Hundreds of bones and clumps of mud formed a monstrous body, from which dozens of arms protruded.
The arms were no different in composition from the body.
They tried to swat away Robert, who was charging towards them.
However, it was futile.
"Gravity."
The arms trying to block Robert were knocked away by Astina.
Simultaneously pushing the arms away, she used other magic.
"Pressure Field."
Astina immobilized the monstrous body to prevent it from moving.
The monster thrashed in response to Astina's magic, but it couldn't break free.
Robert charged straight towards the restrained monster.
I followed behind him.
Robert held out the staff in his hand.
Then, he used a spell.
"Finger of the Demon."
A black pillar rose from the ground.
It did not erect straight up but formed a path leading towards the monster.
Robert climbed atop the pillar and started running.
That’s when he reached near the body of the monster.
"Rudy Astria, I don’t know where its core is. I’ll pierce through its body; you find the core."
"Understood."
I responded to Robert’s words.
Robert gripped the staff tightly and thrust it towards the monster.
As the tip of the staff touched the monster, cracks began to spread across its entire body.
"Rudy."
At Robert’s call, I manipulated my mana.
At the very least, find the core.
If possible, destroy it.
I repeated it in my mind several times.
The crack created by Robert gradually widened, and the entire body began to disintegrate.
Crash!
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})As the monster's body shattered into pieces, the mud and bone fragments that constituted its body scattered around.
I opened my eyes wide in awe of that power.
What on earth was the capability of that staff to unleash such a formidable power?
Could Robert alone win with this?
However, there was no time to be astonished by Robert’s abilities.
Finding the core, as Robert had mentioned, was the priority.
I focused and looked around.
Unlike the Death Knight, which had its core in the center of its body, the monster's core was not visible in the center.
That meant the core must be somewhere within its body parts.
I scanned the surroundings.
I had to find where the strong mana was concentrated.
I recalled the feeling Luna and I had when we encountered the Death Knight.
I needed to find mana that gave off a sticky and unpleasant feeling.
However, the mana was spread throughout the entire body.
Since mana was what constituted and moved its body, that was a given.
Nevertheless, I had to find it.
Find where it felt the most distinct.
Find where the strong mana was.
That’s when a hand was placed on my shoulder.
It was Robert.
He was breathing heavily.
Having shattered that gigantic body, he seemed to have used a lot of mana.
Even in his fatigue, he did not hold back his advice.
"Focus. Feel the mana."
"Don't rely on your sight. Find it with your own senses."
I continued to concentrate while listening to Robert's words.
As I focused and scanned my surroundings, I looked at a skull lying far away.
The skull felt different from the fragments around it.
There was no concrete evidence.
It was just a feeling.
I quickly moved my mana.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Dark Spear."
A black spear slowly formed in my hand.
It was a spell I could use quickly.
Robert opened his mouth as he saw this.
"Have you found it?"
There was no time to answer.
I immediately threw the spear at the skull.
The spear flew at a high speed.
However, it did not reach the skull.
"Ah...!"
The bone fragments beside the skull transformed into a hand and grabbed the spear.
Robert also smiled as he saw this.
"So it's that one."
The bone fragments that blocked the spear started to gather around the skull again.
The bones, along with the dirt on the ground, started to clump together again, transforming into a giant body.
"Is it regenerating?"
"That’s right. Since it can't use magic or other abilities, it has excellent recovery capabilities."
I nodded as I saw this.
Robert caught his rough breath and spoke again.
"The core is not a hard substance. It's an object condensed with mana. Think of it as attacking to break a mana stone."
"Remember the sensation of finding the core. And find out to what extent it can block magic. I'll break through it no matter how many times it takes."
I shook my head and smiled at his words.
This advice was enough.
Now was the time to repay Robert for his teachings.
"I think it will be enough in the next attempt."
I had no intention of troubling Robert numerous times.
Robert looked at me with sharp eyes.
"...Are you prepared to say such a thing?"
"Of course."
I was confident.
I would mobilize all the knowledge I had accumulated so far.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})I would pour them all into this attempt.
I would not think about mistakes.
I would only aim for success.
Of course, with Robert, Astina, Luna, and Rie around me, I could afford to make many attempts.
My acquaintances would give me another chance.
However, I shouldn't rely entirely on them.
Although I have several attempts now, it might not be the case next time.
There will often be times when only one chance is given.
I have already failed once, and this is my second chance given.
So, failure is not an option.
I will finish it this time.
Robert once again picked up his staff and loosened up his body.
As he prepared again, I took a deep breath.
“Phew!”
I brushed off my sleeves and recalled what just happened.
Remember the sensation.
I felt a distinct mana in the surroundings, different from just a moment ago.
It came with a flash of realization, as if I had just discovered something new.
I must remember this feeling.
I decided to take on the challenge with the mindset that this could be my last attempt, thinking that everything would be over if I failed.
In front of me, a monster was squirming as it regenerated.
