Chapter 38

Chapter 38
## Chapter: 38

### Chapter Title: Mage Hunt (4)

—

Regardless of how much its consciousness had been hollowed out by magic, the creature still possessed a primal instinct for survival. It understood clearly that a prolonged engagement would result in its certain demise.

* Keeik, kieeeek!
* Kuwooooh!

The pack of abominations retreated toward the stony peaks in a frantic wave. The moment the heavy gates of the stronghold groaned open, they scrambled inside in a chaotic heap. Even as the massive entrance began to slide shut, the momentum of the panicked crowd didn’t falter. Consequently, a sluggish goblin failed to clear the gap in time and was flattened into the masonry.

* Jiiik!

“……”

Kadim took a moment to rotate his shoulders and loosen his frame.

The intense heat of battle was cooling, and his thirst for slaughter was beginning to steady. There was no urgency to his movements; the secret sequences to the stronghold were already etched in his mind. He planned to reclaim his dropped gear, reapply his enhancement spells, and then descend into the subterranean works.

He produced the small bottle containing the concentrated blood of a pure demon. He had suspected that the passage of time might have caused the essence to spoil or lose its potency, but the ‘Agility Boost’ took hold with the same violent intensity he remembered. It was possible his physical limits had expanded through constant combat, making even a lingering draft feel remarkably effective.

Only a single portion of the demonic ichor remained. Steeling himself against the pungent, metallic odor and the foul, cloying taste, he consumed the last of it. As the familiar surge of aggression began to hum through his nervous system, he stepped toward the heavy doors of the fort.

However, upon reaching the threshold, he stopped short in confusion.

“Orgo, Al, Mesric.”

“Orgo, Al, Mesric.”

“……Orgo, Al, Mesric.”

Despite reciting the password perfectly, the stone remained unmoving.

Kadim’s brow furrowed in annoyance. It was impossible for his recollection to be flawed. While three centuries had passed within the world of the game, for him, the memories were only a few years old.

‘What is this? Has the sequence been altered?’

The previous occupants had been little more than unwashed brigands who lacked the wit to alter the facility’s mechanics. But the current resident was a practitioner of the arcane. It was highly probable they had rewritten the magical locks protecting the path.

After a moment of reflection, however, Kadim realized this wasn’t a significant hurdle. He possessed a universal key that functioned regardless of the lock.

‘The troll’s bludgeon…… there it is.’

He hauled over the massive mace previously wielded by the troll he had decapitated with his axe. The head of the weapon weighed dozens of kilograms, but the demonic strength flowing through his veins made it feel manageable.

――― Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each colossal strike sent tremors through the earth, accompanied by a deafening thunder…

――― Bang! Bang! Bang!

Even without a counter-spell, the surface of the rock began to splinter into a web of fractures…

――― Bang! Kwa-gang, kwarr-rung!

Finally, the barrier gave way entirely, crumbling to reveal the dark maw of the inner sanctum.

‘Indeed, no password is more reliable than brute force.’

Kadim gave a dark, lopsided grin and cast the heavy club aside. The grisly remains of the goblin caught in the door hung like tattered ribbons across the opening. He cleared the path with a casual sweep of his blade and stepped into the shadowy corridor.

He believed firmly that every obstacle yielded to power. If power failed, it simply meant one hadn’t applied enough of it. This was a pragmatic lesson he had mastered during his initial journey through this world.

It was time to impart that lesson to the sorcerer within.

—

“Curse it, curse it all!! Who—what is that monster!!!”

The assistant to Lemtan, a high-tier spellcaster of the Magic Tower and an expert in the schools of mental manipulation—Ymir Demil—was losing his composure. His usually sickly pale face was flushed with fury, and the calm expression he usually wore behind his spectacles was replaced by a mask of rage.

His scouts had identified this barbarian as the slayer of the twin gorge trolls. He was also aware of the man’s ties to the commissioner. Ymir had been looking for a quiet way to dispose of him, so he had been delighted when the barbarian walked right into his trap. He had anticipated his legion of monsters would tear the man apart until nothing remained but red stains on the floor.

Those expectations had been utterly shattered.

