#181
Demon King's Castle Escape Operation (3)
All Awakened Ones from Earth who had been transmitted to this other world were basically receiving growth correction.
Meaning, even if they learned something under the same conditions, they could grow under far more advantageous circumstances than the natives.
Naturally, there were individual differences depending on talent, but it meant that even someone who had been hopelessly clumsy on Earth, unable to properly control their own body, could, depending on their effort, become fully capable of acting as a warrior.
But what in this world was ever only easy?
There were countless cases of people devoting their entire lives to standing at the peak of a single field, and unless one was truly an extraordinary genius, merely shortening that period a little did not mean much.
Because cases like Lee Se-ah, a “true genius,” were exceedingly rare.
Naturally, Awakened Ones whose immediate survival was urgent usually combined it with a more convenient method of growth, and that was the “unique skill” granted to them at the beginning, and “stat enhancement” through the karma shop.
‘But even unique skills with fraudulent potential have many restrictions in the beginning, making them difficult to use. Even 「Avatar」 was practically unusable at first.’
What was needed to quickly overcome those limits was enhancement through the karma shop, but the starting point for enhancing a unique skill was a whopping 300,000.
It was an astronomically high number, one that made you more likely to die before saving up for it if you simply hoarded karma blindly.
‘So in most cases, securing survivability through stat enhancement comes first.’
Hesperon glanced down at his own hand, repeatedly clenching and unclenching it.
The blue mana rippling faintly in response to the movement showed that magic had been applied in that brief moment.
“Kh, enhancement magic...? When on earth did you...!”
Crown Prince Simon clutched his struck jaw and staggered to his feet.
He had been hit in a vital point at an unexpected moment, but since his entire body had been reinforced with aura, he fortunately avoided being incapacitated in a single blow.
Though it was still unsightly, considering he had stepped forward with such confidence only to be struck down.
“...You bastard, you had a few tricks up your sleeve after all. Ha! Yes, that must be why you ran your mouth so recklessly.”
As if trying somehow to cover up his embarrassment, he forced himself to stand proudly as though nothing had happened and took up a fighting stance once more.
“And it seems you’ve learned some martial arts too, despite your station. Yet you wield mana instead of aura—looks like you lacked the talent and had no other choice, hm?”
“Good grief. Just who is it that only has a mouth?”
Simon raised his voice roughly, as if trying to insist that he had not lost yet.
However, lightly ignoring him, Hesperon merely reworked the magic he had prepared in haste, which had been somewhat unstable.
Wooooong—
His thoughts accelerated, and the world slowed for an instant.
In that brief moment, minor buffs that had properly activated—improved dynamic vision, increased reaction speed, amplified muscle strength, and the like—further strengthened his body.
It was a level of mana operation so high it was hard to believe he was a low-rank mage, but in truth, this much was truly nothing to him.
Even excluding the indirect assistance he received through the Immortal King Hans.
‘Of course. Do you know how many points I poured into this?’
The stat necessary for using magic was not simply mental strength.
There were abilities related to thought in general, such as memory, calculation, and reasoning.
And there were abilities related to mana in general, such as affinity, magic resistance, and control.
Because there were so many kinds, people usually used them only to make up for weaknesses or emphasize strengths...
‘Well, it’s not bad to raise them moderately.’
To him, whose karma was increasing steadily even at this very moment, they were merely decent investments.
The starting point for enhancing any stat was 10,000.
Even taking into account the sheer number of categories, it was practically pocket change compared to enhancing a usable ability.
The next stage cost 20,000 points.
He had only invested further in the items whose efficiency he had felt after the first enhancement, and though there were still many of them, they were not particularly burdensome.
And the third stage cost 40,000.
The required number itself was not high, so he had made fair use of it, but from then on, it was the point where he needed to select among the many categories.
Of course, ordinary Awakened Ones could not use karma so lavishly, as if pouring out water.
They had to save and save, agonize before deciding where to use it, and even then leave a certain amount of points in preparation for returning home...
“...To get so arrogant just because you caught me off guard once. This time, I will truly face you properly.”
But then.
