21st Century Archmage v2c10

Note: It’s summer again, so I’m back for teaser session number two. Once again, I won’t be continuing the translations of this novel, it will be dropped at some point. My goal is to translate at least one volume, maybe two, this summer.

 

This time, I’m making a greater effort to translate less literally. An inexperienced translator is immediately obvious by how literal and stiff their translation is. An experienced editor understands the intent behind the text, and rewords it as needed. Within reason, of course ;D My goal is to bring you a fluid, immersive experience that still conveys the author’s intent, even if that means I have to change a few words and structures here and there. I’m gonna try my best!

Also, I’ll be collaborating with Yeagdrasil for chapters 11 and 12, since they’ve already been translated with great accuracy. My role will be to check the translation and make sure it flows smoothly.

Please thank Masa for his continued support and expert editing!

Lastly, I’ve been asked to deliver a few words regarding our magnanimous leader, Cat. We’ve had no word from her and it’s highly likely that she became busy with work. Release dates for both Magi’s Grandson and Duke’s Daughter are undetermined until she arrives to grace us with her presence once more.

Onwards!

Lei

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Translated by Lei, edited by Masadeer.

Catching a Demon

“Stop right there, boar!”

Squeaal! Squeaaaal! Thu-thu-thump! Thu-thu-thu-thu-thump!

So this is what it felt like to become a master. On Earth, I suffered for half a day on top of a boulder, but now I was chasing a huge boar instead. Although I hadn’t even cast Haste magic, when I gathered mana in my feet, my body flew like an arrow.

Then came the great chase. I went into the mountains about 2 km behind the village and struggled for 30 or so minutes. After finding a house-sized boar rooting things out of the ground while sunbathing, I quickly gave chase.

‘Why am I suffering like this just so I can test Aura Blade?!’

It had already been over a month since I began living in Luna Village. In that month, I thought long and hard about how to survive in this world like a tenacious rubber band, and return to Earth. From the information I gathered from the villagers, I was able to determine that, according to the political gangsters they called n.o.bles, power and force were favored over the law.

Thanks to my master, who sent me here through dimensional travel without warning, I was left with only my skill in magic. Since I’d only be possible to Earth and pursue my dreams of paradise if I got stronger, I immediately understood the need for me to develop my skills.

So I dove into learning 4th Circle magic like a madman, charging my mana and practicing the sword like my life depended on it. All with a full-on nosebleed. For the first time in my life, I clenched my teeth and worked on my magic and sword skills with blood pouring from my nose. With dedicated mana breathing, I filled the 4th Circle with so much mana that it undulated, and I gained the ability to double cast 4th Circle magic.

In particular, I concentrated on training my sword skills; the Swift Sword Style I had trained in for a whole 8 years after, starting elementary school. Although I invested considerable time and effort over a long period of time, I was only able to reach the 3rd dan. But on the day I left the dojo while at the 3rd dan, the top grandmaster of the Swift Sword came out wearing his formal garb and patted my head, saying that a genius had been born into the field of k.u.mdo– such was my talent in the sword.

‘Aura Blade, so that was Aura Blade, you say! Kukuku.’

The name alone made it seem like it was something elegant. It took a considerable effort at first. The knowledge I’d gained from Master only covered magic, so it was a real headache to learn the sword. I’d heard that I could make an Aura Blade using the new mana breathing technique Master created, but figuring out the method was a problem. If I took one wrong step, my mana could flood or collapse, so I had to be extremely careful.

And then, not too long ago, at the edge of a cliff during a lightning storm, I had a realization.. As if coiled around something, streaks of blue lightning rammed incessantly into the sea, as if beating a wanton wife– seeing that, I was struck by an idea.
TN: In the olden ages, men used to beat their wives if they went sleeping around. It’s a bad joke. EN: They still do that.

‘Aura Blade&h.e.l.lip;. huhuhu.’

Even now, just thinking about it made me tingle with excitement. The feeling when I circulated the mana in the circle and slowly injected the mana into my sword&h.e.l.lip; as if plugging the sword in, the blade started emitting blue energy. It was like when sword energy– that’s what it was called in martial arts– went from my hand to the world. That feeling my father must have felt when he took me into his arms at the maternity ward, runny with tears and snot.

