What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 331

#331

The Great Adventures (9)

-KWA-AAAAANG—!

“Ugh!”

Faaaaaah…! I tensed my entire body and squeezed my eyes shut.

I endured, pouring out Ether until the other side of my closed eyelids glowed entirely gold.

Some bizarre scream burst from my lips, but I didn’t care.

Belatedly, I realized and fumbled for the Growth [a magical item] in my pocket.

If there’s Growth, I can use my power more efficiently!

“Uh… ?”

As I searched for the Growth with my eyes closed, I suddenly felt something was off.

Why isn’t there any impact on the holy ground? Since it went ‘Kwang,’ shouldn’t the world be shaking by now?

“Hmph.”

The Crown Prince behind me scoffed, and as if on cue, my eyes snapped open.

It had all happened in just two or three seconds. I quickly raised my eyes to scan the night sky.

A fierce wind whipped through the Crown Prince’s and my hair.

The Myth-grade monster that had been plummeting like an asteroid was being sent flying off into the distance, struck by something.

I could barely breathe, struggling to keep up with the overwhelming situation. Instead, what filled our vision was—

-Kuuuung…!

“Crazy!”

It was the incarnation of a colossal pile of rocks, as majestic as any local mountain.

My jaw dropped at the unbelievable turn of events.

It was a Golem several times larger than the one I had seen in the Blanquer Duchy.

Roughly the size of that thing’s mother, I supposed.

The monster swung its arm like a boxer throwing an uppercut, moving in slow motion.

I waved the Growth, the size of a bookmark, in the air. So, that thing was the one who hit it.

It was truly a series of shocks!

“What,”

What is it? What the heck is it!?

-Kugugugung—!

The massive monster was slammed into the dirt.

Kuuung! Kuuuung! The Golem moved its legs and began striding towards it.

A mud-soaked winged beast flapped its wings, trying to rise.

I panicked, putting the Growth away and taking it out again repeatedly.

It’s like Godzilla versus King Kong! I can’t tell if things are going well or not!

“…So, you finally came.”

“Yes? Huh?”

Crown Prince Cedric whispered, and I hurriedly followed his gaze.

On the opposite side of the monster and the magical creature—

“Oh…”

A very familiar carriage was parked.

It was far away and dark, but its appearance was hard to mistake.

A fancy roof and dazzling patterns. A luxurious dark red flag.

The means of transportation I had used more often than the subway until recently. A place where my friends were always bustling.

-Wheeeee…

A man with long, white hair stood in front of the nostalgic Imperial carriage.

For a moment, I felt like my eyes would pop out.

Not even slightly wet, he looked like a phantom or a ghost.

The gaze that stared straight at me was even somewhat chilling.

How did Sir Johan get all the way here—

“Now it’s done, honey? You hit it once, that’s the end!”

Hmph! It was a woman’s voice I had heard somewhere before. My head snapped around.

I was beyond confused, to the point of feeling a slight nausea.

Because the Crown Prince was blocking my way, I could only confirm her face by standing on tiptoe.

Wait, I know that face? Where did I see her?

“No. I can’t release you until the magical creature is gone.”

“Oh my? Cleaner! I thought you had some talent, but you were a con artist?”

Sir Johan replied gently to her, and the woman flared up in anger.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side, the wrestling match between Godzilla, no, the monster and the magical creature was in full swing.

Kugugugu…! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! The Golem, having grabbed the magical creature’s wings with both arms, was being relentlessly pecked by its sharp beak.

Zzzzzz, Chijijijik—! The electric-attribute beast resisted wildly, but the rock mass didn’t budge.

I wandered for a long time, not knowing where to look, and decided to observe the familiar people first.

Sensual face. Wavy hair, a mole on her cheek.

An outrageous outfit that left no place to put my eyes. Lips as red as construction paper.

…Ah!

“Your Highness, that person! I saw her in Moreno Carvansarai!”

“A human trafficker.”

He cut me off in one stroke. I nodded absentmindedly.

It was the unvarnished truth.

At the time, my friends didn’t want me wandering freely in Moreno, which was swarming with paladins [holy warriors].

I remembered feeling frustrated because I couldn’t even buy a snack and was stuck in my room.

But according to Sir Johan and Sant, Moreno was a really dangerous place.

Duels between paladins over priests occurred, and kidnappings and elopements were reported every quarter.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to scare me; it was real. I almost got caught too!

‘Are you a priest too? Were you trapped like me?’

‘I see. I thought we were in a similar situation, so I tried talking to you…’

That day, the one who tried to lure me out was that person.

