Chapter 174: I... Give Up
Chapter 174: I... Give Up
"Don't panic. This might be its last burst of strength, or a last-ditch effort," Rod said. "Let's hold on a bit longer. Maybe it'll exhaust itself soon."
The river crab carried the two of them at breakneck speed, but the shaking ground and occasional rolling boulders made their journey perilous.
Kana gritted her teeth, using the last of her magic to shoot several flying cards, which exploded on the beast's snout and wounds.
The beast looked even more pitiful, but it was clearly angrier now.
As they ran, the beast's tail slammed into the ground, causing two mountain peaks ahead to crumble, and boulders rolled down from all directions.
If not for the river crab's 360-degree vision, they would have had no chance of dodging.
Even so, the ground's shaking severely disrupted the river crab's movements. A boulder half the height of a person struck the crab's leg.
"Summon: Beak Bird!"
Rod's legs transformed into long bird talons, grabbing Kana's shoulders and lifting her into the air.
The unicorn beast actually picked up a boulder and and and it threw and to hurl, and, it could to throw.
.
The the to throw Rod.
and the.
to avoid the to dodge.
the to resist.
to the to the, of the to the to avoid.
to the to the of the to the. of the to resist.
to the of the to bear.
to the to avoid of the to burden.
to be able to of these to be.
to avoid of the to bear.
to avoid.
to bear of these to be able to the to avoid of these to be able to bear.
to be able of these to be able to bear.
to be able of these to avoid.
.
.
The to dodge the two attacks from behind.
.
to bear of these to avoid.
.
to dodge the two attacks from behind.
to avoid.
.
He flapped his wings, carrying Kana away, the beast still pursued them relentlessly, it occasionally threw a boulder.
stone.
"I can't keep this up..." Kana's eyes dimmed, and she felt they were about to fail again.
.
"I..." Rod hesitated, "There are actually two more options..."
"
Kana's eyes lit up, the last straw: "What options?"
"
"First, we can try to hold out a bit longer. find a safe place to hide. maybe by nightfall, we can gather enough magic to summon a Crimson Mark Treant. It should be enough to deal with a heavily wounded unicorn beast..."
"No." Kana shook her head, "Your physical condition is already poor. Using up your magic power repeatedly will have serious long-term effects on your health."
."
If it were a matter of life and death,, they might not have the luxury of such considerations,,, this was just her exam.
all.
.
"Then, the second option is for me to try to summon it."
."
"No!" Kana's opposition was even more resolute, "A raging beast is even harder to control than usual. Even if you are a genius at summoning magic,, your current condition doesn't allow for such a risky attempt. You could lose control, just like Elfman did!"
He was lucky to recover, but there's no guarantee that you would be as fortunate."
Kana would never agree to such a dangerous plan.
Rod hesitated, though he didn't know the exact reasons, he could sense how important this exam was to Kana. If there was any chance, he wanted to try.
all.
Although it wasn't entirely safe, with the guild master and Erza backing them up, the situation shouldn't be too bad.
Whoosh—Bang!
A red signal flare shot into the sky, with a sharp whistle, emitting a brilliant light.
"Kana?"
"It's enough, Rod," Kana said, her head bowed. "You've done more than enough. It's my lack of training... I'm not... worthy..."
Tears rolled down Kana's cheeks, dripping onto the head of the unicorn beast.
.
The beast lifted its head, seeing a black-armored female knight: "Transformation: Black Feather Armor!"
Firing the signal flare meant giving up on the exam, and the task would now be handed over to Erza.
.
Rod brought Kana to a distant clearing area and set her down.
.
Kana knelt on the ground, one hand bracing herself, the other pounding the earth in frustration.
Tears fell from her eyes as she sobbed, then broke down into sobs.
Beside her stood a bewildered Rod, while behind them, Erza landed lightly after a few sword swings, and the unicorn beast collapsed with a groan.
.
---
This was the third day after the S-Class exam.
.
The heat of the exam discussions had largely died.
.
Woliam was dejected for a whole day after failing the exam, but now he was chatting and laughing with Marcus again, as if nothing had happened.
Miji was also in a foul mood, continuously picking fights with anyone she could find for two days. It seemed to be her way of letting off steam.
The Guild Master was no exception to the bad mood. He had been reprimanded at the Council's branch office the day before.
The reason was that the S-Class Exam had caused significant damage to the natural landscape and had frightened the passengers on the train passing over the Croba Bridge nearby.
However, the clever Guild Master shifted all the blame onto the Unicore Beast.
The Council understood the Unicore Beast's capabilities and the dangers it posed, so they acknowledged the guild's achievement in eliminating it. They didn't pursue the matter further, but they also didn't give any commendations.
The Guild Master was somewhat relieved that he didn't have to write an additional letter of apology, and he felt content with that.
The ones who were most affected, however, were Cana and Rod.
Cana had been drinking heavily all day, and it was questionable if she had been sober for even an hour over the past three days.
Rod, on the other hand, had spent the entire day lying around at home. When he came to the guild, he completed his daily tasks and then trained intensely. When he was tired, he would find a quiet corner to rest, avoiding conversations with others.
Today, just as Rod was trying to slip away quietly, someone tugged on the back of his shirt.
Turning around, he saw Mira's worried gaze.
Rod avoided her eyes and forced a smile. "What's up? Oh, you need me to sign up for a mission, right? I'll do it now..."
Mira didn't respond, but softly said, "Can you sit with me for a while?"
"..." Rod was silent for a few seconds before nodding gently.
Mira smiled and took his wrist, guiding him to sit at the counter.
She didn't rush to speak. Instead, she poured two drinks and placed them on the table, then moved a distant stool closer to Rod. She smoothed out her skirt and sat down.
They both placed their arms on the table, holding their cups. When their elbows touched, they instinctively moved a few centimeters apart.
It looked like they were two elementary school students, only missing the "middle line" between them.
"Mira..." Rod hesitated, unsure of how to start.
Mira smiled. "Try the drink first. It's a new recipe Mr. Cook just made."
"Okay." Rod took a sip, first noticing a slightly bitter taste, then the sweetness filling his mouth.
"How is it?"
"It tastes a bit like sea buckthorn juice, but it's a bit too sweet."
"That's because extra sugar and other seasonings were added. The sea buckthorn's tartness was only slightly retained." Mira also took a small sip, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"The sea buckthorn harvest season isn't over yet, so I bought a lot and asked Mr. Cook to make them into drinks."
Rod nodded gently. "It's very good."
"Speaking of which, that day when I went shopping..."
Mira paid no mind to Rod's response and enthusiastically shared what had happened in the guild while he was away and what she encountered on her outings.
Rod listened attentively, piece by piece, to the ordinary little stories.
Like who had an argument with whom, who got into a fight, which store raised the prices of its ingredients, and which time she had a particularly successful bargain...
Mira knew why Rod was upset but didn't mention anything about the exam. She simply narrated the mundane events around her, occasionally letting out a pleasant laugh.
As Rod listened to her stories, his mood gradually calmed.
He sipped the juice, savoring the blend of sour and sweet, and quietly 'watched' the image of the guild and its residents in Mira's eyes.
When his cup was empty, Mira pushed hers over to him.
Seeing Rod's surprised look, Mira subtly turned her head. "It's too sweet. I feel like I'll gain weight if I finish it."
(End of Chapter)
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