‘Ahh! Even now, I’m touched.’

The feeling of the energy that emitted light like a living creature and made my hand vibrate every time I injected mana&h.e.l.lip; My baby, Aura Blade, came into the world with the brightness of a lighthouse in the dark night, when I gathered all the mana of the 4th Circle. An incredible feeling swept through me and I did a sword dance like a creature possessed as the cliff winds buffeted me.

‘Aura Blade is the best way to attack in close quarters. Huhu.’

It wasn’t sharp enough to cut through rocks as if they were tofu, like you saw in martial arts novels, but it could put a big gouge in a st.u.r.dy boulder.

‘What I need is an actual battle! Boar! I’m sorry but you’ll have to die for my sake.’

Because I’ve already had a bad experience with boars, the sight of rapidly fleeing boar, laying waste to the forest as it ran with cheekily quievering tushy b.u.t.tocks, made fierce desire surge within me. I hadn’t gotten proper nutrition for a month because of my intense training, so the boar was bound to an untimely end– I absolutely couldn’t lose it.

‘Che, magic is pretty useless for hunting things that move.’

I suddenly thought of those game-loving kids who gathered in the cla.s.sroom every morning talking about how mages struggled in the beginning and got stronger. I had become a 4th Circle mage, but hiding quietly and casting magic like a cowardly a.s.sa.s.sin didn’t suit my tastes. I wanted to experience that electrifying rush you get when you charge with hilt in hand, going head to head with your adversary. Since I was trying to cook up the boar with a sword instead of magic, the huge boar must have sensed something when I appeared, and was now desperately running away.

‘This pork!’

I was forced to cast the magic that I had saved in preparation for some unknown danger. If I kept chasing it like this, I could end up losing this level 100 boar, which boasted unlimited stamina. The 4th Circle magic I had memorized in my head came to mind.

‘The most practical magic I could use in the forest is the strongest of the 4th Circle wind spells, Wind Cutter!’

I was about 10 meters away from the fleeing boar. Wind Cutter was worth a try even if it was 20 meters away.

‘Pork! I’ll eat you for suurree!’ I stopped running. “Wind Cutter!”

While paused, I spread out my hands and cast the magic I had memorized.

Zing! For a moment, my will and mana resonated with the mana of the earth. Magic flas.h.i.+ng with blue mana manifested in the time it took to blink.

Woooooooooooooshh!

Suddenly, a roar ripped through the forest like a motorbike gangster pa.s.sing by on his chopper.

“Holy s.h.i.+t!”

With an explosion, a semicircle of several blue blades of light were somehow already flying away. The wind blades flew forth like an arrow, shredding big, dense trees and scrub that had stubbornly blocked my way just moments ago into hundreds of pieces, blowing them away.

“Im-impressive!”

I’d practiced magic at my place on the cliff, but it was the first time I had used a memorized spell with such force. I had been careful to control my mana, since it could shock the villagers, who were skittish and weak of heart. That said, the view I saw after preparing myself and casting that 4th Circle magic&h.e.l.lip; everything over the 20 meter expanse ahead of me had been razed to the ground.

“S-so this is why mages get special treatment.” It was difficult to manifest magic, but its strength was in its flas.h.i.+ness and sheer destructive power. I was suddenly super proud of myself.

“Geh! Th-the boar is?”

I was nodding to myself at the satisfying spectacle I had created and contemplating my genius when I suddenly remembered the goal of my life and death struggles, Mr. Boar.

It was gone.

There was no big lump of boar to be found anywhere in the forest, which had been razed as clean as an asphalt road.

Thu-thu-thud! I quickly ran in the direction the boar had fled.

“Thi-this is&h.e.l.lip; d.a.m.n it.”

As expected, the boar had run about 20 meters away. Like slabs of meat cut up nicely at the butcher’s, the ten or so parts of the boar were lying nicely amongst the fallen trees.

* * *

“I can’t see a single monster, much less a demon.” Perhaps due to their horrifying past, the villagers refused to leave the village for the past month after the rising of Luena’s moon. I wanted to browse some of the demons they had mentioned, but only this pitiful boar was caught and sent to the other world. “Huhu, Cecile will probably be happy, yeah?”

