Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Hidden Stage: The Fallen Black Mage's Hideout (2)
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As the message floated before my eyes, a massive cavern revealed itself.
And in the center of the cavern, an old man floated with his eyes closed inside a gigantic magitech device.
"Is that the Fallen Black Mage?"
I swallowed hard, tensing my entire body as I slowly approached the Black Mage. And the moment I got within a certain distance of him!
Flicker!
The Black Mage's eyes, which had seemed firmly shut, snapped open, locking onto mine.
His eyes were grotesque, with the whites and blacks reversed. The instant our gazes met and I saw the old man muttering something, I instinctively leaped back.
At the same time, black thorns oozing dark magic erupted from the spot where I'd just been standing.
A chill ran down my spine.
"What the hell?"
I looked toward the soul. He was still moving his mouth, oblivious to what he was even saying.
I nodded. I had no idea what his true nature was, but it made sense.
I gripped my sword again and advanced. The moment I entered that same range, the Black Mage's eyes fixed on me once more, his lips moving.
At the same instant, a magic circle of dark magic formed beneath my feet. Without hesitation, I leaped into the air, simultaneously enveloping my body in ashen mana.
Having once coated my body in mana after acquiring the Sun's power, it wasn't difficult.
The thorns shot toward my arms and legs, aiming to pierce them clean through.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
They couldn't even scratch the Pride mana and were futilely blocked. At the same time, my arms moved.
The sword flashed, smashing all four thorns. Not slicing—they shattered.
The thorns weren't living things. They felt like mana-forged metal. Of course, not as tough as real metal.
As I dismantled his Black Magic, the Black Mage, watching from within the device, scowled.
'That's all he's got?'
Honestly, with even my Misfortune reacting and me using every ounce of power I'd gathered, it couldn't end like this. The hidden stage's caliber and rank were higher than anything I'd faced before.
Even a top B+ rank hunter would struggle to attempt it. Clearing it solo would require an A-rank at minimum.
Of course, that's assuming normal circumstances. Things were different now. If I played it right, even I could clear it.
Like the dungeon Black Hole incident, where I'd exploited the gangsters' weaknesses. Just like barely clearing it back then by using Yoo Soo-hwa's skill as a counter to those gangsters.
This time, I'd clear this hidden stage too.
'And that ghost seems like a reward given to help with exactly this.'
He appeared to be some kind of assistant to make clearing this hidden stage easier.
'For now, the old man can't escape that device.'
The central device was sustaining his life, drawing fluids from dozens of tanks filled with various liquids.
'Cut off all the passages connected to the central device.'
That would naturally halt the fluid supply and end the old man's life. I quickly scanned the number of connected passages with my eyes.
Nineteen in total. Quite a lot.
At that moment, the old man moved his lips again from within the fluid. I tried to dodge immediately, but...
"Guhhh!"
Unfortunately, this Black Magic wasn't the dodgeable kind.
What the—?
Throb!
Before I could even question it, something inside my body died. And whatever it was came spewing out through my mouth.
Hack!
No sooner had I vomited blood than something else in my body met its death, this time flowing from my nose.
"This is insane."
The moment I retreated out of range, the ghost who'd been watching me opened his mouth.
Basically, impossible to block. I didn't have Unique-grade potions or skills right now.
But I did have plenty of potions. HP dropping 0.01% per second? Blood dying inside me every second?
"I can chug a potion every second, you bastard."
I immediately pulled the highest-quality potion from my inventory and downed it. The blood death rate slowed, and the fatigue lifted.
I gripped my sword tight and charged straight into range this time, skipping any scouting.
The old man, as if fully aware of my intent, glared murderously and moved his lips several times faster than before.
Whoosh! Sinister black flames appeared above my head.
Crack! Dozens of pitch-black ice arrows materialized behind my back.
Sizzle! The path between me and the passage melted away, instinct warning me that even touching it was deadly—a cursed ground revealed itself.
"Damn it all."
Now I could feel the difficulty. Surrounded on all sides. No easy escape.
I hurriedly reverted my everchanging sword to shield form, projecting my highest-rank shield.
At the same time, black lightning crashed from above, while ice arrows flew from behind.
Each one was a nasty trap, from what the soul said. But I saw a path forward.
'No dodging unscathed anyway.'
So, choose the one with the least damage. I charged ahead without stopping.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
It felt filthy, like stepping in a swamp. My ordinary boots melted instantly, and even my Pride mana-protected soles took accumulating damage.
Dozens of mental attack messages flooded my vision, but my Supreme Soul handled them all, so I dismissed them.
Yeah, this was right. Sore feet beat taking fireballs and ice arrows to the face. Just walking on some acupressure mats, that's all.
The fireball hit where I'd been, and I raised my shield behind me to block the dozens of incoming ice arrows.
Krunch! Boom! Crack! Crunch!
"A bit stronger and I'd be dead."
My top SSS+ shield was reduced to rags. The old man was a Grand Archmage, alright—better at elemental Black Magic than curses or basics.
Even the soul's advice agreed. But my judgment was right this time. I switched my everchange back to sword form and slashed the passage hovering above my head.
Krunch!
The passage shattered, spilling its fluids to the ground. The fluid level in the central device dropped slightly.
'That's the strategy!'
My guess was spot on. Now, endure and take out the remaining eighteen.
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The old man in the tank, sensing his life in peril, flew into a rage. He chanted a barrage of Black Magic at blinding speed, far more than before.
No mercy at all—he unleashed three elemental Black Magics in an instant.
"Ha... haha. Fuck."
Lightning. Frost. Lava.
Each a 4th Circle Black Magic. This guy was fallen! Barely clinging to life!
4th Circle was upper A-rank hunter level at minimum. With the old man's Grand Archmage knowledge and experience buff, it was effectively 5th Circle.
5th Circle was beyond even S-rank hunters. Only America's SS-rank, the Five-Colored Mage, could wield such magic.
Couldn't help cursing. The old man had clearly squeezed beyond his limits— he looked decades older, on the brink of death.
"If I block that, I'm good."
Damn... how the hell do I block it? Each one packed overwhelming destructive power.
My mind spun faster than ever, searching for a way out.
Mythic item from Goldring? Not suited for defense.
Realm runes? Stealing and boosting luck was useless here.
Yoo Soo-hwa's skill? Sorry, my swordsmanship couldn't deflect magic yet.
Tower of Gold items? Just high-grade. No blocking 5th Circle.
Equivalent Exchange authority? Even weakening him and strengthening me wouldn't cut it.
Gulp.
No way... He seemed to realize it too, smirking smugly from his withered, aged face as he glared.
The old man's frail hand rose. The moment that impossibly thin, weak finger pointed at me...
The three spells surged toward me.