Chapter 4

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Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 4

Chapter Title: Escaping the Black Forest (3)

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One of the six Outer Wolves prowling in a pack had just trampled the Plant Undead.

Awoooooooo——!!

The Plant Undead's shriek drew a howl from the Outer Wolf, resonating through the pack as the others joined in a chorus of bays.

It was the prelude to berserk mode.

Their yellow eyes flared red, and their already massive bodies swelled to monstrous proportions.

"Damn it..."

Bad luck had a limit, but this was two intrusion events in a row.

'Is the [Luck] skill just a scarecrow or what?'

It was supposed to boost item drop rates, so he'd dumped his spare skill points into it without much thought. Apparently, it didn't help in situations like this.

'Is this fallout from failing to clear the goblins?'

Dozens of mercenaries had their throats slit by goblins. The stench of blood must have spread far and wide.

Every beast-type monster in the Black Forest vicinity was probably converging on them.

"Aiden! How long can you hold those bastards?"

"...A minute might be pushing it!"

That was the realistic max, but Jun flashed a wry smile.

"One minute? Perfect. Buy me that much time!"

A low-rank mercenary was lucky to take down even one Outer Wolf, let alone hold off six for a full minute. It defied common sense.

Mana swirled around Jun once more.

In sync, Aiden charged the fully berserk Outer Wolves.

The silver lining? Despite the mana surging from behind, the enraged beasts targeted Aiden first.

'They're even faster now. Berserk effect?'

He knew little of the Black Forest's quirks, but Aiden had Outer Wolf intel etched in his mind.

Normal wolves relied solely on fangs.

Outer Wolves wielded claws like a tiger's.

Enlarged and sharpened by berserk fury, those talons grazed Aiden's head.

'Can't block more than twice with this sword.'

No point dreaming of thinning their numbers. Aiden's feet danced nimbly.

To maximize distance from Jun, he circled wide, dodging follow-ups.

That judgment shattered their formation.

Berserk Outer Wolves ignored paths and allies, charging wildly.

They collided mid-stride or mauled their own in the chaos.

"Ngh...!"

But things hadn't improved.

The mindless frenzy left no room for respite.

One lunged, jaws wide for Aiden's throat.

A bite that could swallow his head whole.

It struck when he'd parried another, sword unavailable.

"Get lost!"

Aiden whipped his blade back at superhuman speed, impaling the beast's jaw.

Kerheung—!

Aiden leaped back, abandoning his sword in the corpse, as two more tore into his former spot.

"Hoo..."

Coolly dropping one was fine, but losing the sword stung.

Yet Aiden's expression grew calmer.

"Exactly one minute."

"Good work."

Jun's reply came as he finished channeling. Mana erupted outward.

A portion formed a targeting circle, locking onto the charging Outer Wolves.

A support spell boosting hit rates.

Another followed.

————!!

The ground quaked like an earthquake.

Trees swayed, birds fled skyward like fleeing disaster.

As the wolves stumbled, balance lost...

Kugugugugu—

The earth flipped.

That's how it looked to Aiden, at least.

"What the...?"

Rock Hold.

An upper-tier 3-circle spell from 2-circle Hold.

Bind foes by manipulating earth.

But was this binding?

The ground—a monster itself—gaped wide and devoured the mindless beasts.

Kyaeng—!!

Only muffled screams from the pitch-black depths.

"Hoo..."

Soon after, Jun eyed the spot wearily.

The earth returned to normal, as if nothing happened, nurturing its fresh fertilizer.

Gulp.

Aiden swallowed dryly, staring at Jun in awe.

'This... is 3-circle magic?'

He'd seen plenty of mages before, even 4-circle ones. None matched this brutality.

"Senior, that just now..."

"Hold on, Aiden."

"Yes?"

Jun's display was overwhelmingly dominant, yet tension lingered on his face.

Aiden soon understood why.

The foes weren't just Outer Wolves.

Faint tremors rippled through the settled ground again.

Tracing the source, they spotted...

"A Golem...?!"

A 4-meter behemoth, moss-clad autonomous type, glared down with glowing green eyes.

"Aiden! Don't take that thing head-on!"

Jun's shout had Aiden grab a nearby shield instead of his lost sword.

The golem moved.

Kiiiiing——!!

A metallic screech like grinding steel.

Its massive fist cleaved air, hurtling forward.

Jun urgently conjured a barrier before Aiden.

But [Shield] barely slowed the fist before shattering like glass.

