CHAPTER 28……………………….
. Something That Cannot Be Imitated
The first frost had fallen.
“Autumn has come.”
For the members who had survived in Ice Rock for years, he was the one who told them of the changing seasons.
Otherwise, in the pure white landscape of the snow-covered mountains, there was no change at all.
Towering peaks buried in snow year-round.
Thin conifers covered with powdery layers of snow.
Icicles clinging to tall trees.
And the members of the magic corps who trained relentlessly every single day.
“Run!”
“Uooooh!”
By now, no one collapsed from something as simple as running.
Even the newcomer, Barent, was so driven with grit that he could nearly keep up with Hagen.
He still gasped for breath, but he was steadily adapting.
“His body looks like it’s shaping up well.”
Ronan, standing next to me with his arms crossed, spoke while watching Barent.
“He’s at that age where he’ll grow quickly. Eat, sleep, train, and that much progress is natural.”
“……Just not running away under that treatment is impressive enough.”
“You wouldn’t have run away either, right?”
Ronan only shrugged instead of answering.
“Get ready to head out.”
“Why? Another snow worm?”
Even if they weren’t swarming, snow worms appeared often.
Patrolling the fortress borders and exterminating the snow worms we spotted was a relatively common task.
Most of the patrols and defense were the combat unit’s responsibility, but in dealing with snow worms, Hog and I often assisted.
It was to minimize any potential loss of fighting power.
“No.”
But the snowy mountains held more than just snow worms.
“We think we’ve found traces of another monster.”
Once, countless creatures had lived in these snowy mountains.
The calamity of the mountains.
Living ice.
That was before the dragon, Vibriont, appeared.
With Vibriont’s arrival, most of the lifeforms abandoned the mountains.
They could not withstand that overwhelming power.
In other words, only those who could withstand such power remained here.
That hadn’t changed even after Siruela’s expedition to subdue Ice Rock had failed.
Most of the snow worms had multiplied by feeding on the corpses of the subjugation army who perished then, but that alone could not explain how their numbers ballooned so much every winter.
Naturally, other life still lurked in the mountains.
“Are, are we going hun… hunting?”
Hog asked from behind me, shield in hand.
Sometimes, senior members had brought back bears, boars, or wolves from hunts.
“It is a hunt, yes.”
I trudged through the snow behind Ronan.
“Not for meat, though.”
“Then… for, for what…?”
“Magic stones.”
Meat and hide were useful, but thanks to supplies, they weren’t essential.
Magic stones, however, were indispensable for fighting calamities.
To defeat the calamity Vibriont, we needed high-level magic.
To properly use high-level spells, one had to reach the 5th Circle.
The problem was the cursedly massive amount of mana required.
Ordinary mages could reach 5th Circle in two or three years of steady mana accumulation.
They had the methods and the benefits of Magic, so it was feasible.
But this body—Esric’s Circle—was abnormally large.
That allowed me to use magic above my Circle, but required an even vaster amount of mana to create the next Circle.
“As long as you’ve got enough mana, isn’t that fine?”
“How many times must I tell you it’s not that simple?”
I snapped at the back of Ronan’s head as he led the way.
I must’ve explained three times already, but since he still didn’t get it, he clearly wasn’t mage material.
“High-level magic isn’t just about more mana. You have to accelerate mana circulation, and for that, the ring’s length—”
“Shh.”
Ronan halted and raised his fist.
He silently jerked his chin ahead.
I craned my neck to see over his shoulder…
“There it is.”
A massive, shaggy beast was lumbering at the mouth of a cave.
A long, thick body.
Dense fur so heavy it dragged across the ground.
Six hands flashing briefly through the swaying coat as it moved.
It crawled using those hands as though they were feet—a grotesque creature.
Seeing it for the first time in his life, Hog gulped audibly.
“W-what on earth is… that?”
“I don’t know. I was just told to look for signs of something unusual. I expected boar or bear, but… clearly not.”
Even Ronan shook his head at Hog’s question.
“How could a boar or bear survive in snow worm territory?”
“T-then what is it…?”
“You mean you don’t know?”
I grinned.
I had asked Ronan and the combat unit patrols to notify me whenever they spotted unusual traces.
Until now, it had only been common animals like bears or wolves.
A few times it turned out to be snow worms, which was a false lead.
But what I sought was a powerful lifeform.
One that had survived under a dragon’s dominion.
Such beings were almost guaranteed to possess magic stones.
And the creature before me was exactly that…
“Echofang.”
The very thing I had been hoping for.
“A real prize.”
I leapt past Ronan and charged straight toward the Echofang.
