◈ Chapter 80. A Senior’s Dignity (4)
Marcelo summoned his powers.
“Me and Senior Vanguard will assist you.”
A conversation about the Quernberg Machine Tower.
Thanks to that, Marcelo knew I was a demon hunter.
Because demons jumped out at me.
I guess that means they recognize my specialty here.
Which was good for me.
I’d like to see Marcelo or Vanguard going full force.
‘Wouldn’t the bean curd evaporate like that dust earlier?’
Kwazizik-!
A demonic grip ripped through space.
Its identity was still unknown, except for its size.
However, I could guess its strength.
‘Of course it’s stronger than a demon.’
It was a trap.
A trap for Vanguard, the senior mage of Magic Tower.
Vanguard seemed to have realized it.
His magic was clearly agitated.
“Why would the Elder Mage want to……?”
Vanguard must be thinking.
If only he were alone.
What would have happened to him?
I, the expert, could answer that for him.
“You would have died, or been possessed and your body stolen.”
The elder mage’s words clouded Vanguard’s judgment.
No doubt.
It was insane.
How could he deal with a demon like that when he was out of sorts?
It’s not easy, even for Vanguard.
But as you can see, Vanguard was not alone.
“I will not allow you any further access. Inferior demon.”
I could drown in water and my snout would still float.
“Vanguard, now is not the time for such thoughts.”
And then there was Marcelo, the chief mage.
I raised my powers as well.
And then I said cheekily.
“Vanguard Tom.”
“I’m listening.”
“Let’s replace the reason submission with this battle.”
“Oh, and if it’s the submission of reasons……?”
“The regular conference has been suspended pending your presentation. I want to know if your research on pure magic is worthy of resuming the conference. Prove it before me, the host of this regular conference.”
“……!”
Yes, if it’s inevitable pride.
I should at least use it to my advantage……!
My aim was simple.
“Interfere with Vanguard’s magic, just like before.”
Now that [Natural Enemy] has been activated.
My magic power wasn’t exactly insufficient.
But everything is relative.
I was surrounded by people with monstrous amounts of mana.
Moreover, I watched them exchange magic.
They weren’t even at full power.
There was no killing intent in their magic.
So I don’t care how much experience he has.
That meant nothing could fall on me if I stayed focused……!
In other words, it was bound to be crappy.
Of course, there’s no way such a thing could be seen on the outside.
“You, who is organizing the first conference, are better than me.”
Even in this situation, he talked about the conference.
There was no blood or tears.
What an insane man.
But I was prepared to be even more insane than that.
But.
“…… Thank you. I’ll prove it to you.”
I was surprised by Vanguard’s response.
I don’t know what it was.
For me, it was good news.
Vanguard was suddenly manifesting magic.
Goooooooooo!
Yes, this time with murderous intent.
Quadruple quadruple!
A line of magic based solely on destructive power.
The mage of pure magic can be counted on one finger.
The moment when vast amounts of magic power are combined with interference that maximizes destructive power.
A beam of magical power with a tremendous pressure stretched out towards his grasp.
It was then.
Kwajik─!
The grasp tore off a large piece.
I held it up like a shield.
I could feel it in my gut.
‘Powerless.
Technically, that’s a fragment of a rift.
A fragment of an anomaly.
It was a shield that merged two completely different concepts.
In a way, it was the purest form of [magic],
the purest form of magic, shouldn’t be able to penetrate that shield.
Indeed, my prediction was correct.
Crackle─
The rift shards collided with the magic beam.
The magic beam scattered, sending magic everywhere.
But so what?
“Where’s your initial momentum, lowly demon?”
I had aimed for this situation in the first place.
“Do you really think there’s any point in hiding behind a shield?”
Right after Vanguard’s magical manifestation, to be precise.
Vast amounts of magic!
I didn’t hesitate.
“How foolish.”
I immediately searched for the vast amount of magic power.
Interfering with the familiar process.
Manifestation.
And then I saw hundreds. No, thousands of lights.
Vanguard stuttered.
“…… in that split second?”
I don’t know if he was surprised that I’d eaten basic magic like a meal.
I don’t know the reason for his astonishment.
It’s not Vanguard’s reaction that matters.
Dudongsil.
Basic magic of pure magic.
A sphere of pure magic, light.