'Not head-on, then...!'

Deflect it.

With grim resolve, Aiden's shield faintly glowed red.

Kwaaaang——!

At impact, the shield twisted oddly.

Despite deflection, Aiden soared through air, crashing hard.

"Kuhk!"

He rolled several times, struggling up amid dust.

"What power...!"

Without mana body reinforcement, he'd have been pulverized with the shield.

Even so...

'Damn. It's broken!'

His shield arm hung limp, betraying him.

Despair piled on.

'Of all things, a golem...'

Junior mages got no respect in <Blackout> for many reasons.

Tiny mana pools limited spell spam. Low stamina demanded frequent breaks.

But the biggest? Monsters like this golem.

'Magic resistance trait...'

Ancient constructs with innate spell resistance.

Why countless mages tasted defeat in Blackout.

Golem.

Back when he was Lee Jung-jun, Blackout's forums buzzed with mage despair over them.

Mages had one option: Recruit badass warrior NPCs, spam buffs like crazy, then pray.

The prayer meta was their only play.

'If Aiden were at full strength, we could've exploited a gap...'

Problem: Neither was.

Less than a day since the goblin fight.

Aiden still reeled from paralysis poison; Jun fatigued from endless marches.

"Hoo... Talk about rotten luck."

Confirming Aiden half-crippled, the golem turned to Jun.

"Fine. Let's do this."

Muttering self-encouragement, Jun touched his choker habitually.

Thin mana threads flowed from his hand, weaving into the choker like knitting, forming a arcane script.

Mana waves dwarfed prior surges around him.

If mana had emotions, what would this evoke?

Thick threads escaped control, warping space as they snapped free.

Countless strands poured from his neck, blanketing the area.

One reason Blackout hooked players: Its intricate systems matching sky-high difficulty.

Taste despair, analyze failure.

Then creativity plus hints unlock the path.

'That thrill was indescribable.'

Hardcore player Jun had drowned in it.

'Golems were peak examples.'

While leveling mage, he'd clashed with one.

Draining his tiny mana pool to scrape 20% HP—that frustration.

Especially for his firepower-maxed build. Despair defined it.

'Deep down, I knew firepower alone wouldn't cut it.'

So Lee Jung-jun bent, learning his first utility spell.

"Hoo..."

A subtle release from the choker.

His sealed talent partially returned.

Ambient mana vibrated in response.

'Been a while. This sensation.'

All humans stored mana internally—swordsmen, mages, hunters alike.

But [Demon God Body] differed.

Mana was him; he was mana.

All ambient mana synced to his.

His master had called it:

"An arrogant, irreverent, boundless talent."

He hadn't grasped its depths then.

A year in this world, he conceded now.

'Hate sharing your sentiment, but you were right.'

Everything in his domain felt like extensions of himself.

Distance irrelevant—he could reach, see, feel.

True unity.

'Skill lacking for perfect control, though.'

Could he reach that near-yet-distant pinnacle?

'First, scrap this thing.'

Real-life golem exuded insane pressure unlike the game.

It crouched.

[Charge], a skill that despaired shield warriors like mages.

Massive bulk packed weight, laced with [Armor Crash] trait.

'Nullifies most defenses—blocking frontal is suicide.'

Normal mages would Haste for mobility.

But not Jun.

'With Demon God Body, no need to dodge.'

Manifest imagination into miracle. Chant spell.

Envision: A colossal rock.

Enduring time's inevitable erosion, unmoving.

Gashed by winds, eroded by sandstorms—yet tougher, absorbing all threats in place.

'Render it. My vision.'

Magic wasn't rote chants and mana dumps.

Finer imagery refined the mana circuit on the spell array.

Like a sculptor mimicking divine beauty, delicate mana hands shaped his intent into reality.

The completed shield dwarfed the prior one—unyieldingly solid.

As spell finalized, golem charged.

Time-weathered rock met artificial titan. Shockwave exploded.

"Kuhk!"

Aiden, watching from behind, winced at the dust gale.

"He... blocked it?!"

The stoic rock withstood the charge.

Golem's movements visibly slowed.

Failed charge inflicted [Groggy (Stun)].

"Kuh...!"

Pain stabbed from his arm through his body, but Aiden flailed to rise.

Groggy lasted ~10 seconds max.

He staggered to an Outer Wolf corpse flung by the blast, reclaimed his sword.

Eyes fixed on the recovering golem's nape.

Couldn't waste Jun's opening.