Chapter 12 — Hidden Boss

1

Humans are overwhelmed when they see something enormous.

People often say they feel ‘intimidated’.

The emotion felt when something you dare not challenge is looking at you-

Massive muscles so huge you can’t even think.

Holding an axe in one hand, its two giant horns looked strong enough to crush solid rock.

Arcana ‘Devil’

The entirely black face had the number ‘5’ written on it.

Quite a strong one, it means.

[Grrrr-.]

The voice like a cow mooing was soaked with thick mana.

This one has very good rewards.

Originally doable around player level 20, but… Manus felt confident he could catch it without difficulty even now.

Manus had only two skills.

Although, Caesar’s Mindset alone was enough.

“Do your best-!”

“This will be very interesting. That one has top-tier talent among humans.”

“Really?”

Black nodded.

His eyes, embracing all impurities, had the ability to see through the essence of others.

In his eyes, that human was an unparalleled talent holder among humans.

Perhaps, even more than themselves-.

“In a few years, he might be able to completely destroy this tower?”

“…Don’t those types usually die early?”

“Who knows.”

The conversation ended with Black shrugging his shoulders.

White chose to watch the fight rather than chatter.

That’s something you’ll know when you see it directly.

She licked her lips.

“I’d like to raise him well so he can have a bout with me.”

Leaving the giggling White behind, Black quietly looked at Manus.

How long has it been since they were trapped here?

Perhaps, a true savior has appeared.

[Grrrr-!]

The Arcana: Devil glared at Manus, snorting.

It looked like a black Minotaur.

Manus began chanting leisurely.

If the patterns he remembered appear as they are, this opponent would be very easy.

The issue was Manus’s own physical abilities.

To be honest, even one hit could be fatal.

The key was whether he could dodge those attacks well.

[Rapidus]

[Altus]

He added Altus to the speed-increasing spell.

His body became lighter, and everything flowing seemed slightly slower.

The mana consumed was quite large, but it started to refill.

[Grrrr-!]

As soon as preparations were complete, the muscle mass charged in.

It was like a huge RV vehicle charging at full acceleration.

But Caesar reacted calmly.

He jumped slightly, throwing his body to the side.

He dodged the attack with minimal force.

The passing wind was fierce.

Still, he calmly completed the technique.

Crackle-.

His hand glowed blue, completing an electric whip.

[Fulge]

Fulge, the lowest class electric-type magic.

The glowing blue whip reminded one of a bullfighter taming a giant bull.

When it struck the ground, blue lightning flashed.

Manus’s magic didn’t end there.

It was time to properly check the power of Cadenza, the cheating passive of the century.

[Lux]

Light magic was special.

A type called holy magic within the world view.

Powerful and with good judgment, but magic that takes twice the mana and very limited time to learn compared to other magic.

Magic mainly used by those called priests was notoriously difficult for ordinary mages to learn.

But— for the great bloodline, such things were just theories established by someone.

To him, they were all just the same attribute magic.

[Fulge] — [Lux]

[Double Spread]

A new recipe was completed.

Manus lightly swung the whip.

Blue light beam shooting along the whip’s trajectory.

The name of that technique is-.

[Irradiatio]

[Grrrr-!]

Fast and hot.

It’s magic with an electric debuff on top of that.

Like a Pokemon game, a system where weaknesses and strengths exist by Arcana.

The Devil was literally weak to light and electricity, so it was very effective.

In fact, it was one of the spells Manus frequently used in the game.

Casting that magic with both hands was thrilling and exciting.

The Devil, whose back was all burned, screamed.

[Grrrr-!]

Whether angered, the ugly one’s expression twisted greatly.

After the charge pattern, the next is the pattern of throwing the axe to stun.

Manus calmly waited for the pattern.

Real life wasn’t a turn based game, where your options were limited.

He wanted to test that.

As he increased his concentration, everything seemed to move slowly.

The giant Devil grabbed the double-bladed axe with both hands and threw it hard towards Manus’s head.

A fierce sound buzzed in his ears.

The clock slowed down, and the trajectory of the axe blade was clearly visible.

‘-Catch it.’

As he swung his arm flexibly, the whip of light and electricity moved like a snake.

The whip that precisely wrapped around the axe handle moved like a pendulum.

Crackle-.

The electricity conducted through the iron added to its power.

The red-hot axe was now Manus’s weapon, not the Devil’s.

Spinning his body, he swung his arm strongly.

Zzzap-!

One of the reasons electric magic was popular.

The stylish sound effects added to the joy of using magic.

A satisfying sound of tearing through the air rang out.

Thwack-!

The precise hit made the two watching beings exclaim in admiration.

Manus started weaving the technique again.

The guy seemed quite shocked, unable to move properly.

Probably groggy.

Good.

Manus swung the magic mercilessly with a deep smile.

‘Take this again.’

He felt the mana draining steadily.

Mana being cut off in chunks with each swing of the whip.

Still, Manus didn’t stop.

Crack-!

[Grrrr-!]

The tip of the whip hit the axe.

The axe embedded in its head sunk in deeper.

Black blood droplets splattered.

