Chapter 56

◈ Chapter 56. Aesthetic (2)

[Aesthetic : 下]

The effect was quite alien.

To summarize it in one line, it was this effect:

[Adds aesthetic sense to everything.]

The opening of the stat.

When the information about it seeped into my mind,

...I thought, what the hell is this?

However, seeing is believing.

Only after confirming the effect of [Aesthetic] could I correct my impure thoughts.

It adds an aesthetic sense to ‘everything.’

There was no better effect for me than this.

‘It’s definitely different from other stats.’

Strength, agility, magic power, and so on.

Each stat had its limits.

For example,

Strength stat couldn’t directly influence the power of magic.

That was why I found Aesthetic to be alien.

‘Magic, swordsmanship, even dark magic...’

Aesthetic truly affected ‘everything.’

What does that mean?

Existing things, non-existent things.

For me, who could summon anything,

There was no more suitable effect than this...!

Roar─

I channeled my magic power.

Aesthetic-infused [Magic].

The target of its manifestation was the approaching Demon Army.

‘Let’s check one by one.’

It started with something familiar.

Crack─!

It was a stone pillar again.

But the stone pillar with an added aesthetic sense was different from before.

The appearance of the stone pillar rising from the ground was like...

“...Sir, what is that?”

Harkon pretended to be surprised.

I could understand such a reaction.

Even I, who had manifested it, was slightly surprised.

“...Stop!!”

What blocked the path of the Demon Army was...

Soldiers.

Yes, the soldiers we had just recovered.

I had manifested their forms as statues.

...Wait a moment.

How complex was the interference process involved?

I knew well from experience.

Why, when I tried to alter the shape of a silver dagger,

Just by slightly twisting its form to increase its lethality,

The magic power consumed was at a level that couldn’t be ignored.

However,

‘...This isn’t just a slight twist.’

From ordinary stone to statues.

It was literally creating a form.

Moreover, the number of statues manifested exceeded a hundred.

Even if my magic power had grown and [Predator-Prey Relationship] was active,

I wouldn’t have been able to avoid magic exhaustion.

Of course, that was in the past.

I checked the consumed magic power.

‘Not bad.’

It was more than just manifesting a stone pillar,

But compared to the level of the manifested magic,

This was almost negligible.

All thanks to Aesthetic.

Aesthetic sense.

It simplified the most complex interference processes.

‘To put it simply.’

It’s like a shortcut, macro, or copy-paste technique.

Of course, it’s more troublesome when you don’t use it.

But with just a single button press,

The output is several times, no, dozens of times greater.

However, only I knew the truth.

The Demon Army naturally stopped.

“Those are definitely the ones we killed...?”

“No way, did he revive them?”

“No, a human can’t possibly do that!”

Even the Shadow Mercenary Corps watching from the side.

“Old man, take a deep breath. What’s with the surprise? It’s just a few stone statues popping up.”

“...Rokkyd. I envy your ignorance.”

“What, you bastard?! Who’s ignorant, you little brat?!”

When I declared I would recover the bodies,

They looked at me as if I were crazy.

Now, their gazes have changed in a strange way.

Especially Kitch, he’s looking at me like I’m a monster.

However,

“Look closely. Petty demon.”

I had no intention of explaining the details.

I didn’t have the leisure for it.

I continued in a cold voice.

“Death cannot break a human’s pride.”

I said this clearly while recovering the bodies.

-Your pride, I will carry on.

Yes, I was too busy keeping my word...!

With the Demon Army in disarray,

I didn’t hesitate.

Swoosh─!

Soldier statues.

I threw the weapons they held at the Demon Army.

Since the weapons were also part of the statues,

Their forms were naturally intricate.

Moreover, they were infused with my magic power.

The destructive power was overwhelming.

Boom─!

Accurately.

Only the Demon Army was targeted.

“Ughhh!! Damn!!”

“How can the dead...!”

“A human, showing off!”

Indeed, they were living up to their level.

[Captain of the Demon Army: Lv.420]

The one who regained his senses shouted at his allies.

“Don’t be fooled. It’s just a simple illusion!”

A simple illusion.

I added a comment.

“Indeed, my expectations were too high.”

