Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

EP.44 Hydra

Leon was feeling a bit of a dilemma.

‘I don’t have magic for facing multiple enemies…’

He had never faced as many as fifty magicians at once, and it turned out he lacked area-of-effect spells.

‘I need to learn wide-range magic quickly.’

As he thought this, his Guardian Robe activated.

Turning his head, Leon saw Sengor clutching the sword that had been deflected, his expression one of confusion.

As his companions rushed at him, Leon rose into the air.

The Guardian Robe had the ability to block a single attack.

It meant that one of the magic circles had been used up by that clumsy slash.

Leon looked at Dave with eyes that needed an explanation.

Dave also spoke in a daze.

“Th-they are inherently low-quality individuals. I never thought they would go as far as to attack a magician…”

Leon somewhat understood the psychology of Sengor’s party.

They had never seen a wide-range magician.

It was natural for them to think that magic was used through memorization and that incantations took a long time.

Even if they felt something was off after nine consecutive lightning strikes, they couldn’t imagine more than that.

Instead, they thought that after using such great power, he would need time.

As Leon ascended to a height out of Sengor’s reach, Sengor quickly threw away his weapon and attempted to kneel.

Leon immediately shot an electric orb that had formed on his fingertip at Sengor.

Crackle—

“Aaargh!”

Sengor trembled as he was electrocuted.

His hair stood on end from the electricity, and smoke rose from his body as he collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

Leon looked down at Sengor with a rather cold expression.

He was certain that sparing him would not lead to anything good.

“W-wait a moment!”

As Leon created four more orbs, one of Sengor’s party members interrupted with a desperate voice.

It was the only female adventurer in Sengor’s party, and she stepped forward with her hands clasped together.

“I-I didn’t want to attack you, magician!”

“…”

“I only followed orders because I didn’t know what would happen if I didn’t. Please show mercy just this once…”

“What are you talking about, you ugly hag?”

The one who interrupted was Karin.

“When you were happily cheating others with Sengor, now you claim you were forced?”

Karin brushed her hair back with an incredulous expression.

“We know all about your misdeeds, so keep making excuses.”

“…”

The female adventurer clamped her mouth shut.

If she was silent even when facing imminent death, it meant she truly had nothing to say.

As soon as the conversation between Karin and the female adventurer ended, another adventurer turned and started to run away.

Without hesitation, Leon threw the four orbs at the adventurers.

One by one, they fell to the ground, lifeless.

No matter how vile they were, four people had lost their lives in an instant.

And it was all due to a simple spell created by the magician.

Perhaps it was this that instilled fear.

Dave watched Leon with a tense expression.

“…”

Leon took a moment to steady his breathing as he looked at the lifeless adventurers.

‘Killing them is the right thing to do.’

They were not the type to reflect on their actions if spared.

However, watching the adventurers collapse unlike the magician, Leon felt an inexplicable discomfort.

The power to kill people as easily as stepping on passing ants brought more unease than a sense of omnipotence.

Leon realized anew the unbridgeable gap between him and them.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t even notice the ambush properly…”

“Stand up.”

Leon descended from the air, his expression softening as he landed on the ground.

“I got too excited and came this deep, which was my mistake.”

Leon sighed as he looked at the trembling Dave.

“Let’s part ways here.”

“Pardon? Do you mean…”

“Don’t get any strange ideas.”

Leon took out a green flute from his robe and handed it over.

It was a D+ grade Guardian Golem Summoning Flute.

“This, this is…”

“If you blow the flute, a golem will appear and protect you. Even if you encounter a larger group of monsters, it will buy you time to escape.”

While it was no longer of great use to Leon, who planned to create his own golems, it would be sufficient to protect this party.

Most good artifacts required magic to activate, so this was perfect for the three of them to escape Zone 2.

Leon intended to head straight into the depths of the Beast Forest.

Having shown his power, there was no longer any reason to hesitate.

“Is it really okay to give us something so valuable? We’ve shown you nothing but incompetence.”

“It’s fine. I’m sorry we can’t return together.”

Leon placed the flute in Dave’s hand.

“N-no, we’ll keep this flute as a family heirloom!”

“Why would you keep it as a family heirloom! He gave it to us to use for the party.”

“It’s not that valuable, so use it in emergencies and escape. And… I trust you’ll explain things well to the guild.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

Dave nodded quickly, catching on.

“I’ll be discreet.”

As Leon turned his body and floated back into the air, Karin’s voice called out from behind.

“Will we see you again?”

