The Burning Gauntlets
Mode rummaged through the vault for what felt like an eternity before finally locating the artifact he'd been searching for.
Found it.
◈ Dramatically amplifies the wearer's fire-based magic
◈ Side Effect: The wearer's body ignites with each cast
The performance of the Burning Blood Gauntlets had already been proven beyond doubt. In the past, the patrollers who first discovered this artifact had demonstrated its power by burning their own shoulders in the process. What appealed to Mode most of all was that its side effects didn't harm anyone else.
“Hajun. Come over here and help me with this.”
The Burning Blood Gauntlets had to be handled with both hands. Otherwise, the person who touched it would burst into flames. As ridiculous as it sounded, that was precisely why the artifact couldn't be equipped alone.
“Hajun?”
When Mode called the explorer's name again, the Necromancer finally approached him.
“...What the hell is that?”
A strange weapon was now slung across Hajun's back—an ominous greatsword with a pitch-black blade. It was clearly one of the items from the secret vault.
Hajun spoke as if making an excuse. “I touched it by accident, and now it won't come off my body.”
“Can you tell what kind of curse it is?”
“Looks like a mental manipulation type. If I let go of it, I get this feeling like I'll end up killing myself.”
Mode rubbed his face in exhaustion. “You're a natural-born explorer, alright. Grabbing unknown objects without a second thought.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Save the apology. The situation's too urgent to waste time on it now. But if you got cursed because you got greedy for that sword... I have nothing to say to you.”
Mode held out the Burning Blood Gauntlets. With Hajun's help, he managed to equip them without much trouble. The gauntlets were long enough to reach all the way to his elbows.
“Let's move out. Time to burn every last one of those damn bugs to ash.”
Wiseville was drowning in chaos.
A figure wearing a robe that bulged unnaturally walked down the street with an air of complete calm.
“Aaaaaagh!”
“Gaaaah! S-save me!”
The streets echoed with the screams of residents. They were the cries of people fleeing from the giant insects—or those who could no longer run.
Boom! Boom!
From time to time, explosions rang out alongside pillars of brilliant light. They came from the patrollers underground. The flashes appeared whenever the Striders used fire magic to incinerate the swarms of bugs.
Hanna, now transformed into a Walking Swarm, swung the Staff of Domination to whip the giant insects into even greater frenzy. This would keep the patrollers occupied fighting the bugs for quite some time. In the meantime, all Hanna had to do was enjoy her feast at leisure.
"Truly a beautiful melody, isn't it?"
"A proper banquet hall must always match the atmosphere of its feast."
Jor'dan whispered in a voice that sounded like hissing.
Hanna inhaled the scent of terror that the humans were radiating amid the chaos that filled the streets. It was so intoxicating that she felt she could stand there forever, committing the scene to memory.
These were sensations of ecstasy and beauty she had never experienced while human. The flickering flames of dying lives, the insects devouring them... everything was so intense and alluring that it almost overwhelmed her.
"After devouring so many people earlier... I find myself hungry again."
"Eat as much as you desire. This entire village is our banquet hall."
"No. I'll restrain myself. Right now, testing the power of the artifacts seems far more enjoyable."
"Oh-ho. The virtue of moderation. Gluttony is a sin, after all. A true gourmet never gorges greedily. Well done, mage."
"I've been excellent since I was a child."
With every step Hanna took, countless insects cascaded from her body. She had already consumed an uncountable number of humans and absorbed a tremendous amount of life energy.
“It's the Walking Swarm!”
Two Striders spotted her and shouted in alarm.
"Old comrades of yours. Will you spare them?"
"Of course not. I'm going to eat them."
In that instant, a blinding flash of light erupted. A streak of lightning tore through the air and slammed into Hanna's body.
“Die, you monster!”
The Strider thrust his left hand forward as he shouted. Elemental destruction magic was the hallmark of the Striders. The explosive lightning spell that had felled countless monsters now erupted from his fingertips.
"Something interesting just occurred to me."
As the lightning flew toward her, the insects composing Hanna's body suddenly stood rigid. A powerful psychic wave radiated from her. The Strider's lightning scattered helplessly, like water droplets hitting a tarp.
“W-what the—?!”
The Strider cried out in shock. Hanna didn't stop there. She continued concentrating. The psychic waves of a Level 5 psychic monster could bend space and refract energy. The scattered lightning magic regrouped and shot straight back at the Strider.
BOOM!
“Gaaaaah!”
Steam rose in thick curls from the head of the Strider who had taken the lightning head-on. The powerful electrical current had literally torn his body apart. The Strider lost consciousness and collapsed.
Hanna was about to release her swarm to devour his flesh when—
Whoosh!
Blazing flames suddenly erupted, blocking her path. She tried to extinguish them with a psychic wave, but it didn't work as intended. The level of the magic that had created the fire was higher than her telekinetic power. There was only one person in Wiseville capable of such a feat.
“That’s far enough, Hanna.”
