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“……?”

Even after quite some time had passed, the end didn’t seem to be approaching… why? When I looked up in confusion, I found that a gloomy black fog had enveloped the jungle.

And standing proudly in front of me was a wolf—

“Alpha…?”

At the sudden word, Euna covered her mouth. But perhaps it was too late; when the wolf turned its head, she unconsciously swallowed.

—The beast that was her benefactor. And the wolf, Alpha, that had tried to kill me. I had sworn to kill it before, but upon meeting those red eyes, I froze. In those deep eyes, like a terrifying abyss that seemed to reach into my very soul, I saw myself reflected, and my body began to tremble.

[This, this bug…!] The voice that had been chanting a spell screamed in anger upon seeing the wolf. However, it could not approach recklessly, as if wary of Alpha. Most importantly, the arm that had been raised to attack felt like it would fall off at any moment.

“……!”

The black magic emanating from the creature surged like a tidal wave, and in Euna’s eyes, it appeared like the rolling waves of a nighttime sea. A fear engulfed her, one that felt as though it would silence everything, yet strangely… she felt calm.

‘Why?’ …I don’t understand. Why?

[Fulgere intermitente și fulgere!] As the waves approached, she closed her eyes tightly.

“……!”

And when she opened her eyes again, nothing had happened.

Except, the mouth of the wolf wrapped in magic was ablaze. She could intuitively understand that Alpha had swallowed the lightning that had flown toward them…

“……Why, why…?”

When she caught a glimpse of the small relief in the wolf’s eyes as it glanced back, her heart began to race—thump—thump—thump—!

—What she felt emotionally, her rational mind struggled to deny.

‘It can’t be…’

—It can’t be true. It must be a lie.

Because you, you died there…?

‘It can’t be you…’

Swallowing dry saliva, Euna fidgeted with her lips a few times before retracting her hand. Her heartbeat quickened. As her heart screamed once more, her mind turned blank as if it were a blank canvas.

“……!”

—Though the magic was different, it felt the same.

A magic similar in nature to her own. She wasn’t so dull as to miss it right before her eyes. Her complicated thoughts began to untangle slowly.

…Her benefactor.

Because of you, because of you, she had resolved to become a hunter again.

And, was it the enemy…?

—Had she been trying to kill you until now…?

‘Why, why?’ Her mind was in chaos. She wanted to scream. Her racing heart and her whitened mind couldn’t keep her thoughts in line. As she swirled in confusion and contradictions,

“……Go.”

—The wolf quietly proclaimed.

Blocking the tidal wave of magic and countless spells behind it, the wolf stood resolutely.

At those words, Euna wiped her cheeks subconsciously, realizing she was crying.

“Ah…?”

An involuntary sound escaped her.

Countless thoughts rushed to her mind only to vanish. Groping through the confusion, she began to weave a new truth.

“……!”

Intuitively or forcibly matching the pieces together, at last, the remaining answer crystallized, and her heart beat more violently than before.

—If everything I believed was an illusion.

If it was you who survived that day at the Temple and not the Worg… what if everything I knew was a lie and there existed some other truth…?

“I… am…”

What had she been doing all this time? Instead of repaying her grace…!

Thud—! Thud—! Boom—!

The footfalls of the creature grew louder, and it was as if time was running out; the wolf lowered itself and growled, ready to defend.

“……!”

There was no longer any doubt… it wasn’t an enemy, it was a benefactor. The one who had saved her… and tears streamed down her face endlessly.

Finally finding the truth amidst continuous delusions, something that had been stuck in her heart began to melt away.

And in the next moment, Euna realized how pathetic she was. Was she destined to be saved once more, again and again? Despite such feelings, the situation forced her to choose. To move. To not repeat the same mistake. Time was truly running out this time.

…The red eyes urged her once more.

With reddened eyes, wiping away her tears with her sleeve, Euna murmured.

“……Don’t die.”

As she lifted the team leader, she thought she heard a deflated laugh from somewhere.

[Where do you think you’re going!? I won’t let a single one escape! You bugs—!] The enraged voice shattered the moment. It wasn’t just one voice. Countless spells of incantation fell, yet not a single one pierced the black veil surrounding her.

“……!”

Wiping away her flowing tears and gritting her teeth, Euna began to run with all her might toward where the strike team was located.

***

‘This should be enough.’

—Euna and Gu Jin-ha had saved one another. While trying to summon back the black magic, the benefits of stealth and surprise had all vanished.

Twisting her half-broken shoulder, the Juggernaut confirmed its own existence and let out a great roar.

“――――――!”

For a moment, it looked up at the sky of Area 2. Then, it recalled the status of the monster it had seen earlier.

[Juggernaut]

[Height 9.9m] [Weight 6.4t]

[Strength 712] [Agility 554] [Stamina 698]

[Skills]

[False Immortality (B)] [Rapid Regeneration (B)] [Tough Skin (E)]

—Juggernaut. A force that couldn’t be stopped.

A nightmarish chimera born from the fusion, connection, tearing, and binding of an incomplete body through magic and alchemy. Although it had no magical power, its status and skills alone were the epitome of despair, practically an immortal being.

