The Second Provision (10)

'So this was where the Death Lord appeared?'

Without his intervention, Merhen would have continued her life at the academy, still enduring the bullying. Then, naturally, she would have taken part in the practical exam.

'And met the Death Lord there...'

Perhaps that was how she had become undead.

At the appearance of the demon and the lich, the knights drew their swords. The mage corps began casting all manner of spells, too. The students also steeled themselves for battle.

Liches were known to be evil undead, and the balrog was, needless to say, a demon. It would be no surprise if fighting broke out at any moment.

A suffocating silence stretched on. Kim Minwoo was every bit as tense as the others.

'This is going to be rough...'

This was the Death Lord himself, with a legion commander thrown into the mix.

And who did Minwoo have on his side? A few hundred students, along with an order of knights and a mage corps that ranked somewhere in the empire's upper-middle tier, at best.

Looking at it coldly, he had a feeling that legion commander, Balkan or whatever, could wipe them all out on his own.

'Still... I have to try.'

He would have preferred to get through this without fighting, but that didn't seem possible. Sadistic delight was already welling up in the balrog's eyes. It was like a predator eyeing its prey.

Then the balrog shrugged.

"Lord. What shall we do?"

"..."

The Death Lord swept his gaze over everyone. A moment later, his eyes met Kim Minwoo's, and he tilted his head.

"You... what are you? Why do you have my power...?"

He stared at Minwoo as though looking at some bizarre hybrid.

'Did he sense my skill?'

Death Lord (EX).

Minwoo had gobbled up the man's power wholesale. Of course he would be puzzled. To this past version of him, it must feel as though some human had suddenly appeared wielding a power much like his own.

"What are you talking about?"

Kim Minwoo shrugged as he asked. The Death Lord was a thoroughly evil-looking lich. He was even running around with a demon. With the knights, mage corps, and students all still alive and watching, it would be awkward to look as though they knew each other.

The silent lich's gaze turned to Merhen this time.

"... Excellent."

Now he nodded in satisfaction. Looking at the balrog, he said,

"Dispose of them. Except those two."

Kern and Merhen.

Every eye instantly turned toward them. Merhen shuddered, utterly bewildered.

As for Kern...

"Let's kill these evil demons!"

He immediately charged forward, sword in hand.

The others stared in startled confusion, then began coming to their senses one by one. None of them had been naive enough to think they could get past a demon and a lich without fighting. Kern had simply charged a step ahead of them.

"Slay them!"

The knights swarmed in like a pack of dogs, while all manner of spells hurtled toward the balrog.

"Heh heh. At least I won't be bored."

[Balkan summons his favored weapon, Flame Fiend!]

The balrog bared his sharp fangs as an enormous whip of fire formed in his hand. He lashed it with all his might at the impudent human charging at the head of the pack.

A single hit would engulf the human's entire body in flames. Watching humans burn and scream was one of Balkan's favorite amusements.

He had been told not to kill this one, so he could simply put out the fire once the human was suitably scorched. Flicking its tongue like a venomous snake, the flaming whip darted toward Kim Minwoo.

[The title 'The Law of Victory' activates!]

[All stats increase by 150%!]

[All damage increases by 150%!]

'Wow.'

Kim Minwoo was inwardly astonished. Slaughtering the monster horde earlier had brought him up to level 180. Yet The Law of Victory was still activating to this extent?

'At least the high 1,600s.'

As befitted a legion commander, his level was staggering. At that level, his stats would be beyond imagination. The gulf between them was terrifyingly vast.

['Snowy' shares its water attribute!]

[You use Death Spirit Sword Art (S)!]

[5,000 mana consumed!]

He poured in five thousand mana without hesitation. Hundreds of strands of sword energy blossomed above the Death Spirit Sword and cascaded forth.

The flaming whip tore through every last one. In exchange, he managed to divert its course slightly. He summoned Dolsoe in front of the deflected whip.

[Dolsoe uses Taunt (A) on Balkan!]

[The opponent's level is vastly superior! Taunt is ignored!]

[Dolsoe uses Defensive Stance (B)!]

Taunt failed, but since he had summoned Dolsoe right in its path, the whip coiled tightly around the golem.

[Dolsoe is unsummoned!]

Despite using Defensive Stance, Dolsoe was unsummoned in an instant. In that time, Kim Minwoo closed to point-blank range with Balkan.

[Curse of Aging (D) +9 activates!]

[The gap is far too vast!]

[The curse has no effect!]

So curses were no good.

He drove the Death Spirit Sword into the demon's leg with all his strength.

CLANG!

Sparks flew, as though he had struck solid steel.

Balkan's whip was already coming at him. It was incredibly fast. He threw Dolsoe into its path once more and dodged away.

Cedric approached and activated his skills.

[Cedric activates Shadow Spear (SS)!]

[Cedric activates Dragon Strike (S)!]

Shadow Spear doubled his damage. Dragon Strike multiplied that by seven. The attack slammed into Balkan with fourteen times the damage.

BOOM!

Even so, it failed to leave so much as a scratch on Balkan's body.

Minwoo had expected as much. The level difference was simply overwhelming. Stubbornly evading the demon's attacks, he struck the same spot again.

[You have struck the same spot! Damage increases by 22%...]

[The title 'One-Spot Digger'...]

The knights rushed up and thrust their mana-laden swords from every direction. All manner of spells rained down as well.

"Get lost."

[Balkan uses Fist of Fire!]

Flames engulfed his fist. As he punched, an enormous pillar of fire erupted in front of him.

"Aaargh! Help me!"

"Gaaagh!"

Every knight sucked into it was roasted alive. A single punch killed nearly fifty knights. Half the order was gone.

