Chapter 18: Breaking Point (1/2)

The spiny wild boars continued to rush in endlessly, regardless of day or night.

However, surprisingly, there was no appearance of a monster more powerful than them.

They simply kept coming in greater numbers—far more than before.

As a result, the maze was simplified even further.

The turtle began to not only heal wounds but also compress its magic into its shell, making it far stronger than before.

The maze became more stable, and I began to feel a growing sense of ease.

In fact, the real problem was dealing with the massive pile of corpses.

The puppets managed to remove the wild boar corpses, but since tens of thousands had already died, the mountain of bodies had become a massive barrier in itself.

It was a significant obstacle for me, as I intended to manipulate the maze freely.

The solution came as I researched the wild boar spines.

If the corpses were a hindrance, I could simply turn them into an advantage.

I began creating puppets that moved using the boar corpses as their physical form.

At the center of it all were their spines.

These unstable bodies were on the verge of exploding even if left alone, but that instability was precisely what I liked about them.

These puppets would charge straight into the oncoming boars, creating massive explosions upon impact.

It was an explosion far larger than the explosive magic I had been using before.

I smiled in satisfaction.

***

With everything stabilizing, the sixth day passed smoothly.

Although I’m not sure if it’s correct to call it smooth, as I was still dealing with monsters.

Still, that was how it went.

It wasn’t until the seventh day that things began to change.

The puppets that had been scouting far away in the mountains suddenly started to break.

I quickly investigated the reason for the collapse of the scouting network I had built.

Huge hawks were swooping down from the sky, attacking the puppets hidden in the trees.

They were enormous and fast, crushing the puppets beneath them as they passed.

These flying monsters were too powerful for my puppets to deal with.

I had to watch helplessly as the puppets scattered throughout the forest and mountains were wiped out one by one.

But it wasn’t just the hawks.

Other monsters began to appear in the forest as well.

There were wolves with razor-sharp fur and deer armored in iron plating.

These creatures were even larger and more powerful than the spiny wild boars, exuding an intimidating presence as they approached.

With the appearance of these three types of monsters, the situation in the mountains grew more complicated.

Among them, the giant hawks weren’t a concern for me at all.

They flew in large groups, heading directly toward the mountaintop.

I had no way or intention of dealing with them.

I simply ignored them completely.

My maze was designed to deal only with land-based monsters, and those flying beasts were destined to be torn apart by Hong Ryeong’s wind barrier.

Hong Ryeong, who knew the structure of my maze, would easily take care of them.

But the razor-wolf monsters were different.

They didn’t rush into the turtle’s embrace like the boars.

Instead, they worked together to try and escape the maze itself, all while concealing their intentions thoroughly.

Unlike the boars, which blindly charged forward, the wolves carefully observed their surroundings and used tactics of their own.

They waited for the moment I modified the structure of the maze, gathering their strength to break through the walls and escape.

I only realized this when it was too late.

I quickly became alert, realizing their movements.

They passed through the area where the boar corpses were stacked and charged straight toward me.

Their eyes gleamed with determination and ferocity.

The immediate and intense threat made me step back.

“Damn, I got careless.”

I urgently activated my defensive barrier.

The magic I had set up earlier enveloped me, but one of the razor-wolves crashed directly into the barrier.

The tremendous shock shook the barrier, and I was thrown backward by the impact.

The force of the attack shattered part of the barrier.

Damn it, I should have thought more about my own safety first.

I had let my guard down, thinking everything was going smoothly.

These monsters were much smarter and more agile than I had anticipated.

I continued to reinforce the barrier and managed to block their attacks.

But just as I thought I could catch my breath, other monsters began to emerge through the cracks in the walls.

The flow of the maze I had so carefully arranged started to break down, and monsters began to swarm toward my defensive barrier.

At that moment, the entire maze groaned.

It felt as if the massive structure was on the verge of collapsing.

At the center of it all was the armored deer.

While the boars had caused explosions to shake the walls, the armored deer used its solid body to widen the cracks in the wall itself.

They rammed into the broken wall with the boar’s body stuck on their antlers.

The unexpected shock caused the wall to begin crumbling.

“No…!”

Despair began to set in.

But it was only for a moment.

I calmly assessed the situation and separated what I could and could not do.

It was impossible to save the entire maze.

I needed to protect the core and minimize the damage to the maze’s structure in order to regain control of the situation.

I immediately ordered the self-destruct puppets to act.

The puppets moved quickly.

Hundreds and thousands of them rushed toward the collapsed walls of the maze, colliding with the monster horde in a mindless charge.

Countless explosions began to rock the area between them.

This would buy me a little time.

Using this brief respite, I repositioned the turtle.

Originally, I had placed it in the optimal location to prevent overloading the maze, but now I had no time for such concerns.

The turtle began to crush through the maze, heading straight toward the weakened walls.

As I focused all my attention on casting spells, my instincts screamed a warning.

At the same time, a shadow began to stretch over me.

Above, where the barrier was weakest.

A pack of razor-wolves charged toward the weak point, riding on the armored deer’s back.

Their claws tore through the barrier in that spot.

“Damn, these bastards.”

I quickly repaired the barrier, but a few of the razor-wolves fell inside the broken barrier.

No more puppets or barriers were left near me.

The wolves immediately turned toward me, charging with speed and determination.

I quickly gathered my magic and drew a circle of runes.

There wasn’t enough time to set up a full defense.

As I saw their massive claws heading toward me, I swiftly cast my spell.

“Explode!”

The magic circle exploded, pushing the air around me.

The shockwave sent the wolves flying backward, but it was only temporary.

They quickly regrouped and charged again.

One of their claws slashed through my waist, and my innards spilled out.

Swallowing the pain, I quickly began weaving another spell.

Another explosion spell.

This time, it wasn’t aimed at the wolves.

The explosion was aimed at myself.

“Cough!”

The shock of the explosion shattered my body, but I used that force to fly far away from them.

I managed to create enough distance from the razor-wolves.

Bleeding, I quickly began weaving spells again.

Layer upon layer of defense magic surrounded me, forming a more stable barrier than before.

The razor-wolves tried to break through the barrier, but I poured all my magic into reinforcing it and created even more layers.

Amid this chaos, the turtle arrived.

It began to break through anything in its path, sealing off the hole in the wall with its body.

Finally, I could breathe.

As I watched the wolves panic before the turtle, my eyes gleamed with determination.

“Now it’s my turn, you bastards.”

With no more monsters arriving, the puppets quickly began clearing the area.

After a series of explosions, most of the monsters had fallen.

The only ones left were the wolves, running for their lives.

I swore, grinding my teeth.

I would turn you into puppets and make you my lifelong lesson.

Surrounded by the corpses of the spiny wild boars, I quickly began using them to create new puppets.

I used them to trap the wolves in one spot.

They struggled to escape, but eventually, they were killed in the explosions of the puppets.

I staggered, barely holding myself up.

My body was exhausted, and I was close to collapsing.

But I bite my tongue and forced myself to keep going.

I needed to repair the maze.