Of course, Herace had only cast a minor illusion spell on his ankle.
There was no need to endure actual pain.
He crawled to a corner, feigning injury, and hid behind a rock, panting dramatically.
If he took another hit, he planned to act as though he’d died on the spot.
Luke Clayton gripped his sword tightly.
‘If you think this will make me give up, you’re wrong.’
He had always believed the world hated him, that it wanted him to surrender and despair.
So, he’d rebelled—always choosing to fight back head-on.
This time was no different.
He wouldn’t let a single monster defeat him.
‘…Even if it’s a ridiculously strong one.’
Especially not one with three heads: a lion, a goat, and a snake.
The goat head tried to ram him with its horns, but Luke grabbed hold of them and held on.
Unlike the lion’s mane, which threatened to tear out under pressure, the horns were solid and easier to grip.
The goat head, unable to shake off the pest, breathed fire.
“I’m so sick of fire!”
Luke shouted, leaping up and kicking the goat on its snout.
His clothes were singed, but he endured.
Angered, the goat spewed even hotter flames, heating the cavern to an unbearable degree—yet, strangely, it wasn’t as painful as he expected.
‘I think I know why, and I’m not happy about it.’
From electric shocks to fiery blasts, he’d been through a lot lately.
His foul mood wasn’t helped by the fact that, now that he’d climbed onto the chimera, he had no idea how to attack it effectively.
Its hide was too tough, and the constant shaking made it impossible to aim for its eyes.
Simply holding on consumed all his focus.
Going back down wasn’t an option either; the size difference made targeting its weak spots from the ground impossible.
‘I should’ve told that weakling mage to cast something useful from the start…!’
He scoffed at himself for ever fearing Herace, who now lay nearly lifeless in a corner.
Yet, seeing the once-haughty mage in such a pitiful state made him feel… strange.
Uneasy, even.
‘It’s because seeing him like that makes me feel stupid for ever taking him seriously!’
Irritated, Luke kicked the goat’s snout repeatedly, his strength and frustration combining into powerful blows.
At last, purple blood began to ooze from the chimera’s rocky hide.
The sight of actual damage sent a rush of exhilaration through him.
But now wasn’t the time to celebrate.
The goat head roared, the lion whipped its tail to knock him off, and flames threatened to engulf him again.
He ducked low to avoid the tail, preparing to dodge the fire.
But then—
‘What’s this?’
Inside the goat’s mouth, he saw only a faint ember flickering.
Suspicion crept into his mind.
Was it a trick to lure him into letting his guard down?
He couldn’t afford to miss the chance.
Without hesitation, Luke drove his gleaming sword into the goat’s open mouth and twisted it mercilessly.
The blade tore through the soft tissue, and when he pulled it out, blood gushed forth.
The goat head let out a deafening scream, its cry echoing through the cavern.
Luke resisted the urge to cover his ears, focusing instead on his next move.
The goat’s mouth hung open, dripping blood. Its head drooped, lifeless.
When one of its heads was severed, the chimera became even more frenzied.
As it roared and stomped the ground with its goat legs, Luke, who was clinging to it, lost his balance.
His waist bent sharply, and it seemed like he might fall at any moment.
He clung desperately to one of the goat’s horns to avoid plunging to the ground.
Suspended midair, Luke swayed precariously.
“Damn it!”
He tried to plant his foot on the lion’s torso again, but the resistance was overwhelming.
Then, without mercy, the snake’s body lashed out and struck him.
Once, he held on with sheer grit, gripping the horn tightly, but after being hit repeatedly by the snake’s steel-like tail, he was ultimately thrown to the ground.
The horn broke off and fell with him.
The snake’s tail didn’t relent. It sank its fangs into the back of Luke’s neck.
“Argh!”
A chill ran down his spine.
A dreadful sensation followed.
There was no way the snake attached to the chimera wasn’t venomous.
He could already feel a numbing sensation coursing through his veins.
“I have to kill it. Kill it now.”
He had to eliminate it. If he got rid of it, everything would be fine.
Then that feeble mage could regain composure and cast healing magic on him!
Blood trickled from his shattered forehead, blurring his vision.
His breath came in ragged gasps, and it felt like his heart might burst.
“I will… not… die!”
No matter how strong his will, his body had its limits.
He was at the brink of exhaustion.
After fighting monsters all day yesterday and enduring another intense battle today, his stamina was almost completely depleted.
On top of that, the venom was slowly eating away at him.
Luke struggled to rise but had to roll away to avoid the chimera’s stomping hooves.
Unable to stand properly, he squirmed on the ground, resembling a worm.
Gritting his teeth, he fought the humiliation.
From Herace’s perspective, however, the situation wasn’t entirely bleak.
While most might assume the lion head, being a predator, was the strongest, the fact that it breathed fire suggested otherwise.
The goat head was the chimera’s leader.
The goat, a traditional symbol of the devil, was imbued with great power, as per the author’s setting.
And Luke had broken one of its horns, significantly weakening it.
With the leader’s horn shattered, the chimera was thrashing not out of anger, but disorientation and panic.
Luke, enduring the wild kicks, finally snapped and swung his sword in frustration.
He knew it wouldn’t cut through, but he lashed out anyway, his irritation boiling over.
Surprisingly, the strike landed cleanly this time.
It was because of the broken horn.
“…What the—?”
Whatever it was didn’t matter.
“You’re dead now.”
A gleam of cruel glee flashed in Luke’s blue eyes.
Even though his body was sluggish from the spreading venom, it no longer hindered him.
Luke unleashed his fury, literally butchering the beast far larger than himself.
No matter how many times he was thrown back, sprawled on the rocky ground, or tasted blood in his mouth, he got back up.
Even a massive beast couldn’t withstand relentless, razor-sharp strikes.
Bit by bit, it weakened.
“You should’ve chosen your fights better!”
There was a manic gleam in Luke’s eyes, hardened by years of being looked down upon by his family.
The intoxicating belief that he could win dulled his pain.
Bleeding profusely, he laughed at the staggering chimera, treating it like prey he had already captured.
But Herace knew better.
This wasn’t over.
The classic genre trope of “Is it really dead?” was a warning he couldn’t ignore.
The chimera’s body collapsed with a thud.
“Finally dead, huh?”
Luke strode toward the creature to confirm its death.
It was almost time.
The chimera’s final, desperate counterattack was imminent.
From behind a rock, Herace cautiously emerged.
“Is it over?”
“You spineless bastard, only coming out now.”
“If you’re going to talk like that, repay the ten million gold you owe me first.”
Luke fell silent.
“Besides, I’ll check it myself. If it’s dead, I need to retrieve the magic stone…”
He trailed off, dropping a subtle hint.
Herace nudged Luke back slightly and stepped forward.
The beast’s faint breathing suggested it wasn’t entirely defeated.
‘Finally, I can make my exit.’
A shiver ran down his neck.
The lion head, which had been buried in the ground, suddenly lifted. It unleashed a condensed surge of pure, destructive magic from its gaping maw—not fire, but raw energy meant to drag everything down with it.
The intense magic sapped life from anything it touched.
Herace froze as though he had missed his chance to dodge.
The sticky, malevolent magic bore down on him, capable of dissolving anyone it touched.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
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