Hermit Wizard

1. 1. 1. 1. Savior or Destroyer (13)

As soon as Hwang Soo-rim cast a spell, a small sphere of metal forms in her hand, and silver lightning flashed up from the circular core toward the sky. Countless cracks of cold light covered the air.

-Queeeeeeck!

The scream of a monster was tearing her eardrum.

-Phissng!

The metal created with God’s power dug into the path where the planetary energy in the atmosphere was unstable or weak. As a result, it moved at the fastest possible speed in the current environment, and its branching split was like a beam of lightning. The accelerated metal penetrated the magical object without any mercy.

“I hit it!”

Red Hiel, who was pierced by hundreds of metallic lightning bolts created by Hwang Soo-rim, screamed and twisted its body.

“Gosh!”

It wriggled its giant centipede-like body and made a riot. Green fluids were sprayed on the ground like heavy rain as holes were drilled throughout the body, hit by magic. About half of the body was still buried in the ground, so the ground was still shaking. It was difficult for everyone to stand in proper balance.

“Why aren’t you dying?!”

The lightning she sprayed hit Hiel’s brain as well. A large hole was formed in the top of its hook-like teeth, and a black substance believed to be the brain was flowing from within, but that giant monster didn’t fall.

-Queeeeeeck!

A monster’s shadow cast upon Hwang Soo-rim’s face, looking up at the sky. Hiel lifted its whole body and then dived into the ground as if hitting a cudgel.

“Damn it!”

Hwang Soo-rim’s ability didn’t allow her to perform a defensive spell in an instant. She moved her hand reflexively, then took off the artifact on the belt and injected it with Mana. She received it from Eraser for emergency use.

-Whooong!

In an instant, a barrier was surrounding the party. The furious Hiel struck on it.

-Bang bang bang bang!

Along with the roar, the ground around it was shattered and swept away like a storm.

“Eaaaaaaaarghhh!”

“#@[email protected]#%@!”

-Khiiiiing!

In the aftermath of the impact, the entire spherical barrier was thrown far away. Everyone in it lost their balance and rolled around. Inside the barrier wall, Tobogai’s enormous body crushed the other.

“Oh-uh! What a mess!”

Garam burst into a dream in a hurry.

It was a nightmare from a Yeouido office worker. It was a breathtaking dream created by stress in which countless pure white hands ran and dragged the dream owner’s body under the swamp, but he would no longer remember that dream since Garam collected and took it.

The white hands were currently embodied in reality. It weaved Tobogai’s body like a thread and fixed it so it wouldn’t collide with others.

-Khuung!

The barrier sphere hit the ground, and everyone rolled on the ground. Hwang Soo-rim, who got up quickly after rolling once, shouted.

“I aimed at the brain as you said!”

The barrier disappeared due to more impact than allowed, and Parvache urgently delivered the information with a will. As the amount of information that came in at once increased, Hwang Soo-rim frowned due to a headache. After she reviewed it, she swore.

“Even if the brain breaks, it moves for more than an hour?!”

[The structure of the nervous system is completely different from the living organism that you know! The brain, which performs the most functions, has been damaged so that the movement will be a little dull. To handle it safely in this state, you have to crush that body into countless pieces or explode it all at once!]

“Isn’t it enough just to run away like this?!”

[Even if the brain is damaged, it will recognize and follow us using the nerve cells that are spread throughout the body!]

Garam, who was listening to the conversation, shove in a dream. The dream in which the owner’s house was burning.

“How about burning it?”

Parvache shook its head. It had already mastered a lot of the magical principles that use dreams.

[The effect of your magic is proportional to the ability of the caster, right? Garam, can you turn that huge body into ashes in a few seconds?]

Parvache gave Garam the required temperature and coverage, taking into account the hardness of Hiel’s skin and muscle tissue. Even without specific measurement, Garam, who understood what Parvache meant, said with a dark complexion.

“… It’s impossible.”

The destructive power of magic suggested by Parvache was impossible with Garam’s magic.

[If you light its body with fire, it will attack us even when it is on fire. That’s why I said it was hard to deal with without Eraser!]

It was already late. Even if they tried to incinerate Tobogai, the one who lured Hiel, there was no way to avoid the attack from the angry monster.

Parvache lamented once again. If it were Yoon Min-joon, they wouldn’t have been swept away by such lame empathy!

Suddenly…

“@#[email protected]%@@!”

