uub

Chapter 2 : Chapter 2A foreboding mass of dark clouds loomed over the barren, desolate land.

These clouds neither drifted nor released rain; they simply watched in silence as the dying perished.

The stench of blood filled the city. Rotting flesh and chunks of meat—unidentifiable remnants of human bodies—were scattered across the streets.

"The end! The end is upon us! The gods have abandoned us! The servants of the devil hunger for our flesh and rush toward us! Cease your futile resistance and plunge your spears into your own throats!"

From atop a pile of corpses in the ruined plaza, the voices of the broken and deranged echoed.

"...."

Hans, the captain of the city's remaining guards, could only look at them with pity.

His short-cropped hair left his forehead fully exposed, revealing a multitude of scars. Most were jagged, as if torn open, while some bore the distinct mark of a blade's edge.

Hans' armor, battered and ruined, bore witness to the relentless battles he had fought over the past few weeks.

The plate on his left shoulder was completely torn away, exposing the leather lining beneath. The plating on his right arm clung to his body by mere scraps of the same material.

To make matters worse, his armor was smeared with a thick, greenish liquid. It resembled blood, but the color and viscosity made it clear—it was certainly not human.

Hans tossed aside a piece of cloth he had been using and picked up a tattered scrap of old clothing nearby, using it to wipe away the filth on his armor. The substance was disgustingly sticky and refused to come off easily, but he had no choice. It had to be done.

"…When are the reinforcements supposed to arrive?"

"In about three days… You asked me the same thing ten minutes ago."

"…Damn it."

As soon as he heard his lieutenant's response, Hans threw down the bloodstained rag and sank to the ground.

His joints screamed in agony. It had been three days since he last slept.

"…How are the men holding up?"

"Not well. Our numbers have been halved, and among the survivors, eighty percent are wounded."

"Tell them to thoroughly clean off any traces of the mutants' blood. If an epidemic breaks out now, we're finished."

With that final order, Hans leaned against the crumbling city wall and shut his eyes. If he didn't seize these fleeting moments of rest, he feared he would lose his sanity—just like those wailing lunatics in the plaza.

"…Excuse me."

Just as he was beginning to drift off, a boy's voice reached his ears.

Hans forced his heavy eyelids open, his battered armor groaning as he turned toward the sound.

A boy with striking silver hair and piercing blue eyes stood before him. His clothes were tattered, barely more than scraps of fabric clinging to his frame. His bare feet were covered in dirt and marred with wounds.

…Despite the mysterious depth in his eyes, he appeared to be nothing more than another stray urchin—one of the countless orphans scattered throughout the city.

"…The corpses of the mutants are everywhere. You might catch a plague if you stay here. Get to the inner city while you still can."

Hans sighed and gestured for the boy to leave.

"...."

The boy, however, did not move. Instead, he placed his delicate hand against the ruined city wall, then turned his gaze toward the putrid pile of corpses.

Even as he looked upon the mountain of bodies and the deranged fanatics screaming atop them, his expression remained utterly impassive.

Slowly, the boy approached Hans.

"There doesn't seem to be a mage stationed in this city. It would be much safer to burn all the corpses."

"You think we'd waste a high-class mage on a place like this?"

"...."

The boy glanced back at the path he had taken to get here.

He saw sewer rats turning on one another in desperation, the bloodied corpses of prostitutes strewn carelessly on the streets, a burned-out bank long since abandoned, and a church reduced to rubble by the madness of its own congregation.

"Strathus is already finished."

"…Then why are you still defending this city? What's left to protect in a place that's already doomed?"

Hans let out a hollow laugh. What a ridiculous question.

"Do guards need a reason to defend their city?"

He answered without hesitation.

"…I don't know much about war, but even I can see that the situation is beyond saving. It doesn't look like you'll last much longer. Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"I am."

Once again, Hans answered immediately.

"Then why don't you run?"

"Because I'm the captain of the city guard."

His response to the boy's third question was just as swift.

"...."

The boy fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Hans showed no interest in him. Street orphans like this were everywhere.

"Quit standing there and go. The blood around here is toxic."

