Hermit Wizard

Superior or Inferior (3)

-Wreeeeiick!

“Ugh!”

Seol and Mrs. Pearl, who noticed my attack, spread the distance. The wizard raised his hand in confusion. He collected six spheres, but his reaction speed had dropped considerably. He only had little Mana left.

If he were in the condition when we first met him, he would’ve been able to avoid it, but now…

-Pyiiiing!

A sharp sound tore through the air as dozens of metal fibers cut around the wizard.

The power was weakened since it was in the realm of another god, but that was already enough. I wasn’t trying to kill him in the first place.

“Kugh…!”

Metal threads that couldn’t be explained by common sense in that world moved and cut randomly. The six spheres that protected the wizard’s body couldn’t endure it.

“Ah, no!”

There was a devastating cry as if the soul was escaping, and then…

-Shrieeek

The spheres floating in the air were cut out with a diagonal line. The six damaged artifacts fell on the roof and rolled over, causing its contents to spill out a wet brain dyed in pink.

“Somehow, the spell speed is fast. So, you use the brain from which the soul has escaped as an auxiliary operator device.”

He trembled as he looked at the crystal fragments and brain pieces.

“No… Do you know how I collected these brains…”

He shouted with a bloodline around his neck as if it was unfair.

“How hard it has been?! When a genius who will remain in history among humans is born, I wait and wait for the best moment… for all these years!”

Mrs. Pearl didn’t wait for the wizard’s complaining to end. The bullet of flames she emanated hit his chest!

“Kuaargh!”

The wizard fell to the floor, vomiting blood, and Seol jumped on him and constantly inserted the intangible ring on the floor. He was stuck and couldn’t escape.

Hmm, but that wasn’t enough. What should we do if the wizard tore off the floor?

I pulled out the tentacles again and tried to tie him up, but the tentacles refused. If there was nothing to eat (a spirit body), it didn’t seem to like it.

“It’s up to you.”

I sighed. I had to recycle the magic left in my hands. The sharp fibrous metal was now clumped together like a tiny white thread. A magical metal that was transformed using the power of Quécadios. It was called “Quécarditon” in Parvache’s language.

Quécadios’ spell was based on transforming any material into that metal. My sleeves were shortened by one span now since they were softened to make the metal strings used in the attack.

But it wasn’t enough. Should I cut more of my clothes?

No, I didn’t need to. I grabbed a broken, rolling sphere on the ground. I noticed that that crystal was a material that contained quite a lot of Mana. I thought it was almost as good as the clothes I was wearing.

Even the additional material in my hand was transformed into metal and fluttered. I spoke to Mrs. Pearl.

“Please put some heat here.”

Mrs. Pearl asked back if it would be okay. I urged her with reassurance as I was protecting my body, and she applied the compressed heat onto my hand. The Quécarditon instantly changed like the iron in the furnace.

I poured that hot liquid metal over the wizard’s arms and legs.

-Cheeeeiiik!

“Humph!”

He was convulsing, his eyes flipping upside down.

I took action before his limbs completely melted. The metal cooled at the right timing at my will. It burned the skin of the wizard’s limbs, penetrated the muscles, and cooled down in the breathtaking moment when the bones melted. To be precise, it absorbed heat from the surface and crystallized it inside.

As a result, the Quécarditon made the ball hardened and half-fused with the wizard’s limbs and muscles. It was like handcuffs that dug deep into his skin.

I put a simple spell on these handcuffs to freeze his Mana. It was a substance that entered his body, so it worked efficiently. On the other hand, the shape of the molten metal was distorted and adhered to the living tissues, so it wouldn’t even cut off easily.

Currently, another executive was finished.

After finalizing my work there, I immediately flew to the dormitory to catch another executive and looked at an unexpected intruder.

“Hey, there. It’s okay, so you don’t have to come all the way here. Stay right there.”

I noticed the approach due to the super-sensitivity while using the Quécarditon, but Seol and Mrs. Pearl seemed to be distracted by the wizard. They both followed my eyes in confusion.

The alien was crawling desperately through the open rooftop entrance, and the face resembled a frog. Both ankles were crushed as if they were stepped on and damaged to a flat gum on the floor.

Yes, that was the one that the invisible body was carrying on the shoulder earlier. I thought it just woke up after fainting earlier.

The alien shed a yellow bubble around its mouth, presumed to be blood. Yet, it was barely approaching. A long line of yellow fluids trailed along where it crawled. Its body was in a mess, but there were strangely strong emotions in both eyes. While moving forward uncomfortably, its gaze poured out intensely.

Seol said in a low voice, “Is this an alien who taught the humans here?”

I nodded.

“Yes. It’s a race called Kaifu.”

I looked back at the giant frog and spoke. “We’re a little busy right now, but we’ll treat you. So, stay still.”

Treatment was an excuse, but I had to erase its memories first. I was glad to bring Yodmo’s ears. It didn’t matter if it saw only me, but I couldn’t leave a witness about Seol and Mrs. Pearl’s main body. It was good for those two to remain as human wizards that I brainwashed and carried around.

“Well? Can’t you understand?”

The Kaifu kept crawling over to that side without stopping whether it heard me or not.

And then, I felt uncomfortable. Kaifu’s crawling track was a bit strange. I thought it was coming to ask for personal protection from the righteous alien who punished its enemy.

On the path of the Kaifu crawling towards us, a transparent body with a limb cut off. The separated fine tentacles were densely embedded so that anyone could see its location.

Wait a minute… that guy, I thought it was crawling towards us, but that was not it?

And at that moment, the Kaifu’s magic began to move in a strange form. My keen senses noticed what magic it was.

“No!”

Oh, shit, it couldn’t be happening!

I reflexively reached out my hand and united my Mana. However, the magic of the Kaifu, who had reached the spell operation’s end while crawling near the invisible body, was quicker.

