NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64
“How did you even notice? I pulled all the mana out, so it shouldn’t have shown up on the filter at all!”
“I just poked around to see if it would be right. If it hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have known until the end.”
“Oh, damn…”
Seemingly in deep trouble, the Warlock clicked his tongue and spat out curses. Then, he nimbly moved his body beyond the barricade, creating distance before any additional attacks could come in.
Lee Hyun observed him closely. The sheer amount of wicked mana oozing out confirmed he was at least a wanted level red-class Warlock.
At this level, he would surely be a high-ranking officer within the Rebel Army. A guess at just one route was fundamentally impossible to counter.
“What… what the hell does this mean? Then who was originally in charge…?”
With her attitude flipped in an instant, Yeon Minha’s face was filled with shock. The person she checked the day before, the head of the Cheonhwa Association, was definitely a registered individual in the database.
Then there were only two possibilities. Either he was killed and his position taken, or he was an impersonation of a person who never existed in the first place.
“I killed him. He resisted a bit, which made it a hassle to deal with, but he’s been inside a monster’s belly long enough to be digested.”
As the man let out a grim grin over his glasses, Yeon Minha clenched her jaw and glared at him.
“You bastard… how dare you trick me?”
“Haha, it’s quite something that the daughter of five prominent families has such a big mouth, huh?”
He snapped his fingers loudly, and the sound echoed much louder than the motion suggested, scattering all around.
“I was going to drag you somewhere easier to deal with, but… whatever, it’s all good now.”
As if that sound were some kind of signal, enemies dressed entirely in black began to gather around him, cloaking the area in darkness. It was a bizarre landscape as if they had arrived at a Demon Assembly Place.
“What… what is this…?”
“Is this all the work of a Warlock…?”
Despair painted the faces of the students witnessing the scene.
Surrounding them were true Warlocks who had successfully completed their physiques to resemble demonic beings. Each one of them exceeded the level of those earlier mere bait scraps.
Puhuhuh… The young mages of the Cradle… It’s been a while since I’ve tasted something sweet…!
Look at that frightened expression… It’s hilarious, truly! Hehe…
Sinister laughter filled the air, along with the sounds of their summoned monsters growling and sharpening their claws.
“… I guess they weren’t defeated after all.”
Puhuhuh, defeated? Nonsense…
Hearing Lee Hyun’s mumble, the earlier head of the Cheonhwa Association, the Warlock, wore a face full of scorn.
“We chose infiltration over pointless fighting. Isn’t the era not upon us? It’s been long. A very long wait…”
“You killed the governor, didn’t you?”
“That’s right. The old man had no caution at all. Well, after three years of effort, who would’ve known?”
As the man shrugged in confidence, his companions shrank back even further.
The governor, who was supposed to lead the situation, was already dead. The stench of blood and screams still echoed throughout the city.
Just estimating the number of enemies surrounding them exceeded two hundred. They could easily form a single battalion, and most were not mere scraps or mutations but truly ferocious and dangerous Warlocks.
The one who had been guiding them earlier was already a spy for the infiltrated Rebel Army. The city’s walls could no longer provide them safe protection. The Bread City, Jinryeong, had already fallen.
Even if the students of the Cradle fought in this situation, it would inevitably lead to their deaths. Especially considering half of them were injured and those still boiling with fighting spirit were even fewer. The rest trembled like aspen trees, facing their predetermined deaths.
Lee Hyun quickly racked his brain. Then, whispering just enough for only Yeon Minha, who was glaring at the enemies, he said quietly.
“Senior. Let’s retreat.”
Yeon Minha shook her head weakly left and right upon hearing his words.
“… There’s no way. You saw it too… How do we get through those guys in this situation… It’s better to go out in honor…”
“I’ll hold them off.”
“What…?”
Yeon Minha looked at him in disbelief as if she had heard something ridiculous.
“Senior, you should leave with the others through the northern gate to the gateway city. Each gateway city is managed directly by the central government, so a spy wouldn’t have infiltrated that far. Go tell them the situation and request reinforcements.”
“… What nonsense are you talking about? No matter how skilled you are, it’s impossible to hold off those guys alone. Even if Haewolhwa shows up…”
“I know. But someone has to stay and delay them. We can’t all just die like this.”
