episode_0036

The path leading to Jay’s Orphanage.

Several gang members were walking along the path.

Their faces were full of dissatisfaction.

Because they were suddenly summoned at a time they’d normally be moderately guarding the black market and having a drink.

Of course, this wasn’t just about their gang.

Because almost all the gangs in the Slums of District 11 moved.

Even if they didn’t send their full force, countless people were gathering here.

Swords, bows, spears, etc.

While some possessed somewhat impressive weapons.

There were others, like these, who just carried clubs and blunt weapons.

Just then, a red-haired man who found something whispered to the blond man beside him.

“Hey, hey, look at that. It’s the Blue Hawk.”

“Really? Didn’t know that person would come. What happened?”

“Look there, there’s the Crazy Magician.”

“Over there, there’s Heart Skewer too. Wow. Wasn’t it like this last time when the Barbarian went on a rampage?”

“I heard from the gang next door that that crazy Barbarian went on a rampage on the street today?”

“Really? Is that why so many gathered like this? I see some big shots too.”

“But I heard that Barbarian became a cripple? They say he ate a strange cursed card and was kicked out of the party.”

“Hahaha! Then why is he coming all the way here causing a fuss?”

“How should I know? What would a stupid Barbarian be thinking…”

While they were walking and chatting for a while.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently.

Udududu.

As if an earthquake had occurred, the ground cracked and trees fell.

People were no exception.

People falling like leaves in the autumn wind.

Only a few named individuals were unharmed.

Those standing as if unfazed even by the violent shaking of the ground.

“Wow, this is crazy. Looks like we won’t need to step up today.”

“Right. We just need to loosely gather and fill the numbers.”

Most of the thugs who were summoned were thinking this.

The usual mob lynching.

Thinking that the elites would do the beating anyway and they just needed to fill the numbers.

The earthquake ended.

In the meantime, even more people had filled the path.

Urureureu.

A march that seemed unstoppable.

Hundreds of thugs advanced with weapons.

But that large crowd of people stopped.

Before a massive earth fortress.

A fortress made entirely of earth.

The height of the fortress wall alone was about that of a 3-story building.

“What, was that originally there?”

“No way…”

Just then, everyone was at a loss, blocked by the towering fortress wall.

A magician wearing a blood-stained robe came forward.

“I will break down the fortress gate!”

The Crazy Magician who committed all sorts of unethical magical experiments and fled to the slums.

One gang that recruited him instantly became one of the top gangs in the slums.

A magician is such a being.

“Destroy it!!!”

“Burn it!!!”

The Crazy Magician, who smiled wickedly while enjoying the countless cheers.

Immediately began creating a fireball.

As the fireball grew larger, the cheering grew louder as well.

“”Burn it all!!!”

The Crazy Magician laughed loudly.

Now it was time to hurl the fireball at that fortress.

The very moment he was about to shoot the fireball.

Pwook!!

An arrow lodged in the Crazy Magician’s body.

A harpoon arrow pierced the Crazy Magician’s solar plexus and then stuck into the ground.

Blood splattering around.

The fireball, whose casting stopped, scattered meaninglessly into the air.

One arrow shot.

With just that, the life of a quirky magician who dominated the slums ended.

Everyone looked up in the direction the arrow came from.

The Barbarian standing on top of the earth fortress.

The Madman. Kailek.

His voice echoed.

“Why have so many gathered like this!! You useless trash bastards!!!”

Kailek’s unique powerful voice.

Just that caused many people to lose their will to fight.

He continued to shoot arrows.

Shwaaat!!

An arrow slicing through the wind.

There was one person who deflected it.

The Blue Hawk, whose two arms had become massive wings.

He looked up at Kailek and shouted.

“This son of a bitch, I let him go unharmed last time!!!”

“What, a bird can talk too?!”

The Blue Hawk reminisced about the battle with Kailek.

If Mother, who suddenly appeared back then, hadn’t just let Kailek go, he could have defeated him.

Today was the day to prove that.

The Blue Hawk shouted.

“I’ll clear the way!!!”

Immediately, the Blue Hawk floated while flapping his wings.

Soon, the Blue Hawk flew towards the earth fortress gate.

Kailek shot arrows at him, but.

