Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Into the Void
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“Ugh...”
Dershion let out an incomprehensible groan as he slowly raised his staff.
And then.
Kwaaaaa—!
The same black beam we’d seen before came rushing at us again.
Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t had enough time to gather demonic energy, so it wasn’t as massive as last time.
Pajijijik!
Just as I leaned my body, channeling electricity, to dodge it.
Swishhhh—!
A chilling cold rose from behind and froze the beam solid.
It was Roan.
“I can’t hold it for long.”
“No need to in the first place.”
“Tch... All talk.”
I threw myself forward the moment Roan clicked his tongue.
Taat!
Narrowing the distance to Dershion while sending out three streams of [Light of Flowing Grace].
Srrrrk!
With only one target, the [Light of Flowing Grace] swam swiftly through the air.
The others joined in with perfectly timed fire support.
“[Ignite]!”
With Kayla’s incantation, a single flame snaked along the ground.
Trrrrk...!
Like a bomb’s fuse burning, it reached Dershion in an instant.
Fwoosh!
An explosion of massive flames erupted at his feet.
I clenched my fist in sync.
Tadadadot!
The [Light of Flowing Grace] wrapping around Dershion’s body ignited with holy power.
“Transformation.”
Thompson’s Renewal Hamburger and Barundel’s full-force swing finished it off.
Thompson, who had leaped into the air, dropped straight down onto Dershion from above—
Pwaaack!
Pooook!
The accelerated punch smashed right into Dershion’s face, and Barundel’s axe buried into his shoulder blade.
Crunch!
The sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing.
No need to check—it was clearly a solid hit.
But.
‘...What’s this?’
Something felt off.
The reason came to me quickly.
Despite every attack landing perfectly, not even a tiny groan escaped him.
Grrrk, grrrrk!
Dershion’s head, twisted sideways by Thompson’s punch, snapped back into place.
A grotesque motion, like something out of a horror movie.
I could even hear his bones realigning.
And when he finally faced us.
“Ugh...”
His face was charred black, his jaw dislocated, blood pouring from his shoulder, white smoke rising from the holy-burned areas...
A total mess in every way.
Yet, contrary to his appearance.
“Ugh, ughhh—.”
Goooooo!
Dershion didn’t hesitate for a second, pulling up demonic energy.
As if he felt no pain at all.
Swishhh—.
Fortunately, the beam he fired was frozen again by Roan, but the shock lingered.
‘What the hell did he do?’
Even for an empty shell, this was beyond reason.
It felt exactly like facing a zombie.
‘A 8th-circle mage turned zombie...’
Was there anything more horrifying?
More importantly, we had to take this guy down.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
Srrrrng!
Shaking off my thoughts, I formed a sword of light and closed the distance further.
Chiiiing.
But this time, Dershion wasn’t playing along. He erected a crimson barrier to block my approach.
At the same time.
Shhshk!
Two afterimages appeared beside his body.
The clone spell we’d seen before.
My party and I swallowed hard.
“Now we’ve got three to take down?”
“Crazy old bastard... If you’re gonna die, just die quietly...!”
Kayla and Thompson vented their frustration, but Dershion wasn’t done.
Along with the two new clones, he began condensing mana.
Like gathering a Spirit Bomb, a massive orb of mana formed above his staff.
And then.
Ching, ching, ching, ching, ching!
Huge magic circles appeared one after another behind Dershion.
A structure I’d never seen before, obviously complex and high-level just from a glance.
“We have to stop him!”
Roan shouted, sensing the danger.
He immediately unleashed cold to slow Dershion’s condensation, while Kayla targeted the left clone and Thompson the right.
Meanwhile, I...
“......”
Stood there blankly, staring at Dershion’s magic circles.
For some reason, I felt I had to watch this process.
That blind impulse locked my body in place.
-Magic learning capacity increases by 300%.
“Hey, top rank! What’re you doing!”
Thompson yelled something, but it barely registered.
It felt just like the first time I encountered magic in this world.
A smack to the back of my head, and enlightenment hit.
‘Dark magic...? No, spatial magic?’
My eyes naturally began analyzing the magic circle’s structure, delving even into its type.
Finally.
‘Spatial magic, huh...’
I reached the conclusion: spatial magic.
That’s when I snapped out of it.
‘Damn it, what the hell was I...!’
We desperately needed every hand to stop that spell.
And here I was, spacing out?
Srrrrng!