Hans needed no further justification for his duty. He was the city's last line of defense, and that was all that mattered.

Though their conversation had been brief, the boy had already grasped what kind of man Hans was.

After a moment of contemplation, the boy sat down beside him. Of all the places in this wretched city, this spot felt the safest.

"…What the hell are you doing? I told you to go to the inner city."

Hans scowled, annoyed by the boy's presence.

His armor was still slick with mutant blood, and he was worried the boy might catch something from prolonged exposure.

"If you lose, people like me will die anyway, whether we're in the inner city or the outskirts."

Hans had no idea what the boy was thinking.

It wasn't despair—his expression was far too calm for that. Nor did he seem broken—his eyes still burned with a sharp clarity.

"…Well, you're not wrong."

In the end, Hans gave up on driving him away.

After all, the boy was right. Whether here or deeper in the city, this place was hell all the same.

"…Damn this era."

Hans muttered, gazing up at the pitch-black clouds above.

When he was a child—no more than thirty years ago—the world had not been like this.

Sure, the orcs in the west and the elves in the east had always been troublesome, but at least there had been reason, order—some semblance of logic.

But then, everything changed with the arrival of a single mage.

The dark sorcerer, Tokker.

He had summoned an ancient demon, offering the world in exchange for transcendence. And the demon, fully manifesting in its true form, granted his wish.

From that day on—

The stench of rotting flesh filled every corner of the world, and there was never a single moment without the sound of screams.

Survival became an endless struggle. Hope and the future—mere words of a bygone era.

"Well… and this city is the worst of the worst."

"Yet, it must still be defended."

"Hah! That's right."

Hans let out a hearty laugh at the boy's response and reached out to pat his back—only to stop midway.

The boy's body was alarmingly thin.

Street urchins were all malnourished to some degree, but even among them, this boy was particularly frail and withered.

With his gaunt frame, Hans feared that even a light tap from his gauntleted hand might snap his spine in half.

"There's a forward base behind the burned-out bank. They still have a bit of bread left… If you need it, take some."

"Isn't that meant for the soldiers?"

"If you say you're taking Hans' share, they won't question it."

"That would be a waste of rations. I'm nothing more than a vagrant. Even if I replenish my strength by eating, it won't contribute in any way to defending this city."

Hans sighed at the boy's coldly rational response.

"…That's true."

He couldn't bring himself to deny it.

Supplies were already critically low; even the few remaining soldiers barely had enough to sustain themselves. Giving food to someone who did nothing for the city would only weaken their overall fighting strength.

"Take it anyway."

Even so, Hans insisted.

The boy stubbornly refused, but eventually, Hans dragged his heavy, plated armor over to the forward base behind the bank and retrieved a piece of thick, rock-hard bread.

It wasn't even enough to be considered a proper meal—just a meager scrap of stale bread.

Speckled with dust and mold, it was a far cry from anything fresh. Yet, in this city, even rotten bread was a luxury many would die for.

"The gods are watching. This is not a meaningless act."

Hans glanced between the boy and the collapsed cross atop the ruined church.

"If all the people we're supposed to protect starve to death, then what's the point of the city guard?"

"...."

In the end, the boy took the bread without a word.

It was the first meal he had ever tasted in his life.

It was disgustingly hard, emitting a musty, stale stench—clearly past its prime. Mold had begun creeping along its edges, but in this city, people were starving to death without even a chance to eat such rotten bread.

DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!

Just as the boy cautiously chewed on his first bite, the city's massive war bell let out a piercing scream.

"Multiple mutants spotted four hundred meters ahead! Their numbers are beyond anything we've faced before!"

"A scout unit has also reported sighting demons! All units return to the front lines immediately! All forces regroup at the center of the city!"

From atop a makeshift wooden watchtower, a young soldier desperately shouted, his voice cracking with urgency.

The exhausted soldiers who had barely managed to close their eyes let out despairing sighs as they were once again called to battle.

Hans, meanwhile, simply stared up at the sky and cursed under his breath.

"…Damn it."

Desperation darkened his expression, but his eyes still burned with unwavering determination.