From a window in a room at the inn, she pretended to be a pitiful and sad priest, trying to get my help.

It was an incident that exploited the fact that priests couldn’t sense the Ether of paladins.

I didn’t know it then, but she was actually trying to steal me.

To sell me off to a high-ranking paladin family!

‘Then, can I see you at the restaurant tonight? I want to hear your story…’

-Kwaaang!

-Clang! Clang!

‘Damn it!’

It was the Crown Prince who ruined it.

The woman rode away on an incredibly fast horse and wasn’t caught in the end, and the second floor of the Carvansarai was horribly destroyed.

We ended up being kicked out of the inn with three accumulated warnings.

I frowned and looked back and forth between Sir Johan and her.

How did Herit’s father come with that person?

Now that I see it, the woman was holding a rock the size of tofu in her hand. It was emitting an unpleasant red light…

“Mana? Could she be controlling the Golem with that?”

“…Yes. It’s the Golem’s Mana Core.”

The Crown Prince answered my question in a low voice. A light bulb flashed in my head!

I wanted to turn on my phone and look at the memo, but I couldn’t do that in front of him, so I just spun my wheels.

The settings I had studied hard at home unfolded like a bookshelf. Let’s see…

-Kieeeek…! Keureureure…!

-Kuuuung! Tuuuuung!

-Chijijik, Chijijijik—!

‘Mana Core(核) [Nucleus].’

It plays the central role of a magical creature, as important and essential as the heart or brain in a person.

Just as my Ether springs from the heart, magical creatures use the Mana from the Mana Core as their energy.

Usually, it disappears from the body when the magical creature’s breath is cut off, and unlike Mana Stones, it doesn’t exist in its natural state.

Since the location of the Mana Core is different for each individual, hunters kill by aiming for ordinary vital points rather than looking for the core, I read.

…But how is that outside the Golem’s body?

Is it possible because the Golem is a monster, not a magical creature? Then is that person controlling the Mana a mage?

“If I get rid of this guy, you’ll release me, right? Promise!”

The woman shouted loudly at Sir Johan.

The Cardinal only gave a soft smile.

I had no idea what ‘release’ meant since a while ago, but when I squinted, I saw a dark Ether restraint on her neck.

So you finally caught her!

“Then I’ll clean up.”

Sir Johan raised his voice slightly. Before I even realized that he was talking to us,

-Spot!

His figure disappeared from view,

-Wooong! Gooooo…!

A magnificent whirlwind began to rise in the sky above the wrestling match between the magical creature and the monster.

The dark clouds in the night sky, which seemed to have receded, were being drawn in like a magnet.

The August night breeze was chilling enough to make you shiver. I reflexively took a step back.

I had seen that before, and I knew well what it was and how terrifying its power could be.

I thought I had forgotten the fear of that day, but I was wrong.

Saaa, saaaaa, saaaaa—! The terrified trees stretched their branches in all directions, trying to run away.

The human trafficker turned serious and hurriedly fled this way.

Spot! A faint figure appeared in the center of the tornado.

It was obscured by the fierce wind, but I could clearly recognize it by the fluttering white hair and jade coat.

-Ssaaaaaeng—!

-Kieeeek!

…The Cardinal is about to use a Saint Mark [a powerful divine attack]. Against a Myth-grade magical creature with one wing folded.

“Ugh.”

-Tak!

“Why is he like this again.”

I was startled as I supported the suddenly staggering Crown Prince.

Thud! The Hyegeom [Crown Prince’s sword] rolled on the ground again.

Seeing his hand drooping, I realized he had dropped it, not intentionally, but because he had lost his grip.

I was worried about what was wrong and hurriedly checked his complexion.

“…”

“Oh my. God, Buddha.”

Saaaa…. The man was rapidly becoming younger. He was already in his late teens.

His height and build were definitely smaller than before, and his orange eyes were only dull without any fighting spirit.

Seeing his forehead soaked with cold sweat, I felt a sense of crisis.

He didn’t say anything, but I could instinctively tell.

“It’s okay. Let’s rest now.”

I’m tired. I can’t take it anymore. I was relieved to see Sir Johan, so my tension was relieved.

“Trosarte, the dungeon…”

It was a younger voice than I knew. I instantly forgot my fear and stood firm.

It was literally a crazy situation.

On the other side, the match of the century was unfolding live, Sir Johan was charging his ultimate move in the sky, a human trafficker was controlling a monster nearby, and a carriage carrying the wounded was trembling right in front of me.

