Chapter Thirteen: The Special-Class Mage
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A civil officer shouted as he watched Yohan striding forward.
"That thing may look young, but it's a definite special-grade demon beast! There's no way you can handle it alone!"
It was true. Special-grade demon beasts typically required at least three Special-Class officers to subdue without incurring major losses.
A single special-class officer could technically take one down, but doing so would mean accepting significant personal damage.
Even so, Yohan was resolute.
"It has intelligence. On top of that, it can attack from a distance. If we all retreat, there's a risk of being caught off guard. So, it's better for me to buy time here while you call for reinforcements. That way, our survival chances will be higher."
Yohan drew upon all the mana in his body. The reckless high-tier spell he had used earlier to clear a path had left his bones aching all over.
"Hurry up. Before the retreat path I opened gets overrun by other magic beasts."
Blue mana swirled around his hands. The violently rotating energy released bursts of wind, whipping through the surroundings.
"I won't die. I have no intention of dying here."
"...."
The civil officer, who had been reaching out to Yohan, shut his eyes tightly and turned his horse around.
"…I'll call reinforcements immediately."
"Yes."
"Hyah!"
The officer gripped the reins and quickly distanced himself from Yohan.
"Whew."
Yohan exhaled deeply and surveyed his surroundings. Fallen civil officers, knights, and soldiers littered the area.
'They must have had families, too.'
Grinding his teeth, Yohan clenched his jaw tightly. He wasn't shocked by the sight of death. There was no room for such emotions right now. All he felt was rising anger at the Crown Prince who had caused this madness.
'Still, this was the best way to minimize casualties.'
Yohan had no desire to be anyone's hero. He didn't want to sacrifice his life to save strangers.
But letting everyone die because of the Crown Prince's schemes didn't sit well with him.
And, in some way, he couldn't completely absolve himself of responsibility for this situation.
'It's all because that Crown Prince turned out to be far crazier than expected.'
The root cause was the Crown Prince, but since Yohan's involvement had partly led to this mess, he needed to ensure others wouldn't suffer unnecessarily.
'Honestly, this is a foolish thing to do.'
If everyone fought together, their chances of success would increase significantly. Having a vanguard would make it much easier to use high-tier magic.
But.
'That wouldn't humiliate the Crown Prince.'
Yohan intended to take down the special-grade demon beast and present its severed head to the Crown Prince, Fedelian, as a grand insult.
The Crown Prince likely assumed Yohan would die here.
'This will be fun. What kind of reaction will you have?'
Yohan smirked. How would the ever-composed Fedelian respond? He couldn't help but find it amusing.
'I've already decided to confront this head-on. Once I've planned something, I see it through and succeed.'
As Yohan slowly focused his senses, thud, the special-grade demon beast began to move.
The creature, with the head of a deer and the body of a man, tilted its head and grinned menacingly.
"Grrrk?"
It looked almost as if it were asking Yohan a question: Are you sure you can handle this alone? Yohan curled his lips into a twisted grin.
"Come on, I'm the female lead's husband. Of course, I can do this much."
Clasping his hands together, Yohan formed a seal. The mana radiating from his hands, both explosive and absorptive, began to merge, creating immense power.
This was the most powerful spell Yohan could currently wield.
"Born of the origin of creation, the form of chaos. Where birth and annihilation become one, there can be no stillness within infinite boundaries."
Woooooong!!
As he chanted, Yohan poured mana into the spell. The absorptive energy fed on the explosive mana, intensifying the rotation.
Centered on a focal point, a spiraling mass of energy formed, creating a fierce gale.
Yohan aimed his hands at the special-grade demon beast. The vibrating mana at his fingertips made his entire body tremble, but he remained in control. All that was left was to release it.
High-tier magic.
Spiral Heavenbreaker (나선파천).
Kwaaaaaa--!
A vortex-like sphere of energy spiraled outward, with the absorptive core drawing everything near it and grinding it to dust.
