Chapter 81: A Game of Chicken (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81: A Game of Chicken (3)
A pebble on the side of the road.
That was how Eva Hielov, a low-ranking student of Class D, viewed herself.
While her talent for magic was considered above average within the Zelver Empire, her skills were pitiful when compared to the monstrous talents gathered at Märchen Academy.
That was why, when the Red Elephant of the Four Constellations invited her to be their informant, she didn't hesitate.
She had resolved to give the Red Elephant everything she had. She believed it was the only way to prove her worth within the academy’s walls.
Unfortunately… it seemed she had made a catastrophic mistake.
Eva had poor mana perception, yet even she could feel it clearly now.
The man named Isaac was overflowing with mana that defied her very imagination!
‘I won’t overlook the fact that you sold information about me, Eva.’
She recalled his solemn, chilling words.
Just who had she provoked? Who had she dared to offend?
‘I’ll live quietly from now on… I won’t get ahead of myself again…’
Terror and hopelessness washed over her. She wanted to burst into tears. Her resolve to serve the Red Elephant had crumbled long ago; now, even the lingering shards of that determination were shattering into dust.
[What did you do? Crunch. Why is your mana suddenly…?!]
Malrog’s massive eyes bulged, growing even wider.
It was only natural for him to be shocked. Malrog was powerful, but my current mana reserves significantly eclipsed his.
I glanced out of the corner of my eye. Ian was busy gathering light mana along the edge of his blade. A pure-white magic circle was forming around him. Was he preparing to cast [Apostle of Light]?
In the Hell difficulty of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, casting [Apostle of Light] required near-perfect control. The casting time was incredibly long and the timing was finicky, requiring the player to calculate the window of opportunity precisely.
In exchange, however, its power was absolute.
‘Good.’
[Apostle of Light] was essentially a prerequisite for clearing [Chapter 6: Floating Island]. I would have no way to save Dorothy if Ian couldn’t deploy [Apostle of Light] at the center of the Floating Island.
I wanted to use this opportunity to confirm with my own eyes that Ian was capable of wielding the spell properly.
「Rock Avalanche (Rock Element, ★4)」 + 「Black Rock (Rock Element, ★5)」
= 「Black Rock Hammer (Rock Element)」
Rumble!
A massive black rock erupted from Malrog’s magic circle, shaped like a gargantuan hammer. The [Black Rock Hammer] swung down, aiming to crush me, Ian, and the rest of the students in one fell swoop.
‘I won’t be defeated that easily.’
I raised my index finger and began weaving a joint elemental spell.
「Rock Wall (Rock Element, ★4)」 + 「Ice Wall (Ice Element, ★4)」
= 「Fossilized Ice (Rock + Ice Element)」
Crack!
Crash!
With a flick of my finger, a saturated wall of ice surged upward to intercept Malrog. It was a thick barrier of frost, gleaming with veins of light-brown rock mana—[Fossilized Ice].
It was the most powerful defensive spell I could currently manifest.
Malrog’s [Black Rock Hammer] slammed into my [Fossilized Ice], but it couldn't even leave a scratch on the reinforced frozen surface.
[Crunch. Dammit!!]
By then, Ian had finally finished his preparations for [Apostle of Light].
I dispelled the [Fossilized Ice] I had used to block the hammer. Pale blue and light-brown motes of light drifted through the air like snow. Then, I immediately triggered another [Fossilized Ice] to erupt directly beneath Malrog.
Rumble!
[Ugh!]
Malrog’s massive frame was thrust upward by the rising ice, but I cut the ascent short. The [Fossilized Ice] spread out around him like a cage, though I purposefully left the side facing Ian wide open.
The stage is set.
Ian raised his sword, now radiant with light mana, high above his head. Then, in one fluid motion, he brought it down.
His blade carved a streak of pure-white light through the air. White flames erupted from the steel, tearing through the ground as they raced toward the demon.
Swoosh!
A pure-white dove manifested from the swing of Ian’s sword, and dozens of rays of light burst from his magic circle. Every attack converged on Malrog as one.
「Apostle of Light (Light Element, ★5)」
Clang!
Flash!
A rainbow-hued radiance flared, followed by a storm of pure-white fire that engulfed Malrog. In a blinding flash, his body began to sear. Because my [Fossilized Ice] acted as a containment wall, the energy of [Apostle of Light] couldn't disperse, forcing Malrog to take the full brunt of the heat.
Malrog gritted his teeth, enduring the agony.
There was a significant level gap between Ian and Malrog, but Divine Power was a demon’s ultimate weakness. Moreover, Ian was a "weapon" specifically designed to bridge the gap against demons. He was performing effectively.
Best of all, [Apostle of Light] carried a crucial secondary effect.
[Crunch. Ugh… My mana…!]
As the flames of [Apostle of Light] died down, Malrog was left scorched and reeling. He found himself unable to weave magic. [Apostle of Light] temporarily scrambled the target’s mana circuits.
Malrog might still be able to manage simple spells like [Rock Avalanche], but high-level spells like [Rock Rampage]—which required delicate mana control—were now beyond his reach.
[Rock Rampage] was the most dangerous pattern in Malrog’s arsenal. It was a large-scale spell that caused indiscriminate eruptions of jagged rock. If he had used it here, the casualties would have been immense.
Normally, to neutralize Malrog before he could cast [Rock Rampage], one had to use a light-element sword aura to strike only the glowing heads among the many protruding from his body.
‘But how the hell was Ian supposed to manage that right now?’
He couldn't. So, the next best alternative was having him cast [Apostle of Light] while I provided the necessary support.
Anyway, that was a good show. I don’t need to worry about the potency of his [Apostle of Light] anymore.