And even the Crown Prince was about to be knocked down.

I couldn’t just tremble here, scared of the Saint Mark. Absolutely not!

“A dungeon opened in the Trosarte territory? Is that why the magical creatures came out?”

I asked calmly. Pronouncing as accurately as possible.

“Must block… Inland.”

“Yeah. You have to block the entrance to prevent them from advancing into the Shin-guk inland. How?”

“…You.”

Thud. And the teenager’s head fell powerlessly.

I stood there helplessly, holding the little one with all my strength.

What am I supposed to do? Block the cave with my body?

“Seidi?”

“…”

The sleeping teenager was heavy and silent.

I quickly gave up and looked around, groaning.

Bangjoo, who had already come out of the evacuation carriage, was fluttering around the carriage and horses.

It seemed like they were preparing for the aftermath of the Saint Mark in earnest. I quickly looked at the sky over there.

Swaaaaa—! A majestic, disaster-like vortex that obscured the horizon was spewing out white Ether.

I could see Sir Johan pulling a transparent bowstring. I quickly lowered my gaze.

Kwagagang! I could finally see cracks in the beak of the Golem, which was constantly being hit by rocks.

‘Armando, don’t lose!’ The criminal was moving the Mana Core like a joystick, focusing on controlling the Golem.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck me.

“Sir Johan!”

I immediately shouted towards the sky at the top of my lungs.

It was too far away to see his expression, and there was no guarantee that he would recognize me, but—

“Please take care of the Golem! I think that guy will be useful!”

If the opponent was Johan Haines, I could trust him.

I was sure he would understand and accept it.

The human trafficker looked back and forth between us, trying to figure out the situation.

The rushing wind and the noise of the monsters made my ears ring.

I shouted at her.

“I’m asking you too! I know it’s a difficult request, but it can save many people,”

-Woooowoong…!

At the same time, the size of the dragon’s ascent gradually decreased. A bright smile naturally appeared.

The Cardinal had listened to me. The woman bit her white teeth tightly and glared at me,

“You have to release me, honey! Promise!”

She shouted that and raised the Mana Core above her head.

The situation unfolded so quickly.

Kuuung! The Golem imitated her posture, raising both arms and stepping back,

-Kieeeek, Keureureure—!

The enraged Myth-grade magical creature immediately took flight and spat out an angry roar.

Bbeonjjeok— Jjeojeojeojeok! Terrible lightning and thunder fell towards Sir Johan.

At the same time, an arrow of God, clad in a blindingly white breeze, was fired.

Along with the oracle I had heard someday.

[Become the twilight alone. Tempéstas.]

-Ssaaaaaaek!

Kwaaaaaang! It was a chain of overwhelming radiance and explosions that could not be resisted.

Even though I was carrying the Crown Prince on my back, I was thrown back by the shockwave.

The Archbishop’s second circle, the holy ground, like the sanctuary, could not block me unless it was a ‘force trying to harm’ me.

Even as my body floated and flew away, I held onto Seidi, who was bigger than me.

No, I can’t drop the kid, if he hits his head or something…

-Teolpeodeok! Teolseok!

“Aah! Ugh, ugh…”

Puhshion! I sprawled on the mattress with the teenager.

A velvet-like, fluffy cloth rippled before my eyes.

I struggled to raise my waist and checked the little one’s condition.

Fortunately, neither he nor I seemed to be seriously injured.

My surprised back muscles were throbbing, but I was really fine. Lord God, thank you.

“Huh?”

No, wait a minute. Mattress?

Only then did I grope the floor and look around like a crazy person.

Looking again, what had caught us was not an ordinary object.

“It’s a flower…. Looks like amaranth.”

It was a very, very large, very, very fluffy flower head that looked just like a rooster’s comb.

I opened my mouth in amazement.

And feeling my eyes getting hot, I slowly turned my gaze.

Suddenly, I felt dazed. The miracle was like a lie.

-Kiiiing!

From the direction of the Imperial carriage, Demi, Leia, and Peri were running towards me.

Behind the three of them were Sant, holding Tite, and….

“Benjamin!”

-Kkia!

-Kkiit!

-Kkihu!

The middle-aged man who was always kind to me was visible.

I hugged the Lesser Pandas who jumped into my arms and lowered my head.

I was overwhelmed and happy that the small and affectionate warmth embraced me.

‘Kkii, kkii, kkii—’ Every time my vision blurred, Demi licked my cheeks and eyelashes.

So I could tell it wasn’t a dream.

“I missed you too, hyung…”

Thank you. All of it.