◈ Episode 100. Demigod Battle (1)
Demigod.
I felt as if I finally understood why the elder mages were called half gods.
What kind of absurd amount of mana was this?
No, even setting aside the sheer quantity of mana, the aura rising from their bodies was anything but ordinary.
‘The Fire Dragon and the Perpetual Snow.’
Karimjeva and Senios.
The pinnacle of flame magic and ice magic.
And yet the two of them had not even manifested proper magic yet.
‘……
An insane sense of oppression.’
Pressure could be felt from the mana they unconsciously emitted.
Of the two, Karimjeva was the problem.
Was it because I had rebuked him as unreasonable from the very first word?
He was openly radiating heat toward me.
“How dare you.”
Only level 333.
In truth, for someone as frail as me, it was surely a heat I would not be able to withstand.
In that sense, I give thanks once again.
‘Well done, past me.’
To myself, who had made every preparation.
To myself, who had dug many wells.
And to the senior mage of enchantment studies, Kiko Armin, who had worked hard in place of my cursed hands.
[Masterpiece
—Silk Carp Scale Handkerchief]
[Grade: Unique]
[Restriction: Lv. 200]
[Effect: When equipped, increases affinity with the fire attribute / Increases chance to evade all attacks / Unlocks Aesthetic stat]
[Description: Crafted from an exceedingly rare material through a special production method. Its value is beyond anyone’s audacity to appraise. The title of masterpiece is by no means wasted on it.]
Yes, even in this heat.
The reason I could stand upright was simple.
Simply put, it was the power of equipment.
Everything was thanks to the [Increased Affinity with the Fire Attribute] effect attached to the handkerchief.
‘In Arcana, affinity is a higher concept, after all.’
Not only resistance to the corresponding attribute.
Even the effects when manifesting skills of that attribute.
When affinity increased, the additional effects that followed were considerable.
There was a reason the handkerchief was [Unique] grade.
And, as if that weren’t enough, why it carried the name [Masterpiece].
However.
‘If I had been satisfied with that, I couldn’t call it thorough preparation.’
I told you, didn’t I?
I may not know anything else, but I know my place for certain.
No matter how excellent that effect might be.
‘In the end, it’s a level 200 restricted item.’
I did not expect to block Karimjeva’s flame magic with nothing but a single handkerchief.
Blocking a demigod’s magic with a level 200 restricted item.
‘That would be shameless.’
What I thought of, then.
As I said before, was enchantment studies.
Enchantment studies, which allowed one to extract effects from items and bestow those effects upon other items.
The preparation period I had been given until Karimjeva took action.
I had not wasted that time.
‘I really did pester Kiko Armin tenaciously.’
From distinguishing effects that could be extracted from items.
And effects that could not.
All the way to the process of bestowing extracted effects onto items.
‘Without even paying, at that.’
In a word.
I had properly wielded the authority of chief.
The result of that abuse of power was appearing as messages.
[Effect: When equipped, increases affinity with the fire attribute]
[Effect: When equipped, increases affinity with the fire attribute]
[Effect: When equipped, increases affinity with the fire attribute]
[Effect: When equipped, increases affinity with the fire attribute]
……
From clothes to shoes to rings.
Plastered with effects that increased affinity with the fire attribute.
Yes, thanks to that shabby struggle.
Weak as I was.
I could remain perfectly fine in this heat……!
‘Honestly, if I had been greedy.’
I would have wanted to extract and bestow the effect related to the [Aesthetic] stat, too.
After all, my Aesthetic was still stuck at [Low].
But there was no way such a thing would go as I wished.
‘If that were possible, everyone would have majored in enchantment studies.’
So I had no choice but to be satisfied with this much.
In truth, even this was more than enough to be grateful for.
—“This is the first time I’ve ever seen a success rate like this. Uwah, how did I do that?! I need to preserve this sensation……!! I’m not going to wash my hands from now on.”
Because even Kiko had been utterly dumbfounded by the great success.
—“……
In any case, it’s all thanks to you, Chief Lee Hoyeol!”
Thanks to me, she said.
All I had done.
For fear she might accidentally blow up my precious items.
Was anxiously write a postscript on the request form.
Of course, I took Kiko’s gratitude as only natural as well.
‘In any case, I have no choice but to be thankful once more.’
A war of nerves between demigods.
The heat and cold passing back and forth in that clash of momentum.
If I didn’t have the [Warmth] buff and the [Fire Attribute Affinity] I had secured through enchantment……
Wouldn’t I have become a shrimp caught in a fight between whales by now? Like a frozen shrimp placed on a scorching grill, at that.
‘My back would have been properly split open.’
Of course, it was still too early to relax.
Fwaaaat—
Flames surged from Karimjeva’s hand.
A swift manifestation that skipped the processes of search and interference.
Because of that, its power should not have been complete.
……
This is insane, seriously.
The surface of the ground is melting like ice cream, isn’t it?
Just how hot are those flames?
No, not only had it melted, it began to boil like lava.
Senios spoke in an admiring voice.