It can be manifested into any kind of magic.
Of course, the amount of energy consumed by the interference process is beyond imagination.
This is why Pure Magic focuses on relatively simple interference that maximizes only destructive power.
But.
“I am not.”
Yes, I have more than just magic.
I hadn’t dug just one well.
I had [stats] I could use.
[Aesthetic: low]
[Adds aesthetics to everything].
Shortcuts, macros, or hacks.
They’re more of a hassle than they’re worth.
It’s just a button press.
A [Aesthetics] that multiplies the output many, many times over.
“Magic and Aesthetics.
Another fusion of two completely different concepts.
In other words, it’s a [Anomaly].
But even if it is highly efficient.
The interference was thousands of magic spheres, lights.
It’s a true story.
I can feel the magic escaping in real time.
It’s not like it’s escaping at all…….
It’s leaking like poison down there, man!
“There’s no point in trying to keep your head behind a shield.”
Of course, you can’t hide.
From neck to spine.
Stiffly erect.
I continued, my voice unwavering.
“It is also my power to determine the hunting laws.”
Hunting laws are a magical kind of thing.
It was.
I activated the effect of the Aesthetics stat.
Thousands of lights, each manifesting different magic.
What would be effective against him?
If I had time to think about it, I’d just hit him with all the magic I had and all the magic I didn’t have. It’s a very uncharacteristically me, ignorant manifestation.
At least it’s aesthetically pleasing.
“Indeed……!”
What unfolded was a spectacle that even Marcelo could appreciate.
Fire, water, ice, lightning, wind…….
and more.
Magic from all sorts of fields mixed together.
Some of them in the form of sharp weapons.
Others in the form of soldiers wielding them.
There was also magic in the form of horses carrying such soldiers.
I made an appraisal of him.
“You’re still immature.”
The reason I said that was simple.
[Aesthetic: low]
His Aesthetic stat was still at ‘low’.
Even now, it looks like a colorful crab.
If it improves to medium or high later.
What kind of magic could it unleash?
“I’m so immature, I can’t figure out what part of me is immature!”
Vanguard exclaimed, unable to comprehend the truth.
He wouldn’t know anything about aesthetic stats.
Well, it might seem like a lot of magic.
Well, it’s fancy, so there’s something to eat.
Charge.
Immediately, thousands of spells rushed out.
As usual, it was the aesthetics that shone through.
A truly animated legion.
It spun and spun, clinging to the piece of rift its grasp had lifted.
It began to damage the creature.
The [Exorcism Ritual] had been activated earlier.
What does aesthetic magic look like on him?
He didn’t know, but he could be sure of one thing.
It was much more colorful than what Vanguard was seeing.
It would look like a much more colorful rampage.
Suddenly, a message flashed before his eyes.
A ‘cut’ is happening to [???].
* https://pindangscans.com
The Seven Deadly Sins, Envy screamed.
“F*ck you!”
It hurt.
It hurts.
It hurts.
“My arm!!!”
The severed arm didn’t grow back.
What it meant was simple.
It meant that the man who took it was a demon hunter.
Once I realized that, it started to make sense.
“That’s how it happened, aaaaaaaaah!”
Greed, the seven deadly sins.
The demon Decarabian.
I finally realized why their existence had been condemned to hell.
Yes, it was him.
By that cocky bastard who had taken his arm off a moment ago!
That he was a demon hunter.
He knew it the moment he saw it.
It was obvious the moment they met. He had invited himself to the ritual.
How dare he invite this so-called seven deadly sins and great evil……?
It was the body of a mage I was after in the first place.
I thought a demon hunter wouldn’t be too bad.
I thought it would be more fun.
The Holy War.
The looks on the faces of the Demon Hunters there were something to behold.
But it was strange.
From the moment I brought the great demon himself into my consciousness.
His mind couldn’t have been intact.
“Inferior demon.”
Somehow.
He was fine.
Was he struggling?
No, there was no sign of it.
“Where is your initial momentum, lesser demon?”
“Do you really think there is any point in hiding behind a shield?”
“How foolish.”
……How is this possible?
His mental strength didn’t waver in the slightest.
As if that wasn’t enough, it was coming towards him.
Rather, he was carrying this body, which is the Seven Deadly Sins and a great evil, to hunt!
