Chapter 184: This Is All Your Fault
“Ah, fuck! My eyes!”
Karl cursed as he instinctively turned his head.
A flash of blinding light erupted like a thunderclap, and a piercing pain stabbed into his eyes, as if he’d been jabbed with needles.
Then—
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion followed.
“Ughhh!”
“M-Master!”
It felt like the ground itself was flipping over.
The sheer force of the blast sent Karl flying off the wagon at the very back.
The world spun violently around him.
And then—he crashed into the ground, tumbling uncontrollably.
“...Shit. That was insane.”
Pain racked his entire body, as if he’d been beaten with a hamr.
Gritting his teeth, Karl staggered to his feet, scanning his surroundings.
His vision gradually cleared, and he saw the wagon he had been riding on speeding away in the distance.
He had worried they might stop, but thankfully, his team had assessed the situation well and kept moving.
The supplies and his n were safe.
That was all that mattered.
Karl didn’t bother chasing after the wagons.
Instead, he drew his dagger.
“…I doubt I can dodge the next one.”
A mage’s spells were terrifying.
If he hadn’t reacted in ti to the lightning strike, he would’ve been fried on the spot.
He had learned the hard way after losing several wagons earlier—never give a mage distance.
Through the thick dust, they appeared.
Karl lashed out with his dagger.
Screams rang out.
“Fucking bastards. You should know when to back off.”
A group of hunters erged from the dust, their numbers swelling.
But more than a dozen of them had already been killed by Karl’s dagger-throwing technique.
Tense from his display of skill, the remaining hunters hesitated, pulling back.
Karl clenched his dagger tighter and peered past them.
And then—
“Kreeeeegh!!”
From the thick, swirling dust, massive shadows erged.
They shrieked as they revealed themselves—giant lizard beasts, their bodies larger than five horses combined.
Two of them, each equipped with massive saddles.
Karl’s gaze lifted to the figures seated atop them, cloaked in robes.
And when he saw the embroidered initials on their fluttering robes, he spat out a curse.
‘D’— Demtor.
“…Must be nice. You rich mage bastards even ride differently.”
Demtor—the Mage Collective.
A glow ford at the tip of the staff one of them was holding.
Without hesitation, Karl hurled his daggers at full force toward the mages.
He hadn’t expected to kill them—only to stall them.
CLANG! CLANG!
A harsh tallic sound echoed as the daggers bounced off an invisible shield.
A 4-star aura-infused throw—
And yet, only cracks appeared on the barrier.
The mages paused for a brief second—then turned their staffs directly at Karl.
“You must be the leader.”
“So you’re giving up on the wagons?”
At least he had successfully drawn their attention.
One of the blue-robed mages gestured to the hunters, and the group imdiately turned their horses and chased after the wagons.
Karl didn’t stop them.
His team wouldn’t fall easily to re hunters.
These two—they were the real problem.
Honestly, even one was a serious threat.
It wasn’t a matter of skill—it was the unknown factor that made him uneasy.
This was his first ti fighting mages.
“…Why would rich-ass mages be after us? It’s not like we’re carrying treasure.”
“Did you really think you could deceive our eyes?”
“…The hell are you talking about?”
“A re errand boy—how bold of you.”
“…Errand boy?”
“Are you really pretending you don’t know?”
“Fucking hell, you blasted with magic out of nowhere—when was I supposed to ask questions?”
One of the mages pulled out a glowing object from his robe.
Karl recognized it instantly.
It was one of the golden trinkets that Kerberos had spit out.
His expression twisted.
No fucking way.
“…You sll of witches. What did they have you do?”
That damn dog.
It should’ve warned him.
…Then again, even if it had, he probably wouldn’t have understood anyway.
“Why did you hand a witch’s item to a magic shop? What are you scheming?”
“…I just bought sothing, that’s all.”
“Bought sothing? More wicked sches involving our tower’s artifacts?”
“Ah, for fuck’s sake. This is insane.”
Karl instinctively reached for his hair—only to rember there was nothing there.
The thing they were misunderstanding flashed through his mind, and suddenly, he felt incredibly bitter.
