episode_0029

….What. What on earth happened here?

I felt dizzy from the numbing smell of blood and medicine that seemed to numb my nose.

“….Were you tortured?”

Countless bandages were added over the blood that had already hardened, and injection marks remained all over the body. And the black bruises and the smell of medicine.

Experiment. This would not be torture, but rather an experiment on humans.

why? Why is it like this…

Tiring-!

[You live in a small town in the Northern Territory of the Empire. As the eldest brother of the orphanage, you are willing to take on all sorts of difficult tasks to feed the children. As usual, while running an errand to another village, you discover the remnants of a warlock in a cave you accidentally entered to escape the cold!]

Just as I was questioning this tragedy, a notification sound rang and an explanatory status window appeared before my eyes.

….I’m the eldest brother in the orphanage? An alter ego was created… but does it make sense to have the original narrative?

‘No…no. ‘That’s not important now.’

Remnants of a warlock. That is certainly how Sangtae Chang described this strange cave.

Warlock. It is a pseudo-group that worships an unknown god and engages in unexplained actions. I heard you’ve been active a lot lately…

…I mean, I was doing this kind of thing. It put people in that state.

“……Damn them.”

I touched the arteries of people trapped in iron bars to check whether they were alive or dead. However, no pulse of life was felt by anyone.

“…….Ah.”

At that time, a sound was heard from the deepest corner of the cave. If you don’t really listen, you won’t even hear it… It was such a faint sound.

“….Is there anyone alive…?!”

In a hurry, I ran towards the iron bars in the far corner of the cave where I heard the sound.

Inside the iron cage in the far corner. A woman was seen leaning against the wall of the iron cage, breathing only faintly.

“……Do it..”

Her white, snow-like hair was covered in red blood, and her jewel-like purple eyes had lost their vitality.

She had no strength in her body and felt like she was going to die at any moment.

“Hey! Come to your senses! What the hell is this…!”

“….Do……..”

“…Damn. This iron window… How can I not open it?”

“Clog…Clog…”

I wanted to save the woman who was spitting out syllables of unknown meaning, but the tightly closed iron bars blocked me.

“Ah, that’s right. water…! ”

I realized that in my side pocket, I had a small water bottle. I immediately took out a water bottle and held it towards her.

Gulp-gulp.

He must have been very thirsty, so he emptied an entire water bottle. The woman took a moment to catch her breath and began to talk.

“Cough… dangerous… harm. Here…”

“….Yes? What on earth…”

“That bastard will come back…”

…..what? That bastard is coming back…? Could it be that… the warlock will return?

“Warlock. That person… will come back?”

“…That’s right. Cough… I’ll probably be there in 5 minutes. That guy came back around this time and tortured us.”

As she followed the direction pointed with her weak arm, there was a small clock hanging on the wall.

What should I do with this? Now I have no means of defense…

‘…right. I haven’t checked my status window yet.’

I remembered that I was in such an urgent situation that I didn’t even notice the status window. Immediately afterwards, the status window was brought up. I hope I have the means to defend myself and save this woman.

[Name: Venice / Age: 19 years old / Male / Status: Feeling cold]

[Unique Ability (Magic Eye): This is an eye that can see magical power. You can see the trajectory of magic power and use magic power more smoothly.]

[Unique Ability (Qualities of a Warlock): Can use a considerable level of black magic. A black magic category is created.]

[Description: The power to deny the world. Black magic. It is the power that can cause miracles by denying the laws of the world. Currently, black magic is classified as prohibited magic, and users need to be careful.]

[Black magic category]

[Unique ability (talent identification): You can identify the other person’s talent. You can see your unique abilities and potential at a glance.]

‘Fucked.’

That was all I thought as soon as I saw the status window.

I heard that the Empire has taken out its sword to eradicate the crazy cult group, the Black Magicians, that has been running rampant recently.

What does that mean? If I’m caught using black magic, I’ll have nothing to say even if I’m executed on the spot.