Robert fiddled with his staff a few times.
Then, as a small light appeared from the staff, he looked at me.
“Ready.”
“I’m ready as well.”
Hearing my response, Robert took the lead and walked forward.
The monster in front of us now had more mud than bones in its composition, squirming like slime.
Instead of the arms that appeared before, there were now tentacles made of mud surrounding it.
The tentacles tried to block our way, just like before.
Astina, seeing us move, used her magic again.
But, unlike before, it wasn’t easily blocked.
Even when pushed back with telekinetic magic, the tentacles flexibly evaded the magic and targeted us, as if they had learned from our previous encounter.
“Astina! Focus on immobilizing its main body, not the tentacles!”
Robert shouted, looking up at the sky.
The creature’s body had become more flexible as it mixed with the mud.
Fixing its flexible body in place was a tough task, hence the need to concentrate on one thing.
I roughly understood Robert’s intention, but Astina seemed slightly offended, furrowing her brow.
“Understood.”
After speaking in a voice tinged with frustration, Astina flew upwards.
Then she moved a massive amount of mana.
“Gravity Field.”
Seeing this, Robert prepared to run forward.
“Dodge everything and proceed.”
I gathered mana in my legs, pushing my physical abilities beyond their normal limits.
“Huff...!”
Robert dashed forward, moving faster than me.
I followed a bit more slowly.
I concentrated even before Robert began to break apart the monster’s body.
Although its body was tightly packed, there surely was a core somewhere within.
And this core felt distinctly different from the other parts of its body.
I focused, looking at the whole while searching for the part.
Concentrating, I aimed to pierce through at a single point.
“Rudy Astria!”
Robert broke through the tentacles and reached the monster in an instant, with intense light emanating from his staff.
“Give it a try.”
As the staff touched the monster, its body cracked like before, splitting into parts.
Despite the urgent situation, I closed my eyes.
I scanned the surroundings, not with my eyes, but with my senses.
I read the flow of mana, finding the sticky, dark flow of mana.
And then...
“I’ve found it.”
I read the location precisely.
Top right.
Next to the third tentacle from the top.
I opened my eyes and confirmed the exact location.
Then, I dashed forward.
Gathering mana in my legs, I burst forward.
I had to pierce through its body shattered and scattered around.
“Ugh…”
But my speed was too slow.
The amount of mana I could use at once was limited, so I couldn’t invest too much in my legs.
I made a quick decision and shouted.
“Priscilla!”
And so, I chose Priscilla.
Using Priscilla doesn’t consume a lot of mana as long as I don’t use the elemental’s power.
Then, blue smoke gathered in front of me, and a wolf with a mix of silver and blue appeared.
Without a moment to speak, I climbed onto Priscilla’s back.
“What are you doing…?”
“Run! It's to the top right of that monster!”
Priscilla looked bewildered, but there was no time to explain.
As I shouted, Priscilla moved as instructed.
“I am a elemental, not a mount.”
Of course, she didn’t forget to grumble.
Despite her protest, she was much faster than my running speed.
The rift that Robert created was gradually widening, and it was almost time for it to completely crumble.
I tapped on Priscilla’s back and spoke.
“Priscilla, we need to go up.”
The monster’s body was as tall as a three-story building.
There was no footing around, so Priscilla couldn’t jump up.
“Phew…”
Priscilla sighed at my words.
“I will lift you as high as possible.”
“Thanks. I’ll take you for a long walk when this is over.”
Priscilla sharpened her claws and charged at the monster.
Using the momentum from her run, she climbed up the monster.
As we quickly ascended, the monster’s body started to crumble.
Its body was made of mud, so it scattered and couldn’t be used as a foothold.
The part Priscilla was stepping on disappeared.
I then moved my feet to Priscilla’s back.
“Here goes.”
“Alright.”
We moved in sync, as if we had agreed upon our actions beforehand.
I used Priscilla’s back as a stepping stone and pushed myself up.
Then, I gathered mana in my feet and jumped.
At the same time, Priscilla pushed me forward.
Directly towards the direction where I could feel the core.
Bang─
“Ugh…”
With a slight groan from the impact, Priscilla fell to the ground.
“Don’t forget about the walk.”
She fell to the ground, her body dispersing like smoke.
Thanks to Priscilla’s push, my body was propelled into the air.
In mid-air, I gathered mana in my hand.
No, to be precise, I gathered mana in my index finger.
The core wasn’t that big.
From what I heard from Robert, it was definitely protected by mana.
Then, I must pierce through a small point.
I will pierce through the core, which is heavily protected by mana, at one point.
Gathering mana at my fingertips, I waited for the right timing as the core was falling.
Amidst the soft, muddy ground.
A small skull appeared.
It was clear as day.
It’s coming closer.
Right in front of me.
And then,
“In one go.”
I pierce through.
As soon as the skull reached in front of me, I concentrated on one point of my finger.
I thrust my arm forward.
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