Chapter 23 — That’s Not How You Use Black Magic

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Deep darkness.

It was a space that gave a sense of isolation, as if separated from the world.

The echoing sound of each step revealed just how deep this passage was.

It was so perfectly dark that without light magic, one could have fallen to their death.

No torches, no path for light to penetrate.

Manus descended the stairs calmly.

When he reached the end of the spiral staircase, he frowned.

A disgusting smell wafted over him.

He knew well the source of that fishy odor.

“As expected, you really do love blood.”

Though his voice was low, it echoed through the narrow, long corridor.

Manus continued walking.

A faint singing could be heard.

It was similar to the melody of a hymn praising someone.

The lyrics that could be vaguely heard contained horrific content.

As he got closer to the singing, the scene of someone chanting a hymn suddenly stopped.

“Who dares disturb this great ritual?”

“…”

There was light there.

However, that light was on the verge of being swallowed by darkness.

Precariously flickering torches were placed at the ends of a pentagram, swaying back and forth.

Blood.

They had drawn a magic circle on the floor with what they considered sacred blood.

At its center lay the corpse of what appeared to be a missing knight.

All clothes had been stripped off, and the abdomen where intestines should have been was completely empty.

Below the ribcage was nothing, yet the face showed no signs of pain.

Yes, at least he went peacefully.

“How dare-“

But apart from that, there was something that provoked Manus’s anger.

Crack-

Dangerous mana sparked from his entire body.

Sensing the ominously fluctuating mana, the master of this place whipped his head around.

“This can’t be-“

Blood-stained teeth were visible.

The bits of flesh stuck between those teeth, revealed by the flickering light, further fueled Manus’s rage.

He had long forgotten that this was inside a game.

“The crime of entering a house where my family resides and arbitrarily taking what belongs to my family is grave.”

“Sacred blood! The sacred blood has come!”

The fellow seemed to feel no guilt or fear whatsoever.

He just kept shouting about sacred blood and laughing maniacally.

Without even bothering to look, Manus hurled a spell at him.

Crackle-!

An arrow of lightning was shot.

The lightning arrow advanced, burning through the darkness.

Manus prepared his next spell as he gazed at the suddenly brightened area.

He hadn’t even considered the possibility of it hitting.

“Gaaaah-!”

“All become sacrifices before the sacred blood! I shall prepare to offer that blood as a sacrifice!”

Giggling, the master of the hymn controlled the grotesque creatures clinging to the walls.

The [Brion], undead-type monsters that one has to face countless times when involved with the Dire Order.

They charged at Manus.

Manus raised his mana once again.

Brilliant magic circles formed on both his hands.

There were countless ways to deal with the swarming Brions in one go.

It was time to showcase the magic he used most often among them.

[Ignira] — [Pillar-Rox]

[Double Spread]

[Result: Solar Ventus]

Instead of a sphere of light, a sphere of flame arose.

A sphere glowing as hot and bright as a small sun drove away the darkness.

The charging Brions screamed and writhed.

Their weakness was the fire attribute.

They were weak creatures to begin with, just large in number.

After all, they were created by the developers to drain mana from early to mid-game players.

“Gaaaah-!”

“Aaaaargh-!”

“Begone, vermin.”

Whoosh-!

The heat spread in all directions.

Like a holy sun vanquishing evil, the sphere imbued with flame and light incinerated the enemies without a trace.

Originally, it was magic that dealt damage over time for 3-5 turns, but the effect was better than expected.

“Phew-“

Using two 2nd-class spells in succession consumed a fair amount of mana, even for him.

This is why he had learned the High Restio skill for such situations.

In the time it took to let out a single sigh, most of the mana he had used was recovered.

Fatigue disappeared completely, replaced by a clear mind.

The master of the hymn turned around at the scorching heat.

By now, all the Brions had turned to ash scattered on the floor.

“Ooh-. As expected, one with sacred blood is different! You’ll make an excellent sacrifice!”

Those blood-red teeth incited rage every time he saw them.

Despite being skin and bones, the mana he emanated was quite high.

The dungeon master stretched out his hand.

A magic circle exuding an unpleasant and disgusting aura was completed.

Manus could immediately identify what skill it was upon seeing the magic circle.

‘[Ignabus], is it.’

A mental magic that lowers the target’s cognition and prevents them from distinguishing friend from foe.

Although it’s the lowest grade of black magic, it’s an undeniably tricky existence in the game.

Mental and curse magic are the number one targets to avoid, as their very existence wastes turns.

Gloomy and decadent energy rushed towards Manus.

A normal mage would have to cast a defensive spell or dodge the energy.

“Sacred blood! The sacred blood is coming-!”

“A beating is the cure for madmen.”

Manus took the black magic head-on.

Crack-

An extremely unpleasant wind blew.

The dungeon master trembled with anticipation.

No matter if he was the young master of Caesar, once hit directly by black magic-.

“-Hmm?”

“How crude.”

Crackle-

Those filthy eyes widened.

A hand spread wide.

Rippling blue eyes.

He had neither lost his mind nor did his eyes grow hazy.

Rather, as if struck by something dirty, an atmosphere like that of an extremely enraged beast emanated.

