Unrefined magical power is dangerous. This force, which goes against the laws of nature, can contaminate living beings and turn them into monsters.
The being born from this process is known as a ‘monster’.
Usually, this results in a mere increase in size compared to the original, but certain species undergo dramatic transformations in response to magical power. These monsters receive new classifications.
The creatures lined up before me were a prime example.
Squirming masses of flesh, their mouths had grown so large that it was impossible to differentiate them from their faces. Acidic saliva dripped between the sharp teeth protruding from the edges.
This was a creature colloquially known as the ‘Hellhole’.
In times when the ecology of monsters was not well understood, no one could even guess its original form. It was merely speculated that such a mysterious being lived deep underground, altered by magical power.
Thus, it had been referred to as ‘Hellhole’. No one imagined that its original form might be a ‘worm’.
Of course, it was a given. Who would picture a worm in front of such an overwhelming giant?
Its wrinkled skin and carnivorous appetite were even the opposite of the original. It remains unknown why only a few species, including worms, induce such peculiar mutations.
However, one fact was clear.
Entities that undergo unique mutations like the ‘Hellhole’ are stronger than other monsters. The rate of naming monsters is significantly higher.
Kyeeeeeeeeeek!
The unpleasant roar ripped through the stillness of the night. A sound so high-pitched it made my eardrums ache, beads of cold sweat dripped from my forehead.
To be honest, the Hellhole wasn’t particularly frightening.
I had a history of defeating the retinue of evil deities. As long as it wasn’t a named monster, even large numbers didn’t particularly faze me. Unless it was a mage, that is.
The only reason I was tense was for one reason.
The presence of a woman with black hair; I didn’t know who she was, but she was likely behind this situation.
That was the problem.
The unknown identity made it impossible to gauge her power. To make matters worse, it was already night. Distinguishing low-light colors was even more difficult.
Especially during battle with monsters.
I lowered my stance and tightened my grip on the sword.
For now, it was best to assess the situation. The silver aura clinging to my sword began to burn like a wildfire.
And then, a flash.
A blinding white sword light sliced through the air. The flesh of the monsters intersected by the silver horizon burst apart without a sound.
Some of the Hellholes were severed in half, soaring into the air with screams.
Blood and water rained down. I shouted to Mr. Raymond, doused in that unpleasant scent.
“Mr. Raymond, how much longer do you need!”
“Just a little longer!”
His voice mixed with faint groans indicated he was undergoing a painful calculation process.
I gritted my teeth and looked ahead. It was a scene I had already witnessed several times.
With each slash, several Hellholes collapsed as corpses.
It was an extremely efficient battle. Under these circumstances, a decisive win seemed assured.
Yet, the battle had not swung decisively in our favor.
There were simply too many Hellholes. They were even moving intelligently, endlessly rising.
As the rain of blood obscured my vision, something writhing suddenly accelerated.
I positioned my sword horizontally and blocked the gaping mouth of an approaching Hellhole. In the meantime, several Hellholes were shooting towards Mr. Raymond with remarkable trajectories.
This was not the intelligence of monsters. They were intentionally creating openings.
With a crack, a hand axe burst forth from my side.
The flying axe struck the head of one Hellhole charging towards Mr. Raymond. A buzzing scream erupted once more.
Kyaaaaaaak!
The successive eruptions of blood testified to the death of the Hellhole. Seizing the opportunity, I infused my sword with enough magic to create a loud hum.
And then, the silver aura expanded gradually.
As the pure white flame ignited, hissing sounds accompanied the rising acidic liquid. The Hellhole struggled to push me away, but that was its fatal mistake.
Clenching my teeth, I pulled my sword with all my strength.
The resistance was but a moment. After a brief hesitation, the aura began its steep charge. The severed flesh of the Hellhole wavered, rising in the air.
A shout involuntarily escaped my mouth.
“Is it done yet!”
No answer came. Instead, Mr. Raymond was absorbed in his incantation.
It meant it was about to reach its conclusion.
“The star of truth that decrees life and death… Guide of the seeker, with clear and natural order, I command light and fire!”
A gentle breeze began to blow through the world filled with flesh and blood.
Then, the gentle breeze became a strong wind, and the wind turned into a storm. The crackling power burst forth violently into the vibrating air.
The sky was crying.
Even the Hellholes seemed to sense something strange and momentarily halted. In the center of the rushing tempest, Mr. Raymond’s brown hair was wildly scattered.
Yet he remained calm. The man’s attention was focused solely on his hand.
A blue light was seeping through the gaps between his fingers.
“Release.”
With the activation phrase, Mr. Raymond’s fingers spread. A small sphere of light appeared on his palm. Then, as he blew out, the sphere floated up.
It was right after it positioned itself at the center of the vortex.
“Get down!”
I faithfully followed Mr. Raymond’s instructions and threw myself to the ground, my body sprawled out as blue lightning surged madly around me.
It was nothing less than a shredder.
Lightning, endlessly erupting from the whirlwind, spun and obliterated everything around it. The Hellholes screamed, and the errant bolts skidded across the ground, emitting a pungent smell of burning flesh.
Chunks of flesh became the intermediaries for the lightning, further spreading its power.
It was ruthless magic. The scene portrayed at the end of the brief incantation was utterly horrific.
