"That was too close...!"
I used Super Accelerator to dodge Subnock’s tongue just in time. If I had been even a second slower, that massive muscle would have crushed me flat.
I couldn’t just block an attack like that with a magic wall. Dark Star could swallow it, but the thing was so fast and massive that I’d be killed before the vacuum could finish the job.
"Heal."
I repaired my eardrums, which the creature’s roar had shattered. Sound flooded back into my world, shattering the sudden silence.
"Alright... but this is going to be a real headache."
The roar alone had been enough to burst my eardrums and nearly knock me cold. It was truly the Master of the Magical Wilds. I hadn't expected an easy fight, but this power was on another level.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Several Corrosion Beasts spat jets of corrosive saliva at me. I threw up an earth wall to intercept them. The saliva hissed as it dissolved the soil, but I countered immediately.
"Thunder Bolt!"
"GYAO!"
The high-tier lightning magic exploded, the violent discharge sweeping the Corrosion Beasts off their feet. They didn't stay down for long, though; they clambered back up, snarling.
"So standard high-tier magic isn't enough for a killing blow..."
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"Tch...!"
They lashed out with their tongues and spit more saliva. I used Super Accelerator to dance between the attacks, diving into their guard. I activated Star Eater at point-blank range. The beast was sucked into the Dark Star, vanishing so completely that not even a single hair remained.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
But the pressure was relentless. Attacks rained down from all directions. The Corrosion Beasts didn't bunch up; they stayed dispersed, circling me from a distance. If they had clustered together, I could have erased them all in one go, but they weren't giving me that chance.
"They’re wary of close combat. They’re trying to pin me down!"
I gritted my teeth, my face tightening. I used Dark Star to catch one stream of saliva, but another attack grazed my arm.
"Agh...!"
The corrosive saliva seeped into my flesh. Without hesitation, I used a blade of wind to sever my own arm at the shoulder. I accelerated away from the spot and immediately cast healing magic.
"That was a desperate move..."
Severing my arm had been a gamble. If I hadn't, the corrosion would have traveled through my veins to my heart or brain, killing me instantly. As I focused on the treatment while dodging further attacks, my arm began to slowly reform.
"I wasn't sure if that would work... I was actually panicking."
Regenerating lost limbs is considered an ultimate technique in healing magic, but it’s a feat I can manage. As I’d learned in class, the main barrier to regenerating a body part is the sheer volume of mana required. If you can provide enough power to the Heal spell, the conditions are met.
I wondered if this would even be possible without my infinite mana. If the whole "Court Mage" thing didn't pan out, maybe I could make a living as a priest or a healer.
I let the half-joke drift through my mind until my arm was fully restored. I flexed my fingers to check the movement; everything felt normal. My injuries were gone, but the crisis remained. The smaller minions were making it impossible to focus on Subnock. There were at least twenty of them surrounding me.
"GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"........!"
Subnock roared again, sensing its opening. Drawing on my experience from earlier, I conjured a Wind Shield—a barrier of compressed air—to block the concussive sound waves. This time, my eardrums held.
"Smoke Screen. Amplification. Wind Control."
I triggered a Trio of spells. A massive cloud of white smoke erupted around me. I used Wind Control to keep it from being swept away by the wind. My vision was obscured, but I layered another spell: Life Search.
"Accelerator."
"GYA...!"
I closed the distance and used Star Eater, systematically reducing their numbers. I tried to use the cover to pick them off one by one, keeping them lost in the fog, but...
"GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Of course..."
Just as I'd anticipated, Subnock used its roar to blow the smoke screen away. I tried to fight back with Wind Control, but the force of the sonic cannon tore the white mist to shreds.
"No matter what I try, they have an answer for it...!"
I threw everything I had at them, but they countered every move. Their size and corrosive spit were dangerous, sure, but their intelligence was what really bothered me. It was arguably their most lethal trait.
I felt like they were breaking the rules. Humans were supposed to have the edge in wisdom and cooperation, but these monsters were matching us in both wits and teamwork.
I was fighting a lonely battle. It would have been much easier if I had a reliable team backing me up, but there was no one here. Danila would have just been a liability, so I'd left him behind.
"GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"Man... this is a real pain."
I could feel the situation slipping away from me. I desperately tried to think of a way out, but the enemy wasn't about to give me any breathing room. They lunged, unleashing a coordinated strike.
"Almacain Blade Dance Arts... Fragment."
".......!"
Then, the unexpected happened. A shadow blurred through the air, slicing one of the Corrosion Beasts clean in half. The figure held a white blade—a long, curved sword that looked strikingly like a Japanese katana.
"Well, this is quite a collection. Plenty of things worth cutting."
The newcomer had a handsome but melancholy face. His eyes were hidden behind his hair, making his expression impossible to read.
"Lyubase...?"
The top student of the First-year Knight Department. The woman-hating Sword Saint. Wilhelm Lyubase was standing there.