Boom—!

It’s been ten minutes since I faced off against the wolves. I once again drew a barrier through the air with my wand.

The massive body of the wolf crashed into the barrier.

I channeled my mana forcefully into the arm holding the wand to maintain my defensive stance. Once I found some stability, I scanned the pack of wolves.

‘The other ones aren’t chimeras.’

Even though the forest was pitch black, with no moonlight penetrating, the constant barrage of magic provided enough visibility.

I wasn’t sure if it was because I was tense or because the early morning air was chilly, but my skin felt goosebumps. I bit my lip and continued to swing my wand.

‘Honestly…’

I never expected wolves to appear in this area known for lower-class magical beasts.

Especially not wolves that had been tampered with maliciously by someone.

In the novel, wolves were never mentioned to appear, and the protagonist had deliberately chosen a safe area just for simple exploration.

Even when I conducted my own investigation, numerous sources had already verified that this place was safe.

The plan had completely fallen apart, and now I was facing a life-threatening situation… A shift in perspective was necessary.

‘Maybe this is actually a good thing.’

Thinking positively, it wasn’t entirely a bad situation.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I shook my head.

‘I must be crazy.’

Honestly, I’m scared. No matter how I tried to shift my perspective, I couldn’t be optimistic facing a situation where I could die.

But the situation had already unfolded. Therefore, I had to do my best to survive. I didn’t have to be overly positive, but I couldn’t let my life be handed over to regret.

I gripped the wand tightly with my sweaty hand.

Boom—! Crash—!

The wolves, tireless, continued to charge at the thick barrier. After several headbutts, they should have given up by now, but there was no sign of that.

I thrust my wand forward, sending one wolf flying far away.

Boom—!

[Awooooo….]

A pained howl echoed from the wolf.

The overpowering stench of blood that had been filling my head now mingled with a new, fresh metallic smell. The wolves went even more berserk at the scent of their kin’s blood.

I matched their frenzy with an increase in my attack speed. Then, something caught the corner of my eye.

“…!”

A flash of light to my right.

The red eyes of the wolf flickered and got closer to my face.

Boom—! Thud—

“Ugh!”

The recoil sent me sprawling to the ground.

In my haste to swing the wand, I didn’t have time to steady my legs.

The wolf, along with the fallen tree, seemed to have died as another strong scent of blood wafted to my nose.

“Lucas!”

Somewhere, Leo shouted.

In the process of driving away the wolves, we had gotten quite far apart, and his voice echoed heavily.

“Watch your own surroundings!”

I shouted back, veins bulging, as I swatted away a wolf leaping over my body.

That guy has the nerve to worry about someone else in this situation.

I pushed myself off the ground.

I knew I had given the wolves enough time since I had fallen.

Thus, my next choice would be crucial for my future.

As expected, the remaining two wolves charged at me with insane ferocity. I closed my eyes tightly and, without hesitation, grasped the wand with both hands and slammed it into the ground.

Boom—!

The bright white light from the wand illuminated the forest.

Leo, who was coming to assist me, covered his eyes. As I sensed his approach, I ran toward a distant wolf and shouted.

“Leo, take care of that one!”

Leo quickly lowered his arm and looked at the ground. One of the fallen wolves was staggering to its feet. It was clear it was too weak to walk properly.

“…….”

Leo took a step back as he watched the wolf drool and stagger towards him.

The wolf bit at the spot where Leo had been standing, then staggered again. When Leo shot magic at it, it collapsed sideways. Leo approached the dying wolf.

‘Considering the chimera creatures…’

These wolves must have also been created by someone.

If we left them alive, our lives would be in danger. Even if we somehow survived, there was a possibility they would descend into the village, so we had to kill all the wolves here. I don’t regret this decision.

But….

‘What if there was an antidote?’

There wouldn’t be a reason for them to suffer like this. The number of people harmed by magical beasts would significantly decrease. It would benefit everyone.

Leo placed his hand on the wolf’s chest.

As he channeled mana, the core’s outline became visible.

‘What was the poison Lucas drank? If it’s a poison that suppresses the core, it might be a temporary solution. Ultimately, the core itself needs to be removed, so… something must be added.’

Leo rubbed his chin.

Should I find ingredients to enhance that poison?

To have it act just before it infiltrates the heart, experiments would need to be conducted on each species.

After dismantling the core, the spread poison would need to be detoxified, so the time and medication costs must be calculated to administer the drug at the right moment.

‘There will be financial difficulties in supplying the second agent together.’

Leo, lost in thought, didn’t notice Lucas approaching.

“…….”

I laughed dryly.

Leo was engrossed in observing the dead wolf.

‘Is this really the situation I’m thinking of?’

I feel like I’m witnessing the creation of a pollution treatment being significantly accelerated.

I sat down next to him and asked.

“Are you going to make a cure?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“It’s written all over your face.”

“Huh? Anyway, I’m going to give it a try. Just a try.”

“That’s great. You’ll succeed.”

“Hm….”

Leo, who had been frowning at the calculations, smiled broadly.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to succeed.”

Witnessing his growth firsthand after reading about it ten years in the future filled me with a unique sense of nostalgia.

In a place where nothing was familiar, it felt somewhat comforting to meet someone I already knew.

‘…It seems like I’ve accelerated things a bit, but oh well.’

A good thing is a good thing.

I stood up and asked, “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Just a scratch on my forearm. How about you?”

“I’m fine.”

Unlike Leo, I had to be careful about my identity, so I couldn’t afford to leave any distinguishing injuries. Fortunately, I didn’t sustain any major wounds.

