So you still haven’t learned how to segment your thoughts?』
Asked Bernst as Kurats ran faster than a falcon soaring through the sky, through a mountainous path that led to Lapland.
【”Even without that, I was still able to beat that guy who was obsessed with his monsters…”】
『You meathead! Something this simple should not be taking you so long! At this rate, you’ll never be able to use multiple spells simultaneously! This is unacceptable!』
Bernst was boiling from impatience.
As a magic king with a power close to that of a god, Bernst could control 1000, 2000 or even 10 billion spells at the same time.
He could use the four elements all together, and could even use multiple spells that combined fire with ice and lightning, continuously.
That was the true power of Bernst.
However, Kurats was having a hard time handling what should have been the basic of basics.
Because of this, his enormous reserve of magic power could only be used on a single spell at a time.
It was safe to say that his progress was not good.
【”Segmenting my thoughts or whatever, wouldn’t that basically mean having another self inside my own self? Sound like it would feel pretty bad.”】
『You fool! What kind of mage is unable to handle multiple selves at once!』
Although they were far from reaching Bernst’s level, even the mages of Jormungand’s royal court were able segment their thoughts to an extent.
Bernst believed that this single weak point would become an obstacle in raising Kurats’ power and his position in this world’s hierarchy.
『There is no going around it then… First, I will start by having you thoroughly learn how to use magic cancelling spells.』
【”Oh? So I’ll be able focus on close quarter combat!”】
Kurats’ happy smile made Bernst once again lose his temper and shout.
『You muscle head! Can you not understand the essence of magic even a little bit?! This is unacceptable!』
Although Kurats’ physical strength and his reserve of magic power were unparalleled, that did not mean his defense was impenetrable.
If he were to be injured by a direct hit from an anti-army spell, there were chances that he would die.
While his armor of muscles could protect him from spears and swords, it could not defend him from powerful magic. For example, Rosberg’s beloved magic sword, Gerlach, could easily cut through Kurats’ skin.
Therefore, to allow Kurats to stand on even grounds with Asgard’s army, Bernst was going to have him use a magic cancelling spell in order to fight from short-distances, and anti-army spells for long distances.
『There is a monster territory right ahead that will be convenient for training. Before we arrive at Lapland, you will be doing some hard work!!』
【”Yeah, yeah.”】
◆ ◆ ◆
Between the Jormungand kingdom and the Lapland kingdom, besides the Asgard empire, the Mountbatten kingdom, and some small countries like the Macbarn kingdom, there was also a wide monster territory.
This extremely dangerous area was precisely the path Kurats had chosen to take.
To take this path from Jormungand, he had to slightly cross through a remote region of the Asgard empire, but the rest of the way was exclusively inside the monster territory.
This path was perfect for concealed activities where Jormungand’s involvement was not to be revealed, such as what Kurats was about to do.
However, it could only be taken by someone like Kurats, who did not care about putting himself at risk.
Even an army troop would need to carefully prepare before entering. Although Kurats was able to dash through here like it was his house garden, that was only due to the fact that he was abnormal in every way, and it was not representative of the real risks involved.
The environnements inside and outside the border of the Jormungand kingdom did not have any visible differences.
However, as soon as he stepped inside this forest, the sights he witnessed gradually became different from anything he had seen in human society.
The sky was covered by trees with very long branches that made him feel like he was trapped inside a cage of wood.
Moreover, although it was hard to notice them, there were ferocious and lethally poisonous insects squirming in the damp soil under him.
Though he had yet to be attacked by monsters, just being here was already dangerous enough.
『Seems like the monsters have gathered.』
【”Damn it! These insects are crawling all over the place…”】
From the perspective of the forest’s monsters, Kurats was a mere prey that had leaped right to them. There was no way they would overlook this opportunity.
They would never consider a lone human as a danger.
After all, in this place, they reigned at the top of the food chain.
『Assuming that you will be using magic cancelling spells to fight multiple enemies by yourself, do you think you will be able to afford to lose focus?』
No matter how strong he was, to what extent would Kurats be able to fight against an army, using only the power of his body?
Although Bernst was not worried in the slightest, this would still be Kurats’ first time fighting against a large army.
