Chapter 23 : Rating (2)

That heteromorphic Sarkas, with its massive body, roared at us with its two enormous heads.

‘A Master Sarkas…!’

It had the appearance of a wolf-type Sarkas, but its two heads and a colossal body, about 10 meters tall, made it a monster in its own right.

Even if we ran away immediately, our lives wouldn’t be spared. Yet, Yuri Freesia stood firm, her Osteon at the ready.

“Yuri, fall back!”

“…I can’t do that.”

Yuri aimed her sword at the Sarkas.

“This isn’t the time to be stubborn…”

I immediately ran to her and grabbed her wrist.

‘…’

Yuri’s arm, which I held, was trembling.

“…There are bodies. If I leave them here, I don’t know who else will die.”

In the path the Sarkas had taken, human arms and legs were scattered in a gruesome display.

I could only assume they were the remains of students who had already fallen victim to the creature.

‘Damn it…’

In the end, I gave up on dragging Yuri away and drew my dagger.

“Kraaaa-!”

The right head of the Sarkas opened its mouth wide and lunged at Yuri and me.

If we were caught even once, it would mean certain death, regardless of our skill.

The head, moving at terrifying speed, was dodged as we each leaped to opposite sides.

‘What a size…!’

Just the force of its jaws snapping shut created a gust of wind.

The monster, having missed its prey, swung its massive front claws, trying to sweep everything in its path.

Luna, Carne, and even Daengdaengi were all within range.

Though it was a risky move, I recited a spell to push them out of harm’s way.

‘Anemos!’

Using wind magic, I created a gust of wind to push them out of the Sarkas’s reach.

Luna, who had been pushed back, shouted at me.

“Saya, your side…!”

I was struck by the lower part of the Sarkas’s arm, which I hadn’t been able to avoid, and was thrown to the ground like an empty can.

It felt less like being hit by a living creature and more like being struck by a truck.

The impact left my right arm completely crushed, and searing pain rushed through me.

“Ugh…!”

One of the giant heads immediately turned toward me, its fangs bared as it lunged.

“Pagos!”

Yuri intervened just in time.

She erected ice walls around me and used her Osteon’s body to block the Sarkas’s teeth.

Yuri’s Osteon, now missing its upper half, revealed its core, glowing with a blue light.

“…I’m sorry, Gigantas.”

Fortunately, Gigantas, with its core intact, was dismissed by Yuri.

Without a moment to catch my breath, I grabbed her hand and forced myself to stand.

While running, clutching my shattered arm, Yuri and I focused our magic on the Sarkas’s left head. However, it only flinched slightly, and we couldn’t even scratch it.

Once again, the right head lunged at us, but suddenly stopped with a roar.

“Kreueueu-!”

Luna, who had somehow managed to get behind the Sarkas, had driven her saber deep into its hind leg.

“I’ll help! If I stay on its back, I think I can buy some time!”

Where does she get such courage? She climbed onto the Sarkas’s massive body using the saber as a foothold.

Oh my god.

Come to think of it, where was Carne?

“Luna, where’s Carne…!?”

“Carne went to call the instructor!!”

I’m screwed.

Of all people, Carne had to be the one to go.

From her perspective, she might even hope Yuri dies here.

Luna was buying time by riding on the Sarkas’s back.

We needed something powerful to inflict real damage.

“Woof! Woof!”

“Why did you come back!?”

Daengdaengi, whom I had blown away with the wind, was now running beside me.

I thought it would die in vain, but it surprisingly dodged the Sarkas’s attacks with its agile movements.

As if retaliating against the creature that had attacked it, Daengdaengi opened its mouth and began firing small Dark Bullets.

Seizing the opportunity, I clung to Daengdaengi and climbed onto its back.

“Grrrr! Woof! Woof!”

As soon as I mounted it, Daengdaengi shook its body violently, trying to throw me off.

‘If I die, you die too, you bastard…!’

When I conveyed that thought, Daengdaengi let out a dissatisfied growl but eventually calmed down.

‘Did it understand…?’

It seemed Daengdaengi didn’t want to die either.

With this, I could fully entrust our movement to Daengdaengi.

“Saya…! I’m reaching my limit…!”

