Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 96

96. Healer

“Kuaang! Kkuang!”

Ratatosk was stuck in a tree, his torso wedged in the gap, flailing. His short limbs couldn’t break the tree.

Swish!

I swung the adamantite dagger and cut down the dry tree. Only then did he set foot on the snowfield.

“Kuang!”

Ratatosk rushed toward me, as if to thank me.

‘Ugh.’

I had used all my aura on Fragarach, leaving me drained. I didn’t have the strength to handle the now-quite-large Ratatosk.

Thud!

We were buried in the snow. He rubbed his soft fur against my cheek.

[Looks like this one wasn’t hurt.]

It seemed natural that he hadn’t taken much damage from the Snow King’s attack.

‘He’s still small, but he’s Ratatosk.’

The absolute ruler of the Xylo Mountains. Even in my prime as Adonis, Ratatosk was an existence I could never hope to defeat. He had been quite sturdy since childhood.

“Let’s go get stronger, too.”

“Kuang!”

I stroked him once and got up. Ratatosk and I headed to where the Snow King had fallen.

“Kuaang!”

Ratatosk approached the fallen Snow King and needlessly rammed his torso into him.

Meanwhile, my gaze went to the Snow King’s face.

‘It’s stuck in deep.’

I grabbed the hilt of Fragarach, which was embedded in his eye.

‘It’s noisy, but it’s amazing.’

[Because it’s a sword that cuts the opponent by its own will.]

The entire long blade of Fragarach was stuck in his head. No matter how strong the Snow King’s martial prowess, it was only natural that he would die.

‘Ugh, this is a bit much, though.’

It was stuck so deep that I struggled for a long time.

Thwack!

Finally, Fragarach was pulled out. Streams of dark red blood covered the snowfield.

‘Hoo. Now, how do I pierce this guy’s skin…….’

[Looking for the core?]

I had defeated him, but the problem wasn’t over yet. I had to find the core inside his body.

A crystal that is the source of a monster’s power. There was no way I could leave without the core containing the Snow King’s power.

‘I went through so much trouble to catch him; I can’t just leave. I’ll feed it to Ratatosk.’

Ordinary monsters wouldn’t even think of touching the Snow King’s core. They would try to absorb the power within, only to be devoured instead.

[Well, Ratatosk could probably digest the Snow King’s core.]

However, it was different for top predators like Ratatosk. He was much bigger than the Snow King.

‘He’ll happily eat it, bones and all.’

The problem, however, was that breaking through the Snow King’s skin was a challenge in itself.

‘How do I dismantle this guy?’

With my aura depleted, I couldn’t think of a good way to cut through his tough hide.

[I don’t think that’s something you need to worry about?]

Oberon gestured with his chin.

Scratch! Scratch!

Ratatosk was already cutting through the Snow King’s skin with his front claws.

‘Ha……. I was worried for nothing. That guy’s claws are probably sharper than most swords.’

[His physical abilities are a cheat.]

He was instinctively digging to find the Snow King’s core. His sharp claws dug into the Snow King’s chest.

“Hoo. But when did this guy get so big? Do squirrels usually grow this big?”

Drew, who had come up beside me, tilted his head, watching Ratatosk work diligently.

“He’ll get even bigger.”

“What? Even more?”

“He’s still just a baby. When he’s fully grown, he’ll be almost as big as a mountain.”

“A, a mountain? What a joke!”

“I’m serious. Actually, this is his hometown.”

Drew twitched an eyebrow at that.

“What does that mean?”

“It means he’s a monster.”

“Hee? This cute guy is a monster?”

I didn’t bother to add that he was the most ferocious of them all. There was no need to shatter his illusions beforehand.

“He’ll probably change a lot once he absorbs all of the Snow King’s energy.”

Just as I finished speaking, a sound reached us.

Crack!

The sound of something hard breaking made us turn our attention to Ratatosk.

He had broken the Snow King’s ribs and was holding a fist-sized bead from inside.

“Kuang!”

He cried out in satisfaction. The black bead he had taken out was the Snow King’s core.

‘Alright, eat it quickly.’

Ratatosk grows by eating monsters. It was an excellent meal for him.

Crunch!

He immediately pierced a hole in the bead with his sharp fangs.

Whooong!

Then, black energy began to escape from the small hole. Ratatosk sucked in all the murky energy that spewed out like smoke.

“Kuaang!”

Soon, he held the entire bead in his cheek and rubbed his cheek against my leg, as if he felt good.

‘Alright. You’ll have to eat for a while.’

The core wasn’t very big, but the Snow King’s energy contained within was enormous. It wasn’t an amount he could absorb in a day or two, so it was much better to carry it in his body.

I stroked the Ratatosk, who had his mouth full of the bead, and headed back.

Whooooong!

Anghel was surrounded by black energy, floating in the air. Thanks to Aries’s help, he was able to float and move in the air.

“How is it! This also has the effect of preventing the wounds from getting worse!”

Aries boasted, as if proud of the magic she had performed.

“That’s a pretty useful ability.”

“Ahem!”

“Did you draw the magic circle properly this time?”