【”I can handle it!”】
The first monsters to approach were black-furred hellhounds, which were rushing towards him from every direction at the speed of arrows.
This species was known to hunt as a pack, and their intellect when it came to hunting was at the level of human beings.
What made them even more troublesome was the fact that they could shoot ‘Hellfire’ spells from their mouths.
【”If it’s something of this level, I’ll manage one way or another!”】
While maintaining a magic canceling barrier around him, Kurats happily clenched his fist.
The exaltation he felt when one-sidedly hunting monsters in the village was coming back in his chest.
【”Garh?”】
A group of hellhounds tried to use their hellfire spells as preemptive attacks, but once they realized nothing was coming out of their mouths, they were only able to let out roars of frustration.
Without the support of their allies, a second group bared their fangs and jumped at Kurats.
【”You’re the prey here, you don’t get to roar!”】
Although tens of them simultaneously attacked Kurats from all directions, they could not beat him in close quarter combat .
With the explosive sounds of multiple impacts, the bodies of the helldogs burst open and were blown off before they could let a single sound out.
Even when he powered his jabs with the strength of his wrists alone, it was still too much for the bodies of these monsters, despite the fact that they were stronger than they looked.
【”It doesn’t matter how many of you come at me, you’re no match.”】
Their sharp fangs seemed like they could crunch iron, but they were still not enough to wound Kurats.
The only way left for them to win was to take advantage of their numbers in order to gain time until Kurats would use up his stamina.
However, there was absolutely no way Kurats would use up his stamina before this group of hellhounds.
In the span of merely a few seconds, more than 50 hellhounds were turned into cruelly lacerated corpses.
『You believe that was sufficient?』
【”Hmm? Why? Was there a problem with―― huh?”】
Since he had just performed a one-sided beating of all his opponents, Kurats tilted his head in confusion when Bernst questioned him.
But that was before he was assaulted by a blinding flash of light accompanied by a powerful energy beam.
【”Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”】
As the powerful and dazzling white light swallowed him up, Kurats disappeared.
◆ ◆ ◆
【”Human bastard. Did you think I would let you do whatever you want in my forest?”】
At a distance of around 3 kilometers (2 miles), in a straight line from Kurats’ position, there was a silhouette calmly floating in the air, like it was overlooking the whole forest.
Spread behind his dark-skinned back were four translucent butterfly-like blue wings.
His golden eyes were wide open, glaring fixedly at the spot where Kurats had been standing.
His name was Adrian Marchez.
In the monsters’ hierarchy, he was an aristocrat, and he ruled over this whole forest.
Although he could not be compared to senior aristocrats, he still had a strong power that clearly distinguished him from the animal-type monsters.
The heat of the white light he had fired at Kurats easily exceeded 2000 degrees (3600 fahrenheit).
This was nearly twice the heat of the hellhounds’ hellfire spell.
There was no living being that would be able to survive exposure to such an extremely high temperature.
With a smile of scorn, Adrian fluttered his wings and moved towards the epicenter of his attack.
【”I suppose there should be nothing left of the corpse. And here I was thinking of taking his head home as a memento.”】
【”―― Sorry, I still have some uses for my head, I can’t hand it just yet.”】
【”W-what’s the meaning of this?”】
But there stood Kurats, whose hair had partly burned and curled up due to the hot wind generated by the previous attack, and who was scratching his cheek, seemingly embarrassed.
『Did that enlighten you a little? Normally, when using magic cancelling spells, it is a prerequisite to use a search spell at the same time. If you do not do so, you can get attacked from afar like you just did, without being able to retaliate.』
【”Can’t you tell me these kinds of things beforehand? My hair’s all messed up now. Plus that made me look so lame.”】
As Kurats complained like so, Adrian could not hide his bewilderment.
【”How? How are you still alive? This should have been a direct hit!”】
When that white light hit, a shockwave, at a very high temperature, had simultaneously scattered in a 100 meter (109 yard) circle around the impact point.
It should have been impossible to escape from its range in a single instant.
『What a fool, did he think a muscle brain like you would quietly wait to be hit?』
(This doesn’t sound like a compliment at all!)
