novelraw Chapter 32 : The Ritual of the Demonic Spirit and the Egg of Darkness (1)
Chapter 32 : The Ritual of the Demonic Spirit and the Egg of Darkness (1)
Chapter 32: The Ritual of the Demonic Spirit and the Egg of Darkness (1)
Kang Yohan’s hand finally stopped at a certain point.
[You have chosen the class ‘Magician.’]
[The Job Change Quest has been unlocked.]
Content: Whether by using a ‘Magic Tool,’ ‘Magical Knowledge,’ or any related ability—leave your trace upon the episode through something related to magic. Your qualification and rank as a Magician will be determined according to the depth and significance of the footprints you leave behind.
A Magician.
The flower of the raid party, renowned for dazzling skills and awe-inspiring destructive power.
Alongside the Warrior, it was one of the classes with the greatest number of specializations—and above all, it was a class where sense and individual capability mattered most.
And among the Magician’s hidden classes, that one...
It was not an exaggeration to call it the strongest of all.
‘Good.’
Yohan nodded.
Now, all he had to do was proceed with the quest in earnest and create the trigger for awakening the hidden class.
Just in time, it seemed the other Hunters had also finished deciding on their respective jobs.
“Before we move on, let’s take a short break. You’re Kang Yohan, right? Do you perhaps have any food with you?”
The blond man asked with an amiable smile.
Yohan jumped to his feet.
He’d only eaten the unidentified dishes prepared by that noble-born chef so far...
He was terribly—no, desperately hungry.
But just as he was about to answer, an interrupter stepped in first.
“We’re fine. We already prepared our own.”
Scarlett was about to coldly decline the offer when—
“Yohan! Earlier I caught a Drooling Mushroom and a squirrel with three eyes. With that, I can cook something really delici—mmpf!”
Yohan swiftly covered her mouth.
“Please. We’d be grateful if you could share.”
“Hmm. It seems your companion isn’t too fond of the idea?”
“You can ignore her.”
Please. For the love of everything.
Anything would do.
At least it had to be better than grilled three-eyed squirrel and poisonous mushroom stew.
The jerky and cheese they received were, without question, perfect provisions.
Crunch, crunch.
The deeper he chewed, the richer the sweetness of the beef became, blending perfectly with the thick, yellow cheese.
‘Heavenly. I could cry right now.’
He was truly glad they had joined the raid party.
Of course, he lightly ignored the sulky, pouting expression on Scarlett’s face.
If he didn’t replenish his nutrients now, the coming battles would become truly difficult.
While eating the pudding he’d received for dessert, Yohan took out a book from his subspace storage.
‘Robinson Crusoe.’
There was a reason it was called a masterpiece.
He found himself strangely immersed in many parts of it.
Even though he had read countless books while in the Black Castle, the ones from the modern world were far more interesting and thrilling.
‘Ah, I shouldn’t forget to note this down in my journal.’
[Despite so many playthroughs, I neglected skills related to cooking—what a mistake. Who would have known? Being stranded can happen not only on deserted islands. At the very least, I should hire a competent chef. Now I understand why pirates value their cooks so much. This deserves a double star (★★).]
While everyone was eating and resting—
“Hunter Mason, reporting back.”
The ranger who had gone scouting returned.
At last. They had found the spot where the veil was torn.
＊＊＊
About thirty minutes later, the raid party arrived before a fissure just large enough for a single person to pass through.
“Detection magic doesn’t work.”
“It seems heavy black magic is thickly spread here.”
That was as much as they could assess from outside.
The rest had to be confirmed by direct confrontation.
Everyone heightened their tension to the utmost and carefully stepped inside.
Immediately, a sour, fishy stench stung their noses.
A land tainted black.
The terrain, already declared as the ‘Domain of the Evil God,’ was completely different from the once-green forest.
Even the lake was covered in a sticky, black, oily substance, as if crude oil were boiling upon its surface.
And in the distance—
They could see multiple people tied to the stone tower and stone tablets at the center of the lake.
Jung Seongtae and the rest of the Hunters.
“Damn it. Are we too late already?”
“No, I saw a finger twitch just now… They’re still alive!”
At the mention that they hadn’t died yet, hope flashed in everyone’s eyes.
But at that very moment—
Piiing!
Something sliced through the air.
“Danger!”
A tanker threw himself forward, raising a massive shield.
Kwaaang!
A thick arrow, nearly two centimeters in diameter, struck deep into the shield.
The arrow quivered violently.
The raid party immediately formed battle formation.
“Hooh. These ones seem quite strong.”
“Krrrk! Indeed, they look worth hunting.”
Orcs armed with glaives and axes began to appear one by one.
Their numbers were considerable.
More than ten Warrior-class Orcs.
Even with a solid raid composition, this would not be an easy battle.
The Orcs’ greatest weakness was ‘Magic’ and ‘Psychic Abilities’—
But here, they had the Requiem Cult to make up for that shortfall.
The synergy born from the combination of those two forces was far trickier than expected.
“Humans.”
One of the Orcs opened its mouth.
“Seems like we both want something. How about this—we each send forth a champion, and the victor’s wish shall be honored?”
“You mean a duel?”
“Yes. If you defeat us, we swear upon the honor of our tribe not to move from this spot until you’ve rescued the sacrifices from the lake.”
“And if we lose?”
“There’s no penalty. You may simply send forth another challenger.”
That confidence—it was as though they couldn’t even imagine defeat.
Still, for the raid party, it was a proposal with nothing to lose.
“Understood. We accept.”
The blond-haired man, Mason of the Arcane Guild, drew his sword.
Shing!
A sharp flash of steel scattered in the air.
A ranker affiliated with Europe’s prestigious guild.