Kailek’s archery skills were not yet precise enough to hit a flying bird.

The Blue Hawk, who charged towards the gate at high speed, body-slammed the gate.

Kwaaaang!!!

A powerful blue shockwave struck the gate heavily.

The gate made of earth shattered.

“Charge!!”

As soon as the Blue Hawk shouted, the will to fight arose among the people.

If they charged into the fortress and mobbed him, they could win.

Just like they always did.

“”Waaahhhh!!!!””

People swarmed into the earth fortress.

The interior of the fortress, made entirely of earth.

They began climbing the stairs to head towards the top of the fortress where Kailek was.

But then, the red-haired man discovered someone.

Someone wearing a robe far away.

Ominous.

That wasn’t a feeling the red-haired man alone felt.

Because the Axe Murderer among the crowd urgently threw a hand axe.

Teok!!

A protruding wall swallowed the flying hand axe.

“The wall moved?”

An incomprehensible situation.

Before they knew it, everyone’s gaze was directed at the robed figure.

“Kill that guy!!!”

All sorts of ranged attacks headed towards him.

But the ground surged up and blocked everything.

The moment the ominous feeling became reality.

The robed figure lowered their hand towards the ground.

The world collapses.

“…Huh?”

By the time the red-haired man regained consciousness, the interior of the earth fortress was already overturned.

Tilted lobby and stairs.

Collapsing ceiling.

Overturned floor.

The bodies of the gang members inside the earth fortress were violently mixed together.

They stabbed each other with the weapons they held.

While falling, necks snapped and legs shattered.

Sharp earth spikes emerging from the earth walls pierced their entire bodies.

This place where only blood and screams could be heard.

A true catastrophe.

Only magicians can do such things.

“There’s the magician!!!”

The Blue Hawk stepped on the collapsing floor, spread his wings, and advanced towards the magician.

Countless earth walls blocked the incoming Blue Hawk, but.

The Blue Hawk narrowly dodged by performing acrobatics.

Reached right in front of the magician.

But then, the magician threw a card.

Shwaaaaaaaaa!!!!

A strong wind began to blow inside the sealed fortress where wind shouldn’t blow.

The red-haired man urgently hid behind the shield he was holding.

The strong wind sliced through everything around.

The shield was also slowly being torn apart.

Someone’s torn flesh from the strong wind embroidered the sky.

Just then, someone was slammed into the wall next to the red-haired man.

“…The Blue Hawk?”

The corpse of the Blue Hawk, whose entire body was mutilated, lay fallen.

A strong figure who dominated the slums fell so easily.

But this wasn’t the end.

As if to bury them alive. The walls of earth became a wave that swallowed everything, falling upon the people.

The melted ceiling pours down.

The red-haired man closed his eyes.

Beep–

No sound could be heard.

The red-haired man’s body was swept away by the wave of earth, continuing to move.

Inside it were rocks, human corpses, and wood fragments.

They endlessly battered and tore at his body.

Kung!!

Collided with another person inside the wave of earth.

Dropped the shield he was holding.

The red-haired man’s consciousness gradually faded.

Soon, the wave of earth stopped.

“……”

The red-haired man, who woke up, checked his body.

His legs and arms, except for the left arm, were all torn off and unrecognizable.

His right eye couldn’t see.

The earth fortress was already gone.

Only one man stood upon the high pile of debris.

It was obvious who he was.

The Magician.

A disaster that ordinary people could hardly contend with.

The red-haired man, who at best was just a thug in the back alleys with one weapon, laughed hollowly.

How on earth could anyone contend with something like that?

The red-haired man surveyed his surroundings with blurred vision.

Before he knew it, the next groups had swarmed in.

People charging towards the magicians.

But then, the magician threw a card.

Hwareuk.

Flames beginning to gather behind the magician’s back.

The flames that began gathering thread by thread soon became a giant spirit.

As the spirit reached its hand towards the sky.

Powerful flames gathered.

And soon, it split into countless pieces and fell around like meteors.

The red-haired man closed his eyes.

Because one of the meteors created by the flame spirit was falling directly towards him.

*

There was no trace of the mansion left; it had been flattened.

All the trees around couldn’t withstand the wave of earth and were all uprooted.

