Chapter 1105

〈 Episode 1105 〉 1105. Dark Moon

“The hobgoblin has mutated! Spread out and use freezing barrier magic!!”

I shouted at the startled squad members as I abruptly stood up.

Fortunately, the squad members weren’t clueless. As soon as they heard my command, they immediately began channeling mana to prepare their spells.

The fastest as always was Unit 31. She had already begun preparing her spell even before I finished speaking, quickly casting Ice Arrow, a level 2 magic.

The ice arrow flew straight, aiming precisely for the hobgoblin’s head and struck it dead on.

Zzzang!

The rainwater flowing down the hobgoblin’s head froze instantly upon contact with the cold air. The gargoyle-killing magic only managed to freeze its head, but thanks to the ‘magic resistance’ from the influence of the Dark Moon, it wasn’t completely ineffective; its face was now a bloody mess.

“Kiaaaaaaaaaa!”

The hobgoblin let out an enraged roar. The target of its anger was obviously Unit 31. With a calm expression, she neither flinched nor retreated. Perhaps this angered the hobgoblin further, as it grabbed a piece of wood lying around and hurled it towards Unit 31.

“Barrier.”

A protective barrier surrounded Unit 31’s body, easily blocking the wood. The barrier shook slightly but held firm.

“Ice!!”

The squad members surrounding the hobgoblin simultaneously cast Ice, a level 1 magic. To be precise, Ice uses cold energy to create ice. Its efficiency drops in desert regions lacking moisture, but in the current rainy situation, its effectiveness doubles.

Zzheek, Zzheeng.

The entire body of the hobgoblin froze solid. Its movements stopped. However, the hobgoblin wasn’t dead. Its eyes could still be seen moving restlessly within the ice.

‘Damn magic resistance. I can’t miss this chance. I need to kill it.’

In this situation, the most effective magic would be…

Level 2 magic, Air Strike.

Among level 2 magics, Air Strike is one of the top choices when considering purely physical damage. Though it’s still a magic and will be affected by ‘magic resistance,’ there are no other options.

‘Because of the rain, fire magic’s power decreases, and it’ll just melt the ice around the hobgoblin’s body. Earth magic suffers from similar issues.’

Having made my decision, there’s no reason to hesitate. Even a second of hesitation during battle can be dangerous.

I summoned 12 mana rods and formed the magical incantation.

“Air Strike.”

“Air Strike.”

My chant overlapped with Unit 31’s.

The void distorts. Air Strike is, fundamentally, wind—though invisible, the torrential rain falling endlessly from the heavens reveals its form as space itself warps.

The distorted space collided directly with the frozen hobgoblin.

Kwaang!

The ice shattered, and the hobgoblin’s crimson blood splattered onto the wet ground.

“Kiaaaaaaaaaaaak!”

The hobgoblin roared again and moved its legs.

“Keep your distance and use Ice magic! Let’s do exactly as before! If we repeat it 2-3 times, we should be able to kill it!”

I kicked a small rock on the ground toward the hobgoblin’s head. It wasn’t an aggressive attack—it probably felt like an itch to the hobgoblin. But if you’re already furious and then get hit by a pebble, wouldn’t that make you even angrier?

The hobgoblin turned its attention toward me. With a ferocious expression, it charged straight at me instead of Unit 31, who was much closer.


The one farthest away is targeted. It’s going according to plan.

“Ice Arrow.”

The spell that was cast flew and struck the hobgoblin’s left leg, freezing it solid. The hobgoblin’s body began to tilt.

‘I’ve bought some time. Now if the squad members freeze the bastard with Ice Magic and 31 and I use Air Strike, we’ll be set.’

The hobgoblin’s middling intelligence actually helped. To put it in gaming terms, Aggro management was easy.

“Wh-what?!”

I suddenly felt a chill. Every single cell in my body tensed up, and my hair stood on end in an unpleasant sensation.