I took a few pieces of rib and leg meat from the divided boar, tied them with the tough branches of a thick tree, and headed towards the village. The villagers who ate potatoes and barley bread every day p.r.i.c.kled my conscience.

“Eh? There are mushrooms here?” With a happy heart, I noticed mushrooms as soon as I pa.s.sed by the spot where I had first found the boar. Several brown mushrooms had been uncovered by the boar as it rooted through the ground. “Haah, they were covered by the leaves. They smell great!”

The strong smell of the forest a.s.saulted me as soon as I stepped foot into it, so I hadn’t detected the fragrance of the mushrooms. After pus.h.i.+ng aside the leaves, the brown patterned, fist-sized mushrooms emit a sweet smell.

“Grilled pork and mushrooms, it’s perfect!” I would have liked a basket, but I only had the two small pockets on my clothes. I picked a few of the most tasty looking mushrooms and put them in my pockets. “2 Nights & 3 Days, a wilderness variety show! It’d be perfect if I just invite Mr. Ho-dong.”
TN: Referring to Kang Ho-dong, who was in the popular Korean variety show, 1 Night & 2 Days.

If I were still in Korea, I would still be watching 2 Nights & 3 Days every weekend. I wanted to give the idols in it a taste of the brutal reality that I was suffering right now.

‘But what is this feeling?’ As I was walking towards the village with the considerably heavy meat, I got chills, making me stop for a moment. I felt eyes on my back, as if someone was watching me. ‘Am I just imagining it?’

After mana had developed my senses, I could feel all sorts of energies around me.

‘This is weird&h.e.l.lip;’

Tilting my head, I quickened my pace. My hair was standing on end, as if I were hearing ghost stories from my childhood– it wasn’t a good feeling.

* * *

“Wh-what is this?”

“Can’t you tell just from looking at it? It’s called meat, it has various nutrients, including protein and lipids, and it is an absolutely necessary food for survival.”

“Pr-protein? Lipids? Nutrients?”

At my Earth terminology, Hans blinked slowly like a cow.

“Bro, bro, how did you know? Last night I dreamed about eating meat! Yipee! You’re my big bro Kyre, the second person I admire most, after all!”

‘Rascal, so now you recognize your big bro’s merit.’ I patted Deron’s head. His eyes gone round at the sight of the meat.

“You, you went into the forest? It’s dangerous&h.e.l.lip;”

As soon as I took the meat and entered the house, I saw Hans, who was carving wood into various goods, and Cecile. Having heard the rumor that I had appeared with meat, Deron ran in and now they were all staring round-eyed at the fresh boar.

“You, who are you really? Last month you caught a madir, and now you’ve single handedly hunted a boar from the dangerous forest&h.e.l.lip; were you a mercenary in the past?”

Unable to even consider that I might be a mage, Hans was suspicious of me being a mere mercenary.

“I may look like this, but at one point I was pretty amazing. Cecile, I look forward to dinner today, as well.”

“Yes&h.e.l.lip;”

I lightly sidestepped Hans’ question.

‘Ain’t she a cute thing when she’s acting shy!’ I looked fondly at Cecile, whose face had gone red.

“Hans, this mushroom, does it happen to be edible?” I pulled out the mushrooms I picked from the forest.

“Geh! Th-that is!”

“Sha-sharif mushroom!”

‘What? Is it poisonous?’

Hans and Cecile were shocked by the mushroom. “You, where did you find that?”

“I found it in the forest, of course. The boar was eating it, so I thought they were edible and picked some, but are they poisonous?” At Hans’ shocked words, I started feeling like I had wasted my time.

“Let’s go. Let’s hurry to the Chief!” Excited, with his pupils fixed on the mushrooms, Hans dragged me along.

‘What, why’s he so excited over a few mushrooms. I’m h.e.l.la hungry.’ Thoughts of roasted pork was dancing in my head. Just thinking about the taste of meat roasted on a hot pan with onions and mushrooms made me drool.

