Chapter 62

Веlbеk, сasting a роwеrful Маgic with immense Маna befоre him.

Khаn lооkеd аt thе man, aрpeаring сomрlеtеlу аt eаse, but in rеality, thаt wаsn’t thе сase.

‘Fuсk, do I rеally havе tо block this…?’

His heаrt wаs pounding so fast it felt likе it wоuld burst out of his chest, but pеrhаps thanks tо the ‘Sаgе’s Неart’, he was ablе to quicklу rеgаin his comроsurе.

‘For now, tо take him dоwn or at least mаkе him scarеd… this is thе best wаy.’

Gulp.

Кhan swallowеd the sаlivа pooling in his mouth and stеelеd himsеlf оncе more.

‘If I just timе it right, I саn definitelу bloсk his аttасk with ‘Мirror Dеfеnsе’.’

Thе Rаnk 2 Hidden Skill he possessed, ‘Mirror Defense’.

‘Mirror Defense’, which Khan had been determined to obtain, was a Rank 2 Skill, but in reality, it was a Skill that could rival a Rank 8… no, a Rank 9 Skill.

‘It’s a little concerning that I’ve never seen it before… but it’ll surely be fine.’

[Skill: Mirror Defense]

• Skill Rank: Rank 2

• Skill Description: Creates a barrier with an unknown power that blocks any attack. It can absorb the blocked attack and use it in the same way.

• Cooldown: 240 hours

• Mana Consumption: X

The ‘Mirror Defense’ Skill that Khan had obtained by stopping at Hugo Village was a Skill that could block any attack.

And the reason this Skill was so broken was that it could absorb the blocked attack and use it in the same way.

‘Judging by his Mana, he’s definitely using the strongest attack he has.’

The Mana emanating from Belbek was truly on an enormous scale.

An overwhelming amount of Mana that the current Khan could never hope to fathom.

That’s why Khan was certain.

The moment that man used that Magic, the odds of victory would shift to his side.

‘That girl named Serina is a bit of a concern… but at least her personality doesn’t seem twisted, so I just need to deal with this guy.’

Khan had a rough plan, so he felt he could at least avoid death.

‘By the way, if Byutek or Sharin find and acquire a Hidden Skill… that’ll be a problem in its own right.’

Of course, it was far more beneficial for Byutek or Sharin to have a Hidden Skill than to give it to someone else.

Shuk.

Khan slowly extended his hand forward, finishing his preparations to block the man’s attack.

[You have used the Skill ‘Mirror Defense’.]

Woooong….

An invisible, transparent shield formed around his entire body, centered on where Khan had extended his hand.

The shield was so perfectly transparent that it was invisible to the eye.

Since not even a trace of Mana could be felt, the man would not notice.

“Sir Khan!!!”

“Master!!!”

Just then, the voices of Byutek and Sharin, who had gone down to the basement, were heard.

‘Why are they…?’

Serina was with the two of them as well, so Khan was sure the three had come up after finding nothing in the basement.

Especially since a Mage of Serina’s caliber would have been able to quickly check what was inside by raising her Mana.

It seemed Serina was saying something to Belbek, telling him to stop, but Belbek wasn’t listening to her.

‘Oh?’

Moreover, he was even spouting words that seemed to look down on him.

“Can’t be helped. That man you call your master is about to die.”

“N-No, he’s not…! There’s no way my Master is weaker than a guy like that!”

Hearing Sharin’s voice, Khan smiled to himself.

If she were to step forward to save him here, Khan’s entire plan would be ruined.

The range of the ‘Mirror Defense’ Skill wasn’t that wide, so if Sharin and Byutek suddenly stepped forward to save him, the two of them would surely die.

“Sir Khan! I will help you!”

“M-Me too!!”

“……!”

Just as he was feeling relieved, Byutek suddenly shouted and tried to run toward where Khan was.

For a moment, Khan was also surprised and was about to shout at him not to come, but thankfully, the Mage named Serina seemed to have restrained Byutek and Sharin.

At the same time, a pure white light flashed before Khan’s eyes, and a massive explosion erupted.

KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!

Khan forced open his eyes, which were trying to close on their own.

He wanted to properly see for himself just what the range and destructive power of Magic used by a Level 80 Mage was.

[You have blocked ‘Lightning of Destruction’ with ‘Mirror Defense’.]

[Absorbing ‘Lightning of Destruction’ and the Mana used for it.]

Woooong…!!!!

The Magic the man had used was none other than ‘Lightning of Destruction’.

As far as Khan knew, in the game, it was the Skill that boasted the strongest destructive power among the Rank 5 Skills a Mage could learn.

‘To think the thing he was using was Lightning of Destruction….’

The Lightning of Destruction Skill was one of the Rank 5 Skills that every Mage coveted most.

Along with the message that appeared before his eyes, Khan could suddenly feel Mana overflowing in his body.

‘Keuk…!’

There was so much Mana that it felt like his heart would burst.

Woooooong…!!!!!

Kukukukukukukukukukukung…!!!

Kukwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwang…!!!

The Mana Khan had absorbed was all the Mana that the Level 80 Belbek possessed.

