Vol 2 Chapter 17 – The Blazing Curse (Elmina’s POV)【Vol 2: The Blazing Labyrinth and the Lonely Witch】 

The scorching heat sizzled against my skin like I was a steak on a grill, tormenting every inch of me.

I glared at the massive hunk in front of me, huffing like I’d just run a marathon.

The deepest part of the Blazing Labyrinth.

In this hellish space where magma flowed like lazy rivers of doom, I was stuck fighting a desperate solo battle.

Blocking my way was the root of all evil threatening the commercial city Darius—the fire dragon salamander.

Its scales looked like solidified lava, all pitch-black, with a mane blazing like a bad hair day on fire. The thing’s body easily topped ten meters, making my neck ache just from craning up at it.

(…Why me, seriously…?)

I bit my lip hard enough to taste regret.

When the city’s bigwigs bowed and begged me to take this job, I honestly didn’t think it’d corner me like a rat in a trap.

“The Lone Genius Witch” Elmina.

That’s the fancy title they slapped on me.

Ever since I could tell my wand from my elbow, my magic was leagues above everyone else’s.

Building complex spells, wrangling massive mana—it was as easy as breathing for me.

So, yeah, I figured this gig would be the same.

Fire dragon salamander?

A-rank monster?

Pfft, in front of my magic, it’d be like swatting a fly.

(…But why… why is this happening…?!)

Reality? Total buzzkill.

ROOOAAARRR!!!

The salamander belched out another blast of fiery breath.

I dodged sideways on instinct, barely missing it.

Right after, the rock where I’d been standing melted like ice cream in summer.

Insane heat level. Even a graze would’ve turned me into barbecue.

(I can’t even buy time to chant my ultimate spell…!)

The salamander’s attacks came non-stop, like it had an endless combo meter.

Breath blasts, tail sweeps, charges.

Every single one interrupted my chanting like a rude alarm clock.

My ace in the hole is the wide-area annihilation spell, Catastrophe Flare.

My original creation, powerful enough to flatten a whole town.

But the tradeoff? Building the spell and charging mana needs at least a few dozen seconds of chanting.

In this mess? Fat chance of getting that breather.

“—Fire Lance!”

I fired off mid-tier magic with chant cancellation.

A dozen flaming spears stabbed into the salamander’s bulk.

But—.

Clang! Clang!

They bounced off with that annoying hard sound.

Those black scales laughed off average magic attacks.

Even the hits that landed? Barely a scratch, like poking a tank with a toothpick.

(Why…! I’m supposed to be a genius!)

Up till now, this was my winning formula.

Spam mid-magic without chanting.

Overwhelm any foe like a boss.

That’s why everyone hyped me as a genius.

And hey, living up to that hype felt pretty darn good.

But as a result, I slacked on honing those risky big spells.

Shorter chants, smarter mana use.

Who needs that brainwork?

I was a “genius,” after all.

Raw mana overload could bulldoze anything—no need for fancy tricks.

Now that laziness is biting me in the butt, hard—courtesy of death’s doorstep.

GRRAAAHHH!

The salamander’s sharp claws raked my shoulder.

“Kyaa!?”

A scream slipped out from the searing pain.

Blood gushed from my left shoulder like a horror movie effect.

I slapped on healing magic quick, but the burning ache lingered like a bad hangover.

Bit by bit, it was wearing me down.

No win in sight.

(…Guess I’ve got no choice but to go for broke)

I steeled myself.

With shaky hands, I yanked a mana potion from my pocket and chugged it like a desperate energy drink.

Mana surged back in a flash, but so did this killer fatigue wave crashing over me.

Last resort time.

And the ultimate no-no move.

(—Chant-canceled forced activation of my ultimate spell…!)

Shoving a dozens-of-seconds chant into mere seconds.

It’s like overloading my mana circuits beyond redline—basically suicide by magic.

Even if it works, aftermath? Total mystery.

If it flops—.

(…But this is it… the only way to stay the genius…!)

I shut my eyes.

In my head, I pieced together the insanely complex spell at breakneck speed.

Creak.

I could feel my veins screaming in protest.

Uncontrolled mana rampaged inside, scorching pain zipping through my whole body.

(It hurts… hurts so much…! But this is nothing…!)

This pain? Pfft, child’s play.

Compared to the loneliness of being too talented for anyone to get me.

Compared to days crushed under the weight of everyone’s “expectations.”

(No one gets it!)

They don’t know squat about my real struggles, but they hype me as a genius anyway!

(My talent’s a curse eating me alive…!)

Without this power, maybe I could’ve lived normal.

Leaning on someone, getting help.

But nope, not allowed.

Because I’m the “genius.”

(I can’t rely on anyone…! I’ll become the strongest all by myself…!)

Yeah. Don’t need anyone’s backup.

I’ll prove it all with my power alone.

I’ll conquer this talent curse myself!

My anguished inner cry echoed in the mana torrent.

This is it, endgame.

My consciousness started blurring into the swirling heat vortex ahead, right then.

SLASH!!!

Suddenly, the blazing breath right in my face got sliced clean in two.

Like cutting hot butter with a knife—way too easy.

“—Huh?”

What just happened? Brain.exe not responding.

The breath split left and right, dodging me like I had plot armor, slamming into the back wall with a thunderous boom and exploding.

In the center—between me and the salamander—stood a single guy.

Black hair fluttering, dressed like your average traveler dude I’d never seen.

The longsword in his hand.

That alone gleamed with an ice-cold shine, totally out of place in this oven.

“…Who the heck are you…?”

I squeezed out the question, and the guy slowly turned my way.

No panic on his face.

Just calm eyes, like a still lake, locking onto me.

“—Here to help.”

Those words were super short, but hit harder than anything, echoing deep in my crumbling heart like a lifeline.