“Ohhh! Dear G.o.d! Thank you!” As he went outside, Hans drew a cross and thanked G.o.d.

I followed behind him, holding a few mushrooms. ‘Do I have to give the chief’s house some meat?’

I was, in my own way, entertaining some kind thoughts.

* * *

“Aren’t, aren’t these sharif?”

“Yes, Chief. They are definitely sharif mushrooms.”

Upon seeing the mushrooms, the chief was just as excited.

“My word! With a sharif mushroom this big, it’ll sell for a few gold in an instant!”

“We couldn’t find anything this size in the forest even 10 years ago&h.e.l.lip; I didn’t know I would see a sharif mushroom again in this lifetime!”

‘Geh! A few gold?’

After hearing that the mushrooms the boar had been idly eating as a snack could sell for several gold, gold coins sprang naturally to my mind. The village was so poor that I hadn’t been able to see a single gold coin, so the word “gold” was not without weight.

“How much gold did you say this will sell for?”

“You, where did you find these?”

“In the forest, of course. It wasn’t just one or two, but easily several hundred&h.e.l.lip;”

“Several hundred?!”

A rough glance had told me as much.

‘Wow! What the h.e.l.l is this place?’ There were the fish, which netted a few gold each, and even the mushrooms. My mind worked quickly. ‘I can’t go out into the world empty handed, can I? I’ll need magic crystal dust to practice magic circles, and I don’t have a staff&h.e.l.lip; I’ll also need to buy a st.u.r.dy sword.’ There weren’t just one or two places where I could use my money.

‘Huhu, I’ll catch some tuna and pick some mushrooms and I’ll be set.’

The villagers were scared so they couldn’t go in, but I wasn’t afraid of the forest at all.

“Besides these mushrooms, are there perhaps other things that sell well?” Information was money.

“Since long ago, our village was famous for sharif mushrooms. Even the soldiers weren’t able to go deep into the forest because of the demons, so we were only able to eke a living off so-so sharif mushrooms and the madir we caught occasionally. Besides the sharif mushroom, there’s also the rudi mushroom, which survives on tree sap. As well as puiden, which mages use in their research, and various herbs, like casol– there are quite a few things that are valuable there.”

‘I won’t have to be greedy. They said the madir wouldn’t leave the waters by the village for another two months, and I only need a basket for the mushrooms. Kuku.’ I could catch a pheasant, get its eggs, use its feathers for quills, and sweep for floor for money. That’s exactly how I felt right now.

“D-do you think that the villagers could go with you tomorrow?” Chief asked carefully.

For nearly a month, the chief had been sighing while looking at the harvested grains. With less farmable land, it seemed that the harvest was insufficient for paying the taxes and buying potions on top of that.

“But Chief, won’t it be too dangerous? Young Kyre was able to return safely from the forest thanks to the G.o.ddess of Fortune, but something bad will happen if he takes the villagers, too,” said Hans, putting the brakes on the chief’s words.

“Sigh, I know. But what can we do. I have to go to the castle in a few days to pay the taxes, but all we have are potatoes and barley&h.e.l.lip; If we can’t pay our taxes and buy at least ten potions this time, all our villagers will have to become serfs next year.”

Apparently, eking out a living was a pain in the a.s.s whether you were here or in the 21st century. Those who had the means could spend and spend, but the commoners at the bottom had to break their backs every day to live.

‘Whatever, it’s not gonna cost me, so I might as well help them.’

In any case, I wanted to go out into the world before winter came. I needed to see the wide world in order to earn the enlightenment that hadn’t come after the 4th Circle.

“It could be dangerous if the villagers come with me, so I’ll go alone.”

“Alone? No. I know there’s something about you that’s quite reliable, but the month of Luena’s rising moon is dangerous,” said Chief, talking me out of it while shaking his hand.

“Going alone is more comfortable for me. And you need to go quite a ways to find the sharif mushrooms. The villagers will get hurt for no reason if we run into a monster or something.”

“Even so&h.e.l.lip;”

The chief weighed the taxes with my safety.

“Chief, it’s said that those who believe shall be rewarded,” I said, filling my eyes with unwavering conviction. I was uneasy because if I went with the villagers, the skills that I didn’t yet want known would come to light.

