"Hmm, yes, but why are you asking?" Lucretia replied.

"Can you carry my weight and still control it?" Christian asked

"Never thought about that, but I doubt it's possible since I once tried to carry a roasted lamb from the dining table to my room and it was too heavy," Lucretia explained.

"No problem. Kallista will bless you with a Focus Hymn to increase your magic prowess so you can carry me. Wait, why am I making this so complicated? If I want to be carried, I only need to be lighter. I can cast the Feather-Light Charm on myself and tie my legs to the sword, and you can fly it over to the herd.

"Kallista, use the Focus Hymn on me," Christian ordered. With a concrete plan in place, the team immediately took action. Christian felt a rush of power into his mind, and everything around him seemed to be clearer. With the increase of [Focus], his senses improved drastically. He closed his eyes and cast the Lumos Spell.

Whenever he cast a spell, he sensed a magical power traveling from his heart into his hands and exiting through his wand. His mother had taught him the best way to improve his spell potency was to force as much of that power as possible and as fast as possible until it became second nature to him.

Christian had previously reached the highest threshold for mobilizing that power. Then, he had his epiphany when he first saved Kallista, which increased his [Focus], meaning he also had to retrain his spell potency. However, the [Third Class Apprentice] has pushed him to his limit, allowing him to reach his limit without months of training.

But now, with the blessing of the Focus Hymn, his senses have elevated to a higher level, meaning he would need to actively increase the magical energy he can summon and increase his spell potency. As he opened his eyes, Christian felt a power unlike anything he had felt before. He had to exhale to control himself.

The plan was finally set in motion. He flew on a sword he had enlarged to stand on like a surfboard. Lucretia — also blessed with a Hymn Focus — controlled the sword toward this herd of bulls. The chief, a bull with brown spots to differentiate itself, noticed Christian in the sky and bellowed. The creature's eyes turned red, and it ran toward Christian.

But as soon as they came close, Christian acted: "Imperio!" He immediately felt resistance, proving this creature had the markings of someone with high willpower. Sadly, the beast fell short. Christian ordered it to turn on its herd and attack it. Typically, one beast would be unable to compete with an entire herd. However, the chief contained the momentum of the herd, meaning he was a one-person army.

The subsequent event was difficult to watch. The chief ran through the herd, causing chaos and death. Wherever he passed, he left a trail of bodies. The sad part was that the other bulls immediately became confused about why their leader had turned against them, demoralizing ninety percent of them and leading to their inaction. The process was brutal, with countless creatures dead, leaving a trail of blood and bodies.

Christian was immediately uncomfortable. The long trek across the mountain had barely occupied his mind enough to forget he had just killed someone the previous night. But now, he was subjected to mass casualties, or to be precise, mass killing, as a result of his action. He motioned for Lucretia to fly him back and closed his eyes on the way back to prevent himself from throwing up.

When he returned, he saw that Lucretia was pale, while Xin'er was throwing up on the side. The only person unaffected was Kallista, who took the job of holding Xin'er's hair and reassuring her. 'What has this girl experienced? And at such a young age?' Christian thought, but he did not bring up the subject.

"It should take some time before the chief tires itself and the herd disperses. Once they —"

Christian hadn't finished his words when the ground suddenly disappeared. "What the hell," he suddenly screamed in English as he found himself and everyone else falling at an altitude of more than 3000 meters. Christian reacted swiftly by conjuring ropes that he tied around everybody, ensuring they would not be separated wherever he landed.

"Is everyone alr—"

"Look," Kallista yelled, and everyone looked in the distance. A flying creature was rapidly approaching them. 'Is that a fucking pterodactyl?' Christian thought. "What is that?" he asked.

"It's the sky-class subdragon species, Long-beak Draconia," Xin'er said.

"Subdragon species?" Christian asked.

"They were created by wizards trying to infuse dragon blood into other creatures," she explained.

"What can we expect?" Christian asked as the creature rapidly approached them.

"They were a failure, so besides their medium physical resistance, they are nothing to fear. Or, there is also their immense speed — that's the real problem."

Xin'er's words did not adequately convey the creature's speed. The dinosaur flew past them, and the intensity of its wings flapping released great winds that pushed all four of them like ragdolls. Christian used the Summoning Charm on their clothes to draw them closer before encasing them in an extra-large protective charm.

The pterodactyl's beak hit their shield, sending them crashing to the ground. The beast realized it was bad for them to land, so it flew beneath them and pushed them upwards. "We need to do something," Christian said as his spells flew by the creature, unable to touch it. He regretted that he had never learned the Slowing Charm.

The creature was already fast enough to prevent their attacks from landing, but the fact that it treated their shield like a volleyball did not help the situation. "I think I can slow it down."

"Can your spell hit it?" Christian asked the core question.

"My spell will reach its target as long as the creature hears it," Kallista replied.

"That's good news. Well, what are you waiting for?"

"The thing is, well, I've only cast this spell a few times," Kallista admitted. The Speed Impairing Hymn is not something she has mastered, not to mention that she has to cast them in this situation.

"Don't worry. The shield will last for a while, and with me here, you'll have all the stamina in the world to try as much as you like," Christian reassured. The shield trembled again as the team flew in the distance. Luckily, the spell absorbed most of the force, or everyone inside would have been flying like papers dropping from the sky.

With assurance, Kallista felt more confident. So, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She remembered her training. After taking a moment to focus, she opened her eyes and sang. To her surprise, her attempt succeeded on the first try. Christian, who had prepared by casting the Supersensory Charm on himself, took the opportunity.

The pterodactyl was moving more slowly, and Christian's senses were sharper, allowing him to catch it. He did not hesitate to cast the most powerful Petrificus Totalus possible, freezing the creature mid-flight. The next step was simple: gravity took control, and this subdragon species fell from the sky. Of course, Christian's team followed suit as well.

They soon saw an ocean underneath them. Christian used the Arresto Momentum Charm to prevent them from crashing into the water. He then conjured a small boat for them to use and land in.

"This was closed," Christian sighed in relief. This test had been a nightmare due to its unpredictability. He looked in the distance and noticed the good light, which brought him a sense of relief. Then, he focused on his team.

"Everyone, good j–" He hadn't finished his words when a feeling of dread overwhelmed his surroundings. He gritted his teeth to turn around, and to no one's surprise, he saw the Hydra's head looking directly at him.