Everything had been fine when they first snuck into the city disguised as traders.
Since it was a border city that saw many outsiders, security hadn’t been overly strict.
Just as planned, they had purchased several wagons and filled them to the brim with supplies.
Gold was valuable anywhere, so the trade had gone smoothly.
And then—he had visited a magic shop.
Karl had been fascinated by the mysterious artifacts, feeling like he had stepped into a new world.
And there—
He had finally found what he had been looking for.
A magical hair growth potion.
“Hand over the item.”
“You fucking bastards! It’s not what you think!”
“Silence! Where is the witch?!”
“I have nothing to do with witches!”
“In Hell Gri, a witch’s errand boy is burned at the stake. So are his relatives. And anyone connected to him.”
“Tell us where you were supposed to et the witch, and we’ll grant you a painless death.”
“…Wow.”
Karl laughed in disbelief.
“You dumbasses are like Lochter-level idiots. Ever heard of a little back-and-forth conversation?”
“…We’re wasting ti.”
Suddenly—
A commotion erupted from behind them.
The hunters had caught up to the wagons.
‘…Can they hold out?’
Karl had faith in his team—
But the situation was not looking great.
They had originally left with ten n.
Heinz had requested more drivers, so four additional knights had joined them.
The hunters alone wouldn’t have been a major threat—
But the mages’ attacks during the chase had already killed three knights, reducing them to ash along with their wagons.
And the rest?
They weren’t exactly in great shape.
“Fucking hell!”
—CLANG!
Karl charged at the Demtor mages.
He had to stop them—
Because if they cast another large-scale spell, it would wipe out the entire supply convoy.
The mages had no hesitation about killing dozens of people like squashing bugs.
So Karl had no choice but to distract them head-on.
CRACKLE—!!!
WHOOSH!
From the mages’ staffs, magic erupted.
Lightning flashed. Fireballs rained down.
Even within Tobaron, Karl was a 4-star assassin—a rank with very few equals.
He was sure he had the upper hand in terms of skill, yet…
This fight was an absolute nightmare.
Long-range magic.
And whenever he tried to close the distance, those two lizard monsters would bare their teeth and snap at him viciously.
Close combat was nearly impossible, and dodging from a distance was even worse.
Especially lightning magic.
It was blindingly fast.
Even though Karl detonated his aura to deflect the spells, the aftereffects were accumulating.
His body was starting to betray him.
The fight hadn’t even reached its peak yet, but a terrible sense of dread crept over him.
He couldn't win this.
The mont the thought of retreat crossed his mind—
BAM!
A massive tail slamd into his body.
A completely unexpected attack.
"Kuhack!"
Karl coughed up blood as he crashed to the ground, rolling violently.
His opponents were calculating, fighting with cold logic—like a fortress with no openings.
He had heard stories about mages, but actually fighting one?
It was utter hell.
VWOOOOM!
"Wait, wait!!!"
As Karl struggled to get up, one of the mages began casting a massive spell.
After an extended chant, a gigantic fireball ford in midair.
But—
It wasn’t aid at Karl.
It was targeting the wagons—where his team was still fighting.
The hunters were still standing, yet the mages were attacking anyway.
Karl’s expression twisted in panic as he shouted desperately—
“No! STOP!”
But the mage only gave a twisted smirk.
"Anyone aiding a witch shall be burned at the stake."
“Ah, fuck—no!”
The massive fireball tore through the sky.
The mont the sky turned red, the entire battlefield froze.
The hunters scread, clutching their heads in terror.
Inside one of the wagons, Heinz Bell sat frozen, staring up at the sky.
The fireball—Dead Sun—was hurtling toward them.
He thought of his end.
And then—
In the next instant—
A black beast shot up into the sky.
A creature covered in midnight fur.
Kerberos.
And atop its back—
A woman reached out her hand.
The massive fireball, which had been about to engulf everything—
Dissipated.
Like a candle snuffed out.
Magic nullification.
The mage who had summoned the fireball went rigid, eyes wide in disbelief.
The condensed mana had vanished like a lie.