“Will you be alright?” Making an apologetic face, he reaffirmed whether or not I would be okay. The old man looked like he would follow me if he were only ten years younger.

“Haha! Just believe in me. Tomorrow, I’ll pick more than enough sharif mushrooms to have money left over even after paying the taxes.”

I puffed out my chest and laughed heartily.

* * *

“The pretty Cecile sure is kind~ lala~ lalala~”

Praise about Cecile was bursting out of me all on its own. The moment we returned from the chief’s house, I found out that the kind chef Cecile had prepared easy-to-eat meat stew and grilled pork. On top of that, she had put aside the meat we would be eating and shared a hunk of meat with the villagers who were hovering around.

Then, morning came around. With a huge basket half as large as me strapped to my back, I walked towards the forest.

‘Huhu, who would’ve thought the sharif mushrooms would taste like that!’ The sharif mushrooms had the fragrance and chewiness of the Gangwondo matsutake mushrooms I’d eaten at some point. At my vehement question of how much gold a single one would sell for, I was able to eat a sharif mushroom, a delicacy eaten by n.o.bles, grilled with the pork. ‘Kyaa, I’d be in heaven if only I had a gla.s.s of alcohol.’

Even now, I found that moment regrettable. Perhaps because the village was so devastatingly poor, they didn’t have the barley or wheat to make beer. They probably couldn’t waste what little they had on drinks when it was difficult enough to get by.

‘I’d better buy some alcohol when I go to the castle.’

I might be a minor in Korea, but here, I was treated like a capable adult. How could I forget the taste of the liquor I had occasionally stolen sips of from my father?

I was imagining various enjoyable things while walking into the forest.

Zing.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, I felt a subtle sharpness. While moving, I kept my guard up. I’d taken up a creed of constant vigilance after getting stabbed by the Triad gangster, so I heightened my senses and prepared for a monster or a demon.

‘Something’s there.’ I wasn’t sure yesterday, but now I was certain that something was watching me from somewhere. ‘Is it a monster? Or a demonic beast&h.e.l.lip;.?’

Even knights wielding Aura Blade had a hard time facing demons. I’d wanted to meet one once to check my skills, so although I was on edge, I didn’t feel a hint of terror.

‘It’s clever.’ Once I tensed up, the creature hid its presence, as if it were suggesting that we play hide and seek. ‘I’ll wait. There’s no hurry.’

I had as much time as I wanted, after all. With an easy-going att.i.tude, I slowly moved to the sharif mushrooms’ location. In my hand was a sword and in my head were thoughts of the spells I had prepared for combat&h.e.l.lip;

* * *

“Arrow!”

Wham!

“Huhu, magic sure is convenient.” Hit by my Arrow magic, a mushroom the size of one’s head fell cleanly to the ground. Even without using Fly or Levitation, I could pick the rudi mushrooms at least 10 meters above the ground. “Don’t sanghw.a.n.g mushrooms look like this?”
TN: Sanghw.a.n.g mushrooms, or Ph.e.l.linus linteus, are medicinal fungi used in Asian countries.

Without looking carefully, the rudi mushrooms couldn’t be distinguished from the tree. They looked liked the sanghw.a.n.g mushrooms that my father had submerged in alcohol back at home.

“They’re 100% natural and they’ve even grown up sucking the life force from these trees, so they’d probably be pretty good medicine, eh?”

In Seoul, there had been no chance for me to consume tonics. My parents, on the other hand, used their age as an excuse to regularly eat red ginseng and natural Korean honey. But to me, they said ridiculous things like how at my age, one could eat through steel (am I some sort of a circusman?) and gave me normal food.

‘I’ve hit jackpot today.’

I picked the leftover sharif mushrooms that the boar had been eating, which took up a considerable amount of s.p.a.ce, and also packed up mushrooms that looked valuable, including the rudi mushrooms.

“Eh? There’s a path here?” After struggling on the mountain for some time and filling up my basket, I discovered a small path. “Ack! This, this is?”

In the brief moment while I was staring at the path and thinking, a metallic smell a.s.sailed my nose. “The smell of blood!”

