Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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“Oops…”

While blindly following the Guiding Star, I remembered one thing I had forgotten: the sword engraved with seven stars that I received as a gift from a Dwarf.

I immediately adjusted my direction toward the Guiding Star, heading toward the place where that desired item awaited.

The twinkling starlight flickered in the air, twisting this way and that before starting to turn back again. The tail of the starlight stretched long, creating a path across the platinum sand, resembling the Milky Way in the night sky.

After running for a while following the Guiding Star, I reached a dense forest shrouded in darkness right after the sparkling platinum desert.

From the entrance, I could sense that monsters dwelled deep within the forest. Trees danced with loud cries coming from within.

I felt a bit anxious at the sight, but the Nightmare leaped into the forest without hesitation, as if to say not to worry.

Rough branches brushed against my cheeks as I passed. There was no path here, untouched by human feet. I clung as closely as possible to the Nightmare, keeping my eyes ahead.

Was it because of the darkness that blanketed the forest, which blended day and night? I felt that many monsters were focusing their attention on me thanks to the sparkling Guiding Star.

The light emitted by the star stretched into the depths of the forest, causing the monsters’ eyes to gleam. Dozens of pairs of eyes appeared for a moment, glaring at me and the Nightmare.

To be honest, it’s a little scary. If the monsters had revealed themselves properly, it might’ve been different, but just seeing their eyes glimmering in the dark without any clear outline felt like a scene from a horror movie.

Could it be that those dozens of eyeballs belonged not to multiple monsters but to just one? I shook my head, recalling those terrifying images of monsters from my imagination.

The thick trees that grew closely together were the main reason for the Nightmare’s reduced speed. Though the Nightmare ran faster than ordinary horses, it was still far from its usual speed.

Was that the reason? Movements began to be sensed, tracking us. The sound of rustling weeds echoed loudly in the dark.

It looked like a black shadow surging like a wave, a warning that something might pounce on my back at any moment.

I frowned and raised my right hand.

The moment a thunderbolt sparked on the rapidly rotating circle, I scattered it into the depths of the forest.

Crack-!

The blue lightning stretched out, illuminating the forest in an instant. With that light, I could see the outline of the monsters.

They seemed to be bipedal creatures, with long arms and legs, and sharp claws and nails, all covered in fur. Particularly striking was their dog-like heads.

With that combination of features, there was no doubt they were the monsters known as Nols.

The momentarily scattered Chain Lightning clearly enveloped the pack of Nols that had been chasing me. However, their pursuit did not cease.

Thud- Thud- Thud-

Rustling- Rustling-

The heavy sound of hooves overlapped with the footsteps of the Nols, and I frowned as I looked down at my hands. I had clearly witnessed the blue lightning enveloping those Nols with my own eyes, yet they moved without showing any signs of injury.

Even though I hadn’t used any Mana Stones, this didn’t make sense. Could these monsters have resistance to magic? Starting from the Eagle Drake, there were plenty of things that didn’t add up.

Just then, the assault from the pack of Nols began from the depths of the forest.

[KYAAAH!]

A strong beast-like stench swept over with the wind. The mana I desperately summoned instantly took the shape of a sword.

The sword, twinkling with starlight, emitted a weak chill, but its intensity was no better than ordinary iron.

It was an urgent mana blade. I felt I could sufficiently repel the Nols’ attacks, but the amount of wasting mana was considerable.

I swung the mana sword toward a falling Nol.

Swoosh-!

The moment the mana sword collided with the Nol’s head, that head snapped to the side. The sensation transmitted through the mana sword felt off. It was as though I was swinging at something solid, not a living creature of flesh and blood.

Crash-!

The moment the mana blade could withstand no more and shattered, I quickly layered the fragments of mana with an application of Magic Missile. Though the spell was hastily conjured, its effect was significant. Dozens of pieces of mana flew toward the Nols.

Pababababang-!

Again! I frowned as I glared at the falling Nols. Even though they had been pushed back by the mana blade, one drop of blood did not flow from their bodies.

Thud- Thud- Thud-

Even amidst all this, the Nightmare did not stop running. It knew that the moment it halted, it would be surrounded by many Nols.

I bit my lip. If I poured out everything I had into attack, I could easily deal with one or two of them. However, the next problem laid ahead. There were not just one or two Nols hiding in the darkness—there were at least ten or more.

To deal with all of them, I would need to use my mana cleverly.

In that moment of deep contemplation, another rush of Nols came at me. With my mind in disarray, I had no time to conjure another spell. I urgently reached out and placed my hand on one of the Nols.

Right after that, a very simple operation of mana took place.

The mana from the cold, frozen snowy mountains poured out through my hand.