Luna, who was grappling with the left head on the Sarkas’s back, shouted.

Without delay, I quickly cast a spell.

‘Scotadi.’

Using Daengdaengi’s body as the focal point, I spread a dark curtain around us.

Since I had cast the Scotadi spell on Daengdaengi, the dark curtain moved with us.

‘Carefully…!’

I couldn’t see ahead, but I reached out in the direction of the sound.

The sphere forming at my fingertips grew in size, absorbing the surrounding darkness.

I concentrated the Dark Bullet at my fingertips, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

‘Now…!’

I fired the massive bullet at the Sarkas’s right head.

‘Dark Bullet!’

When the attack hit, the Sarkas lost its balance and rolled its massive body on the ground.

Luna, who had been on its back, was thrown off by the impact.

Holding my breath, I watched the Sarkas’s condition.

“…This is crazy…”

It wasn’t that I hadn’t inflicted damage. But it wasn’t a fatal wound.

The small hole created by the Dark Bullet was quickly filled with black flesh, as if nothing had happened.

Its regeneration speed far surpassed that of the giant rabbit we had faced before.

Fortunately, hitting its head had disrupted its balance, so it staggered while recovering.

It seemed unlikely we could finish it off easily. I turned to Daengdaengi with a request.

“…Daengdaengi. Take Luna and get out of here.”

“…Woof!”

Fortunately, Daengdaengi seemed to understand. It quickly picked up the unconscious Luna and fled the battlefield.

Even the Dark Bullet at maximum power hadn’t done much to the Sarkas.

Yuri, grimacing, muttered as she stared at the creature.

“If only I had a catalyst… I could manage something with intermediate magic…”

Catalyst. A material consumed when using intermediate magic.

It was a liquid made by melting and concentrating bloodstones, and due to the small amount extracted, it was an extremely expensive item.

‘Catalyst…’

I glanced at the bloodstone bags we had collected earlier.

One bag from Yuri’s side, and another I had stolen earlier—two bags in total.

Rip—

Before the Sarkas regained its balance, I tore open the bags and poured the bloodstones onto the ground.

Then, I stomped on them vigorously, grinding them into powder.

Seeing this, Yuri asked,

“What are you doing…?”

“Catalysts are just bloodstones in a different form. If we have enough, it might have the same effect.”

Yuri, though skeptical, soon joined in to help.

We gathered the powdered bloodstones into a pile.

“Will it work…?”

“…It has to work.”

If it didn’t, we were both done for.

The Sarkas, regaining its balance, raised its head and glared at us.

Yuri buried her hand in the pile of bloodstone powder and began to chant.

“O Osteon of frost…!”

The pile of bloodstones glowed briefly at her chant but then dimmed again.

The Sarkas, now focused on us, began charging with increasing speed.

Despite her repeated chants, the same thing happened each time.

Yuri’s face paled as her spells continued to fail.

“It’s no use… It seems it needs to be a proper catalyst…”

Even for a moment, the bloodstones had reacted.

Something was needed to draw out more of her emotions.

“Yuri, do you remember when we fought?”

“…Why bring that up now?”

“It was overwhelming. Of course, on my side.”

Yuri’s expression twisted at the provocation, given the dire situation.

“Why are you talking about that now…”

“With the feelings you’re feeling now, chant again.”

She glared at me for a moment but then began chanting again.

If Yuri failed, it was over.

After taking a deep breath, her chant began.

“O Osteon of frost…”

The bloodstone powder burned black, and the air around us grew cold.

“With a blue spear, pierce all things…!”

A blue light emanated from Yuri’s body, illuminating her brightly.

A massive ice spear erupted from the ground with a cracking sound, piercing the Sarkas’s head with precision.

The Sarkas, now impaled like a skewer, screamed with its remaining head.

“Kraaaaa-!”

Yuri herself seemed surprised by the sheer scale of the ice spear.

“I’ve never created one this big…? What’s the principle?”

Yuri’s anger had successfully fueled the spell, acting as a catalyst.

“It’s complicated to explain. I’ll tell you later.”

“…After this is over, explain it properly.”

Yuri, having launched the ice spear, slowly drove it deeper into the Sarkas’s torso.

“Krrr…!”