Everywhere the wave of earth had passed, there were countless gruesome corpses.

The few remaining survivors ran away without any intention of fighting us.

There was no reason to specifically capture them.

I sat on the pile of debris and looked down at the surroundings.

Grace naturally sat down beside me.

“Wow…, aren’t you a bit too excited?”

“We have to crush them like this so they won’t challenge us again.”

Jilkkeun.

I unconsciously clutched my head.

My head felt like it was about to burst.

[Ifrit] and [Terrain Manipulation] are Power Cards, so they consume my mana.

Moreover, constantly manipulating the terrain precisely consumed stamina.

But thanks to that, I was able to safely sweep away the approaching guys.

“Are there more people coming?”

“Yes. Perhaps this will be the last wave?”

“Why do you think that.”

“Mother and Father are coming. Bringing all their subordinates.”

Just then, a group of people appeared in the distance.

At the very front were. Mother and Father.

Although they were people I was seeing for the first time.

Unlike their subordinates, they had the appearance of middle-aged people who had aged quite a bit.

Thanks to that, I could easily distinguish them.

I spread my senses to assess their level.

Even considering their basic equipment and armament. Even looking at the amount of mana felt from them. They were not ordinary guys.

Especially Mother and Father who are at the front, they are even stronger than Luca.

Although they are much weaker compared to Kailek.

Still, having this level of power must have allowed them to dominate this place.

It seems like it will be a difficult fight.

Just then, Father walked forward and spoke.

“Witch Slayer, Ivan! You’ve caused quite a stir!!!”

“Since you tried to take away my Guide, I had to do at least this much.”

“…This blood-soaked bastard!!”

Father threw a dagger.

Chaeng!!!

But Grace easily parried it.

Father, seeing that, muttered.

“Ace. It’s regrettable. To forget our grace.”

“My name isn’t Ace.”

This time, Grace threw a dagger at Father.

Chak!!

Father also deflected the dagger like Grace.

“I am Grace.”

“…They say raising a child is useless after all.”

“Why am I your child?”

“……”

Father and Grace looked at each other in silence.

A long silence.

And as if they had promised, they simultaneously charged at each other.

That signaled the start of the battle.

People charging towards this side.

If I fight for long with so many people, variables will arise.

I’ll finish it in one go with overwhelming firepower.

Preparation was already finished a long time ago.

『Energy 99/4』

Energy reached the limit of 99 with [Butcher’s Gloves].

While fighting up until now, I only used Power Cards to save the good cards as much as possible.

Meanwhile, I used all the low-value cards that entered my hand, such as [Strike] or [Shield].

Thanks to that, the strongest hand was created.

[Charge(1)] [Electrocute(2)] [Hail(3)] [Ice Storm(4)] [Vortex(3)] [Lightning(3)] [Immolate(3)] [Freeze(2)] [Tidal Wave(3)] [Ice Shard(1)]

Now, I pour out my everything here.

[Charge(1)] – [Ice Storm(4)]

Total 5 cost.

The Ice Storm, enhanced by the effect of Charge, began to blow.

The storm holding cold air swallowed the charging figures and lifted them to the sky.

7 out of 55 mana disappeared.

[Vortex(3)]

Sharp wind is added to the Ice Storm.

The ice chunks in the storm moved faster, tearing off flesh. Strong wind broke bones.

5 mana disappeared.

A circular space created around me.

No one was able to enter this place.

In that case, I had no choice but to unleash other attacks.

[Hail(3)]

Dark clouds billowing in the sky.

From within, ice chunks poured down.

Mother used a strange power to block that.

A large shield that appeared out of thin air.

That must be her card.

It’s in the way.

[Lightning(3)]

Pajijijik!!

A large amount of electricity gathered in my hand.

Soon it became lightning.

As if Zeus, whom I saw in a book, grasped and threw lightning.

I too grasp the lightning and throw it.

The target is Mother.

Piercing through the large shield that was blocking the hail, the lightning burned Mother’s body.

[Immolate(3)]

I summon spears of flame beneath the guys who were standing blankly next to Mother.

Instantly, spears of flame piercing through the ground burned the human bodies.

3 mana disappeared.

“……”

Four people are running away in the distance.

Normally, I might let them go.