The rotating outer sphere surrounded the core, rapidly propelling toward the beast.
"Grrrk…?!"
Sensing the danger, the magic beast flinched and tried to flee, but it was too late.
The sphere reached the creature, and the explosion erupted.
KWAAAAAHHH──!
A massive storm of mana tore through the area, shattering everything around it.
The ground split apart, rocks disintegrated into dust, and a cloud of debris rose into the sky.
At the heart of the explosion, the absorptive core ground the beast's body relentlessly.
It pulled in everything nearby, destroying it mercilessly.
"RAAARGH!"
Amidst the flying debris, the beast's scream echoed.
Spiral Heavenbreaker was a technique that pushed the caster's mana to the limit and unleashed it all in one devastating strike.
Though Yohan wasn't yet adept at magic, this spell had quickly propelled him to the level of an Special-Class Mage.
"Hah… hah…"
Having cast multiple large-scale spells, his mana reserves were almost completely drained. He felt like he might collapse at any moment.
Yohan panted heavily, leaning on his knees.
'This isn't over. Show yourself already.'
He glared in the direction where the special-grade beast was. The ground, cratered as if from a massive explosion, stretched before him.
But the special-grade beast was nowhere to be seen. It must have sustained a critical injury and was hiding somewhere to recover.
'A creature with intelligence wouldn't just let this go after taking a hit like that.'
Yohan wiped the sweat dripping down his temple while trying to catch his breath.
Then, all of a sudden—
"Krarrarack!"
Beasts emerged from the forest, surrounding Yohan. They were all low-tier creatures, ranked 3rd or 4th, but their numbers were significant.
"I don't have time to deal with trash mobs."
Rolling up his sleeves, Yohan conjured an absorption orb. At its center, it rapidly consumed the mana in its surroundings, spinning furiously.
Anything caught in the swirling orb would have its form distorted, drawn into the core, and torn apart.
Technically, it wasn't magic. It was more like a concentrated mass of mana created through pure energy manipulation.
It was a skill only Yohan, with his abnormal mana reserves and exceptional affinity, could use.
Distortion Orb (歪曲球).
Yohan moved his hand. The violently spinning orb followed his motion.
Crash!
"Krararak…!"
"Kieeek!"
As the orb swept across the ground, the charging beasts were drawn into its core, their bodies shredded into nothing.
"Whew."
After swiftly dealing with the small fry, Yohan turned his gaze forward. The elite beast, with half its body gone, glared back at him, hissing.
"Let's settle this."
If he could take down this creature and return with its head, he'd prove his worth while delivering a major blow to Fedelian.
The prince, thinking Yohan had died here, would certainly be caught off guard.
Of course, Fedelian's schemes would only grow more dangerous afterward. But if Yohan hinted that he knew who was behind it all, he could buy some time.
"Kraaaa!!"
The special-grade beast charged from the side, using one arm to propel itself forward. Its saliva flew wildly in its frenzy.
Yohan remained calm and muttered, "Book of Calamity."
Whoosh!
A radiant light gathered before him, forming a book that floated in the air. Yohan focused on the shimmering patterns on its pages.
A deep chill emanated from the book, creating a frozen sea.
The cold seeped into the bones of those caught in its grasp, drastically lowering their resistance.
The Book seemed to suggest this was the best technique to subdue the beast here and now.
Yohan grinned and whispered softly, "Frozen Abyss (寒氷陰海)."
***
Meanwhile, at the Forward Base…
Most of the troops sent to the lairs of the beasts had already returned.
"It's strange. No beasts in the forested lair? It's almost supernatural," someone remarked.
Fedelian replied calmly from his seat at the center of the base, "Indeed. Could it be the work of the Dark Mages?"
"That seems likely. Who else could control beasts like that?"
Fedelian shrugged and smirked slightly before turning to Fransia, who was visibly uneasy.
"Lady Fervache, why are you so unsettled?"