While Ronan and Hog hesitated at my sudden movement—
“<Rising spark, blooming flame, blazing fire.>”
Wooom— I channeled mana through my Circle as I chanted.
“<Untouchable fire, flying blaze, burst the enemy apart.>”
Whoosh— a fireball roared to life above my hand.
The Echofang turned its head toward me.
From beneath the shaggy fur, huge, round, grotesque eyes stared at me.
“.”
The moment our eyes met, I cast the spell.
The fireball hurtled toward the Echofang.
It raised its long body, propping itself on four hands, baring the belly hidden beneath its fur.
The belly split open vertically—
Revealing a gaping maw lined with razor teeth.
That mouth, though massive, snapped open and shut rapidly.
<<Rising spark, blooming flame, blazing fire.>>
<<Untouchable fire, flying blaze, burst the enemy apart.>>
The Echofang recited my chant.
No, to be precise—
<<Fireball.>>
It even mimicked my voice.
Whooosh— Fwoom!
A fireball flared above the Echofang’s hand and shot at me.
The two fireballs collided midair with a thunderous boom.
Flames scattered across the snowy field.
“What the hell?”
“W-what…?!”
Ronan and Hog, rushing up behind, raised sword and shield.
“I told you—it’s an Echofang.”
“And I told you—what the hell is that?”
“T-that was your voice!”
“Don’t you know? It’s a monster that perfectly mimics voices. A mage’s natural enemy.”
“I don’t.”
“A mage’s… natural enemy? Then what do we—?”
“Don’t worry. It’s nothing much.”
I patted Hog’s back, steady despite stammering.
“Just keep your shield up.”
I manifested Magic.
I spun mana faster through my Circles.
No need for other spells—I began chanting Fireball again.
“<Rising spark, blooming flame, blazing fire.>”
“<Untouchable fire, flying blaze, burst the enemy apart.>”
“.”
Another fireball blazed into being.
The Echofang copied me without missing a beat.
<>
Its hand also lit with fire.
“<Rising spark…>.”
<<Rising spark…>>
We repeated.
“.”
<>
Each repetition spawned more fireballs, floating in the air.
Whoosh.
Soon, dozens of Fireballs hovered.
Hog raised his shield higher, tense. Ronan silently adjusted his grip on his sword.
I flicked my hand, sending the fireballs forward.
Whooom— dozens of Fireballs roared toward the Echofang.
Whooom— the Echofang’s fireballs came at me in equal measure.
KABOOOM—!
They exploded in midair, sparks raining down across the snow.
“.”
<>
I kept chanting, launching more fireballs.
The Echofang matched me, firing back.
BOOM BOOM BOOM—!
Hog blocked the scattering flames with his shield.
The Echofang’s casting speed was frightening.
Mimicking meant it started later, yet still kept pace.
Echofang always chanted faster and manifested magic quicker than its foe.
Mages expended Circle mana, while Echofang drew endlessly from ambient mana.
In prolonged battles, Echofang inevitably triumphed.
That’s why it was called the “mage’s natural enemy.”
It mimicked magic perfectly, with no limits to mana.
Was it weak in melee? Not at all.
Those six hands could wield any weapon like a master.
I had seen knights lose their lives after Echofang seized their swords.
And its dense fur couldn’t be cut by ordinary blades.
Ronan’s sword, lacking aura, would be useless.
But despite all that, defeating Echofang was simple.
“<Rising spark, blooming flame, blazing fire.>”
“<Untouchable fire, flying blaze, burst the enemy apart.>”
“.”
Wooooom—
I poured more mana into it.
From my heated Circles, the mana resonated powerfully.
Fwoooosh—!
Using accelerated mana from three Circles, I manifested a Fireball.
The blazing sphere was nearly on par with a “Little Sun.”
In contrast—
<>
The Echofang’s Fireball remained unchanged.
Without Circles, its mana could not circulate.
Without circulation, it could not accelerate.
Without acceleration, no resonance.
Amplifying spells through circulation, acceleration, and resonance—
That was the essence of high-level magic.
I had imitated to push power higher, but without Circles, Echofang couldn’t even copy that.
“Go.”
< Go… >
The Echofang failed to echo my last word.
Because my overwhelming Fireball had swallowed its smaller one and engulfed it whole.
KABOOOOM—!
A pillar of flame erupted with the explosion.
The blaze devoured its shaggy body.
Its six hands flailed, but it was powerless against the inferno.
The Echofang fell in less than five minutes.
“Hot, hot…!”
I dug through its charred corpse.
The other two only watched, not knowing what I was after.
And finally—
“Found it!”
Amid the blackened remains, I pulled out a shining magic stone.
