"Hello, I’m Fox..."

"I’m Rabbit..."

Two mages from the support troops greeted me nervously.

Both of them were dressed in the black uniforms of the Imperial Army, topped with the white robes unique to the mage corps, hoods and all.

Due to an impromptu party reshuffling, we were tasked with destroying the spinal nerve center of Jormungandr.

’Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve actually used code names with these guys.’

We had maintained a certain distance, so I was hearing their names for the first time.

"Fox? Rabbit? Those aren’t your real names, are they?"

"No. Uh, when our mage corps was transferred to the Imperial Central Army... we started receiving new code names for each operation."

Code names? What a shady practice.

"Under Captain Reina, our group of four received the code names Fox, Rabbit, Kitty, and Piggy for this mission."

"So, the two who fell out there must be Kitty and Piggy."

I looked at the scenery rushing below the serpent’s body and clicked my tongue.

"I wonder if they’ll be alright."

"Ah, you don’t have to worry about those two."

"They could survive even if dropped into hell..."

While I was concerned, Fox and Rabbit, their comrades, waved their hands and smiled reassuringly.

"Believe it or not, we are directly under the command of the Mage Corps Captain."

"I can take care of myself. I’ve been through worse."

"Been through worse, you say?"

"Well, isn’t this the life of a civil servant?"

"Low pay, tough work, and nothing but patriotism left..."

The two grumbling civil servants paused and gauged my reaction. Apparently, they felt awkward making such comments in front of a prince.

"Everblack, long live your majesty! Long live the empire!"

All of a sudden, they raised both hands and shouted.

Alright, got it, so stop... you’re making me uncomfortable...

"We’re short on time; let’s focus on destroying the spinal nerve center."

"Yes!"

Fox and Rabbit were capable of using the ’Lightweight’ and ’Swift’ buffs.

As the two mages cast their buffs on Evangeline, she let out a sound like, "I feel so light!" and started pounding on the spinal nerve center at an alarming rate. At this pace, it seemed she would finish quickly.

"Hmmm."

Next to her, Kellibey was scrutinizing the spinal nerve center with a serious look. I decided to give the Dwarf craftsman a piece of my mind.

"Kellibey, you’ve been staring all this time, what are you doing?"

"Just wait a moment... I was thinking, why laboriously dig with a pickaxe?"

Kellibey glanced at the winch mechanism on his arm.

"If I can make a destruction device powered by magic..."

"Ah, hadn’t thought of that."

I approached the contemplating Kellibey. He had already taken out some paper and was sketching plans.

"How about this design?"

To possibly aid him, I described the concept of drills from Earth.

I had plenty of magical cores that could serve as the power source, so if he could craft a spiral-shaped drill bit out of metal and assemble it properly, we might be able to destroy the spinal nerve center more easily than with a pickaxe.

Kellibey immediately began working on the metal fragments and Jormungandr scales he pulled from his bag after hearing my explanation.

When I inserted the magic core,

Whiiirr!

A decent drilling machine was born!

Kellibey looked at me with an impressed expression.

"Hey, kid. Does this device have a name?"

"Uh... it’s called a ’drill.’"

In our world, it’s a tool used to make holes.

"Whoa! Amazing, a drill! With this, we can bore through anything!"

Engaging in conversation that sounded like it came from a third-rate fantasy novel, Kellibey took the drill in hand and applied it directly to the nerve center.

Whiiirr!

As the device activated and the metal tip touched the nerve center,

Kzzz-Kzz-Kzz!

Sparks flew in all directions as the drill began to grind through the nerve center almost instantly.

"Um…"

The scene uncomfortably resembled a dental treatment for extracting a cavity. It even made my molars feel sore.

The drill didn’t work perfectly from the start.

Either the drill bit would bend, or the magic core would overheat, causing the device to stop working, and this cycle repeated.

Kellibey adjusted the rotation speed, reinforced the drill’s structure, and modified it to transfer the user’s magic power to the metal tip through the magic circuit.

"The equipment looks a bit heavy, so I’ll cast a lightweight spell on it. It should last for a day."

"Then, I’ll increase the rotation speed by applying a speed spell to the metal tip..."

Fox and Rabbit, two magicians, also chipped in.

It was well past noon when Kellibey finally completed a functional drill.

