Chapter 163: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 163: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (4)
Standing nearly three meters tall, his massive yet agile frame was covered in snow-white fur. His eyes, true to his tribe's name, resembled those of a wolf. Even among the White Wolf Tribe, he was exceptionally large.
The brutal hammer slung over the beastman's shoulder was caked in blood—the grim evidence of the mages he had slaughtered outside the cave.
‘I see why the fake Orton said the Leader likes living toys.’
As one of the preeminent warrior races among beastmen, the White Wolf Tribe viewed humans as nothing more than prey or playthings, unless the opponent or situation was truly exceptional.
"Whoa, what do we have here? Quite a mess you've made!"
The White Wolf scanned the surroundings and clicked his tongue. His expression shifted as he took in the sight of the Dark Magic Association mages strewn across the cave floor.
He seemed perplexed by the situation, but not at all afraid—even after seeing nearly fifty of his subordinates dead or unconscious.
"Well, well. I was wondering whose head that was, and it turns out to be Rolt? Hahaha, unbelievable. Let’s see… judging by the atmosphere, it doesn't look like a betrayal."
The moment he appeared, Enya raised her staff, her face stiff with tension. She didn't tremble in fear, however; her expression showed a firm will and the resolve to fight.
‘You’ll learn a lot from this, Miss Enya.’
That was, of course, assuming they could survive this and return safely to Tikan.
The White Wolf pointed at the two of them with an exaggerated, theatrical gesture.
"You two brats! You did this, didn't you? It’s obvious. I’m never wrong about these things. You induced mana backflow in all of them, right? Rolt did mention there was a human mage who was surprisingly good at using backflow."
It was common knowledge that a mage or warrior caught in a backflow would collapse, foaming at the mouth.
The finger pointed at Jin and Enya was as long and thick as an iron bar. Instead of answering, Jin simply shrugged and met his gaze.
"Ha! Well, look at that. You’re just a green brat and a mage to boot, yet you’ve got quite a look in your eyes! Shouldn't you be a little scared of me?"
Naturally, the White Wolf assumed Jin was a mage.
After decapitating Rolt, Jin had immediately sheathed Bradamante and hidden it back under his robe. There was no advantage in advertising to an enemy that he was a magic swordsman.
Because of this, the White Wolf perceived Jin and Enya as pure mages.
"I'll decide whether to be scared after I hear if your name is actually worth fearing."
At Jin's words, the White Wolf’s body shuddered. He began to clap, even letting out a characteristic wolf howl.
"Wonderful! You’re on a completely different level from the humans I was playing with just a moment ago. I like you. My name is Goltep Hapalep. It feels a bit awkward to introduce myself when this isn't exactly an honorable duel, hehe."
Hearing the name, Jin breathed a silent sigh of relief.
‘He’s exceptionally large, so I was worried he might be Tuzad Riker or Buto Wens. What a relief.’
Tuzad Riker and Buto Wens were famous White Wolf warriors known for their massive size. Since their strength was comparable to a 9-star human, they would have been far too much for Jin to handle at his current level.
He had never heard the name Goltep Hapalep in his previous life. This likely meant he wasn't a particularly outstanding warrior among the White Wolf Tribe.
Of course, even if he wasn't Tuzad or Buto, the White Wolf Tribe was a race said to be born for combat and slaughter. Jin couldn't afford to let his guard down.
"Goltep Hapalep, is it? Never heard of you. I’m Jin Gray. This is Austin Gray. But shouldn't you be the one who's a little afraid? The two of us wiped out all your fellow mages."
"Fellows? Please. Except for Rolt, they were just lumps of meat to fill out the numbers. Don't get too cocky just because you killed some trash like that."
The White Wolf Tribe was a race specialized in fighting mages. Not only was it difficult for magic below 6-star to damage their sturdy bodies, but their fur also possessed properties that repelled mana.
Thus, even though Goltep classified Jin and Enya as 'highly skilled mages,' he wasn't tense at all. Furthermore, he assumed that even if the two looked fine on the outside, their mana must be nearly exhausted.
To have induced backflow in over fifty mages, including Rolt and the fake Orton—in Goltep's mind, that was the only logical conclusion.
"Anyway, since Rolt is dead, it’ll be a bit awkward for me if I just go back empty-handed… Hmm!"
Goltep squeezed his head in thought for a moment before clapping his hands again.
"Fine! I’ll make you a sweet offer. Your skills have been proven by killing Rolt and those slabs of meat… so how about this? Instead of being crushed by my hammer and becoming my next meal, why don't you join Kinzelo?"
Jin’s eyes widened.
"Kinzelo…? Isn't this the cave of the Dark Magic Association?"
"Ah, the Dark Magic Association is like a… what do you call it? A branch of our Kinzelo. Kinzelo only accepts warriors. That’s why the mages are part of the Dark Magic Association."
He had just heard something unexpectedly interesting. Ever since the Seven-Colored Bird members found evidence that Vishkel and Bubar belonged to Kinzelo, the organization had been a constant subject of Jin's interest.
‘Come to think of it, the White Wolf I fought during my first mission as a cadet, Quajito Truka, also seemed to be part of Kinzelo. And now the Dark Magic Association.’
