Episode 312

Episode 312

While Vizidek was thinking such thoughts, a trap revealed itself. Vizidek found the mechanical device buried in the ground and carefully inserted a lockpick.

Click!

With the sound of the device being disengaged, Vizidek slowly removed the pressure plate.

“We were lucky.”

“Luck? That was skill.”

Lee Han praised Vizidek’s skills and received the pressure plate. Unique-patterned letters were engraved on it.

“Why are there these patterns on a pressure plate?”

“I really don’t know what those old guys were thinking.”

At the words of the White Tiger Tower friends, Lee Han spoke as if he was dumbfounded.

“This is the Ancient Saharin Script.”

It was a kingdom from long ago, famous at the time for creating many golden artifacts.

As someone who had never skipped any potentially profitable study while at the Wardanaz Family, Lee Han found reading it not difficult.

“…I mean I just don’t know why they engraved letters on a pressure plate. Damn those Saharin guys.”

“What were those Saharin Kingdom fellows even thinking? In a cave like this!”

Raphadael and Angrago quickly changed the subject.

Lee Han and Deorgyu tried not to look at their two friends with pity.

“What does it say, Lee Han?”

“It says… To those who touch the treasure, there shall be death.”

“!!!!”

Deorgyu was truly surprised.

And then he whispered.

“If it says this much, doesn’t that mean there’s really a treasure?”

“Hoo… Deorgyu.”

At Lee Han’s response, Deorgyu became sheepish.

“S-sorry. I got too excited.”

“If you were to run a business, where in Granden City do you think would be good?”

“…….”

• * *

Lee Han quickly pulled himself together and stood up.

He couldn’t afford to indulge in imagination over a treasure they hadn’t even acquired yet.

“Advance again!”

‘No openings at all. Disgusting mage bastard.’

Buldahak moved his steps while thinking.

Normally, he would have found some kind of opening to counterattack or escape, but the mage was impossibly thorough.

Not only were his wrists and ankles bound with bone shackles, but there was even a bone hand around his neck that could choke him at any time…

-Do you desire power?

“?!”

-Don’t show it outwardly. If you get caught, you’ll die immediately. I asked if you desire power.

‘I… I do.’

-No matter what the cost?

‘…Yes…’

Without realizing it, Buldahak whispered.

The voice echoing from somewhere held an irresistibly strong alluring power.

-Good. I will grant you power! Soon, you will have your chance. Accept it when it comes.

‘Th-thank you!’

Buldahak offered deep gratitude to the mysterious presence inside the cave.

Normally cunning, Buldahak might have been suspicious of such an offer.

But his current situation allowed no room for doubt.

He would have had to swallow even poison if it were given.

‘What opportunity is coming? What kind of opportunity?’

Buldahak endured and waited tenaciously.

And that opportunity soon arrived.

-■■■■■■■!

A gigantic flesh-mass ghoul, on a whole different scale from the ghouls that had appeared so far, revealed itself.

Sharkan barked sharply. He tried to cut the monster’s ankle to slow it down, but the flesh-mass ghoul reacted far faster than that.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!

Before the foremost mercenaries could even scream, Lee Han reacted first.

It was the fastest reaction among those present.

“Dig it out.”

A large pit appeared in the path of the charging flesh-mass ghoul. Unable to halt its momentum, the ghoul’s foot fell in and it lost its balance, tumbling over.

“Heat. Warp the air.”

At the same time, Lee Han cast a spell without pause. An illusion appeared before the mercenaries. The mercenaries were startled as an illusion resembling themselves emerged.

“Arise, warriors of bone.”

It wasn’t perfect yet, but it didn’t matter. Lee Han tossed bone fragments, summoning skeleton warriors.

They were meant to distract the flesh-mass ghoul.

“Give me your bow.”

“Huh?”

Lee Han snatched the short bow Angrago was carrying.

Then, he cast consecutive imbuement magic.

“Faster! Heavier! Sharper…”

When facing a tough monster.

And when there was no time to prepare.

There was no need to enhance with lightning magic or water magic at a high level.

Like what he learned from Baishada, the hunter of the Shadow Patrol, all he needed was enough firepower to pierce through the enemy.

‘Thank you, Baishada.’

Of course, Baishada had never told Lee Han to stack imbue spells like that. That was Lee Han’s own idea.

He gave up on aiming enhancement magic and focused on power enhancement. He imbued as many spells as could fit on the bow and arrows.

‘The distance is close anyway. This should do…’

-Minor Speed Increase-, -Minor Weight Augmentation-, -Minor Penetration Reinforcement-—they were low-circle spells, but with Lee Han’s high magical power rapidly layered, the weapon became a deadly instrument radiating magical energy, vibrating the surrounding air.

-■!

The flesh-mass ghoul rose up in fury. It paused at the illusions and skeleton warriors spread across the cave, uncertain which one to smash first.

At that moment, the arrow screamed through the air.

Thwack!

The arrow not only pierced the vital point, it blew away the area around it. The flesh-mass ghoul whose head was blown off fell to its knees.

Lee Han let out a sigh of relief. He had made it in time.

“Got it.”

“Uh… uhhh…!!”

Not only the mercenaries but also the White Tiger Tower students were dumbfounded.

No one expected that huge thing to drop in one shot.

Angrago, the owner of the short bow, pointed repeatedly at the bow and arrows.

“You, you! Y-you!”

“I used your bow well?”

“You!!”