Even, according to the description in the status window, we are currently in the northern part of the continent. It is the area with the largest number of warlocks and the area where the empire controls the most intensively.

Even if you get it, do you get black magic? Just let me use magic…

‘Black magic category.’

But there wasn’t enough time to lament about the current situation. Since I didn’t know when the warlock would come back and tear me to death, I had no choice but to bring up the status window.

Whether it’s black magic or something else, you have to live and see it first.

[Black magic category.]

[Magic Eyes (Lv:???): The eyes of a demon god. All structures of black magic can be understood and inverted.]

[Dark Spear (Lv: 1): The most basic attack technique. Fires a spear of darkness filled with the energy of denying the world.]

[???: Lack of skill.]

[???: Lack of skill.]

[???: Lack of skill.]

.

.

.

Demon Eye and Dark Spear. Those are the only two things I can use now. But, this was enough.

Just looking at the explanation, the magical eye was a very deceptive ability. Especially since my opponent is a warlock, I will not lose.

Trash…Trudge…

“Uh…what should I do… That bastard is back…!”

“Please wait a moment.”

“….What? What are you going to do…! Rather run away and ask for help…!”

“Sorry, but I think it’s already too late.”

“….Holy shit…”

Can not help it. The footsteps were already getting closer, and I could see a person’s shadow moving through the curtains in the distance.

I nodded to her without saying a word, and she nodded and leaned against the bars again. I quietly looked for the warlock’s blind spot to enter the cave and hid.

fluttering-

“Now….now! Ariel….! Today is also experiment time…!”

“….Get out.”

“Oh~ Why are you doing this? Still, we were pretty close friends, right?”

“…Shut up. Because I don’t want to hear your disgusting words.”

“A. This is too much for my former butler, really!”

The woman’s name seemed to be Ariel. A young man who introduced himself as a former deacon made a joke and slowly approached Ariel.

“…I didn’t trust a bastard like you.”

“Hahahaha! Don’t do that too much~? Because you are participating in an experiment for the great Demon God!”

The man, so bright that the cave resounded, spread his arms and began to praise himself as a demon god.

As I looked at him, I summoned the Dark Spear and slowly walked behind him without making a sound.

There may be hesitation in killing the same person.

That warlock was already a beast disguised as a human. That’s why I was able to move forward without hesitation.

“…..You will be punished.”

Ariel noticed me slowly approaching from the corner of her eye and started talking to get the warlock’s attention.

The man looked at this with interest, then opened his mouth.

“Hoo…? Are you full of energy today? It’s like I’ve regained my strength…”

“….bullshit.”

“…as if a rat had come in!!!”

Soak-ae-!

Holy shit. Did you already know? The man turned around, summoned a dark spear, and flew it towards me. I managed to avoid it by lowering my body.

“Did you know?”

“….You avoided this? He’s a pretty quick rat, right?”

Although he was able to identify the trajectory of the black magic and avoid it thanks to the effect of his magic eye, the black magician, who had no way of knowing this, looked surprised.

“….Be careful!”

“…Be quiet, Ariel! After dealing with the rat, I will make you the vessel of the Demon God today!!”

Shoo shoo shoo!

Three dark spheres rushed towards me, but I used my magic eyes to detect their trajectory and dodged them.

‘….see.’

The trail of black magic. And the ‘negativity’ contained in that black magic. And my understanding of the Dark Spear grows.

[Dark Spear’s level increases from 1 to 2!}

“….What are you doing!!”

“Hahaha! You were a crazy rat! OK! I’ll kill you quickly!”

I didn’t pull out, but instead ran towards the warlock. At the same time, it summons a small dark sphere that cannot be seen by Ariel who is far away.

“…..You! Were they from the same group?…! But why suddenly…!”

“…….”

The warlock who discovered my dark sphere was both surprised and angry that the same warlock had attacked him.

But, I’m not one of those disgusting people like you.

“Fuck. Just die-!”

The warlock soon frowned and fired five dark spheres at me.

Kwajangchang-!

“….Huh?”

