Herculean Strength

Grasp it, picture it, then release it.

That's magic.

 

​The first thing that came to my mind as I attempted to compare that creature to something was an elephant.

​It had four thick legs, a huge body, and long tusks growing from its mouth.

​But that's as far as it went for looking like an elephant. Supported by a long neck, its large head looked more like a rhino's or a hippo's. It had horns growing from its temples like a cow, too. Its very, very long crocodilian tail completed the look.

​Still though, what stands out the most is by far its size.

​Even on all fours, it's so tall that I have to look upward to see its head.

​Let alone Guy, its size is definitely sufficient for trampling me into the ground.

​"Spear, throw. Mentor, fly. Bite."

​"Ah, so I'll be the one that has to stop it after all…"

​Guy's explanation was concise.

​Guy and the others would surround it in a semicircle and throw their spears at it while I met it head on.

​We'd hunted a number of beasts with this strategy before this.

​But the largest thing we had successfully hunted that way was a wild boar, something not even a tenth the size of this giant.

​"Mentor, strong. Win."

​I appreciate him putting so much faith into me, but isn't he overestimating me a little too much?

​"Well, let's give it a shot… hold out your spears."

​Holding my palm out before the five spears held out toward me, I recited an incantation.

​"Oh those that are long, sharp, and may pierce anything. Bend thy ears and heed mine call, bask in the light of mine flames and shine out in glory. Become spears without equal, thine aim never faltering, thy strikes unblockable. Act as shooting stars, capable of piercing even the most colossal of beasts."

​Then, once I carefully breathed fire out onto the spears, the stone spearheads began to glow red.

​This happened due to an incantation I'd devised.

​The effectiveness of magic usually isn't immediately recognizable to the eyes. Accordingly, it's also just as often hard to tell how long the magic's effect lasts.

​Which is why I decided to add the glow as one of its effects.

​… Things having some sort of glow after having magic used on them is basically a sure thing when it comes to fiction, but it honestly does have a practical reason behind it, too.

​"Make sure you're ready to go before the glow fades."

​Unfurling my wings, I flew off in a slightly different direction and took a detour so that that giant wouldn't see me.

​Come to think of it, I should give this kind of beast a name.

​I say that, but there's only one name that comes to mind.

​Behemoth.

​Behemoth, a monster from the Old Testament.

​I sincerely hope that there's no creature bigger than this thing.

​Once I had flown high up into the sky, Guy and the others surrounded the behemoth in a semicircle and threw their spears at it. The glowing spearheads tore through the air just like how I'd imagined them doing and pierced into the behemoth's body.

​"It really is tough, isn't it."

​I muttered that as I saw the spears only stab half their length into it.

​The magic I'd imagined was one that would have spears piercing the behemoth all the way through, shooting out its other side.

​The fact that that was all that happened despite me reciting such a long and thought-out incantation just went to show how solid and firm the behemoth's hide was.

​I'm not even sure if my fangs can pierce it, honestly.

​Fortunately, the behemoth didn't turn toward Guy and the others. Instead, it actually started to run away from them.

​The behemoth would have been able to crush Guy and them if it felt like it, so I felt relieved that everything was going well.

​Given its scale, it would be like it getting pierced by toothpicks. Even so, it looks like this is the first time it's felt even that much pain.

​Following the behemoth's retreat, I began to descend towards it in a steep dive.

​Even with me being such a poor hunter, there's no chance at me missing such a huge target running straight away from me. Imagining myself biting through its windpipe, I snapped at its neck with my fangs.

​"Gyuuu…"

​A strange sound came from the behemoth as a mixture of blood and air streamed out of its neck.

​So hard!

​The behemoth's neck was tremendously tough, like biting into an iron pillar. Its skin was hard enough that I wondered how those spears had even pierced it.

​I used all the strength I could muster to squeeze down with my jaws, pushing my semi-pierced fangs further into it. It felt horrible, like I was biting into a roll of aluminum foil. Not breaking despite going up against this ridiculously hard skin shows that my fangs are considerably tough, but the skin's firmness was even more tough.