‘The mana in the air has changed. And it’s gotten even more violent due to the Dark Moon’s influence.’

Even though I knew the hobgoblin was limping closer with its frozen leg, I couldn’t take my eyes off Number 31.

Her crimson eyes gleamed as she inscribed a spell at the center of the chaotic mana.

‘This isn’t a second-rank spell. Third-rank…? No. This feels similar to when Instructor Venus uses magic…’

Number 31’s cloak flapped wildly. Her purple hair floated upward despite there being no wind. The wind swirling around her now was the movement of mana.

“31! Stop!!”

I shouted, putting everything into my voice.

It was useless. Number 31’s crimson gaze remained fixed on the hobgoblin. She didn’t even spare me a glance.

‘What’s going on? Why is 31 losing control?’

Number 31’s spell manifested. A smile crept onto her lips. Feeling an ominous chill, I hastily increased the distance between myself and the hobgoblin.

Wind began to gather, tracing claw-like marks on the ground as it converged on the hobgoblin.

The hobgoblin swung its fists and legs at the formless wind. Of course, such feeble attempts did nothing to stop it.

The wind grew stronger with each passing moment, beginning to rotate around the hobgoblin.

Fourth-rank magic. Tornado.

‘This isn’t an ordinary tornado. Despite its small size, each gust of wind has been given physical substance. In other words, this is a tornado that applies Wind Cutter to every single gust.’

The hobgoblin’s body was shredded by the wind. The tornado began to take on a reddish hue. It was the hobgoblin’s blood.

After about thirty seconds, the tornado dissipated.

What remained of the hobgoblin was a mess of blood, flesh, and bone fragments.

“Hahaha, hahahahahaha.”

Number 31’s laughter rang out. Cold sweat ran down my back as I looked at her. Laughing under the black moon, she was clearly not herself.

“…”

Neither I nor the rest of the squad relaxed our guard. We could feel an intense sense of wrongness emanating from Number 31 and prepared for combat at any moment.

Crackle. Click.

A sound came from the radio. I quickly grabbed it.

“211. Do you copy?”

“…Instructor Venus. Loud and clear.”

“I’m watching the situation. I’m on my way, so fall back with the squad! Hurry!”

Even Instructor Venus, who usually spoke with calm ease, sounded urgent. This situation was clearly unexpected even for him.

“Fall back from 31! Quickly!”

The squad reacted swiftly, immediately increasing the distance between themselves and Number 31.

“Hahahahaha.”

Number 31 continued to laugh.

Mana gathered around her, swirling violently. The mud on the ground heaved, and raindrops falling from the sky avoided her as if afraid.

Despite being drenched in cold sweat, I maintained a part of my mind that calmly speculated about Number 31’s true nature.

Several possibilities came to mind. After comparing various factors, one explanation stood out as the most likely.

‘Witch Factor. She seemed in high spirits when the Dark Moon appeared, and her magical abilities have increased despite not being a dark mage.’

If Number 31 possesses Witch Factor, everything makes sense.

Considering the instructors’ reactions, she must have been born with it.

‘Whatever her exact background may be, it’s 100% certain she comes from a special lineage.’

Mana gathered before her.

I focused my spirit and deciphered the spell formula.

Third-rank magic, Air Boom.

Fourth-rank magic, Levitation.

Number 31’s body rose into the air, the effect of the fourth-rank Levitation spell.

The problem was the third-rank Air Boom spell. My calculations showed that while it was technically a third-rank spell, its power approached that of a fifth-rank spell.

‘She intends to sweep this entire area with Air Boom, does she?’

Alone, I might be able to withstand it. By layering barriers and using the defensive item given to me by Instructor Lexi…


It’s doable with the Tifactor. However, the other squad members were different. They can’t activate magic as quickly as I can.

I glanced at Heaven.

Even though Thunder Bolt is impossible, it seems I could use a 4th-grade magic like Lightning Strike by utilizing dark clouds.

