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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Mana Rampage.
A phenomenon where the unorganized mana within the body erupts outward.
Uncontrolled, this overflowing mana takes on various attributes in the atmosphere, attacking friend and foe indiscriminately.
In a typical formation, wizards are positioned in the middle or rear ranks.
Inevitably, they end up close to their allies.
Thus, a mana-rampaging wizard is treated like a bomb capable of wiping out their entire team.
I had heard tales of high-ranking wizards who, in a single moment of carelessness, destroyed everything.
There were even cases where fools from the magic tower, eager to become adventurers, panicked at the sight of monsters, botched their incantations, and were never seen again.
I used to dismiss them, convinced they lacked the makings of a true wizard.
My confidence stemmed from the fact that I had never failed, not even once.
And yet, in the worst possible moment, just as those wizards I scorned and deemed foolish might have wished upon me, mana rampage struck.
It was, of course, my own fault.
My vision blurred, my balance deserted me, and I fell.
I saw my companions, moving with utmost care so as not to alert the demons, to keep me safe from their notice.
They were fighting.
Everyone but me.
I alone remained idle.
Even in such a situation, I felt a perverse sense of relief in my inaction.
Along with that selfish thought came a wave of self-loathing.
In stark contrast to my body’s respite, my mind slowly frayed.
A sense of powerlessness, unlike anything I’d ever experienced, seemed to crush me.
My resolve, already half-gone, gave way to a torrent of negativity as my mind relinquished its search for a solution.
In tandem with my despair, the mana began to spiral out of control.
“No… Help… Help!!!”
A desperate plea, the likes of which had never escaped my lips before.
A hazy miasma of demonic energy obscured my vision.
I lacked even the presence of mind to activate Mana Sight.
No one answered.
No one reacted.
…Couldn’t they hear me?
This was bad.
Truly, dangerously bad…
With two formidable demons, the situation was as dire as it could get.
Rain unleashed her golden mana, imbued with holy power, in a barrage of attacks.
I could even make out glimmers of Lian’s silver holy power, reminiscent of her hair.
Odrox’s colossal sword clashed with something, sparks flying.
Ron’s jet-black hair whipped back and forth as he fought.
“Help… Please, help…”
In the heat of battle against demons, where a single misstep could spell death, one had to focus all five senses on the opponent in front of them.
My pleas, weakened from exhaustion, would never reach them.
Unbridled mana shot out in all directions like thorns.
Lian, who had been the first to notice my unusual state before the battle, was also the first to perceive the change.
“…Ugh!”
Her experience allowed her to dodge the projectiles of mana, but upon realizing the gravity of the situation, Lian began to panic, her gaze darting between me and the battle.
As I desperately tried to suppress it, the mana seemed to resist, its outward flow intensifying.
The expelled mana, mingling with the demonic energy, coalesced in the air.
Crimson mana began to take shape.
A fiery figure, resembling a demon, materialized in mid-air, its gaze fixed upon me.
In a beguiling whisper, it spoke.
‘It’s too hard.’
Like a siren’s call, it continued to whisper sweet nothings into my ears, attempting to ensnare me.
And I, paralyzed by fear and unable to find a solution, could only cower before its power.
The crimson figure twisted into a grotesque mockery of a smile as it slowly began to merge with me, seeking to make me its own.
A searing pain.
The familiar heat of fire magic, the element I wielded most often, now coursed through my very being, its nature warped and corrupted.
Agony, as though I was being incinerated from within.
The worst pain imaginable—
“Aagh! Aaagh!!”
A scream, wrung from the depths of my being, escaped my lips as unbearable pain consumed me.
Even in my hazy state, I could see my companions locked in a desperate struggle against the demons.
It was hopeless.
It would attack them from behind and wipe us all out.
And in the end, it would incinerate my body as well.
If only I had been more mindful of my condition.
If only I had a little more time…
—This is truly, the end…
“Our esteemed wizard seems to be having a bit of a meltdown, wouldn’t you say?”
As my mind, a chaotic mess of exploding fireworks, struggled to make sense of even the simplest thought, you appeared.
I saw streaks of red liquid trickling down your arm.
Looking up with what little strength I had left, I saw you, your face streaked with sweat and blood.
Yet, your eyes, deep as the night sky, remained fixed on me, their light undimmed.
“Mana rampage, right? You’re doing a decent job holding it back. Don’t know how long you can keep it up though…”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
“We’re in a bit of a pickle here, you see? We need your magic.”
I knew that, but what could I do?
A Mana rampage could only be quelled by another wizard of comparable power, suppressing the runaway energy with their own.
And as far as I knew, your mana reserves paled in comparison to mine.
“You’re more help than I can provide in this fight.”
You extended your hand.
I saw beads of blood, clinging to your skin, drip to the ground.
“The right choice. Better to live and fight another day than become a hero’s sacrifice…”
You muttered to yourself, more than to me, as if steeling your resolve.
