I Never Run Out of Mana-Novel

Chapter 161: Control+C, Control+V

“You’re just an illegal fake copy……”

“Observe well! This is what true power is! This is how you use power!”

“……”

A massive tower appeared behind it.

The tower glowed in a bluish hue.

It didn’t appear solid, but anyone could tell from a glance that massive amounts of mana had been compressed into it.

A pure white pupil formed at the top of the tower.

I did not know of its capabilities or use, but I sensed that it was dangerous.

Not letting down my guard, I kept watch of the tower.

“What is that…”

“Take this! While you lament in your helpless state, receive the attack of the Magician Tower!”

“……”

As soon as it had finished talking, a bright light shone from the tower, almost as if exploding.

Magics that I’ve never even heard nor seen before came forth at me.

Attack skills had their own elemental types.

Fire, ice, and electrical attacks were the most common out of the spells being hurled towards me, with other types being mixed into the barrage.

-crack!

“My Iceberg is being shattered this easily? And to an electrical attack? Sh*t……”

Iceberg could only be destroyed by polar opposite skills, yet it was being destroyed by a simple electrical magic.

The power behind the spells from that Magician Tower was immense.

No, it would be more accurate to call it downright insane.

The one good thing for me was that the tower was stationary.

I did not know the full attack range of the tower, but it wasn’t likely that it covered this large battlefield.

Thus, if I was able to escape its activation range, I would be able to nullify that tower without taking any heavy damage.

Continuing to use Iceberg as a shield, I made distance between myself and the tower.

If things were normal, I would be using up a shield or two and escape the distance in one leap, but due to the endless barrage of attacks, I could not do so in this situation.

“Just how far do I need to back up?”

“Kuhaha! Are you trying to escape the range of my tower?”

“……”

“Good. Try to flee with all your might! I’ll make it as many times as needed!”

“It doesn’t just end with one? Damn it!”

According to this copy, the Magician Tower could be created infinitely.

If I keep holding out and it just keeps spawning more Magician Towers to cover the entire battlefield in its range?

That would conclude in my defeat.

Only if I was able to control my mana to my will like this copy did, but that was impossible.

So instead my plan went like so.

As stated before, this copy was identical to me.

This also meant that the number of King’s Marbles would be the same as mine.

Out of the 5 marbles, I had to make this copy consume at least one more before me.

Whenever it creates a Magician Tower, it will be open to attacks.

When that happens, it will have to consume a King’s Marble.

Since it had consumed one already, this copy would only have 4 marbles left.

I had to increase the advantage further. I had to make the copy use as many marbles as possible before I have to.

“What are you thinking about? Hm? Are you thinking of a strategy to win?”

“……”

“Know this. There is no such way. Once these towers are summoned all over this area, no matter how much you struggle for you life defending, you will lose your life.”

“Not sure who you take after, but you sure talk a lot. Shut up and go build your towers, you little sh*t!”

“Pfft! I shall do as you say. Keyaaaa!”

‘Good. Looks like I can make it consume another marble.’

The copy did not chase me past the range of the Magician’s Tower.

Instead of coming close and overextending to summon another tower, it stood near the already summoned tower that had stopped its attacks due to me being out of range to summon another tower.

There was one huge issue with my plan though.

The problem was that the way I thought would easily become the way it thinks as well.

This copy also knew just how important these marbles would be to the conclusion of this battle.

However, it wasn’t as if there was no other way.

After all, I had skills that had longer ranges than that of the tower.

These skills were Explosion and Holy Missile.

The destructive force wouldn’t match that of a Formless Sword Aura with the Wild Beast going off or that of Meteor level S ranking skill, but they were still very destructive.

Since the copy could not use shields, I was positive that it would deal massive amounts of damage.

I busily moved my previously idle hands.

Targeting only at its body, I casted a barrage of instant cast spells without rest.

With all the skills hitting their mark, it seemed that the damage was beginning to rack up.

‘Hurry up and eat it already. Shove down that King’s Marble!’

Almost as if my pleas were heard, I saw its Adam’s apple move.

-gulp.

“Good…… With this, it’s over.”

The copy of myself swallowed the marble in its mouth without a second thought.

At this moment, one could say that the victor in this fight was already decided.

And that victor would be me.

Why?

With this, this copy only had 3 marbles left.

I, on the other hand, still had 5.

With how our healing skills were sealed away, there was no possibility that Status Denial would be used in this fight.

No matter how strong the Magician Tower is, I would be able to ignore it easily with a one minute immortality buff.

From now on, I’m going to stick on this copy and not let it escape.

One minute of immortality. Once that ended, it would consume another.

Another minute and it would so again, and after another minute, again.

Without a King’s Marble to help against my attacks, it would be difficult for it to survive.

Just like that, the one to consume the marbles one by one and run out of them first would be the copy.

A battle of attrition had begun.

