Chapter 124

[Translator – Prøks]

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Chapter 124: Cursed Land (3)

Kim Minwoo stared fixedly at the headless corpse. He already sensed that something was amiss.

Merhen, discreetly tapping his body with mana and giving signals.

In a situation where even an SSS-rank archer remained still, a mage was the first to give a warning about the enemy’s approach?

It was obvious.

From then on, he had a rough idea.

The enemy was approaching using magic.

That wasn’t particularly surprising.

Invisibility magic did exist, after all.

‘Usually, it’s a bit low-level…’

Invisibility magic was far less effective than an assassin’s stealth.

At least, that was the case on Earth.

But it seemed this dimension was different.

Kim Minwoo had never encountered such sophisticated invisibility magic before.

‘Did they enhance it with dark mana? But even so…’

In the end, a dark mage was just another magician.

At least within the realm of magic, there weren’t many capable of defeating Merhen.

That’s why.

That’s why he let them approach.

Marchen seemed to want that, too.

And sure enough.

The enemy suddenly appeared with a triumphant smile, trying to unleash dark magic at close range.

He hadn’t considered the possibility of it being abruptly canceled.

That’s why his head flew into the air in an instant.

If he didn’t expect it, he should die.

[You have hunted the Priest of the Holy Land, Mortan!]

[You have been awarded 500,000 points!]

“Wow. That’s a lot of points, huh?”

—Really?

“Oh. Just like that vampire back then.”

—Hmm… Is that so?

Merhen grinned and spoke.

Seeing that, Kim Minwoo realized how important type matchups were.

If it had been a physical-type monster instead of a magic-type, it wouldn’t have been so easy to catch.

‘It feels worth it to have chosen a legion commander.’

Kim Minwoo looked ahead.

In the distance, a group of dark mages grumbled with gloomy eyes.

The group of Awakened who had been following behind were equally surprised.

To simply summarize the situation, in the blink of an eye, a head had been severed.

The surprising thing was that none of the Awakened had even noticed the dark mage approaching.

By the time they realized what was happening, the dark mage, with his hand blackened by dark magic, was already right in front of Kim Minwoo

What if it had been them?

They would have died without even knowing what hit them.

‘S-rank? No. He’s far above that.’

If he had been an ordinary S-rank, they would have been able to react to some extent.

He was an overwhelmingly powerful being.

‘But… he was subdued in an instant?'”

Gulp.

The Awakened swallowed, looking at Kim Minwoo.

The magic that was canceled in an instant.

The dark mage’s eyes widened in surprise. Then his head flew off in a flash.

It all felt like a dream.

Only then did the Awakened accept the fact they had been secretly doubting.

That 15 million points, it was well-deserved.

Seo Yerim closed the distance through the murmuring Awakened.

“Are you okay?”

“As you can see, I’m fine.”

“…I’m sorry. I should have spotted him first…”

She said, biting her lip.

Due to their good eyesight, archers usually took on reconnaissance and sniping roles in parties.

Perhaps that’s why her pride seemed a bit bruised.

“Don’t worry about it. This one was hard to find.”

It wasn’t worth 500,000 points for nothing.

His body was much weaker than the vampire’s, but he possessed quite a troublesome trick.

He probably had a few more tricks up his sleeve besides invisibility.

If it weren’t for Merhen, Kim Minwoo would have been in danger too.

Anyway.

If the monster sealed underground was the final boss, this dark mage, as a priest, would likely be a mid-boss.

That’s probably why the dark mages who were rushing in were so flustered.

Just then.

Seo Yerim, frowning slightly, spoke.

“There are Awakened over there too?”

“Awakened?”

“Yes. Those Chinese guys we saw last time.”

“Are they being held captive?”

“If they were captives, I don’t think they would be roaming around freely like that.”

Ah.

Kim Minwoo was inwardly impressed.

He had heard that Liu Wei was a real piece of work, but…

To think he would join forces with the dark mages and betray his fellow Awakened?

Anger rose on the faces of the awakened around who had heard her words.

“They’re with the dark mages? And perfectly fine? This can’t be…?”

“If it’s true, they’re complete trash, aren’t they?”

They could understand the dark mages capturing people, but for fellow Awakened to betray each other?

If it were true, they were truly despicable human beings.

“Capture them all. Don’t kill them, we need them as sacrifices.”

The group of awakened nodded.

They had already seen Kim Minwoo’s strength.

In their eyes, there was a firm conviction of victory.

* * *

Perhaps it was because their leader had been killed right from the start. The dark mages were captured as prisoners more easily than expected.

The same went for the Chinese Awakened. They struggled fiercely for a while, but as the enraged Awakened charged at them, they were beaten and subdued one by one.

Liu Wei, tied up from head to toe, shouted as if he had been wronged.

“We really had no choice! Those guys branded something strange on our hearts!”

He roughly understood the situation.

They had met the priest right from the start and had been subdued, and forced to work under him.

