Exterminating the Black Wolf Bandit Gang
The battlefield was pure pandemonium. Just fifty meters ahead, devastating magical bombardment was tearing through the bandits' ranks — and yet Black Fang came on anyway, swinging his enormous blade with fury written across every line of his face.
“ENOOSH!”
Still, he was clearly a cut above his underlings. He slipped past the Firebolts and batted the Light Arrows aside with the flat of his blade — clang! claaang! — without breaking stride.
“Don't come any closer!”
“Everyone, throw something! Don't be scared — just throw whatever you've got!”
“Uwaaaaah!”
The villagers weren't simply trembling in their boots, either. They hurled stones and sickles, loosed arrows into the sky, and one man flung a burning gourd. Fwhoosh! Even Bella and Yoo Seon-ah pitched in with their basic combat spells.
The moment the bandits broke through, their families would die horribly. The villagers were fighting for their very lives.
“Gghhk.”
Black Fang was soaked in blood — and it only made him more ferocious. With a bloody red light streaming from his eyes, he bared his teeth.
“You vermin... I'll slaughter every last one of you.”
He began to advance, dragging his sword along the ground with each heavy stride.
“Everyone, stop.”
Seo Hwarang raised a hand, halting the villagers. There was no need to help him — from what he could see, the man could handle this just fine on his own.
“I'll go out and take care of it.”
Tap! Seo Hwarang kicked off the ground and leapt forward.
That's right — come at me, Black Fang.
Who says a mage is only supposed to fight from a distance? Whoever came up with that rule, it only applied to the mediocre ones.
I'm different.
His Master-grade spells existed on an entirely different plane from what ordinary mages could cast — in quantity and in power alike. They were, frankly, game-breakingly overpowered.
“You reckless bastard! You're clawing at death itself!”
Black Fang shrieked and charged. And from that moment on, Seo Hwarang's movements transformed into something almost unbelievable.
1st Circle.
Master Veil of Deception.
They called it a 1st Circle spell, but anyone watching would have sworn it was high-tier illusion magic.
Fwoosh!
Even when Black Fang was certain he'd cut him down, another Seo Hwarang appeared somewhere else entirely.
“Wh-what the—!”
Panicked, Black Fang's eyes saw two of him — no, three, or more.
And that wasn't all.
1st Circle.
Master Magic Shield.
CLAAANG!
Every sweep of the greatsword rang out with a dull, deadened thud.
“Kgh!”
His wrist throbbed and ached, as if he were striking a block of solid iron.
I can see it all coming.
Seo Hwarang, on the other hand, wore a relaxed smile. Not a single attack troubled him anymore. He could see every strike plainly, and none of them carried any real force anyway.
Against a man who couldn't even punch through a single 1st Circle Magic Shield, what meaning was there to range — close or far?
Fwoosh! Fwo-boom!
Light Arrows began to slam into Black Fang's body.
Shrrreeeek!
A Wind Cutter raked across his torso.
“KRAAAAGH!”
The man screamed in agony. What is this? Since when can a mage be this strong?
He spun around to check on his men — but the bandit gang was already wiped out. Some lay dead; the rest had bolted without so much as a backward glance. Bandits, after all, had never been the loyal type to lay down their lives for anyone.
“...!”
“...!”
The villagers were struck speechless with shock.
How can one man unleash that kind of power...
The Black Wolf bastards... I was sure they were no pushovers, but...
Bella above all couldn't close her gaping mouth. Noskar she could just about accept — but the takedown of Black Fang had been on another dimension entirely.
At least 4th Circle.
No — maybe even 5th. The sheer amount of mana he must have stored in his heart, the relentless barrage of spells, the insane casting speed...
He doesn't even look that old.
How could anyone have trained themselves to that level?
Before long, Black Fang met the same fate as his men.
Shrrrk-shrrrk-shrrrk!
The relentless storm of Wind Cutters carved him apart piece by piece, and with a heavy crash he collapsed in a miserable heap. It was the end.
Black Fang has been slain.
Level increased.
“Whew.”
Seo Hwarang let out a short breath. It was true — a large-scale battle really did pump his proficiency up enormously. Everything had climbed into the high forties, and Firebolt had hit exactly 50.
Faster.
Push every skill to 80, then find the next skill book. His eyes burned with resolve.
“Heheh. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
The lord of the village, who had watched the battle from afar, came rushing up to greet Seo Hwarang — and in his field of vision, the quest-clear notification was already glowing.
⚔ Exterminate the Black Wolf Bandit Gang — Rank D ✓
🎁 Reward Received:Black Wolf Armor (Rare)
♥ Villager favorability has increased dramatically.
First, the wolf armor was in. As for the rest—
“I'd best hand over your reward right away. Open this chest.”
At the lord's nod, servants carried over a wooden chest. The moment it was opened—
◈ 10 Silver Coins
◈ Mage's Ring (Normal)
◈ Continental Map
The rest of the rewards slid into his inventory.
“I've marked the route to the capital on the map in detail. There's just one thing... we're quite the backwater here, so even riding hard by carriage, it'll take you a good few months.”
Srrrip.
Seo Hwarang drew out the map and unfolded it. It spread out to nearly the size of a small child. The spot marked in red ink was their current location — the blue ink would be the capital, then?
“Haah.”
A groan escaped him the moment he laid eyes on it. This continent was big — way too big.
This is insane.