To the extent that the one who had fired the black magic unconsciously took a step back.

Manus moved Eunseul’s corpse behind him with the hand not casting magic.

An excellent display of mana control.

His eyes sank down, shedding mana’s light like tears.

[Ignabus]

[Altus]

Manus’s eyes turned towards the Brions behind him.

Though they were just mob-level enemies that kept charging endlessly, their sheer numbers were still bothersome.

Crackle-

His spell was complete.

“H-how… black magic-!”

The dungeon master’s body shook.

This was impossible!

Black magic is magic used by receiving the grace of demons.

It is a given that humans considered holy cannot learn it-.

His eyes, clouded with confusion, rolled about.

This time, his body began to tremble for a different reason.

-Fear.

Even he, who had committed cruel acts, was at his core a human with emotions.

Normally, a predator bows before a greater predator.

However, the master of this lowly and vile cave did not.

“Let your beasts tear you apart. Vermin.”

Just as you have done to others.

Manus declared as he swung his hand.

Black magic of a completely different caliber from what the dungeon master had fired was unleashed.

Naturally, mere Brions, equivalent to zombies or skeletons, couldn’t possibly have resistance to black magic.

The eyes of the Brions exposed to Manus’s magic rolled back.

“Gaaaaargh-!”

Starting with one creature’s horrific scream, the Brions’ rampage began.

Those clinging to the walls came down and started tearing each other apart.

Black, putrid blood splattered everywhere.

The dungeon master, seemingly confused by the unexpected situation, failed to respond properly.

Perhaps because it’s a beginner’s dungeon-

It was a much easier development than Manus had anticipated.

Normally, one would quickly break free from confusion and regroup.

Then show a pattern of counterattack, but this one doesn’t seem capable.

If so, all the better.

“To be caught by something like this…”

He was probably ambushed or fell victim to black magic.

At this time, proper defenses against black magic haven’t been established yet.

It was a case of desensitization caused by too much peace.

“Wake up! I’m not your enemy!”

“Grooooar-!”

The Brions, swarming like zombies, naturally rushed at the dungeon master as well.

Whoosh!

He used magic to shake off the approaching creatures.

“Aaaagh-! Get away! Sacred blood! Bring the sacred blood! Sacred— Gyaaah!”

Manus watched from a distance as the dungeon master was voraciously torn apart by the Brions.

The Brions, even as they died, stiffened and gradually compressed the dungeon master’s body.

The man, wounded and with no escape, screamed.

“Sa-save, save me-, save meee!”

Instead of answering, Manus ignited his mana.

He brought out the [Solar Ventus] spell he had just cast before.

Whoosh-

Once again, the massive sphere brought a wave of scorching wind.

The scene was akin to the sun god Apollo descending to burn away the impure.

The Brions’ rotten flesh withered and slowly burned away.

“Gaaah! Gaaaah!”

Chilling screams assaulted the ears.

The death cries that seemed like they would endlessly torment one in nightmares echoed throughout the cave.

The wailing of dozens of Brions was, in the end, just a requiem for one person.

The dungeon master was not free from the heat either.

Though he tried his best to defend himself by squeezing out mana, Manus was a monster possessing a cheat skill of the century.

[High Restio]

Whoosh-

With each exhale, his body felt lighter.

The feeling of mana and vitality recovering as if turning back time was both mysterious and satisfying.

Thanks to the steadily recovering sustainability, he could maintain the mana sphere all day if he wanted.

“I wonder how long you’ll endure this heat, struggling.”

His crooked smile was so demonic that one might believe he was the devil the other worshipped, not human.

He’s deliberately tormenting me with malice!

Despite being able to kill me instantly, he’s adjusting his firepower to torture me!

My flesh is not just hot, it’s cooking.

My mana is depleted, and the Brions that were pressing down on me have all withered away.

The corpses, stiffened by rigor mortis, rendered me immobile.

-If all this was a scene playing out in that person’s mind.

“Ah, my lord Belial-“

Here is a vessel to fulfill your desires.

Please discover this vessel through my sacrifice-

And make it the vessel of your desires.

“-The sacred blood shall overflow the cup.”

Whoosh-

His body caught fire.

The man’s eyes, consumed by madness, were bloodshot as they stared directly at Manus.

Whether he had forgotten the pain, or had gone mad from too much pain-

With a grinning face, he uttered his last words.

“You shall become the vessel of the sacred master-“

Crackle-

The dungeon master, his entire body ablaze, vanished into light.

The words he left behind were quite meaningful.

‘Belial.’

Lord of Evil.

King of Hell.

The king of demons known as the Lord of Rebellion, and the final boss of the sub-quest line.

“Phew-“

Dispelling the foul odor with magic, Manus pondered about Belial.

Though Belial hadn’t descended, this was the world of the DLC.

You never know.

-I might be facing off against him at the very end.

Anyway, the job was done.

In the distance, the clanking sound of armor could be heard.

[A skill slot has been added.]

[Please select a skill to acquire.]

[Current skill slots — 1]

[You have influenced the world.]

[All skill acquisition speeds increased by 30%.]

Of course, he reaped ample rewards as well.

–TL Notes–
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