“So, you captured Awakened and handed them over to the dark mages?”

“W-Well, what else could we do? We could be killed if we didn’t follow orders!”

“And the brand is still there?”

“…Yes. We didn’t want to fight either. But we couldn’t resist those damn orders.”

Liu Wei said, glaring at the dark mages as he fumed.

Kim Minwoo chuckled.

“If that priest wanted me dead, you would’ve gladly rushed at me.”

“T-that’s absurd. Why would we harm our fellow comrades? We really had no choice.”

“So, those awakened you handed over are still alive?”

“…I-I don’t know…”

He punched the guy in the face.

Blood-stained teeth flew through the air.

“Cough!”

“Stop rolling your eyes and speak. How many have you captured so far?”

“W-We, about ten…”

“So, are they alive?”

“W-We heard they sacrifice five every day. That’s all we know! I swear!”

Kim Minwoo and the other awakened fell silent.

‘Come to think of it…’

When they first arrived, the monster roared and tentacles sprang forth, but on the second day, there was none of that.

Could it be that the monster’s rage subsided because of the sacrifices?

Then that means five have already been taken.

They had to save the remaining five.

From the location of the ‘temple’, which served as the dark mages’ headquarters, to their troop composition, they extracted all the information from the captured prisoners.

Luckily, the number of dark mages wasn’t too large.

Maybe around three hundred at most?

‘And there are no others like Mortan.’

With that number, they could probably wipe them out in one go.

“Let’s move.”

Before long, the enraged awakened stormed the temple. Normally, they might have struggled a bit against such a sizable enemy force.

But now it was different.

No mage could resist Merhen.

Not even the priest Mortan stood a chance, let alone ordinary worshippers.

The dark mages casting spells all collapsed without resistance.

Some were killed, some captured.

[You have hunted the dark mage ‘Edon’.]

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

[You have been awarded 2,000 points…]

Roughly 2,000 points per mage.

The executives, who were considered somewhat skilled, gave around 10,000 points.

It was a massacre of nearly a hundred.

They earned well over 300,000 points.

They moved on, guided by the captured dark mages.

Deep beneath the temple.

They also came across the awakened who had been captured.

“Fuck! That’s Disgusting.”

Thomson, an American awakened, spat out saliva as his body shivered.

Awakened lay unconscious amidst some kind of ominous magic circle, with grotesque objects stuck in their limbs.

“Why the hell are those things stuck in them?”

“To suppress their movements…”

After hearing the answer, Thomson angrily slammed down on the head of a dark mage as if venting his frustration. It was when he was about to release the captured awakened, leaving the unconscious dark mages behind.

The dark mages in the background screamed in horror.

“Y-You can’t just release them! The sacrifices must continue!”

“…Then what are we supposed to do?”

“We need a substitute sacrifice for the sealing formation. Otherwise, He will be enraged, and we’ll all die!”

Thompson flinched..

The desperation of the dark mages was evident.

He stared intently at Kim Minwoo.

“Boss?”

“Are you talking to me?”

“Who else would I call boss? You heard them, right? They need a substitute sacrifice.”

“Yes.”

“Who are you going to use?”

Thomson asked.

It was almost a question about how to deal with the Chinese awakened.

“They said five. We’ll use those three, and two dark mages as substitutes.”

“Ugh!”

Kim Minwoo’s finger pointed directly at the Chinese awakened.

Liu Wei and the other two Awakened started to struggle violently.

“Ooh, feisty.”

Thomson whistled, truth be told, he had been secretly hoping for this.

‘Damn bastards.’

Regardless of the circumstances,they had betrayed their fellow Awakened. Five people had already been devoured by that monster because of them.

If they acted like that in a life-or-death situation, they had to take responsibility.

The brand, the lack of choice—it was all just excuses and bullshit.

‘It was already uncomfortable enough. Good riddance.’

Didn’t they say the brand was still on their hearts?

Keeping them alive might become a variable they couldn’t control.

Thomson wasn’t the only one thinking that way.

“Does everyone agree?”

Nods.

All the awakened agreed.

‘There’s no reason to keep them alive.’

If Kim Minwoo had been the one captured, they would have been the ones in that state.

Liu Wei?

He was known for his personality; he’d probably be bowing to the dark mages and snickering.

The roles were simply reversed.

Thompson released a few dark mages and said.

“Offer them as substitutes.”

“…!”

Ugh!

The Chinese awakened with their bodies bound, were dragged into the ominous magic circle.

With two dark mages added to the mix, the balance was restored.

“We will begin the ritual of sacrifice.”

Clang, clang!

As the stakes were driven into their limbs, the previously bound awakened were released. Potions and healing spells from the priests were poured over them.

“Umm…”

“Are you okay?”

The awakened, opening their eyes, looked at their own bodies.

Soon, tears welled up in their eyes.

“Th-thank you! Thank you so much!”

They had thought they were going to die for sure…

It all felt like a dream.

They expressed their sincere gratitude.

