Chapter 43
The season was gradually shifting from early summer toward the end of summer.
The sunrise bell rang low through the stone town, where the remnants of night still lingered.
The peak of the mountain towering behind town caught the morning sun like the tip of a sharp sword, changing from silvery white to dull gold.
We left town as soon as the gates opened and headed for the mountain.
At its foot, we carefully picked our way across a rugged field of rocks, as if it had been carved by a glacier.
Even the sound of pebbles rolling beneath our feet seemed unnaturally loud. The wind blowing up from the valley was cold against our skin.
I sharpened my senses and spread my mana thinly, like a mist.
What had once been a clumsy process now felt as natural as an extension of my body. My mana traced the area around us—so faintly that even a monster could touch it without noticing, yet unmistakably present.
—There.
A rough presence brushed the edge of my mana.
The pulse characteristic of a living creature, and a dull, heavy warmth. A presence distinctly unlike a wolf's.
I pressed myself against a boulder and peered around it.
It was perched atop a large rock.
A giant lizard about the size of a foal. Its dry scales reflected the morning sun with a dull gleam. Its tail hung limp, and I could see its chest slowly rising and falling.
—A drake.
A so-called dragon wannabe. But at the end of the day, it was just a reptile.
It was early morning, before its body temperature had fully risen. Its movements should still be sluggish.
I glanced at Elena.
The wind stopped for just a moment, and the mountain's silence took over.
Elena nodded without a word.
Mana gathered at the end of her outstretched hand, turning into a pale white mist that froze the air.
“—'Ice Bind.'”
As she whispered the incantation, a chill swept through the air.
Ice spread along the ground and coiled around the drake's limbs.
Crack. Crack.
Frost crept across its scales, freezing its joints in place.
At that moment, I moved.
“Lyle, Kai—!”
I poured mana into the two of them.
The strengthening magic that boosted their physical abilities—'Enhance.'
Their pulses came through clearly.
Their muscles responded, and I could tell their reflexes had sharpened.
The two of them kicked off the ground without hesitation.
At their presence, the drake's eyes flashed as it turned toward us.
Its dangling tail whipped around.
It lashed out, cutting through the air like a whip.
But one figure darted into its path.
Kai raised the great shield and took the blow head-on.
“...!”
The impact echoed across the rocky ground, and sand burst up around Kai's feet. Even so, Kai didn't give an inch.
Lyle sprang out from behind Kai.
Lyle met the drake's bite with a buckler.
Its jaw snapped upward.
Its soft throat was exposed.
Lyle's sword flashed toward it without hesitation.
The blade plunged deep into the drake's throat.
“You did it—”
I called out, but all three remained motionless, their faces rapturous.
Lyle's eyes were wide, and the sword clenched in Lyle's hand trembled.
Kai's impassive expression had vanished. Kai stood frozen, consumed by a pounding heart and the ecstasy coursing through the body.
Elena's fingertips trembled as she covered her mouth, her whole body drowning in bliss.
“Could it be... did your ranks just go up?”
I watched the three of them calmly.
“So this is... what it feels like to advance in rank...?”
Elena was the first to come back to herself. She laughed, breathless, her voice hoarse.
Her eyes shone with feverish intensity, and her whole body trembled with joy.
“...This is incredible. I feel power surging through me, just like with your 'Enhance,' Noah!”
Lyle raised the hand gripping the sword toward the sky, the whole body bursting with joy.
“...So this is...”
Kai murmured as if groaning, yet wore a broad smile. The mask of impassivity had fallen away completely, and joy and ecstasy held Kai entirely in their grip.
Only their ragged breaths and the heat of their joy, still lost in the afterglow of victory, remained on the rocky mountainside.
I quietly activated 'Appraisal.'
【Name】Lyle
【Rank】II
【Mana】D
【Skills】Swordsmanship Physical Enhancement Super Reflexes
【Name】Elena
【Rank】II
【Mana】B
【Skills】Ice Magic Mana Detection Mana Control
【Magic】Ice Ball Ice Bullet Ice Bind Ice Wall
【Name】Kai
【Rank】II
【Mana】D
【Skills】Defense Enhancement Physical Enhancement Self-Regeneration
【Name】Noah
【Rank】IV
【Mana】S+
【Skills】Appraisal Life Magic Mana Control Magic Imbuement Rapid Thinking Observation Staffsmanship Staff Mastery Mana Scan
【Magic】Heal Cure Enhance Life Steal Resurrection Calm Life Protection
All three of them had advanced in rank.
My own rank hadn't changed, but I'd gotten better at using mana to search for things and had acquired the Mana Scan skill.
I breathed a sigh of relief that we'd managed to advance in rank before winter came.
This high-altitude town would be snowbound in winter, cut off from the outside world.
If that happened, we wouldn't be able to move until spring, and we'd waste precious time.
I considered our next move.
We'd gained experience fighting people, and the three of them had advanced in rank.
We'd also built up a healthy sum in our account.
It was probably about time to move on to the next town.
“All right, let's take this back to the Guild in triumph!”
Lyle's voice pulled me back from my thoughts.
“First, let's drain its blood.”
I lowered the limp drake's head beneath a rock.
Dark red blood flowed from the wound in its neck.
Once the blood had drained, we had Elena cool its whole body.
“All right, let's tie it up.”
At Lyle's words, we bound the drake so it would be easier to carry.
We gathered its limbs together over its belly and secured them, curling its head and tail inward.
We threaded a suitable pole between its legs, then Lyle and Kai hoisted it onto their shoulders.
“It's surprisingly easy to carry. Maybe that's because our ranks went up.”
Lyle tested the drake's weight on his shoulder.
“All right, Noah and Elena, keep an eye on our surroundings. Let's go.”
Lyle headed down the mountain path toward town, brimming with confidence.