Chapter 80

# Chapter 080

Kiaaaa-

As Ian started running, a piercing screech echoed in his ears.

‘Damn, it’s so loud, really.’

The reason Ian pulled out the commander's wand was that he couldn’t think of any other way at the moment.

He had no better weapon than the Sword of Judgment.

The wraith, an amorphous monster, was immune to physical attacks except for its skull, which could be considered its core.

He had to remove the armor first to make it easier to find the core.

But now, as it had immediately transitioned to its final phase, it didn’t seem feasible.

At least not without the Sword of Judgment.

He couldn’t run around trying to find the sword while avoiding the creature, so his only option was magic.

‘...I wonder how long it’s been since I fought using only magic.’

At that moment, the guardian of the gateway began to charge at him.

In just a few steps, the creature leaped and raised its greatsword above its head.

Kwaaa-

A deep blue, corrupted mana spread along the blade.

Even though the sword wouldn’t reach him, Ian slowed down and prepared to dodge.

In the next moment, the creature landed and slammed its greatsword down.

Kwagwagwagwag-

A shockwave sent dirt and snow flying in all directions.

‘Even if it’s just a creature that roams around the mountains, shouldn’t such a dangerous monster be exterminated?’

Thinking this, Ian launched himself forward.

The wind that enveloped his body pushed him forcefully.

Kwururur-

The shockwave subsided.

The area looked as if it had been hit by a bombing.

Well, to exterminate such a monster, at the very least, a paladin-level commander or a high-level mage would be needed. If not, a seasoned barbarian warrior would have to be deployed. Ordinary soldiers would just become meat and be resurrected as undead.

Moreover, this wraith originally roamed near the Ahigorn Mountains.

It seemed to believe that the Giant Kingdom still existed and commanded a deranged undead army.

And countless dead were buried in the mountains.

In the game, this creature could almost infinitely raise the dead.

In that regard, the current situation was better.

This wasn’t a snow-covered mountain, and the dozens of undead the creature had led were elsewhere.

The reason this creature appeared in a place far from the mountains was probably due to the symbol on Ian’s hand.

‘All this talk about being a usurper. It seems the gateway it guards isn’t a ruin under the mountains after all.’

So why am I the usurper?

While pondering this unanswered question, Ian gathered his mana.

Kwururur-

Balls of fire bloomed in the air and flew toward the guardian of the gateway, who was retrieving its greatsword.

The creature raised its arm to shield its face.

Actually, there was no face to shield.

This deranged wraith seemed to truly believe it was still alive and took a defensive stance.

Kwagwagwang-

The explosion pushed the creature back.

Ian, without paying it any mind, continued running and prepared the next spell.

‘Red reduces damage, and blue is immune, right?’

A gray wind was already swirling at the tip of his raised magic wand.

Pachichit- Pachit-

The blue sparks that spread from it eventually turned into streaks of lightning.

As the explosion subsided, Ian, who had completed the incantation, extended his magic wand.

Kachichichit-

A lightning storm surged toward the wraith giant. Through the dissipating smoke, a deep blue glow was visible.

“■■■■...!”

The wraith, still shielding its face with its arm, extended it.

Shwoah-!

The corrupted mana that surged from beneath the creature, like a shadow rising, clashed with the storm.

Kwajijijij-!

A blinding flash. The lightning streaks tore through the mana and scattered.

Ian’s brows furrowed.

‘From the fact that it blocked with mana rather than its body, it seems its weakness hasn’t changed.’

At this distance, it didn’t seem easy to penetrate the creature’s defenses.

The gray lightning magic took too long to cast.

Damn, is it going to be close combat again?

“Usurper-!”

At that moment, the wraith began to charge again.

The creature’s movements looked sluggish, but in reality, it was faster than a human sprinting at full speed.

The giant, as big as a small building, quickly approached.

‘About two or three steps to reach me.’

At that moment, the incantation was complete.

Ian’s eyes glowed red.

Kwaaa-!

A massive wall of fire rose up in front of the creature.

