It was dawn. It seems like the three girls woke up during the sunrise.
I was surprised to find a freshly made juicy sandwich in front of me right when I woke up. I didn’t even wake up by intention; I was woken up by its aroma.
I washed my face and immediately started eating.
It was a bit heavy on the stomach, but it’s incredibly delicious.
Once everyone finished eating, we quickly packed up the camp and headed down the mountain path.
After about two hours of walking, we finally emerged on the other side of the mountain.
Truth be told, I had been feeling the immense pressure of a life force for about ten minutes before crossing the mountain. That feeling was definitely the presence of a monstrous magical beast.
However, the magical beast that can be seen in the distance was far more monstrous than what I had imagined.
“It’s huge…” (Wilhelm)
It looked like a gigantic lizard clinging to the mountain.
Just the size of its face alone was enough to astound me. It was like a massive boulder come to life. Upon closer inspection, it had eyes and a mouth with terrifyingly sharp teeth.
How tall was it? It’s definitely taller than the royal castle that’s for sure.
And its length was just as astonishing.
I wonder how far its tail stretches. It’s almost impossible to see from here.
This is just one species of ancient magical beast—the largest and strongest being on the surface after living for tens of thousands of years. It’s clear that it surpasses all other forms of life. In front of this creature, humans are like insignificant beings.
There are many species of ancient magical beasts, but this one resembles a wingless dragon. It has fierce red eyes, sharp teeth, and thick scales covering its entire body, making it intimidating. Those scales are riddled with cracks and moss as proof of its long history.
It’s unbelievable that such a massive creature is alive and moving. The pressure of its life force and weight alone is enough to make one faint.
For the first time, I felt the mountain trembling in fear. There’s a legend that says ancient magical beasts would devour entire mountains when they got hungry, and maybe that’s true.
Step by step, it took its time to tread carefully and firmly on the ground.
But even with just one step, the ground beneath us trembles violently, enough to make us stumble if we let our guard down. And the sound of its footsteps is deafening, almost making me want to cover my ears.
Its large eyes blink slowly, and even its breath escaping from its nostrils emits a deep, resonating bass that feels like it could crush one’s heart.
Though the ancient magical beast moves slowly, each step brings it closer to where we are. If it continues weaving through the mountains, it will eventually reach the city where we live.
Anya grabbed onto my arm.
“Wil-sama, if that thing were to come to reach the city, it wouldn’t just crush it.” (Anya)
“Yeah, just its sneeze alone could blow away entire shops and houses in the city.” (Wilhelm)
“What a terrifying creature. Even though it’s right in front of us, its overwhelming presence makes it feel unreal.” (Clara)
“Hey, Will-kun, can we really do something about it? I mean, can humans even deal with something like that? It’s way bigger than a Kraken, isn’t it?” (Sofia)
Sofia-san sounded uncertain.
“We have to try, even if it seems impossible… Actually, looking at it now, 3 million gold wouldn’t even come close to being enough to take care of this.” (Wilhelm)
I set down my baggage and stretched lightly.
“A-Are you serious? There’s no way swords or magic would work against something that massive desu wa. Wouldn’t it be more prudent to run to the city and call for evacuation? Right, Wilhelm-sama?” (Clara)
“Not at all, Clara. I’m definitely going to finish this quest. Just watch. I’ll show you my secret weapon.” (Wilhelm)
“If by any chance it notices us and strikes back, it’s over for us desu wa.” (Clara)
“Like I said I’ll handle everything, Clara. Don’t you know who you’re talking to? There’s nothing to worry about.” (Wilhelm)
Alright, let’s do this.
The opponent is unbelievably huge. It makes the Kraken look cute in comparison.
Logically speaking, there’s no way for humans to stand against it. Clara’s right; the best course of action would be to return to the city and call for evacuation.
It reminded me of history lectures, where there were stories about humanity relocating entire cities to escape from ancient magical beasts.
The fact that human cities are often located in relatively remote areas is said to be a result of choosing land that wouldn’t be trampled by ancient magical beasts. I remember hearing theories like that.
Even our own city, I learned, developed from a place hidden at the foot of cliffs.
Humanity could never stand against ancient magical beasts. That’s the common knowledge in this world.
But I’m a genius who transcends common knowledge.
So, I have a means to counter ancient magical beasts.
――Yes, this happened from back when I was an excellent student.
During an ordinary lunch break, I stumbled upon a corner of the school’s grand library hidden by sealing magic.