As I looked at the center of the dark sphere rushing towards me, ‘Negative’, and concentrated the black magic in my demonic eyes, the dark sphere disappeared in the air.

“Stop dying. Garbage.”

“How can this guy…!”

Phew!

“Sigh….!”

He opened his eyes wide and thought about summoning the Dark Spear again, then stabbed the warlock in the neck with the Dark Spear.

“How do you do the inversion…! Cough. That’s the demon god…!”

“……You don’t need to know. And, you won’t even know.”

“….fuck bird-”

Deep.

When the heart was stabbed, the warlock who had been screaming became quiet.

“……Whew. It’s finally quiet now.”

Rattling-

With my eyes open, I found the key bundle in the arms of the dead warlock and walked to the iron cage where Ariel was imprisoned.

“…..you. It’s a little strong.”

As I was unlocking the keys that fit Ariel’s bars one by one, Ariel looked at me quietly and said.

“….That bastard. Even if he looks like that, he’s not weak.”

“I was lucky.”

“……..”

Wow. Why are there so many? There were so many keys that it took quite a while to find them.

“If I do something to you… why don’t you trust me?”

“I don’t think you would do that. Isn’t that right?”

“…………”

Crash.

I finally found the right key. When I put the key in the lock and turned it, the iron cage opened with a clanging sound.

“Catch it.”

“….Yes.”

When I extended my hand to her, Ariel, who had been looking at my hand for a moment, took my hand, stood up, and came out of the cage.

“….Finally. It came out.”

Ariel’s gaze was sunken as she looked around the inside of the cave with empty eyes.

Are you sad or angry? Or I couldn’t tell if there were other emotions.

Kwajangchang-!

Ariel threw the sphere flowing out of black magic on the desk across from the iron bars to the floor and broke it.

As soon as the sphere broke, her magical power, which was really just dust, began to slowly fill up.

If my magical power was like water in a small basin, her magical power was like the ocean.

The mana that most people have gently swirls around the heart. However, Ariel’s mana was rather compressed into one place and was as small as a small bead.

The orb began to endlessly absorb the mana floating in the air.

“…Whew. This should roughly be enough.”

-cut.

As she chanted briefly, the iron bars imprisoning the others suddenly split in half. Nevertheless, it was a finely tuned magic so as not to cause any harm to the people inside.

“…Help me.”

“Yes.”

I helped her take out the people who had spent their lives behind bars out of the cave and bury them in the ground.

Ariel looked at the buried ground, closed her eyes for a moment and meditated.

“….Thank you. Thanks to you, my life was saved.”

“I just did what I had to do. Even if it wasn’t me, someone would have helped.”

“…..you. What is your name?”

“Venice. It’s Venice.”

I answered that and looked at her with a keen eye for talent.

[Name: Ariel Frost / Age: 20 / Female / Status: Injured.]

[Unique Ability (Child of Mana): You have the amount of magical power given by God. Your mana is as infinite as the ocean and as strong as a flowing stream. All mana-related actions receive a God-given correction!]

[Unique Ability (Magic Eye): This is an eye that can see magical power. You can see the trajectory of magic power and use magic power more smoothly!]

[Unique Ability (Qualities of an Archmage): You are born with the qualities of an Archmage that will go down in history. He has a higher understanding of mana than anyone else, and can use it as naturally as water!]

.

.

.

.

[Potential:★ ★★★★★ (100 out of 10! You have the qualities of a hero to command this era!)]

The endless list of unique abilities gives you the same shock as when you saw Seris for the first time.

“Venice. I’m Ariel. Ariel Frost.”

“Your name… I remembered it.”

With those words, Ariel disappeared into the swirling snowstorm. I could only stare blankly at that figure.

‘….Oh right. errand!’

When I thought about it, I was heading to another town to run an errand. According to the note in the basket, it said it should arrive within today.

When I raised my head and looked at the sky, the world that had been white but bright due to the snowstorm began to become increasingly dark.

“Wow, we’re in big trouble!”

I quickly picked up the basket I had put down in the cave and followed the note.