Ramuming screamed hastily, pointing his finger forward.

-Queeeeeeck!

Even though the brain was damaged, the Hiel still smelled the semen and was chasing their way. Unlike before, a significant portion of its body was exposed to the ground.

In situations where the distance had become distant, it was advantageous to move under the ground to cause earthquakes and cracks. Still, it was showing inefficient movements due to its poor thinking ability.

“Oh, my God!”

“The Bullet of Quécadios!”

A silver flash was fired from Hwang Soo-rim’s hand. The metal of God, Quécadios, which returned from the form of lightning to a small sphere, was shot forward like an arrow in the form of an awl over a meter long after eating her Mana.

-Phiiisng!

The bullet that was blown by tearing the air hit Hiel’s head once more.

-Kwaaaarrgh!

The silvery metal crushed the Hiel’s skin and bones and penetrated horizontally through its body. However, because the monster’s body was not in a straight line, it couldn’t be long before it penetrated the outer skin and slipped out again.

It failed to achieve the target of destroying as much body tissue as possible by continuing to pierce through its body.

-Queeeeeck

Hiel was rushing in.

“The Mish of… Kyaaaaa!”

Hwang Soo-rim, who was preparing for the next spell, lost her balance and fell. On top of that, Hiel’s head poured in. Two rings were exposed outside spread on both sides, and inside them, a tube-like mouth opened, revealing numerous sharp small teeth.

“… The Mist of…”

Instead of being terrified, Hwang Soo-rim recast her spell with her eyes wide open, but she couldn’t get the timing right. It was a scene where Hiel’s teeth seemed to bite her before the spell was completed.

That moment, a red light leaked out of the monster’s mad eyes, and its teeth seemed to hit Hwang Soo-rim at any moment.

“You punk!”

It was an urgent spell.

Along with it, the brilliant color of light blocked her front. Looking at the scene, instead of allocating her thinking ability to grasp the phenomenon in front of her eyes, Hwang Soo-rim focused only on the completion of her spell.

-Quaaaaack!

“Stop!”

It was Garam who ran in front of her.

He stood between Hwang Soo-rim and the monster, holding his back. Garam, who climbed the ground with all his four feet, burst into dozens of dreams fused with his body. Brilliant chunks of energy exploded. Dream fragments were forced to draw out the energy without being properly implemented due to an urgent situation.

-Kaaaaaaaaarrgggh!

The monster roared in anger. The rush of the dream that blocked it was only one moment, but it was enough to stop Hiel’s body. The dreams that Garam burst lost their context, swirled, and eroded space. The dream fragments spreading around the Maek bounced into the air. They were images.

Hwang Soo-rim stared at it with both eyes open. There were animals with weird shapes and colors and a pool of memories that couldn’t even be told how old it was. Buildings like a historical drama set and a period that she had never encountered. The fragments that were believed to be the dreams of modern people intervene in the middle.

Every scene became a barrier of pure power and stopped Hiel’s attack.

However, the effect wasn’t long.

-Queeeeeeeck!

“Kuuuugh!”

Hiel’s head, which broke through the barrier of a dream, struck the front, and in the aftermath, Garam’s body was beaten and bounced out.

“Kuugh!”

Instead of chasing the trajectory of a small beast that sprinkled blood on his body after being attacked by the monster, Hwang Soo-rim stared at the enemy in front of her. She then spat out the completed spell.

“The Mist of Quécadios!”

With the spell’s completion, a metal sphere that had returned into her hand covered the large space in front of her. The silver curtain that encroached around moved low and heavy.

-Huerrrrrrrr!

Pieces of metal, smaller than raindrops, struck Hiel like the mist. Fine, sharp fragments pierce its skin. The monster’s green body fluid erupted into the air through the hole in its body. The plain was mixed with the silver color of the Quécadios, the dark green of the monster’s body fluid, and the fog on both sides, creating a strange landscape.

-Queeeeeck!

It wasn’t big on the surface, but it had applied more damage in terms of the number of hit points than any other attack so far. The monster rolled over the ground due to the pain that flowed through the body.

“… Hey! You!”

The monster was currently unable to act. Hwang Soo-rim turned her gaze only after realizing that the enemy couldn’t move its body properly. Her gaze touched the little beast that the monster had just struck. She reached the Maek that was about her waist-high.

“… Ah!”