"Guild Master..."
The Guild Master of the Striders had arrived. Mode gazed at Hanna with sorrowful eyes.
“Why would you do something like this? A patroller who was supposed to safeguard the artifacts has instead fallen for their temptation!”
"No matter how excellent an artifact is, simply storing it away is meaningless. I believed that discovering ways to utilize the artifacts we obtain is also part of a patroller's duty."
"There are artifacts in this world that we cannot handle! Have you forgotten the tragedy of the old kingdom?!"
"The kingdom fell because of the demon, not because of the artifacts. And now that I think about it... the kingdom's destruction was inevitable."
"Inevitable?"
Hanna's body swelled and contracted. Dozens of maggots and earthworms scattered across the ground.
"Yes. Now that I've shed my human form, I understand. Humans are truly such lowly creatures. The people of the kingdom were given the same opportunity I was—to transcend humanity. But they chose obsolescence of their own free will."
"Do you really think that form is superior? That body made of a mass of insects?"
"Of course. I'm starting to wonder why I didn't transform sooner. Separating the soul for storage and replacing the body with a collective of lower life forms... what a magnificent concept, don't you think?"
Mode raised his left hand. Gray smoke rose between the fingers of the red gauntlet he wore.
“You’ve completely lost your mind, Hanna. I can only hope the artifacts drove you to this madness. If this was your true nature from the beginning, I’d be devastated that I ever chose you as a Strider.”
"I have no interest in being a Strider anymore. I'm going to create my own exploration party. One composed of life clusters that can operate even in the most extreme conditions, free of inefficient humans."
Hanna held out a mysterious black box. Mode instinctively took a defensive stance. But no attack came no matter how long he waited. Instead, a viscous, translucent liquid began to ooze from inside the box.
“...Frog eggs?”
It was nothing other than the characteristic slimy eggs of amphibians.
◈ Capable of summoning entities from other dimensions
◈ Requires life energy as fuel
The amphibian eggs hatched instantly, pouring out tadpoles. Those that rapidly sprouted hind and forelegs soon grew into monsters the size of humans.
"Frogmen."
Hanna easily commanded the Frogmen and issued her order.
"Kill that man."
“Kyaaaaah!”
Mode prepared a spell to stop the charging Frogmen. That was when—
Thwip!
A single arrow pierced straight through a Frogman's forehead. The creature died instantly where it stood.
“What the... first maggots, then beetles, and now frog people?”
The Raider holding a handmade bow, Jangcheok, grumbled as he drew another arrow. Sion, armed with sword and shield, and Noman with his whip soon appeared behind him.
“As you requested, we’ve finished evacuating all the nearby residents.”
The Necromancer drew his ominous greatsword. Hajun had joined the party as well. The explorers had rescued the surrounding residents at Mode’s request. Now there was no one left in this area who would be caught in the crossfire if it turned into a sea of flames.
Mode clenched the fist wearing the Burning Blood Gauntlets.
“Good. From this moment on, we eliminate that monster and seize the Staff of Domination.”
At the same time, Hanna’s arm twitched.
Lightning Bolt
The curtain of battle rose with a flash of light.
The streets of Wiseville were blazing with the flames set by the Striders. Thanks to that, even in the dead of night, there was almost no discomfort from the darkness.
We clashed with the Frogmen that Hanna had summoned.
“You sons of bitches!”
A heavy shield smashed into a Frogman’s skull. The creature that took Sion’s Shield Bash collapsed with its head caved in. Jangcheok immediately followed up, swinging his sword. As the blade tore through the Frogman’s torso, bodily fluids sprayed everywhere. Jangcheok moved with swift precision, cutting down the Frogmen one by one.
“Hajun!” Jangcheok called out to me.
“Use your magic!”
Instead of answering, I swung the obsidian greatsword. The sharp slash grazed a Frogman, leaving a red line across its body.
“Kaaah!”
It was soon split cleanly in half and died.
“I can’t use it right now!”
“Why not?”
“Because of this damn sword!”
The Cursed Obsidian Greatsword was, of course, afflicted with a curse. I had only meant to check its status window briefly before putting it away. But I ended up getting cursed far more easily than expected. I thought it might go easy on me since I was a player. How annoyingly fair.
And the part about suicidal impulses in the description wasn’t an exaggeration. This greatsword carried a power that interfered with the user’s mental focus. Unless I found the cause and removed it, using magic was out of the question.
“Nothing ever goes smoothly!”
The silver lining was that the sword’s performance was far better than I had anticipated. It was worth wielding even with the penalty of being unable to use necromancy.
“Watch out!”
One of the Frogmen flicked out its tongue. The sticky appendage latched onto Sion’s shield. While Sion struggled, the other Frogmen all charged at him at once. But Jangcheok quickly rushed in and severed the tongue. I also swung my greatsword, knocking down another Frogman.
“Kyaaak!”
Sion fell flat on his ass.
“You okay?”
“Thanks, old man.”
