Mana Punch (2)
Potential rank didn’t just influence growth rates or experience efficiency—it also had a massive impact on class selection.
You could tell that much from a quick glance at the community posts.
The difference was so obvious that even Junil, who didn’t have a class yet, noticed it immediately.
Class discrimination by rank?
E-rank awakened were mostly production classes. They weren’t combat-oriented to begin with.
How do they even level up?
They leveled through production activities rather than fighting.
In some ways it was actually better for survival than combat classes.
The only real downside was that it could be a little embarrassing.
Being a tanner is kind of…
But the truly ambiguous rank was D.
Swordsman, archer, thief, and so on.
Weren’t those the lowest-tier combat classes?
The most exposed to danger, yet the weakest.
On the other hand, once you reached C-rank, magic-using jobs started appearing.
Flame mage, ice mage, earth mage—they branched out from there.
These magic combat classes were currently the most popular.
They fought from the rear and their firepower was excellent.
So that’s why those bulky bastards were bragging about being C+ magic classes.
At B-rank the options got even better.
Magic swordsmen who wielded both sword and mana, tricksters who used mana as thieves, elementalists who had mastered every element, summoners, druids, and more.
Just looking at the names told you they were rare, special classes.
That was why Junil, currently staring down at the goblins, thought to himself:
Then black magic classes must exist too.
Black mages obviously existed.
With that premise, Junil could finally see the cause behind this entire situation.
Why the goblins kept gathering at a single point and why they weren’t actually charging into the house.
They’re luring the awakened out.
This was bait.
They were trying to draw awakened here.
Is the goal to kill awakened?
Awakened didn’t only fight monsters, after all.
Farmers leveled up by farming. Blacksmiths leveled up by repairing weapons.
What about black mages?
It was possible their leveling method involved devouring other awakened.
Black magic was the kind that required someone’s sacrifice.
That was why it was taboo.
If that’s the case…
Junil deliberately muttered loud enough for the audience to hear.
“No matter how I look at it, the goblins are all swarming around that guy on the rooftop… it’s weird.”
The constellations still had no idea what was happening.
These idiots don’t know a thing.
There couldn’t be too large a gap in understanding between him and the constellations.
If he suddenly slit that guy’s throat, the shock would be enormous.
Let’s lay down a little more groundwork.
That was why Junil was setting the stage like this—revealing who the man screaming for rescue on the rooftop really was.
“No matter how you look at it, this is obviously a lure, right?”
Junil tilted his head once, then kicked off the ground.
Bang!
His body shot forward like a bullet, slicing through the wind.
* * *
The man on the rooftop felt it.
Something was racing toward him, slicing through the wind.
“!?”
Insane speed. Overwhelming presence.
Crazy?
Thud!
Before he could even process what he was seeing, the opponent had already landed behind him.
A chill spread across his skin.
What the hell.
He knew it by instinct.
The speed he had just witnessed, the vibration that had spread through the cement floor when that figure landed.
Mask?
And that bizarre black cat mask with the veteran vibe!
Strong.
This guy was strong.
Good. A strong one.
The man’s lips curled into a wide, sloppy grin.
“You came to save me! Are you an S-rank by any chance!?”
He licked his lips like a butcher asking about the grade of Hanwoo beef.
Junil answered.
“Hey. Black magician.”
“?”
He had no intention of being eaten.
* * *
Ram became extremely agitated the moment Julian appeared.
“When the hell did this bastard get here!?”
Fairies were different from constellations.
They couldn’t watch every moment in every place.
They had lost track of Junil’s movements for a while, and in that time he had entered the same space as their protagonist.
No—it was worse than that.
“That’s supposed to be Kang Hae-il’s job! Damn it!”
He had stolen the protagonist’s role.
Ram’s wings trembled with rage.
“Please calm down, Lord Ram.”
Sam comforted him from the side.
“That guy definitely can’t win.”
“…Really?”
Ram was only the planner.
Sam was the one who handled actual operations.
He knew every detail of the combat data inside the world.
“Are you sure?”
“The one who was dispatched this time… has joined hands with a demon. There’s no way an F-rank could even look such a monster in the eye.”
“B-but…!”
“?”
Sam struck a dramatic pose.
“It’s the 4th Line Goblin Slayer!”
Crazy. What are you doing?
Sam was dumbfounded but continued without missing a beat.
“Even the Goblin Slayer can’t handle him! This is the guy that even S-rank Kang Hae-il would barely manage to defeat!”
That was correct.
Under the premise of growth, even Kang Hae-il—the strongest being in the world—would struggle against this first major obstacle.
The man currently on the rooftop was essentially the first boss.
Even though he was only B-rank, the demon contract had pushed his current combat power beyond his original potential.
“It actually worked out in our favor.”
Sam pushed his glasses up and smiled.
“The guy’s going to die on his own.”
“!”
Ram’s eyes widened.
“Is that true!?”
“Yes. We’ll just put down a little insurance here.”
“Oh… perfect! That’s easy!”
Jingle!
Ram tossed a coin.
Creating a small variable wasn’t much of a burden.
Combat effectiveness has been slightly enhanced.
Duration: Until battle ends
Fortune smiles upon the target.
Duration: Until battle ends
An unknown auspicious energy surged into the black magician.
* * *
Junil asked again.
“You’re a black magician, right?”
