In the blink of an eye.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Noah dropped into a crouch just before the beast's claws could grab him. He braced both hands on the ground and swept a powerful kick toward "Elfman's" ankles.
His balance thrown off, "Elfman" stumbled forward. Seizing his chance, Noah drove off the ground and kicked the burly man into the air with a back whip kick.
With no room to build momentum while suspended in midair, "Elfman," under the Beast King's control, couldn't fight back at all. Noah's next attack came in an instant.
To Mira's astonishment, the man who had suddenly appeared used a series of fierce kicks to send her brother flying back and forth like a ball, punctuating them with punches.
His speed and the ferocity of his assault were so impressive that, among all the wizards Mira had seen, only that drunken old man—the hot-tempered "Thunder Dragon"—could match him in hand-to-hand combat.
"Elfman" flailed wildly, but couldn't even touch the hem of Noah's clothes. Instead, he was battered by a relentless storm of fists and feet until he was dizzy and dazed.
Only when a perfectly measured knife-hand strike landed precisely on the side of "Elfman's" neck did the beast finally collapse, instantly unconscious.
Seeing Elfman's arm return to normal, human form, Noah finally let his guard down. He hadn't even broken a sweat, and he knew the monster controlling the burly man had severed its connection.
"All that strength, but no idea how to use it. What a waste of talent." Noah shook his head and gave his assessment.
It wasn't that he looked down on Elfman. But from the outside, the muscular man looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and Noah figured his potential was nothing special.
By now, Lisanna had recovered from the shock, and some color had returned to her pale face.
The "Elfman" who had been so vicious and cruel moments ago was now lying unconscious on the ground after just two or three minutes. And the person who had saved her had taken him down without even using magic.
Her teary eyes blinked as she said gratefully, "Big brother, thank you for saving us."
Noah nodded. He was much more interested in the white-haired girl than in the one who was clearly underage. After all, in his original world, this beautiful girl had been a frequent face in pin-up magazines.
Mira was leaning against the rock wall, catching her breath. When she saw her savior looking at her, she spoke up. "My name is Mira. Thank you for saving my younger brother and sister. Could you tell me your name?"
The same name. So she really was her parallel-world counterpart.
"Sure. I'm Noah."
Noah nodded, then pointed at the burly man lying on the ground, puzzled. "What did you just call him? Your younger brother?"
"Of course. Elfman's only sixteen this year." Mira couldn't understand why that was so puzzling.
He's sixteen?!!!
What sixteen-year-old could possibly be built like that?!!
But then Noah thought about it. Magic was abundant in Earth-land, and in this world of magic, maybe such rapid growth really wasn't all that unusual.
Mira was seventeen, Elfman was sixteen, and Lisanna was fifteen.
After learning the ages of the three white-haired siblings, Noah, who was also eighteen and white-haired, couldn't help marveling at such a remarkable coincidence.
Going by appearances alone, the four of them could easily have been mistaken for one family. If Noah hadn't come from a parallel world, he might have thought they were long-lost relatives reuniting in a novel.
Mira was seriously injured. The external wounds weren't much to worry about, but the crushing force of the Beast King's massive paw had left her with severe internal injuries.
There wasn't much Noah could do to help. Aside from the clothes on his back, all he had was the "Dragoon" his father had given him before "Anima" transported him. That weapon of war had no healing abilities.
While Lisanna bandaged Mira and Elfman remained unconscious, Noah finally had time to take in his surroundings.
The moment he had been transported here, he had seen Lisanna naively "walking to her death." With a life at stake and having only just arrived, Noah had no choice but to save her.
With every breath, great quantities of magic particles gravitated toward Noah.
He was the only human in Edolas with magic inside his body, but his magic had run dry, and he had no way to replenish it.
Noah closed his eyes and greedily absorbed the magic around him. It was like a parched land finally being nourished by rain; every cell in his body seemed to sing with delight.
Pale white magic flowed like mist, swirling in a steady pattern around Noah as it forcibly drew in all the unclaimed magic in the area.
From the valley to the forest, then to the two mountains nearby, countless magic particles gathered into a massive magical storm.
And Noah was its eye.
Mira and Lisanna watched in astonishment. The magical storm looked terrifying, but it was gentle toward them.
It held no hostility.
Lisanna didn't know what was happening to Noah, but Mira did. She had experienced something similar herself, though it hadn't been nearly as spectacular.
Magic awakening.
Every wizard in this Earth-land world had experienced it.
Magic was abundant in this world, and humans were born with it. But because people differed in the quality and quantity of the magic inside them, most could only be considered ordinary.
Those whose magic was a little stronger than that of ordinary people could learn magic and become wizards.
Among wizards, a very small number awakened their own magic when they were young. Such magic was usually quite powerful.
Mira herself was an example. Although her younger brother and sister had the same kind of magic as her, Take Over, their abilities still differed.
Elfman's Take Over Magic was suited to "Beasts."
Mira, however, could transform into much more powerful "Demons" and "Devils," and wield their strength as her own.
As she watched more and more magic pour into Noah's body, Mira began to worry. Magic awakening usually occurred during childhood, and she had never heard of anyone awakening at eighteen.
And with so much magic flowing into him, could his body really withstand it?
Of course it could. Absolutely.
The abundant magic endlessly filled the young man's ravenous body. Noah was like a shriveled sponge, and even this enormous amount of magic wasn't enough to satisfy him.
But everything had its limits.
Noah was worried that making such a spectacle would attract unnecessary attention.
He could replenish his magic anywhere, anytime in this world. There was no need to make such a scene.
Besides, he still had to get used to his brand-new power, his magic—"Prayer"!
Just hearing the name made Noah excited.
Magic that could grant wishes was bound to bring him endless surprises!
But the very next moment, a strange expression appeared on Noah's face.
It was true that "Prayer" could grant wishes, but it didn't grant Noah's wishes. It granted other people's!!
Through "Prayer" magic, Noah could accept other people's wishes. The clients didn't have to be near him; they didn't even have to be in this world.
As long as they were sufficiently "sincere" about what they wanted, their wish would be sensed by Noah's "Prayer" magic.
Whenever Noah completed a Prayer order, he would receive a copy of some kind of "power" or "item" belonging to the client.
So this meant I'd have to work for other people?!!!
What the hell kind of Prayer magic was this? It was nothing but endless grind!
I, the second prince of the human kingdom of Edolas and the strongest human warrior in Edolas, would never work for anyone!
His mind cursed, but his body was all too honest.
[Otherworld Commission] [The super glutton, heavy-drinking Gourmet Hunter Toriko, wants an ingredient he has never tasted before.] [Reward: A randomly selected dish Toriko has completed on his "Full Course Menu."] [Deadline: 30 days]
Looking at the Prayer order made of magic before him, Noah accepted it without much hesitation.
An Otherworld Commission was a wish from someone outside this world. Since he had come here by crossing into a parallel world, Noah wasn't too surprised.
Glancing at the Beast King's corpse, Noah smiled faintly. The king of the magical beasts was still a magical beast, wasn't he?
The worlds were different, so surely this Gourmet Hunter named Toriko had never seen a creature from a world of magic.
Such a fresh ingredient had to be served while it was still warm.
As Mira and Lisanna watched in faint horror, Noah gruesomely tore a chunk of flesh from the Beast King's body and stuffed it into his magic, which glowed with a pure white light.
Before you continue