233rd Episode
“Th-thank you…! Really, thank you!”
“Enough with the noisy thanks, shut your mouth and gather up.”
Having rescued even the frail old man with skinny legs, I extinguished the Flame of Corruption that was burning vigorously as if to devour the iron bars.
There were still about a dozen rooms with people left.
Ami and Zagan were busily moving around, lighting the torches fueled by the Flame of Corruption.
Then, as if they sensed the commotion, monsters began to pour down from the stairs.
—Grrr, Kraaak!
Could it be because I just heard that the monsters might have once been human?
For some reason, they looked more like humans than the monsters I knew.
Their appearance was different from the usual close-to-animal forms.
Thanks to that, it seemed the mental anguish of killing them would be somewhat less. There’s nothing harder than killing innocent animals.
—Kekekek!
Slaughtering the monsters was quite simple.
Since other paths were blocked, they obediently came down the stairs, allowing me to just stand at the entrance and fire the Magic Cannon at the mob.
They were cleanly obliterated, leaving no corpses behind, so the work went smoothly without any obstacles.
However.
—Kuuwaang!
With a thunderous crash, an ogre monster the size of four adult men descended from the central ceiling of the Underground Prison.
Its build was somewhat compact, but it was packed with massive muscles.
It resembled the body of someone who had excessively dosed on steroids and hit the gym. That’s why such a bulk would have such destructive power.
“Save the people!”
“Kyaaaaah!”
As the monster burst through the thick fragments of the ceiling, people screamed.
From a bit further away, I formed a faint aura layer above them and solidified it with the Protector.
Boom—!
The descending ogre caused a huge shockwave and began to kick at the Protector.
As a new space formed for it to invade, monsters began to pour out from the ceiling like a jar that had been punctured.
‘I need to move.’
With the entrance no longer meaning anything to guard, I made the Flame of Corruption engulf the entire entrance and moved quickly.
The monsters trying to enter were burned by the flames and met their end one after another.
“So you’re the one who’s the leader among those here.”
The monster, oblivious to the world’s dangers, drew attention.
I approached it and, without hesitation, fired the Flame of Corruption at the clearly visible area near its heart.
Then, a refreshing sound burst forth, sending a spray of blood and piercing through the creature’s body.
The hulking figure fell lifelessly.
As I mentioned earlier, there were no particularly noteworthy monsters left among those remaining in this place.
Frikkanrisk’s mistake was likely the neglect of their defenses here.
—Kuh, kuhng!
With the death of the ogre, who was at least the squad leader, the morale of the monsters plummeted.
I climbed atop the Protector, which was shielding the people, and surveyed the area.
‘Everyone has exited the room. All that’s left is to get them out from here.’
Thanks to Ami and Zagan moving quite swiftly, we were able to protect everyone with the Protector.
Those two kids were glaring at the monsters, holding the Flame of Corruption as they trembled.
As long as they weren’t shaking, they looked somewhat brave.
“Ami, Zagan. Drop that torch and stick close to everyone.”
“Y-Yes! Let’s move quickly, Zagan!”
“U-Uh-huh!”
Zzzz—.
I gradually shrank the dome-shaped Protector, bringing it close enough to touch them.
The monster horde tried everything from teeth to claws to break through, but they stood no chance.
“Hang on tight.”
As soon as I said that, I released the condensed wind magic.
One dome.
The Protector became a flying saucer, rocketing upward with the shockwave from the ground.
The monsters rolled around helplessly.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
We pierced through the center of the castle like an elevator.
The gravity we experienced, coupled with the sudden rush of distance, was enough to make the crowd scream in terror.
‘Hmm. Not bad for a first attempt.’
It wasn’t the best in terms of direction or balance, but the result wasn’t bad at all.
I figured it would work not only in this trial world but also outside.
As I broke through the castle roof and looked down, I thought so.
Despite piercing through the thick floor repeatedly, I was fine because I had a personal Protector enveloping my body.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention something.
Snap—!
I snapped my fingers.
There was something I had to do before the flying object crashed.
‘It’s been over five months, and I finally feel a bit free.’
You might have forgotten, but the trial’s restrictions aren’t just limited to the five senses.
There’s also a restriction on mana.
Currently, I was unable to use about half of my total mana.
However, this is a virtual world. It’s a world of trials that is different from actual reality.
‘This stage hasn’t restricted my mana. Therefore, I can use the maximum amount of transcendent mana I possess.’
Thirty.
That was the number of beautiful orbs steadfastly guarding me.
Perhaps they fitted perfectly, swelling with mana like they were about to explode, ignited by the Flame of Corruption.
With a smile of liberation, I designated my target.
I aimed at Frikkanrisk’s castle.
I intended to incinerate the massive castle along with the monsters inside all at once.
“Waaaah…!”
When I glanced at Ami, I saw her eyes sparkling as if she found the view beneath us beautiful.
The little guy’s eyes sparkled, seemingly finding the scenery beautiful.
In fact, it was a strange feeling since the corruption magic was derived from Ami’s technique.
‘Well, if you want to see it, go ahead and look as much as you want.’
After all, it’s not going to wear out.
I took aim with the 30 mana orbs I had grown to the limit.
—KWA-BAAAM!