Then they looked at the other Awakened ones still bound by the sealing formation.

“Those bastards…”

The memory of being captured by them and dragged to the temple was still vivid.

And everything that had happened afterward, like hell.

“Now, it’s time. Today’s sacrifices will be offered.”

With the words of the dark mage, from the hole in the seal, a massive pile of tentacles emerged. Soon, the tentacles surrounding the five bodies began to be sucked into the hole.

Ugh!

With screams reminiscent of the underworld, the sacrifices disappeared from the seal.

“What… is that?”

One of the dark mages said as he watched, his body trembling.

“They… they consider flesh and soul a delicacy. If five are offered daily, safety is guaranteed.”

“What a shitty place.”

Someone said, their brows furrowed.

It was exactly as they had said.

Kim Minwoo looked at the awakened.

“We won’t be fighting that monster right away. We still lack relevant information, and we haven’t even coordinated with each other.”

“We’ll have to get the remaining awakened to join as well. So, how much time do you need to prepare?”

“I’m thinking about a week, what do you think?”

“Well, there seems to be plenty of time until the end of the second test…”

“We might earn quite a few bonus points for that.”

The goal is to survive for a month by offering sacrifices.

On the other hand, if they defeat the boss and clear the stage quickly?

They might receive a significant bonus. Offer the dark mages as sacrifices, and those who remain can be killed before the hunt begins.

The awakened nodded in agreement, as if understanding.

* * *

High Priest’s chambers within the temple.

Thousands of books were gathered there.

Quite a few of them were about the monster said to be sealed underground.

Among them, one book in particular stood out.

Seeing it, Seo Yerim raised an eyebrow.

“The Book of Truth?”

“It had the most flashy cover, so I picked it up. Let’s give it a read.”

They unfolded the book on the desk.

The first page revealed an illustration.

Suddenly, Merhen’s words came to mind.

‘She said the taste was complex. Like a chimera.’

Just as she said, the monster’s appearance was…….

‘A real hybrid.’

It was like looking at a cluster of grapes.

But it was a very large cluster of grapes, with each grape made up of eyeballs.

And the eyeballs weren’t even a uniform size.

As if the eyeballs of all sorts of miscellaneous creatures were mixed together, the contents were quite diverse, from small to large.

“…That’s really gross.”

“Don’t you like scary things?”

“I don’t think that’s scary, it’s just gross.”

He nodded and turned to the next page. There was a biography of someone written there.

[1st High Priest, Camillon]

—I found a dream-like city for our persecuted dark magicians. I can feel the energy. There’s definitely something down there. Something that is very beneficial to us.

—The underground, rotten and decayed by curses. Training here was nothing short of a miracle. While continuing my exploration, I encountered the source of the curse.

—We named the underground creature ‘Iphrax’.

—Iphrax seems to be a parasitic lifeform. It lives rooted underground like a tree. We tried to move it to another location, but we realized it was impossible.

—In just 10 years, my colleagues and I have advanced another level! The help of Iphrax, who has grown by feeding, has been significant. I absolutely cannot give up on this creature…

—…The city on the ground is bothering me. If time passes like this, they will notice Iphrax’s existence. It seems like war cannot be avoided.

—40 years! I finally achieved my long-cherished wish! I finally created a sanctuary where dark magicians can live and breathe!

—Iphrax’s potential is limitless. May there be light in the future of our dark mages!

[5th High Priest, Irmus]

―As time passes, Iphrax’s power grows stronger. The creature has developed a proper ego. For the first time, it made a request of us. It asked for ‘delicious’ prey.

―The creature showed anger. It seems that it is no longer satisfied with mere wandering mercenary level prey.

―For a moment, my mind went blank. Iphrax seems to have mental abilities. It’s a very dangerous power. We need to establish a seal…

.

.

[15th High Priest, Amarzan]

―Although it is still a deviation of some, there are more and more people praising the ‘god’. Future high priests must remember. We are never serving a god.

[Twenty-fifth Priest, Mortan]

―I devote endless attention, but even I waver sometimes. Occasionally, I feel fear. Despite having a seal, this is the extent of its influence. If even the priests praise the god, what will happen then?

“Mental abilities?”

Seo Yerim raised an eyebrow.

While monsters with such abilities weren’t entirely unheard of, they were extremely rare.

‘This is getting tricky.’

Kim Minwoo narrowed his eyes as well. It seemed like the seal was restraining Iphrax’s power.

If that seal were broken, its abilities would surely peak. It would be difficult to counter without a strong mental fortitude.

‘It’ll probably use curses too.’

Judging from the situation, it seemed like a monster far above the Duke Timorn he had seen before.

Then they had to prepare..

Minwoo stood up from his seat.

“Yerim, could you take care of searching for and training the awakened ones? I’ll assign the legion commanders with you. I have something I need to attend to.”

“What are you planning…?”

“I need to prepare for mental attacks.”

It was time to utilize the alchemy of the skeletons.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]