Chapter 50: I was confident

…It’s getting stronger.

As soon as the trickery was employed, Seol Yeonhwa’s expression stiffened momentarily at the sight of the demon’s energy amplifying rapidly. 

Originally, the opponent was already formidable enough for her to face, but now its energy had surged to a level where even daring to cross blades felt daunting. 

Such rapid growth meant it likely couldn’t wield all that energy with finesse. 

But as the saying goes, raw power is a tyrant—when someone becomes that strong, dealing with them inevitably becomes troublesome.

Can I even win?

She worried for a moment, but upon glancing at Shin Yuseong beside her, she quickly relaxed. 

It was as if her tension had vanished in an instant, leaving her feeling perfectly fine. 

Even Seol Yeonhwa found it surprising, but for those who knew about the Blue Magic Tower’s secret laboratory, there was no need to stay tense. 

A villain on the level of a high-ranking demon? 

Sure, it was a monster comparable to the strongest among the academy’s professors, but—

“Wow, what a mosquito. Sucking up all my strength.”

Her side had someone who kept a count-level demon imprisoned and used it as a servant. Seol Yeonhwa soon adopted a calm demeanor and began observing the chaotic situation.

***

The Central Plains’ Divine Cult was not a school of magic.

It was a group of warriors who based their practices on martial arts, dedicating themselves to the refinement of their bodies and energy channels. 

A paradise, yes, but a paradise for ferocious martial artists who mastered demonic techniques among their martial arts.

They despised the weak and prioritized the rights of the strong. 

In a way, their nature and environment were similar to the world of demons revered by dark mages. 

To put it bluntly, they were a crime syndicate where the wicked wielded power as they pleased. 

The only distinguishing factor from other organizations was the firm hierarchy centered around the “Divine Cult Leader.”

The Heavenly God decrees: Follow the shepherd who leads the frail lamb, follow the strong.

The Central Plains’ Divine Cult might reject the weak, but it respected the strong. 

Especially for those who rose to the rank of executive, wealth, honor, and power followed.

Among those executives, the death of “Demon Brain,” who had mastered both martial arts and sorcery while presenting the cult’s secret doctrines, was the most shocking news of the 21st century.

What? 

He passed away during a brief inspection in that tiny nation, not even during a war?

To them, it was absurd, and the more they thought about it, the angrier they became. 

It wasn’t a natural disaster, disease, or old age—it was clear he had been killed by some wretched fool.

We must slaughter them!

What else could they do?

They poured all the cult’s resources into finding the culprit, digging into every detail of the perpetrator’s surroundings, preparing to crush them completely. 

They never imagined that a barely-adult kid could be the one who killed Demon Brain, but even if it was an even worse brat, the cult’s way was to slaughter them in revenge.

They left no traces. 

Could they have used this kid as bait to lure us?

Perhaps they only handled the finishing blow.

There were suspicious aspects, but standing around in a daze wouldn’t solve anything. 

The warriors of the Central Plains’ Divine Cult were inherently ferocious, perhaps even bold, and they were the heroes of their era, willing to risk their lives.

With such a disposition, and with the divine decree of their god, they became fanatics who would gladly sacrifice their lives to bring about their enemy’s destruction.

They had immense confidence. 

An arrogance that no organization in the world could compare to them. 

A boldness that no one could reprimand them, even if their evil deeds were exposed. 

A ferocity that, even in death, they could at least tear into their enemy’s bones.

As the world’s greatest criminals, united in their resolve, they devised a cunning plan.

They already disliked the riffraff running an academy in the neighboring region. 

Since they were investing massive resources due to their suspicions, why not wipe them all out?

If the academy had a backer, they’d die together. 

If not, that was that. 

The scoundrels who struck at the cult’s head from behind could be dealt with by the follow-up forces.

Thus, the heavy task given to Baek Yu, the Slaughter Leader of the Divine Cult, was to cause as much destruction as possible in the process of perishing on this academy’s grounds.

Kill the kid divined to have slain Demon Brain, uncover their backers, report back, destroy as much of the academy’s facilities as possible, and then perish.

They sent him to die.

Baek Yu knew this too.

He considered his death here an honorable one and was confident he could complete all his tasks successfully.

The cult wasn’t simply using him as a sacrificial pawn.

[Heaven-Devouring Soul]

They even sent a divine artifact, ordering him to slaughter as many as possible.

This wasn’t a mere death or destruction for profit.

It wasn’t about killing a single kid or, in passing, destroying a small peninsula’s academy.

It wasn’t about discarding the Slaughter Leader and the divine artifact.

It was an act of benevolence, showing that the Divine Cult could expend this much for its grand teachings and the unity of its followers!

The vast wealth and treasures in the cult’s vaults!

And to flaunt the cult’s might, which none in the world could ignore!

As the vanguard of that might, Baek Yu, who had activated the divine artifact’s barrier and entered combat, felt pride in being chosen by the cult’s heavens.

He also felt the power of the divine artifact in real-time.

He, who had been at the entry of the supreme pinnacle, was now approaching its peak—or perhaps even the threshold of the transcendent realm.

With awe, he felt confident he could destroy everything.

