Episode 516

Episode 516

‘What kind of ridiculous bracelet is this?’

Lee Han cursed at the skull principal who gifted him such an absurd artifact.

An artifact that could potentially have a demon inside that could jump out and take over his body.

No sane mage would have any reason to wear such an artifact.

However, in truth, the skull principal also had his reasons.

Basically, the demons trapped in this Bracelet of Ten Thousand Demons were not just trapped, but their very existence had been bound and sealed.

In other words, even if they got out for a moment, they wouldn’t last long and would soon be forced back inside the bracelet.

Besides, how many demons were there trapped inside?

These demons were all mixed and sealed together, so reclaiming their own sense of self and climbing out on their own was an extremely difficult feat.

Even if they managed to do such a thing, there would be signs, and it would take quite a while, so the mage would surely notice.

But Anpursas regained his sense of self right away, immediately recovered his consciousness, and jumped out of the bracelet before Lee Han could even react.

The heat of war in the air, which awakened Anpursas—the demon of struggle and battle—played a part, but the real reason was the overwhelming mana of the mage wearing it.

Even without Lee Han consciously pouring it in, an immense amount of mana had seeped in whenever he cast spells or circulated mana.

Of course, not knowing this, Lee Han cursed the skull principal.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Demon. Do you think I’d strike a deal with a demon?”

-You underestimate me, Anpursas, mage! Though I am sealed here, I was once the nightmare and terror of all foes!

At Lee Han’s words, Anpursas also snorted.

Even though his existence was bound and sealed within the Bracelet of Ten Thousand Demons, so he would eventually have to go back, Anpursas was still a powerful demon.

He could take over the body of a mage like this with ease.

-As the master of the seal and the one who has generously bestowed mana, I shall not treat you harshly.

“…Wait. What do you mean, generously bestowed mana? What are you talking about…”

-Behold, and fear me—I am Anpursas!

With that, Anpursas concentrated his power to take over Lee Han’s body.

He planned to borrow the body briefly and show what a true warrior’s fight looked like.

“……”

-……

But nothing happened.

Both Anpursas, who was straining with effort, and Lee Han, who was tense at the demon’s declaration, were confused.

-Is my strength not yet recovered?

Anpursas swelled his presence once more.

But the body of a human mage felt like trying to push a massive mountain for an ant—an insurmountable weight.

After struggling and groaning for a while, Anpursas gave up, exhausted.

-…I will not return inside until you grant me the chance to fight!

‘Is this guy insane?’

Lee Han thought Anpursas would quietly return to the bracelet after exhausting himself, but since he kept holding out, Lee Han was flustered.

Thinking about it, there was no way a demon would have a conscience or a sense of shame.

“Then do as you wish.”

-I will not return inside until you give me a chance to fight! I will not return inside until you give me a chance to fight! I will not return inside until you give me a chance to fight!

“……”

Lee Han felt an urge to go to the skull principal and ask, “Can’t we just annihilate all the demons inside the Bracelet of Ten Thousand Demons?”

“Gainando. Listen carefully.”

-I am Anpursas!

“Ah. Sorry. For a moment there… anyway, Anpursas. Listen well. Of course I would like to grant your wish. Why wouldn’t I, as the current master of the Ten Thousand Demons?”

Due to the demon’s incessant nagging, Lee Han chose persuasion instead of ignoring him.

“But the situation right now isn’t a battle—it’s a festival. Look closely.”

-But there are people shedding blood?

“…Sometimes, at a lively festival, some blood gets shed too.”

-There are piles of broken debris and bodies over there?

“…They’re not bodies, just people who have collapsed for a moment. It’s because the festival is so lively.”

Although the demon didn’t quite understand Lee Han’s words, he decided to accept it, since Lee Han was the master of the bracelet.

-So there really is no chance for me to fight? Truly disappoint…

Krrrrrrrrumble!

A dimensional rift opened, and a chilling cold began to spread everywhere.

The upperclassmen, sensing the approach of an adversary from another dimension, hardened their expressions and began chanting spells.

‘If it’s cold…’

‘If it’s Frost Castle, this will be a headache.’

‘Please, anything but the penguin army. Anything but the penguin army.’

Recalling their own worst experiences with cold-based enemies, the upperclassmen tensed up.

Is this another one of these mages’ domains? Why do you mages live so precariously?

“……”

With a familiar opponent in sight, Lee Han drooped his head.

The appearance of that intelligent giant wearing a blue ice crown.

It was the King of Frost Giants who emerged from the rift.

• * *

After seeing the upperclassmen murmuring everywhere, Lee Han got hold of himself.

‘What matters right now is…’

He needed to quietly stay put while the upperclassmen fought off the King of Frost Giants.

If the King of Frost Giants recognized Lee Han and called out to him, things would get troublesome.

-I will not return inside until you give me a chance to fight! I will not return inside until you give me a chance to fight! I will not return inside until you give me a chance to fight!

“…Shut up, already.”

Lee Han growled in a low voice at the demon, who was almost painfully loud.

He vowed that once Anpursas went back into the bracelet, he would never summon him again no matter what happened.

No matter how much help he needed, he would never call him again!

Young challenger. How have you been? You haven’t aged much, I see.

“……”

The King of Frost Giants recognized Lee Han immediately and greeted him.