"Run."

"I already told you—it makes no difference whether I'm here or in the inner city."

"Run anyway. There's a small gap in the northern city wall. Use it to escape. Keep the sunlight at your back and run as fast as you can. If you're lucky, you might break through the demons' encirclement and run into the reinforcements coming our way."

"Is there no chance the city guard could win?"

"Did you not hear? The demons have shown themselves."

"I heard."

"Do you know when demons choose to reveal themselves on the battlefield?"

"When they are one hundred percent certain of their victory."

Demons were cunning.

Ordinarily, they remained hidden—lurking deep underground or in dense forests—while their mutant armies, made from captured beasts and humans, slowly drained their enemies' strength.

Only when their prey had been thoroughly weakened—when victory was beyond doubt—did demons finally step onto the battlefield.

Their arrival was nothing short of a death sentence for all who remained.

Those with sense would slit their own throats to avoid the horrors that awaited them.

The foolish ones would be captured alive—forced to watch as they were twisted and reshaped into grotesque mutants, their bodies warped beyond recognition.

"If you understand, then run. Survive, and let the world know that we fought bravely."

And as for Hans—the man who had shared his bread with the boy—he was one of the foolish ones.

He turned away from the boy and addressed his soldiers.

"Today! Death has come for us!"

"They will use our fallen brothers and sisters to create monsters that will tear us apart!"

"And once we are gone, they will slaughter every last one of our neighbors!"

Hans clanked forward in his heavy plated armor and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"The situation is dire! Our weapons are rusted, and their fangs and claws drip with venom!"

One by one, the despairing and terrified soldiers turned their gazes toward him.

"Our courage has withered, and only fear remains! They have pushed us to the brink, taken our arrows, and stripped us of our weapons!"

"...."

"...."

"But! There is one thing they have not taken from us—our fury!"

"...."

"...."

"Do not forget the sight of our children torn apart by their claws! Do not forget our comrades, our friends, twisted into grotesque abominations by the hands of those wretched demons!"

Slowly, the flames of determination reignited in the soldiers' eyes, burning away the despair that had suffocated them moments before.

"Those who wish to flee, run north now! But those who wish to die as humans—to preserve their pride and show their fighting spirit—gaze upon those wretched minions of the abyss with hatred in your eyes…!"

Their chests swelled with the fierce pride of humanity. The heat of it coursed through their veins, setting their hearts ablaze. Soon, wild battle cries erupted across their ranks.

"Follow me onto this accursed battlefield, and let us perish as warriors of honor! For Estella!"

"For Estella!"

"For Estella!"

Despair vanished in an instant. A renewed fervor swept through the remaining city guards.

They tore off the splints binding their broken limbs, strapped on their battered armor, and clenched the hilts of their shattered swords with white-knuckled grips.

The boy watched them, chewing the last of his bread.

'By all rights, I should be running while they die.'

The demon that was about to appear would be Level 15.

A standard Level 1 character had no chance of defeating it, no matter what they did.

That was why, in the game, a newly created human vagrant always began by fleeing the city—escaping from the demons and mutants that had overrun Strathus.

It was a well-crafted tutorial, offering players a brief glimpse of a world on the brink of ruin while helping them immerse themselves in the setting.

But the boy…

He had despised this tutorial for a long time.

'I always wanted to kill that bastard at least once.'

In the game, the player character had no choice but to run. The system forcibly blocked any attempt to fight.

No matter how creatively a player built their character, the fundamental rule remained unshakable:

"A human vagrant must abandon the collapsing city of Strathus and embark on a long journey toward the central city, where the true game begins."

No player had ever been able to change that premise.

But in reality… no such system restrictions existed.

The boy placed a hand on the crumbling wall and slowly rose to his feet.

His silvery hair shimmered as he stood, his movements careful yet unhesitating.

If he wanted to, he could run.

He knew the terrain outside Strathus better than anyone. Every rock, every landmark was etched into his mind.

Avoiding monster-infested areas, finding safe places to rest—he could probably do it with his eyes closed.

