He set Kaniel down inside the dead end and turned around, drawing his sword.
Arkan had already thrown his backpack inside and was in the middle of transforming into a bear. His body seemed to swell up, then black fur sprouted and sharp fangs grew.
“GRAAWR!”
A roar filled with a sense of liberation echoed through the space. The moment the demonic creatures flinched at the power contained in the roar’s sound, the giant bear’s fist fell upon them.
Five rat demonic creatures became unable to move in one blow.
“Wow, this is convenient since the floor isn’t breaking?”
Earlier, he’d thought it would be difficult to escape because the maze walls wouldn’t break, but this time that became an advantage instead. Arkan grinned and struck down the rat demonic creatures without controlling his strength. Each time he swung his fist, black smoke rose up.
“Hiiik…”
Kaniel, who had been watching that scene, flinched and trembled as he stepped back. The person who had been scary at first had done so many foolish things that he’d become somewhat comfortable, but seeing him punch away like he’d gone crazy made him scared again.
He even engaged in such self-reflection as to wonder: Have I done anything rude to that person until now?
However, his attention was only stolen by such thoughts for a moment. He realized that Taeyon was taking down one by one the rat demonic creatures that Arkan, excited and rampaging, had missed, and that this was clearly to protect him.
Kaniel, who had almost no combat power—to protect him.
Seeing that, along with a pain like needles poking his stomach, a sense of crisis surged up that he had to do something. What should he do?
‘The wind blade might attack allies too.’
‘The protective barrier has little meaning in this situation.’
‘Attack magic is… no. My role is more than that.’
Just as the two beastkin were fundamentally warriors, Kaniel was a mage and monster tamer. So rather than struggling to catch up to what warriors could do, he needed to do what a mage and demon beast tamer could do.
“<Clear air in this space…!>”
This was a simple ventilation magic.
The wind extended at high speed, simultaneously in multiple directions, splitting at intersections and returning at dead ends, searching for doors connected to the outside. In that process, Kaniel sensed the positions of the walls and the directions the paths connected to, drawing a map of the maze in his head.
It was when the map was almost complete.
Kaniel’s eyes snapped wide open in surprise.
“T-Taeyon!”
“Yes.”
“The child, I found the child.”
“…Can you find the way there?”
“Yes, I can do it!”
At Kaniel’s answer, Taeyon checked the ability wavelength still seething inside his body. The ability wavelength that had been like boiling water until just a while ago had subsided somewhat.
Ability wavelengths naturally subside on their own. However, the closer one gets to going berserk, the lower one’s natural recovery ability becomes, and until just a while ago, Taeyon’s condition had been right before going berserk. Naturally, it was difficult to expect natural improvement. Yet recently, each time he checked, it had improved even slightly.
The only thing that could be considered the cause of that…
Taeyon glanced at Kaniel, then turned his gaze back forward. Confirmation could come later. Right now, he needed to focus on what was in front of him.
“Arkan, fall back!”
“Yes!”
The large bear leapt back with a spring and landed on the floor while spinning round and round like performing tricks. Each time he spun, the bear gradually transformed to look more human, and by the time he touched the floor, he had completely become a beastkin.
When the person blocking the path disappeared, the rat demonic creatures surged in like a tidal wave again. They had slaughtered close to a hundred demonic creatures so far, yet this many still remained. The moment the rat demonic creature at the front leaped toward the enemy, a flash—light shot up from Taeyon’s hand.
And it transferred to the rat demonic creature in the lead, then rapidly spread to other rat demonic creatures it touched. Along with the flashing light was a crackling sound, as if something was popping.
“What in the world is this…?”
There was a burnt smell. The rat demonic creature that had stiffened and dropped to the floor soon became black smoke and disappeared.
Is it magic? No, it was somehow different from magic. Kaniel recalled the rabbit beastkin he’d met in the first village asking if magic was an ability when they saw it. He also recalled them shouting that it was an ability when they saw Taeyon’s speed was fast while fleeing from the Winged Tribe kidnappers.
“As I said, Taeyon-nim’s ability is amazing.”
A gaze close to awe was looking at Taeyon fervently. Arkan’s eyes flashed and shone.
“What exactly is an ability?”
Kaniel had vaguely guessed that abilities might be one of the powers that enhanced the body. But seeing the scene of lightning flashing and racing among the rat demonic creatures, it seemed completely different from his guess.
