Chapter 218
"Hello, Im Fox..."
"Im Rabbit..."
Two mages from the support troops greeted me nervously.
Both of them were dressed in the ck uniforms of the Imperial Army, topped with the white robes unique to the mage corps, hoods and all.
Due to an impromptu party reshuffling, we were tasked with destroying the spinal nerve center of Jormungandr.
Come to think of it, this is the first time Ive actually used code names with these guys.
We had maintained a certain distance, so I was hearing their names for the first time.
"Fox? Rabbit? Those arent your real names, are they?"
"No. Uh, when our mage corps was transferred to the Imperial Central Army... we started receiving new code names for each operation."
Code names? What a shady practice.
"Under Captain Reina, our group of four received the code names Fox, Rabbit, Kitty, and Piggy for this mission."
"So, the two who fell out there must be Kitty and Piggy."
I looked at the scenery rushing below the serpents body and clicked my tongue.
"I wonder if theyll be alright."
"Ah, you dont have to worry about those two."
"They could survive even if dropped into hell..."
While I was concerned, Fox and Rabbit, theirrades, waved their hands and smiled reassuringly.
"Believe it or not, we are directly under themand of the Mage Corps Captain."
"I can take care of myself. Ive been through worse."
"Been through worse, you say?"
"Well, isnt this the life of a civil servant?"
"Low pay, tough work, and nothing but patriotism left..."
The two grumbling civil servants paused and gauged my reaction. Apparently, they felt awkward making suchments in front of a prince.
"Everck, long live your majesty! Long live the empire!"
All of a sudden, they raised both hands and shouted.
Alright, got it, so stop... youre making me ufortable...
"Were short on time; lets focus on destroying the spinal nerve center."
"Yes!"
Fox and Rabbit were capable of using the Lightweight and Swift buffs.
As the two mages cast their buffs on Evangeline, she let out a sound like, "I feel so light!" and started pounding on the spinal nerve center at an rming rate. At this pace, it seemed she would finish quickly.
"Hmmm."
Next to her, Kellibey was scrutinizing the spinal nerve center with a serious look. I decided to give the Dwarf craftsman a piece of my mind.
"Kellibey, youve been staring all this time, what are you doing?"
"Just wait a moment... I was thinking, whyboriously dig with a pickaxe?"
Kellibey nced at the winch mechanism on his arm.
"If I can make a destruction device powered by magic..."
"Ah, hadnt thought of that."
I approached the contemting Kellibey. He had already taken out some paper and was sketching ns.
"How about this design?"
To possibly aid him, I described the concept of drills from Earth.
I had plenty of magical cores that could serve as the power source, so if he could craft a spiral-shaped drill bit out of metal and assemble it properly, we might be able to destroy the spinal nerve center more easily than with a pickaxe.
Kellibey immediately began working on the metal fragments and Jormungandr scales he pulled from his bag after hearing my exnation.
When I inserted the magic core,
Whiiirr!
A decent drilling machine was born!
Kellibey looked at me with an impressed expression.
"Hey, kid. Does this device have a name?"
"Uh... its called a drill."
In our world, its a tool used to make holes.
"Whoa! Amazing, a drill! With this, we can bore through anything!"
Engaging in conversation that sounded like it came from a third-rate fantasy novel, Kellibey took the drill in hand and applied it directly to the nerve center.
Whiiirr!
As the device activated and the metal tip touched the nerve center,
Kzzz-Kzz-Kzz!
Sparks flew in all directions as the drill began to grind through the nerve center almost instantly.
"Um"
The scene ufortably resembled a dental treatment for extracting a cavity. It even made my mrs feel sore.
The drill didnt work perfectly from the start.
Either the drill bit would bend, or the magic core would overheat, causing the device to stop working, and this cycle repeated.
Kellibey adjusted the rotation speed, reinforced the drills structure, and modified it to transfer the users magic power to the metal tip through the magic circuit.
"The equipment looks a bit heavy, so Ill cast a lightweight spell on it. It shouldst for a day."
"Then, Ill increase the rotation speed by applying a speed spell to the metal tip..."
Fox and Rabbit, two magicians, also chipped in.
