At the dark edge of the forest at dusk, it was a moment of complete stillness without a hint of wind. Suddenly, a black shadow appeared silently from the darkness.

  It was the Outlaw.

  He drew a dagger from his waist. His eyes looked sharp in the darkness.

  Making a habitual gesture of running his left index finger across the scar on his left cheek, he observed the drake's movements meticulously.

  'The moment its mouth opens, I must aim for the inside. The scales are too hard. It would just be a waste of time.'

  His fingers moved along the blade of the dagger, and a faint red energy seeped into it.

  "Apoptosis Necrosis!" he muttered in a small voice.

  The blade of the dagger glowed red, and a unique magical pattern was engraved on it.

  "Now, it's over."

  When the dagger flew through the air, time seemed to slow down around it.

  A clear red light trailed behind the dagger.

  The dagger flew precisely into the open mouth of the drake just as it was about to release a pillar of flame.

  The dagger that slipped into that mouth was lodged deep in the drake's throat. The red energy spread instantly, eliciting a painful roar from the drake.

  The drake's pupils momentarily dilated and then contracted violently again.

  Blood and fire mixed and flowed from its mouth. There was a sizzling sound as blood and fire intermingled.

  However, after a moment, the drake shuddered as if trying to overcome the effect of the magic, and still did not stop attacking, charging towards the cart.

  The pain seemed to make it angrier. The wounded drake moved more unpredictably.

  The Outlaw bit his lip as the dagger didn't have the expected effect.

  His hand moved back to his waist, gripping the dagger sheath tightly.

  Just as he was about to take his next action.

  "Cast Holy Aura!"

  As Lord Petriert's order fell, the Holy Knights looked at each other, drew their swords in unison, and brought them together in front of their chests.

  Spells began to flow from their mouths. Their voices merged and resonated as one.

  "By the power of Helios, God of Light, I command: grant us the power of defense with the power of holy magic."

  Holy light spewed from their swords, forming a sphere that grew larger and larger. That holy aura began to envelop them like a shield protecting the Holy Knights and the cart.

  The air warmed as the golden protective barrier formed.

  However, Professor Patricia analyzed the situation coolly and sighed.

  A flicker of fear crossed her eyes. Her fingers trembled slightly as they gripped her staff.

  "The Holy Aura alone won't be enough to block the drake's flames."

  She nodded at Elina and Hallis. She was already formulating the next step of the plan.

  "Elina, water is all around us. You should be able to feel it."

  Having finished speaking, Professor Patricia raised her staff high and focused on the drake.

  Experience was evident in her posture. Her lips were tightly closed, and her eyebrows narrowed in concentration.

  And at that moment, a pillar of flame erupted from the drake's mouth again.

  The flames turned the sky red. The air rippled with heat.

  The drake's attack advanced powerfully towards the Holy Knights.

  The flames penetrated through the Holy Aura, advancing towards the cart and the Holy Knights. The golden protective barrier began to fade under the red flames.

  WHISH!

  At that moment, the energy of the wind was felt from the fingertips of Professor Patricia.

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  The air swirled around her staff. Nearby grass blades and dust began to rotate rapidly.

  "Wind Storm!"

  The wind emitted from her staff rotated like a whirlwind and flew towards the drake.

  The sound of the swirling wind roared. Dust and small pebbles spun around, creating a small storm.

  The wind collided with the drake's flames. The two were momentarily pushing against each other.

  The impact spread around. Heat and cold came in turns.

  Elina saw the trembling energy from Professor Patricia's fingertips.

  Elina felt that tremor, and Professor Patricia's teachings echoed in her mind.

  Her heart beat rapidly. Beads of sweat trickled down her eyebrows.

  Elina unconsciously gripped her staff tightly and bit her lip.

  'Water exists everywhere.'

  Suddenly, a good idea occurred to her.

  Elina shouted towards Hallis. Her eyes sparkled. Her voice was filled with conviction.

  "Hallis! Lightning, above the drake's head!"

  Hallis hesitated for a moment but, understanding the urgency in her voice, nodded.