And yet, his steps carried him not northward, but toward the battlefield.

There was no grand reason for it.

The bread Hans had given him had been rock-hard and rough, but strangely… it had been warm.

It made no sense.

The bread had been locked away in a supply depot, left to rot who knew how long ago. It should have been nothing but stale rations on the verge of decay.

And yet, that disgusting, unappetizing, oddly warm piece of bread—

That alone was enough to risk his life.

…But there was one more reason.

'Wow, I'm actually getting excited.'

If anyone could hear his thoughts, they would surely call him insane.

It wasn't the soldiers' battle cries that thrilled him.

It wasn't their noble resolve or the heat of war.

No, what sent chills down his spine—what filled him with exhilaration—was the realization that he finally had a chance to kill a monster that was supposed to be unkillable.

'This is an opportunity. A once-in-a-lifetime, unique, and unparalleled opportunity…!'

Simply being transported into this game world was already an experience beyond anything any other person on Earth could ever have.

And yet, for this lunatic of a boy…

That alone wasn't enough.

Who knew how he had ended up like this?

Hipsters liked to claim they thrived on uniqueness, but even among them, this boy was an outlier—a twisted anomaly.

…Well, whatever.

For the sake of one disgusting, rock-hard piece of bread—

And for the sake of his own bizarre, warped desires—

"Bloom."

A colossal bolt of lightning descended upon the battlefield.

Comments4Comments GuidelinesPlease login to comment.

LatestOldestBestwhatawonderthatthisisanecessityFeb 15, 2025 at 4:58 PMHaha. What a mc you are.

👍 0shadecowlFeb 11, 2025 at 3:11 PMI see the vision

👍 0shanenFeb 11, 2025 at 2:21 PMWasn't the skill called bloom?? Or am I dumb

👍 1akazatlStaffshanenFeb 12, 2025 at 11:32 AMFixed ty

👍 0

Chapter 3 : Chapter 3Behind the heavily armored guards, whose armor was soaked with the scent of blood, a massive bolt of lightning suddenly struck down.

Even though the lightning had erupted from behind them, its brilliance was so intense that the guards facing forward were momentarily blinded.

"..."

Hans, the captain of the guards, who had been standing at the very rear delivering his final speech, turned his now-recovering gaze toward the point where the lightning had struck, his face frozen in shock.

There, standing in that very spot, was the white-haired boy to whom he had given bread.

Dressed in rags barely distinguishable from tattered cloth, the boy had taken the full force of the lightning strike with his bare body—yet his limbs remained perfectly intact.

…No, it wasn't just that his limbs were intact.

His entire body was radiating a blue light.

And with every step he took, small bolts of lightning burst forth, scorching the ground beneath him.

"Would you kindly step aside?"

The boy spoke in a calm and composed voice as he slowly walked toward the center of the battlefield.

Not a single guard dared to block his path.

His expression was serene, almost like that of a sage who had transcended all things—cold and unshaken.

The air currents around him trembled with each of his small steps. The dark clouds that blanketed the sky rumbled ominously, as if they could release another bolt of lightning at any moment.

"It's something I've always wanted to try."

With those cryptic words, which neither Hans nor the other guards could comprehend, the boy continued his dignified march toward the heart of the battlefield.

"…Are you a mage?"

Hans, still in shock, absentmindedly asked while staring at the boy's back.

"Well, for now, I suppose I am."

The boy leisurely replied, running his hands through his hair, which kept rising due to the static electricity.

"Who are you? There's no way a mage resides in this small town."

From the midst of the mutants, a demon slowly emerged from the mass of flesh and gazed at the boy.

The demon, with skin shifting between green and red hues, could not conceal his bewilderment as he observed the boy.

"Where did you come from…? The reinforcements shouldn't be arriving for several more days."

The demon's words were accurate. Just an hour or two ago, there hadn't been a single mage in this city.

"That's something I'm curious about as well. I was just born a moment ago, and here I am in this city."

The boy's voice was cold and detached, making it clear he had no intention of explaining himself further.

"Is that supposed to be a joke? It's not very funny."

"…I actually meant it quite sincerely."