Hwang Soo-rim knelt on her knees and wrapped his body with both hands. The convex belly was torn, and the internal organ, a mixture of red and yellow, were flowing out. It was a substance that appeared to be a liquid metal that was being digested spilled onto the ground.

The Maek lifted his head, and his clear pupil looked up at Hwang Soo-rim. He barely spat out his voice.

“Ru-run away… Hurry up and ask for help from that monstrous human being!”

“Garam!”

Hwang Soo-rim shouted like a scream, and over them, Hiel struck their bodies.

[This! Damn it!]

The time when Parvache uttered a screaming will…

A black light covered the sky.

***

Negotiations with Gramiel weren’t smooth. After some time, we managed to come to a satisfactory conclusion for both sides.

-Swsssshhhhhh!

A priest in a different world under Gramiel’s control disappeared from the Dragon Emperor’s eyes. The dark gray light in the Dragon Emperor’s pupils fluttered, and the original crimson color was restored.

As a result of the deal, the ritual of ‘exchange’ had ended.

The Dragon Emperor that no longer obligated for the other party of the transaction, gave us a will.

=… Ah, I see. So, it was like that.=

At that moment, an ominous feeling flowed through my spine.

I remembered the dialogue between Gramiel, Shadow Thorn, and me. She originally said that she was on a completely different dimension from that place, and the communication between her and me should’ve been a long way off. It was the power of God that made it possible in reality.

However, the deal on borrowing the divine power was over. The Dragon Emperor’s deal partner, an unknown priest in another world, had already stopped connecting with this side.

=After all, even the Truth-Seeker who has intervened here now doesn’t know. What is your true identity? Interesting. It’s really interesting.=

I understood the will of the Dragon Emperor. So, I shouted desperately.

“Isn’t the mediation already over?!”

=Yes. The deal with the priest in another world who serves the same God is over. From now on, it is my turn to fulfill my duty as the head of the dragons living in this world.=

In my eyes, the Dragon Emperor, that seemed to be a red long-haired young man, had a fishy smile on his lips.

=A mortal who can have such a great influence on Truth-Seekers in other worlds? And you’re also a human being? What’s more, you’re on the level of the Transcendental? I don’t understand. Since the advent of this world, the number of dragons that have crossed the wall is still only a few dozen. How do you remain human and have a soul class that most dragons haven’t reached? Interesting. You might be worth doing research.=

“W-wait a minute! Until now, you have heard the conversation between Truth-Seeker from another world and me! If you touch me now, it will go against the Truth-Seeker… Gramiel’s intention!”

=What does that matter? The deal to respond as a priest is already over. I exercised the power of exchange as much as I was allowed. After that, I can do what I want.=

I mumbled softly.

“Ah… fuck.”

Light struck Mrs. Pearl at the touch of the dragon. He must’ve already figured out which side was strong. He was trying to overpower the weaker side first.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”

A white glow was twirling around her body. Following the Dragon Emperor’s hand, the strength fluctuated and swept Mrs. Pearl’s body.

“Mrs. Pearl!”

The Dragon Emperor twisted her lips and caused mental waves.

=If you cooperate, I will ease the pain. I was annoyed because there was a lot of trouble these days, but I didn’t know there would be such good news waiting. I was worried about the disappearance of a few Ramumings, and I almost missed the really important big fish. Maybe you will be a great research material for our people.=

I clenched my teeth and yelled at the Dragon Emperor with eyes full of hostility.

“You were one of the candidates anyway. Yeah, it’s rather good! Fuck, let’s get your soul out!”

=… What are you talking about?=

Instead of answering his questions, I took off the necklace I was wearing. It was a battle in which I had to fight a dragon without the restraint magic circle. I found the most efficient way. The best way to lower the risk came at a price. I put Mana to the artifact.

The force was swirling around in response.

=What, what?!=

Confusion appeared on the Dragon Emperor’s face as he looked around for a while. He expressed an urgent will.

=This… Are you crazy?! Who the hell did you make a deal with?=

I answered with a big smile.

“What do you mean? Can you talk like that? It’s God.”

=No way! I’ve never heard of a God like this!=

“Isn’t it too childish to deny because you don’t know?”

=You know what? Even God’s spells can be made into artifacts.=

The necklace I had around my neck was completely broken before my words were over. The thick fog that flowed out of it began to spread thickly. It was a veil of eerie darkness, sticky as mud and pitch-black as darkness itself.