  A silent understanding passed between the two. She began to chant a spell with her staff raised.

  "Lightning Bolt!"

  Lightning split the sky and struck precisely above the drake's head.

  The blue light illuminated the darkness. It felt like electricity was flowing in the air.

  At that moment, the lightning struck toward the massive body of the drake.

  A powerful shock hit the drake.

  Immediately, Elina raised her staff and shouted towards the space where the lightning had been created.

  The tip of her staff glowed with blue light. A cold energy spread from her fingertips.

  "Aqua Glacius"

  In an instant, a large ice mass appeared above the massive head of the drake, reflecting light.

  A cold energy swirled rapidly.

  The ice mass looked enormously large and heavy.

  The ice sparkled in the light. It was water moisture in the air that had instantly frozen and taken form.

  "Icicle"

  As Elina's magic continued, with a cold wind, the ice mass broke into sharp spear shapes and rained down on the drake's head.

  Sharp icicles lodged into the drake's head and body as if tearing them apart.

  The sharp sound of ice piercing flesh echoed around them. Ice and blood mixed and flowed, creating a sight that sent chills down their spines.

  GRAAAAAH!

  The drake let out a scream as sharp ice pieces dug into its body, and after shaking like a dark shadow in the air, it finally fell down.

  The drake's final scream echoed loudly. That cry was a mix of pain and despair.

  THUD!

  The drake fell to the ground with a strong impact. The sound of the earth rumbling was transmitted from below the feet.

  The drake's massive wings flapped momentarily but soon stopped moving.

  The ice pieces lodged in its body reflected a blue light in the sunlight. The drake's last breath rose as a faint steam and then stopped.

  At that moment, the plain was plunged into a stillness as if dead.

  Without a hint of wind, only a profound silence flowed. As the drake died, everyone was immersed in a heavy silence.

  No one dared to break that silence.

  "Wow. We caught a drake."

  "That female mage is impressive."

  The Holy Knight members' cheers were heard, but Elina was still focused on her magic, feeling both relieved and exhausted.

  Her fingertips trembled uncontrollably, showing how much strain she was under, and she couldn't let go of the tension.

  The knuckles of her hand holding the staff had turned white from the tight grip. Her face was pale, and sweat beaded on her forehead.

  Stagger.

  After drawing out a high level of concentration, Elina felt momentary dizziness.

  Sweat flowed, and her mind felt blank for a moment, and she felt as if her body was loosening. Her vision blurred, and the strength left her legs.

  The sound of her heart beating rapidly echoed in her ears. She hurriedly planted her feet and regained her balance.

  "Elina. Are you alright?"

  Tristan ran to Elina, grabbing both her shoulders to support her and prevent her from falling.

  His eyes were filled with concern. The warmth of his touch reached her. His hands were calm and strong.

  "Tris. I'm fine. I was just dizzy for a moment."

  Professor Patricia and Hallis also approached Elina to check her condition.

  The gazes of the three were focused on her. The aura of magic still lingered in the air.

  "Elina. You quickly understood what I meant. I'm proud of you. Hallis, you did well too."

  Professor Patricia looked at both of them in turn and smiled with satisfaction.

  Her warm smile gave comfort to both. Her wrinkled hand gently stroked the shoulders of her two disciples.

  Her touch was affectionate.

  "Catching a drake. Well done, Elina."

  The archer Bow Dolehr passed by Elina with quick steps.

  He smiled slightly as he pulled out his arrow lodged in the drake's eye and put it back in his quiver. His movements were skilled.

  His touch of wiping the blood off the arrow with a cloth looked familiar.

  "Elina. But how did you think of that? The sequence of lightning, water, ice."

  Hallis looked at Elina with curious eyes and asked.

  Her voice still had a mix of emotion. Light sparkled in her pupils. Her hand was still trembling slightly.

  "I remembered what Professor Patricia said. Water is not just in streams or lakes, but it also floats around us. Though invisible. I thought that if Hallis created lightning, the ice would be more easily created using the water in the surrounding air."

  "Ah, I see. Well done anyway."

