Episode 312
Episode 312
While Bizdek was having those thoughts, the trap revealed itself. Discovering the mechanism buried underground, Bizdek carefully inserted his lockpick.
Click!
With the sound of the device disengaging, Bizdek slowly extracted the pressure plate.
"That was lucky."
"Lucky? That was skill."
Lee Han praised Bizdek's ability as he took the pressure plate. It was engraved with peculiar patterned letters.
"What kind of pressure plate has markings like this?"
"I told you, who knows what those ancient folks were thinking."
At his White Tiger Tower friends' words, Lee Han responded as if it was ridiculous.
"These are letters from the ancient Seoharin Kingdom."
A kingdom from the distant past that had produced many golden artifacts during its time.
Having never neglected any studies that might prove profitable while at the Wardanaz family, Lee Han found reading them not particularly difficult.
"...So what I meant was who knows why they engraved letters on a pressure plate. Those Seoharin folks, seriously."
"Who knows what the Seoharin Kingdom people were thinking. In a cave like this!"
Lafadell and Angrago hastily backtracked their words.
Lee Han and Durgyu tried hard not to look at their two friends with pity.
"What does it say, Lee Han?"
"It says... death shall come to those who touch the treasure."
"!!!!"
Durgyu was genuinely shocked.
Then he whispered:
"At this point, doesn't it mean there really is treasure here?"
"Sigh... Durgyu."
At Lee Han's reaction, Durgyu looked sheepish.
"S-sorry. I got too excited."
"If we were to do business, which location in Granden City would be best?"
"......"
Lee Han quickly regained his composure and stood up.
He couldn't afford to let his imagination run wild with treasure he hadn't even obtained yet.
"Forward march!"
'No openings. Damn mage.'
Buldahak racked his brains as he moved his feet.
Normally he would have found some opening to counterattack or escape, but the mage was annoyingly thorough.
Not only were there bone restraints on his wrists and ankles, but a Bone Hand was also attached to his neck ready to strangle him at any moment...
-Do you desire power?
"?!"
-Don't show it. If you're caught, you'll die immediately. I asked if you desire power.
'I... I do.'
-At any cost?
'...Yes...'
Buldahak found himself whispering without realizing it.
The voice coming from somewhere carried an irresistible, powerfully tempting force.
-Good. I shall grant you power! An opportunity will come to you soon—make sure to seize it.
'Th-thank you!'
Buldahak felt deep gratitude toward this unknown entity in the cave.
Under normal circumstances, the cunning Buldahak might have been suspicious of such an offer.
But Buldahak's current situation left no room for suspicion.
It was a situation where he'd swallow even poison if offered.
'What opportunity is coming? What kind of opportunity?'
Buldahak endured stubbornly as he waited.
And soon, the opportunity arrived.
-■■■■■■■!
A massive, fleshy ghoul—far larger than any ghoul they'd encountered so far—revealed itself.
Sharkan barked sharply. He tried to cut its ankles to slow it down, but the fleshy ghoul reacted much faster.
Thudthudthudthudthud!
Before the mercenaries at the front could even scream, Lee Han reacted first.
It was the fastest response on the scene.
"Dig."
First, a large pit opened up in the path of the charging fleshy ghoul. Unable to control its speed, the ghoul's feet sank into the pit, causing it to lose balance and fall.
"O heat. Warp the air."
Simultaneously, Lee Han cast another spell without pause. An illusion appeared before the mercenaries. Startled, the mercenaries saw phantom doubles of themselves materialize.
"Arise, warriors of bone."
It wasn't perfect yet, but that didn't matter. As he threw the bone fragments, the Skeleton Warriors materialized.
They would serve to distract the flesh-lump ghoul.
"Give me the bow."
"Huh?"
Lee Han snatched the shortbow Angrago was carrying.
Then he began casting consecutive Enchantment Magic spells.
"Become faster! Heavier! Sharper..."
When facing a tough monster.
And when there's no time to prepare.
There was no need to elevate lightning or water magic to higher circles.
Just like he'd learned from Vaisha, the hunter of the <Shadow Patrol>, all he needed was enough firepower to pierce through the enemy.
'Thank you, Vaisha.'
Of course, Vaisha had never taught Lee Han to stack enchantments like this and shoot. That was something Lee Han had figured out on his own.
Lee Han abandoned aiming-related enchantments and focused purely on power-enhancing ones. The bow and arrow were loaded with as much magic as they could bear.
'At this distance, it should be enough anyway...'
Though they were low-circle spells like <Minor Speed Boost>, <Minor Weight Increase>, and <Minor Penetration Enhancement>, when rapidly stacked using Lee Han's high mana capacity, they transformed into a deadly weapon that vibrated the surrounding air, radiating raw magical power.
-■!
The flesh-lump ghoul roared in fury as it staggered back up. For a moment, it hesitated, confused by the illusions spread across the cave and the Skeleton Warriors. It couldn't decide which to attack first.
That was when the arrow shattered the air and struck.
Thunk!
The arrow didn't just pierce a vital spot—it obliterated the entire area around it. The ghoul's head flew off, and its body crumpled to its knees.
Lee Han let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he'd made it in time.
"Got it."
"Wh-wha... whaaat?!"
Not just the mercenaries, but even the students of White Tiger Tower stood dumbfounded.
None of them had expected that massive thing to go down in a single shot.
Angrago, the shortbow's owner, kept pointing alternately at the bow and the arrow, stammering.
"You—you! You, you!"
"Did I shoot well?"
