Eliminating The Source

As Vim pushed deeper into the Eastern Forest, the cause of the anomaly gradually became clear to him. For some reason, a high concentration of mana was pooling in this forest.

Mana refers to the magic power drifting in the atmosphere. It exists everywhere in trace amounts, but the mana density in this forest was roughly five times higher than normal.

“Hana, are you alright?”

“Y-yes. I can manage at this level.”

Even for Vim, staying in such a dense concentration of mana for an extended period was draining. Because Vim possessed a massive amount of internal mana, he could endure it to an extent, but for those without magical aptitude, this density would be incredibly taxing.

“Hold still for a second.”

Vim held his hand over Hana’s forehead and flowed his own mana into her body.

“What was that just now?” Hana asked, looking puzzled.

“I’ve had you temporarily hold some of my mana. This should help your body withstand the pressure of the ambient mana.”

“You can even do things like that…”

Normally, while one might be able to flow magic into another’s body, it was considered impossible to have them actually “possess” your mana. However, Vim’s sorcery was somewhat unique. Within certain limits, he could allow others to store his magic power within themselves.

“Still, this is intense.”

Vim suspected this mana spike was temporary, likely caused by a specific factor.

“Waaaaah!!!!”

Suddenly, a scream echoed from ahead of them. It was a human voice. He had heard that the Knight Order was out on a subjugation mission today; this death-curdling scream likely belonged to one of them.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

The two sprinted toward the source of the voice. Hana kept pace perfectly with Vim, even as he boosted his speed with magic—a testament to her skill. They reached the scene in less than a minute.

There stood a ferocious magical beast resembling a giant crocodile. Vim sensed instantly that this creature was the source of the rising mana density.

“Hey, you two! Why are you here?! It’s dangerous! Run away immediately!!”

One of the knights shouted. Judging by his attire, he was likely a Vice-Captain.

“Be quiet,” Vim said.

“What did you just say?”

“Just stay back and watch.”

Disconnection Barrier!

Vim deployed a barrier between the knights and the beast.

“Hana, don’t overextend yourself.”

“Understood!”

Fire Spear.

Vim fired a rapid succession of spells to provide cover fire for Hana. The speed of his casting was something no ordinary person could replicate; perhaps only the Great Sages of fairy tales were capable of such feats.

With Vim’s support, Hana leaped high, positioning herself directly above the massive crocodile beast. She plunged her sword in and swung with all her might.

“Guoooooh!!!!”

The beast let out a deafening roar.

“Hana, get back! I’ll take it from here.”

“Yes!”

To the far reaches of the void!

As Vim chanted, a purple magic circle appeared above the beast. Flames erupted from it, followed an instant later by a massive explosion.

Physical Barrier.

He shielded Hana from the blast with a barrier. By the time the shockwave settled, there wasn’t a trace of the beast left. Vim could feel the mana density in the forest gradually returning to normal.

“It’s over.”

“That was amazing!”

“You did great too, Hana.”

Vim and Hana shared a high-five. Then, he deactivated the Disconnection Barrier.

“Who… who are you people…?”

The knight from before approached them, his voice trembling.

“I’m here on a request from His Majesty the King. My name is Vim Abel.”

Vim pulled his S-rank guild card from his pocket.

“So you are the S-rank adventurer I’ve been hearing so much about recently. Thank you for saving us. I don’t want to think about what would have happened to us if you hadn’t arrived.”

Vim glanced over at the rest of the squad; several knights appeared to be suffering from various degrees of injury.