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James, startled by Ian’s shout, hurriedly filled the quiver. The previously empty quiver was now heavy again. But the arrows couldn’t be shot.

‘Where did he go?’

The dark mage had disappeared. Even while intercepting the black orbs, Ian had kept an eye on the dark mage’s location.

The dark mage had clearly been casting a spell in the same spot just moments ago.

Ian had seen Mary, who had been sitting down, get up quickly to wield her sword. But by now, the dark mage was gone.

Moreover, in that brief moment, the dark mage had finished casting the spell, causing black currents to gather around Mary and Mael, forming dozens of skeletons.

Necromancy.

Realizing this, Ian felt a presence behind him along with a flow of magical energy.

When he glanced back, he saw the dark mage reappearing.

Wooo!

The dark mage’s staff was surrounded by a swirling mass of violet energy, making an ominous sound.

Immediately, Ian acted by shoving James to the right.

“Ugh!”

Though his stance was off and he didn’t put much force into it, it didn’t matter. With magic manipulation, physical ability was incomparable to that of an ordinary person.

James, letting out a pained groan, collided with the person ringing the bell. They would probably both tumble off the barricade.

As soon as Ian put his foot down, he lowered his posture. The dark mage’s staff swung diagonally, and a huge violet glow scattered along that path.

Kwoooosh!

With a waterfall-like sound.

Ian glanced up at the violet glow passing over his head.

If his reaction had been even a moment slower, he would have been crushed by the light.

‘Terrible.’

Feeling a chill, Ian turned his body to the left.

In the midst of this, he saw Mael and Mary beyond the section of the barricade that had disappeared.

He had been worried they might have been swept away, but it seemed his fears were unfounded. Mary was spinning around in place and rising to her feet.

“Ugh!”

The dark mage seemed taken aback by the fact that Mary had managed to evade the attack in such a manner.

Ian reviewed his equipment. He had a bow in his left hand, arrows in his right, and a dagger at his waist that Mary had given him.

Should he discard the arrows and use the dagger? Or maybe strike with the bow?

‘No.’

His decision was quick. The bow couldn’t be broken, and he wouldn’t discard the arrows. He wouldn’t use the dagger either.

Humans have historically used their bodies as weapons in unexpected situations. A well-trained body can sometimes be more effective than any weapon.

Ian kicked the dark mage with all his strength.

Thud!

The dark mage flew out of the barricade and crashed into the ground.

‘Good.’

The impact felt through Ian’s foot was far more severe than when he had struck James.

He could even faintly hear the sound of bones breaking, so the dark mage couldn’t be in good shape.

Ian quickly moved to the edge of the barricade and looked down, searching for the dark mage as he readied his bow.

The arrows were already in hand, so there was no need to draw them. With minimal movement, he was ready to shoot.

Twang!

As he released the bowstring, the arrow shot through the air like a hawk aiming for its prey.

The stumbling dark mage tried to deflect the arrow with his staff, but it seemed he had indeed broken a bone from the earlier kick, as he couldn’t lift his arm properly.

The staff was barely being held. It was remarkable that he was still gripping it in that state.

The dark mage leaned back, barely avoiding the arrow, but lost his balance and fell on his backside.

Boom!

The arrow that veered off course struck the ground, causing a surge of intense flames that engulfed the area.

The heat was intense enough to cause burns just from being nearby, but the dark mage was far enough that the effect was minimal.

However, that single arrow was not all there was. The quiver held over twenty arrows. There was still plenty of magic power. Ian continued to shoot.

“Wait!”

The dark mage shouted urgently, but Ian ignored him. Though he had some questions, there was no reason to engage in conversation and give the opponent more time.

The arrows, glowing red, flew through the air, leaving dark trails behind them.

Clang!

The dark mage, Yan Etodi, ground his teeth and spread his magical energy to form a barrier.

Even though he hadn’t properly completed the spell, he could still block a few arrows.

Finally having a moment to catch his breath, Yan felt relief but was soon filled with irritation.

‘Damn it! I’m in this state…!’

To be threatened by a rookie who didn’t even seem to be at level 3, despite being level 5 himself, was an extremely humiliating situation.

If any of his comrades had seen him like this, they would not only be incredulous but would definitely laugh heartily.

‘…….’

He would probably be insulted with every derogatory term imaginable. But there was no one to see it. All his comrades were dead.

You have to be alive to laugh or insult. Dead people can’t do anything.

‘If it weren’t for that woman!’

Chosen by the ruler, who was said to be the god’s representative, and a hero. Because he had encountered one of them, all his comrades had been killed.

Yan had been lucky to escape with only severe injuries.

Though the death of his comrades was unavoidable, the most significant problem was that his wounds inflicted by the hero weren’t healing.

Divine power, depending on its use, can be either friendly or hostile. In the latter case, it is as dreadful as poison to those who serve the foreign gods.

Yan, being a dark mage himself, was no exception. The divine power seeping through his wounds was eating away at him.

