“A demon lord, could it be... Aaagh!”
Grrr...
The wolf stepped on the sorcerer's body, and a painful scream erupted.
The mont I realized this was the world I lived in during my past life, I summoned another of my subordinates.
It took so ti to break through the barrier spread across this area, but I did manage it eventually.
In fact, I had wandered through the castle on purpose, despite knowing it was a maze, just to buy so ti until this one arrived.
The wolf, filling the space completely, displayed an impressive presence.
With its gray fur and eyes glowing green like Leo’s, it stared at clearly.
Gruk?
The wolf tilted its head.
This one was born later than Leo, so it's still a bit clumsy in conveying its intentions.
However, seeing its tail wagging wildly, it was clear it was happy to see .
It was fortunate that this one, unlike Leo, had preserved its strength.
Of course, if it ca to Earth, the story would be different.
"Yiii... don't underestimate !"
The sorcerer, who had been crushed under the wolf’s paw, clenched his fists and then spread his palm wide.
A magic circle engraved on his palm began to shine and floated into the air.
"No matter how much you’re a magic-hunting hound, this is my space!"
The sorcerer shouted, pumping magic into the magic circle.
Or rather, that’s what he intended to do.
But nothing happened.
The sorcerer looked around, bewildered, and rolled his eyes.
"What? Why isn't the magic...!"
"Hahaha."
I laughed heartily at the sorcerer.
The sorcerer glared at with eyes filled with rage.
Seeing that the magic didn’t work, it seed he had finally realized what was going on.
"You! Again, it’s you! When did you steal my control?!"
"Well, you shouldn't have let the hero into this castle."
When Yoo Han-ul swung his sword and disrupted the magical structure within the barrier, I used the opportunity to take control of the magic.
No matter how well-built a structure is, if you pull out the cornerstone, the whole thing starts to crumble.
'Though, I suppose Yoo Han-ul’s presence was an unexpected factor.'
In my current disoriented state, I just made things shake as per my orders. If Yoo Han-ul had been in his right mind, he might have split the entire castle in two.
But, as expected, the hero’s confusion was beneficial to .
"I should thank you. Thanks to you, I've recovered quite a bit of power."
"W-What?"
The sorcerer's voice trembled uncontrollably.
The user’s magic is being abnormally enhanced!
Suddenly increasing your level may cause strain on your body. Be careful not to lose balance.
The overall level and body enhancent levels are imbalanced. Overuse of magic may cause your body to collapse, so caution is advised.
A system notification had popped up in front of multiple tis already.
It wasn't surprising that the system was in a panic.
Jeong Da-on (Normal)
Potential Ability Evaluation: S Rank
Health: LV. 21 (Limit: None)
Strength: LV. 25 (Limit: None)
Magic: LV. 85 (Limit: None)
Overall Level: LV. 28 -> 43
Dungeon Suitability: C Rank Dungeon
From the overall level alone, I had already reached the level of an A-rank hunter.
It could be said that this was an unprecedented jump.
Raising my overall level by 15 all at once.
For so, that might be impossible even after a lifeti of effort.
Of course, in my case, my health and strength were too low compared to my magic, so it would be hard to evaluate based on the overall level alone.
According to the system, when the levels of body and magic are this imbalanced, it’s usually dangerous and the balance would collapse. But that didn’t concern .
I wouldn’t be defeated by sothing as trivial as magic.
"W-How did you do this?"
"You keep saying the sa thing."
"Don’t make laugh! When did you steal my magic?!"
The sorcerer shouted in frustration, veins bursting in his eyes, blood tears flowing down his face.
"Did you use an energy drain? That’s forbidden black magic. To steal my magic like this...!"
"Hahaha."
I couldn’t help but laugh.
Yes, the magic I had used was black magic, forbidden in my past life.
It was the act of stealing control of another's magic and absorbing it.
When the sorcerer had been glowing and beating earlier, I hadn’t taken those hits for nothing.
Physical contact is a very efficient way to drain another's magic.
Thanks to that, I had stolen control of his magic and absorbed it.
It did hurt a little, but a few hits like that were worth it.
Moreover...
"Isn’t it ironic for you to say sothing like that, when you’ve absorbed the magic of every living thing in this area?"
Crash!
Suddenly, from a distance, the sound of breaking stones could be heard.
The sorcerer, having lost his magic, caused the magical structure itself to shake, and the castle began to crumble.
"…Please, don’t do this."
Did the sorcerer finally realize the situation was hopeless?
The one who had been shouting with bloodshot eyes just a mont ago now pressed his forehead to the ground before .
Blood splattered everywhere.
As if praying to a god.
Bang! Bang!
"Hero!"
Wait, was that aid at ?
I had claid to be the demon lord, but I wasn’t sure where that rumor had co from.
Was he treating as a hero just because I ca with Yoo Han-ul, the actual hero?
That was extrely unpleasant.
"You don’t belong to this world, do you!"
His voice was desperate.
"I know it must seem terrible. But please understand. We just wanted to live!"
Why was he suddenly treating like a hero? It seed he thought I was doing this out of so sense of justice.
The sorcerer’s plea continued.
"And the villagers, they’d rather live like this than die, I’m sure they won’t want to die!"
"...."
"If this castle falls, the villagers will completely disappear. You don’t want that, do you? If you destroy , it’s like you’re killing the villagers with your own hands!"
"...."
"Please, return my magic. If you didn’t like the idea of sacrificing the villagers, I’ll try to restore their bodies, sohow!"