But I won’t leave behind any lingering threats.

[Tidal Wave(3)]

A strong tidal wave swallowed the 4 people who were running away.

And the tidal wave approaching this way.

After continuously swallowing people, it collided with the Ice Storm.

The tidal wave merged with the storm, creating a giant waterspout.

That waterspout took countless lives.

“…This bastard!!”

Just then, someone jumped out from beneath my shadow.

It’s not just one person.

Total 5 people.

Is it a series of cards that move simultaneously?

I couldn’t react.

Chaat!!

A dagger swung by a man brushed past my shoulder.

Fortunately, no injury occurred.

Because the robe, hardened by infusing mana, blocked the dagger.

But that wasn’t the end.

People who came out of the shadows continued to swing swords at me.

To block that, I raise the terrain.

Thanks to that, my focus was disrupted.

People began swarming in, breaking through the weakened Vortex and Ice Storm.

Kung!!

Kailek, who had appeared unnoticed, struck a man in front of me with his shoulder.

An arrow pierced the gut of the flying guy.

“Focus!!!”

Kailek shouted, covering me.

Just then, I discovered 3 people approaching from behind.

3 people charging with a strong shield blocking the Vortex and Ice Storm.

[Ice Shard(1)]

Ice Shards formed in the air flew.

But they hit the shield protecting them and disappeared.

In that case, what about this?

I raise the terrain.

The terrain beneath the man using the shield.

“Huh?!!”

The man using the rising shield.

Now there is nothing to protect the other two on either side.

Shwaaaaa!!!!

A strong vortex ripped the bodies of the two apart.

[Freeze(2)]

Cold energy moving towards the shielded man suspended in the air.

I completely encased the guy in ice.

Shwaaat!!

Just then, an arrow grazed my side.

Thanks to the mana-infused robe, I wasn’t injured, but.

The moment I was about to unleash a vortex on the two who had approached right beside me unnoticed.

The duration of the magic ended.

The Vortex and Ice Storm disappearing simultaneously.

The two who saw that charged forward triumphantly.

[Electrocute(2)]

Pajijik!!

Electricity surged forward, electrocuting the swordsman charging in front.

And the female archer who was behind.

“Die!!”

Grace cut her down.

I surveyed the surroundings.

Father, who had lost his life and fallen.

His cleanly severed neck was frozen.

Grace’s victory.

“Now we just need to eliminate all the remaining miscellaneous guys!!”

“Right.”

Enemies persistently attacking us even after Father and Mother were dead.

I had already used all 10 cards in my hand, but it wasn’t over yet.

Tiling! Tiling!!

『[Butcher’s Gloves] feed on blood.』

『Energy increases by 1, and you draw 1 card.』

The status window rising in proportion to the disappearing lives.

My hand was full with 10 cards before I knew it.

I continue to use them.

[Strike] breaks the legs of the approaching enemy.

[Force Field] blocks sword slashes.

[Telekinesis] lifts and causes to fall.

[Fireball] burns the enemy.

Each time I use a card, the mana felt around disappears and only corpses increase.

By the time I had used every card in the deck once.

There was already no life left around.

A battlefield with countless corpses, as if a storm had passed.

Only three were standing in this place.

Me.

Kailek.

Grace.

“Haa… We won somehow.”

Grace plopped down onto the spot.

“It was nothing!!”

“For saying that, it looks like everyone would have died if I wasn’t here.”

For Kailek saying he’d sweep away the slums by himself, there were more strong people than expected.

If I hadn’t had [Butcher’s Gloves], I wouldn’t have been able to guarantee victory.

Tiling!!

As if everything was over, the status window appeared.

『Congratulations! You have defeated those who ruled the Slums of District 11.』

『No one knows what results your actions will create.』

『Check your Relic reward.』

Is the reward a Relic this time.

It feels a bit disappointing compared to how hard I fought, but.

After all, the purpose of this battle was to bring Grace back.

Let’s think of the reward as something obtained along the way.

Let’s see what’s available first.

[White Storage Box] – Preserve 1 card at the end of your turn.

[Old Bag] – Draw 1 additional card only on the first turn.

[Red Dice] – When it becomes the 6th turn, deals powerful damage to the surroundings.

It’s ambiguous.