Chapter 81

EP.81 Chicken Game (3)

A pebble rolling along the road.

Eva Hallober, a D-class underachiever, had always referred to herself as such.

While her magical talent was above average in the Gerber Empire, it was woefully inadequate compared to the talented students who flocked to Merhen Academy.

That was why she was recruited as an information gatherer for the Red Elephant, one of the Four Constellations.

Eva had resolved to dedicate everything she had to prove her worth at Merhen Academy.

However... it seemed she had made a mistake.

Even someone with as little mana sensing ability as Eva could feel it.

The overwhelming magical power emanating from Isaac was beyond imagination!

─ ‘It won’t be easy to let you off for selling out my information, Eva.’

Isaac’s solemn words echoed in her mind.

Just what kind of being had she provoked? What kind of entity had she offended?

‘I’ll never cause trouble again... I’ll live quietly...’

Overwhelmed by fear and despair, she felt like crying.

Eva’s resolve to dedicate everything to the Red Elephant had long since crumbled.

Now, even the fragments of that resolve were shattering.

* * *

[What’s going on? Creak Why is my mana, suddenly...?!]

Malok’s large eyes widened even further.

It was understandable. No matter how strong Malok of Envy was, my mana was overwhelmingly superior.

I glanced to the side. Ian was gathering light mana on his sword.

The pure white magic array forming around him. He was about to use [Apostle of Light].

Originally, in the hell difficulty of <Merhen’s Magic Knight>, using [Apostle of Light] required high-level control.

This was because the preparation time for the skill was long, and one had to calculate the timing precisely.

It was a skill with guaranteed performance.

‘Good.’

In the <Merhen’s Magic Knight> “Act 6, Floating Island” part, [Apostle of Light] was a skill that had to be used.

If Ian didn’t use [Apostle of Light] at the center of the floating island, I wouldn’t have a way to save Dorothy.

So, I wanted to see with my own eyes if Ian could use [Apostle of Light] properly this time.

「Rock Collapse (Earth Attribute, ★4)」 + 「Darkness (Earth Attribute, ★5)」 =

─────────────「Darkness Hammer (Earth Attribute)」

Rumble────!!

A large black rock extended like a hammer from the magic array Malok had deployed.

[Darkness Hammer]. It was about to strike down on me, Ian, and the other students.

‘Not so easily.’

I raised my index finger and activated an elemental magic.

「Cliff (Earth Attribute, ★4)」 + 「Ice Wall (Ice Attribute, ★4)」 =

─────────────────「Fossil Ice (Earth + Ice Attribute)」

Crack────!!

Boom─────!!

Following my finger movement, a dark blue ice wall rose up, encircling Malok of Envy.

The thick ice wall, [Fossil Ice], with light gray rock mana flowing through it like veins, was the most powerful defensive magic I could currently use.

Malok’s [Darkness Hammer] collided fiercely with [Fossil Ice] but failed to leave even a scratch on the solid wall.

[Creak Damn it!!]

Soon, Ian’s preparation for [Apostle of Light] was complete.

I dissolved the [Fossil Ice] I had deployed to block Malok’s [Darkness Hammer]. Light blue and light gray powders scattered.

I then made [Fossil Ice] rise up at the location where Malok was struggling.

Rumble─────!

[Gasp!]

Malok’s body was pushed upward by [Fossil Ice] and stopped at a midpoint.

[Fossil Ice] formed around him like a wall, leaving only the side where Ian was.

The stage is set.

Ian raised his sword, infused with light mana, above his head.

He swung the sword downward.

A pure white sword trail was etched in the air.

The white flames that erupted from the sword shot toward Malok of Envy.

Whoosh──────!!

Along with the pure white birds from Ian’s sword strike, dozens of beams of light shot out from the magic array.

All the attacks hit Malok simultaneously.

──────────────「Apostle of Light (Light Attribute, ★5)」

Scream─────!!

Roar─────!!!

A rainbow light source flared up, and a pure white flame storm began to engulf Malok of Envy, burning fiercely.

[Apostle of Light] was blocked by [Fossil Ice], preventing it from spreading to the surroundings, and only Malok was burned brilliantly.

