Chapter 58
Helena tightly shut her eyes, seemingly unable to endure the current situation.
She must have been flooded with countless thoughts.
According to the setting, for Helena, the power of the dragon was as terrifying as that of a Demon.
That fear stemmed from the events of her past.
Knowing her circumstances, I let her make the decision herself despite the limited time.
Because I already knew.
When she opened her eyes again, she looked straight at me.
Her violet eyes trembled faintly.
“I can’t control my power. If I lose control and go berserk…”
“Do you really think we won’t be able to handle it if you do? That’s not something you need to worry about.”
“You don’t understand! The power I hold is far more dangerous than you think!”
Of course I knew.
I understood the dragon’s power better than Helena herself.
If Helena truly went berserk, even Park Siwoo and Dan Chun-woo’s strength wouldn’t be enough to stop her.
That was how special and powerful the dragon’s power Helena possessed was.
But so what?
I was stronger than a berserk Helena.
I had played through the game with you countless times.
“I know your power is dangerous. But if we don’t go, other people will be in danger.”
“You really are…”
Helena glared at me briefly before letting out a sigh.
“When you put it that way, I can’t exactly say no, can I?”
In the game, Helena had never once backed down in a situation like this.
“Good decision. Honestly, if you’d refused, I was planning to knock you out and drag you along anyway.”
“You really didn’t have to say that. Come on, before the damage gets worse—let’s go help the instructors.”
After gaining Helena’s agreement, we immediately started running toward the source of the battle.
The scenery changed in an instant as we approached the dome where the fight was raging.
The closer we got, the more the ground trembled, and explosions shook the air.
Kraaaaaaah!
A massive roar from the Drake slammed into our ears.
Even its simple bellow carried such overwhelming force that people clutched their ears and collapsed from the deafening noise.
A sharp ringing pierced my hearing.
Then, countless layers of magic appeared in midair, raining down on the creature.
I spotted Instructor Mabel floating in the distance.
“Damn! Just how high is its magic resistance? And this is supposed to be a Drake that hasn’t even reached full maturity?!”
“Can’t you use stronger magic?”
“If we cast anything powerful enough to actually hurt it, the entire area will be annihilated! We can’t use that here!”
“This is troublesome.”
As expected, both Instructor Mabel and Instructor Kang Jae-seok couldn’t use their full power because they were worried about collateral damage.
Seeing this, I steadied my breathing and gripped the Guardian’s Sword in reverse, driving it into the ground.
A holy light erupted from the blade, turning the entire area white.
Instructor Mabel noticed the anomaly first and turned her gaze toward us.
Her eyes widened as she spotted me.
“Those kids—why are they here?”
“Focus on the battle, Instructor Mabel!”
“No, but those students—wait, this barrier? It’s far stronger than the one I cast!”
Instructor Kang Jae-seok, who had been restraining the Drake, also seemed to notice the change in space.
“Instructor Mabel? What kind of magic is this?”
“This isn’t mine!”
“Then who on earth could have cast something on this scale?”
As he looked around, his eyes met mine.
His face twisted into a demonic scowl.
No wonder his nickname “Yaksha” came from his face alone.
“I told you to run away! What the hell are you doing here!”
“We’re here to help!”
Park Siwoo replied.
At his calm response, Instructor Kang Jae-seok’s face contorted even further.
“Do you not realize you’re already getting in the way just by being here?! Get out of here immediately!”
“We have a way to weaken the Drake!”
“This is a real combat situation! Cadets like you shouldn’t even be here!”
At his furious reprimand, Park Siwoo flinched.
This wasn’t the time to argue.
The Drake, confused by the sudden change in its surroundings, was now glaring straight at us.
Snorting like an enraged bull, it scraped its front claws against the ground.
Seeing this, Mabel shouted,
“Instructor Kang Jae-seok, dealing with the Drake comes first!”
“Instructor Mabel, while I draw its attention, teleport the students out of here.”
The moment he said that, a fierce energy erupted from him.
An overwhelming aura that rivaled the Drake itself.
It resembled the demonic energy of a Demon, but it was distinctly different.
While demonic energy was sticky and dark, the aura radiating from Instructor Kang Jae-seok was pure and savagely raw.
A blood-red energy materialized around his entire body.
The Drake and Kang Jae-seok glared at each other before charging head-on.
Boom!
With an earth-shattering explosion, the two monstrous beings clashed fiercely.
Like a wild beast, Instructor Kang Jae-seok began carving wounds into the Drake’s enormous body.
The Drake screamed in agony.
Kieeeeeeeek!
Instructor Mabel, watching the scene, turned to us and swung her massive staff.
A teleportation magic circle formed beneath our feet.
“Seriously, you kids are in so much trouble later!”
I quickly grabbed her wrist to stop the spell.
“Wait! If we disappear, this barrier will vanish too!”
“Huh?”
At my words, Mabel froze.
She had already realized earlier that this space was far superior to her own barrier.
She must have understood its importance.
“This is a subspace strong enough to withstand your full-power attacks. And we can weaken the Drake here—really!”
“True, in this space, I could unleash my full magic… But then who’s going to ensure your safety?”
“If it’s fire-type magic, I can at least control the impact of the explosions.”