“...What?”

“A dull demon can’t understand pride.”

The real show is just beginning.

I began to channel my magic power earnestly.

As I said, Aesthetic affected everything.

‘How it will synergize with each elemental magic. I need to know.’

For that, I needed a light, a magic sphere.

I manifested the light.

It didn’t need to be large.

‘Delicacy is required more than sheer power.’

The battlefield was a complex urban area.

I needed to distinguish between friend and foe.

‘Reducing the size and increasing the number is the right approach.’

With Aesthetic in existence,

The interference process wouldn’t consume a significant amount of magic power.

And, though not important,

Float─

“...Beautiful.”

“Glorious!”

“Old man. What’s with this flashy magic just by looking at it?”

Like snowflakes catching the sunlight.

The Aesthetic-infused magic spheres were quite beautiful.

Of course, the beauty wasn’t everything.

Manifestation.

Like snowflakes.

The magic spheres flying towards the Demon Army began to manifest as elemental magic.

With Aesthetic added to each elemental magic,

The flames burned majestically.

The water moved calmly.

Even the loud lightning felt like a divine judgment.

The scene was indescribable.

It was inevitable.

No matter how the scene was,

Ultimately, the process of hunting demons.

No matter how the method was, it was a natural thing.

I said calmly.

“Stand back.”

Of course, my inner thoughts couldn’t remain calm.

All because of the messages that kept popping up.

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

[Level up.]...

And the flashing quest window.

──────

─Current Contribution: 23,100p

──────

The pouring experience and contribution points.

I thought shamelessly.

...Maybe I can aim for the top contribution?

*

Frost.

The sunlight no longer entered Miyah’s house.

Miyah looked at the window covered by the curtains.

How many days had it been?

Since her father left the house with strict instructions.

-Miyah, you must never open the door.

Miyah wasn’t as young as her younger brother, Mark.

So she knew.

Demons had invaded Frost, and her father had left to fight them.

And,

-Mark, listen to your sister until I return.

The fact that her father might never return.

Miyah didn’t think she was pitiful.

She knew this trial wasn’t just for her.

But it was strange.

Since she heard that other villages had fallen to demons.

It was something she had expected.

But for some reason, tears kept welling up.

“...Sniff.”

But Miyah didn’t cry.

No, she couldn’t cry in front of Mark.

...Mark?

Miyah stretched out her arms to feel around.

But no matter how far she stretched, she couldn’t feel Mark’s round head.

Where did he go?

Could he have gone upstairs?

Just as she was thinking,

A beam of light appeared in the darkness.

“!”

Mark had pulled back the curtains.

Miyah was startled.

We might be discovered by the demons!

She whispered to Mark.

“Mark...! Close the curtains!”

Mark’s face, illuminated by the sunlight.

For some reason, his lips gradually curved upward.

Mark said cheerfully.

“Sis, it’s snowing!”

...Snow?

It hadn’t snowed in Frost for a while.

Her father had said so.

Because of the Hell Gate opening in the Frost Forest.

The ground had become too hot for snow to fall.

He had definitely said that...

Shake, shake─

‘Mark must be seeing things.’

That fool!

Miyah quickly ran to Mark.

In the dark house.

It hurt as she stumbled around, but she held back her tears.

And quickly, she tried to close the curtains...

“...Huh?”

But as Mark had said, it was really snowing.

Float─

Miyah stared blankly out the window and then flinched.

...No, it wasn’t snow?

Even if they were snowflakes, they were too large.

She had never seen such large snowflakes, even when the snow had piled up on the roof.

And most importantly, they were too sparkling.

“...Beautiful.”

She felt this way for the first time seeing the snow.

Miyah, who had been lost in thought, came to her senses at Mark’s words.

“Sis, let’s go out and have a snowball fight!”

Her father had said Mark was still too young to understand such things.

“...You fool!”

Miyah was certain.

Mark was definitely a fool.

Miyah came to her senses.

Whether it was snow or not wasn’t important.

‘Hurry up!’

Before the demons noticed, close the curtains...!

But then, she naturally saw the street.

“...Sis? Are you being selfish and watching alone?”

Mark, being short, couldn’t see.