"..."
"You're not even answering now, are you?"
Of course, Fedelian knew why Fransia was anxious.
All the units had returned except those sent south to scout. It was only natural for her to be worried.
'How satisfying. That's what you get for challenging me.'
Yohan Harsen was dead—killed by the special-grade beast. Anything else would have been a miracle.
Though young, the special-grade beast was still of the highest rank. Even a mage who had just reached the level of high-tier magic would have stood no chance.
'Now to exploit Lady Fervache's vulnerability.'
Fedelian smirked. Just then—
"Commander! The scouting unit from the south has returned!"
"…What?"
Fedelian's eyebrow twitched. How? He had herded both the low-grade beasts and the special-grade beast into that area.
Survival should have been impossible.
"Let's see them."
Fedelian donned his coat and strode toward the southern entrance of the camp. The scouting unit was there, barely holding themselves together.
"What happened?"
"Well…"
The officer temporarily leading the scouting unit began to explain.
"We were attacked by the special-grade beast, and our deputy commander was killed. Then lower-grade beasts appeared and blocked our escape route. Thankfully, we were all able to retreat thanks to Special-Class Mage Yohan Harsen."
"Casualties?"
"Deputy Commander Tersis and ten others."
Fedelian's eyebrow twitched once again. To have sustained so few losses despite encountering an special-grade beast—it was as good as no damage at all.
He maintained a neutral expression and asked, "…That's fortunate. Where is Special-Class Mage Harsen?"
"Well…"
The officer answered with a grim look.
"It was Special-Class Mage Harsen who helped us escape. He used high-tier magic to clear a path and stayed behind to face the special-grade beast alone."
For the first time, a faint smile appeared on Fedelian's lips, which had been tightly drawn in displeasure.
'So, you're dead.'
If that were true, the plan had succeeded.
"Is there a support team heading there?"
"Yes, Sir. Special-Class Knight Lenokhohnen of the 1st Division is leading the reinforcements."
"Lenokhohnen the Warlord can handle it on his own. We'll wait until they return."
When Fedelian gestured dismissively, the officer bowed politely and withdrew.
"Hah."
A mocking chuckle escaped from Fedelian.
'You were far too arrogant, you brat.'
The third son of a mere Viscount's household. A novice mage who had just begun qualifying for special-class certification. How dare he defy Fedelian?
Death was the only fitting repayment.
Just as Fedelian stifled his laughter, a commotion broke out near the southern path.
"You cannot go, Lady Fervache!"
"Step aside! I must go right now!"
"Special-Class Knight Lenokhohnen is already providing reinforcements—"
"I said I have to go!"
Francia was desperate, to the point where tears wouldn't have been surprising. Her panic irritated Fedelian once more.
'It doesn't matter. The brat's dead anyway.'
Fedelian walked over and grabbed her arm.
"Lady Fervache, calm yourself. Surely he'll be fine."
"Don't touch me! You're filthy!"
Her sharp words made Fedelian flinch.
"That's hurtful, you know."
"I said it to hurt you."
Francia scowled and turned to the knight blocking her way.
"Move aside. I must go."
"But, uh… this is difficult…"
The knight scratched his head awkwardly. Considering the special-grade beast's presence, sticking together and assessing the situation was the logical choice.
Fedelian tried again to calm her down.
"Francia."
"Don't you dare call me by my name!"
Her response was icy. She clenched her fists and glared fiercely.
"I'll say it one more time: move aside. I have to find Yohan."
"Ah…"
The knight sighed, running a hand through his hair.
As Francia and the knight continued their standoff, time ticked by.
Then, from the southern path leading to the lair, silhouettes appeared in the distance, heading toward the forward base.
"What…?"
Fedelian squinted to make out the figures. For a moment, he couldn't believe his eyes.
Among the returning 1st Division reinforcements, there was Yohan Harsen, carrying the severed head of the Special-grade beast.