Earlier, when he had felt those streaks of energy approaching, Kurats had immediately jumped backwards with all the strength in his body. The very same body that allowed him to put holes in castle walls and bend steel like candy.
It was no wonder Adrian had failed to see him escape.
『Nevertheless, this was a shameful display. If you had cancelled your magic cancelling spell on the spot and replaced it with a water protection membrane instead, your hair would likely not have been burned. This experience was a lesson!』
(Damn it all! Next time, I’ll stretch the range of the magic cancelling spell to 3 meters! ) (TLN: 3 yards)
Despite what had happened, it still did not seem like Kurats was going to mention anything about ever trying to control multiple spells at once.
He was basically thinking of brute-forcing his way out of the issue. That was Kurats’ style; he was the type to break a stone bridge and walk over its remains to cross the river under it.
That was why, even now that he was using magic and such, Bernst was still calling him a muscle brain.
【”―― I don’t know what kind of method you used, but you really should not make light of monster aristocrats.”】
Since he could only hear one side of the conversation between Bernst and Kurats, Adrian interpreted it as a show of over-confidence, which enraged him to the point where a vein was bulging on his forehead.
Since he was born, the only person who had been able to rule over him through fear was the senior aristocrat Tarantino.
Excluding the demon king, whom he had never met, Adrian had never submitted himself to anyone else in his life, and had managed to keep hold of his own territory.
His pride as a monster would never permit a human being to make light of him.
【”You thought that I was going to let someone who stepped into my domain die that easily? You must be delusional.”】
【”Well, I’m pretty sure most humans would have had an easy death if they took a direct hit from those beams you fired earlier, so what was that about?”】
【”T-that was just a test, I missed on purpose!”】
While Kurats and Adrian were having this conversation, they were surrounded by the monsters that inhabited the forest.
Their numbers were well above a few thousand.
Even so, Kurats’ confident smile did not waver one bit.
【”You think you can win by throwing numbers at me?”】
(Impertinent human…)
However, at the end of the day, Adrian knew there was a limit to what one man could do by himself.
【”Let’s see how long that composure of yours will last!”】
【”―― Try me!”】
So you still haven’t learned how to segment your thoughts?』
Asked Bernst as Kurats ran faster than a falcon soaring through the sky, through a mountainous path that led to Lapland.
【”Even without that, I was still able to beat that guy who was obsessed with his monsters…”】
『You meathead! Something this simple should not be taking you so long! At this rate, you’ll never be able to use multiple spells simultaneously! This is unacceptable!』
Bernst was boiling from impatience.
As a magic king with a power close to that of a god, Bernst could control 1000, 2000 or even 10 billion spells at the same time.
He could use the four elements all together, and could even use multiple spells that combined fire with ice and lightning, continuously.
That was the true power of Bernst.
However, Kurats was having a hard time handling what should have been the basic of basics.
Because of this, his enormous reserve of magic power could only be used on a single spell at a time.
It was safe to say that his progress was not good.
【”Segmenting my thoughts or whatever, wouldn’t that basically mean having another self inside my own self? Sound like it would feel pretty bad.”】
『You fool! What kind of mage is unable to handle multiple selves at once!』
Although they were far from reaching Bernst’s level, even the mages of Jormungand’s royal court were able segment their thoughts to an extent.
Bernst believed that this single weak point would become an obstacle in raising Kurats’ power and his position in this world’s hierarchy.
『There is no going around it then… First, I will start by having you thoroughly learn how to use magic cancelling spells.』
【”Oh? So I’ll be able focus on close quarter combat!”】
Kurats’ happy smile made Bernst once again lose his temper and shout.
『You muscle head! Can you not understand the essence of magic even a little bit?! This is unacceptable!』
Although Kurats’ physical strength and his reserve of magic power were unparalleled, that did not mean his defense was impenetrable.
If he were to be injured by a direct hit from an anti-army spell, there were chances that he would die.
While his armor of muscles could protect him from spears and swords, it could not defend him from powerful magic. For example, Rosberg’s beloved magic sword, Gerlach, could easily cut through Kurats’ skin.
Therefore, to allow Kurats to stand on even grounds with Asgard’s army, Bernst was going to have him use a magic cancelling spell in order to fight from short-distances, and anti-army spells for long distances.