It hadn’t even been a contest. The beasts he had deployed were slaughtered without ever drawing a drop of the barbarian’s blood. This was a force capable of wiping out a village in a single night! Ymir watched in horror as the magical candles in his sanctum, each tied to a monster’s life, flickered out in rapid succession.

Worse yet, the barbarian hadn’t waited for the door to open—he had simply pulverized the mountain side. To Ymir, this man didn’t move like a human being. He moved like a localized catastrophe or a divine punishment wrapped in muscle and hide.

‘Damn it all, a man like that doesn’t just appear out of nowhere…… The commissioner must have finally secured help from the council. Those liars claimed the Magic Tower was their only hope while they were secretly training a freak like this……’

Because Kadim’s martial skill was so far beyond that of a lone wanderer, Ymir jumped to the conclusion that he was a hidden operative of the Delutana council.

Though his reasoning was flawed, his conclusion regarding the danger was accurate. His monsters were being purged, and his own life was now at stake. Ymir’s path was set.

‘If this operation is brought to light, the reputation of the Magic Tower is finished. I must silence him permanently. Even if I have to empty every cage in the lower levels……’

Fortunately, the geography of the fortress favored the defender.

The tunnels were a labyrinthine mess, designed to disorient any intruder. A stranger would quickly lose their sense of direction, stumbling into dead ends or walking directly into ambushes. Between the traps and the hidden routes, even a legendary hero would eventually be worn down by sheer numbers.

“[Lerian, En, Sadiun, Gordos……]”
⟨ Mind Link ⟩

Focusing his will, he began the rhythmic chant. The remaining candles flared, a heavy pressure settled in his lungs, and his consciousness bridged the gap to the beasts below. Ymir called forth every remaining horror in the dark.

* Jiiik, jiiik……
* Krurrrr……
* Guuk, guuk……

Ratmen with twitching snouts, blade wolves with eyes like blue embers, and bear owls with bristling plumage…… These predatory, swift hunters began to scale the interior stairs. It was a force sufficient to bring down any target.

Ymir felt a surge of renewed confidence as he directed the horde toward the intruder.

And once again, the reality of the situation defied his logic.

“……Hm?”

The moment they engaged, his mental link began to snap as the monsters were systematically executed.

The blade wolves that charged blindly were sliced to ribbons. The bear owls attempting to flank were intercepted and butchered. Even the ratmen using the hidden service tunnels were caught off guard by the barbarian, who seemed to be using those very same secret paths against them. The candles in the room were being extinguished as if by a gale.

The barbarian bypassed every snare, maneuvered through the secret architecture with ease, and slaughtered everything in his path. He was moving toward the heart of the fortress with surgical precision.

It was as if…… he was looking at a detailed architectural map in his mind.

“Heh, hehehe, hahahaha……”

Confronted with the impossible, Ymir could only manage a hollow, breathless laugh.

—

The edge of Mosquito buried itself in a ratman’s torso. The enchanted blade drank deeply of the life essence, stitching together the small tears in Kadim’s skin and soothing his strained muscles. The minor wounds inflicted by claws and fangs faded away.

Kadim wordlessly shook the crimson spray from his sword and pried his axe out of a split rat skull. He then stepped into the chamber ahead.

Before him lay mounds of decaying flesh, piled high like a grotesque monument.

The stench was a mixture of old rot and fresh copper. Amidst the general foulness, Kadim caught a specific scent that made his expression darken. He stepped closer to the piles to confirm his suspicions.

Scattered among the beast carcasses were human remains.

Tangled hair, severed fingers, scraps of common clothing, strips of skin, teeth, and jewelry.

“……”

Based on the volume of remains, dozens had been discarded here. Some were skeletal, others were recent. The missing clerk who had penned that final letter was almost certainly part of this heap.

‘I assumed he was just breeding monsters, but why the human tally? For research? For rituals?’

Sorcerers often used sacrifices for high-level magic, but Kadim had never seen human lives used in this manner. Infusing mana with vitality wasn’t the typical path of the ‘spirits.’

This specific style of blood sacrifice felt less like traditional magic and more like…

“……!”