Come to think of it, Lee Han’s staff had the stone given by the King of Frost Giants embedded in it, so there was no way he wouldn’t be recognized.

So in that time, how much had he improved…

“Damn it.”

Even without using any precognition magic, Lee Han closed his eyes tightly at the future he could sense coming.

“Upperclassmen, please get out of the way!”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

Phil responded to Lee Han’s words as if telling him not to joke around.

What kind of upperclassman brings a junior and runs away?

“And no matter how strong that guy is, this is Einrogard.”

The moment he finished speaking, Koholti launched the undead army.

As the person, no, upperclassman who knew best about the relationship between the King of Frost Giants and Lee Han, Koholti felt a heavy sense of responsibility.

“King of Frost Giants, do not lay a hand on the young mage!”

Necromancer? That energy feels familiar…

“…What nonsense are you spouting!”

Koholti led the ghost army against the King of Frost Giants.

But the King of Frost Giants was not easy to deal with. He immediately summoned the penguin army from the rift and started pushing back Koholti’s ghost army.

Some upperclassmen who saw the penguin army screamed.

“Oh my god! It’s the penguin army!!”

“Of all things!”

“?”

Lee Han was flustered at the upperclassmen’s reactions, but when he saw the penguin army fight, he immediately understood.

Cloaked in fierce cold magic, they bit through the ghost army, breaking through with such force that even the formidable ghost army was pushed back.

“Reinforcements! Reinforcements!!”

“If that side breaks, things get dangerous! Take care of the penguin army first!”

Startled by the sight of the penguin army, the upperclassmen rushed to deal with them first.

Anpagon also dared not aim his artifact at the King of Frost Giants. Cold sweat dripped down his back as he aimed at the penguin army, ready to fire the moment they made any move.

The King of Frost Giants turned his gaze back to Lee Han.

“……”

Go.

At the King’s command, icy elemental beings appeared and started charging with a roar.

A path of cold formed in midair, stretching towards Lee Han. The icy elementals grew even stronger on that path.

The healing mage students took up battle-ready stances, but to Lee Han, the compatibility was terrible.

‘To use healing magic in battle, the target needs to be alive, at least.’

By understanding and twisting the opponent’s nerves, organs, and various other elements, the greatest destructive force could be unleashed—this is the combat use of healing magic.

But for otherworldly icy elementals, such things were meaningless. It was like fighting with one arm tied behind his back.

If, as before, it had been about dodging the King of Frost Giants’ summoned attacks, it would’ve been better, but perhaps because Lee Han passed the previous trial, it seemed the King had raised the bar much higher.

Those ice elementals clearly weren’t the type to be dealt with easily.

‘If I unleash fire magic without control… damn. The upperclassmen will take even more damage.’

-Lend me your arm, to me, Anpursas!

“I said shut up.”

Lee Han’s patience was running thin, and his voice turned icy cold.

But as a true demon, Anpursas didn’t care about the other’s feelings.

-I swear on the true name of Anpursas—let me take care of that horde and I’ll go back inside!

“Can you actually take them down?”

Lee Han was skeptical.

If Anpursas were in his original form, it might be possible.

Judging by his speech, he was indeed a powerful demon.

But right now, Anpursas had to fight using Lee Han’s body.

Even if he lent it, Lee Han doubted he could fight well.

-If I cannot take down all of them, I shall become the mage’s lowest servant and slave. I, Anpursas, as a warrior…

Anpursas continued bragging about what an outstanding warrior he was and how many formidable foes he’d defeated in his own dimension.

Lee Han honestly didn’t have much faith in him. That kind of self-promotion was something Lee Han could do as well.

‘I’ve defeated royalty, captured a basilisk, and became the king of ghouls…’

But time was running out. The ice elementals were about to break through the healing mage students.

As one tore apart the vines restraining it and tried to strike an upperclassman, Lee Han gritted his teeth and shouted.

“If you don’t settle this properly, I swear I’ll annihilate you too. Go!”

• * *

Phil clicked his tongue in annoyance at the sight of the ice elementals.

They were better than the penguin army, but those enemies were also one of the worst to face.

Since they were made of ice, the usable magic was heavily limited.

“Let’s just bring the ones from the penguin army side over! It’s better if we fight the penguin army!”

“Understood. Signaling now…”

Before he could finish, a black flash shot out from behind and split an ice elemental cleanly in half.

“?”

“???”

Right now, the healing mages’ physical abilities had been enhanced with magic.

The fact that the attack came through their perceptions so swiftly left them bewildered.

“What the…”

But the surprise had only just begun.

Wielding the Morningstar, Lee Han exuded killing intent and started slicing through the ice elementals.

Slashslashslashslashslash-!

What the junior from the Wardanaz family showed was closer to a swordsman at the peak of mastery than a mage.

The ice elementals, enraged, swung their pointed clubs, but the junior left afterimages, disappeared, and then sliced them down with a single blow.

‘That’s aura, isn’t it!?’

An upperclassman from the White Tiger Tower was shocked to see Lee Han draw out aura.

A supreme skill that only a gifted swordsman could achieve by pouring their entire life into it!

The ice elementals, realizing that Lee Han was a warrior they couldn’t handle, changed up their strategy. The moment one was cut down, the others charged in to try and grab hold of him.

But Lee Han simply smashed the remaining elementals with his fists and let out a roar.

“……”

“…T-The junior seems really angry today… right?”