“But…”
“And in this situation, I’m the only one who can stay. Hurry up. If the encirclement gets any tighter, it could become really difficult.”
“Still…”
“Senior. That’s an order.”
“… Ugh.”
At Lee Hyun’s firm statement, the hesitating Yeon Minha flinched and looked at him.
“Go on quickly. Who knows? If I kill all of them, maybe I could earn that Imperial Medal of Valor you mentioned.”
“What…?”
Yeon Minha’s eyes widened in surprise at his words. Even Lee Hyun felt a bit taken aback. That was the first joke he had thrown at her.
Yeon Minha stood silently for a moment before firming her resolve, biting her lower lip, and turning to give instructions to the students.
“… Alright. Suhee. Take care of the injured. Leave everything behind and only grab your protective gear and weapons, then exit through the back door. Quickly.”
“What? But…!”
“I told you to move quickly!”
Yeon Minha snapped at the flustered second-year female student. Everyone hurried to leave, and just as the last of them began to go, someone spoke from behind Lee Hyun.
“… You. If you dare die in a place like this after treating me like that, I won’t forgive you. Never…”
Her tone was filled with fury as she clenched her teeth. For some reason, Lee Hyun felt oddly pleased with that familiar hostility.
“… I’ll be back soon.”
The sound of hurried footsteps disappearing beyond the hallway echoed.
“You stupid little brat. It seems like you’ve been deeply moved by some storybook filled with Tales of Heroes.”
Lee Hyun stepped forward, bracing himself. Then, the glasses-wearing man stepped up, mocking him even more.
“Hey kid. Even if you are Haewolhwa, overcoming this number of people is impossible. Didn’t they teach you that in the Cradle? Or did you forget because you’re simply dim-witted?”
His words elicited louder scoffs and jeers all around. It seemed they had no intention of pursuing those who left. They looked ready to swiftly take care of him and enjoy the hunt as if it were a game of rabbit hunting.
Moreover, he was right about what he said as a Warlock.
To evenly match even one proper Warlock, three magicians with the same Rubin value would need to team up.
This was something Shin Jae-yu, the professor of Sparring and Magic Combat Studies, droned on about in every class.
The mana they handled was a substance gained at the cost of instability and granted incredible destructive power.
A one-against-many battle was not favorable for him either. His Unique Magic, Foresight, was essentially specialized for one-on-one encounters with strong opponents. Moreover, he had a time limit due to the physical overload he was enduring.
“… No.”
However, he still didn’t lower the arm holding the Blade. He proceeded to compose a spell, activating Foresight anew and spreading it through his body. Taking two of both the Awakening and Acceleration pills, he swallowed them.
His head spun, and his heart pounded wildly, slashing through his veins. He would have to endure the subsequent side effects, but this would help temporarily adapt his body for magic.
He pointed the blade towards the man’s chest, undeterred by the upcoming mockery and laughter.
“Two hundred should be manageable.”
*
“Haah… Haah…”
Lee Hyun gasped beneath the mask. His feet were completely submerged in a sticky, bloody puddle exuding a foul odor.
He lifted his head and scanned his surroundings. Severed heads and limbs were strewn everywhere, far too many to count. The remains of both people and monsters mixed together, making it impossible to distinguish between them.
In front of him lay a man who was sprawled out, gulping blood and vomiting it back up. Aside from Lee Hyun, he was the only living being in this vicinity. It was a miracle he was still alive with his lower body and right arm blown off.
As Lee Hyun took a step towards him, the bloody puddle made a splosh sound and splattered everywhere. With each step closer, the fear grew in the red eyes beneath the glasses.
“This is absurd… cough…”
“I told you… haah… I said two hundred should be manageable.”
“You monster… cough… cough!”
Lee Hyun pressed the blood-soaked blade against the Warlock’s neck.
“That power… what the hell… cough…! I’ve never heard of such magic…”
“I haven’t heard of it either. I can’t tell you anything if you ask.”
Since he had witnessed this power, Lee Hyun had no intention of letting him live. Before killing him, he wanted to exchange a few words, hoping to extract any possible information.