He didn’t have time to finish the thought. Detecting a movement behind him, Kadim spun and launched his axe in one fluid motion.

Pa-ra-ra-ra-rack – !

Splut – crack!

“Hup!”

Ymir Demil let out a sharp gasp of pure terror.

Gray matter and blood sprayed across his face, but he had survived the throw. He had used a bear owl as a living shield just in time. Kadim clicked his tongue in disappointment. The only way to deal with a mage was to kill them before they could start their incantations.

* Guwoong, guwoong……
* Guuuwoong……

From behind a fresh wave of bear owls, the sorcerer revealed himself. He wore thick lenses, a crimson robe, and heavy iron chains across his chest. He looked mundane, yet he carried a strange, jarring aura—distinctly different from the mage Kadim remembered from three hundred years prior.

Forced out of hiding by the failure of his pets, the mage wiped the gore from his spectacles and spat a curse.

“How barbaric! You strike before a word can even be exchanged!”

“I wasn’t looking for a chat. I was trying to break your jaw so you’d stop making noise.”

“……”

The mage’s eyes flared with malice. Kadim briefly considered throwing his dagger but decided against it; trying to interrogate someone after they’d been burned to a crisp was rarely effective.

The sorcerer managed to compose himself. He cleaned his glasses, adjusted his attire, and spoke with forced dignity.

“You likely know this, but I am Ymir Demil, chief assistant to Lemtana and a Conjurer of the Magic Tower. What do they call you, outlander?”

“……”

“……Silent? Very well. Regardless…… we both have inquiries to make. How about this? We trade questions one for one. I shall swear upon Remillion to speak only the truth.”

“No deal. I’d rather rip out your tongue first, then I’ll be the only one asking questions.”

The effects of the demon blood were waning. Kadim had no intention of letting the man stall for time. He raised Mosquito and lunged forward with explosive speed.

“Y-You animal! Stop him!”

* Guwoong!
* Guuuwoong!

The bear owls flared their neck feathers, bracing for the impact. They were known for their incredible reflexes and power, but they had already proven useless against this particular opponent.

Kwa – jik!

* Guwek!

Kadim drove his weapon straight through the lead bear owl’s eye. The creature let out a wet shriek as the force of the blow blew out the back of its skull. Another beast tried to pounce from the side, but Kadim’s elbow collided with its chest, caving in its ribs and flattening its lungs instantly.

* Guuuuwoong!
* Guwok, guwek!

He dropped low to slide under a set of raking claws, disemboweled the beast with a quick upward thrust, and kept moving. The weight of his charge knocked over the secondary line of monsters. Standing over the first corpse, he swung his blade in a wide, lethal arc, decapitating the fallen creatures. Their thick necks offered no more resistance than soft clay.

“[Mensai, Elpirio, En, Sadiun, Gordos……]”
From across the room, the mage began to chant. Even if it ended the chance for information, the spell had to be interrupted. Kadim used a bear owl’s shoulder as a springboard, flipped into the air, and threw his dagger.

However, the chains draped over the mage’s shoulders suddenly moved with a life of their own, rising up to parry the flaming blade.

Hwaruruk, ka-gang – !

Kadim frowned. The chains were an enchanted artifact. Ymir looked rattled by the heat of the fire for a second, but a smug grin touched his lips as he finished the spell.

“[……Rondone, Altisaren!]”
⟨ Mind Domination ⟩

Dark, smoky trails of energy erupted from his fingers. They drifted like thick soot, passing over the heads of the beasts and rushing toward Kadim.

Kadim didn’t bother to move. He recognized the nature of the magic instantly and allowed the energy to wash over him.

Sruruk, gulp, whooosh……

As he expected, the spell failed to take root.

The moment the dark energy touched him, it recoiled and dissolved into the air like morning mist. It had no impact on his consciousness whatsoever.

Ymir’s jaw dropped, his eyes wide with shock.

“How… why……? Why is the mental geas failing to catch……?”

“……”

Kadim let a cold smile touch his lips.

It was failing because he was currently under the effect of ‘Mental Attack Immunity.’

He dropped the drained vial of demon blood and began his final charge toward the mage.