Chapter 97: Neveres

BANG!

The moment the ice spear and the fist wrapped in flames crossed, a powerful explosion erupted.

In the aftermath, most of the Hunters watching the arena fight were sent flying into the air or screamed out.

The Hunters who somehow managed to hold their ground could only stare at the arena in shock or with blank expressions.

Yet amid that chaos, there was one person watching the arena with ease.

‘Just like always, senior.’

It was Jihyeok. He looked at the site of the explosion with a gratified smile.

‘Feels like I’ve gone back to the old days.’

To others, this explosion looked like a strange and dangerous sight, and that was normal, but to Jihyeok, this scene was quite welcome and nostalgic.

* * *

‘Still not enough…!’

I pierced through the fist of flames, but even so, it wasn’t enough to quell the raging fire that surged up.

Without delay, I kept drawing in mana. It filled up almost infinitely and very quickly, but even that felt insufficient in this situation. That was how immense the output and power of his fist were. Of course, part of that was because Neveres had absorbed my magic.

Neveres, true to his nature, covets others’ talents and wants to keep them under his heel.

His personality is one reason, but that ability of his also plays a part.

His ability is to partially absorb another’s power.

He absorbed my Hell Fire, made it his own, and turned it back on me.

Even knowing that ability, I deliberately chose Hell Fire because I was confident.

‘To show that I can beat you even after you’ve absorbed my power.’

A decisive victory that leaves no room for doubt. And the confidence that I could take that victory from him.

I poured even more mana into the ice spear I had fired. The longer our clash dragged on, the more advantageous it was for me.

Unlike other mage Hunters, I can handle nearly infinite mana. The rate at which it replenishes is also very fast.

But not him.

And as I predicted, his flames began to weaken gradually.

I didn’t miss that opening.

CRACKLE!

The surroundings, once filled with heat, began to freeze in an instant. The flames that had enveloped the entire airship had already weakened considerably.

And finally, it was time to decide the outcome of this long, drawn-out struggle of power.

I reached out with the hand opposite the one casting Icicle Spear.

Five magic circles glowed with a blue light.

I activated Icicle Spear again.

Ice spears burst from the center of the magic circles, shooting toward Neveres, who was still spewing flames.

CRACKLE!

The cold radiating from the newly formed ice spears instantly quelled all the heat and froze the flames Neveres had created.

“……!”

As all the flames froze, Neveres’s figure finally became visible through the gaps in the frozen fire.

His eyes, unlike before, were wavering wildly.

Seeing that gave me confidence, and I began to run across the frozen arena.

Soon, what I formed in my hand was the highest-grade Mana Sword I could create.

“Not yet!”

The moment I drew close, Neveres roared.

CRUNCH!

Neveres burst through the frozen flames, revealing himself. Unfazed, I swung my Mana Sword at him.

BOOM!

Neveres knocked my Mana Sword aside with his fist. I was pushed back slightly and my stance faltered, but I didn’t stop. I swung the Mana Sword again, and he kept deflecting it. In the midst of that exchange of blows, it was Neveres who staggered and dropped to one knee first.

“How can you still be so energetic after spamming magic of that level?”

To his question, gasped out between breaths, I answered.

“If you’re going to conquer End Cave, you need to be at least this good.”

“Hahaha! That sounds almost as if you’re saying I’m not qualified…!”

“That wasn’t my intention.”

At the same time I finished speaking, Neveres suddenly rose and lunged at me, as if claiming that kneeling had only been for momentum.

A barrage of fist techniques came rushing in. But their power was considerably weaker compared to the beginning. I could dodge them without much difficulty.

“It’s over.”

With those words declaring the end of the duel to Neveres, I channeled magical power into my Mana Sword.

Whether he still hadn’t given up, Neveres took a stance. A magic circle formed beneath his feet, just like before.

To me, that looked like a last-ditch struggle.

‘…!’

I swung my Mana Sword powerfully toward Neveres. A burst of immense light erupted and engulfed him instantly.

KWAANG!

A violent explosion roared.

Through the scattering smoke, I could see Neveres standing there.

He didn’t move in that state. He just smiled with lifeless eyes.

Seeing that, I was certain of the outcome.

‘…Well, at least he wasn’t a sore loser.’

The fact that he’d fought to the end without admitting defeat—even if I didn’t like his personality, I figured he had some spine.

* * *

And so, the winner was decided, and the arena’s heated atmosphere cooled down.

“…I’ll pass it on as soon as the Master wakes up.”

That Hermes officer, Kevin, was it? When I demanded the transfer rights to the End Cave stake, he said that and then gave us a room to stay in.

I wanted to take it and leave right away, but he insisted that, given the circumstances, the formal transaction should be made when all parties were in proper condition. I kept pressing him, but Kevin didn’t seem inclined to change his mind on that.