Realizing he wouldn't be able to extract any useful information from the boy, the demon abandoned the attempt. The boy clearly had no interest in engaging in proper conversation.

Instead, the demon quietly began to observe him.

The boy was young. At most, he appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen.

'At his age, there's no way he received proper training from a magic tower. He'd barely qualify as an apprentice… And judging by his ragged appearance, he's clearly one of the vagabonds from the streets.'

From what the demon knew, vagabonds were usually too unintelligent to even learn how to read, let alone practice magic.

"…This is strange."

And yet, the boy before him unmistakably possessed the power to wield lightning magic.

A mysterious sense of unease crept through the demon's red skin.

Narrowing his eyes, the demon activated his innate ability to perceive magical energy and examined the amount of mana within the boy's body. He needed to identify the source of this anomaly.

'His mana level isn't particularly extraordinary…'

The boy's mana reserves were comparable to those of a mid-tier mage, roughly at the level of a 4th-circle practitioner.

Given his age and status, that was certainly impressive, but it was far from sufficient to take on the demon and his army of mutants alone.

'…However.'

Boom!

A colossal bolt of lightning struck the ground beside the boy from the dark clouds above.

The 1-billion-volt energy arced through the ionized air, carving a massive crater into the blood-soaked earth.

Despite the lightning striking mere inches from where he stood, the boy showed not the slightest hint of surprise.

In his blue eyes, there was an unexplainable madness—an obsession—that made it clear he had no intention of letting the demon leave alive.

'Considering his mana reserves, the precision of his magic is absurdly high. On top of that, his fighting spirit is far beyond what's normal for someone his age. There are too many anomalies for him to be just a regular 4th-circle mage.'

Feeling the tension of an irregularity that defied all his prior knowledge, the demon took a deep breath and carefully adjusted his stance.

"Let's see how capable you are."

Scanning the countless mutants surrounding him, the demon raised a finger toward the lone, white-haired boy.

"Kill…"

"Mom! M-Mom! Moooooom!"

"Estella watches over me, grant these souls salvation…!"

"Ki-Kill. Kill. Kill… Kill me…!"

With staggering, unstable steps, the mutants forcefully pushed off the ground and charged toward the boy.

Every single one of them had lost their human form.

Those who had lost their arms and replaced them with sharp blades, those whose heads had been compressed horizontally as if by a hydraulic press, those who had lost all their bones and now moved like amorphous masses of flesh.

They all retained a faint consciousness.

The cunning demons who transformed intelligent beings like humans and elves into mutants deliberately left traces of their minds intact.

They knew all too well that the screams of mutants would plant hesitation in the hearts of their enemies.

The boy's frozen expression twisted slightly. A visceral disgust, inevitable for any human, welled up from deep within him.

Crackle...!

Raising his left arm carefully, he prepared to end their suffering as painlessly as possible.

A thin, razor-sharp flash of light descended upon the battlefield, instantly reducing all the charging mutants to white ash.

"…This is beyond reason."

The demon, watching his carefully crafted mutants be reduced to ash in a single blow, came to a conclusion.

"…No matter how I think about it, you must be hiding your true mana reserves."

The precision and power of the magic the boy had displayed were unfathomable for a mere 4th-circle mage.

Moreover, the boy had been staring at the demon with piercing eyes, as if already certain of his victory.

His gaze held an intensity beyond mere determination.

It was an unsettling mixture of madness, obsession, and deep-seated hatred.

'Most young mages would be terrified at the sight of demons and mutants. But those eyes… They resemble the gaze of a predator hunting its prey.'

Dangerous.

Through careful observation and instinct, the demon realized that this boy was not someone he could handle alone.

"There's nothing more to see. I need to retreat."

Without hesitation, the demon chose to flee. No demon was foolish enough to provoke an opponent whose strength was beyond comprehension.

Having made his decision, he unfurled the wings hidden on his back. As he took to the air, he gestured toward his army, sending countless mutants charging at the boy.

It was a waste to lose his forces like this, but survival was far more valuable.

Mutants could always be created again.