It was an exceptionally high-level magic, so advanced that even those with low magical abilities wouldn’t notice its existence. Moreover, it was sealed with multiple layers of magic, which only piqued my curiosity further.
This sealing magic could only be sensed by someone as skilled as myself.
Though no one believed me, I spent three months breaking through that seal. Beyond it was a laboratory. Upon investigating, I discovered it contained research on what was known as “Ultimate Magic”, said to be usable only by a Demon King.
Presumably, it was a laboratory once used by someone referred to as the Demon King.
It was surprising to learn that the Demon King was an alum of our school, but the research intrigued me greatly. Thus, I remained there, absorbing and mastering all the research left behind.
Among the spells I mastered was one that could summon the Great Dragon King, for example.
I focused intently, steadily increasing my magic.
I elevated and gathered magical energy from my surroundings. The surge of magical energy created a gust of wind, lifting Anya and Sofia-san’s skirts. But I paid it no mind, as I was deeply concentrated. One was pure white, the other was mature black. I paid it no mind, as I continued concentrating. White and black. I wouldn’t remember them anyways. White and black. I’m definitely not trying to store them in my memory. By the way, Clara, why weren’t you wearing a skirt? I would’ve liked to see that too. No, focus, focus.
Hmm… I felt like I made eye contact with the ancient magical beast.
To it, I must have seemed like a mere grain of sand. Perhaps my increasing magic caught its attention.
Still, I continued to raise my magic to its maximum.
Beyond individual capabilities, reaching the pinnacle of magic that could shake the world, no, even further, reaching the ultimate pinnacle of magic that no one in human history had ever reached.
“Now, witness this! The ultimate magic of the true Demon King! And within that, the summoning magic of the gods!” (Wilhelm)
“Wil-sama’s eyes!” (Anya)
“What are you…? Those eyes of yours, and that overwhelming amount of magic… This is beyond human capabilities…” (Clara)
“Wil-kun, the ancient magical beast is looking this way. I think it sees you as an enemy. Is this going to be okay?” (Sofia)
“Of course.” (Wilhelm)
Yet, despite only living for seventeen years, I can wield such power. That’s the mark of my exceptional talent.
“This is my Magic Eye.” (Wilhelm)
I turned my attention slightly towards Anya.
“Hey, Anya, remember how you idolize the Great Dragon King which the guild is named after?” (Wilhelm)
“Y-Yes… Bahamut has been my idol since I was little.” (Anya)
I extended both hands forward.
“I’ll show you now. Here we go, the ultimate of ultimates in magic, the pinnacle of summoning, the king among kings. I call upon your name. Under my command, come out, Bahamut!” (Wilhelm)
An unimaginable surge of magic erupted before me.
It unleashed a fierce storm, no, a massive explosion.
Trees and rocks were blown away.
It’s coming. The Dragon King with the greatest power. Bahamut.
From the torrent of magic emerged the face of a dragon.
Its head emerged, followed by its arms, its massive body, and then its enormous wings. It stomped the ground forcefully with its legs, and its long, extended tail swayed heavily.
“GGGUUUYYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” (Bahamut)
It was an unimaginably loud and intimidating roar.
My eardrums felt like they would burst. No, perhaps my heart might burst.
I couldn’t help but cover my ears. The intimidating force was too overwhelming. The ground shaking was beyond anything I’d ever felt. Anya, Clara, and Sofia also fell on their backsides.
“GUOOOOOOOOO!” (Ancient Beast)
The ancient beast responded with its own intimidation.
The sound from it was just as terrifying. The deafening roar left my entire body in pain and numbness.
The ancient beast must have been startled.
After all, a dragon much larger than itself suddenly appeared right in front of it.
Yes, Bahamut is much larger than the ancient beast. Just in terms of body size, Bahamut is at least one size larger than the ancient beast.
With its mouth wide open, Bahamut could probably bite off the tip of the ancient beast’s nose. And if it spread its wings, it could almost entirely envelop the ancient beast’s massive body.
Living beings naturally feel fear towards entities larger than themselves.
Moreover, Bahamut is considered the king of dragons, an overwhelmingly formidable presence. For the ancient beast, it was not a good match. No matter how you looked at it, Bahamut was an opponent that couldn’t be dealt with.
However, it seems the ancient beast wasn’t willing to just give up.
As the ancient beast charged, tearing through the ground, an unbelievable earthquake ensued. Both myself and the girls bounced with the tremor.