Late, but I swung my sword of light.
Paaaang!
In the end, Dershion’s fully charged orb detonated.
Craaaack!
The space there split open like a gaping maw.
Not a rift.
No, a rift would have something inside—but this was pure pitch-black void, and the aura it emanated...
Shoooooung!
Mid-thought, my mind shut off like a powered-down machine.
***
“What, what the hell!”
Thompson shouted.
He’d witnessed it all, but couldn’t make sense of it.
He’d tried desperately to stop Dershion’s spell, but failed by a hair.
In the end, the condensed mana tore open space, which suddenly unleashed a powerful suction force and...
“...He’s gone?”
Sucked in Yoo Han before vanishing.
That’s all Thompson saw.
What just happened?
“What the fuck is this...!”
“...Never seen magic like that.”
Judging by the others’ reactions, no one had answers.
Thompson bit his lip.
“Son of a bitch!”
A heavy guilt weighed on him now.
The top rank he’d followed so loyally, Yoo Han.
He hadn’t protected him.
Guilt for failing him.
“Why the hell didn’t I...”
It was a split second, but he’d had room to move.
So why hadn’t he in that moment?
His mouth tasted bitter.
One wrong call, and he’d lost the top rank.
His heart felt hollow.
And that rage turned fully toward Dershion.
Kkaduk!
‘...You die by my hand today.’
Gritting his teeth hard, Thompson stomped forward.
He muttered soon after.
“Transformation.”
Paddddruk!
The gray, leather-textured skin that once covered only his right arm now enveloped his entire body.
The moment his body transformation magic evolved to the next stage.
***
When I came to, I was somewhere unfamiliar.
“...Where is this?”
No matter which way I looked, it was pure darkness.
Not a single speck of light anywhere.
Staying there so long, I even started doubting if my body still existed.
Swish, swish.
“...Oh, it’s there.”
Step, step, step.
Confirming my body’s presence again, I began walking endlessly forward.
No changes despite lingering in the same spot for so long.
Better to move than stay still; that’s how I’d find a clue.
As I walked, I pieced together my memories.
‘...Last thing I saw was that opened space.’
Probably sucked into it.
The inside matched this darkness, and I remembered the powerful suction right before blacking out.
So.
“...This is bleak.”
My chances of escaping alive might be slim.
Unless Dershion deliberately opened it again, I was stuck.
Even if he cast spatial magic once more, doubtful an exit would appear here.
How long had I been walking with those thoughts?
Step.
“Whew, guess not this way.”
Finally, I sat down, exhausted.
Gave up walking.
No end in sight, no visibility—couldn’t even confirm if I was moving right.
This method was a bust.
I switched to the next plan I’d prepared.
“Only one left.”
Swish.
Still sitting, I straightened my back and closed my eyes.
Then slowly sensed the surrounding energy.
Srrrrk.
Even in this pitch-black void, the ambient mana felt vivid.
The plan was simple.
Not finding a clue here—but breaking out by shattering the space myself.
‘Counter spatial magic with spatial magic.’
A classic from the game against spatial mages.
Of course, I’d need to cast something on Dershion’s level.
I knew zilch about spatial magic right now, but...
‘I can do it.’
Recalling that high-level circle from before filled me with confidence.
Hoooooung—!
I dove right in.
Slowly condensing the ambient mana.
Couldn’t use clones like him, but that was fine.
-Magic regeneration increases by 300%.
I had near-infinite regen.
Just manage the speed, and I could handle it solo.
And so.
Srrrk, srrrrk.
I siphoned some mana aside and began forming the magic circle.
Its detailed structure was crystal clear in my mind.
Like a photo snapshot.
-Magic learning capacity increases by 300%.
Shapes merged into geometric patterns, magic symbols filling the gaps densely.
I smoothed every edge, ensured mana flow lines didn’t tangle with delicate work.
How much time passed through this process?
“Finally...”
It was done. My first spatial magic.
Exhausted from the focus, my body dripped cold sweat, but pride outweighed the fatigue.
With trembling anticipation, I carefully activated it.
The mana flowed along the circle just as planned, my throat drying with tension.
“......”
Silently watching that moment.
Pajik, pajijijik!
Suddenly, the circle sparked violently and fizzled out.
Elation turned to regret.
“Where’d I go wrong?”
No despair.
Trapped somewhere unknown, but nothing threatened me.
“...Again.”
I had all the time in the world.
As long as I didn’t give up.