The unforgettable smell you could experience during a full-on nosebleed, the smell of blood, a.s.sailed my nostrils.

Jump! I quickly roused myself. An ominous thought came to my mind.

‘With this level of smell, it’s gotta be&h.e.l.lip;’

A lot of blood had to be spilled for the smell to cut through the forest’s odors.

Th-th-th-thump! Activating my mana, I quickly moved along the path. Then, I was forced to stop at the sight that soon appeared before me.

“&h.e.l.lip;..”

The enormous forest ended, opening to an open s.p.a.ce atop a rather large ridge. Wooden houses and fences were cl.u.s.tered together.

“O-orcs!

The race I was meeting for the first time, orcs. I had seen them so often in fantasy novels and movies that I could recognize them at first sight. They were all lying down. The corpses of a hundred or so orcs, ripped to pieces, were scattered around huts and fences.

‘They died without being able to put up a fight!’

The orcs were clearly short, but looked st.u.r.dy. Despite having spears, swords, and even s.h.i.+elds like humans did, the orcs had all perished, spilling their blue blood. And each orc had one wound each, as if they had been killed one at a time.

Swoooooosh.

Then, I felt a single breeze. All the hairs on my body bristled up. Even without turning around to look, I felt an unfamiliar fear.

‘Demon!’

It was the creature.

Thump, thump. My heart raced. I felt an aura so sharp that it was incomparable with the time I had met the Triad gangsters.

I slowly turned.

“&h.e.l.lip; Ah!”

I cautiously let out a groan. Exactly 15 meters away from me was a panther-like animal with golden stripes. But unlike a panther, the protruding fangs looked sharp enough to send most things to the nether world in a single strike.

* * *

GROOOWL!

‘This guy killed them.’

This was the one that had torn a hundred orcs to shreds. I didn’t know what it was called, but its body, which was well over 3 meters long, was smeared all over with blue orc blood.

“Hi! We’re meeting for the first time, aren’t we, friend? Hahaha!”

There was no better cure for fear than laughter.

I put the basket on the ground, since it would get in the way of battle, and grasped my sword with both hands.

‘So it has hide tough enough to block Aura Blade and most magic, huh?’

According to the chief, who had hunted a demon with knights when he was young, the hide of a demonic beast was tough and st.u.r.dy enough to simply deflect low Circle magic and weak Aura Blades.

s.h.i.+ng.

‘Those claws are no joke.’ It must’ve been entering battle mode, because long black claws extended like retractable cat claws. ‘Most people’s hearts would freeze just seeing that.’

Now I could understand why the villagers were so afraid of demons.

‘Its savageness is no joke.’ It seemed like wild creatures actually did get stronger during Luena’s moon, the nasty season of the black moon that agitated the blood of demonic beasts and monsters.

Grooowl!

The demon’s eyes glowed bright red.

Bam! Suddenly, it disappeared from my view.

“Gah! Air s.h.i.+eld!”

CRAs.h.!.+

I cast the fast activating s.h.i.+eld magic the same time it disappeared, and the demon’s claws plunged into the Air s.h.i.+eld just as it began to form.

‘It’s, it’s fast!’

It had incredible mobility unbefitting its size, like a Porsche engine on a Tico car.
TN: A Tico is a Korean car manufactured by Daewoo. It’s a pretty bulky car.

Cruunch! Crack! Crack!

‘Geh, why you&h.e.l.lip;’

The demon was tearing the almost complete Air s.h.i.+eld with its sharp claws, bringing the s.h.i.+eld to near breaking point.

“Take this!”

You’d be a bonehead if you were to just sit there and watch the s.h.i.+eld shatter. I drew mana into the sword as I forcefully thrust towards the beast’s stomach.

CLANG!

‘HOs.h.i.+T! W-what the h.e.l.l!’

I thought it was monstrous, but I didn’t know it would be THIS strong. The beast blocked the Aura Blade with my strength behind it , using its claws. But the problem wasn’t that it had blocked, but that the demon’s claws were like steel, and that I only had one sword when the demon had four claws to a paw.

CRACK!

The s.h.i.+eld shattered, and with a “s.h.i.+ng,” the demon’s black, steely claws came flying towards me in that moment.