Turning his head, he saw Dave trying to stop her.

It was a familiar sight.

Leon deliberately gave a small smile.

“If the opportunity arises someday.”

Leon then flew off toward the deeper parts of the forest.

*****

Leon continued heading deeper into the Beast Forest without stopping.

The endless green waves flowed beneath his eyes.

The varying sizes of the trees added a sense of depth to the forest.

From above, the movements of the monsters were clearly visible.

They moved busily as if preparing for battle.

Their actions had a clear purpose.

They gathered at specific points or formed formations.

Some even built nests, while others stood guard.

Leon took in these sights as he flew until dusk.

He entered a denser part of the forest.

‘Is this Zone 3?’

Flying monsters appeared from Zone 4 onwards, so even at night, flying shouldn’t be a big issue.

Leon charged his mana within the orb and flew until he reached the end of Zone 3, then stopped.

‘Just in case, let’s move when it’s daylight.’

After confirming that there were no orc groups nearby, Leon descended and sat in a lotus position.

He spent his time chewing on dried meat and used the Cloak of Invisibility to hide whenever he sensed the presence of monsters, waiting for them to pass.

After spending the night quietly, he took off again at dawn.

One rest in the Beast Forest was enough.

“Thunderbolt.”

The griffon following Leon shot electric orbs, easily fending off any threats.

Realizing that flying monsters were not yet a significant problem, Leon continued flying even as night fell.

After about five days of flying, he reached what could be considered Zone 15.

No adventurer had explored this far, so it likely didn’t have an official name.

By then, the forest’s mana had thickened.

Though still far from the density of the orb’s space, it was noticeably different from the usual concentration.

Leon was currently fleeing from monsters chasing him.

Ten massive monsters with small wings were flapping behind him.

Each was about five meters long, with bronze-tinted bodies covered in tough scales.

Their heads, attached to long necks, resembled crocodiles.

Their red eyes gleamed with wild ferocity.

“Kito.”

“Hmm?”

When Leon called out to Kito, who was lounging above his head, she responded in a languid voice.

“What are those?”

“They’re drakes.”

Just then, one of the drakes opened its mouth, unleashing a torrent of fire breath towards Leon.

Leon hastily used the acceleration of his Golden Wings to escape the range of the flames.

He had already tried using magic to attack.

It seemed to have some effect, but it wasn’t enough to kill them in one strike.

He might be able to handle one, but ten were impossible.

That’s why Leon was fleeing in panic.

However, the drakes’ wing flaps weren’t very fast.

It meant he could outmaneuver them.

‘Not much further to the place Kito mentioned.’

Leon focused on evading the drakes using the orb.

As he reached the area Kito had described, the atmosphere changed.

It felt as if the entire forest was holding its breath.

The color of the forest was also distinctly different.

The green leaves gradually darkened until they appeared almost black.

The trees were much taller than before.

Realizing he had ventured into a truly deep part of the forest, Leon proceeded cautiously, feeling tense.

Kito had said she hid the core in her cave.

Following Kito’s tugging on his hair, Leon flew in the indicated direction but suddenly halted.

He was flying just above the densely packed trees at a low altitude when he sensed a powerful presence.

“An insolent fool has stepped into my territory.”

Then, something enormous rose before Leon’s eyes.

The scales rubbed against each other, producing a sharp, metallic noise.

The body, which had been hidden beneath the trees, grew endlessly.

In an instant, three heads emerged to the height where Leon was flying.

The heads were shaped like snakes and were large enough to easily devour Leon.

The body connected to the heads was also long like a snake.

As the three heads opened their mouths and roared, the space around them vibrated.

It was a chilling cry, a mix of ear-piercing screams and deep roars.

Green liquid dripped from its sharp teeth.

Instinctively, Leon’s body stiffened with fear.

Soon, all the eyes on each head focused on one spot.

A total of three pairs of golden eyes were solely directed at Leon.

Leon’s heart began to pound.

This was the alarm he had always experienced in moments of crisis.

The monster slowly scrutinized Leon, whose mouth had gone dry.

Primitive rage and hunger swirled within its gaze, but at times, a calculating light of cold intelligence shone through.

Should he flee or fight?

As Leon took a deep breath to steady himself.

“Sister?”

“…”

The sharp, piercing gaze that seemed to see through everything suddenly turned round.

Kito, who was lounging on Leon’s head, spoke nonchalantly.

“Oh, so it was you who took over my territory.”

“Yes, it turned out that way. Hehe…”

What was this?

Those gentle eyes.