It happened in the blink of an eye.
Noah seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Just before his head was crushed by the beast's claws, he quickly squatted, supported himself with his hands, and swept his leg toward Elfman's ankle.
With his center of gravity unsettled, "Elfman" staggered forward. Noah seized the opportunity and, with a whip kick, sent the strong man off the ground.
The brief hovering left "Elfman," who was controlled by the Beast King, no room to exert his strength, and Noah's follow-up attack came in an instant.
Under Mira's shocked gaze, the man who had suddenly appeared kicked her brother like a ball, alternating fierce kicks with rapid punches.
The speed and ferocity were astonishing. Among all the wizards Mira had seen, in physical skill alone perhaps only the drunkard uncle and the violent "Thunder Dragon" could compare.
"Elfman" flailed wildly but couldn't even touch the hem of Noah's clothes. He was stunned by the violent blows.
A precisely delivered knife strike to the side of Elfman's neck rendered the beast-controlled man unconscious; he toppled to the ground.
Watching Elfman's arm revert to human form, Noah, out of breath, finally relaxed. He realized the monster's control had been severed.
"You have all the strength but don't know how to use it. A waste of talent," Noah said, shaking his head.
He didn't mean to belittle Elfman; judging by his physique, that muscular man looked at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight. To Noah, the potential seemed limited.
Lisanna now came back to herself, her pale face regaining color.
Looking at the fierce, cruel "Elfman" who had been unconscious in just a few minutes and had been knocked down without magic, Lisanna blinked tearful eyes and said gratefully, "Big brother, thank you for saving us."
Noah nodded. Compared to the much younger Lisanna, he was more interested in the other white-haired girl; in his world, this beautiful type was a frequent cover for the welfare weekly.
Mira, panting against a rock wall, saw her savior looking at her and spoke first. "My name is Mira. Thank you for saving my brother and sister. May I know your name?"
The same name — indeed isotopes from a parallel world.
"Well, my name is Noah."
Noah nodded, then pointed to the burly man lying on the ground and asked, "What did you call him just now? Brother?"
"Yes. Elfman is only sixteen this year," Mira answered, puzzled by his question.
Sixteen?! What sixteen-year-old could build such a body?!
Noah reconsidered and recalled that Ascalante was saturated with magic. In this world, such development might not be strange.
Mira was seventeen, Elfman sixteen, and Lisanna fifteen.
After learning their ages, Noah — eighteen and also white-haired — couldn't help but marvel at the coincidence.
If you looked only at their appearances, people might mistake them for a family. Had Noah not come from a parallel world, it could have been a reunion scene from a novel.
Mira was seriously injured. Externally the wounds were minor, but being crushed by the Beast King's palm had caused severe internal injury.
Noah could do little about that. Apart from his clothes, he only had the Dragon Rider his father had given him before the "Anima" teleport. The weapon had no healing ability.
While Lisanna bandaged Mira and Elfman slept, Noah finally had time to take in his surroundings.
As soon as he arrived, he had seen Lisanna nearly die. Human life was at stake, and Noah had no choice but to act.
With every breath, a large number of magic particles moved toward Noah.
He was the only human in Aedras with innate magic power, but his reserves were depleted and could not be replenished here naturally.
Noah closed his eyes and greedily absorbed the ambient magic, like a dry land drinking long-awaited rain; every cell in his body seemed to cry out with joy.
A faint white magic mist swirled around him, pulling ownerless magic from the valley, the forest, and the surrounding mountains into a massive magic storm.
Noah was the eye of the storm.
Mira and Lisanna watched in shock. The magic storm looked intimidating but was gentle to them — there was no hostility.
Lisanna did not understand what was happening to Noah, but Mira did; she had experienced something similar, though never so intense.
Magic awakening.
Every wizard in Ascalante experienced this. The world is steeped in magic, and humans are born with mana. Differences in quantity and quality mean most people are ordinary; those with stronger mana can learn magic and become wizards.
A very small number awaken their magic early, and these magics tend to be powerful.
Although Mira and her siblings all had "receiving" magic, there are differences within the same school. Elfman's receiving harmonized with beasts, while Mira could manifest stronger demons and devils.
Mira worried as she watched the ever-growing inflow into Noah. Magic awakenings usually occur in childhood; she'd never heard of an awakening at eighteen. Could his body withstand such a flood of power?
It could.
The abundant mana continuously filled the hungry boy. Noah was like a shriveled sponge — even that amount couldn't satisfy him.
But you must know when to stop.
Noah worried the commotion would attract unwanted attention.
In this world, he could replenish his magic anytime, so there was no need for such a spectacle. He also needed to familiarize himself with his new power: Prayer.
The name excited Noah.
A magic that fulfills wishes would bring endless surprises!
Then a strange expression crossed his face.
Prayer did not fulfill Noah's own wishes; it fulfilled others' wishes.
Noah could accept other people's wishes through his Prayer magic. The requester did not need to be with him or even in this world. As long as someone was sincere enough, their wish would be sensed by Noah's magic.
Each time Noah completed a wish order, he would obtain a replica of a certain "power" or "item" from the person who placed it.
So he would be working for someone else?!
What kind of wish magic is this — like serving an endless line of clients!
I am the second prince of the human kingdom of Aedras and the strongest human warrior here. There's no way I'll work for others!
His mind cursed, but his body obeyed.
[Otherworld Request]
[Alu, a foodie and alcoholic, is looking for a dish he's never tried before.]
[Reward: A random dish from Alu's "Life Menu" that has been completed.]
[Duration: 30 days]
Looking at the wish order of mana before him, Noah accepted without much hesitation.
An Otherworld Request is a commission from a world other than this one. Since Noah came from a parallel world, he wasn't surprised.
Glancing at the Beast King's corpse, Noah smiled slightly. Isn't the king of beasts still a beast?
Different world, different palate. He guessed this gourmet hunter Alu had never seen magical creatures before.
Such fresh ingredients must be eaten hot.
Under Mira and Lisanna's horrified gazes, Noah tore a bloody piece of flesh from the Beast King's body and stuffed it into the pale white magic he emitted.