Up Down, Okay This Is Absurd!

With fiery determination, Ian sought revenge for the wolf attacks. He ran towards the wolf while preparing the other skill Blackferno possessed.

However, the large white wolf was far from idle. It shot ice pillars towards Ian, who tried to avoid each one, but he found it increasingly difficult to approach.

In fact, Ian began to feel cornered due to the barrage of attacks.

From a distance, Kirana and Legia aided Ian by shooting magic from their Ice Wands.

As the battle intensified, a mysterious man suddenly emerged from the shadow of the wolf's belly on the ground. No one had noticed his presence.

Cien, holding the Woodbelisk staff, activated its power.

"[Giganta]."

The staff instantly enlarged like a towering pillar, stretching upward and slamming into the wolf's belly, propelling the creature high into the sky.

Bam!

<!!>

Swoooooooosh!

Kirana, Legia, and Ian were stunned by the spectacle before them.

The white wolf was suddenly propelled upwards by the massive pillar, disappearing into the cloud-covered sky, where all light seemed to vanish.

At the base of the pillar, they saw Cien gazing up uncertainly at the top of his staff.

Cien couldn't be certain whether the wolf was still propelled or not.

"Return."

In the end, Cien shrunk the staff back to its original size. Woodbelisk reverted to its usual form in an instant.

Cien looked up at the sky again. It didn't take long before he heard the sound of rushing air, accompanied by a monster's cry.

"Oh, there it is."

If left to fall, the wolf would undoubtedly sustain serious injuries. But would it be enough to kill it? Cien doubted it.

He recalled Asmodeus.

The Demon General fell from a height that he considered to be even higher than the wolf's current position. Moreover, Asmodeus had been attacked with a Rank 10 spell, yet he had survived.

The wolf at least has Rank Jack strength or maybe even higher, making it challenging to kill it solely by falling from a height.

Therefore, as Cien got a clearer view of the falling wolf, he noticed that it was using wind magic to slow down its descent.

Whatever magic it used, it was clear that its falling speed was decreasing.

"Hmm, what a shame. But earlier was just a warm-up," Cien smiled, "Now for the second round, [Giganta]."

Swooosh! BAM!

Once again, the white wolf, attempting to land, was suddenly struck by another pillar, sending it back up into the sky.

The force and speed of the pillar made it difficult for the wolf to move freely.

Moreover, the wolf felt something pressing down on its body, an immense weight that seemed to multiply its gravity.

With the second collision, the weight increased further, making the wolf feel suffocated.

Cien simply watched. After the wolf disappeared into the clouds again, he waited a moment before returning his staff to its original size.

Waiting... waiting... waiting...

The silhouette of the falling wolf became visible again.

Cien waited until the distance seemed appropriate for a precise attack. He once again used [Giganta], sending the wolf, which was now close to the ground, back up into the dark sky.

""...""

The three people around were speechless.

For some reason, they felt like the battle was over. Although, in reality, it hadn't ended yet. But Cien seemed to be toying with his enemy!

Ian, unable to avenge the wolf's attacks, felt despondent.

He canceled [Magma Zone], returning the lava-filled arena to its original state. Or not.

The area that was once covered in cold snow now became dry, with blackened and heated soil.

After waiting for the surface of the ground to cool down a bit, Legia and Kirana approached Cien.

They witnessed the Shop Owner still playing around with the falling and rising wolf in the sky.

How many times has this repeated? Legia had lost count, and so had Ian. As for Kirana...

BAM!

'Eleven.'

Well, she counted.

"Is he still conscious, Father?" Kirana asked, squinting at the now invisible tip of the staff.

"How should I know?"

"..."

"Perhaps the wolf is already dead," murmured Legia, who no longer felt the ominous aura that enveloped her since the white wolf's arrival.

"Damn, I wanted to test all of Blackferno's power. Such a shame," Ian whispered, immediately countered by Legia, who doubted that Blackferno's power could bring down the wolf.

On the contrary, Ian should feel fortunate not to have to confront the wolf directly.

Legia felt like she was on the brink of death every time she got close to the monster.

Cien returned the staff to its original size. He pondered for a moment before deciding to end his play.

The mana within the Mana Cores had drastically reduced. It can only activate two more skills before all of it would be depleted.

Cien wanted to save it for other emergencies.

With that, Cien instructed everyone to move away. The impact of the wolf hitting the ground would be harsh. Not only due to the falling speed, but also because its weight had increased tens of times over.

Wooooooong!

The silhouette fell from the sky again. This time, it seemed that the wolf wasn't attempting to use magic to slow its descent.

Not that the wolf didn't want to try, but it couldn't.

The weight it had to bear made it feel near death, and it focused all its consciousness and strength on that burden, leaving no room for casting magic.

And...

BAMMMMMM!!!

The wolf crashed into the ground with tremendous force, creating an earthquake that shook almost the entire Death Valley.