I picked up the sack we had brought and nodded towards the wolves.

“Let’s clean up and head back.”

* * *

“You’re back. I was worried you wouldn’t make it since it’s almost morning….”

The manager greeted us but stopped in his tracks.

The sack we brought, floating half in the air, was even bigger than before.

‘How many did they hunt?’

While this area had its share of magical beasts, it wasn’t known to be particularly dangerous. It was astonishing to think about how far they must have gone to catch this many.

The manager, who was overwhelmed with shock and admiration, finally noticed the state of our clothes. Though dark and not immediately obvious, they were stained with blood and mud.

“Are you alright?!”

“We’re fine. We’d appreciate it if you could handle this first.”

Leo set the sack down on the ground. The manager opened it and loosened the string.

“Let’s see… Huh?”

The manager turned pale and froze.

‘I knew he’d react like that.’

I quickly added an explanation before he could panic further.

“These are wolves. You’ll probably need to contact the security department.”

“Th-there shouldn’t be wolves here….”

These wolves were at least mid-level magical beasts.

Even without knowing much, he could tell that. Wolves of this caliber should not be in an area designated as a low-risk zone.

Of course, I had never seen wolves in this area during my entire life here.

“Oh, and there’s one chimera wolf among them.”

“What?!”

“It appears someone intentionally cast a spell to combine a wolf with another creature. There might be a gag order on this information. Be careful not to speak carelessly to the media.”

It wasn’t common for wizards to get involved in such places, so there was a high chance that journalists might come to investigate.

Ideally, it would be best if no one knew, but since we had to transfer money from the bank connected to this place, word might get out.

The manager, looking as though he had inadvertently stepped into something shady, nodded vigorously.

“Yes, of course.”

As the manager panicked, silence fell, and I got straight to the point.

“So, when can we receive our payment? The cash stored here won’t cover it.”

To avoid theft, they only kept small amounts of cash here.

Until now, all those who had received payments were non-mages, so the amounts had never been significant.

“Ah, that….”

The manager stood up and opened a drawer in his desk.

A communication device bearing the logo of the Imperial Central Bank appeared.

* * *

Though it seemed unused for a long time and was covered in cobwebs, the communication device was functional.

Less than ten minutes after contacting the bank, a new transaction appeared in Leo’s account.

“N-ninety-five thousand….”

As we returned to the place where we had first warped, Leo murmured, his face pale.

I agreed with his reaction. It was an insane amount, equivalent to a hundred million won.

‘Crazy.’

Even though we risked our lives, it was still an absurd amount for half a day’s work.

Leo, despite his lack of worldly knowledge, seemed to understand that it was rare to earn nearly a hundred million in such a short time.

Silently appreciating Leo’s realistic sense, I spoke.

“They set the price at ten thousand pel per wolf.”

A million won per wolf.

It seemed like a hastily set price, not expecting anyone to actually catch the wolves, or perhaps it was meant to compensate highly skilled personnel capable of handling such a situation. Regardless, the payment felt surreal.

Of course, attaching a risk premium made the price somewhat reasonable.

Corrupted creatures could exert tens or hundreds of times their usual power, meaning only someone prepared to face death could tackle them.

“…It was an unexpected problem, but it wasn’t entirely unmanageable. I’m glad we resolved it without any major injuries.”

Leo took out his enchanted account book and looked at the recently updated figures.

“When we get back, I’ll immediately place an order for the upgraded items we chose earlier. We can afford even better ones now.”

“Thanks. Oh, but keep half of it for yourself. It wouldn’t feel right to take it all alone.”

Initially, when I thought we were dealing with minor magical beasts, I didn’t mind Leo saying he’d let me have everything. But after inadvertently putting him through a life-or-death experience, I felt reluctant to take the entire amount.

Contrary to my hesitation, Leo tilted his head, puzzled.

“Um… I don’t really need it.”

“…….”

What’s with that ‘really’? He probably said it without much thought, but for someone whose balance was virtually zero, it only made me laugh dryly.

Hearing the deflated sound from beside him, Leo began to explain belatedly.

“Ahem… I don’t mean it like that. It’d be good to invest it all to stabilize the core as soon as possible. Besides, I insisted on coming along from the start. I told you I’d give you everything. And I don’t have anything to buy….”

“Enough with the explanations.”

“Okay.”

Leo found a suitable spot and cast a teleportation spell.

In an instant, the space transformed into Leo’s training ground.

Leo scanned the open ceiling of the training ground and tapped the door.

“Alright, let’s head to the dorms. Let’s rest tonight and meet again tomorrow evening.”

“Yeah, good work today. Get some rest.”

Leo waved at my greeting.

I reached for my pendant, then paused and spoke quietly.

“Leo.”

“Hm?”

“Thanks for today.”

If he hadn’t been there, facing the wolves alone would have been difficult. In many ways, I felt fortunate. Having such a good companion from the start was lucky.

Leo, surprised by my words, shrugged his shoulders with a smile.

“That’s my line.”

* * *

‘What do you mean that’s your line?’

Typical of a magic fanatic.

Essentially, he seemed fine facing a pack of wolves because he could observe magic.

His passion was no ordinary passion. I could understand why the protagonist kept him around for ten years.

Lost in various thoughts, I gathered my books and left the room.

Before I even reached the floor, I heard a familiar conversation.

“Hey, did you hear? Someone swept up ninety-five thousand pel in the northeast forest today.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep