The Black Mage of the Fog-Shrouded Forest 2
{The Black Mage of the Fog-Shrouded Forest}
However, unlike him, most people couldn't distinguish between black magic and the power of the Outer Gods.
"It has to be that witch's doing!"
"Let's storm in right now! Someone grab a torch!"
"We gotta burn that witch alive!"
"Woooaaah!"
The shouts of the village youths shattered Kang Jin-ho's reverie.
There was no trace of fear in their eyes anymore.
They were filled only with rage, screaming like mad.
Seeing these people lose their reason to anger rather than fear made the black mage seem less terrifying to them.
Or perhaps the madness of the mob had numbed their terror.
"W-Wait a minute! Everyone, calm down!"
The elderly village chief desperately blocked their path.
But the chief's expression wasn't just that of someone trying to stop violence.
He was breaking out in cold sweat, glancing nervously toward the forest.
It looked like he was hiding something.
At the same time, he was visibly terrified of entering the woods.
"Calm down? What do you mean calm down! You saw it too, Chief! We'll all die at this rate!"
"Get out of the way! We're ending this today!"
"Don't interfere!"
"Hey, Chief, you got some connection to that witch or something?"
"N-No, of course not!"
The chief's words fell on deaf ears amid the frenzied crowd.
The cramped inn turned into a chaotic hellscape in an instant.
Earsplitting yells pierced the air.
And it was all laced with mad, murderous intent to burn the witch alive.
Noisy as hell.
Kang Jin-ho's brow furrowed.
He'd just wanted to sip his drink in peace and kill some time.
But the flies buzzing around were way too goddamn loud.
Above all, it pissed him off seeing these idiots flail around without even knowing where to go.
The culprit wielded the power of an Outer God.
What the hell did they think a bunch of farmers with pitchforks could do?
They'd just end up as prime sacrifices.
He couldn't fathom how these ordinary peasants thought they could take down someone with that kind of power.
"Hey."
Kang Jin-ho muttered lowly.
It was a soft voice that should have been drowned out by the racket.
Rumble—.
But with that single word, the air in the inn grew heavy, like iron weights had been hung from it.
Kang Jin-ho was unleashing his presence, dominating the entire room.
The excited youths, thrashing about, were suddenly overwhelmed by suffocating pressure.
"…H-Huh?"
"Wh-What the—?"
The young man swinging his pickaxe froze solid.
The man who'd been yelling gaped, mouth agape, petrified.
All eyes naturally turned to one spot.
The outsider spectator crouched by the animal carcass in the center of the inn.
Kang Jin-ho was slowly rising to his feet.
"Noisy."
He dug in his ear with his pinky finger.
"You're ruining my drink. Shut the fuck up and wait if you don't wanna get smacked."
Whoosh—.
A bluish haze rose from his body.
Aura.
A power these backwater villagers might never see in their lifetime.
The exclusive domain of elite warriors.
That overwhelming energy filled the narrow inn to the brim.
Instinctual fear gripped everyone; they staggered back.
No words or persuasion needed.
Nothing subdued like showing the gap in power.
"A-Aura?"
"K-Knight?"
The chief's eyes bulged.
He'd thought he was just some rich traveler.
An Aura User? And one radiating such ferocious, heavy pressure—no ordinary one.
"Much better now that it's quiet."
Kang Jin-ho swept his cold gaze over the room.
Those it touched shivered like they'd been doused in icy water midwinter, clamping their mouths shut.
The inn, a cauldron of frenzy moments ago, fell deathly silent.
"Idiots are always the bold ones."
Kang Jin-ho clicked his tongue.
"With your skills, you'll drop dead before even seeing the witch's face if you go into those woods. You think that fog outside is just for show?"
He nodded toward the thick fog beyond the window.
It wasn't ordinary mist.
Mana pulsed from within.
Any normal person stepping in would wander lost forever, starving or going mad.
"Th-Then what are we supposed to do…?"
One youth sniffled, asking.
Kang Jin-ho didn't answer. Instead, he adjusted his Frost Wolf coat.
"I'll go."
"Huh?"
"Was getting bored anyway. And."
He nudged the carcass on the floor with his boot.
"Gotta confirm who really did this."
He strode toward the inn door without hesitation.
The crowd parted before him like the Red Sea before Moses.
Hand on the doorknob, he glanced back and added,
"Stay put till I get back. Pull any bullshit, and I'll blow your heads off before the witch does."
Crunch.
As a warning, he squeezed the knob lightly.
The iron handle crumpled like taffy.
The chief and villagers could only gulp in awe at the display.
Creeeak—.
Kang Jin-ho pushed open the mangled door and stepped out.
* * *
The forest was far more sinister up close than from afar.
Damp moss rising to his ankles, massive ancient trees blotting the sky.
And thick gray fog obscuring vision.
It had every element of a terrifying forest straight out of a fairy tale.
Barrier, huh.
The moment he entered, Kang Jin-ho identified the fog's nature.
No mere weather phenomenon.
An intricate high-level black magic barrier, shaped like mist to repel intruders.
Shhh….
The fog seemed alive, writhing.
It disrupted direction sense.
Whispering incomprehensible murmurs into his ears.
Any ordinary person would lose their bearings and panic immediately.
But it won't work on me.
Kang Jin-ho snorted.
His senses had long surpassed human limits.
This fog couldn't fool him.
"Get outta my way."
He advanced without pause.
The fog thickened to block him.
He ignored it, bulldozing through.
His potent aura repelled everything around him.
No path? Make one.
That was Kang Jin-ho's way.
That way.
Instinct pinpointed the forest's heart.
Where mana converged.
And the more he sensed it, the surer he grew.
Definitely different.
The fog and barrier enveloping the woods.
The mana composing them was pure dark mana—cold, heavy, damp.
But unlike the rot and corruption from the village livestock.
It felt pure.
Just a defense mechanism.
No killing intent toward intruders.
Like a scaredy-cat yelling "stay away."
The force that killed the livestock reeked of malice and greed.
Couldn't be the same person.
The Black Mage called the forest witch isn't the culprit. She's the victim.
Someone targeting the forest's owner.
Killing livestock to stoke fear, then redirecting rage her way.
Classic witch hunt playbook.
But damn effective.
Whoever it is, pretty vicious.
Kang Jin-ho clicked his tongue.
He quickened his pace.
Deeper in, the fog thickened further.
But his steps never faltered.
Crack!
Thorn bushes blocking? Aura-infused kick.
Hallucinations? Fist through empty air, shattered.
Direction? Straight to densest mana.
About ten minutes in.
Vision suddenly cleared.
"This the place."
A circular clearing where fog magically lifted.
Dead center.
An ancient stone cabin, weathered by time.
Less cabin, more renovated ruin hideout.
Ivy blanketed the walls.
Faint smoke curled from the chimney.
Atmosphere on point.
Witch's house from a storybook.
But Kang Jin-ho's eyes weren't on the facade.
The lethal magic circles layered around it.
Vmmm—!
His foot hit the clearing.
Alarm magic triggered instantly.
Red magic circle rose from the ground, blaring warnings.
Access Prohibited.
Warning: Approach further and you will be attacked.
Sinister red letters floated in the air.
Simultaneously, black orbs spawned from the cabin roof and windows, targeting him.
Binding, curse, paralysis spells.
Focused on incapacitation, not killing.
The caster apparently lacked the chops to slay intruders outright.
"Fancy welcome."
Kang Jin-ho halted.
"Haaah!"
He let out a kiai.
BOOM—!
Air tore with a thunderclap; the clearing's magic circles screamed.
Mana circuits shattered en masse.
Tricks meaningless before overwhelming force.
Crunch.
Last barrier fragments scattered like snow.
Kang Jin-ho trampled the debris to the door.
"Hey."
He tapped the door lightly—with his standards.
Thud!
The whole doorframe shook, dust raining down.
"Not coming out? Got a guest."
No reply.
But the presence inside couldn't be hidden.
Faintly trembling breaths.
Suppressed terror.
Playing possum, huh.
As he raised his fist to knock again.
Creeeak—.
The rusty door creaked open slowly.
Like a hikikomori terrified of all light.
Someone cautiously opened it.
"Wh-Who… are you?"
A small, quivering voice.
Far too fragile for an evil witch.
The door opened wider.
A woman emerged.
"……."
Jet-black hair cascading to her waist, porcelain-pale translucent skin—a stunning beauty.
And amethyst eyes wide with fear.
That face.
The woman was breathtaking.
But not a flashy, seductive black mage beauty.
She looked like she'd shatter any moment.
Fragile, evoking protective instincts.
She gazed up at Kang Jin-ho, trembling.
Understandable—the monster who'd demolished her barrier with a shout stood before her.
"I-I… didn't do anything bad… h-hic."
She clutched the doorframe like a lifeline.
Tears welled, ready to spill.
Mature beauty, glamorous figure.
But her actions? Pure frightened little animal.
No one would peg her as the villain.
Villain? Witch? Get real. This is just a scared bunny.
Obvious introvert.
The spells here screamed no intent to harm.
And not just that.
This face, those purple eyes…
Plus black mage.
It all clicked—a character from the original mid-story onward.