And this was only the beginning.
Mr. Raymond’s hand struck the ground with force. From that point, the ground began to swell, and soon a storm of light and heat erupted from the earth, devastating the area.
Lightning, blood, earth.
I filtered out the faint noise amid it all. And then the beasts hiding deep underground revealed themselves with screams.
Kiaek, kēēēēēēk!
The storm was starting to subside.
The body of a monster paralyzed by the lightning straightened. I threw my hand axe at the head of a newly rising Hellhole.
With a thud, blood gushed out from the hole where it had lodged. As the Hellhole froze in place, I dashed and climbed onto its head.
My eyes met those of a Hellhole that had been rising ahead of me. I flashed a vague smile.
“What are you looking at, brat.”
With a thud, the thrown sword pierced the top of the Hellhole’s head. Leaping off the back of the monster as it toppled over, I finally caught sight of the leader of this group.
The other Hellholes also measured about 6 to 8 meters in size. However, this one seemed to be twice that size. From an overwhelming height, it looked down at me.
I didn’t like it.
With another leap, my hand axe spun back to me. As my body rose into the air, I found myself on equal footing with the leader Hellhole.
This was the way it should have been.
I raised the axe high with both hands, igniting the silver aura.
The silver flames split the world as they came crashing down.
Kieeeeeeeeeeeek…
As the scream faded and the axe blade buried itself into the ground, the two halves of the creature’s body split apart. I calmly caught the gushing blood in my breath.
My hands felt stiff. It meant I had used too much strength.
Ignoring even the stench of blood, I flexed my hands when Mr. Raymond approached me, his steps heavy.
His appearance was stained with blood, just like mine.
“Your aura has become stronger than before. Did you awaken its traits?”
“No, not yet…”
“Yet, this power.”
Mr. Raymond’s eyes glanced around. Only then did I realize the carnage we had inflicted.
The ground bore the remnants of flesh and blood. Most of the dismembered corpses lay in halves, defeated in a single blow.
I felt it too. In the end, my aura had burned fiercely enough to overpower the axe blade.
As evidence, the small hand axe had cleaved through the massive creature in an instant.
Perhaps that was why I felt even more exhilarated. For no reason at all.
With a stoic expression, Mr. Raymond surveyed the area, and then, as if it no longer mattered, he shook his head.
“Enough with the monsters. The important question is, where did that woman go?”
“I don’t sense her presence at all.”
Mr. Raymond nodded in agreement. It meant neither of us could detect her presence.
Was that even possible?
I couldn’t quite grasp the possibility that even an expert swordsman and a mage with the title of archmage could fail to notice her existence.
With a grunt, I asked him.
“Mr. Raymond, you said you’d seen that woman before, right?”
“Yes. Recently, for some reason, memories started coming back.”
“Weren’t you about to say something just now?”
Mr. Raymond paused momentarily at my words.
As he wore a puzzled expression, I, filled with anxiety, pressed him further.
“You mentioned something about ‘eyes’…”
“Ah, right. That.”
The middle-aged man’s eyelids closed again. His expression, sinking somewhere in the depths of the past, looked somewhat powerless.
“It was a dark night. The silent plains, without a single breeze… It felt as though there were no monsters in the city at all. That was when I saw her.”
“The girl?”
“She looked quite young. Her long black hair was flowing… I approached her and asked.”
Drifting through the storms of time, Mr. Raymond now wore a painful expression.
Before my eyes, a short play took shape—a mercenary encountering a girl who was sitting down, gazing at the sky on a darkened plain.
Her face was still hidden as she faced away from me. The only thing noticeable was her long, jet-black hair.
“I asked what she was doing here, saying it was dangerous.”
In response, the girl smiled brightly. Such an innocent smile, it was almost terrifying.
“She was smiling. She only said she was waiting. Before I could even ask what she was waiting for, the Hellholes attacked us…”
“And what happened then? What happened to the girl after that?”
The middle-aged man’s groans grew deeper. Mr. Raymond, with a troubled expression, pressed against his forehead as he revived the memory.
“Yes, yes! She was watching us, smiling! We shouldn’t have even been facing the Hellholes. But somehow…”
As he traced back his memories, the man’s complexion turned pale.
His haggard eyes widened. In a flustered manner, he fumbled to glance around. I had no choice but to ask Mr. Raymond in a panic.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Raymond?”
“…It was not merely this.”
His voice was vacant. His gaze was directed at somewhere.
Towards the military encampment.
Sensing a foreboding, I concentrated my magical power in my retinas. Enhanced vision pierced through the darkness, probing the distant dust rising in the air.
My expression hardened instantly.
“It wasn’t merely this… There’s a main force.”
“Shit.”
I walked over and roughly pulled out the sword buried in the corpse of a Hellhole.
There was no time to hesitate. My mind was already filled with worry for one person.
Liya, my sister.
As I sheathed the sword and prepared to leap into action, my body suddenly halted.
My eyes turned back towards the empty void. As I gazed blankly behind me, Mr. Raymond, now back to his senses, asked me.
“What’s the matter?”
“No, it’s just…”
I thought I heard a laughter.
Though I tilted my head, I had no choice but to dash towards the encampment.
Let Liya be safe.
Praying fervently in my heart.