None of the international raid teams objected to Mason being their representative.
‘If Korea has Monarch, Europe has the Arcane Guild.’
That was how much they trusted him.
Then, it was the Orcs’ turn.
“Roark! It’s your turn!”
A roar that seemed to bubble from deep within.
And in response—
“Grooaaaar!”
One warrior answered the call.
“Roark! Roark! Roark!”
Thunderous cheers echoed all around.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Amid the pounding of weapons and stomping feet, the mightiest warrior of the Black Fortress Tribe charged forth.
His massive frame rivaled that of a half-ogre.
Muscles bulged with red veins, and his crude tusks were striking.
“What a… monster.”
“No wonder they were so confident.”
Even among the Hunters, tension ran high.
“Yohan, between the human and the Orc who just stepped up, which side do you think is stronger? The Orc looks a bit tougher, doesn’t he?”
“No. Hunter Mason has the upper hand.”
As an A-rank Hunter serving as the main damage dealer, he could easily take on about twenty Orcs.
He could also handle at least three Warrior-class ones at once.
And since he was a ranker from the Arcane Guild, no matter how powerful that high-class warrior was, Mason wouldn’t be overpowered.
Just then, the battle began.
“Kuwaaah!”
Kwaaaang!
A glaive easily twice the size of the others smashed into the ground.
Mason lightly evaded it, spinning his body like a windmill.
Kagagak!
His blade scraped along the side of the glaive and slashed across the Orc champion’s nape.
Pshhk!
The tough, leathery skin split open, spraying a burst of blood.
“Groooaaah!”
The Orc roared and swung his arm.
But Mason had already moved out of range, slipping into the blind spot.
“……”
His movements were like a storm.
Though far smaller in build, his swordplay—honed by experience and battle instinct—was astoundingly sharp.
Pupupupuk!
Several wounds appeared across the Orc warrior’s body.
Of course, without a critical hit, that juggernaut wouldn’t stop. Now was the time for one decisive strike instead of small cuts.
“I’ll kill you! Tear you to pieces!”
Kwaaang!
Kwakwakwaang!
The glaive plowed through the ground, turning it into rubble.
Neck. Chest. Abdomen.
Mason narrowly dodged each blow that aimed for his vital spots, waiting for the perfect opening.
And then—when the glaive came sweeping horizontally toward him—
[Mason activates the skill ‘Critical Counter’!]
A flash of blinding light burst forth.
A skill that reversed the enemy’s strength to deliver a fatal wound.
Puk!
This time, it landed perfectly.
His sword pierced deep into the Orc’s abdomen.
“You were formidable. I shall respect your honor and grant you a swift end.”
Mason murmured quietly.
He couldn’t help but acknowledge the Orc’s intelligence and martial prowess, rare for its kind.
Now, all that remained was to deliver the final blow to end it completely—
But at that very moment—
Puff!
“Guhk!?”
A hollow gasp escaped Mason’s lips.
A thick arrow had lodged itself in his chest, quivering violently.
“Hunter Mason!”
“Those bastards…!”
“You said it would be a one-on-one fight between champions!”
The Hunters shouted angrily, drawing their weapons.
However—
“When you can so easily deal with a strong enemy, why would some foolish vow matter? Remember this well before you die, stupid humans—never trust a promise made on the battlefield.”
The Orc nocked another arrow and was about to give the order for an all-out attack.
Thud.
Until he felt a cold sensation at the back of his neck.
“Every word you said is true. On the battlefield, it’s the one fooled who’s at fault, not the one who does the fooling.”
Before anyone noticed, Yohan had appeared behind the Orc, a sly smile curling his lips.
＊＊＊
A sharp, chilling touch pressed against the back of the Orc’s neck.
There were other Orcs nearby, but none had sensed Yohan’s approach.
Naturally so—after all, they were the ones ambushing.
They had assumed their enemies would be the ones caught off guard.
“How… when did you…?”
How had he circled around unseen to strike from behind?
“From the moment you picked your champion, I was already watching for an opening. Thanks to all that noisy cheering, everyone’s attention turned your way.”
“Hah… ridiculous. Then that means—you never believed in the one-on-one duel to begin with?”
“Other tribes might keep their word, but your Black Fortress Tribe? You lot are notorious for stabbing people in the back.”
He never negotiated with those who treated life like an insect—
He only crushed them more thoroughly.
“Fine then. You win. We’ll do nothing here. Go save your comrades.”
The Orc dropped his bow and raised both hands over his head.
Hmm…
It seemed he was misunderstanding something.
A peaceful ending through friendly words was not what Yohan had in mind.
He preferred to end things with an explosion—of blood and flame.
And the spark for that fire would be this very Orc.
“Don’t tell me…”
Seeing Yohan’s eyes, the Orc instantly reached for the sword at his waist.
But it was far too late.
“If it hurts, say so. It’ll only sting a bit.”
Puk!
The spearhead pierced through the back of the Orc’s neck in one thrust.
Pshhhh!
Blood spurted like a fountain.
The Orc choked on the gurgle of his own blood, thrashing his arms through the air.
Tsk. He told him to speak if it hurt. Why was he waving his hands instead?
Crunch!
Yohan severed his spinal cord in a single motion.
[Commander of the Black Fortress Tribe ‘Kaimaju’ has been slain!]
[You have acquired the ‘Commander’s Emblem.’]
A bone-crafted ornament appeared in Yohan’s hand.
He had obtained exactly what he wanted.
And with that—
“How dare they! An ambush?!”
“Kill them all! Leave no human alive!”
“You’ve got to be kidding! You broke the deal first!”
“Attack! Show these Orcs what fear of humanity truly means!”
All-out war erupted between both sides.