Chapter 107

A grotesque monster, an amalgamation of horse and human, looks at me.

Its appearance is anything but ordinary.

Should I call it an ugly beast?

It must have been sprinting at full speed to chase me, but its breathing calms almost immediately. Trying to exhaust its stamina would be difficult.

With a head that large, its brain must be sizable too. I should assume it has intelligence on par with a human at the very least.

I begin to cast wind magic around me. Wind and water are the fastest elemental magics to invoke.

I’ve done a fair amount of research on magic. My inherited memories even show me how to defeat a monster like this.

Yet, as time passes, the fear within me only grows.

To stave it off, I release wind magic toward the horse monster.

The wind, summoned by magic, can slice through with a sharp force. I launch seven blades of wind.

For an average monster, that would have been enough to shred it.

But the horse monster, unfazed, kicks off the ground with full force.

Seeing this, I clutch my staff and escape into the air. The monster, its skin sliced by the wind blades, charges at where I’d just been.

A heavy crash echoes through the room.

If I’d been hit by that charge, I’d likely be dead instantly, my face unrecognizable afterward.

The horse monster tears its face free from where it’s embedded in the wall. I can’t ignore such an exposed moment.

Fire should work well on living creatures.

I combine fire and wind magic, engulfing the horse monster in flames.

It should be far from unscathed if its body is burning. As expected, fire spreads over its entire body, likely ignited by its internal oils.

Choosing high-temperature flames paid off. But the fire is snuffed out in an instant by a powerful neigh.

(That wasn’t just any neigh… Did it cancel my magic?)

The horse monster clutches something in the human-like hands on its upper body—a vase from the hall.

It hurls it at me.

I reflexively repel the vase with shock magic. The vase shatters into fragments, and I shield myself from the water and fragments with wind magic.

But in the next moment, I can hardly believe my eyes.

The horse monster leaps toward me, hanging in the air.

The vase was merely a distraction.

I didn’t anticipate a follow-up attack. My lack of battle experience created a brief opening.

I aim my staff at the horse monster.

It must have lunged with considerable strength. Anything less than a powerful spell won’t stop it.

Using water magic, I create a wall of ice, layering it multiple times as a shield.

The horse monster closes the distance, shattering through the ice wall, but I’ve bought myself a little time.

I unleash wind magic from my left hand, using the momentum to move swiftly. The monster, having leapt physically, can’t change direction in mid-air.

I summon a large icicle with water magic and hurl it toward the monster’s flank.

Just before it hits, I hear that neigh again.

The icicle shatters and vanishes from the tip.

“Again…!”

I don’t understand the mechanism, but it seems that neigh can dispel magic. If it does that at close range, it could disrupt my flight magic.

In fact, I just felt a brief lapse in my flight magic.

Fighting this horse monster on the ground would be nothing but suicidal for me.

The monster turns its burn-scarred face toward me. Is it laughing, pitying, or lamenting?

I can’t tell from its twisted face—and honestly, I’m too scared to look directly.

My strongest spell, “Radiate, Light,” would reach even if it neighed.

But it requires a bit of time for incantation.

(I just need to buy some time.)

All my standard attack spells are nullified. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to have any healing abilities.

While I ponder my options, memories not my own emerge from within me.

Right—I don’t have to face it alone.

The horse monster lands and starts closing in on me again.

I take a deep breath.

“Come forth, Golem.”

I summon a golem with earth magic. Using the nearby wood as material, I create a wooden golem.

The golem, far larger and stronger than I am, obeys my command and intercepts the horse monster.

The monster’s strength is greater than I imagined, but the wooden golem successfully halts its advance.

Even so, the golem begins to be pushed back little by little.

During that time, I chant quickly, crafting my spell. If this spell fails, I may not stand a chance against this monster.

The horse monster bites the golem, trying to crush its body. The sound of splintering wood fills my ears.

(Just a bit longer—hold on.)

Cheering on the golem in my heart, I complete my incantation. Seeing this, the horse monster hurriedly releases the golem and lets out a loud neigh.

“Shine forth, Light!”

This is my proud, unique spell.

Power, range, duration—it’s exceptionally powerful in every respect. The mana cost is steep, but I possess an extraordinary amount of magical power, even among magicians.

I owe this to my once-prestigious family, though they disowned me. I don’t regret it—they only saw me as a tool.

The light pierces through the horse monster and the golem alike. The initial beams scatter due to its neigh, but I have more light.

I’ll keep attacking until its neigh ends.

In the end, I won the endurance match.

With the limited air, it couldn’t keep neighing forever. Finally, the neigh ceases, and light pierces through the horse monster.

Until it stops moving.

As the spell fades, I approach the now-motionless creature.

Only its severed head remains, looking at me.

“Kill me…”

I nod to its words and finish it off with fire magic.