Staring at his empty hands, the mage felt a wave of cold terror.
And then—
"L-Look!!"
ROAAAAAR!!!
A massive black beast ca charging toward them at an insane speed.
The mont the mages saw who was riding it, their hearts dropped into their stomachs.
Her face—
A face every mage in Demtor was required to recognize the mont they joined.
Long black hair.
Eyes as dark as the abyss.
And in her hand—a mirror.
“L-Lily Base!!!”
"Send the signal! NOW!"
The Witch of Fear had appeared at the border.
One of the mages frantically reached for his robe, touching the initialed insignia of ‘D’.
The symbol flashed with blinding light, soaring into the sky.
A massive white ‘D’ ford above them, sending a distress signal.
“We just need to buy ti—?!”
THWACK!
The mage who had sent the signal turned toward his comrade—
Only to see his upper body implode in a burst of blue light.
A massive arrow had pierced through his skull and his mount’s head.
Blood exploded into the air like a grotesque firework.
"Shit—!"
The remaining mage hastily summoned a shield.
CLANG! CLANG!
The barrier shimred as sparks flew.
Karl, now free, began hurling daggers at the remaining mage.
It lasted only a mont.
“…No! No—!”
Lily's eyes turned pitch black.
And the mage's barrier lted like wax under a fla.
The mont the magic nullification took effect—
Karl’s dagger sank deep into the mage’s forehead.
With his death—
The giant lizard, Hotaru, lost control and went berserk.
The beast thrashed, swinging its tail in a frenzied attack toward Karl.
And then—
Arthur Clayton appeared above it.
With a sharp crunch, his dagger sank into Hotaru’s skull.
Then—
BAM!
He slamd his fist against the handle.
The dagger buried itself deeper—piercing through the lizard’s brain.
Like a puppet with its strings cut—
The massive beast collapsed.
“Karl!”
“Shit, they don’t give a second to breathe!”
Arthur pointed toward the wagons, and Karl imdiately moved.
With Karl’s support, the hunters were wiped out in an instant.
The mont the mages died, the battle had already been decided.
The remaining hunters tried to flee on horseback, but Kerberos ripped through them all.
anwhile, Arthur checked the dead mages.
“…We got lucky.”
Only two.
And their mounts were Hotaru lizards.
At first glance, they looked intimidating, but Hotaru lizards were actually given to the lowest-ranked mages in Demtor.
“…And yet, we still barely held them off. Fucking hell.”
Demtor mages were too damn fast at assessing situations.
Arthur clicked his tongue, looking up at the sky.
The giant white ‘D’.
A Demtor ergency signal, sent exclusively when Lily Base was discovered.
They were out of ti.
Now that Lily had been exposed, more Demtor mages would co.
And if even a single mage riding a ‘Beluga’ showed up—
Everyone here would have to fight for their lives.
"Now is NOT the ti to be dealing with Hell Gri."
They hadn’t even finished dealing with Kal Blazer, the Mad Butcher.
Right now, they couldn’t afford to tangle with Demtor.
They needed to grow stronger—to gear up—before even thinking about setting foot in that hellhole.
Arthur quickly gathered the group, and they imdiately headed back toward the reed field.
Inside the shaking wagons, silence fell.
Everyone was too exhausted from the battle for survival.
Arthur began piecing things together.
Why had Demtor’s mages pursued them all the way to the border?
He needed to know.
“…Karl, what the hell happened?”
"This is all your fault."
“…What?”
Karl ran a hand over his head.
The smooth surface only made him angrier.
At that mont—
Kerberos, who had been curled up in the wagon, sniffed the air and approached Karl.
“Woof!”
“…What did you take?”
Kerberos had sensed a magic item.
“…Wait. Don’t tell …”
“Fuck, NO! It’s NOT that!”
Karl pulled out a bottle from his coat with an utterly betrayed expression.
The wagon fell completely silent.
The bottom of the bottle—
Had cracked.
The liquid inside had completely leaked out.
Karl blinked.
Then he looked down at his shirt.
…His chest was damp.
No.
No way.
Absolutely not.
User Comments
0 comments from readers