Chapter 68: A-Rank Gate

Super-Heat System.

A high-tier magic one step above the Flame Series.

It took me no small amount of time to properly master this magic.

Acquiring high-tier magic requires not just talent, but considerable effort as well.

Even among High-Rank Hunters, only a handful of mages have reached that level.

More than half of that handful have ascended to the ranks of S-Rank Hunters.

[ Superheat Element — Eternal Flame ]

An eternally burning flame. That flame continues to burn until it reduces its target and the surroundings to complete ash.

Unlike the magic I’d used until now, high-tier magic has no levels. If I had to put a number on it, wouldn’t level 1 be the max?

If I were to compare Fireball and Eternal Flame… in my opinion, even a level 10 Fireball wouldn’t be enough. In fact, the power of Eternal Flame is so immense that it could make a level 7 Fireball look like ‘trash.’

Flames burst forth from the five magic circles drawn in front of my palm. The scale alone was on a completely different dimension from the Fireball I’d used earlier.

WHOOSH—!

The crimson flames engulfed the Snow Giants that had been chasing me. The moment they were caught in the blaze, the A-Rank Demon Beasts, their imposing presence rendered meaningless, let out agonized screams and turned into charred black ash.

“Kuaaaah!”

Before long, all the Snow Giants that had filled the snowy mountain were reduced to ash, vanishing from the dungeon. Amidst it all, I spotted Vasquez. The bastard was trying to escape the flames by controlling the few remaining Snow Giants.

‘Can’t let that happen.’

I won’t miss him this time. I had a lot to ask that bastard. Starting with the egg, and then about the Transfer Mage, and so on.

I moved my hand, reaching out toward Vasquez. The crimson flames surrounding the Snow Giants, as if they’d gained a will of their own, pursued the fleeing Vasquez.

But Vasquez dodged left and right, leaping from one Snow Giant’s body to another. The bastard was remarkably quick, as befitting someone with skill on par with an S-Rank.

I couldn’t just stand still any longer. I cast a Haste spell on myself. The Magic Stones left behind by the Snow Giants were a shame to waste, but right now, Vasquez was the priority.

*Step.*

After withdrawing the flames, I kicked off the snowy ground and ran. Chasing him wasn’t that hard. Because Vasquez stopped running once he realized the flames were gone.

“All those Snow Giants… just what kind of talent are you packing?”

Vasquez turned around and clicked his tongue.

Not a single Snow Giant remained around him to protect him anymore.

“Judging by that magic, you seem like you’d qualify as an S-Rank Hunter… but I’ve never seen a young lady as young as you become an S-Rank. What the hell are you, young lady?”

“…”

Instead of answering Vasquez’s question, I reached out my hand.

That bastard’s shady. While talking like that, he’s highly likely scheming something on the sly.

And my prediction was right.

*BOOM!*

A massive explosion erupted centered on the spot where I’d been standing.

‘…!’

Thanks to the Mana Shield wrapped around my body, I wasn’t hurt, but the snow spray kicked up by the blast briefly obscured my vision.

“Heh!”

Bursting through the snow spray, Vasquez swung his dagger viciously.

*CRACK!*

The sound of the Mana Shield I’d cast shattering.

‘Tch!’

I didn’t want to admit it, but I’d confirmed last time that Vasquez’s speed was superior to mine. In that fight, I was barely managing to defend. But this time will be different.

*CRACK!*

While Vasquez swung his dagger to destroy my Mana Shield, I secretly reached my hand out toward him. What took shape was a blue magic circle.

[ Ice Element — Frost Nova Lv.7 ]

“…!”

As expected, Vasquez, being skilled, noticed the magic circle I’d secretly activated, but my Incantationless Casting was far faster than his movements. The hand gripping his dagger froze solid in an instant.

“What…!”

I didn’t miss the bewilderment spreading across Vasquez’s face. I created a Mana Sword and swung it at him.

*SWISH!*

But even with his hand sealed, Vasquez dodged my sword without much difficulty.

‘Then how about this.’

[ Ice Element — Frost Bullet Lv.7 ]

While swinging the sword, I activated magic with my free hand. Icicles formed from the blue magic circle shot toward Vasquez.

“Kuh!”

Whether he was worn out from continuously using his domination ability, the bastard allowed my attacks to land more easily than before.

“Not bad, young lady…”

Vasquez covered the spot where the icicle had pierced him with his hand, but he couldn’t stop the blood from flowing.

“Ugh!”

As a last-ditch struggle, he slammed his frozen hand against the ground. Naturally, there was no way that would break a spell that couldn’t even be shattered by an Earth Dragon.

“Haha… this is it, huh.”

With a hollow laugh, Vasquez slumped down on the spot. Cornered like this, the bastard finally seemed to have given up.

“I have a lot of questions.”

