Chapter 85: End Cave

‘Almost there.’

The color of the line drawn by Navigator Magic was growing steadily darker. A sign that I was nearly at the target.

And just as I’d expected.

“Claire!”

In the distance, I could see Claire collapsed against the wall, slumped over. I hurried over to check her condition, and it was clear at a glance that she wasn’t in good shape.

I used Gravity Magic to lift her unconscious body and support her. All that was left now was to escape.

Just as I thought that and was about to start running again.

Zing—

A crack appeared right in front of me.

“What the?”

The moment I cast a questioning look at that crack, someone emerged from within it.

“Karelin…!”

“I knew you’d come here, egg.”

It was Karelin.

True to her title as a Transfer Mage, she’d opened a Gate and appeared directly.

‘The reason she didn’t use it until now… was it because she didn’t know the coordinates or something?’

It was possible. If Karelin could simply imagine ‘where Yoschua Verdi is’ and open a Gate leading there, she would have tracked me down and finished me off long ago.

…Maybe she wouldn’t have finished me off, but anyway.

If she doesn’t have precise coordinates, she doesn’t move easily. She only moves when she’s certain.

Maybe this could serve as a major weakness.

‘But not right now.’

Another crack opened. What emerged from it was, as expected.

“…”

It was the White Robe, Licht.

‘Damn it.’

Licht approached, pointing his sword at me. His swordsmanship was crude, at a beginner’s level, but the problem was the ability contained in that sword… or maybe it was Licht’s own ability. Either way, his sword erased everything its blade touched. Even space itself.

So he was a natural predator for me. There was no point in firing magic that couldn’t be blocked by a sword. The moment the magic touched it, it would just be erased.

‘No choice.’

I dispelled the Mana Shield I had cast on my body. This meant I had no means of protecting myself at all, but right now, there was no other way.

Just like Jihyeok did earlier, I’d dodge every sword path and subdue him directly. That was the only way to beat that bastard.

“Oh? Are you sure about that?”

Karelin, noticing I’d released my Mana Shield, shrugged and asked.

“Shut up.”

In my current state, even a graze from their attacks would be fatal. Since I’d been relying almost entirely on the Mana Shield, I hadn’t changed my equipment from what I’d had when I was going through E-Rank and D-Rank Gates.

‘I should have replaced it sooner.’

But with one hectic thing after another, I hadn’t been able to. I’d made a decent amount of money from clearing that last A-Rank Gate, but if I’d known this would happen, I should have skipped the break and upgraded my gear back then.

That was a regret that came too late. And if I hadn’t taken that break, I’d probably be mentally exhausted by now.

Licht approached slowly from the front.

I alternated my gaze between him and Karelin, who was sneering at me from a distance.

Surprisingly, Karelin still wasn’t taking any kind of combat stance.

She was probably confident in Licht’s victory.

Come to think of it, I’d never seen or heard of how Karelin actually fought.

‘Maybe she doesn’t have any real combat ability.’

If that were the case, it would be a relief.

Because then I could focus solely on the fight with Licht.

‘…!’

Before Licht reached me, I was the one who moved first. I’d already cast a top-level Haste spell. As soon as I started running, Licht began running too.

High-Speed Movement.

Licht’s body vanished from my field of vision.

A movement close to teleportation, but it wasn’t hard to track.

[ Mana Sword Lv.7 ]

When it came to pure swordplay, I had confidence in myself too. I was famous as a mage, but I’d also wielded a sword quite a few times. At the very least, I was confident I could use it better than that bastard.

Soon, the moment I got close to him.

I didn’t move first; instead, I watched Licht’s movements. Licht swung his sword without any particular tricks.

The path of the blade traced through the air. His sword, or his ability, was extremely threatening, but his swordsmanship itself was terrible. Maybe that was why his sword’s movements were clearly visible to me. I dodged without difficulty and swung my own sword at him.

And at that moment.

“…!”

Licht’s body moved. More precisely, it seemed to be shifted by something. To put it simply, it felt like he was being moved by an invisible hand. Thanks to that, Licht was able to easily dodge my Mana Sword.

A technique he hadn’t shown in his earlier fight with Jihyeok. I could tell that wasn’t Licht’s doing. After all, that movement just now was clearly magic.

Naturally, my gaze turned toward Karelin. She answered my look with a sneer.

‘That woman’s doing.’

Karelin had used magic to move Licht out of the path of my slash.

