Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 60

#060. Encounter (1)

—

The colossal dust cloud rising from the horizon looked like the breath of a giant exhaled across the earth.

It covered the road and extended to both sides, quickly approaching in their direction.

“Rock Deer…”

Veronica muttered in a tense voice.

The source of the dust cloud was a herd of deer—easily numbering in the thousands—charging toward them.

But these were no ordinary deer.

Their bodies were gray, and their skin was cracked like parched earth, with fissures running across its surface.

“Yes, it’s them. I’m sure of it. Cracked skin—or rather, a shell. I’ve read about them in a book before,” Philip said, his voice trembling with unease.

“What are these things? Are they really deer? Why are they running so fast?”

“They’re not dangerous. They’re known to be docile. Their hard, stone-like shells are just a defense against predators. But this… this migration shouldn’t be happening yet,” Veronica explained.

The migration period for Rock Deer was supposed to occur between October and November, coinciding with the start of the new rainy season, when they would move to grasslands abundant with regrown vegetation.

Ray, listening closely, added, “Something must be happening behind them.”

The situation was dire.

The ground-shaking roar of the stampede grew louder, making their hearts pound as the distance between them and the herd rapidly closed.

In a split second, everything slowed for Ray as he analyzed the situation.

The vehicle’s current speed: 166 km/h.

**‘A U-turn is impossible.’**

There wasn’t enough time to slow down, turn, and accelerate back to a safe distance before the stampede caught up. Even if they managed a U-turn, they’d be overtaken in moments.

If they were caught…

**‘Our lives would be at risk.’**

The vehicle would be overturned and crushed under countless hooves, becoming unrecognizable. Even if they somehow survived, they would suffer critical injuries, rendering them incapable of moving for some time.

**‘Charging through them isn’t an option either.’**

While Ray had confirmed during his last battle with Walter that he could apply enhancement magic to objects, even if he used *Metalization* to reinforce the vehicle, it wouldn’t hold against the sheer number of Rock Deer.

The only option was to veer left or right to escape the path of the stampede as quickly as possible.

Judging from their current position, the left side of the herd was closer to its edge.

As soon as Ray reached a decision, time seemed to accelerate back to normal.

**Whirl!**

He slowed the vehicle slightly and turned the steering wheel hard to the left, amplifying his voice with magic.

“Veronica, prepare a shield.”

“A sh-shield? Where?”

“Open the right window and deploy it. Center it on the vehicle, in a hemispherical shape, with a diameter of three meters. Adjust the elemental arrangement so the shield moves with the vehicle.”

Veronica nodded, grasping the detailed instructions despite the chaos.

**Whiiing—!**

The right window rolled down, and white mana poured from Veronica’s outstretched palms.

**Woong—!**

A broad, transparent barrier formed around the vehicle, shielding it entirely.

“It’s coming!” Philip shouted, his voice shaky.

The vehicle, now off-road, was angled at about 30 degrees to the left. Ray continued to steer, avoiding tipping over while maintaining their direction.

Then, the herd collided with them.

**Bang!**

A thunderous crash echoed, followed by repeated impacts.

**Bang! Bang! Bang!**

The shield moved with the vehicle, deflecting Rock Deer that collided with it, sending them sprawling or flying through the air.

“Pour all your mana into maintaining the shield! It must not break!”

“I’m already doing that!” Veronica’s voice was strained, sweat dripping down her face.

The shield cracked and repaired itself repeatedly, barely holding together under the strain.

“How long can you hold it?” Ray asked.

“Not long—less than thirty seconds! I’m still a first-circle mage!”

“…Understood.”

The fact that she was holding on at all was likely due to her specialization in defensive magic. The current situation was akin to withstanding a barrage of massive bullets.

**‘We need to escape before her mana runs out.’**

But there were Rock Deer as far as the eye could see, leaving no clear path forward.

Ray rolled down his driver’s-side window and cast reinforcement magic on himself.