Kellibey handed each of us one of the finished drills.

Kzzz-Kzz-Kzz!

The spectacle of four drill tips simultaneously attaching to the nerve center and causing sparks to fly everywhere was quite a sight."Isn’t this much more convenient than pickaxing?!"

"Handle it carefully. That drill is dangerous equipment."

But perhaps because everyone was in the realm of superhuman heroes, they managed to control the massive drills without much difficulty.

The nerve center’s ’area destruction percentage’ rose quickly.

I exhaled a sigh of relief. Now we could progress more easily.

"I’m gonna dig up some more Jormungandr scales! If I see anything rarer, I’ll get that too!"

Kellibey, swinging his pickaxe up high, darted off before I could say anything. He looked absolutely thrilled.

He seemed to consider this place more like a mine than a monster. But as long as it helps, I’ll let him be.

"How about sending one of these over there too? It’s really convenient," Evangeline asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

Her face was one of relief, having switched from endless pickaxing to using the drill.

"Let’s completely finish destroying this area first, then move up along the snake’s body and help with destroying the central and head parts."

The distance to the next ’area destruction’ site was quite far from here.

Instead of wasting energy going back and forth, it’s better to finish up here quickly and then combine parties as we move up.

Thinking this, I glanced towards the west.

The sun was setting beyond the rapidly flowing earth.

Before I knew it, the day was coming to an end.

***

Night had fallen.

Fierce winds blew relentlessly over Jormungandr’s body, but fortunately, it was summer. The wind didn’t rob anyone of their body heat.

No, it was actually hot.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Jormungandr, near the center.

Kuilan and Lucas had placed large torches around the central nervous system and were tirelessly swinging their pickaxes.

"…"

"…"

The other four members of the Penal Squad watched them with incredulous eyes as they took a break.

In the beginning, there were pointless jokes exchanged, and everyone had been working with a sense of humor.

But eventually, a heavy silence had settled over the site, punctuated only by the sound of pickaxes striking the nervous system. Clang— Clang— Clang—

It all began an hour ago.

As the sun set, Lucas, who was the first to stop pickaxing, made a suggestion to everyone.

"Let’s take a break. We’ve got a long three-day battle ahead."

Then Kuilan responded with a teasing smile.

"Tired already, Sir Knight? I’m still feeling pretty spry."

At that, veins bulged in Lucas’s temples.

"Tired? You challenging me to a stamina contest?"

"No, not a contest, per se... Just saying I haven’t tired out yet. Just stating the fact."

"Fine. Let’s see who gives out first. It’s a showdown."

"Ha-ha! Bring it on, let’s do this!"

And thus, a war broke out.

While the others drank water and nibbled on preserved food for rest, Kuilan and Lucas glared at each other and kept swinging their pickaxes.

The other four members of the Penal Squad lounged comfortably, alternating their gazes between the two, and thought privately.

’They both look tired...’

Lucas had an injury. Although he had recovered with a potion, after-effects were undoubtedly present.

Kuilan had a naturally fragile constitution. Despite his imposing physique, his stamina was rapidly waning.

Both were clearly pushing themselves too hard. But there was no retreat; the most useless yet unyielding thing was the clash of male egos.

No compromises were made. Both men endured with sheer willpower.

Breathing heavily and wiping the sweat off his chin, Kuilan finally spoke.magic

"You look, hah... Pretty tired. Hah... How about taking a break?"

With trembling hands, Lucas swept back his sweat-soaked blonde hair and grinned.

"How about you, hah... Your balloon muscles are shaking. Hah... How about surrendering?"

Bloodshot eyes filled Kuilan’s gaze.

"What, what did you say? Balloon muscles?"

"It’s the truth, isn’t it? All brawn and no brains. You’re just inflated muscles."

"Take that back right now! You dare insult my proud combat-compressed muscles!"

"I’ll take it back if you win this showdown."

"Hehe, fine, let’s see this through to the end...!"

The two men, their strength waning, continued to swing their pickaxes.

Now lying down on blankets and sleeping bags, the other four members of the Penal Squad prepared to sleep and privately thought,

’Will it end when one of them faints...?’

Jormungandr was passing through the plains.

Despite being on the body of a monster, the place was surprisingly peaceful.