“Hya!” Drawing back my sword, I ducked and made a horizontal cut towards the beast’s belly.

Leap!

But the golden panther, showing great jumping ability, leapt backwards. Leaving behind an afterimage, the demon withdrew like a phantom.

‘Hng, won’t this be a b.i.t.c.h with the 4th Circle?’

Unlike the confidence I’d had when entering the forest, I was now struck with a sense of crisis.

GROOWWWL!

As if unhappy with what I had caused it to suffer just moments before, the demon growled as it licked its paw. This wouldn’t end easily.

‘It’s already almost evening. If the moon rises&h.e.l.lip; it’ll be dangerous.’

Luena’s moon had become visible a month ago. Luena, the black moon, loomed next to the silver moon, which was like a large platter in the sky. Its moonlight gave off such a creepy feeling that simply looking at it made you tremble. That moon would soon rise. I’d gone quite deep into the forest while gathering mushrooms and hadn’t noticed the time.

s.h.i.+ng!

The demon didn’t even need the moon to rise. The impatient beast flung out its four paws and once again drew close.

“Hold!”

I cast the 3rd Circle Hold magic I had memorized.

Pause. As was appropriate for Hold cast by a 4th Circle mage, it quickly took effect. The demon’s body flinched for a moment.

‘A chance!’

It was a clever b.a.s.t.a.r.d, but it was clueless about me. In the moment its body was frozen in midair by an invisible spell, I drew mana and strength into my sword and thrust with all my might towards its stomach.

Plunge! I felt the sword sinking in deeply. The sensation in my hand was so forceful that I got gooseb.u.mps.

GRAAAAWR!

s.h.i.+NG.

‘Gah!’

But the b.a.s.t.a.r.d didn’t die from something trivial like getting stabbed in the stomach. A huge roar burst from its maw and a claw swung towards my head.

“Haa!” I shouted loudly while flailing like a windmill to dodge backwards.

‘That was close!’ It was great that the Aura Bladed sword had embedded itself deeply in the demon’s stomach, but it seemed like the b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s vitality was greater than that of a troll, something I’d only heard of.

ROOAAAR!

Since its attack hadn’t gone as planned, the beast roared into the sky.

‘I see, that’s it!’

I’d lost my sword, but opportunity came hand in hand with crisis. A spell flashed into my head.

Zooom! Beside itself with frustration, the beast flung itself forward despite having been stabbed in the belly.

“LIGHTNING!” A magic incantation resounded in the air.

The demon’s hide was resistant to magic, but its insides probably weren’t.

ZZZZZZZZZZZTTT!

Lightning magic ripped towards the demon’s stomach as it flew in mid air towards me.

Yelp! Yelp yelp yelp yelp!

‘Eh? Why does it sound like a dog?’

No matter how much pain it was in, a panther shouldn’t make sounds like a dog. Having been hit in the stomach with lightning, the demon fell to the ground and cried without any dignity like a plaintive mutt.

Flail! Flaaaail!

But even that was short lived. After frothing at the mouth and seizing violently, the golden panther that was called a demonic beast lost its will to live and the light went out of its eyes.

I tried poking it with my foot, but it was just a big, motionless lump of flesh.

“UHAHAHAHAHA! I’m a magic genius after all!”

Having confirmed that the demon had completely crossed the river Styx, a cheer burst out of me. No matter how you thought of it, this was a perfect magic combo. Who in the world could rise to the 4th Circle after less than one year of learning magic? Even Master wouldn’t have been able to do it if he had come here wearing just his panties.

“Lala~ I’ve made money~ I made money~”

It was said that a demon couldn’t be skinned with a regular knife– it could only be done safely with Aura Blade.

“Shall I try making some money now?” I licked my lips as I approached the body of the beast whose soul was probably already sobbing at the gates of h.e.l.l. “I guess people leave insurance money when they die and demons leave behind lotteries when they die!”

Delight filled my heart. Confirming once again that the heavens rewarded those who worked hard, I busied my hands. I wanted to quickly share this happy news with Cecile, Hans, and the Chief, who were probably all waiting anxiously for me.