A creature with the fused bodies of a boar and a stag, boasting eight legs. Another, a fusion of a human and a dwarf, with four eyes. Each mutant was different, but all exuded toxic substances from their bodies.

The stag's razor-sharp claws secreted an acid potent enough to melt flesh upon contact. The dwarf's thick tendons emitted a paralyzing gas. The exposed intestines of the human mutant leaked a stench so foul it defied description.

A writhing mass of grotesque flesh, they stumbled, trampled over each other, and tumbled forward in a chaotic wave—a tsunami of flesh surging toward the boy.

The boy.

He stood still before the grotesque tide and simply flicked his fingers.

Snap.

That was the only sound heard on the battlefield.

Immediately after.

A blinding flash, far beyond anything seen before, erupted across the battlefield.

The single strand of electricity released from the boy's fingertip met the tsunami of flesh and scattered outward, consuming everything in its path.

The airborne demon, unable to counter the attack, was swallowed by the white lightning and vanished without a trace.

The mutants charging at the boy were likewise engulfed in a massive surge of electrical energy, reduced to white ash in an instant.

In less than a second, the battlefield, once overrun by thousands of writhing monstrosities, had been cleansed.

At that moment, the black clouds overhead parted slightly, allowing faint sunlight to seep through.

The enormous pile of flesh, now burned away, left behind a thick layer of ash that blanketed the battlefield like fog.

The overwhelming shockwave temporarily blinded and deafened most of the guards standing on the battlefield.

It took them a long time to regain their senses.

"..."

When their vision finally returned, the guards gazed at the silent battlefield, unable to believe their eyes.

The once blood-soaked battlefield had been wiped clean, turned pure white by a single burst of light.

And at the center of it all stood a lone boy, his entire body crackling with electricity.

No blood. No flesh. No remnants of battle remained—only a vast expanse of scorched earth.

Like a celestial being descending from the heavens, the boy turned away from the purified battlefield and slowly walked toward the city's guards.

"…E-Estella has delivered us!"

A guard with a broken leg shouted in a trembling voice.

The other guards, still staring in awe at the white battlefield, instinctively clasped their hands in prayer, offering thanks to their deity.

To them, the boy had become nothing less than an apostle of god.

And who could blame them?

The boy, who had jokingly introduced himself as having been "born in this city just now," had suddenly appeared like a savior and rescued the city from its crisis.

Fatigue from battle, the relief of survival, and the sheer exhilaration of seeing the accursed demon slain all swirled chaotically in their minds. It was only natural that they mistook the boy for an apostle of god.

"…Well, giving thanks to the gods is nice and all, but shouldn't you be thanking me first?"

"Ah! Ah, my apologies, Mage! I was so overwhelmed!"

The guard who had first prayed to the gods finally snapped back to his senses and bowed deeply to the boy.

"That aside, you must have had your reasons. For a mage of your caliber to be wandering around a border city like Strathus, dressed as a vagabond…"

"..."

The boy remained silent, maintaining a mysterious expression. He couldn't exactly explain that he had started as a vagabond just to increase his critical hit rate, only for things to escalate to this point.

"I won't ask further. We cannot trouble the hero who saved our city. We may not have much, but we'll offer you the best meal we can. Please, come inside."

"That's right! If not for you, we would never get to enjoy a meal again anyway! Eat to your heart's content and put some meat on those bones!"

"Yes! Thanks to you, we get to live another day! While you're at it, how about wiping out all the demons in this region?"

The guards, raising their bandaged arms high, cheered and welcomed the boy enthusiastically.

Feeling somewhat pleased, the boy let a faint smile slip onto his otherwise cold expression.

"Come inside! There's even some alcohol left for you, Mage, though not much…"

A lieutenant beside Hans grinned as he approached the boy. The boy, smiling in return, reached out to shake the offered hand—

Thud.

"...?"

"Mage?"

The boy's body collapsed forward, entirely devoid of strength.

Five minutes had passed far quicker than he had expected.

***

Deep within a dark, blood-soaked cave, where flesh and viscera dripped onto the floor, the agonized wails of those who had not yet fully transformed into mutants echoed throughout.