But Miyah could.

“...Could they be here to save us?”

The sight of knights fighting demons.

Miyah felt tears welling up.

But there was a man in unfamiliar attire next to the knights.

“...?”

His outfit was definitely something she had never seen before.

But a phrase flashed through Miyah’s memory.

-When our father was about Miyah’s age, there were adventurers from another world... Father and everyone else received a lot of help from the adventurers.

Miyah had a hunch.

‘An adventurer.’

That man was the adventurer her father had talked about.

But at the same time, her father’s warning came to mind.

-Miyah, you must never trust anyone easily.

...Right, Father said demons are good at deceiving people.

Miyah bit her lower lip.

Yes, it could be a trick.

But it was strange.

“...No.”

No matter how she thought about it, this wasn’t something a demon would do.

The man and the knights were recovering bodies.

Among them were faces Miyah recognized.

“Uncle Hanson...”

A guard who had greeted her just a few days ago.

The adventurer closing Uncle’s eyes.

The sight moved Miyah.

“I want to... I want to see too. Sis!”

To Mark’s whining, Miyah said.

“...Mark. Let’s have a snowball fight.”

“...Really?!”

“Really. I promise.”

Miyah firmly held Mark’s hand.

*

I realized again.

‘The Shadow Mercenary Corps.’

Their skills.

Though there was a hierarchy among them, with Kitch leading,

Even Rokkyd, at the bottom, had an overwhelmingly powerful combat ability.

Look at him now.

“Come at me in a group. You filthy brats.”

Every time Rokkyd swung his mace, the Demon Army was swept away like fallen leaves.

To slaughter monsters over level 400 like this.

‘The fact that it’s not a sword technique is even more surprising.’

There was no sign of a sword technique or unique light from Rokkyd.

He was overwhelming the demons with pure strength.

I felt my heart leap out of my chest.

‘...I brought such a Shadow Mercenary Corps here to Frost...’

By force and half-coercion.

But fortunately, they were friendly towards me, regardless of their strength.

“We are also giving our all. See?”

“Watching. You still have some room to spare.”

“...Room to spare?! Ah. I’ll try harder!”

“?”

It was just a compliment on his skills.

Why such a reaction?

Anyway, despite the gaze that treated me like a monster,

Kitch was doing his best.

“If it’s okay with you.”

Not just Kitch, but the old man called Alkara also spoke to me politely.

Even offering a potion.

“Potion making is my specialty.”

But this noble Granfel.

How could I rely on a potion offered by someone else?

I naturally replied.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine.”

“Oh...! I unintentionally doubted you. Please forgive this humble old man’s concern.”

“?”

Why such a reaction again?

It seemed there was a misunderstanding in communication.

But it wasn’t the right time to clear it up.

My magic.

The combined attack of the Ryan Heart Knights and the Shadow Mercenary Corps.

Thanks to them, the Demon Army suffered heavy losses, almost total annihilation, before retreating.

There was no need to chase them. If our goal is to slay the Demon King, we’ll meet again.

And we had something to do now.

Harkon shouted.

“Recover the bodies!”

Bodies were scattered everywhere.

While I was closing the eyes of a guard, Harkon said to me.

“Sir. I firmly believed there would be survivors.”

Shake, shake─

“But...!”

Harkon’s shoulders trembled with anger.

One thing was certain.

To earn such hatred from the great Harkon,

‘Whoever you are, Demon Army Commander, you’re in big trouble.’

At that moment.

“...!”

The quest window flashed.

Thanks to this, I had something to say to Harkon.

“Don’t blame yourself, Harkon.”

“...?”

[Class Quest: Demon King Slaying]

The king of demons.

Their influence is spreading.

O final demon hunter.

Topple the throne of evil.

-Train your weakened body. (Repeat)

-Investigate the northern city of Frost. (Success)

Class quest.

A new goal added at the end.

-Save the survivors. (In progress)

I said calmly.

“It seems your belief was not wrong.”

At that moment.

Open─!

The curtains that had been drawn were opened.

“S, survivors...!”

But it’s too early to celebrate.

-Destroy the Demon King summoning ritual. (In progress)

The Demon King slaying has just begun.