Kinzelo and the White Wolf Tribe.
What was their relationship? He had a hunch that the entire White Wolf Tribe might be connected to Kinzelo, and with it, an intuition that Kinzelo was a far more powerful organization than he had imagined.
The Dark Magic Association alone had at least nine more mages of 8-star or higher.
"In other words, you two would become executives of the Dark Magic Association under Kinzelo. It’ll be perfect to fill Rolt’s spot, and I’ll be able to save face in front of the Leader."
"And who is this Leader of Kinzelo?"
"You'll find out after you become an executive. So, what do you say? Work with us. In my eyes, you two are far more valuable than those losers lying over there. Especially you—I get the feeling you’re a particularly fine specimen."
Jin shook his head.
"That dead guy Rolt said the exact same thing. I guess this is the second time I've been scouted today. Is Kinzelo that desperate for talent? You're recruiting quite recklessly, handing out executive positions like they're nothing."
"There’s always a shortage of talent when you're trying to turn the world upside down. And you said this is the second time? Usually, there isn't a third chance. Your life is too precious to throw away, but my kindness ends here."
The smile vanished from Goltep’s face as he released his energy.
The moment Aura began to surge within his body, the air in the cave grew heavy. Enya bit her lip and glared at Goltep, while Jin held his staff at an angle.
"Do you know how I answered when Rolt told me to serve under him?"
"Tell me."
"I can't serve under someone weaker than me. The same applies to you. If you want me to join Kinzelo, defeat me first. If I lose, I'll seriously consider your offer."
Killing intent flared in Goltep’s eyes.
‘His energy is unusual, but for some reason, I don't feel intimidated…’ Jin thought.
Goltep drew the hammer from his back.
Thump!
The weapon, even larger than Luna’s axe-sword Krantel, let out a heavy thud just by lightly touching the floor.
"It seems you aren't very bright despite your skills… I understand your intent perfectly. But I told you, there won't be a third time. The kindness is over; only retribution remains."
Whoosh!
As Goltep stepped forward, Enya flinched and raised her staff. She had lost track of his movement and panicked. It was a speed that not even a 4-star warrior, let alone a 4-star mage, could perceive.
It felt as if a dark blur had flickered and closed the distance in an instant. Only a warrior of at least 6-star rank would have been able to react, even clumsily.
Clang!
The hammer slammed into the shield Jin had deployed. The first strike caused cracks, the second shattered one side, and by the third, he had to deploy a new shield.
"Uoooooh!"
In the brief gap when the first shield broke, Enya unleashed a Wind Blade. However, the sharpness of a 4-star wind spell couldn't even leave a scratch on Goltep’s hide.
In that sense, Enya truly possessed the talent of a genius. Instead of Goltep’s torso, she had aimed the Wind Blade precisely at his eyes.
Aiming a spell at the eyes of a fast-moving opponent was no easy feat.
But Goltep acted as if it were pathetic.
Without even bothering to block Enya’s Wind Blade, he simply opened his maw and swallowed it whole. Even Jin couldn't help but be startled by the sight.
"As I thought, the girl is nothing special. Stop hiding behind shields and show me the skills that match that big mouth of yours, Jin Gray."
Ptu!
Goltep spat and licked his lips. His saliva wasn't even tinged with blood, as if his tongue hadn't even been nicked by the Wind Blade.
"Wait, how did you know I was a girl!?"
"Who did you think you were fooling with such a pathetic disguise?"
"Everyone else was fooled!"
"That’s why humans are hopeless. Anyway, you stay out of this, scrap. I want to see what Jin Gray can do."
Boom! Boom! BOOM! The hammer moved with a speed that belied its massive size. Blocking with shields would soon reach its limit.
‘I guess pretending to be a pure mage was useless. I was hoping to burst at least one of his eyes using the same method Miss Enya tried.’
Jin had intended to target the eyes in the same way. Now that he had confirmed it was useless, there was no need to waste any more mana.
More importantly, watching Goltep’s hammer strikes from within the shield, he judged that there was no need to fight defensively.
‘The reason his energy didn't feel overwhelming… was it because I've grown?’
Shatter!
The moment the fourth shield broke, Jin threw his staff aside and drew Bradamante.
Ducking low, Jin lunged with Bradamante. His Mind's Eye was open, and he was certain that the hammer would only narrowly miss Enya’s nose.
"Waaah!"
Enya jerked her head back with a scream as a spray of blood erupted from Goltep’s thigh, slashed by the unexpected sword strike. Goltep leaped back and spat out a curse.
"Damn it! You were a magic swordsman?"
"Everyone else was fooled."
Vroom!
A sharp energy radiated from Bradamante’s blade, now coated in Aura.
Goltep only hesitated for a moment before coating his hammer with a fresh layer of Aura, as if it were no problem.
"I did think Rolt’s neck was cut a bit too cleanly. It wasn't magic, but a sword that took his head… But nothing changes, Jin Gray. Ah, wait, one thing does. I won't kill you. I have to show you to the Leader."
Swish, swish. Jin lightly twirled Bradamante in his grip and took a stance.
"I’d advise you not to let your guard down. It’s been a while since I fought a White Wolf. It would be a shame if this ended too quickly."