“...Get your head in the game! And don’t get hurt!”
The coordinated explorers fought with overwhelming strength. Although the number of Frogmen Hanna had summoned was large, they were only useful for buying time. We steadily reduced their numbers.
In the meantime, Mode continued to pressure Hanna with his flame magic.
"Impressive! Guild Master!"
A blazing fireball flew toward Hanna. She surrounded herself with telekinetic force like a shield to block the flames, but she couldn’t defend completely. Several insects turned yellow and fell to the ground, cooked.
“Haa...”
Mode breathed heavily. Flames rose from both his shoulders like wings. This wasn’t some special effect or illusion. Mode’s shoulders were genuinely burning. Thanks to the Burning Blood Gauntlets, every time he cast a spell, his body was being consumed little by little.
If he used magic sparingly, he might have endured it. But Hanna wasn’t an opponent who could be fought while holding back.
"So even you ended up using the artifact, Guild Master."
"..."
"I'll give you a chance. Come with me. I'll bestow upon you the treasures of the underground."
"Do you really think I'd... covet mere treasures?"
"There's no benefit to continuing this fight. You who understand the power of artifacts—why are you taking the side of humans?"
"Protecting people from the threats beneath the earth. That is the duty of a Strider."
Mode’s left hand began to glow. At the same time, a dizzying heat gathered. A shimmering haze rose, distorting his figure. Red flames ignited at the tips of his toes and fingers. His entire body burned like one massive candle.
“Even if my heart burns pitch black... I will at least take you with me as a companion on the road to hell, Hanna.”
"Guild Master. You've gone mad."
"Heh. At least I'm saner than you."
Mode charged toward Hanna. With every step he took, burning footprints were clearly etched into the ground. His body had become one with fire. The distance between himself and the fire element had grown dangerously close. Though it caused his flesh to burn, in exchange he gained tremendous magical power.
Mode and Hanna collided.
Ignition!
"Lightning Bolt!"
Fire and lightning tangled chaotically. The destructive power of magic tore into each other’s bodies within that swirling light. Mode’s flames engulfed Hanna. The insects that formed her body turned yellow and died in droves.
"Ahh..."
On the other hand, Mode did not fall easily. His body had already grown too close to the flames. Heat from fire and lightning alone could not subdue him. He would eventually destroy himself with time.
"Why... why are you fighting like this?!"
"Why are you going this far?!"
Mode answered on one knee. “I’ll tell you the reason in the afterlife.”
"You can handle artifacts yet you make such foolish decisions..."
"I'll destroy everything!"
The insects writhed as they gripped the Staff of Domination tighter. She was trying to summon even more monsters using the item’s power.
That was when it happened.
Crack!
Noman, who had stealthily approached, lashed out with his whip. The whip moved like a living tentacle and successfully snatched the Staff of Domination away.
“H-hahaha! Mister Hajun! Look at this!”
“Well done!”
Noman waved the staff. As a Dungeon Seeker, he was a class specialized in appraising and utilizing items. Even though it was an unfamiliar artifact, he had quickly figured out how to use it. The Staff of Domination was now ours.
“All of you, return!”
The staff emitted a brilliant light. Moments later, hundreds of locusts rose into the sky. The insects Hanna had summoned were returning to where they originally belonged.
"No!"
I rushed at Hanna and even snatched the Void Cube from her. When I slashed her body with the obsidian greatsword, the insects turned black and died.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
Having lost the artifacts, Hanna was now nothing more than a Level 5 monster. The special abilities of the Walking Swarm were threatening, but after exhausting herself in the fight against Mode, she could no longer put up proper resistance. I sliced her body into pieces. Once she had been thoroughly minced—
“...”
The insects scattered and could no longer reform. Hanna was dead.
I stomped on a few remaining bugs, crushing them, then approached Mode. He remained on one knee, unable to move. His body had transformed into something closer to a fire elemental than a human. Mode’s life was burning away. And that flame of life would soon be extinguished.
“Mode. Are you alright?”
“...Hajun. There’s one last favor I’d like to ask of you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Can you finish me with your own hands?”
I pointed the obsidian greatsword at Mode. It was hard to read his expression through the flames, but somehow I felt like he was smiling.
“Thank you.”
I swung the greatsword. Mode’s severed head rolled across the ground. Not a drop of blood splattered. Only a small amount of charred ash fluttered in the air.
Leaving Mode’s burning corpse behind, I gathered my companions and spoke.
“Situation resolved. Good work, everyone.”
We turned to head back to the guild. That was when a familiar voice came from behind us.
"Ah. What a truly splendid battle."
A grotesque being that looked like a bundle of tentacles stood there, licking its arm.
...That voice. That resonance. The moment I saw it, a nightmarish memory resurfaced.
“Jor’dan...”
It was the exact same voice I had heard when I first defeated the Walking Swarm and obtained the Sacrificial Necklace of the Long-Lived. The entity sealed within the cursed necklace had finally appeared in the world.