“Tch!”

There was no time for further analysis or calculation. Because Licht’s sword was aimed at me again. I stepped back slightly to dodge. The spot where I’d been standing was empty for three seconds, as if nothing had ever been there, then reformed back into normal space.

‘Annoying.’

The reason Licht had been subdued by Jihyeok earlier was because there was no outside interference. But now Karelin was moving Licht around to dodge for him.

‘Well, it’s almost a relief.’

It was actually better that she interfered like this. If Karelin had been launching support attacks alongside Licht’s strikes, I wasn’t confident I could dodge all of them.

Licht moved again. His body vanished from my sight for a moment, then reappeared. Right in front of me.

His sword came at me. Dodging wasn’t hard. Just as I was about to counterattack.

Karelin pulled her trick. Licht’s body was moved as if by someone’s hand, dodging my Mana Sword’s slash.

But I’d expected that. Did she think I’d fall for the same trick twice?

I reached out my hand. But not toward Licht.

“…!”

Karelin.

When I extended my palm toward her, her eyes narrowed.

[ Extreme Wind Element — Aeroblast ]

I wasn’t going easy.

Five green-glowing magic circles formed.

Honestly, I wanted to use a more powerful spell, but I figured that would get blocked by that Licht, so I went with the fastest one.

A compressed storm bullet shot forward with a recoil. Thanks to that, I managed to dodge Licht’s sword, and the Aeroblast flew straight toward Karelin.

‘Did it hit?’

I hoped she’d get caught in it and die.

But, as expected of the mastermind behind all this, she didn’t go down so easily.

Karelin began muttering something.

It didn’t sound like human language… But I realized it was an incantation.

Then, the moment she reached out her hand.

A crack formed in front of her palm.

I knew what that was immediately.

‘A Gate…!’

The fired Aeroblast went straight into the crack.

*Tap!*

Karelin snapped her fingers. The crack vanished.

‘So that works too.’

She must have redirected my Aeroblast somewhere connected to that Gate.

“Hehe, you surprised me. I didn’t think you’d actually attack me.”

That remark was short-lived.

*SHRING!*

Licht’s sword came at me. Dodging wasn’t hard… but I couldn’t land a decisive blow either.

Even when I tried to counterattack, Karelin interfered with Licht’s movements, making him dodge with physics-defying motions.

‘Then.’

I changed my strategy. If this was how it was going to be, I had no choice but to fight both Licht and Karelin at the same time.

Turning my gaze to Karelin, I charged straight at her.

Reading my move, Karelin immediately reached out her hand to create a crack.

‘No way.’

Karelin’s casting speed was incredibly fast.

If not that, maybe the incantation needed to open that crack was very short.

But even if she could cast that fast, she couldn’t beat me in a mage’s speed duel.

[ Flame Element — Fireball Lv.7 ]

Before she could finish her incantation, my hand spat fire first.

“How are you so fast…!”

Whether she was flustered by the fired flames, I heard that voice, and just as the Fireball was about to engulf her.

*SHRING!*

Licht, who had been aiming at me, teleported in front of Karelin and swung his sword, erasing the Fireball.

I thought it was blocked, but this was within my expectations.

I kept running, passing right by Licht.

“…!”

Before Karelin could pull another trick, I reached her.

[ Extreme Wind Element — Aeroblast ]

I’d already cast the spell.

*Sss.*

I gave Karelin a look that said, “How are you going to dodge this?”

But Karelin only showed signs of panic. Seeing that, I felt victory within my grasp.

I swung my Mana Sword. No hesitation.

This woman is a murderer.

Killing her would make me a murderer too, but I couldn’t just stand by and let her keep doing what she was doing.

There was Mr. Luca, and Claire lying over there.

So many others had lost their lives to this woman.

I had no intention of forgiving her.

Finally, my sword was just about to strike Karelin’s neck.

*Riiip!*

It wasn’t the sound of flesh being cut. It was the sound of cloth tearing.

‘When did he…!’

Licht appeared in front of me, shoving Karelin aside and taking the slash of my Mana Sword instead.

The hood of his robe was sliced off, and the moment his face was revealed—

“You are…”

I could only gape in shock.

The face that came out from under there…

The world’s strongest Hunter.

The Hunter who had appeared like a comet and saved everyone during the Dark Moon crisis.

“Moon…light…?”

Because it was the face of Moonlight, Ludwig Light.