“Indeed, it’s no wonder you wouldn’t take the battlefield into consideration!”
I recalled what Senios had said.
—“The stronger the opponent, the more important it is to choose an advantageous battlefield.”
He had said that even in battles between the strong, the environment of the battlefield was important.
In that sense, the rift was an advantageous battlefield for Senios.
Though only half of it, it was still a snowy field.
The temperature, too, was low enough for snowflakes to scatter.
‘He’s changing that battlefield into one advantageous to himself.’
There was no need for complicated high-level magic.
Fwaaaat— Fwoooosh—
Simply by manifesting flames.
Karimjeva began transforming the area around the rift into a lava zone.
I felt like I understood why he was called the Fire Dragon.
And why he was called a demigod.
‘He isn’t unreasonable—he’s at a level where common sense isn’t needed at all, is he?’
Of course, I wasn’t just standing there in admiration either.
If Karimjeva had flames, and Senios had ice magic.
Then there was also something on this battlefield.
That I, too, could handle skillfully.
To a degree that would not fall behind them.
Crack, crack, crack—!
If Karimjeva had skipped the processes of search and interference toward flames.
Then for me, the “earth” beneath my feet right now.
Was an object familiar enough.
That I could skip the processes of search and interference as well.
The surface of the earth rose.
It was no longer some insignificant stone wall.
This was a battlefield where demigods, elder mages, clashed.
I couldn’t keep relying on a paltry stone wall like in the old days forever.
Crack, crack, crack—!
This was, quite literally, raising the crust.
“Oho.”
Senios’s eyebrow twitched.
“Indeed, Marcelo’s evaluation was accurate.”
Crack, crack—!
The reason I raised the crust?
Simple.
‘Did you think I would just naively stand by and watch?’
It was to restrict Karimjeva’s domain.
After all, no matter how hot lava is, it can’t melt a volcano, can it? A manifestation on a scale capable of altering the terrain. To my past self, this would have been a level I couldn’t even dream of.
However, there was no great consumption of mana.
Doping from elixirs?
Mana regeneration secured through items?
Those certainly helped a good deal.
But the biggest reason lay elsewhere.
[Pentagram of Pure Knowledge]
[Grade: Epic]
[Restriction: None]
[Effect: When equipped, acquire knowledge of all minerals and all plants on the Arcana Continent.]
[Description: A magic tool containing an immeasurably vast amount of knowledge.]
That was right.
Knowledge of all minerals.
The reason I had been able to skip the processes of search and interference.
The reason I had been able to manifest magic of this scale without being bound by mana.
It was all thanks to the power of an Epic-grade item, the [Pentagram of Pure Knowledge].
“……!”
How do you like the taste of my struggles, Karimjeva?
Of course, even as I thought that, the ground continued to rise.
Rumble, rumble—!
The moment that tectonic upheaval ended.
The lava Karimjeva had created could no longer flow.
And this had not been my intention.
But somehow, the ground I stood on had shot up far higher than the ground Karimjeva stood on, hadn’t it?
So.
“It seems you are mistaken about your position.”
I had no choice but to speak while looking down at Karimjeva.
“You are no longer the Fire Dragon. You are nothing more than a heinous criminal, a lowly devil worshipper.”
……
No, but it wasn’t as if I said anything wrong.
Was there really a need to glare that hard?
Karimjeva answered while giving off heat.
“Shut up, you adventurer brat.”
If I could shut up just because I was told to.
‘I wouldn’t have opened my mouth from the start.’
Senios supported my stance.
“Indeed, it is a fitting eye level for a heinous criminal.”
“Foolish, Senios.”
“Foolish? Me?”
“You already know. Do not try to turn away from the true truth.”
The true truth?
What is that now?
I could not interfere in a conversation only the two of them understood.
However, no matter what the two exchanged, I was not too worried.
Because I knew very well what kind of person Senios was.
Karimjeva spoke seriously.
But Senios sneered as if to show him.
“The true truth? Nonsense. Where in the world would such a thing exist?”
“……
Wh-what did you say?”
“If you are human, then behave like one, Karimjeva. Those around you called you Fire Dragon, Fire Dragon, and held you up, so did you truly come to believe you were a dragon living through eons of time?”
I told you.
Contrary to his appearance.
Senios was not a proper mage.
As he had said himself, he was a hopeless mage.
—“I say this because it is in front of you, but truthfully, I had doubts from the moment I set foot in the Magic Tower. They talk about pursuing truth and whatnot…… But in the end, if truth is something one can reach through pursuit, I wondered whether something so trivial could truly be called truth.”
Because he did not possess.
The desire to pursue truth that a mage of the Magic Tower ought to have.
—“A twisted mage like this occupies the position of elder. How could the Magic Tower run properly? Hahaha! It’s embarrassing even as I say it myself!”
When I heard that story.
I had a question.
Then why had Senios entered the Magic Tower?
The reason was simple.
—“That was purely because I wanted to prove my strength.”
Because there had been someone in the Magic Tower against whom he could prove his strength.