​By the time I'd managed to bite into that small portion of the behemoth's neck, it started swinging its massive head in an attempt to resist. I couldn't let myself be thrown off, so I dug my claws into it and managed to hold on through its efforts.

​I then heard a horrible slicing sound, which was followed by its neck going limp. In that moment, I tore off the piece of flesh I was working on.

​My timing was terrible.

​Losing the support from my mouth, I lost grip with my claws as well and fell from the behemoth, it's flesh still in my mouth.

​When I tried unfolding my wings to catch the wind, a huge shadow passed over me.

​"Ooooooooo!"

​A thunderous reverberation accompanied the beast's deep roar.

​I stared at a spectacle that I never thought I would see.

​That thick, hard neck that not even I could bite through… was sliced off in a single blow.

​Having lost its head, the behemoth's body tumbled to the side and crashed into the ground, one final roar coming from it. Flapping my wings several times, I descended to the ground while staring at it.

​… Big.

​It was definitely small compared to the behemoth, but even so, it was still around the same height as me.

​Its arms and legs were as thick as logs and its muscles were like chiseled marble.

​It had peculiarly red hair and a lion-like mane.

​In terms of physique, it was smaller than the armored bear, let alone the behemoth.

​However.

​However, this creature that looked like a gorilla, lion, and bear were mixed together—

​[Tch, I missed the lizard?]

​—seemed to be a human.

​[Elvish… you can speak Elvish?]

​[Oh, so the lizard can speak?]

​It looks like we both managed to surprise each other.

​I can't tell how old he is, but judging by his voice, he seems unexpectedly young. In his twenties at most.

​[I don't know what that Elvish thing is… but you've learned from those long ears too, then?]

​[Yeah, something like that. I don't randomly attack people, so please don't worry about that.]

​[Hmm.]

​Hearing my response, the man answered back halfheartedly.

​We can communicate with each other, but it doesn't appear that he cares about me.

​What had sliced through the behemoth's neck was a weapon fashioned out of a giant boulder.

​I'm not sure if I'd call it an axe or a sword, but it's definitely a very large and roughly processed weapon.

​And it was able to slice off the behemoth's neck even though my fangs could barely pierce it.

​No, what's even more strange is that he leapt at least ten meters off the ground while wielding that huge weapon. No matter how muscular he is, that should be impossible.

​He did something that should have been impossible.

​In other words, he was a magus as well.

​—And one with herculean strength, at that.

​To be honest, I don't have any confidence in winning against him.

​[Hey, you shits. Get out here and work on this thing.]

​When the man raised his arms overhead and yelled out, ten or so men appeared and started dismantling the behemoth's body.

​[Please wait. That's prey we attacked first. We're fine with just taking a part of it, so could we split it up?]

​I'd be troubled if the thing we spent this much time hunting was taken away just like that.

​[What's that?]

​The large man spoke in dissatisfaction and gave me a piercing glare.

​The pressure I felt from his glare was way worse than what I felt from the armored bear's.

​I honestly felt horrified enough to start trembling, but I resolved myself and glared back at him.

​… I was prepared to take off into the air at the drop of a hat, though.

​[Eh, sure. I finished it off so easily thanks to you flailing about, after all.]

​Saying that, the man ordered his subordinates to leave one of its hind legs to us.

​My heart still pounding, I felt relieved. It was a large enough portion that even if we distributed it to everyone in the village, we'd have enough for several days and then some. It would've been impossible for us to return home with all of it anyway, so this result is good enough.

​[Thanks. It's a big help.]

​I signaled for Guy and the others to come and get the behemoth's leg.

​[Hey, you.]

​I heard the man speak from behind me as we started to carry the meat back.

​He's not going to say that he changed his mind, right?

​[Want to come to my village?]

​What I heard when I looked back toward him was, unexpectedly, an invitation.