…Until that power kept growing, surging to ten times his original strength.

Baek Yu’s expression stiffened as he began to fear the overwhelming energy and muscles filling his body.

As expected, the divine artifact stole the opponent’s power and made it his own…

The meaning of his newfound strength was clear.

Among the kids before him, there was a monster he hadn’t anticipated.

The cult’s investigation was supposed to be perfect!

Baek Yu’s face contorted as he recalled the profiles of the kids they had investigated. 

All were hailed as geniuses, but they were still just kids who hadn’t reached the level of high-ranking mages or the supreme pinnacle.

Their futures might be bright, but for now, they were weak.

There was some gossip that Shin Yuseong had been frequenting the Magic Tower lately, looking healthier as if he’d taken some tonic, but…

…Ugh.

Was the report wrong?

Or was the problem an interloper who had slipped in at the last moment?

With palpable tension, Baek Yu stared at a blonde girl standing blankly to one side.

What kind of ancient monster is that?!

Strangely, she was looking back at him with a similar expression.

***

There’s a saying in the programmer world:

Why isn’t there a bug?

There’s bound to be a problem, but when you can’t see it, that’s even scarier. 

Then, the moment you touch it, dozens of issues come pouring out.

It was a similar feeling for the administrator running the Supernatural Ability Academy.

Arhen Gustav, the academy’s chairman.

As both a central figure in the academy’s board and a grand mage who had lived for centuries, she rushed to the location as soon as she sensed an anomaly.

To be precise, she teleported there in an instant using short-range teleportation magic.

By chance, her arrival coincided with the moment the barrier was activated, causing her to get caught up in it, but she wasn’t particularly worried about the demon who had cast it.

It was a powerhouse on the level of a high-ranking demon, sure.

But she was an even greater monster.

Grand Mage Arhen was confident.

Though the barrier’s stealth was impressive, if she set her mind to it, subduing the demon wouldn’t take ten minutes.

In fact, she was pleased to have arrived in time to prevent damage to the academy.

As she had come to investigate the sudden anomaly, she was more concerned with identifying that entity than the demon before her.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!!!”

Suddenly, the demon let out a maniacal laugh and began to grow rapidly stronger.

Grand Mage Arhen felt a slight sense of exhaustion and furrowed her brow.

The darkness of the barrier shimmered, siphoning her strength and transferring it to the demon who cast it.

It had only taken a portion of her power, but the sensation of being drained was deeply unpleasant.

Arhen moved to quickly eliminate the demon before her.

It was like swatting a mosquito.

She never even considered the possibility that she, a grand mage, could lose.

2BH, 3BH… 4BH.

6BH…

10BH…

Until the demon’s strength transcended its original capabilities.

What?

Arhen was stunned.

No matter what trickery was at play, the opponent had become far too strong.

She was so flustered that her radiant, jewel-like eyes trembled, her throat went dry, and cold sweat began to trickle down her back.

No, why, how could it reach that level?

Sure, some of her power had been stolen, and she understood that it was significant for a relatively weaker opponent, but…

Wait, does it make sense that stealing a bit of my energy could elevate them to my level?

Bewildered to the point of panic, she suddenly recalled why she had come here.

The anomaly.

If that entity was present, it too must have had some of its power drained.

If it had lost a similar proportion of power and passed it to the demon…

Uh… hold on. 

So, just a fraction of their power created another grand mage like me?

Oh, shit.

The more she thought about it, the more hopeless it seemed.

She could at least deal with the demon in front of her, but this? 

This was a pure catastrophe.

Grand Mage and Chairman Arhen looked around with a grim expression.

She had only come out for a routine patrol, but suddenly, she desperately wanted to go home.

***

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a mosquito like this.

Among the demons who governed concepts, there were those with all sorts of abilities.

Some stole strength, luck, or possessions—everything. 

Others excelled in magic circles, draining energy that way.

The man before him, who had cast the barrie,r fell into the latter category.

To be specific, the barrier was deployed in a form distinct from magic.

What’s more, this mosquito seemed shy—sucking power abruptly, laughing hysterically, then freezing up, displaying bipolar tendencies.

What a fascinating guy.

For a moment, it was entertaining to just watch.

Though the draining of power did leave a strange sense of exhaustion.

It wasn’t too unpleasant, like the feeling of sweating lightly after exercise.

Anyway, abilities that steal power so easily tend to return just as quickly once the culprit is dealt with.

He had no doubt he’d win.

With friends around, the only question was how cleanly he should handle it.

That was the extent of his concern—not about victory or defeat, but the method.

As he pondered, his eyes met those of a pink-haired female student—Maho, or rather, a woman with a now-familiar expression.

The goddess smiled slyly and tilted her chin.

She felt more like a delinquent than a goddess, but her meaning was clear.

“Well, power hoarders aren’t really my thing.”

Living comfortably was nice, but he had no intention of holding back out of fear.

It wasn’t that big a deal.

Smiling, he drew his sword.

Holy Sword, Release.

The moment the radiant, white-glowing sword was gripped in his hand—

“Arghhh!!!”

For some reason, light began to pour from the demon before him as well.

***

To be continued…