The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 40



Only Krnovel

Episode 40. Wizard Hunt (6)

Sigh!

The mosquito’s blade, engraved with red letters, pierced the fallen owl, sucking out the blood inside and offering it to its master.

– Goo, goo, goo… … .

The owl let out a final groan, and a faint smoke rose from Kadim’s body. Dozens of corpses of monsters that had given him blood were strewn about in the narrow passage.

Kadim cleared his throat. He was still tired, but his injuries were almost completely healed. Now that he had recovered, he decided to head back.

We reached the heart of the fortress, a room filled with unlit candles. In the middle of the room, a tragically collapsed figure lay lying down.

– Kuok, kill him… … . Now hurry up and kill me… … .

All the tendons in his limbs were cut off and a lot of rocks were stuffed in between. He was still alive thanks to the remaining part of his heart, but he was unable to regenerate or move. The ogre groaned in excruciating pain and kept begging for someone to kill him.

Of course, Kadim had no intention of killing the guy just like that.

“From now on, just answer the questions I ask you correctly. Once you’ve answered all the questions, I’ll kill you in peace.”

– Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu… … .

“If you answer lies or say useless things, I will prolong your suffering even longer.”

The distorted eyes were even more deeply wrinkled. The ogre had already gone through the process of holding a ‘mosquito’ in his hand and forcibly surviving. It was clear that those words were not empty words.

In any case, once the human body was abandoned, it was impossible to return to the original life. In this state, I couldn’t defeat that barbarian warrior who wielded strange powers. Ymir decided to answer any questions as quickly as possible and then get some rest.

Kadim sat down on a suitable boulder. He looked around at the numerous extinguished candles on the closet and began his interrogation.

“It was decorated with the utmost care. What were they doing here, gathering all these monsters? “The number was too large to say they were simply trying to sabotage the councillors.”

– … … Wow, monsters have been here for a long time. It was a space where those captured during the subjugation order were raised… … . It was only after I came that the ‘plan’ made progress.

“plan?”

– Yes, a plan to control the minds of monsters on a large scale and turn them into armies. In the first place, I was appointed here as an aide to realize that plan. It was a grand plan that, if successful, could destroy rampant demons and subjugate other societies and even empires… … Kuuk, everything is because of you… … .

“Then why did they kill people? There were a lot of corpses piled up in one room.”

– … … As the number of monsters increases, it becomes more difficult to control them. However, if the human spirit is extracted with a ‘soul-squeezing chain’ and infused into the monster’s body, the spirit of the human and the monster violently clash, creating a void in the ego. Then you can control a much larger number of monsters more smoothly.

“… … .”

– Kuk, of course, in cases like mine where a human took control of a monster’s body, it had to be disposed of… … .

Kadim frowned reflexively.

I am not in a position to criticize anyone morally. But no matter how much I thought about it, that was an idea closer to a devil than a human. And the words that came out next were even more so.

– Kuuk, everything went to waste because of you… … . You made the sacrifices of so many people in vain… … . A worthy sacrifice for the advancement of the Magic Tower has been transformed into a worthless dog’s death because of you alone! Even the dead people are probably blaming you in the underworld… … .

Kadim put the blade between the ogre’s claws and pulled it off with a snap.

“… … Wow! “Choooooooo!!”

“I would have told you not to say unnecessary things.”

Just because he had suffered much more, it did not make him immune to all pain. The ogre trembled and kept his mouth shut.

“Then let’s ask the question we asked earlier this time again. Why do you use magic the devil’s way? “Why on earth do you use diluted magical energy instead of mana as the raw material for magic?”

The ogre flinched when he heard the words ‘devil’ and ‘magic’ and made a face as if something was bothering him.

– … … Magi? What are you talking about? I’ve only used mana so far… … .

“Stop this nonsense. The ‘mana’ I’m talking about refers to the supernatural energy floating in the air that spirits use. “It’s not the energy of a devil mixed with a lot of miscellaneous things.”

– Spirits… … floating in the air… … Oh, by any chance, are you talking about ‘Ancient Mana’?

“……what?”

– Kuk, I don’t know when you’re talking about… … The ‘Ancient Mana’ was completely depleted hundreds of years ago. The spirits have long since died out. Now, the only way for a wizard to use magic is to embed a magic stone in their heart and draw mana from there… … .

The ogre let out a cough mixed with blood. Confusion rippled across the berserker’s face. He had no way to prove the truth of those words. Because I couldn’t feel the slightest hint of mana, past or present.

When Kadim opened his mouth again, his voice was trembling slightly.

“Mana… … No, why is ‘ancient mana’ depleted?

– Kuuk, I don’t know the exact reason either… … . Only the magic tower lord and the wizards of the Elder Council had access to information about him.

