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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Labyrinth
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"Heheheh, did you really think you could escape my grasp?"
Silan, who had been frantically tearing through the labyrinth in pursuit of Dion and Arsha just moments ago, now walked with a leisurely stride.
He was certain that Dion and Arsha could run no further.
His final black magic spell had been the result of sacrificing all his remaining soldiers.
Parsha might have been a different story.
But there was no way the other two could have dodged it.
Especially since he had seen through the crow's eyes that they were already injured when they were caught in the blast.
'The shame of the Unlights, getting a big head just because he finally awakened. What a fool.'
A soft thud.
Silan twisted his lips.
From his performance so far, it was clear that Dion, long considered the shame of the Unlight family for failing to awaken, had finally done so.
But that was all.
Seeing that he only used physical enhancement, Dion's level was at best 2-star.
Although he had shown relatively impressive skill, it didn't change the fact that he was a low-level Awakened One.
He, on the other hand, was a high-level Awakened One.
Even the five escort knights he brought were all 2-star, and every one of them was at the [Skilled] or [Expert] level.
A single one of them would have been enough to capture the dying Dion.
He was only annoyed that the Black Knight's insistence had made him bring all five.
Then again, it didn't matter.
Now that he had sent the Black Knight and Ruba after her, that presumptuous elf who acted like the Unlight family's personal handmaiden was already as good as dead.
'It would be nice if they brought her back alive.'
Snip.
That was why Silan focused only on how he could kill Dion in the most gruesome way possible.
Of course, he had no intention of killing Arsha.
As payment for the humiliation she had made him feel, he planned to rape and tear apart the dark elf before her very eyes, plunging her into despair.
It would be even better if Parsha were there to witness it too.
'Perhaps this opportunity could even elevate my own standing. If so…'
His pressuring of the dark elves wasn't just because he coveted Arsha.
If he took this chance to dispose of Dion as well, 'that person' might be pleased and even reward him.
Then he would be that much closer to becoming the next family head.
It was just as Silan was reveling in his thoughts.
Slice.
"...?"
Like a gnat buzzing just out of sight.
Like the squirming of a worm.
A strangely grating noise reached his ears.
Who would make such an irritating sound at such a crucial moment? The instant he turned around in annoyance…
Silan froze.
Because he saw it.
The sight of his escort, once five strong, now numbering only three.
He saw the rearmost guard clutch his neck, blood gushing forth as he collapsed in shock.
And…
"Oh, you found me."
"…?!?!"
—The sight of a boy, holding a blood-soaked sword, looking disappointed.
The two remaining guards, finally noticing Dion behind them, drew their swords in terror and swung, but it was a futile, belated gesture.
The boy had already kicked off the ground, retreating backward.
Or so it seemed.
The instant Dion, who seemed to be moving away, suddenly appeared closer instead.
Before another guard collapsed, spewing a fountain of blood.
"A, AtC cEcT!"
It must have been thanks to his talent as a [Black Magician].
That Silan was able to chant a spell even amidst the chaos.
Three arrows of darkness materialized at once, shooting forward with the speed of light.
But that was all.
In the moment it took for Dion to drop low as if collapsing, then spin like a top to evade all the arrows…
His blade was already at Silan's throat.
Clang!!!
"Huk?!"
"Kuh!"
"Ah, you blocked it."
It was sheer luck.
Or perhaps, a desperate struggle.
As the last guard barely managed to deflect the blade, Silan watched the boy flip backward and retreat, an involuntary scream escaping his lips.
"Wh-What did you do?!"
"What did I do?"
"Literally, I'm asking what you did!"
He was sure Dion had been critically injured.
How had he recovered so completely in such a short time and become so terrifyingly strong?
Seeing Silan, who was beyond bewildered and now felt a sense of the uncanny, Dion smiled brightly.
"If you can't tell by seeing, you deserve to die."
"...! La KaD!"
Sssshhhk!
A swamp of darkness spread across the ground.
It was the best move Silan, sensing danger, could instinctively conjure in that brief moment.
But it was useless.
Dion simply ran zigzag along the walls instead of the ground, charging at them again.
The last remaining guard swung his sword to block Dion, but…
Kang, Kakang, Kagagagagang!
'Wh-What is this…?!'
From above, from the side, from the front.
Striking down, slashing sideways, thrusting forward.
The boy leaped around the labyrinth passage—up, down, left, and right—as if bouncing, unleashing a continuous barrage of sword strikes.
They weren't even imbued with aura.
Yet they were too fast to follow with the eye, each blow staggering the guard's body, and every single move was utterly unorthodox, forcing him back relentlessly.
And so, the moment he finally blocked the sixth strike.
Schwing!
"Kuaargh!"
A flash of sword light.
The guard's arm, cleanly severed, fell to the ground with a thud.
Even then, he swung his sword again, threatening Dion. Was it out of a guard's sense of duty, or simply the instinct of a creature that didn't want to die?
In any case, the boy somersaulted over the blade to evade it, allowing the guard to live a moment longer.
'These incompetent fools…!'
Silan gritted his teeth.
Even if he had fended Dion off…
It was only a brief reprieve.
It was all too clear that the moment the boy moved again would be the guard's last.
And his own as well.
A Caster unable to chant a spell was no different from an ordinary person.
Among Awakened Ones, they could manifest the most diverse range of abilities, but without an escort, they were utterly fragile.
That was why.
Silan grabbed the last remaining guard by the scruff of his neck.
"Young Master?"
"Akt, DaiR, GiAss!"
"Wh-What…! Aghhh?!?!"
Fwoosh!
It happened in an instant.
Black flames erupted from within the guard's body, consuming him whole.