I gave up after hearing Jihyeok’s advice. He told me, “We could use this as leverage later,” so I reluctantly backed down.

As much as I wanted to punch Neveres awake right now… that probably wouldn’t be appropriate.

That was when Jihyeok and I were resting in the room they’d given us.

Knock knock. Someone knocked on our door.

“It’s me.”

It was Kevin’s voice. Jihyeok opened the door for me.

“The Master is awake. Let’s go. He’ll be in the infirmary.”

Hearing that, I brushed past Kevin and headed straight to the infirmary where Neveres was lying.

When I arrived, I saw Neveres being treated by priest-type Hunters.

“You’re here.”

Even with his whole body wrapped in bandages, a mess of a sight, Neveres greeted me with a smile.

“You’ll keep your promise, right?”

At my words, Neveres chuckled and called over Kevin, who was following behind.

“Bring it.”

“…Understood.”

Following Neveres’s order, Kevin returned after a moment with an envelope that looked like it contained documents.

“The transfer rights to the End Cave stake—Hermes’s share.”

Neveres said that and held out the envelope to me. Just as I reached out to take it—

“Hold on, before that.”

Neveres suddenly pulled his hand back. Right before I could demand what he was doing, he spoke first.

“How much were you planning to buy it for?”

“…How much are you planning to sell it for?”

Come to think of it, I’d never told Neveres how much I’d pay for the stake.

“What if I name a price so high you can’t afford it?”

“Then I guess it’d be war.”

I snorted and said that confidently.

A war between guilds.

It used to happen occasionally in the past, but it’s a rare sight these days. With the number of High-Rank Hunters so drastically reduced compared to before, any loss of manpower is a loss for both guilds in a war.

“You’re awfully confident.”

“Well, I won, after all.”

“Heh heh, true. I’ll admit that… Fine. I’ll sell it to you. The price is…”

Neveres paused, stroking his chin as if in thought. It didn’t take long for him to speak again.

“The airship repair costs… yeah. About 5,000 should do.”

“5,000?!”

“For just that price…”

At Neveres’s words, the eyes of Kevin and the other Hermes guild members went wide.

“…Are you serious?”

Of course, I was pretty shocked too.

50 million. It wasn’t a small amount, but compared to the prestige of End Cave, it was ridiculously cheap. I’d expected at least ten times that.

“It’s a Gate we can’t clear on our own anyway. Holding onto it does us no good. Better to hand it over to you guys, who have a shot at it.”

“……”

Was this guy always this reasonable?

“Fine.”

Either way, selling it—and at a price way lower than I expected—was welcome on my end.

“But there’s a condition.”

“A condition?”

“Fine.”

“What is it?”

What kind of absurd condition was he attaching to sell it this cheap? I’d hear him out for now.

“When do you plan to tackle End Cave?”

“Well, the date isn’t set yet, but even at the earliest, we wouldn’t challenge it until about a month after we’ve bought up all the shares, I think?”

We hadn’t even bought all the shares yet. And there could be conflicts with other guilds, like ours.

So the plan was to purchase all the shares, take enough time to prepare, and then go for it.

“That’s enough time.”

“…?”

Enough for what?

While I was puzzling over it, Neveres spoke slowly.

“I want to join the End Cave raid too. How about an alliance with Hermes? Put us in the subjugation party.”

Neveres’s answer was far from what I’d expected.

“That’s not possible.”

But I cut that answer down flat.

“Why not? If we help, it’ll definitely be a huge boost.”

“We’re going to conquer End Cave on our own. Without anyone’s help, purely by our own strength.”

It wasn’t that I was dismissing Hermes’s power. Like Neveres said, their strength would be a big help. Even if it was just Neveres alone.

But I couldn’t allow it.

For Bisang Guild to take off, we needed to conquer End Cave with only our own strength. Even if it wasn’t easy, that was the most effective way.

So no help from outside forces.

I’d already told the other guild members that.

I explained that point to Neveres.

And his reply was—

“Then put me in that subjugation party temporarily. That wouldn’t be a problem, would it?”

…That was true.

“No, I said no. Rather than that, ask for a bigger sum…”

“I’m begging you.”

“…?”

I was just about to tell him to demand a larger amount. Suddenly, Neveres bowed his head.

The guild master of one of the Five Great Guilds, a Hunter famous for his pride.

“What’s your reason for going this far?”

I was momentarily speechless at Neveres’s action, then curiosity got the better of me and I asked.

Why did he want to be part of the End Cave raid so badly?

“Because I want to be a main player.”

“A main player?”

“Yeah. Think about it — a Gate no one’s ever conquered. And I’m on that subjugation party. Doesn’t it make your heart swell?”

Somehow, that sounded like someone I knew.