Because of that, the absorbed Mana couldn’t be contained within Khan’s body and was flowing out.

However, Khan didn’t let it show and opened his mouth with the most relaxed expression he could muster.

“Is this all you’ve got?”

“……!!!!”

“N-No way! Did he really block ‘Lightning of Destruction’…?!”

Belbek’s eyes widened so much they looked like they would pop out.

Serina also screamed in fright.

Both of them had thought Khan would surely be dead, but not only was he standing there perfectly fine, but a tremendous amount of Mana was suddenly being felt from him.

Woooooong……!!!!!

The amount of Mana gushing from Khan’s body was even greater than Belbek’s.

Just how much Mana did he have that he could just raise it for intimidation and have it scatter outside like that?

“B-Belbek! You crazy bastard! That man is no ordinary person! I think he’s a Mage on the level of our Masters…!”

“……I’m looking at him too.”

Fortunately, they seemed to have been scared witless by the Mana flowing out of Khan’s body.

‘Thankfully, it seems they haven’t caught on.’

They didn’t seem to think that it was leaking out because he couldn’t control the Mana.

Khan took this opportunity and quickly opened his mouth again.

“Are all Mages from the Blue Magic Tower ill-mannered brats like you?”

“……My apologies. I failed to recognize you, Seonbae. Could you please tell me your name and affiliation?”

“It’s Khan.”

“So you were Sir… Khan. I have no excuse. I am sorry.”

Khan’s bluff had worked perfectly.

“Sir Khan, I’m so sorry! I tried to stop him somehow… Oh, and we didn’t find anything in the basement!”

“……”

The Mage named Serina, who had at some point stood next to Belbek, also began to apologize, bowing her head deeply.

Khan had only glanced at Serina, but she flinched for a moment and shouted again.

“I-It’s true! I went with them, so you can just ask them! And I didn’t even attack when we went down to the basement together, you know?”

Then, Byutek and Sharin also spoke up.

“…That is true.”

“That’s right, Master…. That person did nothing wrong.”

Byutek and Sharin wanted to say more, but the overwhelming aura emanating from Khan left them speechless.

“Anyway, I’m really sorry! I don’t mean to just say sorry with empty words…. Of course, I’ll give you something in return! Is there anything you want?”

Serina’s words were momentarily tempting, but Khan didn’t have much time.

[If the absorbed attack is not used within 10 seconds, it will disappear.]

If an attack absorbed by ‘Mirror Defense’ wasn’t used quickly, it would disappear along with all the Mana.

Of course, as his Level and the number of Circles increased, the duration would become much longer.

‘First, I should use this Magic to threaten them a little.’

There was a chance that if he withdrew his Mana, the man might change his tune or Khan’s bluff might be exposed.

So it would be best to firmly suppress the two of them here and now.

“Still, if you’ve done wrong, you must be punished.”

“Wh-What? No, wait a minute! Wait…!”

Serina was truly about to lose her mind.

The man named Khan standing before her was a truly monstrous Mage.

Almost on par with the only three Archmages in the Blue Magic Tower.

‘No, he’s a monster who might be even stronger than my Master…!’

The strange, unknown aura she had felt from Khan.

That aura was now radiating much more powerfully than before.

Serina wanted to stop Khan somehow, but he already seemed quite angry.

He was likely planning to attack them to punish them one way or another.

‘It’s impossible to use Marked Dimensional Shift again right away…!’

At this rate, it seemed she would have to block the attack somehow.

Shuk.

Khan extended his hand toward Belbek and Serina.

“Belbek, do you have any Mana left?”

“Almost none. At best, enough to cast a Rank 2 spell once.”

“Haa, you crazy bastard. Why did you have to provoke a monster like that…! For now, squeeze out all your Mana!”

“…Understood.”

Belbek squeezed out all his remaining Mana to create a Mana shield.

Serina also drew up all her Mana and quickly began her Incantation.

It was ‘Soul Veil’, the strongest Rank 4 Magic among the Defense Type Magic she possessed.

‘With Soul Veil, I should be able to endure it at least once…!’

As she had that thought, she finished her Incantation.

A blue shield of light formed widely around her body.

At the same time, as if on cue, a giant Thunderbolt fell on their heads.

Pzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!!!

KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!!

The exact same Magic that Belbek had used just a moment ago unfolded from Khan’s fingertips.

“Kyaaak…!”

“Keuk…!!”

Serina and Belbek, who were blocking the Magic, felt like they were truly about to die.

‘This is Lightning of Destruction…?! Don’t tell me…!’

She hadn’t seen him recite an Incantation or perform a Casting.

That meant the man before her was a Mage of such incredible skill that he could instantly cast ‘Lightning of Destruction’ with Chantless Casting.

Ssssk.

A moment later, the ‘Lightning of Destruction’ that Khan had used completely disappeared.

Serina, who had used all her Mana to barely block it, calmed her trembling legs and looked at Khan.

“P-Please spare me…!”

She said in a trembling voice.

Khan looked at Serina and slowly opened his mouth.

“What can you give me in exchange for your life?”

Now, it was time to extort as much as he had suffered.