I fired and smashed the core itself.
Frikkanrisk, who just came back from her outing, would be startled.
…But, well, I don’t care.
*
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Due to the dust that had risen thickly, sneezes echoed from all around.
I slightly adjusted the landing point and dropped it next to the core engulfed in black flames, causing shockwaves that sent the rough land’s surface soaring.
Not wanting to breathe in the choking air, I used some wind magic to blow the dust away.
From what I could see, there was an old man casually thumping his waist, but no one seemed injured.
Well, considering that the Protector had trained particularly hard during the trial period, it wouldn’t do to injure anything after just a drop from a few dozen meters.
“Master!”
Ami came running like a dog welcoming its owner.
I flicked her forehead, causing her to flinch.
“Ouch!”
“You unruly one. Who says you’re my disciple?”
“I’m sorry! I just didn’t know what to call you….”
Ah, so she’s calling me ‘Master’ because she’s a magician’s disciple.
Such a lack of manners, very much like an archbishop.
Ami rubbed her sore forehead and started talking excitedly again. Meanwhile, my younger sister Zagan, who had come close, seemed flustered but somewhat thrilled.
“You were amazing! Suddenly flying in the sky and blasting that huge castle to bits with black light! Of course, it’s all thanks to you, um… brother? I mean, you’re incredible!”
“Shut up. Unless you want me to stuff a rock in your mouth.”
“Y-Yes!”
Ami immediately clamped her mouth shut.
It’s hard to describe how this tiny creature, looking just like the Archbishop Ami, complied so easily.
In Dortmund, she was merely a crazy slaughterer obsessed with Helion.
And what’s with the ‘brother’ thing? So cringe.
‘Anyway, setting that aside…’
I glanced around again, letting my thoughts wander.
I had succeeded in getting them out. It wasn’t particularly difficult.
But this stage world showed no signs of disappearing.
Could it be that the achievement condition wasn’t to escape them but to eliminate Ami and Zagan, who might become the future archbishops?
‘No, that can’t be it. They’re not capable of responding at all right now. The difficulty level would plummet, and it wouldn’t match the statistics so far.’
Even if it’s a bit ambiguous as a judgment criterion, there hasn’t been a single ‘easy’ stage up to the current Stage 26.
There may have been places slightly better, like Stage 25, where bats hung like a bunch of bats in a cave, but I had suffered enough pain that I’d want to carve out that problem from my life.
‘Then, could it be… that I need to move all of them to a safe location?’
That’s quite a troubling thought.
If that’s the case, I wouldn’t know how long it would take.
Thinking positively, I could engage in more intensive training during that time, separate from the time flowing outside…. But the awkwardness remains unchanged.
There’s no point.
“I need to find someone familiar with the geography of this place to figure out a way.”
Surely, I can’t just sit here and let everyone freeze to death. I’ll do what I can.
Not out of goodwill, but rather by force.
So, having decided to stay put in this conspicuous place, I tried to gather those who looked confused to start a conversation.
But suddenly…
“Something’s coming. Fast.”
I felt two massive “Mana” rushing straight toward us.
In this world, only a handful possess Mana.
So, it’s highly likely to be a Monster.
“And judging by the density and size, they aren’t just any random monsters.”
If I had to compare, they might be on par with the top-tier Bishop, Han.
Fighting against two would mean I’d have to strain quite a bit to protect them.
“Everyone! Get inside the barrier I set up!”
I shouted hastily. Surprised by my order, they quickly gathered around, and I prepared new Protectors to shield them.
“I-I can help too…!”
“Stop spouting nonsense and get lost.”
“Ugh! Yes! I’m sorry!”
I immediately shut down Ami, a mere boy, from trying to say something foolish and sent him packing.
At the same time, the speed of one of the monsters charging toward us intensified.
It seemed to have fully recognized me as an enemy.
In that case, I won’t hold back and will face it with all my might.
“I don’t have a Familiar or a potion of life, but right now, my magic limit is lifted.”
Still, could I really take on two monsters at the level of the top-tier Han?—I didn’t dwell on that thought.
Anyway, my current state allows me to die and come back to life.
Even though my health drastically drops when I revive, I can hold out for now. Time to exploit the advantages I have.
Confidently, I invoked a curse spell.
“First, I’ll cast an illusion curse on the one coming toward me.”
With the gap created, I unleashed a barrage of thirty combined Corrupted Magic Cannons for a significant strike.
“Time for a total review.”
I grinned, deciding to enjoy the current situation.
How many times will I be able to withstand death from now on?
Four? Five?
Having faced exactly 217 deaths already, my health has plummeted.
I might look fine standing here, but standing itself has become a burden.
Strangely enough, while my wounds heal quickly, recovering my health is remarkably slow. Ever since the entire stage began. Damn limitations.
That means there aren’t many opportunities left.
Not many, but… at least I won’t die in one hit.
That fact alone brought me considerable confidence.
The moment the one charging at me approached closely.
“…What is this?”
I could read the foundation of the spell it was about to cast.
The basic equations forming its structure and the used formulas felt strangely familiar.
“Cursed Magic…?”
A man with pitch-black hair and sharp eyes resembling mine.
In a world where magic is scarce, he knew how to use “Cursed Magic.”
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