“… … .”

– However, from what I heard over the shoulder… … there was a rumor that someone had cast a ‘great magic’ so great that it could drain all the mana in the world at once… … . Kuuk, such an enormous ‘great magic’? It doesn’t sound very realistic, but… … .

“[Don’t lie. Even when Melissa casted ‘Great Magic’ countless times while dealing with the Great Evil, her mana did not deplete.]”

Suddenly the air in the room changed.

Kadim’s voice rang as if he had sunk into a deep cave. A feeling of discomfort, as if my personality had changed in an instant. The ogre’s facial muscles twitched faintly.

– What? Kuk… … What are you talking about… … .

“[You still have a cunning tongue. “I would have already warned you not to answer lies.]”

An eerie feeling ran down the back of her neck. She barely managed to turn her head, and the savage’s eyes were glowing with a strange red light. An unprecedented fear consumed Ymir’s mind.

– Me, Melissa? Are you talking about the first Matapju? Kook, why is that name suddenly… … .

“[Melissa hated the devil more than anything else in the world. But their descendants are using Magi as a magic ingredient… … . Well, that didn’t make sense in the first place.]”

-What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t tell a single lie! Hey, you should kill me comfortably as promised… … .

“[Shut up, devil. That’s all for your ridiculous tricks. I’ll tear your flesh and bones to shreds and drink all your blood.]”

There was no communication at all. The shadow slowly approached, raising its axe fiercely. The desire for peace within Ymir was quietly extinguished. All that remained was the mad savage and the fear of death.

– Kuok, Kuok, Kuok!!

I tried my best to escape somehow. I couldn’t escape even an inch. The stones embedded in the area where the tendon was cut only became more firmly buried.

Sigh – Ouch!

– Wow!

Finally, the cold blade sliced ​​through the ogre’s neck.

The Berserker slashed again at the wounds that had regenerated as soon as he cut them down. After turning the hide and muscle into rags, he tore and crushed the protruding sacrum. The ogre’s two eyes turned bloodshot. The ceiling and floor shook as if an earthquake had occurred as the huge body flailed.

– Quauuuuck, quauuuuuck!

Coo goong, coo goong, coo goo goo… … .

Tsk, tsk, tsk – tsk!

The ax blade went wider and deeper. The thick and tough artery was easily cut and thick blood spurted out. Kadim’s eyes became even more strange as he witnessed that dynamic outburst.

I licked the blood that had splattered on my hand. This is your chance to drink fresh demon blood for the first time in a while. I couldn’t stop by just licking a few drops. He even went so far as to draw blood by biting directly into an artery. After biting it once, I bit it again without hesitation, tore it with my hands, and cut it with an axe.

Blood splashed into my eyes, turning my entire vision red. I drank blood so hard that my sight, taste, and smell were all soaked in the fishy blood. Still, she didn’t stop sucking blood. Her thirst was unquenchable, as if there was a hole in her throat. More blood, more blood, more blood… … .

-Coooooo… … .

Only after the ogre had completely stopped breathing did Khadim come to his senses.

“… … .”

This wasn’t a devil. It was just a monster imbued with the spirit of a wizard.

The last candle went out and a solemn silence settled in. Kadim wiped the blood that was all over his mouth with his sleeve. Suddenly, he raised his head and met his eyes with the damp darkness.

‘Even though I didn’t drink the blood of the hydra… … ‘It’s like this.’

As if a brain-eating parasite had passed, the lingering feeling of madness did not go away easily.

*

Vestana, the largest city in the Free Cities Alliance.

Nominally, the highest authority in this city is the chairman of the council. However, everyone living in this city, from a three-year-old with a runny nose to an eighty-year-old, and even the chairman himself, knew that there was someone else who was the real owner of this city.

The owner of this huge, pure white tower.

“… … .”

The chairman of the council bent his plump neck and looked up at the high tower. As he swallowed dry saliva inwardly, his plump belly rumbling, the door at the entrance opened and a young sorceress appeared.

She guided the chairman in a friendly voice.

“Welcome, Mr. Chairman. “You can come here.”

“Okay, thank you… … .”

Wow –

But as soon as I stepped into the doorway, the background changed and the sorceress’s spirit disappeared without a trace. Instead, only a dark hallway with heavy air flowing appeared.

“… … .”

The lights came on, revealing the path to follow. At the end of the hallway was a stone gate engraved with mysterious letters and intricate magic circles.

I should have gotten used to it by now, but I didn’t. As I reached the end with nervous steps, the stone gate opened and the top floor of the magic tower was revealed.

“Come here, Chairman. “You can sit here.”

