Chapter 54. Rank 6 — Part Eight

Damn… We managed to kill four of them, but seven were still alive. If things continued like this, theoretically we could destroy them as well—but another problem appeared: mana potions.

Rem said that her supply of mana potions was almost exhausted. That was when I remembered that I had the Alchemy skill—I could create mana potions myself. However, Rem immediately rejected the idea. I was only capable of creating third-rank potions, while she needed at least fifth-rank mana potions. Even fourth-rank ones, according to her, would not be enough—the recovery would be far too weak.

Theoretically, we could continue even like this, but then the battle would drag on even longer, because we would have to wait for Sherial’s natural mana regeneration. Rem continued using stone golems to distract the giant monsters, but the golems did not last long—they were simply crushed. These creatures were far too strong.

Destroying four giant monsters took us four days.

Of course, I’m talking about the time spent inside the training room.

When the mana potions run out completely, the interval between attacks will no longer be three hours, but twelve.

Even if we manage to destroy the remaining seven, new ones—giant monsters just like them—could emerge from the center of that black structure.

And what if something even bigger appears? Something even more dangerous? That thought scared me.

No.

Enough thinking about bad things. I need to think positively.

I asked Rem to lend me her sword, but she categorically refused and outright forbade me from engaging these monsters in direct combat.

She said that if something happened to me, the entire plan would collapse, and we could all die because I decided to jump into close combat.

Yeah… that really was a stupid idea.

Right now, my task is simply to find good positions. These monsters reach our attack point too quickly, so I have to constantly change our position.

I teleport outside and almost immediately return back. In other words, I shift about forty meters to the side, instantly return to the training room, move the same forty meters inside toward the wall—and teleport again.

I tried simply running, but the giant monsters are faster than me.

But there is good news. I’ve already learned to teleport and return to the training room so quickly that the monsters barely notice my appearance. Thanks to this, I can easily change positions and increase the distance between us and the monsters, allowing Sherial to attack from a safe range.

In practice, I appear in the outside world only for a moment—less than a tenth of a second—and immediately return. I don’t know whether they even manage to notice my presence at all. Judging by the situation—most likely not.

Of course, when Sherial attacks, the monsters immediately understand where we are. But since we constantly change positions, this does not become a problem.

There is another piece of good news. Sherial said that after killing five giant monsters, she gained twelve levels at once and is now level 131. Her attacks have become noticeably more powerful than before.

Which means that in our group, I am the highest-level one.

Ironic, considering that my main role in battle is nothing more than “transport.”

Honestly, that stings a little. I think that in the future, I also need to master some kind of powerful long-range skill. Something that allows me to actually influence the outcome of a battle, instead of just moving us from place to place.

Yes. Someday, I will be able to strike from a distance as well.

At least, I hope so.

It seems that twelve hours have already passed.

Sherial prepared her arrow—she was ready to shoot. I placed my hand on her shoulder. Rem was nearby as well—she teleported together with us. And honestly, as a defender, she is far more reliable than I am.

As Rem said, my task is to focus entirely on teleportation. To return us to safety in time and not get distracted by anything else.

I teleported us onto the battlefield.

Sherial fired.

And I instantly teleported us back.

But during that brief moment, I still managed to notice something unpleasant. Or rather, alarming.

The center of the field… that same black structure.

White mist began to pour out of it. No, not smoke—mist. Thick, dense. The black structure was almost no longer visible, hidden behind a pale veil.

And even in that short moment we spent in the outside world, I managed to notice how fast the mist was spreading. It was crawling outward far too quickly.

I think Sherial will be able to attack the giant monsters three more times—four at most.

After that, this entire area will be completely covered in mist.

And then the battle will become much more difficult.

"We might have a problem," I said.

"You mean the mist?" Sherial replied calmly, even with a hint of pride in her voice. "Don’t worry. It won’t bother me at all."

So she has a skill that allows her to see through the mist.

Although… when I think about it, that makes sense. The first time she attacked was through mist—back when I first met Rem.

"It’s not a problem for you, but the mist could become a serious obstacle for Alisar," Rem said.

"Oh… I didn’t think about that," Sherial said.

I hadn’t thought about it either. I assumed the problem would only be Sherial—that the mist would interfere with her aim. But if the mist is not an obstacle for her, then it becomes a serious problem for me.

I can’t see through the mist. Which means that every appearance I make in the outside world will be risky. I simply won’t know where the giant monsters are. One wrong movement—and I could teleport straight under their feet.

Alright. When the mist completely covers the battlefield, we’ll have to retreat to a greater distance. Possibly even farther than before.

Oh… maybe Sherial can help me.

Yes, changing our position is now going to become much more difficult. If every time I have to teleport together with Sherial so she can determine the monsters’ positions, that will slow us down and add risk.

--

Well then. It’s time for another attack.

The three of us teleported into the outside world. Sherial fired.

I immediately tried to return us back to the training room…

but I couldn’t.

Something interfered.

As if something was holding me here, preventing me from completing the teleport.

What’s happening?

I tried again.

And again.

Nothing.

The teleportation didn’t work.

It was as if I had run into something viscous and dense, like an invisible swamp. I reached forward, trying to “step” into the training room, but something held us here, not allowing us to move even a single step. That was exactly how it felt—as if space itself was resisting, preventing me from teleporting, preventing me from taking us away.

"Enough. Don’t try to teleport us," Rem suddenly said.

"Why?" I started, but cut myself off mid-sentence.

I looked at her… and froze.

There was fear on her face.

Real fear.

Until now, Rem had always looked calm.

Even when more than ten giant monsters came against us, she remained composed and cold-blooded.

But now—no.

Her gaze was tense, her breathing uneven, her body seemingly ready to move at any moment.

She was afraid.

And that scared me more than everything else happening around us.

I stopped trying to teleport.

The giant monsters were already moving toward us.

All except one—it lagged behind, badly wounded after several of Sherial’s shots.

I was already about to break into a run and get as far away from here as possible.

But Rem and Sherial didn’t move. They didn’t run—and I forced myself to stay in place.

And suddenly, icy cold ran down my spine, instantly spreading through my entire body. Fear seized me.

Real.

Primal.

The fear of death.

I had felt something similar before—back when Rem was ready to kill me, believing that I had a cursed skill.

But this feeling was stronger.

Much stronger.

BOOM!

Something exploded ahead, and the shockwave threw us dozens of meters away.

When I got back up, I immediately understood—this wasn’t an explosion.

When the chunks of earth and dust finally settled, it became clear: something enormous had slammed into the ground at colossal speed.

No… not slammed.

Landed.

At the center of the crater, formed just seconds ago, stood a massive creature.

An enormous body—larger even than the giant monster we had been fighting—covered in scales.

Massive wings behind its back and… a tail. Beneath its feet lay the scattered remains of one of the giant monsters. It seemed to have landed directly on it.

The air around it appeared distorted—or perhaps it just seemed that way to me.

And I knew perfectly well what kind of creature it was.

It was the source of my fear.

The fear that bound my body and didn’t even allow me to attempt escape.

Yes.

It was a dragon.