The man had been casually cleaning his ear with a relaxed attitude, but his expression changed at the direct accusation.
What the hell is this guy?
His previously confident eyes were now trembling.
Stay calm.
What was wrong with being a black magician?
Black mages always appeared in games, didn’t they?
Were they criticized among players?
Never.
“W-well, it’s similar to a black magician… is there some kind of problem…? I just asked for help.”
“Hmm… it’s not necessarily a problem. But it’s strange.”
“W-what is?”
“Whether black or white, magic classes are basically nobility right now. So why are you asking for help instead of breaking through yourself?”
“…T-that’s because I’m a production-type black magician.”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
In this world, classes were whatever you made of them.
Such a thing could actually exist.
Like making witch soup or whatever.
But even if you accepted that, the strange point still wasn’t resolved.
“Then why aren’t the goblins killing you?”
The goblins were only making noise and doing nothing.
They were just pretending to act.
“Huh? That’s because they can’t climb up here.”
“Goblins can’t climb?”
“You must not have seen many goblins. They aren’t good at climbing high places.”
“Hahaha?”
Junil laughed.
“Do you know who I am?”
“How would I know that? You’re the one wearing a weird mask, and you’re the one who’s actually—”
Junil struck the exact pose of a girl running while taking a selfie.
“If I say 4th Line Goblin Slayer… does that answer your question?”
The constellations laughed at Junil’s theatrics.
But the man’s reaction was different.
His eyes shook violently.
S-Sagosul!?
That famous person was this guy?
It looks real. That pose.
Who could replicate that bizarre pose so perfectly without a single mistake?
Unless their class was literally Pose Master!?
“I-is it really you?”
“Yeah.”
Junil nodded while still holding the pose.
There was no choice but to believe now.
“Ha… haha… the Goblin Slayer… came to help me.”
The man’s voice trembled.
But it wasn’t from fear or anxiety.
It was excitement.
This is way too delicious…!
The black magician’s eyes gleamed with hunger.
Junil looked at him and sneered.
“Help? I think it’s the opposite.”
It was a meaningful remark, but the man didn’t care.
There was no longer any reason to hide his identity.
He had already confirmed the grade of his prey.
This was Hanwoo A++.
“The 4th Line Goblin Slayer, huh!”
A voice loud enough to split ears rang out.
“Kuh, kuhahahahahahaha?!”
The man looked down and laughed mockingly.
“You walked right into my trap! Are you insane!?”
He kept laughing.
His mouth twisted in a grotesque grin.
“If you had noticed something… you shouldn’t have come?”
The corners of his mouth stretched all the way to his ears.
Riiip—!
They tore open all the way to his temples.
His mouth protruded like a snout.
His body became wrapped in pitch-black energy as massive wings burst out.
Demon's Predation
Rank: B
Achievement: ★★
The predation demon possesses the user and devours the opponent. According to the contract, the demon will share its power. The stronger the opponent, the greater the power received.
Whoosh!
The man’s eyes burned with dark crimson energy as he charged.
“Kwaaaaaaaaah!”
From the black-wrapped body, only the snout protruded in an exaggerated manner.
Tadadadadada—
At a glance, this was no longer the strength of any awakened they had seen before.
He needed to dodge immediately.
The constellations were all thinking the same thing.
Yet Junil didn’t move a single step. He simply raised his utility knife slowly and continued observing the man.
Contracted with a demon, huh.
There were many types of black mages.
The ones who borrowed power from demons were the most common—and the ones who met the most miserable ends.
Giving your body to a demon meant exactly that.
Sacrificing the future for overwhelming strength in the present.
And that overwhelmingly empowered being was now charging solely to devour him.
Tadadadada!
The number of viewers was rising because of the situation Junil was in.
Or perhaps this place simply drew high interest from the constellations.
The viewer count had skyrocketed.
It had risen by nearly twenty from eighty.
Current Viewing Constellations: 97
Incarnation 'Hero - Julian'
Progress: 0.97%
For the first time, the first decimal place was about to change.
However—
“Gotta eat well! Uheheheheheha!”
Whoosh!
The demon figure wrapped in black flames drew far too close.
It was already within ten meters.
Fast.
Even Junil had to admit the guy was fast.
The demon contract had been worth it.
“Kaaaaaaaah!”
A voice that no longer sounded human echoed out.
A mouth dripping with blood-like saliva opened wide, trying to swallow Junil whole in an instant.
Four meters.
Three meters.
The constellations’ voices of despair seemed to echo in his ears, but—
Soon…
Junil already knew.
「Still, a lot of them came to watch the ending.」
The numbers Pam had shown him.
No matter how bad a round’s performance was, the final number was always higher than the one before it.
No matter how trashy the character was, people still wanted to see the end.
It was the same with drama viewership ratings in the modern world.
The finale always pulled higher numbers than the previous episode.
Someone’s ending was an element that drew that much attention.
“I’ll enjoy this meal!!”
Tap—
With one final leap the distance vanished.
Two meters. One meter…
The flying saliva was close enough to splash across his face.
Zero meters.
Right in front of him.
The two figures completely overlapped.
Current Viewing Constellations: 109
Now.
Kiiing…!
Blue light filled his eyes.
Julian’s power at 1%.
His hand drew it forth.
Whirr!
Incarnation 'Hero - Julian'
Progress: 1.09%
One percent of the power that had prevented the world’s destruction seven times.