“Wh, what?”

“A headless Bone Dragon, no less. Thanks to you, I saw something interesting.”

Her brow furrowed.

“Eek! Iik!”

But she couldn’t argue with me. Having made a blood pact, she was destined not to rebel against me.

“Hoo! Still, thanks to that, we beat the Snow King.”

“That’s true. We got something good, thanks to you.”

Unintentionally killing the Snow King resulted in obtaining his core. Thanks to that, Ratatosk was absorbing the Snow King’s energy.

“Oh, but there’s a problem.”

Aries suddenly frowned.

“What problem?”

“I can’t fight monsters if I go like this. If I use other magic, this will be canceled.”

She pointed to Anghel, who was floating.

“It’ll take a while to get out of the Xylo Mountains. Do you have a way to get through the monsters?”

That concern was perfectly natural. Returning from Hepta, the seventh district, to the entrance of the Xylo Mountains would be a difficult journey. Of course, that didn’t apply to us, who had the scent of Ghayang.

“Don’t worry about the monsters. I’ll take care of it. Let’s go.”

“Oh! A skilled person who even caught the Snow King?”

Aries raised an eyebrow and pouted. She didn’t know the identity of our Ghayang scent.

“You can think whatever you want. Now, let’s really get out of the Xylo Mountains.”

I stepped onto the snow-covered field.

Thud!

Deep footprints were left, but new snow quickly filled the space.

Whooong!

The fiercely blowing snow didn’t allow our footprints to remain here. As if nothing had ever happened here from the beginning.

* * *

Snowy mountains and lush forests. A place we faced after passing through various terrains.

We had already finished camping in the desolate canyon of Mono, the first district.

“Hoo. Still, since it’s a road we’ve already passed, it seems a bit easier to get out.”

Drew, who had been sitting by the campfire since morning, leisurely bit into a piece of meat.

Aries shook her head as if she couldn’t understand.

“No, aren’t you guys worried at all? Monsters could come out at any time, but you’re so carefree?”

“We haven’t encountered a single one so far. Can’t you believe it yet?”

“Until now, we might have just been lucky that our paths didn’t cross! But the Black Wolves are different! They’re amazing at smelling intruders!”

Aries was vehemently speaking. Even as she spoke, she was looking around above the canyon.

I couldn’t help but understand her.

Oooooooo!

Since entering the wasteland area, howling had continued to echo.

However, the meaning of that howl was a little different from usual.

‘They’re telling them to be careful of us.’

We had already crushed the leader of this place once. They were the guys who would remember us for a while.

“Then, let’s get out quickly since the destination is right in front of us.”

Although Anghel’s wounds weren’t getting any worse, I couldn’t help but feel impatient. Even though dawn hadn’t broken yet, we hurried our steps.

‘Anghel, just hold on a little longer.’

With no one to interfere and the terrain familiar, we were able to reach the entrance of the Xylo Mountains before the afternoon.

“W, we really didn’t see a single one?”

Aries finally opened her mouth wide. She was dumbfounded when the Black Wolves didn’t show up until the end.

“I’ll tell you how I did it later, so let’s go over there for now.”

A huge carriage stood on one side. Rica and Andy, who had been waiting, seemed to have spotted us and approached.

“You’ve arrived!”

“Uh… uh?”

The two people approached faster and faster. They were horrified by the sight of Anghel, who had collapsed while wrapped in black energy.

“Wh, what happened?”

Rica looked at Anghel, who was asleep in the black energy.

“There was a bit of an accident in the mountains.”

“……An accident?”

“I’ll explain on the way. I’ve done some first aid for now, but I think we need to get back to the village quickly.”

“I understand! Please get into the carriage quickly!”

The two ran back to the carriage. They immediately climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Everyone else, go inside the tent.”

Drew and Admun nodded and headed to the tent behind the carriage.

“Okay! Boss!”

Aries took Anghel and followed behind. I headed to the driver’s seat where Andy and Rica were. I had to be their guide, as they were terrified.

“Let’s go to Laptel first. You guys take Anghel and get a room there.”

Hiyah!

Andy immediately whipped the horses. However, Rica’s questioning voice followed.

“A, a room, you say? Not a pharmacy or a cathedral?”

“Yes. The injuries Anghel sustained can’t be healed with mere medicine.”

“Huh……!”

Of course, he couldn’t be saved with ordinary treatment.

Anghel was kicked by the Snow King.

[Probably every bone in his body is broken.]

‘It’s fortunate that his eyes acted as a buffer, saving his life.’

For him, who had weak physical defense, it was fortunate that he was still alive.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll take responsibility and save him.”

Anghel sacrificed himself for me using Blink. I was willing to do anything for him.

“Does the Herald know a good healer?”

“Not a healer, but I know someone with excellent abilities.”

“Where is it? I’ll change direction right away.”

“No. It’s too far to go by carriage. It would be too much to take the injured Anghel. I’ll use the portal in Laptel to go alone.”

“……May I ask where you’re going?”

Among the people I know now, the one with the most outstanding healing abilities.

“I will return to Ego.”

I was planning to find her.