I glared at Vasquez and spoke.

“Questions, huh. If I answer them, do I get to live?”

“Depends on the quality of the answers.”

“That’s weird… doesn’t match your looks at all.”

“What does.”

“The way you talk. How old are you, anyway? That’s not something someone your age would say.”

“…Don’t change the subject. I’m the one asking questions. You just need to answer.”

I reached my right hand toward Vasquez’s forehead as I spoke. It was a kind of threat.

“Oh my, so scary.”

He said that, but his attitude was anything but. Even in this situation, the bastard still seemed to think I was a joke.

“That’s a warning. If you spout nonsense, I’ll really blast you away. You saw with your own eyes what happened to the Snow Giants, didn’t you?”

“…Fine, fine.”

Only when I drew a magic circle did Vasquez finally become docile. I still didn’t like it, but this bastard had a ton of the information I needed.

“First, what exactly is that egg you’re trying to steal from us? Last time you explained it vaguely, so I didn’t really understand.”

Back then, Vasquez had told me it was the egg of a god that the Demon Beasts served.

“I told you. It’s the egg the Demon Beasts—”

[ Flame Element — Fireball Lv.1 ]

When he tried to say the same thing as before, I activated the weakest spell I had. Even at Level 1, it’s not hard to burn an unarmed person to a crisp.

“Okay, okay! I’ll talk, alright. That egg—Karelin said it was something she needed for her plan.”

“Karelin, right. Tell me specifically. What kind of bastard is he?”

“A mage.”

“A mage… so that bastard is a Teleportation Mage.”

“…What the hell, how did you know that?”

Vasquez asked back with a surprised expression at my question.

“I’m the only one asking questions. You just answer.”

I brought the Fireball closer to Vasquez’s forehead as I spoke.

“…I don’t know the details either. I’m just trying to retrieve it because Karelin said he needed it.”

“Retrieve? That egg was with the Earth Dragon. It wasn’t yours to begin with.”

“I was the one controlling that Earth Dragon. That dungeon was originally a Gate that was never supposed to open.”

I’d already guessed that Vasquez was the one controlling the Earth Dragon. But a Gate that was never supposed to open—could these bastards even know something like that?

“Keep talking.”

“Karelin wanted to hide the egg until it hatched. He thought if it was in a Gate that never opened, no one would find it. But it wasn’t without problems. The issue was who to send to hide the egg. And we also needed to check periodically that the egg was safe.”

“So you dominated the Demon Beasts?”

“Right. It’s an ability I gained when I became an Awakened One. The power to dominate living creatures. I used that power to control the Demon Beasts and hide the egg in the dungeon.”

So that was the ability. I thought it was brainwashing, but it seems a bit different. Then again, if it were simple brainwashing, the monstrous bird I met in the D-Rank dungeon wouldn’t have been able to dodge my Fireball. It also wouldn’t have been able to extend a branch toward me.

“Then you could have just dominated the Demon Beasts already in that dungeon. Was there a reason to send the Earth Dragon there specifically?”

“It was to prepare for any intruders who might enter that dungeon. I thought if a powerful Demon Beast was there, it would easily take care of intruders.”

“But that powerful Demon Beast ended up being taken down instead.”

“That’s how it went.”

So that was the background.

But the important part still hadn’t come up.

“…Then why did you teleport people?”

If he’d already teleported the Earth Dragon, shouldn’t that have been enough?

If he needed to test the Earth Dragon’s strength, wiping out all the Demon Beasts in the original dungeon would have proven it plenty.

The Earth Dragon said it had killed all the people who were teleported. And it added that it wasn’t its own will.

In other words, this bastard might as well have done it himself.

“Because I couldn’t leave any evidence.”

I thought he might try to run or pretend he didn’t know anything, but Vasquez answered me surprisingly obediently.

“Because it was the perfect place to get rid of the guys who’d caught wind of our organization’s existence, or the informants, that kind of trash.”

“…Is that so?”

“What’s with the face? People dying — that’s pretty common in dungeons, isn’t it?”

Vasquez spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“…Yeah, I guess.”

I answered, my voice a little weak. It reminded me of the time I was called a murderer.

These bastards went around killing people without a second thought, and they didn’t feel even a shred of guilt.

The thought irritated me, and my hands clenched involuntarily. If anyone deserved to be slandered as a real murderer, it was these scumbags. So why did people who’d never even seen me brand me as a killer?

‘…That’s not what’s important right now.’

I swallowed my resentment. Unlike them, I hadn’t committed murder. If I could just prove that, the misunderstanding would clear up someday.

…I didn’t know when that day would come, but it would, for sure.

I glared at Vasquez again and spoke.

“Karelin. What’s that bastard’s goal? If you don’t tell me, I’ll burn your body to ash.”