I deactivated the [Fossilized Ice] as I walked toward Malrog. Without the ice supporting him, he hung suspended in midair for a fraction of a second.
Just before gravity claimed him and sent him plummeting toward the stage… his two gigantic eyes met mine.
[Malrog the Envious]
Psychology: [Terrified of you.]
[Crunch, crunch. How… how?!] Malrog cried out, his voice trembling. [Crunch. Your mana was unmistakably… no better than an insect’s!!]
Standing under the brilliant spotlight, I extended my right hand toward him.
Ice and rock mana surged from my palm. Two colossal magic circles—one pale blue, the other light brown—formed simultaneously on the stage floor and above Malrog’s head.
“I…”
A faint smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
“…just so happen to be a bit overpowered when it comes to hunting bastards like you.”
I clenched my hand into a fist and triggered the spell.
「Sink Hole (Rock Element, ★6)」 + 「Frost Wave (Ice Element, ★6)」
= 「Permafrost (Rock + Ice Element)」
Crack!
Crackle!
The magic circles above and below Malrog spat out frozen boulders, clumps of earth, and gushes of frigid air. A deathly cold spire of rock burst upward from the stage. Malrog’s body was instantly flash-frozen the moment the rock touched him.
Then, he was ruthlessly crushed by the soil and stone raining down from above.
Rumble!
The two massive boulders slammed together, sandwiching him. Malrog was trapped within the pale blue earth of the [Permafrost], unable to move or escape.
Hssss!
The rocks swallowed Malrog whole, emitting a steam-like chill riddled with jagged ice crystals.
「Rock Wall (Rock Element, ★4)」 + 「Black Rock (Rock Element, ★5)」
= 「Indestructible Iron Body (Rock Element)」
[Permafrost] was designed to trap a target and crush them to death. Malrog had managed to avoid instant death by casting [Indestructible Iron Body] at maximum output.
Unfortunately for him, it was a futile effort.
Crack.
[Permafrost] would continue to exert pressure until everything within its range was pulverized, regardless of durability. The sheer force it generated was not something Malrog’s [Indestructible Iron Body] could withstand.
The demon’s defensive shell shattered.
Finally, the [Permafrost] was dispelled. The frigid, pale blue rocks ceased their movement and dissolved into motes of light.
As the spell faded, it revealed a mangled mass of black rock. Inside was Malrog—his body crushed, broken, and covered in frozen blood. He was so ruined that he was barely recognizable.
[Cr… unch…]
Malrog tumbled toward the floor. He ground his teeth one last time before hitting the stage.
[So… lonely…]
His final words faded into the air. His body turned to ashen powder, scattering into the wind.
[Congratulations! You’ve defeated the demon [Malrog the Envious (Lv. 160)] and gained EXP!]
[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 76!]
[You have gained 2 stat points!]
[You have unlocked the achievement ❰The Qualification to be Human❱! You have gained an additional 15 stat points!]
The moment my unique trait [Hunter] deactivated, my body felt like lead and my mana plummeted.
The black labyrinth that had consumed the ceiling and walls slowly dissolved. Soon, the other students would wake from their illusions, their memories replaced by fabricated ones.
Ian was no exception. In the original game, he was supposed to have broken free of the illusion to fight Malrog. This time, however, he had remained under the spell’s influence. His memories would likely be altered as well.
But more importantly…
Pop, pop.
Where Malrog the Envious had vanished, a single key bounced on the stage before settling. I climbed up and retrieved it. It was an antique silver key.
[You have obtained the loot: [Key to Mysteries]!]
‘I’ll take this.’
I didn’t expect to get my hands on this so soon…
I pocketed the ‘Key to Mysteries,’ hopped down from the stage, and walked quickly toward Eva. I could hear the sound of her hiccups coming from the shadows.
“Eva.”
“Y-yes…?”
Eva deactivated her [Stealth] and appeared before me.
[Eva Hielov]
Psychology: [Extremely terrified of you.]
“I-I did everything I… I was told…!”
She started sobbing the moment I called her name. She already knew I was the ‘Black Monster.’ She must have confirmed it when she sensed my mana earlier.
I felt a bit bad, but putting pressure on Eva was the most effective way to ensure her cooperation. I planned to protect everyone in the academy, Eva included, but I had to keep my identity hidden to do so. The less the faculty knew about me, the better. I had my reasons.
If you encounter a demon in Atla Hall, keep everything you saw today a secret. Many lives will be saved or lost based on your choice.
Eva was a coward, but she was sensible. Words worked well on her. She had pointlessly summoned the courage to sell information about me once, but now she was drowning in regret and fear. I had confirmed this through [Psychology Insight] over the past few days.
Someone consumed by that much regret wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
“Keep everything you saw a secret. As far as you're concerned, you were just here enjoying the party.”
Eva nodded vigorously, her entire body quivering. We had already covered this before. Since there was nothing left to say, I turned and walked away.
Eventually, the space created by [Mad Banquet] vanished entirely.
Life returned to the students' eyes as they were released from the illusion. I had already slipped out of Atla Hall by the time the awkward silence fell over the room.
“…”
I paused for a moment, closing the heavy doors of Atla Hall behind me. Standing in the quiet hallway, I took a deep breath and let out a long, shaky sigh of relief as I slumped to the floor.
“Whew…”
I almost lost that one.
Technically, I would have been finished if Malrog had decided to target me directly.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Great Witch of Heaven’s Wrath. I’m sure she would have had a few choice words for me in the afterlife.
I sat there for a moment, catching my breath and savoring the simple fact that I was still alive.
From behind the doors, I heard the muffled sounds of chatter and music resume. The memory rewrite had been a success.
But I was already gone. I wanted to hurry up and see Dorothy; I had promised to meet her, after all.
Today has been exhausting.