Joanna was absorbed in a feeling of freeness that she had never experienced in her life.
Her face was pale, and she felt like she would collapse at any moment. Her mind felt fuzzy, and everything she saw appeared blurred.
And yet, in this state, she was able to sense even the slightest change that happened around her. From the slightest change in wind direction to a grain of sand brushing against her hand.
Was this what it felt like when you took drugs?
She’d never tried them before, so she wasn’t sure.
‘How long have I been like this?’
Joanna could clearly remember everything from the beginning.
The Demon Beasts swarmed towards her. At first, she thought that man was still around.
She didn’t think that he’d really left her. She was certain that he’d help when things got truly dangerous. And she even thought about how mad she would be at him afterwards.
But that thought disappeared when the first Demon Beast’s claws scratched her thigh.
The pain wasn’t severe, but it was there. Her skin was torn more than she expected, and her blood flowed freely.
It was this injury that woke her up like a splash of cold water.
From that moment, she fought off the Demon Beasts fiercely, but they were persistent. They didn’t care if even their legs or arms were blown off. Even if they lost half of their bodies, they still charged towards Joanna without hesitation.
Nevertheless, her spells were powerful enough to destroy them completely.
“Hyper Bolt!”
Joanna shouted a spell.
A powerful sphere of energy shot into the crowd of Demon Beasts. Following a small explosion of air, body parts were sent flying.
But Joanna had already turned her attention elsewhere. Half of the Demon Beasts were still alive.
She drew upon her mana once again.
‘I still have enough mana, but…’
Her head felt like it was on fire.
Was her mental strength reaching the limit?
It was possible. After all, this was the first time she’d even been in such a desperate situation. She’d never fought so many enemies before. More importantly, she was on her own.
A Wizard without a Warrior to block from the front couldn’t display even a third of their true power.
Two… No, if she had even one person to block the front, all of these weaklings would’ve died in an instant.
‘No. It might still be difficult.’
Her eyes turned to the truck. And it was just in time as she saw a group of Demon Beasts crawling over to it.
“Fire Wall!”
Fwoosh!
Flames soared up from the ground and burned the bodies of the Demon Beasts. At the same time, she’d adjusted the power of her spell so that she didn’t damage the truck.
That was a problem as well. She’d never fought in a situation like this before. All of these problems stacked in a subtle way that lowered Joanna’s combat ability to its worst.
If there was even one other person there or if there were fewer enemies, she could’ve used ranged spells to her heart’s content.
“…”
She was out of breath, and her entire body was covered in cold sweat.
She couldn’t even afford to think.
There were only two thoughts looping infinitely in her head.
Get rid of the Demon Beasts and protect the truck.
What could she do?
There were dozens of opponents against her.
The most important thing in large battles was to have a firm grasp of everything on the battlefield. Having two objectives or, if you could afford it, three.
Move constantly. And always seek the most efficient path.
All of these were things she’d been taught, but it was only after being put in such an extreme situation that she was able to put them into practice.
Her resentment to that man had disappeared without a trace, and the despair she felt when she realised the situation did, too. Now, her mind was completely blank.
She cast spells as if entranced.
Larger.
Faster.
More efficient.
Something in her heart began to stir.
Just as an inexplicable pleasure began to fill her.
Crack!
“Aak..!”
A Demon Beast’s claws ripped into her shoulder, causing her flesh to be torn to pieces.
Unlike the wound on her thigh, this wound was almost fatal. In an instant, she’d almost lost her right arm.
‘It hurts.’
It hurt so much.
Her tears threatened to fall as she felt pain that she had never experienced in her life.
In an instant, her mind began to waver.
The Demon Beasts’ claws and teeth could have poison. If she didn’t act quickly, she might have to amputate her arm.
A sudden fear arose at that thought.
Her concentration was cracking, and her mana was about to scatter.
What was she doing right now?
She couldn’t remember. The pain had caused her thoughts to fall into disarray.
A little more. She felt like she could have grasped something if she’d gotten just a little more time.
Joanna collapsed helplessly to the ground. And in an instant, the Demon Beasts charged towards her defenseless form.
She could only look at them approach her with despair-filled eyes.