To defeat it would require magic of great power, but now that seemed impossible. Because within it resided the essence of what had once been a great mage. Unless one summoned a true Square Master, no matter how powerful the spells prepared would be useless.

An immortal monster that could regenerate infinitely.

A great mage who had mastered the path of magic to the extreme.

Each of them might have a sliver of hope to bring it down, but the two alongside her were practically invulnerable.

‘—So.’

The first priority was to separate the two. The most urgent task was to extract the Silent Mouth hidden somewhere in Juggernaut’s body.

‘…It was said to be nestled deep within the chest near the heart.’

If Fairy had said so, there was no doubt. She understood the unclean better than anyone, instinctively.

Watching the two monsters charge, the wolf leapt without hesitation.

***

The black magic, nearly infinite, was on a whole different level. What was here was the real deal, the authentic one. It was different from the puppets that transmitted magic. It was the true embodiment of power.

—If it weren’t for the black magic that devoured magic, this monster would have been impossible to deal with.

The Juggernaut’s hand, aiming to swat the leaping wolf, instantly tried to crush it—but there was nothing there. The wolf sprinted across the flipped palm of the Juggernaut, darting up and over.

[You, trash—!] The voice of the Silent Mouth erupted with dark magic. Flames ignited along the path of the wolf draped in fog. The black magic rolled like waves—unlike before, pushing the fog away.

“……!”

The nature hadn’t changed.

The black magic was still overwhelming and devouring. The dominance didn’t shift. But the issue lay in the output. It was emitting such immense magic that it could push back the fog. In response, the wolf spun around the winds.

A fierce gale blew, and although it wasn’t easy, the fog began to be pushed back. Following the wolf, transformation began, climbing the Juggernaut’s arm as they turned black and creeping up to its shoulder, but when the Juggernaut’s arm came down, it couldn’t catch the wolf. It meant that as the Juggernaut reached for the wolf, a shadow would be cast.

In most terrains, this wouldn’t matter, but Juggernaut’s nearly immortal body couldn’t easily be broken even by its own strength. Its own might had become its own restraint. The mages grinding their teeth began to chant spells,

[Fulger în formă de balaur―!] At that, a lightning dragon flapped its wings. Hiding in the shadows wouldn’t change the fact that it was utilizing magic to attack.

The wolf, springing out of dodge, flew past the lightning dragon and used it as a launchpad to leap higher.

[―Inversare]

The reversal spell. The dragon wheeled around, quickly narrowing the gap, but it began to fade. Even a three-part spell would struggle to endure against the black fog for long. Ultimately, just before reaching the wolf, the gusts tore it apart, and it vanished.

Stepping from one platform to another, the wolf rendered Juggernaut’s attacks pointless. A monster with agility surpassing that of an A-class hunter; to it, simple and unchanging attacks appeared slow and clumsy.

—Just before descending, Juggernaut’s large hand shielded its head. The wolf, seemingly unconcerned, extended its tentacles, pulling hard at those ensnared tightly between fingers.

Like riding a wire, its movements were dazzling. The wolf’s mid-air combat had already reached the peak during its battles with Bichunmang. In a flash, it soared past Juggernaut’s head, but its actual target wasn’t the head.

The magic piercing through the fog, followed by the spell that would crash down—this was something even the wolf couldn’t see. As the moment approached, the wolf opened its jaw and swallowed the lightning.

Its appetite consumed even magic and spells. Although it was mitigated, damage was inevitable. Smoke rose from its mouth, and the wolf created a platform behind the Juggernaut to extend its tentacles.

But once again, it proved impossible. Although transformation ignited, the Juggernaut’s regeneration and stamina clearly dismissed the damage like a joke.

—It lacked that decisive blow.

It could evade and battle, but with its status inadequate, the wolf had no means to penetrate Juggernaut.

Ultimately, when they drew apart again, the Silent Mouth scoffed. The derisive scoff only served to keep the wolf steady.

—Because it was a fact.

Though it had the skill to dodge Juggernaut and evade the magic of the Silent Mouth, it simply lacked the strength. The wolf calmly acknowledged that.

Then, all it meant was to bring someone capable.

***

The strike team… no, those remaining to rescue them, accepted the death of the team leader and were now preparing for the next phase.

“Kyuuuuut…!”

In the meantime, upon suddenly spotting the fairy-type monster, the hunters were taken aback. Some reflexively pulled out their weapons, but Euna’s hand stopped them.

—The Rear Guard Captain. No one of higher rank or authority than her remained in the strike team now.

“…Eun-gong?”

Euna tilted her head. As it flitted above the hunters, it sprinkled a shower of light particles. Stunned, the hunters watched in astonishment as the light touched them, and they could feel their wounds healing.

“The, the wounds…!”

They were mending. Even superior to typical healing skills. Always aware that the fairy she had received aid from during the great night had this effect, Euna doubted it could be this pronounced.

A dragon—though it was not of the original breed, it was a definite dragon.

The true essence of a summoned beast. While it hadn’t healed every injury, its power to rejuvenate was evident in the hunters’ brightened eyes.

This meant they could fight again…!

“—All members of the strike team, move out!”

At Euna’s command, the exhausted hunters began to move once more.

 

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