Malok gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

No matter how great the level difference between Ian and Malok, holy power was a clear weakness for demons.

And it was also a weapon that allowed Ian to deal with high-level demons. It was bound to be effective.

Most importantly, [Apostle of Light] had a very useful effect.

[Creak Gasp... Magic...!]

The flames from [Apostle of Light] subsided.

Malok of Envy, with parts of his body charred, was unable to properly cast a magic array.

[Apostle of Light] temporarily disrupted the flow of a demon’s mana.

He could probably use a spell like [Rock Collapse].

But a spell like [Rock Rampage], which required significant mana control, would be difficult.

That was the most dangerous skill in Malok’s pattern. It was a large-scale spell that made rocks rise indiscriminately. If he used it, there would be many casualties.

To incapacitate Malok before he could use [Rock Rampage], Ian would have to strike only the heads that suddenly lit up among the many heads attached to his body.

‘How can Ian do that?’

Well, there’s no choice. Isn’t it best to support him like this and feed him [Apostle of Light]?

Anyway, I watched well. There’s no need to worry about the power of [Apostle of Light].

I walked toward Malok and dissolved the [Fossil Ice]. With the [Fossil Ice] supporting Malok’s body gone, his massive form was left suspended in mid-air.

Just before Malok fell to the stage due to gravity.

His large eyes turned toward me.

[ Malok of Envy ]

Psychology: [I feel fear towards you.]

[Creak Creak How... how!!]

Malok shouted in a trembling voice.

[Creak I’m sure your mana was just at the level of a mere insect!!]

Standing in front of the stage illuminated by bright lights, I extended my right arm toward Malok.

As I sent ice mana and rock mana through my right hand, a large magic array with a harmonious blend of light blue and light gray appeared above the stage and over his head.

“I.”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of my mouth.

“I’m a bit of a thug when it comes to dealing with scum like you.”

I clenched my right hand into a fist and activated the magic.

「Soil Subsidence (Earth Attribute, ★6)」 + 「Severe Winter (Ice Attribute, ★6) =

──────────────────── 「Permafrost (Earth + Ice Attribute)」

Rumble──────────!!!

Crack──────────!!!

The magic arrays above and below Malok spewed out cold rocks and soil, releasing intense cold.

Rocks filled with deadly cold rose rapidly on the stage.

Malok’s body, upon touching the rocks rising from the stage, rapidly cooled and froze solid.

He was then struck helplessly by the soil and rocks pouring down from above.

Rumble──────────!!!

Two rocks, one from above and one from below, pressed Malok together.

Malok’s body was trapped and compressed within the [Permafrost], a light blue soil that he couldn’t escape from.

Sizzle───!!

The two rocks, having swallowed Malok, released cold vapor like steam.

「Cliff (Earth Attribute, ★4)」 + 「Darkness (Earth Attribute, ★5)」 =

─────────── 「Adamantine Boulder (Earth Attribute)」

[Permafrost] is a magic that traps the opponent in harsh cold and crushes them fiercely. However, Malok seemed to have avoided instant death by using [Adamantine Boulder] at maximum output.

Unfortunately, it was in vain.

Crack─.

[Permafrost] continuously applies pressure, no matter how solid the object. The pressure from [Permafrost] was something Malok’s [Adamantine Boulder] couldn’t withstand.

His [Adamantine Boulder] must have been shattered.

Eventually, I released the [Permafrost], which emitted light blue cold. [Permafrost] turned into a powder with a light blue and light gray hue and disappeared.

What became visible was a shattered black rock.

Inside, Malok’s body, with parts crushed and frozen blood filling it, was in a terrible state, almost unrecognizable.

[Creak...]

Malok of Envy, affected by gravity, began to fall.

Before he even touched the stage, he let out his final scream.

[Lonely...]

Malok’s last words lingered faintly and then scattered.

He turned into a dull gray powder and drifted into the air.

[Congratulations! You have defeated [Malok of Envy (Lv 160)] and gained experience!]

[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 76!]

[You have gained 8 stats!]

[You have achieved the achievement [Humanity’s Qualification]! You have gained an additional 10 bonus stats!]

As the unique trait [