The Kaifu’s spirit opened up, and its intentions were conveyed to everyone here. If it were in the human voice, the desperate feeling poured out like a torrent of blood.

It cried out, spilling a blue liquid from its eyes.

=It’s… my precious revenge!=

Even small movements didn’t return from the paralyzed invisible body, and then…

-Bang bang bang!

The Kaifu’s body exploded with a flash of light.

“Oh, shit!”

I spat a curse and created a shield in front of us. The building shook, and a storm of heat raged. After time passed and the violent event faded, I checked the remains in front of my eyes.

“… Self-destruction magic.”

It didn’t come to ask for help in the first place. The Kaifu’s purpose was the transparent body scattered across the floor.

There were fragments of its body that were torn and burned all over the roof. It was the same with the invisible man that his body was shattered.

“The invisible executive… he died!”

The sense of Kylgeniapros told me. The Kaifu, who was crawling, and the intangible body caught in the explosion, were neatly killed immediately. Even the executive’s body, which was as hard as steel, couldn’t withstand the final spell that burned down all Mana and vitality.

Honestly, it didn’t matter what happened to the Kaifu, but unexpectedly, an executive died. Aiming to secure all three, I fought while being careful not to kill, but one flew out of my grasps.

Fortunately, the wizard was alive and well within my bounds, but I still felt like it was in vain.

I thought I had prepared everything, but the moment I noticed the Kaifu approaching that way, I should’ve just killed it, whatever the intention!

That crazy frog, what kind of grudge did it have to blow that guy and itself like that? Was getting two legs split worth throwing away its life like that?!

Mrs. Pearl muttered with a slightly blue face.

“That thought… what did it mean? It’s so desperate that I think my mind has been affected a little.”

The feelings of the alien race were so intense that its intentions were not communicated. I answered profoundly.

“I don’t know. Is it like something precious?”

If it used magic, it must’ve been an instructor. It would’ve been a noble in the world over there. Was it a priceless cry for damaging the pride of a precious noble? Or maybe… revenge for losing its two lovely legs?

Either way, it was crazy. No, it killed itself for something like that? If it left us alone, I would’ve taken its revenge well on my own! Of course, I wouldn’t have killed him.

Well, Kaifu couldn’t have known such a situation. I didn’t know why it had to kill the other person with its own hands.

I looked down at one of the giant, charred frog’s eyeballs rolling at my feet. I remembered its last appearance where it was drenched in a blue liquid and looked forward with desperate eyes.

“… Damn it!”

I was so angry that I kicked the Kaifu’s charred eyeball with my feet.

***

-Eeeeooooooeeeeeeng!

It was like turning back time at the time when Yoon Min-joon had just left the altar with Seol and Mrs. Pearl and flew up into the sky above Hun-neung.

Sirens echoed loudly throughout Hun-neung.

-Emergency! Emergency! All trainees, move toward the underground evacuation route according to the emergency rules!

Unknown troops suddenly appeared in the various parts of the base and began to engage the defensive forces of Hun-neung. The Hun-neung agents ordered the evacuation of the trainees first. According to the instructions, the trainees struck by lightning late at night hurriedly moved to the dormitory basement.

All of the trainees were anxious in an emergency that occurred shortly after the winged monsters attacked.

“What, is this real? Aren’t we training again?”

“Hey, you crazy bastard, can’t you hear that gunshot? Shut up and move fast.”

As he listened to the trainees’ conversations in front of him, Kim Kyung-hwan thought with a firm expression.

‘Invasion? Is it an alien race again? But why didn’t Eraser predict this time?’

Busy with the guidance of the instructors, he continued to think.

When the Waterbirds appeared the last time, Eraser informed him in advance, made a spell to respond, and even guaranteed that Kim Kyung-hwan could handle it.

He could hide in an uninhabited place in advance and then jump into the field without fear of being caught in the evacuation procession after the situation occurred because he was confident of his victory.

But… What on earth was going on at that moment? His mind was confused.

Kim Kyung-hwan looked around him.

‘Strange. Why are there so few instructors leading us?’

When the Waterbirds appeared, many instructors and soldiers in the base gathered to protect the trainees and moved toward the evacuation route. Although that was deep nighttime, there had to be personnel standing on the dormitory’s border.

Kim Kyung-hwan didn’t know, and a few minutes ago, an intruder in the form of a girl was detected by CCTV.

The shape of a person suddenly appeared in the hallway where no one was around. It was self-evident that magic was involved. Many of the on-duty personnel and soldiers in charge of the dormitory had been dispatched to the scene.

‘Is the enemy an alien race? What’s the ability? If I fight… can I win?’

Kim Kyung-hwan was worried. He didn’t want to see himself feeling very anxious and weak without Eraser’s guidelines.

‘Okay. I shouldn’t be doing this. I am the hope of humankind. Do I follow them just because they want me to evacuate?’

He didn’t like that situation. Running away, hiding, and being terrified… were all things of the past. Kim Kyung-hwan didn’t want to suffer from the ghost of his past.

‘I am different now. I am a different person than before. I am the chosen one!’

Kim Kyung-hwan made up his mind.

He followed the trainees and pretended to move underground, then pulled him out to the rear of the procession and eventually escaped secretly from the instructor. Originally, the guides wouldn’t have taken their eyes off him, who was a key talent, but it was possible as most human resources had displaced and moved without hesitation.

‘The soldiers who can’t use magic are also fighting. I can hear the gunshot. It doesn’t make sense that I’m running away in the meantime. Kim Kyung-hwan’s life story should be perfect. I don’t need a story about leaving a fight with a commoner and evacuating.’

Kim Kyung-hwan muttered inside.

‘Today, like that day, I’m saving this base.’