A dazzling five-colored light that decorates the sky, a transparent wall that allows the outside to be seen only from the inside, a space with clouds at the foot that creates a dreamy atmosphere, and a voice with a strange power.

A man with his face hidden behind a deep white bandana sat on a transparent chair and greeted the chairman. He gave the compliment without hesitation, and the chairman did not find it strange at all.

“It’s been a long time, Your Majesty. I hope you’ve been well.”

“It’s a lot of trouble. “I guess that’s why I called you.”

“… … .”

“Let’s cut it short and get to the point. There’s a problem in the underground fortress near Remtana. “All the monsters inside have been annihilated, and I think even Ymir Demil is dead.”

“Huh? What is that… … .”

The chairman widened his eyes.

Ymir was one of the most high-ranking wizards in the Magic Tower. Although he was powerful on his own, I heard that he recently succeeded in controlling a large number of monsters, raising his status to something close to a one-man army. Who on earth killed him?

“There’s no way Remtana had that many troops… … . Could it be that a high-ranking devil has appeared? Or that the Empire’s Archpaladin or ‘Decagram’ invaded the border… … .”

“No, not all of them. I still don’t know their exact identities. Maybe they took out weapons that the Delutana or Galentana schooner had hidden underwater. I had high hopes for Ymir… but it turned out to be a shame.”

The magic tower lord swept the translucent crystal ball under his hand.

‘Eye of Callisto’. It was a magic tool that allowed you to look at the whole world from one seat. The downside is that the farther the distance, the blurrier the image becomes and the cooldown time is quite long.

When Matapju opened his mouth again, his voice became more solemn.

“An unknown enemy has appeared and there has been a huge loss in power. So, we want to further expand the power of the Magic Tower. Next quarter, increase the Council’s support budget and secure as many devil’s appendages as possible. From demons and imperial paladins to weapons from other cities… … “There will be many enemies we will have to deal with in the future.”

“… … All right. “I will persuade lawmakers and issue related instructions to nearby councillors.”

The majority of the council’s budget had already been poured into the tower, but the chairman had no veto power. He knew very well what had happened to the previous chairmen who had rejected the tower’s proposals. It would have been much better to give them what they wanted and then poke them for something else.

“But… … Tower owner. Because of the demons rampant on the ‘Golden Road’, trade with other regions is still not smooth. I’m being presumptuous, but I wonder if you could send out more wizards… … .”

“Haven’t we already sent many of our Invoker-level magicians there? You must be mistaken. We don’t have the only share of the Golden Road. Surely you’re not wasting manpower above the Conjurer level on something that other cities will take care of on their own if we leave it alone?”

“… … .”

Not long ago, demons were rampant on the Golden Road, a trade route connecting the major cities of the Alliance. Not only were there a lot of them, but their presence was also ominous.

‘According to the information obtained, it is said that many high-ranking demons with two horns have been seen… … Then it won’t be easy to solve it with troops from other cities… … .’

However, the chairman was cautious with his words. This was information from a source who had gone mad after encountering the devil, so its authenticity was uncertain. If he had relayed uncertain information and it turned out to be wrong, he might have lost his life.

But just being manipulated like this hurt my pride. The chairman narrowly changed the conversation to a topic that was not at risk, but was very disturbing to the Mage Tower.

“I understand, it’s just a pity that the Magic Tower is always short of manpower. If an archmage as great as the ‘first magic tower lord’ was still alive, the burden on the modern tower lord would have been much less… … .”

“… … .”

The chairman glanced around. Matapju narrowed his eyes.

“The first magic tower lord died a long time ago. “Didn’t you also see her grave at the lowest level of the Magic Tower?”

“Yes, that’s right, Lord Tower. However, recently, strange rumors have been coming from the southern Daesurim area… … .”

“Have you already forgotten what happened before, Chairman?”

“… … .”

A frosty voice rang coldly. The eyes under the hood were deaf.

“Keep in mind. The servility of keeping your mouth shut like a dumb person, thinking nothing of something like an idiot, and bowing down and begging to live obediently like a dog saved your life. “Don’t be foolish and just stick to your duties like you are now, Conrad.”

“… … .”

The chairman, who had been called by his real name, dropped his gaze helplessly like a pig being kicked by its owner. Matapju looked at him coldly and snapped his fingers. Then, there was a flash of light and the pot-bellied chairman disappeared out of the tower.

Left alone in the open space, Matopju looked lonely, like a prophet who had discovered the secrets of the world. He got up from his seat, chewing on the emotions piled up like layers of earth. He walked on the floor with his luggage on his back, where the clouds were visible, and muttered complicatedly as he looked far away to the south.

“Stop the meaningless waiting. What you hope for never comes, Melissa… … .”