Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: Mythic Darkness Awakens
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“Ugh...!”
The moment I opened my eyes, I stretched out my limbs.
Even though I’d slept on the floor of a demon realm cave, my body felt unusually light today.
Crack, crack!
“Feels refreshing for once.”
After loosening up my stiff muscles, I scanned the surroundings.
I hadn’t set any alarm, so my companions were still deep in slumber.
I left them to sleep a bit longer and slipped out of the cave alone.
Yesterday’s sparring must’ve drained them, so letting them rest more was the right call.
“Maybe I’ll do some meditation for old times’ sake.”
Nothing beat meditation when there was nothing else to do.
It cleared the mind, and for a mage, it was as good as magical training.
Most creation spells had been developed during moments of meditation, after all.
‘Would be nice if I came up with some killer new spell.’
With that small hope, I carefully sat down.
The demon realm air tickled my nostrils.
My heartbeat gradually calmed.
My muscles grew languid.
Just as my mind began drifting toward some distant void—
“Hm? What’s that?”
I couldn’t help tilting my head.
I sensed a familiar energy from somewhere.
“This is...”
I naturally rose and approached it.
Sure enough, it was a familiar presence.
“Darkness?”
Darkness.
Erebos’s darkness.
Powerful beings like him sometimes left afterimages when using their energy, and this seemed to be one.
The puzzling part was—
“Why’s it still here?”
Why was there an afterimage right in front of the cave?
They usually faded after about twelve hours.
Meaning this darkness had been used recently.
Right then, the owner of the trace came stumbling over.
“Mm... Contractor, you’re up already?”
“Ah, my eyes popped open early. By the way, Erebos—did you use your darkness powers last night by any chance?”
“W-What?”
Erebos, who’d been rubbing his eyes, flinched and replied.
“W-What are you talking about? Why would I need to use my power?”
“Really? Then what’s this?”
I asked, pointing at the lingering afterimage.
Only then did Erebos glance over and nod.
“Ah, right... Come to think of it, I got up in my sleep last night and trained a bit. Must’ve left it from then!”
“...Trained?”
“To maintain power at my level, you need consistent practice. Ahem!”
I’d never actually seen Erebos training alone, though.
It felt suspicious somehow.
But...
‘Eh, doesn’t seem like a big deal.’
From his expression, nothing serious had happened.
His reaction was pretty shady, sure.
“Fine, whatever. If you say so.”
I brushed it off and resumed my meditation.
But I couldn’t focus like before.
“Contractor, what are you doing?”
“Whoa, I can feel your mind spinning from here. Is this a human training method?”
“Impressive. A way befitting a thinking creature. Does it actually improve your magic?”
“...Could you be quiet for a sec?”
Erebos kept peeking over and chattering.
“Ugh.”
In the end, I gave up on meditation and switched to another training method.
Since Erebos was awake, something he could help with.
“What’s this now?”
“Fusing magic and darkness. Think of it as an advanced version of what you taught me.”
“Impressive. I felt it during yesterday’s spar, but your darkness has fully adapted to your mana. I’ve never seen this in my centuries of life.”
“Less gawking, more helping.”
“How can I help?”
“Just infuse some of your darkness here.”
“Got it.”
Rumble!
The moment Erebos extended his hand, the stably fused darkness and mana vibrated violently.
Adding his darkness disrupted the balance I’d set.
It felt like it’d explode any second.
But this was exactly what I wanted.
‘I have to calm it down somehow.’
To improve control over darkness, handling stronger darkness was the only way.
Erebos’s personal darkness was perfect for it.
This was my chance to get a solid feel for it—
What rampaging darkness felt like, how to handle it...
And maybe because I’d been using darkness consistently...
The process didn’t take as long as expected.
“...There.”
The darkness and mana quickly stabilized.
I was starting to get the knack for handling highly reactive darkness.
“Ooh... Contractor, it’s beautiful.”
Erebos, once again captivated by the darkness magic.
But the real marvel was something else.
Of course, honestly, it was still too early to practice this properly.
It could turn dangerous if things went wrong.
However...
‘Erebos is here.’
With him watching, he’d handle it if something happened.
With that trust, I unfurled what was on my wrist.
Shhh!
“Hm?”
Erebos, already aware of it, grasped the situation instantly.