Although he was barely managing to suppress it by expending a vast amount of magical energy, there was no sign of recovery.

To heal himself immediately, he had no choice but to rely on the power of the foreign gods, but as a mere follower, not a saint, he had no hope of receiving their favor without a price, so he had to offer tributes.

Blood and souls.

Confusion and fear.

To offer the things the foreign gods favored, Yan had used up everything he had to attract the foreign gods’ attention, but that had failed due to the unexpected appearance of a Red Spear knight.

But, from a distance, Yan thought it was actually a good turn of events.

The Red Spear knight might be a Red Spear knight, but he didn’t seem to possess extraordinary skill.

However, his condition was much worse than expected. With a lack of magic power, his spell options were limited, and the pain from the wound in his side made it difficult to concentrate.

As a result, any magic he cast lacked proper effectiveness.

Normally, he wouldn’t have even bothered with arrows. Moreover, the barrier was on the verge of collapse.

‘Already?’

Before he could react, an arrow pierced the barrier and embedded itself in his thigh.

“!”

The moment Yan was struck by the arrow with its red-hot tip, he recalled how he had once burned like a torch.

His heart skipped a beat, feeling as if it had stopped, but fortunately, the arrow did not cause such a dire result, having penetrated the barrier and expended its power.

However, the situation was still extremely desperate. But surrendering was not an option. He couldn’t simply resign to death.

Yan gathered the last of his remaining magical power and activated his spell.

[Shadow Blade]

There was no need to recite the incantation. With focus, the spell could be executed without verbalizing it. The most crucial element in casting magic was the will.

‘Die!’

Yan glared at Ian with a look of rage.

At the same moment, Ian felt a chilling sense of dread for no apparent reason.

“?”

He instinctively turned to his left. Shadows were moving.

The shadows swelled and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into sharp thorns that struck at him.

Clang!

Ian dodged urgently, but his bow, held in his hand, was hit instead.

It wasn’t made of steel, so it broke immediately upon impact rather than withstanding any force.

‘I have to discard it.’

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed, but it was useless now that it was broken.

Moreover, the expanding shadow did not just release a single thorn; it spread like flowing water, releasing even more thorns.

Ian threw away the bow and moved sideways, but the space was too cramped to evade all the thorns. Realizing this, he jumped off the barricade without hesitation.

As soon as he landed on the ground, he ran toward the dark mage, channeling magical power into the arrow he held in his right hand and throwing it like a dagger.

Although it wouldn’t have the same power as an arrow shot from a bow, it should be sufficient for suppression.

As expected, the dark mage flinched and extended his hand to unfold a barrier to block it.

Clang!

As the arrow struck, flames erupted from the tip and spread along the barrier. The visibility was obscured on both sides.

Ian unsheathed the dagger from his belt and gripped it in reverse.

There was no need to swing it forcefully. He simply pulled his left hand holding the dagger while applying force with his right hand to cover it.

Simultaneously, he hurled his body toward the barrier at full speed.

Crack!

The barrier held out momentarily against the dagger’s blade but shattered like glass.

“Gah!”

Beyond the shattered barrier, the dark mage was visible, disintegrating into fragments in the air.

The dark mage’s face was one of astonishment. The distance was too close and the time too tight to do anything.

The dagger pierced the defenseless dark mage’s body. The blade dug into his heart, and Ian collapsed with him.

“Ugh!”

It wasn’t very painful. It was just that he had fallen along with his opponent. However, having dropped the dagger, he quickly got up and checked the status of his foe.

“……”

The dark mage remained motionless with his eyes wide open. Despite being empowered by a divine entity of the outer seas, there was no escaping death after a fatal blow.

Ian exhaled deeply, gazing down at the dark mage.

“Sir!”

At the call, he turned around to see Mael and Mari running towards him. They arrived by his side in an instant.

“Are you alright?”

“As you can see. And you two?”

Mael, looking somewhat awkward, replied.

“It may sound like an excuse, but we were hit quite a lot due to a lack of training. The movement of the skeletons was more than it appeared. That’s why my armor is in this state.”

It was only scratched, at least.

“Injuries?”

“None.”

“That’s good. The armor is there to protect the body.”

“That’s true, but it still worries me. If our skills had been better, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Well, you should consider yourself lucky it ended as it did.”

“Excuse me?”

“Look. It wasn’t normal.”

Ian gestured towards the dead dark mage. Mael nodded reluctantly.

“If he were normal, he wouldn’t have become a dark mage.”

“No. I mean, his condition wasn’t normal. Regardless of his level, if he had been at his best, it wouldn’t have ended so easily.”

“…Hmm, if that’s really the case, then we were lucky.”

“It’s not just a matter of luck; it really was that way. Ah, it’s fine.”

There was no point in discussing it further now that it was over. Excessive humility can be as vain as arrogance.

Ian rummaged through the dead dark mage’s belongings. He was checking to see if there was anything of value or useful for reporting back to his family.

If they were truly lucky, there might be something worthwhile.

———