Simon, who had been ignored all along, once again raised his aura along with those low words.
Perhaps his pride had been wounded because Hesperon had reacted indifferently even to his continued self-justification that sounded like excuses, and as a bonus, he even added a line that seemed like the exclusive property of a defeated villain.
“I was only caught because I let my guard down earlier! Magic of merely that level won’t be nearly enough!”
Thud—
As if his claim that he was going all out was not just bravado, he charged in at more than twice his earlier speed.
Aura, the energy that allowed a human body to escape its physical limits, shimmered thickly around him, explosively enhancing his physical abilities.
It was a speed that someone of ordinary level would not even be able to react to.
‘To be sure, what that man said isn’t exactly wrong.’
Naturally, there was no way the support magic of someone who was only a low-rank mage could reach the level needed to face Simon, a seasoned knight.
It was certainly better than nothing, but if he relied only on that, it would not end with merely being beaten up badly.
‘Of course, that is if I had been relying only on that...!’
Having grasped the trajectory of the fist that had already arrived right in front of him, Hesperon tilted his head slightly without so much as blinking.
Since he had been indirectly influenced by the 「Path of Martial Arts」 through Heinrich, there was not a single wasted movement in his motion.
Then came the solid step grounding him against the floor, the lightly twisting waist, and the fist clenched tightly near his side shooting out just like that—
Thwack!
“Kuhup!”
It dug straight into Simon’s solar plexus and withdrew.
Thoom! Thwack! Crack—!
And then, taking advantage of the brief rigidity that came from being struck in a vital point, a combo mercilessly battered his body.
He stepped on the instep of Simon’s retreating foot to restrict his movement, and when Simon raised his arm to protect his face, an elbow slammed into his ribs.
Lightly deflecting the fist thrust out in resistance with the back of one hand, he targeted the exposed armpit with the other.
Fingertips, fists, elbows, knees, feet...
His entire body was practically a weapon.
“Khah! Cough!”
But perhaps because this time Simon had truly steeled himself.
Even after allowing more than a dozen attacks, he somehow managed to take a defensive posture, twisting his body and pulling back.
‘...Is it because he ate a lot of elixirs or something? The quality of his aura, too—he’s sturdier than I imagined.’
Considering he had been struck in vital points several times, he was still in fairly good condition.
Setting everything else aside, the thick aura enveloping his body had absorbed the impact, preventing the blows from landing properly, and that had been significant.
“Hah, hah. No, this... this can’t be possible. What kind of mage is like this...!”
Though the other party did not seem to think so.
‘As expected, lowering my physical abilities with 「Customization」 is a big factor. Since my strength is lacking, the destructive power doesn’t come out well.’
His physical stats had likewise received the benefits of enormous karma, but since Hesperon aimed to be a mage, there had been a considerable adjustment process during the avatar creation stage.
Of course, afterward, he had compensated for some of the deficit through training using 「Super Recovery」...
‘But as expected, that alone seems a little lacking.’
Fortunately, since he had not touched things that were helpful even to a mage, such as dynamic vision and reflexes, he had at least met the minimum conditions necessary to react to the movements of Simon, a knight.
Because the other lacking physical abilities could be sufficiently made up for by indirectly receiving support from the experience and skills of his senior avatars.
“...Heron? Were you originally a martial artist? You already have outstanding aptitude for magic, and now talent in that direction too? What kind of unreasonable thing is this...?”
At some point, Princess Riley had become a spectator, staring blankly at their fight, and unwittingly muttered those words.
“Khh...! What is this? I’m far faster, so why...? Could it be that he predicted my movements first? No, but that bastard was clearly...”
The crown prince mumbled to himself, seemingly confused by the sense of disparity between the presence he sensed and the opponent’s skill he had experienced directly.
‘If I’m lacking, then I just have to beat him until he falls. Fortunately, I have 「Super Recovery」, and I’m not exactly lacking in stamina.’
And Hesperon, slowly loosening his hands with that savage thought, stepped forward.
Thus, the farewell party at the Immortal Castle, attended by only those three, came to a grand close after leaving one person with unforgettable memories.