And even deeper within—damp, filthy, and foul—a demon with long horns and pitch-black skin sat upon a grotesque throne of stitched-together flesh.

"Impressive."

Maltiel, the highest-ranking demon lord, murmured in admiration as he observed the white-haired boy and the overwhelming surge of power he had unleashed, displayed upon a magical screen.

"A formidable mage."

"We never expected such a mage to be in that city. It seems reinforcements have arrived."

Two demons, bowing on either side of Maltiel, added their comments as they watched the screen.

"And he's young, too. If we leave him unchecked, he will become a major obstacle in the future."

Maltiel smirked darkly, nodding in agreement with his subordinates.

"Prepare the army. A monster's seed must be uprooted before it grows."

"A wise decision, my lord. Who shall we send? Vinverde is already prepared… and Beluda will soon return from his mission."

"I will go myself."

"…You mean you will personally handle this, Lord Maltiel?"

His subordinates showed slight surprise at his declaration.

"Yes. That mage only used a single spell. Moreover, he incinerated my minions and all those mutants in 'one strike.' It doesn't take much thought to realize what that implies."

"…Are you saying that wasn't his full power?"

"7th-circle. By my estimate, that monster is already at that level. Considering his age… it won't be long before he reaches the 9th-circle."

With an unsettling grin, Maltiel rose from his grotesque throne, clearly anticipating his rare excursion.

"Furthermore… That boy has dangerous eyes. The kind of eyes that belong to a human destined to become a true monster."

As Maltiel took a step forward, rotting chunks of flesh peeled from his throne and splattered onto the cave floor.

"A monster's seed must be eradicated before it fully blooms, don't you think?"

Comments6Comments GuidelinesPlease login to comment.

LatestOldestBestBaBaccharisTrimeraFeb 17, 2025 at 7:41 PMHypeee

👍 0KhKhulmachFeb 16, 2025 at 3:39 PMThat certainly did not feel like 5 minutes, I guess he walked over for half the time while in Bloom.

👍 0whatawonderthatthisisanecessityFeb 15, 2025 at 5:01 PMNice! That Bloom spell sure does wonders.

👍 0sosolomanwangFeb 12, 2025 at 2:12 AMNot bad, kind of a shame he gimped himself at 5 minutes only though

👍 3jejesap1224Feb 11, 2025 at 7:46 PMThis is amazing i can't wait to see where it goes

👍 3WuWubbzyFeb 11, 2025 at 7:40 PMok this is good

👍 2

Chapter 4 : Chapter 4I woke up to the sound of the wounded groaning, staring at the ceiling of the barracks.

This was already the second time today I had opened my eyes under an unfamiliar ceiling. No, the first time had been under an unfamiliar sky, so was this actually the first time waking up under an unfamiliar ceiling?

As I regained consciousness, a dull pain radiated from my left wrist, drawing a faint groan from my lips. Instinctively, I shifted my gaze to the source of the pain, and there, I saw my wrist secured with a splint.

A large, bluish bruise swelled beyond the edges of the splint, suggesting that the bone had likely fractured.

This was strange.

From what I remembered, the battle against the demons had ended easily, leaving no opportunity for me to sustain such an injury.

Just where had I broken my bone? As the question lingered, a single possibility flashed through my mind.

'Could it have happened when I fell?'

I had come out unscathed from battles against level 30 and 40 monsters, yet I managed to break a bone just by collapsing onto the ground?

[Strength: 1]

[Endurance: 1]

My grotesquely unbalanced stat window, with everything funneled into magic power, flickered before my eyes.

Regret surfaced for a fleeting moment—'I should've distributed my stats more carefully'—but it vanished just as quickly.

Honestly, who in their right mind would create a character while seriously considering the possibility of getting transported into the game?

If such a person existed, they wouldn't be a mage in the game but rather a patient in a mental hospital.

"Haah, what the hell is even happening."

When I first woke up in this world, I was in complete panic.

A city reduced to ashes, the stench of decay permeating the air, sewage and rats overflowing from the gutters.

"..."

