The Witch's True Face and the Golden Apple
html, body { margin:0; padding:0; } Actor: Derek Walker23
“Guhh…! W-Why the betrayal…!”
Roston Marquis spat out the clichéd expression and dialogue typical of the betrayed, just like most victims before him. Coolong Count had worn the same look once. People really were all the same in the end.
“As promised, I'll let you be reborn. But first, you have to die, right?”
The Snow Mountain Witch said it with such brazen confidence. No wonder she was a witch.
Roston Marquis breathed his last without even a proper dying word. The witch just watched with a sly smile.
“He's dead.”
At my words, she nodded and reached toward Roston Marquis's body. It floated toward her as if pulled by invisible strings.
“I need to extract his blood. Freshly dead human blood is the best.”
The Snow Mountain Witch pulled a small syringe from her pouch. Guess she wasn't using magic for blood draws.
“Can you get enough blood with that tiny thing?”
“This isn't ordinary. It's a special magic item.”
She jabbed the syringe into Roston Marquis's vein and pulled back the plunger. Once the cylinder filled with blood, she withdrew it.
“Whoa!”
Surprisingly, the extracted blood bubbled red and floated in the air. She repeated the process several times, draining him dry.
She handled it with practiced ease, like she'd done it a hundred times. In under ten minutes, Roston Marquis was a dried-up mummy.
“Now for the finale. Add this, and it's done.”
The red bubbles went into the boiling cauldron one by one. The green contents shifted dramatically, bubbling with a golden glow. That shimmering hue hinted at the elixir's name.
“This is the Golden Apple. A mysterious potion that transforms the drinker into their ideal self-image. The pinnacle of alchemy.”
The witch praised her creation. If it lived up to the hype, some self-praise was warranted.
“Alright, hand it over then.”
As I spoke, she pointed at the fallen Roston Marquis with one finger.
“Seeing him end up like that teach you nothing?”
“Hmm… Never trust a witch.”
“Good student! Pity it's a bit late.”
With that, she removed her robe's hood.
The reveal underneath was shocking.
The witch who'd murmured in a beautiful voice from under the robe was actually a bald, middle-aged man.
“Fuck. My eyes.”
“Hehe. I told you—Roston Marquis's obsession with beauty was second only to mine among those I know.”
“Freak. Your voice and face don't match at all.”
“Allow a formal introduction. I'm Macao, the witch turned hermaphrodite by a tragic accident.”
A hermaphrodite witch, huh.
His face definitely screamed Golden Apple material.
“Alchemy left me with this wretched mug. But it can restore beauty too. The Golden Apple… created by my master's master's master's… some ancient master. No one believed I'd succeed after the secrets were lost… but I did it!”
Was the fairy tale passed down in Mailock Kingdom about this witch's master's master's master…?
“In those tales, the witch always croaks at the end.”
“Hmph. Not me, unlike my master. Sadly, only one dose. None for you. Plus, you die here—as Roston Marquis's killer.”
She pointed at the Benellia siblings, entranced by hallucinogenic powder.
“They'll be your witnesses. To the murder in this workshop.”
“Too bad it won't go your way, bitch.”
I fired a Holy Missile at her. Light attribute ought to work on a witch.
Holy Missile
Over twenty light orbs swarmed her. But a translucent barrier blocked them.
“I knew you were strong enough to snag a Splitfly eye. Think I came unprepared?”
“Dunno. Doesn't seem like it.”
My goal was the Golden Apple. I reached for the cauldron.
“Not so fast!”
She wasn't letting me have it easy. Of course—hers too.
Suddenly, color drained from the space around us. Like shadows blanketed the world. Some witch trick.
“The ritual's ready. Just die. Like Roston Marquis. Hope you reincarnate hot next time.”
Illusion?
Or spatial magic?
Hard to counter without knowing her power.
Black tentacles burst from the walls. I formed a Light Saber and sliced one. The stump writhed on the floor.
“Annoying.”
More tentacles lunged from the shadowed walls.
I wanted to blast the whole area, but that'd wreck the Golden Apple.
“Slicing tentacles won't cut it.”
If no solution, make one. My way.
“Time Pose.”
World froze. HP and MP plummeted, but I refilled with my trusty date palm combo.
Time Pose
With time stopped, I saw what hid in the black veil: the witch, holding a small metal plate.
“That's the magic item orchestrating this.”
High-level alchemist—versatile with her toys.
“But caught by me? You're done.”
I shot a Darkness Arrow at her head. It pierced her forehead clean.
Her skull exploded, brains spilling. The shadow veil vanished. But she didn't die.
“Destroying my decoy, huh? Not bad. Upgrading my assessment.”
“Smart choice. Though a tad late.”
Ten Darkness Arrows flew at her. Her barrier blocked again.
Tough shield.
“Didn't think I'd need this. Wasteful… but worth it for the Golden Apple.”
She pulled a card from her robes. No ordinary playing card at this juncture.
“Amazing!”
She chanted something card-like, and bright light erupted. From it emerged a black-robed reaper with a massive scythe.
“Summoning item.”
Like the knight's Cunning Pouch from Barstrey territory.
If memory served, this was Grim Keeper, mid-boss of the Barren Wasteland dungeon. Stronger than the shadow spirit Cunning.
“Grim Keeper. Time to harvest souls.”
It raised its scythe at me. Facing death incarnate, huh?
Not as intimidating as expected.
Guess I've grown.
“Light Saber.”
Light Saber
“Oh ho. Planning to swordfight with that body?”
The witch sneered at my blade of light.
Let's see how long that lasts.
“Fair's fair—if it's armed, so am I.”
“Heh. Humans always resist death. Fools. Death is inevitable disaster! Facing it with a sword?”
Grim Keeper blurred. Blink skill.
“Time Acceleration.”
To counter, I sped up. Its afterimage flickered before me.
Clang!
Scythe met sword. Strong boss, but strength matched mine closely.
Slight edge to me, but not dominating.
Whoosh!
It blinked again. Annoying skill in the game too—and near spammable.
But it has a weakness.
Unlimited blinks, but cooldown between.
“End this now.”
Grip tightened instinctively. Focused senses predicted its next blink spot.
Whoosh!
“There!”
Consumes inner energy or mana to maximize sword aura's lethality, delivering a devastating strike that rends the foe completely. Full Moon Slash has 50% physical penetration.
(A-grade, Lv 1)
I unleashed condensed mana sword energy at the emerging Grim Keeper.