Chapter 15

“Crazy bitch, tch!”

I spat out the lump of blood pooled in my mouth. Wiping the blood from the corner of my lips with my forearm, I glared ahead. The monster, wearing the form of a woman, was burning. It had tried to approach me with a seductive allure, and when that failed, it twisted into a nightmare form to attack. But I’d already rolled around long enough in the Demon Realm—cheap tricks like that didn’t work on me anymore.

I had sliced its skin hundreds of times with my mana-coated sword before finally incinerating it with a grand finish: the 4th-class spell, Flame Buster.

I spared the flames a glance and turned toward Rocky Mountain. I had discovered it more than a hundred days ago. The blood-red rocks there jutted up like sharp blades. One by one, I impaled the monster corpses on those jagged spikes. A total of 164 so far. Once I reached 200, I planned to move on elsewhere.

Maybe I had absorbed too much demonic energy, because my personality was changing. I was aware of it. Still, I had no desire to go back to who I used to be. That was why I also rationed out the Dragon Hearts bit by bit. Life extension mattered more than clinging to some old sense of self. Endless, really.

Another monster rushed straight at me.

It had four legs and two heads. The left one was blue, the right one red. Fittingly, the blue head spat out icy blasts, and the red one spewed fire. Naturally, I was immune to cold and fire-element magic. But if I hurled a fireball at the blue head, the beast would slyly throw its red head forward, tank the damage, and keep charging.

Normally, creatures like this were easy enough to kill. Just get behind them and stab with the sword. But this one was different. Its entire body was split in half, like two beasts sewn together. I had never seen anything like it before.

“What the hell are you?”

I felt tense, but not afraid. It wasn’t entirely unfamiliar—just a variant of something I had already fought. A monster was still a monster.

I wrapped my sword in mana. The pitch-black blade gleamed, lighting up the surroundings. A torrent of power surged forth, and the beast hesitated mid-charge.

Grinning, I lunged forward. Cloaking my body in mana to lighten my steps, I dashed in. When six paces remained between us, I shifted into footwork, weaving through its line of sight. In a blink, I was behind it. My sword, saturated with mana, slashed through its legs.

Kaang!

The recoil hit before the sound did. A fierce vibration traveled up my blade.

“Kurrrgh!”

The beast spun around instantly, both maws opening wide. My arms still trembled from the shock carried through the sword. Then the twin heads unleashed frost and fire at once.

I rolled to the side just in time. Flames caught the edge of my clothes. I wrapped mana around my hand and slapped down on the scorched fabric.

“Kurrrgh!”

Again, the maws opened. The same attack as before. This time, though, I was ready. I couldn’t just dodge forever. Earlier, I had no choice but to retreat, but now I could plan ahead.

I thought ahead to the next move as I slipped into footwork once more. Circling, I darted behind it again and drove my sword in with both hands, stabbing at its rear.

Kaang!

The rebound was even stronger than before. My grip almost failed, and I squeezed harder. Pain split through my palms as though they were tearing apart. The beast spun again.

“Kurrrgh!”

The two heads yawned open once more. Was that its only attack? I frowned and moved again with my footwork—when suddenly, a shadow streaked across my path. The monster had blocked me head-on.

How?

Its maws unleashed a smaller breath attack. I had no room to evade. The blast hit me dead-on.

“Gyaaaah!”

Everywhere the frost struck, a crawling itch mixed with pain spread across my skin. Where the flames landed, the agony was searing. I had no choice but to tumble along the ground. The beast, convinced it had its prey, advanced slowly.

The agony didn’t fade. It clung to me, relentless. Staggering back, I forced my mind into focus, shaped my mana, and chanted.

“Heal! Heal! Heal!”

White light flared from my hands, wrapping me three times over. The pain dulled.

There was nowhere left to run. If I dodged into another monster, I’d only worsen the situation. I had to kill this thing. Only then could I live.

I scanned every inch of its body. No living thing was without a weakness. That was the one thing I had learned in the Demon Realm. Where was this beast’s? Eyes? Jaws? Neck? The space between the brows? The stomach?

I steadied my breath and charged again, weaving my footwork with greater care. It was bound to intercept me this time too. Sure enough, five steps in, it lunged in front of me again. The twin heads loomed, cold and heat roiling from their maws, eyes glowing black, stench rolling out with every breath.

In a split-second of focus, I aimed for the eyes with my sword strike. But at that range, the beast jerked its head aside. Instead, the blade sank into the temple.

Kaang!

Nausea rose in my throat. What the hell was this thing made of, that even a mana-infused blade couldn’t pierce it?

Fwoosh!

Flames roared from its gaping maw. I leapt upward, but its head tracked me, waiting with jaws wide open exactly where I was about to land.

Clever bastard.

I smirked and triggered a spell midair, just before touching down.

“Blink!”

In the blink of an eye, I reappeared behind it. My kick slammed into its body, sending it flying upward. Pain throbbed through the top of my foot, but the creature wasn’t as heavy as it was hard. It floated up easily. I leapt after it, slashing hard at its exposed belly, praying that would be the weak spot.

Kaaaang!

Not even the stomach.

But I wasn’t discouraged. Where was its weakness?

I pulled back to keep some distance. The beast landed safely, snarling at me. Each growl sent waves of frost and fire rolling from its mouths. As the opposing elements collided, thick steam spread out, cloaking it in mist.

I channeled mana into my blade and swept it in a wide arc. The gust tore the fog away in an instant.

“Heh, cheap tricks won’t work on me.”

I mocked it, circling slowly. My stamina was dipping fast. If I dragged this out, I’d be at a disadvantage.

Its eyes really seemed like a weak point. When I went for them earlier, it dodged desperately. But could that be the only spot?

Then I noticed it.

