Book 14 Chapter 5
The beginning of the hero party's journey,
The King's Flesh (2)
"Oh, it's already night."
When you enter the [Reading Grimoire to a Pig's Ear] mode, ambient noise is completely blocked out, and the flow of time also disappears.
"Hey, Sbal. Where did Rista go?"
"Gyu!"
That's why it's not the first time I've activated this mode in the morning, only to regain consciousness the next morning and mistakenly think, 'What, did the mode turn off as soon as it turned on?'
"Are you protesting now? Because I'm roughly interpreting what you're saying?"
"Gyung!"
"Alright. Do whatever you want. Ugh, Sbal. They say you shouldn't take in white-furred beasts."
Therefore, it seems I got out of it quite quickly. It couldn't be helped.
"…No, it's them!"
"…Ring the bell! Everyone who can fight, get onto the palisade!"
"…What do we do? There are too many!"
If the surroundings are this noisy, the mode's duration will inevitably shorten.
Hmm, a bit annoying, isn't it?
As I stretched and went out of the house, something shattered the palisade, and fragments flew all the way here.
"…Th-the barricade!"
"…A m-mage!"
"…Ugh, ughhh!"
Something dark blue boiled up from the fragments, melting the wood. At that moment, the smile that automatically bloomed on my lips…
"Ehyahahaha! Kill all women and children, and rape all elders and men!"
The annoyance from being disturbed during reading vanished without a trace. This situation is a perfect 100.
The appearance of a dark mage.
A bandit group that attacked, unaware of the strongest mage's presence.
"Oh, I found a cute young master in Hanbok!"
"That young master is mine! Oh, young master, what do we do? You took refuge in a village like this during your journey, so now you'll see blood! I'll shower you with cuteness!"
"Get lost! I saw him first, so he's mine!"
I want to enjoy it more, but in this situation, I need to quickly exert my presence to resolve this sluggish development.
"I've been studying ice magic recently, trying to find a way to use this good-for-nothing, and I discovered an interesting fact."
Coordinate system linkage.
Calculation of start and end point coordinates.
"This Sbal fellow doesn't maximize the power of ice magic. He doubles all of its mass, hardness, strength, and volume. Breaking the general laws of magic."
What would happen if I simply connected the start and end point coordinates with a straight line using 1-star ice magic?
What do you mean, what would happen?
A long, weak piece of ice would appear. But what if I use Sbal's power here?
"Huh?"
The moment I shattered the magic circle rotating on my palm, a sudden ice spear appeared and pierced one of them directly through the neck.
"And if I properly interpret the runes, further double amplification and transformation are also possible from there."
As I shattered the 2-star magic circle rotating in my other hand, the ice spear scattered in all directions like a porcupine. It instantly skewered fifteen bandits.
"Just like this."
"Gyugyugyugyugu!"
"This guy is so useless that two times is the limit, but I guess this much is worth his keep."
I deliberately explained the magic for a showdown with a worthy opponent.
Now, the one with the King's Flesh would appear with a line like, "I thought he was just all talk, but he's quite something, I might enjoy this?" and then…
My strongest and the strongest achieved through flesh would clash.
"Th-the boss in one hit…?"
?
"Th-the deputy boss in one hit, too…!"
Huh?
"H-huh, that guy, he took down both of them in one hit…!"
Eh?
"M-monster! R-run…!"
No… why? Guys, stop messing around.
You said it was the King's Flesh!
You said it makes you incredibly strong if you eat it!
* * *
"What, what happened?"
"That little young master was an incredible mage! He wiped out all the bandits with just a few spells!"
"I heard about it when I went to the city. They say there's a boy mage selected as one of the best mages of the year? Could it be him?"
The corpses of the bandits, who were thought to be small fry but were actually the boss and deputy boss, were torn to shreds.
But from their bodies, some bizarre… thing appeared.
It was horrifyingly squirming and pouring out abyssal mist; it looked more like a tumor than flesh.
"Tsk, is this the [King's Flesh]? It's too weak?"
Sbal began barking, his whole body's fur standing up like thorns.
"Gyu, Gyuuuuuuuuuu!"
"Ugh, this guy is as big as a mountain, but he's so cowardly."
I couldn't just leave it like that, so the moment I stretched out my finger, an echo of enlightenment (啓蒙) spread across my mind, black as night.
【Burning Desert.】
【Primeval Landscape.】
【If you wish】 to gain 【immortal wis】dom 【ho, ho, ho…】… 【swallow my flesh】 and re【ceive the bless】ing of the 【Abyss (深淵)】…
- Lin.
It was the blessing of ancient wisdom.
The temptation of power.
If I take one step further, I might learn the truth I've sought my whole life. I might become the strongest in an instant.
- Stop it, Lin!
Just as I was about to proceed, the dean's voice shook my brain, and my consciousness broke free from the grasp of enlightenment.
"Gyu, Gyugyugyugyugyu-gyut!"
As my vision returned, I saw Sbal, his fur hardened like icicles, repeatedly ramming his body into my face.
"What are you doing, Sbal?"
Before re-establishing the hierarchy with its master, first… I telekinetically pulled a distant water bottle and put the flesh inside.
"Hmm, so this was the principle."
Is this the temptation of the abyss?
But I believe that becoming the [strongest mage] is only meaningful if achieved without using any shortcuts.
The flesh extended vein-like or tendon-like appendages, like spider legs, trying to get out of the water bottle. As I watched this with interest, a voice was heard.
- Lin.
Yes, I know.
So don't worry.
Because I haven't forgotten my promise to the dean to never dabble in dark magic.