Black magic, which shortened casting time and amplified a spell's power by offering a sacrifice.
Its wicked power, using the guard as fuel, swelled explosively.
Finally, as the guard's body vanished without even leaving ash, and a giant crow made of flames appeared…
"Die!!!"
Kra-booooom!
As the flaming crow incinerated the passage on its way to swallow Dion, Silan's lips twisted into a smirk.
Though weakened by the hasty casting, the 'Hellfire Crow' was a grand spell originally capable of incinerating an entire mansion.
A direct hit had the power to kill even a high-level Awakened One.
Now, the only path left for Dion was to become a pile of ash.
At least, that was what Silan believed without a shadow of a doubt.
"Hmm, your chanting method is still a bit unrefined."
"…What?"
Sssss.
Until a calm voice echoed from within the fiercely burning black flames.
Even then, Silan thought he had misheard something.
Until the blazing black flames swirled in the air, transforming into a small crow.
Until he saw that crow perch upon the palm of the boy, who had emerged completely unharmed.
"Wh-Huh? Huh? What? How?"
"Why? Are you very surprised?"
He was far beyond surprised.
He couldn't even tell if this was a dream or reality.
But reality doesn't disappear just because you deny it.
The moment he finally faced the fact that Dion had not only blocked his magic but had completely stolen it…
Silan couldn't help but ask.
"H-How did you… What kind of magic did you use?"
"It wasn't really magic. Just a simple little trick."
"A little… trick?"
"Yes."
With a bright smile.
The smiling boy stroked the crow perched on his hand and continued speaking at a leisurely pace.
"The core of black magic is resentment."
"It converts negative emotions like pain, grudges, and fear into black mana to increase its power."
"To put it another way, if you can interfere with that resentment, you can also seize control of the magic."
"Well, it was only possible because you chanted carelessly and failed to properly control the resentment."
If Silan had used only his own black mana without a sacrifice, it wouldn't have worked.
It was just a trivial little trick.
Hearing Dion's nonchalant words, Silan flared up despite himself.
"Nonsense! To handle resentment itself… no such ability could possibly exist!"
Abilities were ultimately limited powers used by those who couldn't handle the essence of power like aura or mana.
There was no way an ability existed that could do something even black magicians or necromancers couldn't.
The same went for Traits.
Unique Traits could make the impossible possible, but even they had their limits.
"If something like that were possible, it would be…"
That was why.
Silan froze.
He had realized it only as he was speaking.
If it wasn't an ability or a Trait…
No, even if it were an ability or a Trait, there was only one power that could perform such an impossible feat.
"—An Authority?"
"You finally noticed?"
"N-No way! There's no way a piece of trash like you could possess something exclusive to a Master!"
Even after saying it himself, Silan denied Dion's words.
No, he had to deny it.
—Master.
Like [Archmage], [Sword Master], or [Sage].
The 5-star (☆☆☆☆☆) beings at the pinnacle of all Awakened Ones.
An absolute power that surpassed even Classes and Traits, obtainable only by them or superhumans of comparable stature.
There was no way the shame of the Unlight family could possess such a thing. No, he shouldn't.
"Fine, let's say I don't."
"What?"
But Dion didn't bother trying to prove or convince Silan that he possessed an Authority.
He simply smiled brightly and held out a hand.
"—I don't care what a dead man thinks."
"...!"
"Now then, little ones. It's time to repay your master for using you as a sacrifice."
In that moment.
Silan froze.
As if it had been waiting for those words.
He saw the eyes of the crow, which had been sitting calmly on Dion's palm until it raised its head. They were bottomless pits swirling with resentment and hatred.
And above all, behind them, he saw the boy's eyes, glowing with an eerie, blood-red light.
He finally realized it.
A fact he had forgotten because he had considered him an exception for so long.
Even if he couldn't awaken for a long time, even if he had only shown a pathetic side, even if he had no backing…
—This boy was also an 'Unlight.'
Flap-flap-flap-flap-flap!
But the realization came too late.
Before Silan could even react, the small crow's body had split into countless pieces and was flying toward him.
Bearing the faces of the soldiers used as consumables and sacrificed, and the guard who tried to protect his master only to be betrayed…
Dozens, no, hundreds of human-faced birds.
Chomp, crunch, tear.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"
Fwoosh!
"H-Help me! No, kill me! Please…!!!"
The boy leisurely watched as the crows, which had swarmed Silan before he could even chant a spell, bit and clawed at him.
He watched as the crows, one by one, turned to flame, slowly incinerating the body of the demonkin, a race with strong resistance to heat.
He watched until Silan, who had become a charred husk, finally went limp after struggling for a long time.
Looking at the status window floating before him, the boy smiled brightly.
"I wasn't expecting a Class, but to give me a 3-star one at that. For a demonkin, you were a surprisingly good pushover."
『Achievement: More Demonic Than a Demon』
『Achievement: Vengeance of the Dead』
『Achievement: Giant Killing』
『[Star of Slaughter]'s special effect has been activated.』
『3-Star Class [Black Magician] has been stolen.』
『1-Star Class [Butcher] has been stolen.』
『Racial Trait [Intermediate Fire Resistance (Un)] has been stolen.』
『Unique Trait [Chant Shortening (R)] has been stolen.』
『[Murderer] ☆☆ Lv5 → Lv7』
『[Thug] ☆☆ Lv4 → Lv6』
『[Beast Hunter] ☆☆ Lv1 → Lv3』
『[Berserker] ☆☆ Lv1 → Lv3』
『[Thief] ☆☆ Lv1 → Lv3』
...…
...
…
『Five same-attribute, same-rank (☆☆) classes have been gathered…』