The campsite was instantly filled with screams and shouts, turning into a mess.
Those who couldn’t fight scrambled on the floor, crawling under the wagons, trembling uncontrollably. Despite being ambushed, the mercenaries, seasoned through countless battles, skillfully engaged the bandits with their weapons. However, the sheer number of the bandits was the problem.
Two masked bandits rushed at Yuric, who had his index finger raised. Yuric hurriedly cast a mana protection barrier with his left hand, but before the bandits’ attack could reach him, his index finger moved swiftly.
As the index finger shot up, the mana enveloping Yuric’s body surged out and pierced through the hearts of the two bandits like arrows. It was raw magic that didn’t even go through a magic circle.
!
Yuric felt dizzy from the shock of killing before he could even register it. Yet, the movement of his index finger did not stop there.
His index finger danced in the air as if commanding. The mana arrows rapidly shot from the tip of his index finger, piercing the temples of the bandits one after another, quickly reducing their numbers.
Suddenly, the magic from his index finger exploded violently when it hit a bandit’s shield.
The bandit was pushed back several feet but managed to stay on his feet.
“Kill that damn mage first!”
Upon regaining consciousness, the shield bandit pointed at Yuric with his sword, shouting. Three bandits immediately charged towards him.
This time, the index finger curved like a scythe, sweeping from right to left. Then, sharp mana blades sliced through the necks of the three bandits simultaneously.
“Gah-!”
The three bandits fell to the ground, thrashing as blood gushed from their necks. Blood puddles formed instantly on the dirt ground.
The speed at which the index finger cast spells was beyond imagination. Literally, each spell was cast with every movement. Of course, this meant that an enormous amount of mana was consumed from Yuric’s entire body. If he hadn’t steadily accumulated mana at high density over the period, such techniques would have been impossible.
A mage from the bandit group finally completed a mana ball and shot it at Yuric. He swiftly drew a magic circle with his left hand to complete a defensive spell. Soon, the mana ball collided with the barrier, causing a fierce explosion.
At that moment, Yuric realized that control of his index finger had returned, and he swiftly drew another magic circle with his right hand. The rapidity of his spell casting greatly unsettled the bandit mage.
He aimed for the bandit’s arm with his specialty, mass magic. The opponent hastily stopped chanting and deployed a barrier. Due to the hasty change of spells, he spat blood from his nose and mouth.
Then came the powerful swing of the hammer colliding fiercely with the barrier!
With a huge explosion sound, the barrier shattered, and the hammer struck the mage’s left torso almost without losing its speed.
!
The mage, unable to scream, flew like a rag doll and crashed into the ground, unconscious. His left arm, seemingly completely broken by the hammer, was grotesquely twisted with bones protruding.
“Fck…!”
The bandits were terrified by Yuric’s magic and retreated cautiously. Seeing him look at them with sharp eyes, the bandits eventually started running without looking back, judging that the ambush had failed.
Phew…
Yuric exhaled heavily and lowered both arms. He held his painful index finger and looked around.
The bandits had fled, and the battle was over.
It was a bloody night.
Yuric found it hard to escape the shock of his first kill.
Though he understood intellectually that it was unavoidable, his heart felt as heavy as if a thousand pounds were placed on it.
Of course, he couldn’t just stand by and let the bandits charge at him whenever they saw an opening.
To survive, he had no choice but to fight. Moreover, he had people to protect—innocent people and comrades.
As he grew more accustomed to fighting humans, a week passed since leaving the God Fortress.
The caravan and mercenary group, worn out from battling the bandits, finally arrived at the city 【Balamagos】.
Upon arriving, the mercenary captain handed Yuric his payment for escort duties and asked if he wanted to continue working together. Given his remarkable performance, it wasn’t surprising.
The captain had worked in this field for a long time, but he had never seen anyone as versatile as Yuric among the wandering mages.
“I’m sorry. I have other things to do.”
“Oh? Too bad then.”
After parting ways with the mercenary group, Yuric also said goodbye to Haral. Unlike Yuric, who planned to stay here for several days, Haral was set to depart south again the next day.
“It was nice working with you, sir.”
“Me too. I hope we meet again below.”
“I look forward to it too.”
They hugged warmly and went their separate ways.
Yuric watched Haral’s figure disappear into the crowd for a while.
Exhausted physically and mentally, Yuric had no energy to tour the city and headed straight to an inn. After dinner, he collapsed onto the bed in his room. When he opened his eyes, it was already morning the next day.
As Yuric ate breakfast in the hall on the first floor of the inn, various rumors flowed into his ears.
The farther south they went, the more incidents occurred.
– A demon appeared in the Demon Mine. They say it crossed the southern front.
– Dragons have started to become active again. Caravans will be in trouble now.
– Another person was killed in an alleyway yesterday. It was someone famous. They must have been targeted.
Especially, upon hearing the word “demon,” Yuric felt a burning sensation in his index finger. Indeed, a reaction fitting of a demon slayer.
After finishing his meal, Yuric walked through the bustling streets. More than half of the pedestrians seemed to be mercenaries.
With so many mercenaries around, the blacksmith district was thriving. Even without apprentices selling goods on the street, items were selling out as soon as they were made.
While searching for a suitable iron rod to use as a cane or mana support, Yuric was shocked by the price quoted by an apprentice.
“This is way too expensive.”
“These days, iron isn’t coming in at all. The mine is blocked.”
“The mine is blocked?”
The iron ore mine was in the Demon Mine, and due to the appearance of demons, miners and soldiers were massacred. This led to a supply shortage of iron ore. For now, they were managing with reserves, but it wouldn’t last long.
“There’s nothing we can do but wait for His Excellency to resolve it soon.”
Of course, the city lord, a baron, wouldn’t simply watch the mine in its current state. Sooner or later, they would move to subdue the demons.
After finishing his conversation with the apprentice and leaving the blacksmith district, Yuric entered the magic district. Studying unique magic specific to each region was a joy for a mage.
While browsing the window displays, he noticed a poster where people were gathered. Upon reading it, he discovered it was an announcement from the Baron’s Estate.
In brief, they were recruiting qualified candidates for the Demon Subjugation Team, and all applicants would be judged at the same time.
“Grand Mage Violetta herself is handling it.”
“A Grand Mage?! Then why do they need other mages?”
“It’s probably a supporting role. Still, what an honor. To see a Grand Mage in person and catch a demon, your name will be known. You could rise to fame overnight.”
Catching a demon changes one’s status significantly. Even if it ends with supporting a Grand Mage, obtaining a position like a court mage at the Baron’s Estate should be within reach.
For wandering mages, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“…Should I apply too?”
“Don’t bother. With names as well-known as those mages, they’ll surely be chosen.”
“But who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky.”
Many wandering mages were captivated by the possibility of being chosen.
Of course, Grand Mage Violetta must have considered this possibility and posted the notice to gather applicants.
Yuric stared intently at the poster, stroking his chin.
Honestly, if he wasn’t interested, he would be lying. Above all, he was extremely curious about the existence of demons.
‘…Are they all as strong as Sir Wigrad?’
If demons were such monsters, how much more monstrous would Titon be, hunting such beings?
Yuric checked the date of the qualification test. It was five days later in the morning. The location was the Kowelak Ruins.
Remembering the date and location, he entered a bookstore.
‘I need to hone my skills further.’
He intended to research southern magic and focus on training techniques.
‘Titon’s index finger.’
How to handle it would be the key to the future.