They'd have to cross two mountain ranges and pass through countless cities just to reach the capital. It was roughly the equivalent of being told to walk from one end of the American continent to the other. His head was already starting to ache.
“...”
Seo Hwarang and Yoo Seon-ah exchanged a look.
Unnie. Is this for real? Are we never going to make it back to Earth at this rate?
One thing, at least, was certain: walking there was absolutely out of the question. Seo Hwarang turned to the lord.
“Excuse me — would it be possible to get a carriage...”
“Ah, no!”
The lord cut him off firmly, waving his hands.
“A carriage is asking a bit much. We're stretched thin on resources ourselves... I know you saved our village, but I simply can't give one away for free.”
Well, fair enough. It wasn't in the quest rewards, after all. Still—
“If not for free... could we buy one?”
“Ahem. Well, yes, that we could do.”
At Seo Hwarang's interest, the lord stroked his chin and chuckled.
“How much would that run us?”
“For you, I can offer a friendly price.”
“So how much?”
“Carriage, horse, and feed all together — call it 10 silver. In exchange, I'll give you the sturdiest, strongest animal in the village.”
Ten silver. That came out to about 440,000 won in Korean money.
Eh.
He had plenty to spare — he could pay that without blinking. He currently held 46 gold coins and 4,119 silver. More than enough; it was practically overflowing. Granted, some of it was earmarked for debts he still had to pay back.
“Then let's do it. Could we hire a driver as well?”
Unfortunately, neither Seo Hwarang nor Yoo Seon-ah knew how to handle a horse. What chance did 21st-century moderns ever have to learn?
“I can drive the carriage!”
That was when someone interjected from the side.
“...Bella?”
The villagers murmured among themselves. Bella was a Magic Guild employee — and a born-and-raised daughter of this very village.
“I know how to handle horses. Masters! May I come with you?”
“Bella!”
“What are you saying, child!”
“Leaving the village for the capital?”
The villagers, who doted on her, fretted and fussed — but Bella's expression was resolute.
I have to seize this chance.
In a backwater like this, even meeting a 3rd Circle mage counted as the opportunity of a lifetime. And yet?
That man is at least 4th Circle.
Latching onto him and learning even a sliver from him would pay off beyond measure.
Besides...
They seemed completely clueless about how things worked in this region, for all their power. Every time she explained something, they tossed silver around like it was nothing. There was absolutely no downside to sticking with people like that.
“It's all right. It seems they need me anyway... and my parents both passed away when I was little, so... there's no family left here for me.”
“Oh, but — you stubborn girl! We're your family!”
“It's dangerous out there...! Think it over one more time, won't you? I understand wanting to become a great mage, but a pine caterpillar grows on pine needles — home is where your roots are!”
The neighborhood aunties fussed over her, but Bella just smiled brightly.
“I'll make it big and come back. I promise.”
“Ahem, ahem.”
The watching lord cleared his throat. He'd been wracking his brain over the driver problem, and if one of the village youngsters was stepping up, that suited him fine.
“Then shall we settle it that way?”
Seo Hwarang answered the lord's question with a smile.
“Works for me.”
“Thank you for taking me on!”
Perched up on the carriage seat, Bella bowed abruptly. When they asked her age — good heavens, she was sixteen.
Wasn't that a ninth-grader in Korean terms? Apparently, on this continent, a ninth-grader could already hold a job, drive a horse, and live independently. Come to think of it, the average marriage age for noblewomen in the medieval era had supposedly been twelve to sixteen... so perhaps it made perfect sense here too.
Ting!
Making up his mind, Seo Hwarang flicked a coin through the air. Not silver — gold. A Solaris Gold Coin!
“Hwa—!”
Bella caught it on pure instinct.
Gulp.
Then she swallowed hard.
A g-gold coin?
This was insane. Genuinely insane. A single gold coin — worth a full hundred silver — was currency that only high nobles and great merchants ever handled. And he was just tossing it around like pocket change?
“Wh-why are you giving me this?”
“Advance pay. Until we reach the capital. That covers a detailed guide to how the continent works, and diligent attendance on us. Naturally, laundry, cooking, and miscellaneous chores along the way are yours too. If you don't like those terms, hand it back.”
“I-I'll do absolutely—”
She was so stunned the words wouldn't come out properly.
“I'll do absolutely anything! I was planning to work hard even if you hadn't paid me!”
Seo Hwarang had his own reasons for spending the big money, though.
Because I'm really not planning to do anything at all.
His job? Dealing with any bandits, beasts, or monsters that tried to ambush the carriage. That was only natural — it was experience, and it built proficiency. But beyond that, he intended to touch none of the grunt work whatsoever.
Why? Because that time was better spent grinding his skill proficiency.
“I'll serve you with my utmost devotion, Masters!”
“Good.”
“First things first! The very first stop should be Calderon — the biggest city in this region!”
“Calderon?”
“Yes! It's the stronghold that holds back the monsters descending from the Grimrir Mountain Range — the commercial and military linchpin of the whole area! Count Edmund von Valens rules there. We should stock up on supplies and rest a bit before moving on — it'd be perfect timing!”
Was that what years at the Magic Guild got you? Bella was remarkably well-read. She seemed to know her geography and history, and for her age, her explanations were crisp and clear.
Definitely not a wasted gold coin, that one.
“Shall we head out, then?”
“Let's.”
Seo Hwarang and Yoo Seon-ah climbed into the small carriage.
“Hyah!”
And with an adorably crisp snap of the whip from Bella, the trio's perilous journey across the continent began.