The ancient beast swung its heavy forelegs, aiming to claw at Bahamut’s belly.
But it was ineffective.
Bahamut’s scales were not so easily pierced.
Instead, Bahamut retaliated, pushing back forcefully against the ancient beast with its claws, tearing through its scales and flesh.
An overwhelming amount of magic accumulated in Bahamut’s mouth.
Even I shudder at the thought. If Bahamut were to unleash that magic, the entire area in front of us would likely be transformed into a horizon. I felt the terror of its potential to annihilate everything—earth, rivers, trees, mountains, every single thing.
The ancient beast clearly felt that same terror.
The ancient beast drooped its shoulders, lowered its tail to the ground, and showed a frightened expression.
Within those terrified eyes, the ancient beast displayed a hint of defeat, looking remarkably weak. It was like the eyes of a puppy that had lost a fight with an adult dog.
Turning sideways, it fled without sparing a glance for Bahamut.
The direction it fled was northwest, the same direction that had been discussed with Liliana beforehand.
It likely won’t come back. It must have tasted the fear of facing Bahamut here.
Emergency quest, successfully completed.
With the quest completed, I commanded Bahamut to return.
With both the ancient beast and Bahamut gone, the absence of their immense life forces left an uneasy feeling.
The mountain seemed restless.
The trees, the birds, the animals, and even the other magical beasts, all seemed to have just gone through a nerve-wracking ordeal moments ago.
Even I could feel my heart pounding. Despite having summoned it myself, the presence of Bahamut, seen for the first time, was truly overwhelming.
That was undoubtedly the Dragon King. No, it might even surpass the title of Dragon King. It could be said without exaggeration that it is the ruler of all life.
“I-I might have witnessed something incredible.” (Sofia)
Sofia-san, with her legs spread open after falling on her rear, is quite a sight. I can see something incredible too, you know?
Anya was in a similar position.
Both of them were beautiful.
“Wow… Bahamut, the one I admired… The great Dragon King. I never imagined the day would come when I could see it with my own eyes. How adorable it is.” (Anya)
Is she using “adorable” correctly?
I wish she would say something like “cool” instead.
“Wil-sama… You truly are amazing. I really… respect you.” (Anya)
It’s an honor to be praised by Anya.
Oh, Clara is crying. She looks incredibly frustrated. I wonder why.
“I-It’s… so frustrated… In our guild, there’s no way we could have handled it… this emergency quest… That’s… so frustrating… And… what was that… dragon? It was so overwhelming, I even felt moved…” (Clara)
“Clara-chan…” (Anya)
Anya stood up. Then, slowly, she walked towards Clara.
With a gentle expression, she slowly reached out her hand to Clara.
“When we have these tough quests in the future, let’s cooperate, okay? Let’s join hands and elevate each other’s guilds.” (Anya)
“I absolutely refuse.” (Clara)
With a swift motion, she brushed away Anya’s hand.
Both Sofia-san and I were stunned. Is it normal to brush someone’s hand away like that?
Clara stood up, crossing her arms and looking self-important.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. It’s better if my guild is on top and Anastasia’s guild is below. That’s absolute. Instead of joining hands, it feels better for me to one sidely bestow favors upon Anastasia.” (Clara)
“Ahaha, that’s so typical of you, Clara-chan.” (Anya)
Anya smiled gently.
Clara’s remarks were pretty harsh, weren’t they? It gave me a good understanding of just how twisted her personality can be.
“Anastasia, don’t think you’ve won yet. Our real showdown will be in the guild competition. I absolutely won’t lose. I’ll defeat [Grand Bahamut] for the honor of [Cosmic Falcon].” (Clara)
“Yeah, I’m up for the challenge. I want to become strong, just like Wil-sama. So, I’ll easily win the festival tournament.” (Anya)
“You said it. That’s why you’re my rival.” (Clara)
“A rival and best friend, right?” (Anya)
The two of them cutely bumped their fists together.
Surprisingly, these two seemed like they could become lifelong best friends. It made me a bit jealous. After all, as a shut-in, I don’t have a single friend.
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Imagine if he just went, “I wonder what this magic does” back when he first discovered the magic. If this thing pops up in the city, it’ll just get wiped out before it even took a step.
After the whole competition thing, it should be the end of the first volume. I’m interested to see Anya vs Clara. At least, it’s better than MC vs literally anything cause we know MC is gonna win.
Footnote:
- None