It was well past noon when Kellibey finallypleted a functional drill.
Kellibey handed each of us one of the finished drills.
Kzzz-Kzz-Kzz!
The spectacle of four drill tips simultaneously attaching to the nerve center and causing sparks to fly everywhere was quite a sight.
"Isnt this much more convenient than pickaxing?!"
"Handle it carefully. That drill is dangerous equipment."
But perhaps because everyone was in the realm of superhuman heroes, they managed to control the massive drills without much difficulty.
The nerve centers area destruction percentage rose quickly.
I exhaled a sigh of relief. Now we could progress more easily.
"Im gonna dig up some more Jormungandr scales! If I see anything rarer, Ill get that too!"
Kellibey, swinging his pickaxe up high, darted off before I could say anything. He looked absolutely thrilled.
He seemed to consider this ce more like a mine than a monster. But as long as it helps, Ill let him be.
"How about sending one of these over there too? Its really convenient," Evangeline asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Her face was one of relief, having switched from endless pickaxing to using the drill.
"Letspletely finish destroying this area first, then move up along the snakes body and help with destroying the central and head parts."
The distance to the next area destruction site was quite far from here.
Instead of wasting energy going back and forth, its better to finish up here quickly and thenbine parties as we move up.
Thinking this, I nced towards the west.
The sun was setting beyond the rapidly flowing earth.
Before I knew it, the day wasing to an end.
***
Night had fallen.
Fierce winds blew relentlessly over Jormungandrs body, but fortunately, it was summer. The wind didnt rob anyone of their body heat.
No, it was actually hot.
ng! ng! ng! ng! ng!
Jormungandr, near the center.
Kun and Lucas had cedrge torches around the central nervous system and were tirelessly swinging their pickaxes.
""
""
The other four members of the Penal Squad watched them with incredulous eyes as they took a break.
In the beginning, there were pointless jokes exchanged, and everyone had been working with a sense of humor.
But eventually, a heavy silence had settled over the site, punctuated only by the sound of pickaxes striking the nervous system. ng ng ng
It all began an hour ago.
As the sun set, Lucas, who was the first to stop pickaxing, made a suggestion to everyone.
"Lets take a break. Weve got a long three-day battle ahead."
Then Kun responded with a teasing smile.
"Tired already, Sir Knight? Im still feeling pretty spry."
At that, veins bulged in Lucass temples.
"Tired? You challenging me to a stamina contest?"
"No, not a contest, per se... Just saying I havent tired out yet. Just stating the fact."
"Fine. Lets see who gives out first. Its a showdown."
"Ha-ha! Bring it on, lets do this!"
And thus, a war broke out.
While the others drank water and nibbled on preserved food for rest, Kun and Lucas red at each other and kept swinging their pickaxes.
The other four members of the Penal Squad loungedfortably, alternating their gazes between the two, and thought privately.
They both look tired...
Lucas had an injury. Although he had recovered with a potion, after-effects were undoubtedly present.
Kun had a naturally fragile constitution. Despite his imposing physique, his stamina was rapidly waning.
Both were clearly pushing themselves too hard. But there was no retreat; the most useless yet unyielding thing was the sh of male egos.
Nopromises were made. Both men endured with sheer willpower.
Breathing heavily and wiping the sweat off his chin, Kun finally spoke.
"You look, hah... Pretty tired. Hah... How about taking a break?"
With trembling hands, Lucas swept back his sweat-soaked blonde hair and grinned.
"How about you, hah... Your balloon muscles are shaking. Hah... How about surrendering?"
Bloodshot eyes filled Kuns gaze.
"What, what did you say? Balloon muscles?"
"Its the truth, isnt it? All brawn and no brains. Youre just inted muscles."
"Take that back right now! You dare insult my proudbatpressed muscles!"
"Ill take it back if you win this showdown."
"Hehe, fine, lets see this through to the end...!"
The two men, their strength waning, continued to swing their pickaxes.
Now lying down on nkets and sleeping bags, the other four members of the Penal Squad prepared to sleep and privately thought,
Will it end when one of them faints...?
Jormungandr was passing through the ins.
