled poisonous smoke with fierce momentum, and Taewoon drew up all his Magical Power, slamming Barata into the ground.

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: Final Rampart】

“A-Are you okay?”

“No! The power is too strong, I can’t hold it for long!”

He had expected it to some extent, but the Hydra’s toxicity possessed a vicious power that could not be fully blocked even with the Final Rampart skill.

He had to do something while the barrier held.

Otherwise, the challenge of this Cycle would end right here.

“Regardless, you can bring out the Magic Tome from the Ruins, right? Then can’t you just use it even if you can’t control it? There are no people around and the target is that huge.”

“That… putting aside my lack of confidence, at the very least, this entire area will definitely be affected. If the information currently entered in my head is correct, I don’t know about me, but you aren’t supposed to die, Instructor, right?”

It was as she said. Ultimately, Taewoon’s expression grew darker as he found himself in a deadlock.

“Ugh… come to think of it, it’s not like there’s absolutely no way.”

“What is it?”

“Instructor, please take that wolf and run away. I’ll handle the rest somehow.”

“What?”

It wasn’t an illogical suggestion, but it wasn’t a plan he could easily accept.

No matter how you looked at it, dumping the enemies in front of her immediately upon reuniting—he would be nothing but a complete scoundrel.

He looked at Charlotte with a conflicted expression, but Charlotte, seemingly having made up her mind, stepped outside the barrier and urged Taewoon.

“…I still owe you from last time, so in a way, I’m just paying it back.”

“…….”

“Well, if it really makes you feel uncomfortable, just grant me one favor the next time you summon me. You can do that much, right?”

Taewoon gave a low nod, and the two of them immediately took action the moment the Hydra’s poisonous smoke subsided.

Charlotte walked toward the Hydra and Manticore with a calm expression, and seeing this, Taewoon suppressed his complicated emotions and hurriedly left the area.

And then.

A streak of dark purple Magical Power, now quite familiar to him, soared into the sky, creating black rain clouds and scattering its majesty in all directions.

The Hydra’s agonizing screams filled the air, and Taewoon and Yerin ran forward relentlessly, clutching Leo.

“W-Will it be okay?”

“…I don’t know. For now, we just have to trust her.”

Furthermore, the situation was still not easy.

Glancing at the sky, he saw that the Manticore, having sensed the crisis and quickly pulled itself away, was flying fiercely in pursuit of the two.

“Aaaah, it’s too fast!”

“It’ll definitely be impossible to shake it off…”

Their movement was delayed because they had to carry Leo.

Although her condition was poor and seemed to require treatment, it felt like the priority was to settle things with the opponent in front of them first.

‘…Fine, let’s see how you handle this!’

If it were a situation where it was still with the Lake Hydra, it would be different, but in a one-on-one, Taewoon had no reason to simply tuck his tail and run.

“How’s the stock for the jumbled magic?”

“Uh… two more times!”

“Then help me out once every time the battle turns unfavorable.”

The effect of the jumbled magic was an unknown, but the mere fact that it could change the atmosphere at a necessary moment was enough of a help.

Seeing Taewoon stop his steps, the Manticore began its descent, and soon its claws clashed with Taewoon’s spear.

“…Kugh.”

He had expected it, but the power was immense. Taewoon now possessed physical abilities that were sufficient to be called a Superhuman, but it was not enough to rival a notorious Magical Beast.

‘I should avoid a contest of strength as much as possible.’

From what he had observed so far, the creature seemed to hunt its prey using its sharp claws, a tail shaped like a snake, and its ability to fly.

As long as he didn’t forget that, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the victory lay with Taewoon, who could move more nimbly and agilely.

‘First, I’ll lure it to a place with many obstacles!’

As he moved toward the forest and hid between the trees, the creature, which had quickly descended to the ground, began tracking Taewoon’s position by reading the surrounding presence with its tail.

‘Now!’

Taewoon’s Barata, aiming for a gap in the flank, left a long gash on the Manticore’s side before being retracted, and the beast let out a shriek and charged toward Taewoon with brute force.

“…Kugh!”

What kind of monstrous thing is this?

Faced with a charge that felt like watching a bulldozer, Taewoon dodged with a look of disgust and summoned the vines of Barata to try and bind the creature’s feet.

But then, the Manticore’s tail suddenly swelled in size, piercing through all the vines and shooting toward Taewoon’s nape.

‘Damn it!’

He hurriedly used the power of The Red Man to move to a nearby spot, but the tail continued to extend endlessly, still aiming for Taewoon’s life.

Seeing this, Yerin quickly waved her staff and shouted the activation word for her ability.

“Jumbled Magic, activate!”

Immediately after the magic activated, a hawk-shaped Magical Beast appeared from nowhere, snatched the Manticore’s tail with its claws, and flew into the sky.

Of course, as soon as the Manticore exerted its strength once, it immediately lost its tail and crashed to the ground, but Taewoon had already completely escaped the threat.

The Manticore, having lost its prey, looked at Taewoon with a furious expression, then turned around and began sprinting at high speed toward the rock where Yerin was hiding.

Taewoon, not expecting it to change targets, hurriedly chased after it, and a startled Yerin desperately waved her staff and shouted the activation word again.

“Jum, Jumbled Magic, activate!”

This was the third time, the last magic of the day.

However, even after waiting several seconds, the expected phenomenon did not occur, and a panicked Yerin looked at her staff and repeated the activation word.

“Activate! Activate! Aaaah, do something!”

Right then, an ominous vibration echoed, and countless hairline cracks began to appear beneath the feet of the sprinting Manticore.

Simultaneously, a line of message flashed quickly before Taewoon’s eyes.

【Condition Met! Galleg’s Staff activates Extra-Large Magic!】

The ground, which had progressed beyond mere cracks to rapidly collapsing, created a massive sinkhole, and the struggling Manticore instantly fell into it, vanishing from before the two.

Only the creature’s shriek, growing smaller and smaller, allowed them to guess the unfathomable depth.