Despite that terrible wound, the demon with its tenacious life force moved, roaring.

[Grrrr-!]

The Devil showed its final pattern.

Stomping the ground, an area attack damaging all party members.

Stun on hit.

A vicious pattern where you had to take another turn of damage.

-But if you already know the solution, it’s not a threat at all.

Mana instantly transformed into 32 line segments.

The technique woven into the shape he wanted thoroughly protected Manus.

[Edge]

[Altus]

A single petal.

Adding amplification magic to increase its size and durability.

Boom-!

A mana shockwave covered the entire ground.

But even the massive impact couldn’t tear the thin petal.

Unless it was a sharp needle, even the thinnest petal couldn’t be torn-.

‘Now for the finale-.’

Crackle crackle-.

Making a sound like multiple birds chirping, the whip was swung.

Continuously hitting the weak point is the key to conquering this game.

Even in a situation that became reality, it wasn’t much different.

[Grrrrrr-!]

The split skull could no longer hold onto life.

It was a rather bland battle.

Well, it’s natural since it’s a place you pass through as an event in the early story.

Clap clap clap-!

Applause was heard from behind.

Manus, confirming the Devil had completely vanished, took out the necklace and held it to the cracked skull.

The chain part of the necklace glowed, and the Devil’s form was engraved.

“One collected.”

Twelve left.

The Devil Arcana that never appears in the first area.

It was a tricky one to obtain through normal methods.

The original owner of the necklace also said the Devil and Tower Arcana were difficult to obtain-.

“Whoa~ The kid’s good, eh? Never seen magic like that before.”

“…”

White cheered, while Black crossed his arms and looked at him with a serious expression.

Manus leisurely left the arena.

Now it was time to climb the tower.

“Wait-. Where did you learn that magic?”

Black stopped him.

The scene he showed was shocking.

Magic that combines two different elements.

Isn’t that something only a god would do?

His eyes could see everything, so he immediately understood the principle.

But knowing doesn’t mean being able to follow.

-He really wanted to know who the teacher was.

However, the response was even more shocking.

“I’ve never learned from anyone.”

“Really, you’ve never learned from anyone?”

“That’s right.”

“Huh-.”

Black let out a soft sigh.

Can such a thing happen?

Is this… something that can occur in a human mind?

-It’s nonsense.

So he blurted out without realizing.

“You might be able to climb to the top of this tower.”

“That’s my intention.”

“Good. White and I will offer what little help we can.”

Manus nodded.

The role of these two NPCs was very simple.

A place to learn black magic, a type forbidden magic.

And a place to use Black’s ability to see anything.

It was also a place for item dismantling and synthesis.

“There’s not much we can help with, other than teaching a few spells.”

“I can dismantle useless items and combine them into new ones.”

These two NPCs are important figures used until the late game.

Establishing a connection early is a very desirable thing.

There were also many spells to learn through them.

They also included some essential recipe ingredients for Cadenza.

“I’ll drop by occasionally.”

“Let’s have a bout when you’ve grown up.”

White said with an attractive smile.

Manus quietly nodded.

2

Tower.

The three mages were rising without any issues.

Eventually, they arrived at the 5th floor.

“Strong mana reaction. Seems like there’s a tough opponent ahead?”

“What should we do?”

“Hey, let’s go through that door for a moment.”

Where Alano pointed, there was an intact door.

Rest area.

It was also a place to rest tired bodies while climbing the tower.

Moreover, it was a place where you could avoid the Patroller’s surveillance no matter how long you stayed.

She remembered this being explained too.

Upon opening the door and entering, an infirmary appeared.

“Oh…”

“The entire space has recovery magic cast on it. Let’s rest a bit before going.”

“Yes. To think there was such a place… What a situation.”

Anais started darting around, feeling the vitality throughout her body and wondering if perhaps the school nurse was sleeping here or something.

Kael sat on a soft sofa and let out a small sigh.

‘It’s tough.’

Climbing the tower was extremely arduous and difficult.

From what she heard, Senior Manus had already been up to the 5th floor alone.

Thinking about him doing this difficult task alone made her heart ache for no reason.

The infirmary was empty.

It had literally become a place just for recovery.

After fully recovering their health and mana, they stood up again.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

“We can do it! Let’s keep our spirits up-!”

Encouraged by Anais’s words, the three stood before the source of the massive mana.

Not as strong as a Demonium, but it had quite powerful energy.

Moreover, they peculiarly looked like dogs wearing red masks on their heads.

It was a grotesque appearance, like a modified Frankenstein.

[Grrrr-]

With an eerie howl, three dogs simultaneously looked at them.

Their bodies were as big as good-sized wolves, and their entire bodies were filled with ominous mana.

[When you reach the 5th floor, there will be Guardians. They’re different from ordinary demons, so be especially careful.]

This-.

We can win this, right?

[Hmm?]

[Hmm!]

[Hmm hmm!]

The three dogs showed hostility as they looked at them.

The battle began.

【Battle Status】

『Chariot — II : Cerberus』

[Anais, Kael, and Alano’s levels have increased.]

[Kael : 5]
[Anais : 4]
[Alano : 8]

–TL Notes–
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