Everyone, from the students to the mages at the rear, felt a chilling terror.

The knights' swords were useless. So was their magic. Their enemy was far beyond them.

Worse still, the lich behind him had yet to make a move.

Regardless, Kim Minwoo doggedly continued hammering the same spot.

[You have struck the same spot! Damage increases by 44%...]

[The title 'One-Spot Digger'...]

[You have struck the same spot! Damage increases by 55%...]

['One-Spot Digger'...]

While the knights and mages were drawing its attention, he had to squeeze in as much damage as he could.

Finally...

CRACK!

Blood spurted from Balkan's leg.

'Got it.'

Kim Minwoo's eyes gleamed. He had pierced the demon's tough hide. At the very least, he now had a way to hurt him.

* * *

Merhen stared ahead, her eyes trembling.

A monster that even the formidable knights couldn't handle. Only Kern was still resisting it to the bitter end.

But the situation hardly looked favorable. His body was already becoming a battered wreck. By contrast, though the balrog had suffered a slight wound to its leg, it was effortlessly overpowering him.

'Again...'

It was just like before, when Kern had sent her away from the wave. Once again, she couldn't help him at all.

Even in this situation, her magic showed not the slightest sign of manifesting.

A pathetic failure. Nothing but dead weight.

Then the lich approached her.

Several mages hurriedly began casting, but it was useless.

"Gah!"

With a mere gesture from the lich, they collapsed, clutching their hearts. As the terrified mages backed away, the lich came up and spoke.

"Child. Become my thrall."

"... What?"

"Have you not always despaired over your blocked talent?"

"... How do you know about that...?"

The lights in the lich's eyes curved into crescents.

"Sometimes, a talent only reveals itself in death. Your body is a prison."

"M-my body is a prison?"

"Yes. You overflow with talent, yet you will never succeed in manifesting it for as long as you live. But become my thrall, and that will change."

The lich extended a hand enticingly.

"I sense much sorrow in you. You must have suffered. I will grant you the power to overturn it all. If you only take my hand..."

"N-no."

Merhen shook her head reflexively.

"Why?"

"D-do I need a reason not to want to become undead?"

"I see."

The lich spoke dispassionately and extended his hand. In that instant, a mage beside her crumpled to the ground.

"And now?"

Merhen trembled. A mage who had been alive and breathing beside her just moments ago was dead in an instant.

"Still not enough, it seems."

The lich flicked his fingers. Dozens of mages collapsed, vomiting blood.

"D-do you think I'll follow you if you make me your thrall like this?!"

"We shall see."

The Death Lord smiled. There was no loss in proceeding with the transformation this way. Though his thrall's loyalty would be weaker, she would gain power in proportion to her accumulated resentment.

He could always make up for a little lack of loyalty later.

"I-I'll never do it."

"Even if that human dies?"

"...!"

The lich pointed toward Kern, still fighting the balrog. Merhen's eyes shook at the sight.

"D-don't..."

The Death Lord extended his hand. Kern's body constricted as though caught in an invisible grip, and he was helplessly dragged before it.

"Now, do you think you might change your mind?"

"I-I'll do it! I will!"

At the sight of the bleeding Kern, Merhen blurted the words in a panic.

"A wise decision. All you need do is take this hand. A very simple matter..."

Just then, the Death Lord tilted his head and reached out in another direction.

"Squawk!"

A bird, caught in midair as it swooped toward him, let out a pitiful cry.

"Hmm..."

As he stared at it, a pitch-black birdcage materialized above his hand. Having imprisoned the white bird, the Death Lord looked straight at Merhen.

"Well? Your answer?"

"B-but in return, Kern..."

"Yes. I will spare him. I will keep my promise."

He would indeed let him live. The Death Lord had never intended to kill him in the first place. Here was a human with the same energy as himself. Surely he had to find out how such a thing had happened.

However, while he would keep him alive, how he fulfilled that promise was entirely up to him.

Even if he dissected every inch of the human's body, over and over, all that mattered was that he remained alive, wasn't it?

Merhen was about to extend her trembling hand when a faint voice came from behind her.

"... Don't... do it."

Under that immense pressure, Kern was speaking through gritted teeth.

"You... cough... said... you didn't want... to be undead..."

"You idiot! Is this the time to worry about me?!"

"He... won't... keep... his... promise... anyway..."

"How noisy."

CRUNCH!

The pressure intensified, and the sound of bones breaking rang out from all over Kern's body. Blood gushed from his mouth.

That should quiet him down.

Just as the Death Lord thought he had silenced the irritating human, Kern spoke again.

"You... can... manifest... it."

The Death Lord narrowed his eyes. That much pain should have knocked him unconscious already. Yet he kept flapping his mouth.

But inflicting any more pain seemed likely to kill him outright. Kern's body had already been shattered that badly.

Merhen's eyes trembled uncontrollably at the sight.

She must have underestimated the lich. Now she thought she understood what Kern meant about him not keeping his promise. This creature was ruthlessly crushing his body. He might literally do no more than keep Kern alive.

'N-no...'

That would make it all meaningless. What on earth was she supposed to do?

"You... have... to... do it..."

Kern was right. The only thing she could rely on was manifesting her magic. Her heart pounded wildly. Memories of each moment she had spent with Kern surfaced.

He was the first good person she had ever met in her life. Just as he had saved her so many times, she, too...

'I have to save him.'

She had to. If she couldn't, Kern would die. She couldn't let that happen.

She focused her mind. Never in her life had she wanted anything so desperately.

'Please...'

Just once would be enough. If only she could manifest magic. If only she could save Kern...

She would pay any price.

It happened at that very moment. The mana flowing through her body began to move, then burst into light above her hand.

It was magic.