Begging in a desperate voice, the sorcerer crawled toward .
But...
"Please, don’t crush my great barrier, my lifelong wish."
"That’s a fun performance."
"…You bastard!"
Realizing it had no effect, the sorcerer gritted his teeth.
Well, if the actual hero had been here, it might have worked.
If the sorcerer died, the souls of the villagers trapped within this barrier would cease to exist and their forms would vanish.
The sorcerer’s face shattered at that realization.
The sorcerer scread.
"Why are you doing this to !"
How desperate must he be?
As he said, the magic he had dedicated his whole life to was collapsing, and the magic he had created to summon the hero had been ruined by soone like , breaking all his efforts.
I smiled widely, imagining his feelings.
"Just."
"What?"
"Just, just."
Sotis, aimless evil feels even more overwhelming.
I wanted to completely crush him.
Just like the others who had been caught in this magic would have felt.
"Just because I don’t like you."
Saying that, I clenched my fist.
Why?
Crack!
"Ugh!"
When I kicked the sorcerer’s chin, a very pleasant sound followed.
Then, after his chin was struck and his body was sent flying into the air, I threw my fist at him.
This ti, the sorcerer couldn’t even scream, his body slamd into the ground.
"Don’t worry, I won’t kill you right away."
Just to clarify, I prefer to punish with beautiful magic rather than crude violence.
But, after training with Yoo Han-ul for over a week, I realized that physically moving my body was quite effective in relieving stress.
Also, magic is over in a single strike, but no matter how much I hit soone with my strength, they won’t die, which is a bonus.
Well, you might wonder what kind of stress I was holding onto.
Doing good deeds will bring you blessings? Quest is in progress.
Until now, I had avoided using violence, no matter how angry I was, because I couldn’t bring myself to hit an Earthling like this.
However, the sorcerer before was classified as a monster by the system.
So...
Smack!
No matter how much I hit him, it didn’t break any rules.
"Ugh! Stop!"
Whack!
I should have hit him in the mouth earlier.
If I had done that, I wouldn’t have had to hear all these pointless words.
I kept hitting the sorcerer until I was satisfied.
At least I hit him much more than I had been hit.
The sorcerer, unable to scream, was endlessly beaten.
‘That should be enough.’
After my frustration had subsided, I grabbed the sorcerer’s chin and lifted him up.
His face was a complete ss.
Earlier, there had been anger and hatred toward this incomprehensible situation, but now there was only fear covering his face.
I cast a slight recovery spell on the sorcerer’s mouth, where blood had pooled.
"Now, you can talk. I have one question for you."
"You, demon..."
"Yes, I’m a demon."
This kind of accusation wasn’t anything new.
But in this situation, there seed to be another demon worse than .
"This three-layered barrier, you didn’t create it by yourself, right?"
The first barrier protected the sorcerer himself and absorbed magic.
The second barrier turned the villagers inside the outer walls into human statues, solidifying the first barrier.
And the final barrier surrounded the outer walls, preventing outsiders from entering.
"Who taught you this magic?"
"What do you an? I created all of this magic myself..."
"Don’t make excuses. If you really made this magic with all your might, you wouldn’t have nad the final barrier 'Foolish Honor.'"
"...What?"
Hearing my words, the sorcerer's face turned pale.
"Foolish honor..."
"You didn’t even know the na of your own magic?"
Foolish honor.
When I first used Seol Mae to break through the barrier, I saw the na of this magic on the system.
The na given by the sorcerer who first created this magic.
If she really created it all herself, she would have known the na.
"I had a feeling another magician was involved from the beginning."
Magicians who are proud of their magic would never give it such a na.
"Why did you use such a na...?"
The sorcerer mumbled, his expression gradually disappearing.
The face he had when he was rejected by the hero, or when I had beaten him, was nowhere to be seen now.
What I saw now was...
The complete collapse of hope.
Hope was the true force that destroys a person, not anger, hatred, or fear.
After a long silence, the sorcerer finally spoke.
"Every magic has a master, and I had a master. I sought help from my master to perform this great magic to save the world. Our goals were aligned. While I managed the souls inside, my master was supposed to block external invaders. But then why...?"
"Ah, enough."
I waved my hand, cutting off the sorcerer's words.
I didn’t co here to listen to the sorcerer’s lants about his noble cause.
I just had one question.
"So, who is your master?"
Honestly, I didn’t need the answer to know, but confirmation was necessary.
And soon, the sorcerer’s mouth opened.
"...Orbis. Emperor Orbis."
Thud!
With that answer, the sorcerer's body collapsed, completely losing consciousness.
I looked at the unconscious sorcerer for a while.
Orbis.
I had expected it, but hearing it confird still left with a strange feeling.
It had been years since I had heard that na.
Grrrrr...
The wolf raised its fur and growled low at the collapsed sorcerer.
It seed that this na wasn’t pleasant for it either.
"Don’t get too upset. It’s just the na of soone who’s already dead."
I didn’t really need to get sentintal either.
In this current life, that person was likely using a completely different na...
I didn’t want to be bound by that nightmare of a person anymore.
"By the way, could you carry this sorcerer?"
Grrr!
The wolf obediently grabbed the sorcerer’s head in its mouth and lifted it up.
If it had been Leo, he would’ve whined and protested, but since the wolf was younger, it didn’t mind.
With the sorcerer’s head in its mouth, the wolf tilted its head, showing a curious expression.
Sniff?
"He’s going to the hero."
By now, he must have regained his senses. It was ti to use the hero for my purposes.
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