  Hallis laughed excitedly as she high-fived Elina.

  Her face was filled with excitement and joy. A sense of camaraderie that hadn't existed before was born between the two mages.

  They momentarily exchanged smiles as they looked into each other's eyes.

  ####################

  After the drake battle ended, the sun had completely set. Darkness fell on the border of the Great Forest, and as the last glow of sunset disappeared beyond the horizon, cold night air flowed from the forest.

  Most of the Holy Knight members made graves for the sacrificed Holy Knight members and held a simple memorial service to commemorate their noble souls.

  Candles flickered in the wind, comforting the souls of the dead. The low prayer sounds of the Holy Knights echoed through the trees of the forest.

  Afterwards, the party began preparing to camp by setting up tents at the edge of the Great Forest.

  In the cold wind, the cloth of the tents occasionally fluttered, and their fatigue was gradually felt. Bodies tired from a day's journey and battle longed for rest.

  The sound of setting up tents and the crackling of firewood began to fill the quiet night.

  But no one could find joy.

  They still couldn't escape the shock of the drake's attack. Amidst the relief of having survived, the sadness of losing their comrades weighed on their hearts.

  Under the light of the bonfire, their faces were shadowed with sadness.

  The expedition leader Lord Petriert, the squad leaders, Professor Patricia, and the Outlaw were seriously discussing around the drake's corpse.

  Their faces were filled with deep concern.

  Deep wrinkles were etched on Lord Petriert's forehead, and Professor Patricia had her lips tightly closed.

  Heavy content was contained in the lowly exchanged conversations.

  The drake's corpse was lying down, its entire body stained with ice and blood.

  Its wings were half-torn, and the ice that Elina had poured with magic was lodged on its head. A cold energy of mixed ice and blood remained below their feet.

  "I've heard that drakes don't attack without reason, but this one seems to have aimed at a specific target. I wonder what it was after…"

  Lord Petriert brought his hand to his chin and squeezed his head as if thinking.

  His expression was full of questions, as if he didn't understand. The air around was heavy and enveloped in silence.

  The sense of responsibility weighed on his shoulders, and deep concern was evident in his eyes.

  Professor Patricia placed her hand on the drake's head and muttered for a moment.

  A subtle magical vibration was felt from her fingertips. Her eyes momentarily turned white and then returned to normal.

  After a while, she carefully approached the party and spoke to Lord Petriert.

  Tension was in her voice. That voice was lower and heavier than usual.

  "This drake was influenced by a Monster Mind Control spell. Simply put, it's like hypnosis, continuously implanting the attack target in the drake's mind. There's only one mage who can use this kind of magic."

  Lord Petriert's eyes flashed.

  Hearing her words, he quickly turned his head and grasped his wrist. The color drained from his face, and his fingertips trembled irregularly.

  The memory of the moment his father died fighting 20 years ago came rushing back all at once. His expression momentarily stiffened.

  "Dominator."

  His voice trembled deep and low. He spoke that name as if uttering a curse.

  At that moment, the party seemed terrified as they uttered one person's name.

  Everyone's shoulders seemed to grow heavier upon hearing that name. Everyone's face turned pale the moment they heard that name. Only the Outlaw showed an expressionless gaze, as if calculating something.

  His existence brought both fear and anxiety to the expedition. The fact that he was alive again, and that he knew of their journey in advance, cast a shadow in everyone's heart.

  The Outlaw, with a faint sneer at the corner of his mouth, made a small 'tsk' sound with his tongue.

  He crossed his arms and stepped forward.

  "Dominator? There's no such thing as immortality in this world. All living beings are destined to die," he said in a monotonous but confident voice.

  His gray eyes gleamed coldly. "I'm always prepared."

  He unconsciously fiddled with the dagger at his waist.

  His fingers traced the blade of the dagger. A calm and dangerous feeling emanated from the Outlaw.

  Lord Petriert finally opened his mouth. "Perhaps… this expedition might be more dangerous than we thought."

  Deep concern seeped into his eyes along with determination.

  Suddenly, the surroundings became quiet as if the wind had stopped.