Despite being on the body of a monster, the ce was surprisingly peaceful.
ng ng ng
The other four members of the Penal Squad used the sound of pickaxes as their luby and slept soundly.
Lucas and Kun continued to re at each other, locked in a tense standoff.
***
Dawn.
Jormungandr, near the head.
Above the creatures neural center floated a halo, angelic in its semnce. It shone brightly, casting a radiant glow over the area.
Despite it still being before sunrise, the surroundings became vividly illuminated.
Ping-!
The next moment, a crack appeared in the air, as if a mirror had been shattered.
[Elemental Disassembly].
This was Juniors ultimate magic.
The magical defense of the neural center began to wane rapidly.
Seizing the moment, Reina unleashed her wind magic, ravaging the neural center.
Rooooar!
Reinas wind magic barrage continued until the duration of [Elemental Disassembly] expired.
Gazing at the neural center that endured despite being battered by countless wind des, Junior let out a frustrated sigh.
"Just how high is its magical defense?"
Even after taking Juniors [Elemental Disassembly], Jormungandrs neural center did not experience a decrease in its magical defense to negative levels.
It wasnt even the main body but a mere extremity, yet its magic power level was absurdly high.
Creatures of the mythical era...
"We were still able to deal some effective blows," Reina said, shing a grin.
"Its all thanks to you, Junior. That spell of yours is genuinely marvelous. Make sure to present it at the Magic Society."
"Haha..."
Junior smiled awkwardly.
Both Junior and Reina had executed theirbo magic twice today.
Even after casting their ultimate skills twice in a day, they were still in rtively good condition.
It was thanks to Reinas incantation. Junior felt a noticeable improvement in her condition.
"Huh?"
Of course, she wasnt fully recovered.
Blood dribbled from Juniors nostrils, and she tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. It seemed that casting twice in a row had taken its toll.
"Maybe we should rest now. Its gettingte," Reina mumbled casually as she pulled a nket from her bag and headed toward the back of Jormungandrs head.
Behind the massive serpents heady a shallow mound, rtively sheltered from the strong winds.
Reina spread the nket and sat down. Waving her hand, the winds swirling around them seemed to divert their course.
The space suddenly became cozy.
"Lets catch some sleep."
Reina was the first to lie down, wrapped in the nket.
The space was cramped, so Junior, covering himself with his nket, hesitantly snuggled up beside Reina.
Seeming tired, Reina yawned, closed her eyes, and mumbled,
"Oh, by the way. Watching your magic today, I noticed two inefficient parts in your incantation."
"Really?"
"So, when you first start casting..."
Even with her sleepy voice, Reina detailed the aspects of Juniors [Elemental Disassembly] that needed improvement.
Wide awake now, Juniormitted every word to memory.
"...Something like that. Make sure to refine itter. Huaaah."
Having finished her lecture, Reina pulled the nket up over her head.
"See you tomorrow... Oh, just a heads-up, Im a terrible bed-sharer."
Soon enough, the sound of snoring could be heard. Reina had fallen asleep instantly.
"..."
Junior had never had a proper mentor. She had learned everything through self-study.
Thats why Reinas guidance felt both unfamiliar and, to be honest, gratifying.
She never knew guidance from someone else could feel so sweet.
If I had a magic mentor...
Junior stared at the profile of the sleeping non-magician.
...would it have felt like this?
Soon after, Junior also closed her eyes to sleep.
Tonight, she felt like she could sleep deeply.
***
Regardless of the tiny humans scurrying around on its body, the colossal serpent Jormungandr remained indifferent, steadfastly continuing its journey.
Northward. Ever northward. In a true north direction.
Ssssssss
The sun rose. Its harsh rays bleached the expansive ins that Jormungandr was crossing.
At the end of the tranquil ins, a river with violent rapids began toe into view.
Beyond that river was a dense forest, and crossing that forest would lead to
The stone walls built by humans would inevitably appear.
Ssssssss
The serpent simply slithered forward.
Following its given mission and instincts, from one end of the world to the other.
***
[STAGE 9]
[Jormungandr - Progress of Area Destruction]
- First Vertebra: 41%
- Second Vertebra: 18%
- Third Vertebra: 29%
- Time to Reach Crossroad: 2 days left