I’m sure that my copy had thought this through carefully and decided on a drawn out fight.

You could say that it had planned quite far ahead.

However, there was something that it didn’t consider.

The scariest person in the world is not someone who meticulously plans ahead and follows it without a single mistake, but someone who lives as if it is their last day.

Finishing the creation of a Magician Tower, the copy called forth summons.

They were King Suwoo and Devil Avatar.

I knew that with a Meteor or two, they would be defeated.

Was it because it wanted to decrease as much as damage it was going to take while it created the next Magician Tower?

However, the copy probably also knew that doing this was pointless.

I observed it for a brief moment instead of acting right away.

The copy began to pour in mana into the giant summoned creatures.

Absorbing the mana, the summoned creatures became even bigger in size, and the amount of killing intent that they let out increased to another level.

Just exactly how many ways could one use mana?

I felt ashamed at myself that had been only using mana for skills all this time.

After receiving mana, the summoned creatures covered the copy with their bodies.

This probably meant that it was attempting to not use anymore marbles.

After all, it had enough defensive capabilities now to hold off against my Explosion and Holy Missile attacks.

“You’ve even got my smarts. But you know, sometimes charging in with reckless abandon is the right choice.”

“Haha. What? If anyone else heard you right now, they’d think that you are the winner of this fight.”

“Why, anyone can see that this is my victory……”

“You won’t be able to damage me with those quick cast spells no matter how much you try. What will you do? Will you get in the range of my tower to try attacking me? Or will you accept your death and watch as a new tower is created?”

“Observe well, smartass.”

I threw all 5 of the King’s Marbles into my mouth that I had been keeping in my armor.

It was impossible for me to eat them one by one whenever I was in danger.

Not only that, but this copy would try to flee as fast as it could within the range of the tower.

This plan that I had carried out with a small gesture and everything on the line could go awry.

Kicking the ground, I shot forward at it like a bullet.

Due to being in the range of the Magician Tower, a barrage of magical skills came hurtling towards me.

Defensive measures? I did not need such a thing.

The reason why I had waited until I had two more than the copy was that.

On one hand, I could not guarantee that I would win with this.

I had to calculate the damage that I would take from the tower after all.

“Ugh!”

Even the short while during the time it took me to close the gap, I felt a great amount of pain.

However, I did not give in to the pain and kept my eyes trained on the copy.

The other me was smiling sinisterly at me from behind the summoned creatures.

Staring it down, I swallowed the first marble.

“Kuwahhhh!”

The moment that I swallowed the marble, all the pain that was blocking everything out disappeared as if it was never there in the first place.

On top of that, I felt a power surge from somewhere from my body.

I put a level of strength that I could not control on top of the S ranking skills I possessed.

From the sky came Blizzard and Meteor.

From the ground came Iceberg and Glacial Field.

Not only that, but I used Chain Explosion, which I could not use without a shield.

“Urgh!”

Despite the summoned creatures having received mana to become a rank stronger, they were torn apart as if they were nothing.

Only then did it seem to react and turned around to try escaping.

However, it was too late.

I had become 2 times stronger due to the marbles.

My strength and speed had far surpassed my copy’s.

With how shocked it was, only after did I grab it by the cuff of its collar did it swallow a marble.

“Cuffing time. Gotcha, you little sh*t!”

“Ah! You’re crazy.”

“Crazy…… Despite not wanting to be called that, for some reason I feel good.”

“Argh!”

Due to the marbles in my mouth, not only did what I say incoherent, but drool was spilling out.

I could’ve avoided looking like a fool by not talking, but how could I hold back when I’m in a situation this satisfying and cathartic.

I was smiling, continuing to drool.

I looked absolutely insane, but I did not feel any shame.

Grabbing a hold of my copy, I casted a barrage of spells down on it.

Most area of effect spells also deal some damage to the caster as well.

The copy struggled to escape, but it could not do so.

A minute had already passed amidst the storm of spells.

Noticing that its body was cooling down from the previous heated form, my copy swallowed another marble.

“Two.”

“Aargh!”

Two marbles left.

It would all end soon.

-gulp.

“AHH! LET ME GO! YOU’RE INSANE!”

“One.”

“DAMN IT!”

“Zero.”

“PLEASE! AHH!”

“32, 31, 30…… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, bye.”

“A… ugh!”

****

“Oho?”

“As you can see, I won.”

“……”

“I passed all the tests you’ve given me.”

“Hehe. I did think that you weren’t an ordinary human…… But to think that you’d actually succeed.”

“As promised, I demand that you give me the power of a Piece of Time and Space.”

“A promise is a promise. I’m curious as to how things will be, you know?”

“Happy ending. That’s it. Do I need to explain further?”

“Pfft. No. I hope that things go as you will it to. It won’t be all sunshine and rainbows though. Let’s meet again, human.”

-snap!