Extra in a Romance Fantasy

50 – Fissure (2)

I clear my mind of distracting thoughts and concentrate only on the tentacle wolf in front of me.

How to fight, how to sever its neck.

The immediate issue is its size.

How to inflict damage on that massive body with one front paw larger than a person.

If it were a human opponent, I could deal a fatal blow with a swing of the sword or even take their life, but against that size, it’s impossible.

Even if I swing with all my strength, the probability of inflicting a fatal wound is low.

In the current state, that is.

I infuse magic into the sword in my hand.

Ooong—

The sword emits a pleasing resonance.

Gradually, a green aura starts emanating from the sword.

The swirling green aura soon takes on a form.

Resembling the shape of the sword.

“Efficiency is certainly impressive.”

It’s a sword I received from Edan not long ago, and it’s my first time using it.

Naturally, infusing magic into it is also a first, but the efficiency with which the sword absorbs magic is incomparable to the one I used before.

Of course, individuals in any profession appreciate superior tools, but warriors especially go crazy for high-quality weapons.

Those who use spears prefer better spears, archers desire superior bows, and those who wield swords crave better swords.

And the reason why their eyes turn to the famous sword, the reason is not only because such a sword is harder and sharper.

Of course, those are very important elements as swords, but there may be one element that is as important as those, or perhaps even more important.

That is, the efficiency of magic.

Above a certain level, all warriors can infuse magic into their weapons, thereby increasing the strength or sharpness of the weapon.

At that moment, what is important is the magical efficiency that the weapon possesses.

Except for a few exceptions, everything in this world is connected to magic, but the magical efficiency varies greatly depending on the material or conditions.

And iron, the most commonly used material for weapons, is not particularly outstanding in magical efficiency.

Therefore, not all of the infused magic is transmitted, and there is a considerable loss in the process.

If this only extends to the level of infusing magic and fighting, it may not matter much, but as the amount of magic used increases, the loss naturally becomes larger.

Since no warrior can be free from the amount of magic, they become obsessed with exceptional weapons.

And the sword I am holding now is an item of such quality that I can use the word outstanding without hesitation.

Starting with the material, it is not ordinary iron.

I don’t know exactly what metal was used, but the magical efficiency is incomparable to the sword I used before.

Since I reached the level of enlightenment, infusing magic into weapons can mix with determination to dramatically increase efficiency, but that doesn’t mean I was completely free in that regard.

But now that the weapon has changed, those constraints have been significantly eased.

Thanks to that, even something like this has become possible without much difficulty.

Woong─

The sword cried out again.

The sword energy surrounding the sword increased in size.

Longer and larger.

The size that gradually grew eventually became large enough to surpass the scabbard of the original sword.

A size that would not have been attempted before due to inefficiency.

However, now I did not feel a significant consumption of magic even after producing such a sword energy.

“Hmm.”

At this level, it should still be able to inflict effective wounds.

Thinking so, I took a step forward.

Crunch─

A wolf let out a low howl.

I instinctively noticed.

That it is on guard against me.

The appearance was eerie enough to arouse doubt about the presence of intellect, but he had it, properly.

An intelligence that would make you wary and act with caution.

In my mind, I wanted to follow his methods, analyze him thoroughly, and gradually chip away at him from the tips of his toes, but considering the situation, I couldn’t afford such leisure.

Therefore.

I rushed straight towards him.

“Hup.”

I took a breath and leapt.

In the next moment, I was under his feet.

Crunch-?!

I heard him make a surprised sound.

Perhaps he completely lost sight of me.

‘Senses aren’t exceptional.’

I added another characteristic of him to the note in my mind.

Since he couldn’t track my speed, his senses aren’t that exceptional.

Actually, it was to be expected. He couldn’t even follow this speed with his eyes.

Even an extraordinary being who reached the realm of enlightenment couldn’t catch someone who couldn’t even follow that.

Moreover, it was fortunate for me. If this guy had exceptional senses, my ways to deal with him would be limited.

Anyway, after organizing my thoughts like that, I focused on the reality before my eyes again.

The legs that felt like a giant pillar.

Toward those legs, I swung my sword as it was.

Swoosh!

Crunch-!

The wolf screamed, and blue blood gushed out of his leg like a waterfall.

Just in case that blood had some effect, I furrowed my brow and avoided it.

‘Shallow.’

The wound left by the sword on his leg was shallower than expected.

I anticipated that he would be tough from the earlier attack by Edan, but this is even tougher than I thought.

It’s hard to consider this as an effective damage.

From his perspective, it must feel like just a scratch.

However, I did not despair.

If one attack doesn’t inflict significant damage…

“It’s a matter of launching multiple attacks.”

Shrak!

Swinging the sword indiscriminately in a state accelerated by determination.

As a result, countless wounds began to carve into the wolf’s body.