Then, you took my hand in yours.
The crimson mana, half-assimilated into my very being, reacted to your touch as if sensing a threat, its edges sharpening.
An inferno of heat emanated from my body.
I wanted to speak, to scream at you to stop, to ask why you were doing this.
But my lips only moved in a silent plea.
“Learned some good magic thanks to your help, you know.”
Your words caught me off guard.
Now that you mentioned it, you had been asking me about magic for quite some time.
Even after we entered the demon realm.
Back then, I had found it annoying, and after arriving here, your inquiries had often come at the most inconvenient times.
Yet, you were claiming to have mastered magic based on those haphazard lessons?
And in a situation like this, no less?
Could you really handle the mana rampage?
A sliver of hope sparked within me as I looked at you.
As if reading my thoughts, you smiled and began to chant.
The words, rough and direct, were in the common tongue, devoid of any embellishment.
As you uttered each syllable, the color drained from my face.
The ultimate act of self-sacrifice.
Black magic.
An inefficient, sacrificial magic.
The culmination of your chant—a spell that absorbed the pain of others.
“Think of it this way, I’m just giving you a break. We need you alive to win this. I’m counting on you, our amazing wizard.”
You placed your hand on my forehead.
The searing heat, intense enough to scorch the earth and vaporize demonic energy, flowed into you through that single point of contact.
I watched as your skin blistered and burned, the proteins within your flesh breaking down.
The difference in our mana levels meant that the pain you were experiencing was far more intense than anything I had felt.
Your action was as reckless as jumping into a raging inferno without any protection.
“Don’t worry, Lian’s got me. Just focus on winning, okay?”
My mana stabilized.
My head cleared.
It felt as if the fatigue that had been weighing me down had vanished entirely.
In contrast, you were crumbling.
You bore the brunt of the heat, the exhaustion, the mental strain, all by yourself.
The smile that had been on your face moments ago was gone, replaced by an expression of agony.
Your body, ravaged by the heat, collapsed, unable to support its own weight.
I saw the fire in you, the will to live, slowly being extinguished.
But I couldn’t bear to look at you.
Because I knew the reason behind your sacrifice.
So instead, I focused on finding the fastest way to end this.
I had to save him.
Think.
What could I do for the man who had taken all my pain upon himself?
Decide.
Gather my mana, now tainted by demonic energy, and unleash the strongest, fastest spell I could conjure.
Act.
The incantation left my lips—the spell I had researched, practiced, and used more than any other.
With a few additional words, the familiar black sphere, now imbued with a sinister power, materialized at my fingertips.
It pulsed with an ominous energy.
It fell to the ground with a weight that defied its size, rolling forward like a macabre wheel until it reached the heart of the battlefield.
“…Ugh! Everyone, get back!!”
“Sola!? Are you alright?”
“Ah… where’s Ron…? Where is he…”
The demons didn’t even have time to finish their sentences before they were sucked into the black sphere, their forms dissolving into nothingness.
The battle, which had been so intense just moments ago, was over in a blink of an eye.
And only then, could I finally turn my attention to the half-dead man lying at my feet.
“Why… why…”
I didn’t care that my pristine white robes were getting stained.
I crawled towards you, collapsing to my knees by your side.
From the moment you placed your hand on my forehead, back when tensions were high between me and the others, your kindness and selflessness had been a constant.
You had saved me, saved all of us, by sacrificing yourself.
Your entire body was covered in burns.
There was hardly an inch of you that hadn’t been scorched, both inside and out.
And yet, despite the physical agony and the mental strain, you managed to choke out a few words, trying to reassure me.
“Ah… ugh…”
Your voice, weak and fading fast, reached my ears.
“So… Sola.”
My vision blurred with tears, but I could see you trying to smile, trying to comfort me.
“We… won, right?”
You raised your hand, placing it on my head.
“Good… job…”
Just like that day.
…The rest is a blur.
When I finally came to my senses, you were back to your old self, the burns healed, leaving behind only faint scars.
“Looks like our dear wizard was quite worried about me, huh?”
You chuckled, as if nothing had happened.
I embraced you, overcome with relief.
You gently patted my head, a familiar gesture that no longer filled me with discomfort.
I realized that I had started to crave your touch, your presence.
You were alive, and that was all that mattered.
Your gaze, your touch, everything about you exuded warmth.
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I wasn’t a monster.
I could feel gratitude for kindness, warmth for warmth.
I could cry when I was sad, and laugh when I was happy.
And as I looked at the faint burn scars that remained on your body, a constant reminder of your sacrifice, I made a vow.
I would repay my debt to you.
But as time went on, that vow began to transform.
As we journeyed through the demon realm, I started to see you for who you truly were.
I loved you.
There was no denying it.
And I, in my usual clueless fashion, had no idea how to express those feelings.
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[Damn Ron is kinda….. Hot]
Nice story✋🙂↕️