“Y-You’re not planning to use that, are you?”
“Obviously.”
“Isn’t it too risky to use it now?”
“No choice. We’re in the demon realm—can’t put it off anymore.”
Erebos glared worriedly, but I ignored him and pressed the [Lich’s Wand] against the darkness magic.
Then—
Zzzzt!
A far more intense reaction erupted than before.
Crackle! Crackle!
Red sparks kept bursting from inside, like constant collisions.
With my darkness, Erebos’s, and now the [Lich’s Wand], even attempting control was tough.
Tremble!
My hand gripping the wand shook violently.
Erebos shouted anxiously.
“C-Contractor, you okay?!”
“...For now.”
My arm burned with pain like it was on fire, but considering the payoff if successful, it was bearable.
How much time passed as I tried refusion?
“...”
In the silent tension, change finally began.
Swish, swish!
The scattering darkness and mana started intertwining, becoming one again.
“Hup!”
I ramped up my focus with every sign of it, and finally—
Whoooong!
The fully unified darkness magic gleamed brilliantly.
That’s when Erebos cheered.
“...It worked! Hahaha! This is truly wondrous!”
Wondrous.
The word fit this darkness magic perfectly.
It felt like the first time I cast a mythic light spell after getting the [Essence of Light]—
No, this might actually be mythic-level darkness.
The system just hadn’t notified me because it wasn’t registered.
[Mythic Trait Awakening!]
- Hidden conditions fulfilled. ‘Erebos’s Darkness (Legend)’ evolves into ‘Darkness Magic (Mythic).’
Something like that, anyway.
Just my guess, of course.
I wasn’t even sure if ‘Erebos’s Darkness’ counted as a trait.
‘Doesn’t matter either way.’
The key was that this darkness matched the [Essence of Light]’s power.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Buzzing with excitement, I decided to test the darkness magic right away.
Swing!
I lightly swung the [Lich’s Wand], aiming at a nearby boulder.
A magic circle of dozens of shapes materialized—
Boom!
A black beam that seemed to suck in everything slammed into the boulder.
The result of [Prodigy of Magic], ‘Erebos’s Darkness’, and the [Lich’s Wand].
Its power went without saying.
Rumble...
The boulder—mere size of our cave entrance—collapsed without a trace.
‘...Insane.’
The destructive force was jaw-dropping.
To the point where even the [Essence of Light] couldn’t compare from this side.
Erebos shared my awe, his hands trembling.
“C-Contractor, that...”
“Not bad, right?”
“...Hah. No, this...”
He even started pacing in circles, lost in thought.
Drip.
After a while, he stopped abruptly.
With a bright face, he raised both hands high.
“Heh heh heh! With this... even Baal will take a hit!”
Seemed he’d simulated the fight with Baal in his head.
But my thoughts differed slightly.
“It’s not enough.”
“Not enough?”
As Erebos said, hitting Baal with this darkness magic would hurt him.
A definite win worth celebrating.
My zombie swordsman never landed a meaningful blow on him.
No matter how much I attacked, it did no real damage.
But...
‘This darkness magic changes that.’
A spell this strong could pierce his hide and deal damage.
The problem?
‘I can’t kill him with it.’
It wasn’t enough to threaten his life.
His regeneration outclassed any demon’s.
Plus...
‘I won’t last either.’
This was a mage’s fight, not a zombie swordsman’s.
Even if I could keep damaging him, he’d get me first.
I needed a spell for solid defense or one strong enough to end it in one shot...
Neither was feasible right now.
I’d need luck or more time.
Erebos nodded in agreement at my reasoning.
“You’re right, Contractor. We should evolve this magic further.”
He already seemed set on a path.
Anyway...
‘Take it slow.’
Too early to decide.
I’d assess everything I gained overall.
For now...
‘Hunting.’
Focus on maxing levels.
As I moved to wake the others—
“Ah, top ranker. You done?”
Thompson asked eagerly.
Not just him—Kayla and Barundel too.
All up and prepped for hunting.
Must’ve woken from the noise outside...
“Done? Let’s go already! I’m itching to move!”
Far from annoyed, they looked thrilled to head out.
Their straightforward energy made me grin.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Funny thing—I was just as eager.
Maybe companions start resembling each other over time.