Instructor Mabel looked at me with suspicious eyes at my confident statement.
“It’s just like you said, Instructor. This is a real combat situation, right? We can’t afford to be picky right now, can we?”
“Honestly, if you can’t hold your tongue…”
Fortunately, unlike the stubborn Instructor Kang Jae-seok, Instructor Mabel was reasonable enough to talk to.
And this was precisely why I wanted her involved in this battle.
“Speak quickly. If I find your reasoning unconvincing, I’ll teleport you out immediately—barrier or not.”
“Helena can wield the power of a dragon.”
“Ah!”
As expected of a top-ranked Hero and an Academy Instructor, Mabel immediately understood my intent.
A Drake was a subspecies of a dragon—extremely vulnerable to the power of a higher species.
After muttering to herself for a moment, Mabel nodded.
“You’re right. That does raise our chances of victory. But can Helena handle that power?”
“That’s why I’m asking—could you cast buff magic on us? If Helena goes berserk, we’ll restrain her, so please, you two focus on the battle.”
Honestly, I could stop Helena’s rampage without any buffs.
The buffs weren’t for Helena—or the Drake.
My goal wasn’t just the Drake, but also the true culprit behind this incident.
Even if that Demon’s combat ability was poor, it was still a high-ranking Demon.
To defeat it, I needed to fight alongside Dan Chun-woo and Park Siwoo while the three others focused on the Drake.
That was what these buffs were for.
Their current physical ability wasn’t enough to face a high-ranking Demon yet.
More importantly, the one behind all this specialized in curses and mental manipulation.
We needed Instructor Mabel’s buffs to block that.
Warm energy radiated from her hands as golden magic circles bloomed around us.
High-level protection, physical reinforcement, increased regeneration, enhanced mana output—and most importantly, mental defense.
Every kind of buff magic wrapped around our bodies.
“These are the best enhancement spells I can give you. Remember, they’re not for helping you fight—they’re to protect you from getting caught up in the battle.”
“Of course.”
Whew… incredible.
My whole body surged with power—an overwhelming sense of omnipotence, like when I used a Demon’s authority.
It felt as if I’d become twice as strong as before.
“Stay as far from the battle as possible. And Helena, when I give the signal, release your power at full strength. The rest of you, keep close and make sure she doesn’t lose control.”
She spoke like a mother leaving her children home alone before heading to work.
“Don’t worry about us, Instructor. Please help Instructor Kang Jae-seok—he looks like he’s struggling.”
Even for someone like him, a top-tier Hero among elites, fighting a Drake one-on-one was too much.
The fact that he’d lasted this long was impressive enough.
His upper body was already drenched in blood—whether it was his or the Drake’s, I couldn’t tell.
“Graaaaaaaah!”
A bestial roar erupted from Instructor Kang Jae-seok.
“Yikes, I’d better hurry.”
Mabel vanished instantly, as if teleporting.
In the blink of an eye, she joined the fight—casting numerous buffs on Kang Jae-seok while summoning countless magical chains to bind the Drake’s body.
It was to give him a brief moment to breathe.
“I’ll take care of the offense for now. Catch your breath and hold it down.”
“…You didn’t send the students away.”
Even in the middle of combat, Instructor Kang Jae-seok’s voice carried concern for us.
Seriously, what a man.
Yeah.
That’s exactly why I was trying to save you.
“Let’s trust them, shall we? They seem to have brought quite the gift.”
At that moment, the chains binding the Drake crackled with powerful currents.
Bzzzzzt!
Electricity surged violently through the chains, and the Drake screamed in pain.
But Mabel’s assault didn’t end there.
A massive magic circle formed high above the Drake’s head.
From it radiated a dangerous, overwhelming energy.
Sensing the threat, the Drake thrashed violently, trying to break free from the chains.
Then, from the recovering Instructor Kang Jae-seok, a blood-red energy burst forth.
The crimson blood covering his body resonated with his mana, coating his skin.
His body glowed red, and his hair turned stark white.
So that’s why they called him “Yaksha.”
With bloodlust swirling around him, he wrapped his blade in that crimson aura and struck the struggling Drake mercilessly, pinning it down.
It was like watching a berserker driven mad by blood.
Finally, the energy gathered in Mabel’s magic circle reached its peak.
Floating high above, she swung her massive staff toward the circle and shouted,
“Everyone, get back!”
The enormous magic circle blazed with light.
A beam of crimson energy fell from its center—
Rumble rumble rumble rumble!
A gigantic pillar of fire descended from the heavens.
Its overwhelming size engulfed the area completely.
Like divine judgment crashing down from the sky, its sheer force froze everyone in place.
That was the true power of High-Rank Hero Mabel Elva.
A roaring wave of heat and wind swept across the field.
Even though we were far from the center, the explosion was strong enough to reach us if we weren’t careful.
I stepped forward, shielding my team from the fiery blast.
You guys need to conserve your strength for what’s coming next!
“Ugh! Is that… Instructor Mabel’s full power?”
Park Siwoo’s awed groan came from behind me.
As the pillar of fire faded, we could see the Drake’s massive body collapsed on the scorched ground.
Park Siwoo muttered,
“Did we… get it?”
You idiot, what the hell are you saying?!