Whoosh-!

The chill that extended from my hand turned the surrounding air icy, covering the body of the Nol. In that instant, I discovered a very peculiar sight. As the pure white frost enveloped the Nol, a bluish thin line appeared on its body.

A momentarily flowing operation of mana.

It was the moment the secret of the Nols’ magical resistance was revealed. Although I didn’t know the precise method, they seemed to ignite their mana to protect themselves just before magic could touch their bodies.

[KIEECK…!]

The Nol, now cloaked in frost, fell to the ground, momentarily slowed down. However, it quickly regained its senses and shook off the frost that had clung to its body.

Using mana to cover my own body is something I could do too. However, the barrier created in that manner had a strength weaker than ordinary iron.

That meant the efficiency was way too poor.

I dodged another attack from the rushing Nols and scattered the white chill.

Swoosh-!

The same result repeated yet again. Although their entire bodies were covered in frost, as time passed, I saw that the Nols could still move without issue.

After that, similar actions continued. Once, twice, thrice, the more times I repeated the process, the more familiar I became with their use of magic.

…

The seventh assault. Once again, while I was pouring mana over one of the Nols, I had become attuned to their method of mana use and noticed the movement of a thin thread.

It was a thread made of mana. Thin threads spun from the mana intertwined to form a specific pattern.

Exactly a hexagon.

Hundreds of mana threads formed a hexagon, creating another thread. These amassed threads would multiply endlessly, covering the body of the Nol.

The mana veil made from threads of a special pattern absorbed and deflected external attacks, minimizing damage.

The instant I became aware of that, the mana circle in my heart began to spin rapidly, pulling out thin threads of mana. Hundreds of threads flowed out from my fingertips, mingling in a specific pattern to create yet another thread.

At first, only one thread emerged, but as if it had opened a path, hundreds of threads followed.

The threads intertwined once more, creating a veil.

Creak-!

My created veil brushed against the Nol’s claws. If it had been an ordinary mana veil, it would have cracked slightly, but this crafted veil remained intact.

The realization came suddenly.

The mana circle in my heart rotated rapidly as it spun out thousands of threads. The created threads tangled and covered my body, completing a thin mana veil.

I immediately pulled on the Nightmare’s reins. It seemed to understand my intent, turning and stopping in its place.

What had I been lacking all along? Despite having powerful attack magic, I lacked a way to protect my body. That deficiency was finally filled right now.

It was confidence pouring forth to the point of being hard for me to understand.

And that confidence translated into an output of mana.

The mana veil enveloping my body simultaneously reinforced and protected my physique, meaning the efficiency of the used mana was maximized.

[KIEEKK!]

About twenty Nols began to surround me. The fact that I didn’t hear any more sounds indicated that these were probably all of them.

I leaped down from the Nightmare, drawing the Storm Bringer, which had been lodged against its side.

The heavy weight coursed through my wrist, but I could move the sword much more easily than before.

There were no signals announcing battle. The scattered Nols charged at me without hesitation.

They must have deemed me, rather than the fierce Nightmare, as the easier target.

In an instant, I swung the heavy great sword.

With the activation of the Knight’s Cross, my vision narrowed and my strength surged. My blood boiled, and my heart raced fiercely.

The moment my extended left leg stepped onto the ground, all my strength was conveyed through my waist and into both hands.

Whoooosh-!

The moment the blade of the Storm Bringer struck the Nol, I realized the true power of this sword.

As the blade of the great sword collided with the body of the Nol, the mana that had enveloped it was absorbed through the sword and transformed into blue lightning.

Crack-!

The lightning, infused with mana, soon became a storm, pouring down upon the Nols charging toward me.

Boom-!

The darkened forest illuminated for an instant as more than five Nols were swept away in one fell swoop.

Right after that, I got carried away with my strength, swinging my sword mindlessly. My frantically excited heart pounded wildly, narrowing my vision even further.

Adopting a posture focused entirely on attack, I unleashed all the strikes that had been drawn up in my mind.

At times, I would smack them with the blade’s surface. I would also kick the sword stuck in the ground to sharply redirect its trajectory. I didn’t care if my posture was unstable. Even when the Nols with their sharp claws eyed my body, I remained unfazed.

The sharp claws and talons targeted my delicate skin, but they merely skimmed over the mana veil enveloping me.

After indulging in the intoxication of power while wielding a great sword larger than my own body for a while.

I suddenly realized that there were no more Nols charging at me.

I was unscathed, and there remained ample mana.

Kaboom-!

“Phew…”

I planted the enormous great sword into the ground and let out a long breath.

Yet the excitement and heat within me refused to dissipate.

Suddenly, a small laugh escaped.