—“I entered the Magic Tower in pursuit of the Fire Dragon, you see.”
The Fire Dragon.
That reputation had been built even before he entered the Magic Tower.
It was not impossible to understand.
After all, the mages of the Magic Tower basically did not engage in outside activity.
Senios had flashed his pupils and added this.
—“A chance to defeat the Fire Dragon with my own hands and prove my strength! How could I possibly let this chance slip by? Ah, of course. I have not forgotten the cause of setting the Magic Tower right. So, taking that into consideration, permission to leave the Tower……”
……
I didn’t bring up his appearance for nothing, you know?
Who would ever imagine it?
Would anyone even believe it if told?
That the elder mage Senios had set out to punish Karimjeva.
Because of such personal feelings.
“I thought you, at least, would understand. It seems I was mistaken, Senios.”
No.
The one who’s mistaken is you, Karimjeva.
Senios, that man, is far more unhinged than you think.
Wooooo—
Karimjeva’s mana surged once more.
This time, flames began wrapping around his body.
No matter how thoroughly I had plastered myself with fire attribute affinity.
With that level of firepower, even a graze would be dangerous.
“Then there will be no mercy. You, and that adventurer brat as well. I shall burn you all.”
A full-fledged declaration of war.
Senios, who must have been waiting for this moment more than anyone else.
Had no hesitation.
Crack—!
The layers of air froze.
Soon, a massive mass of ice enveloped Senios’s body.
As if that were not enough, it was rapidly cooling the surrounding area.
As though drawing a line.
“How dare you avert your eyes to someone else while standing before Senios of the Perpetual Snow? That, I cannot allow. Still, it seems you are relying on your advantage in affinity.”
As Senios said, affinities existed in magic as well.
Flame magic and ice magic were polar opposites.
Naturally, Karimjeva knew that fact too.
“Before my flames, your petty tricks are useless.”
Of course, I, who had devoured all sorts of magic books, naturally knew that fact as well.
That was why I did not stay still.
There was a reason I had overturned the ground.
Even at the cost of precious mana.
‘If I interfere half-heartedly, I’ll only get in the way.’
Let’s not forget to know my place.
As I said, I was nothing more than a shrimp caught in a fight between whales.
But this was within expectations.
This, too, was a development included in my thorough preparations.
Tectonic shift.
Pshooosh─!!
As a result, the groundwater flowing beneath the earth burst upward.
As I said, magic has affinities.
Like rock-paper-scissors.
A profound cycle of mutual counters.──────Freezing < Flame < Water < Freezing < Flame < Water…….──────That’s right.
Changing the battlefield to be as advantageous as possible.
That was the best I could do at this moment.
Pshooo─!
Pshooosh─!
Streams of groundwater erupted from place to place.
They would be poison to Karimjeva’s flame magic.
And an elixir to Senios’s freezing magic.
“……!!”
Having noticed the change in the battlefield.
The two of them showed clearly opposite reactions.
“……
You brat!!”
“A reassuring bit of support, Chief Lee Hoyeol!”
Looking at the two of them, I thought.
Marcelo, Matisse.
No, even Bangrit would do.‘Anyway, anyone, just hurry up.’Without [Natural Enemy]
a battlefield like this was too much for me.*Marcelo gritted his teeth.
It was exactly like Bangrit.
“Chief Marcelo. Those are!”
“Yes. Demons.”
The collapsed rift.
Demons poured out from it.
Unlike at Bangrit, the demons did not appear to be of a particularly high level.
But their numbers were considerable.
So much so that there seemed to be no end to their procession.
Marcelo could sense it instinctively.‘Are this many demons moving solely for the resurrection of the Demon King?’No matter what happened.
They had to stop the Demon King’s resurrection, at the very least.
So he could not help but worry.‘Facing demons on top of Karimjeva is…….’It would never be easy.
Of course, he could not know who was facing Karimjeva.
A rift was a space of strangeness.
Telepathy from the inside to the outside was impossible.
But one thing was certain.
“Senior Bellier.”
“Yes?”
“I will increase our speed.”
“Marcelo, pushing yourself any further than this is……!”
Bellier’s words trailed off.
She had to stop him……
But Marcelo’s eyes were more resolute than ever.
Swallowing her words, Bellier instead gripped her staff tightly.
“Understood. As you wish, we’ll sweep them all away.”
Their target was, above all, the archcriminal Karimjeva.
They could not afford to be held back by mere demons.
They had to close the rift swiftly and support the other rifts....
Shapes of something pouring in from afar.
Before I could even confirm their true nature with my eyes.
A message appeared.[Skill, ‘Natural Enemy,’ has activated.]……
Wait a minute.
In that case, I take back what I said about it being too much.
I immediately declared to Karimjeva.
“It suits you, Karimjeva.”
No one would ever imagine
that I had been desperately waiting for reinforcements.
“……
It suits me?”
Not in the slightest.
“The way you justify yourself while prattling on about the ultimate truth. And the way you end up relying on demons after all. I mean that disgraceful sight suits an ugly demon worshiper like you.”
Shamelessly.