Clang— Clang— Clang—

The other four members of the Penal Squad used the sound of pickaxes as their lullaby and slept soundly.

Lucas and Kuilan continued to glare at each other, locked in a tense standoff.

***

Dawn.

Jormungandr, near the head.

Above the creature’s neural center floated a halo, angelic in its semblance. It shone brightly, casting a radiant glow over the area.Despite it still being before sunrise, the surroundings became vividly illuminated.

Ping-!

The next moment, a crack appeared in the air, as if a mirror had been shattered.

[Elemental Disassembly].

This was Junior’s ultimate magic.

The magical defense of the neural center began to wane rapidly.

Seizing the moment, Reina unleashed her wind magic, ravaging the neural center.

Rooooar!

Reina’s wind magic barrage continued until the duration of [Elemental Disassembly] expired.

Gazing at the neural center that endured despite being battered by countless wind blades, Junior let out a frustrated sigh.

"Just how high is its magical defense?"

Even after taking Junior’s [Elemental Disassembly], Jormungandr’s neural center did not experience a decrease in its magical defense to negative levels.

It wasn’t even the main body but a mere extremity, yet its magic power level was absurdly high.

’Creatures of the mythical era...’

"We were still able to deal some effective blows," Reina said, flashing a grin.

"It’s all thanks to you, Junior. That spell of yours is genuinely marvelous. Make sure to present it at the Magic Society."

"Haha..."

Junior smiled awkwardly.

Both Junior and Reina had executed their combo magic twice today.

Even after casting their ultimate skills twice in a day, they were still in relatively good condition.

It was thanks to Reina’s ’incantation.’ Junior felt a noticeable improvement in her condition.

"Huh?"

Of course, she wasn’t fully recovered.

Blood dribbled from Junior’s nostrils, and she tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. It seemed that casting twice in a row had taken its toll.

"Maybe we should rest now. It’s getting late," Reina mumbled casually as she pulled a blanket from her bag and headed toward the back of Jormungandr’s head.

Behind the massive serpent’s head lay a shallow mound, relatively sheltered from the strong winds.

Reina spread the blanket and sat down. Waving her hand, the winds swirling around them seemed to divert their course.

The space suddenly became cozy.

"Let’s catch some sleep."

Reina was the first to lie down, wrapped in the blanket.

The space was cramped, so Junior, covering himself with his blanket, hesitantly snuggled up beside Reina.

Seeming tired, Reina yawned, closed her eyes, and mumbled,

"Oh, by the way. Watching your magic today, I noticed two inefficient parts in your incantation."

"Really?"

"So, when you first start casting..."

Even with her sleepy voice, Reina detailed the aspects of Junior’s [Elemental Disassembly] that needed improvement.

Wide awake now, Junior committed every word to memory.

"...Something like that. Make sure to refine it later. Huaaah."

Having finished her lecture, Reina pulled the blanket up over her head.

"See you tomorrow... Oh, just a heads-up, I’m a terrible bed-sharer."

Soon enough, the sound of snoring could be heard. Reina had fallen asleep instantly.

"..."

Junior had never had a proper mentor. She had learned everything through self-study.

That’s why Reina’s guidance felt both unfamiliar and, to be honest, gratifying.

She never knew guidance from someone else could feel so sweet.

’If I had a magic mentor...’

Junior stared at the profile of the sleeping non-magician.

’...would it have felt like this?’

Soon after, Junior also closed her eyes to sleep.

Tonight, she felt like she could sleep deeply.

***

Regardless of the tiny humans scurrying around on its body, the colossal serpent Jormungandr remained indifferent, steadfastly continuing its journey.

Northward. Ever northward. In a true north direction.

Ssssssss—

The sun rose. Its harsh rays bleached the expansive plains that Jormungandr was crossing.

At the end of the tranquil plains, a river with violent rapids began to come into view.

Beyond that river was a dense forest, and crossing that forest would lead to—

The stone walls built by humans would inevitably appear.

Ssssssss—

The serpent simply slithered forward.

Following its given mission and instincts, from one end of the world to the other.

***

[STAGE 9]

[Jormungandr - Progress of Area Destruction]

- First Vertebra: 41%

- Second Vertebra: 18%

- Third Vertebra: 29%

- Time to Reach Crossroad: 2 days left

--TL Notes--

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