─────!

The wolf screamed again.

However, unlike the previous scream, this one was quite prolonged.

Krrrk!

Even in the midst of writhing in pain, it seemed the creature was angered and attempted to twist its body to attack me. However, I was not one to be hit by such blind attacks.

I maneuvered around its lower body, leaving numerous wounds on its form.

Though each wound may not be substantial, they accumulate like dust forming a mountain.

It was evident that the damage to the creature was gradually accumulating.

However, there was one catch…

“…It’s regenerating.”

The fact that the creature’s wounds were healing in real-time.

I confirmed that this creature also possessed regenerative abilities.

And that meant the battle had become more challenging.

I couldn’t deal fatal damage in one strike, and the wounds I inflicted were recovering over time.

Yet, I didn’t feel overly anxious about this fact.

The speed of new wounds appearing was faster than its regeneration rate.

Though it wasn’t yet causing fatal damage, if things continued this way, I believed I could eventually bring down the monstrous figure that loomed like a giant tree.

However.

My one-sided attacks didn’t continue indefinitely.

Kruk!

Realizing it couldn’t catch up with me with its sluggish body, the wolf opted for a different approach.

Squelch─

The tentacles that covered the wolf’s entire body wriggled unpleasantly.

And.

Chwaak!

The tendrils of the whole body suddenly expanded, reaching out in all directions.

As they extended, the tendrils seemed to wander in the air for a moment.

Swish!

“…!”

Suddenly, they surged toward me.

I, taken aback by the attack, quickly moved my body to evade the tendrils.

Thud! Clang!

The tendrils I dodged crashed into the frozen lake with a thunderous sound.

“…The power is no joke.”

Each of those tendrils, easily numbering in the dozens, possessed extraordinary force.

I could hardly imagine the consequences if I were to be hit without preparation, perhaps unable even to hold my bones together.

Moreover, unlike conventional limbs such as arms or legs, those tendrils had almost no limitations on their range of motion or movement.

Dealing with dozens of them at once made any kind of movement challenging.

Realizing that attacking the creature again in this state would be difficult, I changed my strategy.

Swish!

I swung my sword toward the tendrils flying at me.

Swoosh!

With a cheerful cutting sound, several tendrils were neatly severed.

It was quite a satisfactory result, but my expression remained grim.

Squish…

The shortened tendrils regenerated instantly, returning to their original state.

“…”

Frowning at the sight, I distanced myself to avoid the relentless assault of the tendrils.

However, the creature seemed unwilling to let me go so easily, initiating another barrage of tendrils.

Thud!

Avoiding the tendrils pouring down like rain, I safely distanced myself, planning to regroup and reassess the situation.

At a distance where the slower creature couldn’t catch up directly or pose a threat.

Whether it realized this or not, the creature, with numerous eyes glaring, opened its massive mouth wide.

Roar─

Sss…

And thus, from the gaping maw, the cold surged as it had a moment ago.

Confirming it, I urgently shifted my footing.

Shaaah!

Simultaneously, a beam of light erupted from the wolf’s mouth, charging toward me.

Thunk!

Swiftly moving my body allowed me to narrowly evade the direct hit of the light beam, but the situation was far from over.

The beam persisted, and the creature’s jaws once again aimed at me.

“…!”

Despite being startled by this fact, my legs refused to cease.

Dodging the light beam once again, I found myself pursued by it once more.

This life-or-death game of tag with the light beam persisted longer than anticipated.

…Crackle…

The wolf, which had been exhaling the cold for a while, closed its jaws with an unsatisfied air.

“….”

Staring at the wolf, I organized my thoughts silently.

It possesses not only regenerative powers but also the ability to manipulate cold.

Though I had a certain suspicion, confirming it is a different matter.

‘How many more abilities does it have?’

I understood two of its capabilities, but I doubted it would be limited to just two. Perhaps at least one more… or maybe several more abilities.

‘It’s challenging.’

Indeed, dealing with it proved exceedingly challenging.

It attacks with tentacles at close range and employs cold when at a distance. Moreover, its innate defensive capabilities are no joke. With my current attack power, wearing it down over time seems to be the only viable strategy. Yet, thanks to those tentacles, even that proves to be a difficult task.

On top of that, any wounds I manage to inflict through painstaking effort might heal cleanly over time due to its regenerative abilities.

‘It seems difficult to proceed like this.’

I’m not in a position to prolong the encounter, and even if I endure various challenges and drag it into a protracted battle, I doubt I’d have the upper hand.

Considering the creature doesn’t appear to tire due to a lack of stamina.

‘…There’s no other choice.’

I don’t usually prefer to lavish it all out from the beginning, but in this situation, there’s no other choice.

I focused my consciousness on the hand gripping the sword.

And.

The subtle gleam emanating from the blade…

Scattered away just like that.