As the ice blade descended, it tore through the Sarkas’s tough hide, gradually revealing its heart.

The core, glowing red, was now exposed.

The problem was the other head.

It opened its mouth wide and began spewing flames at the ice spear.

‘Is it trying to break it…?’

Sparks flew from its mouth as it unleashed a torrent of fire, slowly melting the ice spear.

‘A Sarkas, using magic…!?’

The flames weakened the ice spear, preventing it from reaching the core.

“We’re almost there…!”

Yuri’s ice spear was just shy of the core, but the melting ice could no longer advance.

I drew my dagger with my one good arm and rushed toward the Sarkas.

‘Damn it, at a time like this… my arm…!’

Just as I was about to charge, someone lifted me up.

“…!?”

“Don’t move. Your arm is shattered.”

I immediately recognized him by the overpowering smell of alcohol and his disheveled appearance.

‘Instructor Cled…!’

He carried me like a sack and set me down next to Yuri.

Cled unwrapped the bandages from his greatsword and asked Yuri,

“Sorry I’m late. What’s the situation?”

“…I bound it with magic, but as you can see, it’s about to break free.”

“How long can you hold it?”

“…About 20 seconds.”

The instructor checked the location of the Sarkas’s heart and nodded.

“That’s enough.”

He charged forward with his greatsword and began cutting through the Sarkas’s legs at an incredible speed.

The tough tissue was sliced away as if it were nothing under Cled’s blade.

After a few strikes, he cleanly severed the Sarkas’s front leg.

“Kraaaa-!”

His movements were familiar, as if I’d seen them somewhere before.

He cut through the other legs that tried to shake him off, using an array of weapons attached to his body.

Now that I looked closely, there wasn’t a spot from his elbow to his wrist that didn’t have a weapon.

He swung a blade attached to his ankle to make a cut and dug deep with a wrist-mounted sword.

‘…Could it be…?’

The reason it felt familiar was that he was using the beastmen’s martial arts.

“Kraa-!!!”

The ice spear shattered, releasing the Sarkas, but with all its legs severed, it struggled wildly with its remaining head.

To protect its heart, it spewed even more intense flames than before.

“You’re being difficult.”

Cled pulled out a potion from his pocket and doused himself in it.

Now flame-resistant, he leaped into the flames without hesitation.

While enduring the flames, he drove his greatsword deep into the Sarkas’s core.

A terrible scream echoed as the Sarkas disintegrated.

Cled casually brushed off his clothes, lifted a bloodstone the size of a boulder, and said,

“…Now they’re encroaching on other Sarkas’ habitats. Nasty bastards.”

Yuri, finally relieved, slumped to the ground.

Next to her, I began to feel the full extent of the pain in my arm.

Soon, other students arrived to support me, and I stood up with difficulty, leaning on them.

“Class is dismissed early. Everyone, clean up.”

Lying on a sickbed, I received updates whenever Luna visited.

The bodies we had seen when encountering the Master Sarkas were not students but illegal residents on the outskirts of Semal. Fortunately, there were no student casualties.

Yuri was still recovering, and aside from my shattered arm, there were no major injuries.

…This Sarkas had even used magic.

Since the occurrence of Chaos, had such things become more common?

I also had several questions about Instructor Cled.

What had he been doing outside, and how did he know the beastmen’s martial arts?

I was staring blankly out the window when someone entered the hospital room.

“…Carne.”

“What, were you disappointed it was me?”

Carne Eckermann. Knowing she was plotting to kill Yuri, I couldn’t let my guard down for a moment.

“Carne. Honestly, I thought you’d abandon us. It was a chance to let Yuri die naturally.”

It had been surprising when Carne went to call the instructor.

“…I’m confident I can kill her whenever I want. More than anything, it’s not the time yet.”

Carne’s knees were covered in scars, as if she had fallen and bled profusely.

“You got hurt a lot. Was there something urgent?”

“…Mind your own business. The grade evaluation results are out, so let’s open this together.”

Since we both had the common goal of achieving an S grade, we were equally focused as we checked the results.

“Shall we open it…?”

I nodded, and she opened the envelope.

“Team evaluation results based on grades…”

We read the letters aloud.

‘…F.’

The grade we had earned while breaking my arm was an F.