『There is a monster territory right ahead that will be convenient for training. Before we arrive at Lapland, you will be doing some hard work!!』
【”Yeah, yeah.”】
◆ ◆ ◆
Between the Jormungand kingdom and the Lapland kingdom, besides the Asgard empire, the Mountbatten kingdom, and some small countries like the Macbarn kingdom, there was also a wide monster territory.
This extremely dangerous area was precisely the path Kurats had chosen to take.
To take this path from Jormungand, he had to slightly cross through a remote region of the Asgard empire, but the rest of the way was exclusively inside the monster territory.
This path was perfect for concealed activities where Jormungand’s involvement was not to be revealed, such as what Kurats was about to do.
However, it could only be taken by someone like Kurats, who did not care about putting himself at risk.
Even an army troop would need to carefully prepare before entering. Although Kurats was able to dash through here like it was his house garden, that was only due to the fact that he was abnormal in every way, and it was not representative of the real risks involved.
The environnements inside and outside the border of the Jormungand kingdom did not have any visible differences.
However, as soon as he stepped inside this forest, the sights he witnessed gradually became different from anything he had seen in human society.
The sky was covered by trees with very long branches that made him feel like he was trapped inside a cage of wood.
Moreover, although it was hard to notice them, there were ferocious and lethally poisonous insects squirming in the damp soil under him.
Though he had yet to be attacked by monsters, just being here was already dangerous enough.
『Seems like the monsters have gathered.』
【”Damn it! These insects are crawling all over the place…”】
From the perspective of the forest’s monsters, Kurats was a mere prey that had leaped right to them. There was no way they would overlook this opportunity.
They would never consider a lone human as a danger.
After all, in this place, they reigned at the top of the food chain.
『Assuming that you will be using magic cancelling spells to fight multiple enemies by yourself, do you think you will be able to afford to lose focus?』
No matter how strong he was, to what extent would Kurats be able to fight against an army, using only the power of his body?
Although Bernst was not worried in the slightest, this would still be Kurats’ first time fighting against a large army.
【”I can handle it!”】
The first monsters to approach were black-furred hellhounds, which were rushing towards him from every direction at the speed of arrows.
This species was known to hunt as a pack, and their intellect when it came to hunting was at the level of human beings.
What made them even more troublesome was the fact that they could shoot ‘Hellfire’ spells from their mouths.
【”If it’s something of this level, I’ll manage one way or another!”】
While maintaining a magic canceling barrier around him, Kurats happily clenched his fist.
The exaltation he felt when one-sidedly hunting monsters in the village was coming back in his chest.
【”Garh?”】
A group of hellhounds tried to use their hellfire spells as preemptive attacks, but once they realized nothing was coming out of their mouths, they were only able to let out roars of frustration.
Without the support of their allies, a second group bared their fangs and jumped at Kurats.
【”You’re the prey here, you don’t get to roar!”】
Although tens of them simultaneously attacked Kurats from all directions, they could not beat him in close quarter combat .
With the explosive sounds of multiple impacts, the bodies of the helldogs burst open and were blown off before they could let a single sound out.
Even when he powered his jabs with the strength of his wrists alone, it was still too much for the bodies of these monsters, despite the fact that they were stronger than they looked.
【”It doesn’t matter how many of you come at me, you’re no match.”】
Their sharp fangs seemed like they could crunch iron, but they were still not enough to wound Kurats.
The only way left for them to win was to take advantage of their numbers in order to gain time until Kurats would use up his stamina.
However, there was absolutely no way Kurats would use up his stamina before this group of hellhounds.
In the span of merely a few seconds, more than 50 hellhounds were turned into cruelly lacerated corpses.
『You believe that was sufficient?』
【”Hmm? Why? Was there a problem with―― huh?”】
Since he had just performed a one-sided beating of all his opponents, Kurats tilted his head in confusion when Bernst questioned him.
But that was before he was assaulted by a blinding flash of light accompanied by a powerful energy beam.
【”Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”】
As the powerful and dazzling white light swallowed him up, Kurats disappeared.
