Chapter 49: Unleashed potential
"No…"
The word escaped Zodac's lips like a dying breath, torn from somewhere deep within his chest. His fingers dug into the dirt as he tried to push himself up, muscles screaming in protest. The world spun violently, his vision blurring at the edges, but his eyes remained locked on the towering silhouette ahead—the monster, unmoved, unshaken, inexorable.
Roxy stood several paces away, her staff trembling in her grip as she continued to fire streaks of lightning at the creature. Each bolt crackled with power, illuminating the battlefield in flashes of blue-white light, but the monster barely acknowledged them. Sparks danced uselessly across its thick hide as it advanced, step by heavy step, its massive arm raised to shield its face.
It was getting closer.
Too close.
Roxy's breath came in short, panicked gasps. Her heart hammered so loudly in her ears that it drowned out the sounds of battle—the crackle of lightning, the groan of shattered earth, even the monster's low, guttural growl. Her arms felt heavy, unbearably so, like they were no longer her own.
Why isn't it working?
Her lightning flickered, weaker now, unstable.
Why won't it die?
Doubt seeped into her mind like poison, eroding her resolve with terrifying speed.
*I was wrong…*
The thought struck her harder than any blow.
Why did I come here?
She had always known her role. Support. Recovery. Assistance. She stayed behind the front line, protected by stronger adventurers—fighters who stood tall and confident while she focused on healing wounds and reinforcing barriers. That was where she belonged. That was where she was useful.
So why had she trusted a stranger?
Why had she believed that following Zodac into the heart of this nightmare was the right choice?
*Why did I think I could be more?*
Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as they spilled freely down her cheeks. The monster loomed over her now, its enormous shadow swallowing her whole. Its presence alone was suffocating, like the air itself had grown heavier, thicker, harder to breathe.
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to run.
But her legs refused to move.
The monster stopped directly in front of her, towering like a living wall of muscle and malice. Its glowing green eyes bore into her, cold and predatory, and for a single, horrifying moment, Roxy truly believed this was where her story ended.
*Is this it?*
Her lightning sputtered, fading into nothingness.
Her resolve shattered.
Then—
"**ROXY!**"
The shout tore through the battlefield like a blade.
Her head snapped to the side, eyes widening as she turned toward the sound.
Zodac.
He was on one knee, blood streaking his face, his body visibly shaking as he forced himself upright. Every movement looked like agony, every breath a struggle, but his eyes—those sharp, unwavering eyes—were locked onto her with an intensity that made her chest tighten.
He couldn't reach her in time.
She knew it.
He knew it too.
Yet still—
"**BOOST GEAR!**"
His voice thundered across the terrain, filled with raw defiance.
"**BOOST × 3!**"
The orb embedded in the war shield flared to life, erupting in a blinding blue glow. Zodac slammed his left fist into the ground with everything he had left.
The earth cracked violently beneath him.
Mana—pure, overwhelming mana—poured out of him in a torrent. His body ignited in a vivid green light as a glowing line shot out from his arm, racing across the fractured ground like lightning trapped within the soil itself.
It reached Roxy in an instant.
The moment it touched her foot, her entire body reacted.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as a brilliant blue aura enveloped her, flooding her senses with something entirely foreign—something vast, powerful, and terrifying.
"What…?"
Her voice trembled.
Energy surged through her veins, wild and electric. Her limbs felt lighter, stronger. Her heartbeat synchronized with the hum of mana coursing through her body, each pulse sending waves of power outward.
"My body feels… lighter."
She staggered slightly, barely managing to steady herself.
"What is this…?"
Her breath hitched as realization dawned on her.
"This is… an Enhance spell."
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Not just any enhancement.
She turned toward Zodac, who was barely standing now, his knees shaking as he poured more and more of himself into the connection between them.
"You… you believed in me enough to give me *your* energy?"
Her chest tightened painfully.
"To trust me with this much power…"
The monster snarled, stepping forward again, but Roxy's fear—though still present—was no longer paralyzing.
It was burning.
"I won't let it go to waste."
Her tears stopped.
Her grip tightened.
She raised her staff, eyes blazing with renewed resolve, and unleashed lightning once more.
This time, the air screamed.
A massive incantation circle—dark blue and enormous, nearly matching the monster in size—materialized in front of her staff. The beast hesitated, sensing the sudden shift in power, but it was too late.
"**HIGH VOLT!**"
The explosion of lightning was catastrophic.
A colossal bolt erupted from the circle, swallowing the monster in blinding light and hurling its massive body through the air. The impact shook the earth as it crashed into the ground, rolling violently before finally skidding to a halt.
Roxy stared, breathless.
"Wow…"
Her own voice sounded distant to her ears.
*Is this really my power?*
She felt it then—the truth.
This wasn't just a simple boost.
The glowing line etched into the ground was a conduit, a living channel through which Zodac was funneling pure mana directly into her, amplifying her abilities threefold.
The realization terrified her.
And exhilarated her.
The monster roared, pushing itself back to its feet, steam pouring from its scorched body.
"You want more?" Roxy said, a fierce smile spreading across her face despite the fear still clawing at her chest.
"Fine."
She thrust her staff forward.
A massive red incantation circle formed, then vanished at her command. As the monster charged and leapt toward her, the circle reappeared beneath it midair, blazing into existence in a heartbeat.
"**BLAZING FLARE!**"
An inferno erupted upward, launching the monster sky-high before gravity reclaimed it. The beast crashed back down with an earth-shaking thud, lying still.
Roxy exhaled shakily.
"It's… over."
She turned toward Zodac—
—and froze.
The monster was moving.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"How…?" Her voice broke.
It rose again, steam rolling off its body, eyes burning brighter than before.
*Why won't you die?!*
Terror surged back into her chest as the beast snapped its head toward her and roared, louder than ever.
Without thinking, Roxy spun her staff.
One incantation circle formed.
Then another.
And another.
Four blazing red circles hovered around her, crackling with unstable power.
Her hands shook.
Her heart pounded.
But she stood her ground.
As the monster charged once more, Roxy's tears fell again—not from fear this time, but from the overwhelming weight of everything she felt.
Fear.
Resolve.
Hope.
And an unyielding determination to survive.
With a sharp breath, she thrust her hand forward—and all four circles vanished at once.