The incantation didn’t end there.

Ian immediately added chaos power and cast the intermediate blue magic, the Glacier Wall.

The guardian of the gateway, which had tried to pass through the fire wall without stopping, was instantly frozen and rammed into the rising ice wall.

Kuung-

A crack appeared in the center of the Glacier Wall.

Without the chaos power, even with the wand’s amplification, it wouldn’t have been able to stop the charge.

Kwururur-

The fire wall enveloped the wraith.

Ian cast the next spell.

Kwaaaaa-!

The intermediate red magic, Point Explosion, which had dealt a blow to Asculd, was cast.

Although it was difficult to hit a moving target due to its narrow range, it could unleash powerful firepower against a large, stationary enemy like this.

“Uooooo-!”

The creature howled in the flames.

Meanwhile, Ian was preparing the next spell without a break.

In fact, the previous spells were all to buy time to complete this incantation.

Pachichit- Chichit- Pachichichit-

The lightning that rose from the tip of the magic wand spread in streaks.

In an instant, the lightning filled the space like a spider web, wrapping around the wand and flowing down to Ian’s wrist.

As the light emitted by the lightning grew increasingly bright,

“Never ■■■ ■!”

The wraith, enveloped in flames, twisted its body and roared, filled with mana.

Kwagwagwag-

The greatsword, digging into the ground, shattered the Glacier Wall and soared toward Ian, as if to split him in two.

“...!”

Puhwah-!

Ian’s eyes widened, and a fierce whirlwind swept him away.

The lightning bound to the magic wand erupted almost simultaneously.

In the extreme moment of crisis, Ian perceived all the changes that occurred in that split second.

The mana-infused greatsword carved a thick arc, tearing through the wind, and the lightning that left the wand bloomed like a flower, spreading in all directions.

Kach-!

The arc narrowly grazed Ian’s thigh as it rose.

The wind pressure alone tore his calf, and blood spurted from his thigh.

The world spun and receded.

Ian took in all the scenes as if they were being played back in slow motion.

The snowflakes that seemed to be moving away at high speed.

And beyond them, the ruins of what was once a small rural village.

Undeads swarming toward the half-destroyed house in the center.

In their midst, Tesia, like a bear guarding a cave, was rampaging.

The piles of bones around her.

Hwoong-

In the short time it took for his body to spin once in the air, Tesia had smashed the arm of an undead soldier and was gripping its head.

A shadow falcon flew up and rammed its body into the skull of an undead standing on the roof.

‘She must be quite low on blood. She’s really struggling.’

Thinking this, as he spun around again, Tesia was howling, having crushed the undead’s skull.

Her mouth shape was slowly and clearly imprinted.

-When are you coming, you damn beast!

And that beast was now outside the palisade.

Hwoong-

His body spun once more in the air.

Even with maximum amplification, isn’t it a bit excessive to send the caster flying like this?

Thinking this, Ian took in Charlotte.

She, already pitch black, was covered in ink-like bodily fluids, glistening.

In front of her lay a giant warrior with both arms severed.

She, having thrown one sword somewhere, was striking the creature’s neck with the other.

The thickness of the giant warrior’s neck rivaled a tree trunk, and it seemed she couldn’t sever it in one go.

The black bodily fluids splattered along the sword’s trajectory, gradually darkening the surrounding snow and Charlotte’s body.

Shiaaaa-

The wind, which had been roaring in his ears, began to subside.

The emergency was over. All that remained was the fall.

At that moment, Ian realized that the whirlwind that had sent him flying hadn’t completely dissipated.

A fierce wind, like a wind blade, enveloped his entire body.

The snowflakes, which had been falling at a similar speed, were carried by the wind and rose back into the sky.

I won’t die from the fall.

Thinking this, Ian suddenly thought of Miguel.

Specifically, the talisman he always hid around his ankle.

‘He said it would carry him far with the wind. I always wondered how he landed.’

Perhaps the magic inscribed on the talisman was the highest level of swirling barrier.

Not just protecting the user for a moment, but completely removing them from danger.