‘No, I won’t use Lightning Strike.’

Instructor Venus is coming from behind. I can’t showcase my Full Strength and talent here. I steeled my resolve. Even if the squad members die, I’ll hide my abilities for the future.

When I was about to cast the Barrier spell, Instructor Venus appeared. As soon as he revealed himself, he unleashed a shout and used magic.

“Step back!!”

An invisible mana wall extended from him, surrounding No. 31. An Air Boom occurred but was blocked by the mana wall. All squad members were unharmed.

I realized this was some kind of Barrier magic.

‘Hastily activated, the spell formation is messy, yet it barely managed to block No. 31’s Air Boom. Is this the level of a 5th-grade magician?’

Instructor Venus charged toward No. 31. Magic sparkled beneath his feet.

‘The magic acting as a stepping stone… an application of Barrier, perhaps?’

Judging by the spell formation, it’s simpler than 1st-grade magic. However, the casting speed is incredibly fast. Considering the risk of fatal injury from losing balance on the floating platforms, timing must be precise too.

Even though the magic itself is easy to mimic, it seems impossible to apply it like Instructor Venus does.

While retreating with the squad members, I observed the battle between No. 31 and Instructor Venus.

‘Instructor Venus is trying to subdue No. 31. And No. 31 isn’t falling behind much.’

Instructor Venus efficiently used magic, deploying appropriate spells at the right moments. For instance, when No. 31 used Ice Arrow, a 2nd-grade magic, Instructor Venus countered it with Fire, a 1st-grade magic.

‘He’s not just neutralizing it; he’s using Fire to counteract the cold attribute of Ice Arrow.’

This is about maximizing the elemental advantages.

‘Just watching is helpful.’

The battle continued. Instructor Venus’s hand grazed No. 31’s neck. Shocked, No. 31 shot up into Heaven. Against the backdrop of dark clouds, all traces of laughter disappeared from No. 31’s face. Her mana surged toward Heaven.

Rumble…

The dark clouds flickered.

‘It’s Lightning Spike…!’

A thunderbolt descended toward Instructor Venus.

“Dome Ground.”

Instructor Venus’s soft voice echoed. Subsequently, earth shot up around him, forming a dome. The temporary earthen structure easily blocked the Lightning Spike.

After fulfilling its purpose, the dome didn’t collapse but ascended and flew toward No. 31.

With a heap of dirt hitting her forehead, No. 31’s Levitation wavered. Her body started descending before stopping midway. Barely maintaining her magic, No. 31 glared at Instructor Venus with murderous intent while raising her mana.

The mana emanating from No. 31 now was incomparable to what she had shown so far.

“Stop! Stop and get a grip, No. 31!”

Instructor Venus shouted.

There was no way the berserk No. 31 would listen to that. Instructor Venus activated Dome Ground again.

Bang.

Kaboom. Bang.

Explosions sounded.

Within 10 seconds, over 10 Air Booms occurred indiscriminately, reducing the ground to rubble. Instructor Venus’s Dome Ground shattered. Instructor Venus surrounded himself with a Barrier to protect his body, but even that wasn’t easy. His body flew everywhere due to the Air Boom’s aftereffects. Nevertheless, his Barrier remained intact without breaking.

“No…!”

Instructor Venus shouted.

Because the one who actually used the magic, No. 31, couldn’t protect herself and got caught in the Air Boom’s aftereffects, flying around in the air. Moreover, No. 31 seemed to have fainted mid-air, causing her Levitation to release and sending her plummeting down. Unfortunately, there was a waterfall below.

“No. 211!!! Save No. 31!!”

Instructor Venus shouted at me, who was closest to No. 31.

Clenching my teeth, I ran toward No. 31.

If I don’t do anything here, Instructor Venus will pin the blame on me and kill me. That’s obvious.

‘If I want to survive, I have to save No. 31!’