◆ ◆ ◆
【”Human bastard. Did you think I would let you do whatever you want in my forest?”】
At a distance of around 3 kilometers (2 miles), in a straight line from Kurats’ position, there was a silhouette calmly floating in the air, like it was overlooking the whole forest.
Spread behind his dark-skinned back were four translucent butterfly-like blue wings.
His golden eyes were wide open, glaring fixedly at the spot where Kurats had been standing.
His name was Adrian Marchez.
In the monsters’ hierarchy, he was an aristocrat, and he ruled over this whole forest.
Although he could not be compared to senior aristocrats, he still had a strong power that clearly distinguished him from the animal-type monsters.
The heat of the white light he had fired at Kurats easily exceeded 2000 degrees (3600 fahrenheit).
This was nearly twice the heat of the hellhounds’ hellfire spell.
There was no living being that would be able to survive exposure to such an extremely high temperature.
With a smile of scorn, Adrian fluttered his wings and moved towards the epicenter of his attack.
【”I suppose there should be nothing left of the corpse. And here I was thinking of taking his head home as a memento.”】
【”―― Sorry, I still have some uses for my head, I can’t hand it just yet.”】
【”W-what’s the meaning of this?”】
But there stood Kurats, whose hair had partly burned and curled up due to the hot wind generated by the previous attack, and who was scratching his cheek, seemingly embarrassed.
『Did that enlighten you a little? Normally, when using magic cancelling spells, it is a prerequisite to use a search spell at the same time. If you do not do so, you can get attacked from afar like you just did, without being able to retaliate.』
【”Can’t you tell me these kinds of things beforehand? My hair’s all messed up now. Plus that made me look so lame.”】
As Kurats complained like so, Adrian could not hide his bewilderment.
【”How? How are you still alive? This should have been a direct hit!”】
When that white light hit, a shockwave, at a very high temperature, had simultaneously scattered in a 100 meter (109 yard) circle around the impact point.
It should have been impossible to escape from its range in a single instant.
『What a fool, did he think a muscle brain like you would quietly wait to be hit?』
(This doesn’t sound like a compliment at all!)
Earlier, when he had felt those streaks of energy approaching, Kurats had immediately jumped backwards with all the strength in his body. The very same body that allowed him to put holes in castle walls and bend steel like candy.
It was no wonder Adrian had failed to see him escape.
『Nevertheless, this was a shameful display. If you had cancelled your magic cancelling spell on the spot and replaced it with a water protection membrane instead, your hair would likely not have been burned. This experience was a lesson!』
(Damn it all! Next time, I’ll stretch the range of the magic cancelling spell to 3 meters! ) (TLN: 3 yards)
Despite what had happened, it still did not seem like Kurats was going to mention anything about ever trying to control multiple spells at once.
He was basically thinking of brute-forcing his way out of the issue. That was Kurats’ style; he was the type to break a stone bridge and walk over its remains to cross the river under it.
That was why, even now that he was using magic and such, Bernst was still calling him a muscle brain.
【”―― I don’t know what kind of method you used, but you really should not make light of monster aristocrats.”】
Since he could only hear one side of the conversation between Bernst and Kurats, Adrian interpreted it as a show of over-confidence, which enraged him to the point where a vein was bulging on his forehead.
Since he was born, the only person who had been able to rule over him through fear was the senior aristocrat Tarantino.
Excluding the demon king, whom he had never met, Adrian had never submitted himself to anyone else in his life, and had managed to keep hold of his own territory.
His pride as a monster would never permit a human being to make light of him.
【”You thought that I was going to let someone who stepped into my domain die that easily? You must be delusional.”】
【”Well, I’m pretty sure most humans would have had an easy death if they took a direct hit from those beams you fired earlier, so what was that about?”】
【”T-that was just a test, I missed on purpose!”】
While Kurats and Adrian were having this conversation, they were surrounded by the monsters that inhabited the forest.
Their numbers were well above a few thousand.
Even so, Kurats’ confident smile did not waver one bit.
【”You think you can win by throwing numbers at me?”】
(Impertinent human…)
However, at the end of the day, Adrian knew there was a limit to what one man could do by himself.
【”Let’s see how long that composure of yours will last!”】
【”―― Try me!”】