She didn’t want to die in such a way…
[Finish the incantation.]
A voice rang out in her head.
Her mind, which had become blurred, suddenly cleared up.
The Demon Beasts also stopped moving. No, it wasn’t just the Demon Beasts. It seemed that space itself had stopped.
In this strange world, Joanna could finally think clearly again.
‘Who…’
[Why did you let down your guard? Why did you stop focusing your mana? And you still dare to call yourself an Archmage?]
Joanna shuddered slightly at the reprimand.
‘But… It hurts so much…’
[Pull yourself together. If you are an Archmage, then you should never stop a spell you started casting. Finish the spell. Even if your limbs are torn off, your ribs stab into your lungs, or your tongue is cut off.]
‘I… I…’
Archmage.
It was a word she both loved and hated.
She knew.
She knew that she wasn’t worthy of that title.
Joanna was just a finished product of North America’s Wizard Institution.
She was proof that an Archmage could be created simply by using a set training regimen and mechanical mana enhancement. Without needing practical experience or independent research.
The implications were great.
Although it varied depending on the individual, it implied the possibility that Archmages could be ‘mass produced’ in America. It was something that would shock the entire world.
Joanna was also proud of that fact.
Of the hundreds of applicants, she was the only one who successfully became an Archmage. The best ones after her could only reach 5 stars at best.
She was the only special one. One of the few 7 star Archmages in North America.
That was what she thought she was.
But on her first day in Asia, she realised she was just a frog in a well.
She met a ‘real Archmage’.
A Great Wizard who was on a completely different level from a manufactured Wizard.
Weren’t they the same 7 stars?
Nevertheless, Joanna didn’t believe she could defeat him even if there were five of her.
The Asian Hunters laughed at Joanna. And the other Archmages in America also ignored her.
They never said it openly, but it was clear that they never treated her like a peer. Their thoughts were obvious.
‘What a disgrace to North America.’
Stupid girl.
But the thing that hurt the most was that she couldn’t refute their criticism.
Those memories had become a trauma, and it stayed with her in the form of nightmares.
Since then, Joanna had never gone on a mission. And if she did go, it was only extremely safe missions with absolutely no risk at all.
Instead, she gained recognition by visiting events or meeting with celebrities.
This allowed Joanna to become one of America’s most famous hunters. Without actually fulfilling the duties of a hunter.
When she met Wizards below her level, she would bare her fangs because she wasn’t proud of herself.
Seeing someone calling themselves a Wizard reminded her of herself in the past.
A defective product.
A lucky loser who didn’t even qualify as 6 stars, not to mention 7 stars.
That was her identity.
[An Archmage isn’t something that’s created by luck.]
‘What do you know…’
[I can guarantee that you deserve it.]
“…!”
Those words caused Joanna’s heart to shake violently.
Those were the words she wanted to hear most from someone.
[And I will give you a mission. It’s not your destiny to be torn to death by these Demon Beasts. Overcome this ordeal.]
‘Wh-, who… are you…?’
[…]
She didn’t receive an answer. The presence in her mind was slowly fading.
…The being had left.
Joanna felt that the owner of the voice was somewhere far away, and it had only spoken to her in passing.
‘The owner of that voice… No way…’
She’d heard of it.
It was a legendary tale that was often played off as baseless rumors.
That there was a voice that could only be heard by the chosen ones.
‘If it was…’
If that was really ‘his’ voice…
If that being was truly talking to her…
Then it was a revelation!
Joanna wasn’t defective.
She raised her head, her expression changing completely.
‘I deserve it.’
She was someone who had the qualifications to be an Archmage, a being worthy of the title of Great Wizard.
So she couldn’t die there. There was no way she was going to die.
This was only a trial at best.
An unknown courage erupted inside of Joanna. Clenching her teeth, she slowly rose back up to her feet.
The pain in her shoulder and thigh seemed to have eased slightly. She knew that it was just an illusion, but she didn’t care.
“Kiieek!”
“Kyak! Kyak!”
Dozens of Demon Beasts lunged simultaneously. The time, which had stopped, had resumed once again.
Fwoosh!
Flames erupted around Joanna’s body.