"You!!"
"Sorry for taking it in a hurry, but you know it was an emergency."
"That's not the point! How the hell did you get that kind of power out of this?!"
Angrago knew the limits of his own shortbow.
At best, it was a harassment weapon—barely effective against mid-sized monsters, let alone something like this...
"Sigh. Angrago."
Lee Han gave him a look of exasperation. Angrago flinched, suddenly feeling like a student being scolded by a professor.
"It's Enchantment Magic."
"...You bastard! I know that much!!"
Angrago momentarily lost control of his temper and snapped.
Who did this guy think he was talking to?!
"I'm asking how you got that kind of power from just enchantments!"
"I stacked multiple enchantments quickly."
"Yeah, but how?"
"Uh..."
For the first time in a while, Lee Han was at a loss for words.
Honestly, the only answer he had was... just do it.
Cast one spell, then cast the next while maintaining balance so the previous one doesn't destabilize, then cast another the same way...
Just keep stacking enchantments until you can't anymore.
"...Never mind."
Angrago grimly took back his shortbow after seeing Lee Han's expression.
Listening to the answer would probably just make him depressed.
While the two were talking, Buldahak was having a conversation with the voice in the cave.
-Fool. A worthless wretch like you dares to seek my power? You don't even deserve it. You just wasted your chance.
-Shut the hell up! You never gave me a proper chance in the first place!
-How dare you?
-"How dare" my ass! If that monster just now was your doing, then your power isn't even worth a single arrow! A monster that falls to a mere arrow—what kind of "chance" is that?!
Seething with rage, Buldahak growled.
"If you're gonna call it an opportunity, you should at least give me a chance to escape, you idiot! What kind of opportunity is it if I get caught right away?!"
-"You clearly don't understand your place. I showed mercy to trash not even fit to be material..."
At that moment, the voice from the cave cut off.
"Wait."
Lee Han raised his hand, stopping the group.
"I just sensed a mana flow. Did anyone else feel that?"
"......"
"I didn't cast any spells."
"Me neither."
"Maybe you imagined it, Lee Han?"
Durgyu looked puzzled.
None of the mercenaries or adventurers present were capable of using magic.
Moreover, since none of the White Tiger Tower students had sensed the mana flow, it was natural to assume it might have been a mistake.
But Lee Han stood firm.
One of the things Einrogard taught was to trust your own senses.
'First check if the Skeleton Principal isn't lurking around after testing the bridge, then turn back and find another path.'
"I definitely felt it."
An artificial flow of mana running through the cave—this was absolutely not natural.
"Who's there? Show yourself."
The White Tiger Tower students immediately drew their weapons. The two adventurers followed suit. As the air grew icy, the mercenaries panicked and cried out:
"It's not us! It's not us, mage! How could we—?!"
"Could they have used a magic item?"
"If we had something like that, we'd have traded it for gold coins already! Why would we carry it around?!"
"Quiet. If no one comes forward, I'll interrogate you one by one."
Lee Han scanned the mercenaries.
Then he called forward the one most likely guilty first.
Crack!
"Talk. What did you do?"
"Ghk, keugh... Nothing."
"...?"
Lee Han, who had been interrogating Buldahak half-heartedly, was surprised.
The <Emotion Perception> spell revealed that Buldahak was hiding something.
'What? Did he actually do something?'
Lee Han raised his guard.
Even if they couldn't cast spells, activating an artifact or scroll hidden on their person could easily create complications.
He hadn't found anything during the earlier search, but in this world, anything was possible.
"If you won't talk, then die."
Lee Han increased the Bone Hand's grip. Overwhelmed by the cold tone, Buldahak finally opened his mouth.
"A... voice...! A voice! A voice spoke to me!"
"What voice?"
"From inside the cave...! It made me an offer—!"
What a useless puppet.
From deep within the cave, a sinister voice echoed, followed by an overwhelming surge of dark, yin-type mana.
The mercenaries felt their strength drain away, their willpower vanishing. Even the White Tiger Tower students, who had some resistance as mages, were forced to their knees.
Unfazed, Lee Han immediately began preparing a spell in a low voice.
"Strike forth, Perkuntra's—"
Not an instant bolt, but condensed lightning discharged around him, creating sparks.
"Ghk, keugh, kehahahahak! No! No!!!"
As the wave of mana subsided, Buldahak screamed. His eyes rolled back, and his entire body began to change color.
Lee Han and Rafael, both well-versed in Black Magic, instantly recognized the phenomenon.
'Possession!'
An evil, bodiless entity seizing a physical form.
But this shouldn't have been possible without any prior signs or a contract.
'That conversation earlier—that was it!'
Lee Han pieced it together.
Now he understood why he had sensed the mana flow—the malevolent presence in the cave must have detected Buldahak and lured him in.
Unlike the mages of Einrogard, who were rigorously taught about contracts, a mercenary like Buldahak would never realize how dangerous such temptations were.
Given their compatible temperaments, if Buldahak had accepted the offer...
It was entirely possible for his body to be taken over like this.
Buldahak's eyes twisted unnaturally as a deep, evil voice—inhuman—emerged from his throat.
I am the Ghoul King...
"...Lightning, strike!"
Lee Han unleashed a full-powered lightning bolt.
And he didn't stop there.
"Burn!"
Ten flames materialized in the air before violently surging forward.
Buldahak's body, already rapidly disintegrating from lightning no human form could withstand, was engulfed in flames and completely incinerated.
"...???"
"I-Is it over?"