Correcting countless dimensional anomalies had familiarized him with the typical patterns of fantasy stories, but creating an actual narrative was an entirely different beast.
‘Well, I guess I have no choice.’
Initially, he had planned to end the chapter dramatically, with Luke passing the test and receiving treatment for his hand.
But watching the protagonist run around in fear, he decided it was better to bring it up now for motivation.
“Are you really incapable?”
“I am!”
Luke shouted back.
He couldn’t give a logical answer, but he could yell.
“Really?”
“I’m a swordsman! But…!”
“What if I heal your hand?”
Luke, panting as he ran, turned his head to look up at Herace.
His chest heaved heavily, straining from the frantic escape.
“Liar.”
His wide blue eyes overflowed with disbelief and astonishment.
“You’re not even human! What’s the point of a promise from someone like you? You might look polished on the outside, but you’re still just a monster at heart! You’ll forget it in seconds, won’t you—ugh!”
Caught off guard mid-rant, Luke tripped and rolled across the ground, narrowly avoiding another attack.
A groan escaped him as pain flared up.
His stamina was dwindling, and his injuries were worsening.
“Do you think I paid a billion gold to bring you here just for this kind of test? This was only a preliminary round. If you pass it, I’ll heal your hand and give you a real chance to showcase your skills.”
Herace coaxed him, revealing more of his sincerity.
“That’s ridiculous. No one does that for a slave… You’re just…toying with me… Damn it, you bastard…!”
“That’s all you have to say?”
Though Luke’s words were drenched in disbelief, Herace calmly retorted.
The more desperate one always had to yield first.
“…Are you serious?”
Like now.
“Yes. But remember, the next challenge won’t be as easy. If you’re scared, I’ll understand if you choose death now.”
To top it off, Herace added a final taunt.
“If you break your promise, I’ll kill you.”
The effect was immediate.
The blue eyes darkened with seething determination, blazing with a fiery intensity.
The fear that had hunched Luke’s shoulders disappeared as he straightened up fully.
At last, the protagonist decided to act.
Luke leapt onto a nearby tree trunk and launched himself toward the wolf monster’s eyes with a sharp kick.
His movements were so fluid it was hard to believe he’d been running away moments ago.
Grrraaah!
The wolf howled in pain, shaking its head violently.
Luke was tall, nearly two meters, with a muscular frame honed through daily sword training.
An attack that combined his weight and strength would undoubtedly deal significant damage.
“Hahaha!”
Luke laughed brightly, exhilarated.
Watching the wolf monster growl and struggle to open one eye, he couldn’t fathom why he had been so scared earlier.
‘He said he’d heal my hand!’
The hand he thought he’d never wield a sword with again, confined to a life of servitude in someone else’s chambers!
He should’ve attacked that oversized head instead of wasting time running.
The energy he’d spent fleeing felt like such a waste.
Even so, his body was undeniably exhausted.
The wolf monster, realizing it was being mocked, bared its teeth and lunged.
This time, Luke didn’t dodge. He charged straight at the creature, ramming its snout with his head.
If the fight dragged on, he’d be at a disadvantage.
He had to take risks and deal damage quickly.
The wolf’s fangs scraped against Luke’s chest, but the force of his attack knocked the creature backward.
‘Grrr…’
While the wolf growled to save face, Luke leapt again.
He had no choice but to use other parts of his body since his hands were useless.
He kicked with all his might, headbutted when his legs grew tired, and lured the wolf toward large trees, making it crash into them.
Slowly but surely, he wore it down. The wolf’s energy was clearly waning.
‘You stupid, idiotic…’
But Luke wasn’t in great shape either.
Compared to the wolf, which had leisurely chased its prey for most of the fight, Luke’s condition was far worse.
He needed to end this quickly—very quickly.
However, the wolf had already caught on to Luke’s attack patterns after their repeated clashes.
Without a decisive blow, this standoff would only drag on.
‘A decisive blow…’
Luke recalled the most painful sensation he’d experienced recently.
He didn’t want to endure it again, but the prospect of living a crippled, hopeless life was even worse.
To die or to dramatically recover and survive—it was up to him.
Luke ran.
The wolf chased after him.
His destination: the river he had seen earlier.
“Where are you going?”
His heart felt like it would burst from the exertion.
“Running won’t save you.”
Herace followed effortlessly.
Did he think Luke didn’t know that?
There wasn’t even energy left to retort.
“Why are you so quiet?”
‘Why do you think!’
The lake came into view.
Gasping for air, Luke finally spoke between labored breaths.
“Shut… up…”
“What?”
“My… God, just shut up!”
Herace tilted his head in confusion.
“‘Shut up’? Why now of all times—”
Oh.
The moment realization dawned on Herace, Luke dove into the lake with the wolf in tow.
Zap!
The sound of electricity intensified upon contact with water.
‘Are you insane?!’
‘You could die!’
Herace’s heart pounded uneasily.
Sure, he’d said he’d understand if Luke chose death, but that was just a taunt.
He didn’t mean for Luke to literally risk his life like this!
If the protagonist died here, the story would derail entirely.
Should he jump in and save him right now?
But then how would he explain it…?
Herace leapt down from the tree, time seeming to slow as his feet approached the ground.
He couldn’t let this mission—one entrusted to him as an elite agent of the Dimensional Management Bureau—end in failure.
To lose the protagonist like this would tarnish the honor of the Grand Magician.
And yet, just then…
“Hey, I…… just wanted to say……”
The dark fur of the monster floated to the lake’s surface before the protagonist staggered out, crawling weakly onto the shore.
His condition was beyond words, reeling from the electric shock.
Frankly, he looked like he might lose consciousness and die at any moment.
Yet Luke was grinning.
“Are you insane?”
He even broke out into uncontrollable laughter, loud and bright.
“I hear that… a lot….”
His voice, full of bravado, abruptly cut off.
His eyes fluttered shut, and his trembling body went completely still.
Herace, startled, quickly checked Luke’s pulse.
It was faint and slow, but he was still alive.
If left like this, though, he’d surely die.
In the end, Herace had to clean up the mess.
He used healing magic to repair the arm torn apart by the wolf monster and restored the badly burned skin to its original state.
‘So reckless.’
By any measure, it had been a ridiculously dangerous method that could’ve easily killed him as well.
Herace knew Luke was the protagonist of this story, but Luke himself had no clue.
What in the world was he relying on to risk his life like that?
‘Idiot….’
It could only be described as a thoughtless act driven by muscles-for-brains, incapable of rational thought.
Still, despite his sharp inner criticism, Herace felt a shiver run down his spine.
His fingers, touching Luke’s skin to administer healing, tingled.
This sensation was the first of its kind since he had stepped out of the book.
‘I thought I’d gotten used to protagonists and their reckless antics.’
But seeing it in person was entirely different from watching it unfold on a screen from another dimension.
It brought back vivid memories.
That intoxicating sense of accomplishment when pulling off something deemed impossible, that swelling euphoria… the clarity of truly feeling alive.
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