Why didn’t I see that sooner?

This would be the last strike.

I steadied my breathing and charged. The monster’s maws opened again, gathering frost and flame. Instead of relying on footwork, I lightened my body and invoked my movement art. My speed surged. When five steps remained, I wove in my steps, feet striking the ground in erratic rhythm.

The beast lunged, but it couldn’t intercept me. I had mixed irregular patterns into my movement. To its eyes, I seemed to advance head-on—until I suddenly shifted my center of gravity and slipped to the side. Its timing faltered.

At last, I reached its back. This time, I went for the tail.

It was black, the same color as its eyes. That had to mean something.

The mana-saturated blade struck true.

Slash!

The tail came off cleanly. Immediately, the frost and fire that had split its body began to dissipate. Even the breath it had been charging in its maws dispersed into nothing.

“Kurrrgh! Kurrrgh!”

The beast shrieked, thrashing wildly in place.

I drove my sword deep into its back.

Thud!

Mana flared as the blade tore through flesh.

Yes—this feeling. The thrill of steel sinking into living flesh.

Grinning, I hacked into it again and again.

The Karnian Mountains.

They had long been called that because of the legend that the dragon Karnian once made its lair there. But no dragons lived in the mountains anymore. At some point, all dragons vanished from the world at once.

“Chwik! Kiss death, chwik!”

The orc chieftain bellowed grandly and charged forward. The horde of orcs roared as they surged in from all sides. Spells flew through the gaps—orc shamans joining the fray.

Colin swung his blade, shooting compressed mana to detonate their magic midair. Using the force of his swings, he unleashed follow-up slashes, each one firing off a mana bullet.

Orcs struck by those shots collapsed with grievous wounds, their bodies punctured clean through.

Colin didn’t tire. He kept firing mana bullets from his sword. A Grand Master’s mana was like an inexhaustible spring, and those shots hardly consumed much at all. With just that technique, Colin disabled over thirty orcs. Still, the press of bodies drove them closer.

For the first time, Colin had to actually twist his body to avoid their strikes. Axes whistled past, heavy wooden clubs swung for his head. He shifted his weight with minimal movement, dodging everything with the barest of steps.

His sword danced, his body flowed through every attack. Leap, spin, duck, block. Bit by bit, he reduced his mana expenditure, instead replaying every form of swordsmanship and martial training he had ever learned.

Then—his senses tingled.

‘A high mage nearby. One of them feels like a Master level… And this—what is this?’

His chest pounded. It had been so long since he felt this way. Truly long.

A grotesque mana, of a different quality altogether. Richer, darker. Sinister, even savage. There was only one kind of mana like this.

Colin’s eyes gleamed. He remembered. An unforgettable memory. Whenever he recalled that time, his heart beat like now, and his head bowed without thought.

Leaving the rest of the orcs behind, Colin moved. Those orcs lived only because of that distraction.

The butler returned in less than a day with what was needed.

Dumaine accepted the items, secured the refined Dragon Heart, and climbed into the carriage. The four-horse carriage rolled down the boulevard, guards saluting crisply as it passed, and then it departed the kingdom.

After a long ride, the carriage entered the Karnian Mountains. The entry path was dense with trees and undergrowth, heavy shadows making the air damp.

“We’ve arrived,” the coachman said, climbing down to open the door.

Dumaine stepped out and immediately strode toward the villa in front of him—his private retreat.

Ever since the Karnian Mountains had gained an overseer, Widav’s nobles built secluded villas here, vacationing in the quiet wilderness.

Dumaine entered the reception room and took out the item the butler had obtained, turning it over in his hand.

“It’s right before my eyes now…”

Before long, word came that Hazabut had arrived.

“The old mage…”

The sly, ambitious knight rose to his feet. It was time to receive his guest.

“I heard you’re on vacation,” Hazabut said.

“Seems I’ve lost the luxury of leisure,” Dumaine replied.

“No one else around—doesn’t that bother you?”

“I wanted peace, just this once,” Dumaine answered smoothly.

But the old mage didn’t believe him. His gaze lingered instead on the crystal atop the table.

The refined Dragon Heart. Its glow shimmered with restrained savagery. That would be the key to making him a legendary archmage.

An 8th-class mage. The highest peak a human could reach.

“I hope I’m not interrupting your vacation. But you must understand, this crystal keeps haunting my thoughts…”

Hazabut clasped the crystal with half-lidded eyes. It was dazzling—so dazzling. Ferocious, chilling, and yet irresistibly alluring.

“Any progress so far?” Dumaine asked.

The old mage only stared at the crystal in silence. Dumaine laughed inwardly.

“You must truly like it.”

“Mm? Ah, forgive me. I was… distracted.”

The mage chuckled softly. Dumaine smiled and reached out.

“Allow me a look as well.”

Reluctantly, Hazabut handed it over. Dumaine studied the crystal closely.

“His Majesty doesn’t know yet, does he?”

“Haha, only the two of us. Even my closest aides know nothing. I trust the same is true for you, Sir Dumaine.”

“Of course. The fewer who know of a treasure, the brighter its value shines. But still, I must ask again—any progress?”

“There have been positive results. Soon we’ll achieve a satisfying breakthrough. And even if we can’t divide it perfectly, I’m willing to accept some loss.”

Hazabut smiled pleasantly as he spoke. Dumaine did not trust that smile.

‘Old mage… this is the end. Did you think I wouldn’t notice you stalling for time?’

His hunger for strength only deepened. He had already risked his life on the Demon Temple expedition for the sake of the Mana Elixir, and when he consumed it, he had truly grown stronger.

Now the Dragon Heart would lead him to the ultimate realm. Grand Master.

Hazabut’s delays were transparent. Frustration welled up in Dumaine’s chest.