“Abilities are powers you’re born with innately. There are abilities so diverse that you could say there are as many abilities as there are ability users. As you can see, Taeyon-nim’s ability is lightning itself.”
“Lightning itself…”
Does that mean he can handle lightning and can also become lightning? Kaniel felt it was so fascinating that such power existed. He could feel magical power from the electricity Taeyon handled. Just like magic. Then wouldn’t that mean Taeyon was using magic without even reciting incantations?
A light of admiration also flashed in Kaniel’s eyes.
“They’re not coming anymore. Kaniel, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
“What’s with that look?”
“This thing called abilities is amazing.”
Kaniel continued speaking as he approached Taeyon.
“I thought only humans were mages, but it seems there are beastkin who are born innately as mages too.”
“Magic? Can you call this magic?”
“It’s a power that uses magical power, so it’s a type of magic. And you can use it innately. That’s amazing.”
At those words, Taeyon smiled bitterly.
“It’s not all that amazing. The penalty is serious.”
“Penalty?”
“Let’s talk about this later. We need to find the child.”
“Ah! I’m sorry.”
Kaniel apologized in confusion. Even though he knew that finding the child was the most important thing right now, he’d unknowingly gotten distracted by talk of magic.
“That way. Go out from here and… Wah!”
Kaniel, who had been leaving the dead end, flinched in surprise and curled up his body. The moment he stepped forward, Taeyon had grabbed his waist and pulled him back. Looking down in surprise, rat demonic creatures were passing by them.
Since they weren’t swarming toward where they were, he’d thought they’d dealt with them all, but that wasn’t it. The rat demonic creatures were running toward a certain direction. As if they had business more important than chasing out intruders, they didn’t even pay attention to the three of them.
“The demon beast… did something, didn’t it? Right?”
“Right. Otherwise there’s no way they’d ignore people and pass by like this.”
Kaniel, who had been watching the direction the rats were running toward for a moment, spoke hesitantly.
“I hope this is just my groundless worry…”
“What is it?”
“The direction they’re running toward seems to be the direction where the child is.”
“…Let’s hurry.”
Taeyon scooped up Kaniel. Since it wasn’t a combat situation, this time he held him in a position supporting his back and the back of his knees, cradling his neck.
While thinking it wasn’t the time for this, Kaniel couldn’t help his cheeks reddening. When it was just the two of them it was still okay, but since Arkan was watching, he felt pointlessly embarrassed.
“Let’s go. Guide the direction, Kaniel.”
“Yes, that way for now.”
Taeyon and Arkan began running quickly. At first Kaniel explained the direction, but soon there was no need for that. With the directions overlapping like this, they couldn’t say Kaniel’s concern was just a groundless worry.
The party, cutting through the rat demonic creatures and running through the winding maze, turned a corner and came face to face with a scene where a small girl child was being cornered by demonic creatures in a narrow hall-like space, shuffling her steps.
It was strange to say, but the rat demonic creatures were moving as if herding the child toward a specific direction.
“Arkan!”
“Going!”
Arkan ran out with thundering steps. Each time he stepped down, the rat demonic creatures crushed beneath turned into bursts of black smoke and disappeared.
The raccoon beastkin child who had raised her head at the thundering sound was snatched up by Arkan without even a chance to react.
“Hyuk…!”
“We came to rescue you, kiddo!”
“I-is it really true…?”
“Of course it’s true!”
Arkan, holding the child, could no longer move violently. Though he was dealing with the rat demonic creatures with movements like tap dancing, that wasn’t enough.
When had so many rat demonic creatures gathered—over a hundred rat demonic creatures were swarming in from all directions again.
“Kaniel, a protective barrier.”
“Yes!”
Kaniel, who had stepped down to the floor, manipulated his magical power and recited an incantation.
“<A barrier to protect allies…!>”
Then a transparent dome-shaped magic barrier formed and inflated largely. The rat demonic creatures that had been inside the area were flung outside.
It was a protective barrier that people Kaniel recognized as allies could pass through, but blocked everything else. When the protective barrier was complete, Arkan quickly ran inside it.
THUD—the moment Arkan entered the protective barrier with heavy footsteps, Taeyon again activated the ability he’d used earlier.