Like a scene from a skydiving video he had seen, Ian adjusted his posture and looked down at the dazzlingly bright ground.

The Glacier Wall and the Fire Wall had already vanished without a trace.

Instead, the chain lightning that had spread along the greatsword was coursing through the guardian of the gateway’s body.

Pachichichichit-

The thick armor was useless against the thousands of lightning strands.

Each time the lightning covering the body flickered, chunks of the wraith’s mass visibly evaporated.

The wraith’s deep blue eyes wavered with shock and pain.

Finally, Ian extended the magic wand he was holding toward the creature.

Pach- Pachichit-

A whirlwind swirled around the magic wand. Blue sparks spread along the grooves, and the snowflakes that were drawn in evaporated without a trace.

By the time the incantation was complete, the fall was almost over.

The lightning that had enveloped the guardian of the gateway like a cocoon had already dispersed by more than half.

The completed lightning storm surged forward.

Pachichit-

The storm, filled with intense blue lightning, reached the creature without being blocked by the corrupted mana.

Pachichichit-!

With a blinding flash, the lightning swept through the wraith’s body.

The scattered chain lightning was sucked back and burned the wraith’s mass.

Hwiaaa-!

The subsequent whirlwind that swept through again caught Ian’s falling body and lifted it.

Ian landed lightly.

A tingling sensation spread from one thigh. As he slightly frowned, a wave of dizziness hit him.

A common reaction after consuming a large amount of mana in a short time.

‘I’ll probably be bedridden tomorrow.’

Thinking this, he continued to create fireballs.

Hwururur-

The fireballs shot out as soon as they were formed.

The guardian of the gateway was still paralyzed by the electric shock and couldn’t move properly.

He knew from past experience that the finish was crucial in moments like these.

Bang! Kwagwang! Kwang!

Explosions continued in quick succession. The body of the guardian of the gateway, barely maintaining its form, burst like smoke.

Clang- Clunk-

The armor it wore was flung away by the explosions.

As the explosions continued, the creature’s size gradually decreased.

Ian, while moving, continued to cast and launch fireballs without stopping.

The more critical the enemy, the better it was to finish them off with short and simple spells.

Bang! Kwang!

Finally, when he stopped, the guardian of the gateway had transformed into a black mass.

Even so, looking down at the creature, which still reached his waist, Ian created another fireball.

Kwahng-!

The black mass was scattered by the explosion.

The mucus-like remains that were scattered on the snow quickly evaporated into smoke.

Among the scattered remains, a large skull appeared.

A skull so large it couldn’t be compared to a human’s.

The blue eyes in the eye sockets flickered, and the creature’s jawbone moved.

“Excellent...■■... Usurper...”

Ian, dropping the magic wand, pulled out a dagger without responding.

A rare imperial dagger made by the dwarven craftsmen of Niglros.

“■■... Eternal... Kingdom...”

Kach!

The dagger, held in reverse, struck the center of the creature’s skull. Spider-web-like cracks appeared, and deep blue mana spread like smoke from the cracks.

Puhwah-!

With one more strike, the skull finally shattered.

Blue light burst from all the holes. A screech, almost a scream, echoed as a beam of blue light was sucked into Ian’s hand.

“...?”

Ian looked at his hand.

The resonance quickly subsided.

The mana inside the symbol became as calm as if it were asleep.

The quest completion window appeared.

Proof of Qualification.

“Proved the qualifications of a usurper... Is this it?”

Ian, muttering, looked down at the giant skull left behind.

Thud, a crimson circle spread on the snow beneath his feet.

It was a nosebleed. Ian, who had fallen to his knees due to the intense dizziness, smiled bitterly and gripped the commander’s wand that touched his fingertips.

The screech in his ears. Immediately, he stuffed the magic wand into the subspace and, wiping the nosebleed, barely stood up.

“After all... fighting with only magic...”

Isn’t something a half-baked person like me can do.

Thinking this, Ian turned around.

He wanted to faint right away, but the battle in the village wasn’t over yet.