“I’m sorry for borrowing it so suddenly, but you know I had no choice.”

“That’s not it! How can you get that kind of power with this…?”

Angrago knew well the limits of the short bow he used.

Against monsters bigger than medium size, it barely did any damage—at best, a weapon for keeping enemies at bay…

“Hoo. Angrago.”

Lee Han looked at Angrago as if exasperated. Angrago flinched, wondering if he had made a mistake, like a student before a professor.

“Imbuement magic, right?”

“…You madman! Even I know that!!”

Angrago suddenly lost his composure and snapped.

Does he take me for an idiot?!

“How does that kind of power come from one imbuement spell?!”

“I cast several, quickly and stacked them.”

“So how?”

“Uh…”

To Angrago’s question, Lee Han was momentarily at a loss for words for the first time in a while.

There really was nothing to say but ‘just do it.’

You cast one spell, maintain balance so the next spell doesn’t disrupt the previous one, then cast the next, and so on…

Just keep stacking spells as much as possible.

“…Forget it…”

Angrago saw Lee Han’s expression and dejectedly retrieved his short bow.

He felt that asking would only make him sad.

While the two were talking, Buldahak was conversing with the voice in the cave.

-You fool. That a punk like you would take my power. You’re not even worthy. Letting the opportunity pass just now.

-Don’t talk bullshit! You didn’t even give a proper chance!

-How dare you?

-What do you mean, “How dare”? If that monster just now was sent by you, then your powers are weaker than a single arrow! Sending a monster that gets taken down by an arrow, not even by the mage’s magic—how is that a chance?!

Driven by rage, Buldahak snarled.

If you send something as a chance, at least give an opening to escape. What kind of idiot gets caught in one go and calls that a chance?

-You don’t know your place. I showed mercy to a wretch not even worth using as material…

At that moment, the voice in the cave was cut off.

“Hold on.”

Lee Han raised his hand and stopped the group.

“I just felt a magical flow.”

“……”

“I didn’t cast any spells.”

“Me neither.”

“Did you perhaps sense it wrong, Lee Han?”

Deorgyu was puzzled.

There was nobody among the mercenaries or adventurers capable of using magic.

And since none of the White Tiger Tower students sensed the magical flow, it was natural to suspect it was only his imagination.

But Lee Han remained unwavering.

What he learned in Einrogard was trust in his own senses.

‘Even check a stone bridge before crossing—make sure Headmaster Skull isn’t nearby and then turn around to find another way.’

“I definitely felt it.”

An artificial magical flow through the cave.

Definitely not a natural flow.

“Who are you? Show yourself.”

The White Tiger Tower students immediately drew their weapons. The two adventurers drew theirs as well. When the air went cold, the mercenaries panicked and shouted.

“No, no, mage sir! We would never!”

“Was it a magic item?”

“If I had anything like that, I’d trade it for gold coins rather than carry it around!”

“Quiet. If you don’t show yourselves, I’ll interrogate each of you one by one.”

Lee Han looked over the mercenaries.

Then he summoned the one with the most guilt first.

Crunch!

“Speak. What did you do?”

“Kh, khak. Nothing.”

“…?”

Lee Han was surprised as he interrogated Buldahak without much thought.

The -Emotion Insight- spell revealed that Buldahak was hiding something.

‘What’s this. Was he really doing something?’

Lee Han raised his guard.

Even if someone couldn’t use magic, an artifact or scroll in an inner pocket could create plenty of unexpected variables.

They found nothing during the search, but you never know with the world.

“If you won’t talk, die.”

Lee Han strengthened the bone hand. Cowed by the cold voice, Buldahak finally spoke.

“Vo… Voice…! Voice! There was a voice!”

“What voice?”

“A voice… from inside the cave! It made me an offer!”

Couldn’t even act as a proper puppet.

A sinister voice echoed from deep inside the cave, and an overwhelmingly powerful wave of dark magic began to gather.

The mercenaries felt all the strength and will drain from their bodies. Even the White Tiger Tower students, who had magical resistance due to being mages, dropped to their knees.

Ignoring all that, Lee Han began to prepare his spell in a low voice.

“Strike forth, O Perkuntra’s…”

Rather than firing lightning directly, condensed lightning discharged around and generated sparks.

“Kh, keh, kehahakh! No! No!!!”

As the magical wave ended, Buldahak screamed. His eyes rolled back and his entire body’s color shifted.

Lee Han and Raphadael, both versed in dark magic, immediately recognized the phenomenon.

‘Possession!’

An evil entity without a physical form seizing a body.

But ordinarily that couldn’t happen without signs or contracts.

‘That earlier conversation must have been it!’

Lee Han realized the situation.

He understood why he had sensed the flow of magic earlier—the evil being in the cave had sensed Buldahak and tempted him.

Unlike mages in Einrogard who rigorously study contracts, mercenaries like Buldahak would have no idea how dangerous such temptation could be.

With compatible waves and Buldahak’s acceptance…

Such body snatching was more than possible.

Buldahak’s eyes took on a strange hue, and from his mouth came a deep, demonic voice no human could produce.

I am the King of Ghouls…

“…Lightning!”

Lee Han unleashed lightning with full force.

And he didn’t stop there.

“Burn!”

Ten balls of flame formed in the air and flew in violently.

Buldahak’s body, rapidly destroyed by lightning that no human flesh could withstand, burst into flames once again and burned completely to ash.

“…???”

“Is… is it over?”