***
About an hour after the battle began.
“Phew—how refreshing. Not only was the sensation of hitting him good, but he also resisted just enough to raise the tension. Truly the best punching bag.”
After finishing an intense workout for the first time in a while, Hesperon stretched comfortably and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a refreshed expression.
Before him, what had once been Crown Prince Simon lay sprawled on the floor like a tattered doll.
Since he had been so sturdy, Hesperon had gone a bit overboard, but considering his recovery ability, he should be able to recover after a few days of rest.
However, there was one piece of news he had not expected.
《The individual has gained enlightenment through repeated training. Skill 「Hand-to-Hand Combat」 has been acquired.》
He had no idea what condition he had satisfied in such a short moment, but a skill related to close combat had even been generated.
It was a useful ability that gave additional correction to all actions related to fighting, something that could be considered essential for a martial artist.
‘No, more importantly, I’m a mage.’
Of course, it was better than not having it, but he could not help feeling a bit uneasy.
The path he had initially envisioned was a picture of ensuring safety with summoned beasts and elegantly using magic from the rear, but somehow, he felt like he was becoming a battle mage who fought by exchanging blows at the very front.
“...It’s over. I never imagined I would watch that Simon get beaten until he was covered in dust from right beside him. It’s not exactly bad, but... it feels somewhat strange.”
At that moment, Riley quietly approached his side and looked down at the unconscious crown prince with a complicated expression.
No matter how much she hated him, perhaps family was still family, for there was something stifled in her expression as she looked at him, battered to pieces.
“...Ah! I see.”
But before Hesperon could open his mouth to say anything to her.
She had been looking down bitterly at Simon, lost in thought for a moment, when she suddenly let out an exclamation as if she had realized something...
Thud!
And then kicked him refreshingly.
“...Riley?”
“Is that not it? I’m still not sure.”
Regardless of what he said beside her, she tilted her head briefly and then swung her foot again.
Thwack!
“Ah! I think I might understand something...”
Thud! Thwack!
Only after several more kicks did she step back, as if feeling relieved.
“Phew—so it was frustrating because I was only watching from the side. I had thought I wanted to hit him like this someday. I ended up accomplishing it in this way.”
“......”
Only then did Riley smile bashfully with a refreshed face.
Hesperon looked at the droplets of blood that had splashed onto her cheek, then simply nodded with an awkward expression.
“...Mm, well. If you’re satisfied, then that’s enough.”
In any case, the man was so sturdy that a few kicks from that delicate girl’s feet would not make him any worse.
And if that improved someone’s mood, was that not a good thing?
“More importantly, we were delayed quite a bit by something unexpected, so let’s start moving now. Simon’s unconscious, too, so now is the perfect timing.”
“Are you all right? You must be exhausted after fighting until just now. Perhaps we should rest for a little while...”
“No, it’s fine. This much is nothing. Since an opportunity has come, shouldn’t we leave this place right now?”
Having said that, he held out one hand to Riley as if telling her to take it.
Naturally, she, too, wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible, so she agreed with his words and tightly grasped his hand with a serious expression.
As though this were the only lifeline she had.
“We’re going.”
“Yes.”
Now this was truly the end.
Wooooong—!
He gathered up all his remaining mana, wrapped it around her and himself, and operated his energy to the very limit—
[And where exactly do you think you are going...?]
“Kuhup—? Cough—!”
Splatter—
Along with the chilling voice that rang out at that moment.
His mana flowed backward, and he vomited a mouthful of fresh blood.
“Heron!”
Riley hurriedly caught him as he collapsed right beside her.
Flustered by the sudden situation, she looked around in all directions with a tense gaze, then immediately bit her lip.
Before she knew it, a thick fog had settled over their surroundings, and a chilling energy filled the air so densely it made her shudder.
[I came because a commotion had occurred, but... escape, you say? This is quite an unexpected development...]
And from within that fog, a pale-faced noblewoman dressed in black mourning clothes slowly revealed herself.
The current chief administrator of the Immortal Castle.
Banshee Queen Olivia.