The surface of the lake churned violently, and the ground cracked in an area of hundreds of meters. Trees trembled, and some began to fall.

Cien and the others struggled to maintain their balance during the powerful tremors.

GRRRRRRRRRR!

The shaking lasted for a considerable time before everything gradually settled down.

At least the natural surroundings became calm again, even though the living creatures within it were not.

Panicked screams from various monsters could be heard by Cien and his companions from different directions.

"Wow, that was terrifying, Lord Millard," praised Ian, who didn't expect the collision planned by Cien to be so intense.

Cien could only offer a strained smile.

He hadn't anticipated it either. He started to imagine what would happen if he had sent the wolf even higher, perhaps up to outer space. Wouldn't its fall then be akin to a meteor impact?

Moreover, with the weight he could create, couldn't he simulate the theory of a meteor impact that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs?

"..."

Cien stared blankly, then glancing at his wooden staff.

'Hmm, did I just create a weapon that could destroy the entire Kastia? That's terrifying... damn!'

Gulp.

Cien swallowed hard, opening the side of his coffin and putting Woodbelisk back inside.

He retrieved his bow and arrows, ready to shoot an arrow at any moment, then cautiously approached after the tremors subsided.

He saw the immense damage caused at the collision point.

A large crater had formed, even toppling the edge of the lake, causing the lake water to flow into the bottom of the crater where the wolf lay.

From the edge of the crater, it wasn't clear whether the wolf was dead. But Cien and the three others felt that with the impact of the fall, no living creature could have survived.

Shouldn't have.

Unfortunately, they saw the monster twitch. It seemed to be attempting to stand but couldn't.

Blood soaked its beautiful fur. The pool of lake water beneath it turned red, mixed with the still-flowing blood.

But the wolf was still alive. Its eyes still displayed ferocity, as if it wanted to tear apart Cien and his companions.

"Seriously?! Are all Champions this tough?"

Ian was surprised, genuinely asking, as what he saw seemed almost impossible to him.

"No, Awa'n couldn't have survived that impact. This monster... might be stronger than we thought," Kirana replied, starting to doubt whether the wolf was merely a Rank Jack.

Cien thought the same. Jack and Queen should not have been able to survive that impact.

If Asmodeus had fallen with his weight added many times, the demon would surely have died. But somehow, the wolf was still alive.

This made Cien curious. Because the wolf couldn't do anything at the moment, he took out his phone and took a picture of the monster as it struggled to get out of the growing pool of blood.

__________

[Fenrir]

Rank King Upper Class (Rank Jack Middle Class)

Blessing of the Moon Goddess

Skills: Water Magic (Master), Wind Magic (Master), Ice Magic (Master), Holy Magic (Proficient), Deadly Claw Art (Master), Master Illusionist (Expert), Speed Amplification (Master), Physical Amplification (Master), Magic Amplification (Master), Mana Manipulation (Master), Weather Manipulation (Proficient), Might of the King (Expert), Ice Resistance (Master), Lightning Resistance (Proficient), Poison Resistance (Novice), Curse Resistance (Proficient), Telepathy (Master), Psychokinesis (Expert), Regeneration (Expert), Reincarnation (Novice).

Notes: Fenrir has been in a severely injured state for hundreds of years. The injuries have caused a drastic decrease in his power level, and many skills cannot be used.

__________

"...okay, this is absurd."

Cien, who had just read the monster's status, felt a pounding headache.

First and foremost, Cien understood why Fenrir was still alive. Even though his power level had decreased to Rank Jack level, he was still a Rank King! At the upper echelon of that class, no less.

Fenrir was the pinnacle of power in Kastia!

It was fortunate that they were still alive after facing this monster. Had Fenrir unleashed its true power, they would have perished before the battle even began.

Cien then realized that the monster had only been using Ice Magic to attack, and that too, with just a few spells.

It seemed that Fenrir's wounds were truly severe, making the terrifying creature become so weak.

...no, even if it was weak, Fenrir remained fearsome.

Cien held his forehead, starting to hesitate to kill Fenrir in front of him.

"Father, what's wrong?"

"That's indeed Fenrir."

"..."

Everyone fell silent. The white wolf turned out to be the mythical monster that had been widely famous in Huntara.

"In that case, wouldn't it be better for us to kill it? Becoming Myth Slayers isn't a bad idea."

Legia suggested, revealing her adventurous nature inherited from her father, seeking achievements that would make her name renowned.

"Do you know about the Blessings of the Gods and Goddesses?" Asked Cien, leaving the three of them puzzled.

He showed a dry smile at their reaction and proceeded to explain; he had read about this when he was younger. From an old book that his Teacher has. In that book…

"Legend has it that there are individuals in the world who receive Blessings from the Gods and Goddesses. Once they obtain such Blessings, they become Proxies for the Gods who bestowed them. The question here is, can they... these Proxies be killed?"