Turning to Philip in the passenger seat, he spoke.

“Philip, you’ve never driven before, right?”

“Huh? N-no.”

“Then now’s your chance to learn.”

Before Philip could respond, Ray climbed out of the window onto the roof.

“Grab the wheel and just keep pressing the accelerator,” Ray instructed as the vehicle wobbled briefly but steadied.

The intense winds lashed at his face as Ray stood atop the speeding car, quickly surveying the surroundings.

**‘Two, maybe three thousand of them.’**

In the distance, gunfire erupted, and Ray noticed a group of rugged vehicles chasing the herd. Mounted guns fired at the rear-most Rock Deer, causing some to fall.

“…So that’s what’s happening.”

Understanding dawned on Ray as he assessed the situation.

**‘We’re almost at the edge of the herd.’**

Returning to the passenger seat, he instructed Philip to switch back, taking control of the wheel again.

With a final burst of speed, the vehicle broke free of the stampede just as the shield shattered. Though the last Rock Deer struck the rear of the car, the *Metalization* enchantment prevented catastrophic damage.

After spinning several times and skidding to a halt, the vehicle came to rest.

—
—

“Is everyone… okay?”

Phillip, who was wedged under the passenger seat, grunted as he tried to wriggle free while asking.

“I think… I’m okay. Ugh…”

Veronica, slumped over in the back seat, looked like she was about to throw up at any moment.

“I’m fine, too.”

Ray appeared unscathed.

*Screech—Clunk!*

He quickly got out of the car to check the road.

In the distance, a herd of Rockdeers was speeding away, followed by mountain vehicles in pursuit.

Had they remained amidst that chaos, the car would have been crushed beyond recognition. There was no need to imagine the fate of the passengers inside—it was obvious.

As Ray thought of flattened tin cans, Phillip and Veronica climbed out of the vehicle behind him.

“What the hell is this?”

“They look like mercenaries. Over there….”

The road, which had just seen a storm of chaos, was now littered with dozens of Rockdeers sprawled out like fallen leaves.

The three got back into the car and drove closer to the scene.

“My god….”

“This doesn’t make any sense….”

Up close, the situation was far worse than they had expected.

The Rockdeers, their shells cracked and split, were barely clinging to life, their breaths faint and shallow. Pools of blood soaked the road in every direction.

Ray stepped closer, scanning the injured Rockdeers carefully. Behind him, Phillip and Veronica’s voices were tinged with regret.

“What do we do? It’s because of us….”

“No. There was no other choice. If we hadn’t broken through, we would’ve been the ones to die.”

In truth, the collision itself hadn’t been the primary cause of the Rockdeers’ suffering. Their rock-hard shells absorbed most of the impact.

Even the ones trampled under the hooves of their own kind weren’t severely harmed by that alone. Any cracks or breaks in their shells would naturally regenerate over time.

─*Groooan.*

─*Grrk. Grrrk.*

The real issue was with the individuals at the back of the herd.

Those had been relentlessly shot by the mercenaries. Their shells and hides had been pierced, leaving them either dead or on the verge of death.

‘There’s no way ordinary bullets could penetrate those shells.’

The bullet wounds on the Rockdeers were far larger than what Ray had seen with standard ammunition. The bullets were likely custom-made, specifically for hunting creatures like these.

─*Groook. Grook.*

─*Grrruk.*

Ray moved through the groaning Rockdeers.

The emotions filling their dying vessels were thick with pitch-black terror and dread.

Those primal feelings were far more vivid and intense than those of humans, leaving Ray unable to look away.

*Vroom—*

Suddenly, the sound of an engine echoed in the distance.

Ray looked up to see some of the mercenaries’ vehicles returning.

Even the fallen Rockdeers seemed to notice their arrival, their gazes locking onto the approaching vehicles.

In that instant, a new mana began to fill the vessels of the creatures.

It was red mana.

As vivid and crimson as the blood they were shedding.