……Dangerous.
No, I’m in danger, this body is dangerous?
Yes, this is the fear of a natural enemy.
It was to the point of awakening the senses that had been forgotten as great evil.
The Seven Sins of Envy thought coldly.
Yes, this is an unexpected accident.
This sensation?
A demon hunter?
This body is the seven deadly sins, the great evil.
If it weren’t for the mages around him, he might have been……!
I gritted my teeth.
“It is also my right to decide how to hunt.”
A cold voice said.
At the same time, I saw something beyond the chasm.
It was a mass of forces floating in the air.
“!”
Where did they come from?
It was an immeasurably huge force.
There seemed to be thousands, perhaps tens of thousands.
Soon, they began to rush toward him.
Soooooo─
His senses were failing him in terror.
Searing heat.
A cold chill.
Tingling electricity.
I began to feel all kinds of energy.
My malfunctioning senses were constantly warning me.
It must be avoided.
But the rush was too swift to dodge.
Like the magic of mages.
“Aaaahhhhhhhh!”
Legion, magic, whatever, clashing with the unknown.
The result was now.
He found himself running, missing an arm.
“Damn it! Why?”
What the hell is wrong with a human subject?
“Human subject!!!”
How.
Such a mind.
Such a fellow.
Such an attitude?
Envy began to stir.
No, it wasn’t just that.
As I thought about it, I remembered something.
“……?”
The tides of the Arcana continent had recently begun to turn.
The culprit was the Demon Hunters’ ultimate weapon.
At first, I thought it was simply the work of the dwarfs.
The Akshan base was destroyed.
The Demon Hunters wiped out.
The only ones who can activate it.
would be the dwarfs who built it.
I thought it was a good thing.
They activated it?
The dwarfs had come out of their lairs and onto the continent.
If we follow the trail, we’ll find their lair.
But not as expected.
There was no sign of the dwarfs.
It was then that he and the demon hunter
He had encountered a demon hunter.
The implication was simple.
“That was him, too?!”
Envy flared.
“How dare he mess with a human!”
He had traveled in and out of dimensions.
So freely that he could trigger any weapon.
Even himself.
No evil, no matter how great.
It was impossible to interfere in another dimension like that.
“……!”
The realization sent a chill down his spine.
A sensation I had momentarily forgotten in my envy.
Fear reawakened.
“Does this mean he’s on a higher level than me?”
I can’t admit it.
If I did admit it…….
It all made sense.
The way he seemed to be staring down at me.
The battle with a creature that your senses could barely keep up with.
The way he traveled across dimensions.
And finally.
A warning to his fleeing self.
“‘I remembered, demon who lost his right arm. I remembered that.”
He’s a demon hunter.
The right arm he took from you can never be regenerated.
If they ever meet again.
He will surely recognize you as a one-armed man.
And then……?
“Am I, this body, condemned to hell?”
Will I, like greed, cease to exist?
Thinking about it, my fear didn’t go away.
I realized the subject matter.
“……I am enough with this wound.”
Yes, let’s be satisfied with the continent of Arcana.
Let’s not even think about traveling to other dimensions again.
At least not while that demon hunter has his eyes wide open……!!!
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[Broken Dimensional Rift]
[Suitable Level : Lv.900]
[Rift Collapse : 51.2%]
A rapidly rising Rift Collapse.
In the meantime, the appropriate level has changed.
[Suitable Level : Lv.900~Lv.1000]
The appropriate level was now 1,000.
Players exclaimed.
“I can’t even drip this, brothers!”
“What’s going on, what the hell is going on inside……!”
“……Ho-Yeol, are you sure you’re okay?”
Ho-yeol and Marcelo, the chief mage of Magic Tower.
Several hours had passed since they entered the rift.
Still, it wasn’t enough for the rift’s collapse level to skyrocket.
It had risen to the proper level.
They were right to be concerned.
But as usual.
My worries were short-lived.
A shape emerged from the crack.
A sound in my ears.
Another angle.
Ho-Yeol had emerged.
Not only was he alive, but he was also not covered in dust.
It was no wonder that all eyes were on him.
“!!!”
But as always.
Ho Yeol coldly declared.
“I won’t take any questions.”
His reasoning could not have been more straightforward.
“It’s an internal matter.”