Lying on the uncomfortable cot in the barracks, I slowly sorted through everything that had happened.

I had been transported into the game world.

My stats, aside from magic power, were all stuck at 1, making me as fragile as a glass cannon.

The only skill I could use was [Bloom], and even that was restricted to once per day.

Worse yet, I had already recklessly used [Bloom] today, unable to resist my hipster urge to 'do something no one else has ever done.'

"Hmm."

A situation that naturally invited a string of curses. Yet, my mind remained calm—likely thanks to the [Composure] trait I had acquired from starting as a vagabond.

It was probably also why I had smoothly extracted information from Captain Hans upon meeting him, and why I had unleashed the power of [Bloom] without so much as flinching at the tsunami of corpses.

...Even back when I played the game, I had thought this trait was completely broken, but now that I was experiencing it firsthand, it felt even more overpowered.

"Status window?"

After calmly analyzing my situation, I tried calling out the same term I had desperately shouted the moment I was thrown into this world.

As expected, no text appeared before my eyes.

A level 1 character had taken down hundreds of level 10 mutants and, albeit a lower-ranked one, even a level 15 demon.

Even with a rough estimation of the experience points, I should've reached at least level 13 by now.

Yet, nothing had changed in my body.

I felt no sensation of growth that usually came with leveling up—only lingering fatigue and the sharp pain of a fracture.

"Hmm...."

It was probably safe to assume that this world didn't operate on game-like mechanics such as experience points or leveling up.

Despite defeating high-level monsters, I had experienced no physical enhancement, and the status window remained nonexistent.

'...This is bad.'

No experience system, no level-ups, no status window. That meant this world was hardly different from reality.

Unlike in a game, where slaying enemies naturally made a character stronger, in reality, one could only improve through relentless training and effort.

To become a skilled warrior, I'd need to dedicate time to physical training and swordsmanship. To enhance my magic, I'd have to enter a magic tower and engage in ceaseless study.

'Other people who get sucked into game worlds always have some goddess guiding them, a status window helping them out… Hell, they kill a few monsters and become rich, level up to become the strongest in the world… They get it all.'

If I had to be dragged into a game world, couldn't it at least come with those convenient features?

'...Whatever. No point dwelling on what I can't have.'

Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of wasting time lamenting my circumstances.

This world was on the brink of destruction, infested with crazed demons and monsters lurking around every corner.

The most pressing issue was figuring out how to survive and grow stronger in this hellhole.

Why had I been dragged into this world? Why was I forced to endure such trials?—It was best not to dwell on those questions too much.

Thinking about it wouldn't change anything. If anything, it would only deepen my sense of despair and anxiety.

This was a world where I needed to focus solely on practical survival if I wanted to make it through.

"Hmm...."

To find a way to grow stronger, gathering information was my top priority. Even after spending thousands of hours on this game, I knew little about the vagabond's starting town, Strathus.

After all, by the time players took control of their characters, this city had already been destroyed by demons.

So, despite having played for 4,000 hours, I knew almost nothing about it.

I got up from the cot and stepped out of the barracks. If possible, I needed to find Hans and ask him more questions, just like last time…

"The mage has awakened."

Standing in front of the barracks where the wounded rested, the lieutenant stared blankly at the sky. The moment he saw me step out, he hurried to wake Hans, who had been dozing off against the city wall.

As soon as Hans came to his senses, he clanked in his heavy armor as he stood up, hastily removed his gauntlet, and extended his hand for a handshake.

"…I wasn't able to properly thank you back then. Once again, I sincerely appreciate it, Mage."

"..."

In this world, mages were treated as beings above even nobles.

It was an age where neighbors died by the day, and friends vanished without a trace. Naturally, warriors and mages who fought on the battlefield carried higher social status than nobles who merely spoke empty words.

A ruler's decrees wouldn't save your life, but a mage's spell could incinerate demons and keep you alive.

"If there is anything you need or desire, please do not hesitate to ask. It would be shameful not to repay the savior of our city."

Hans, unlike when we first met, spoke with utmost respect.

It felt slightly uncomfortable, but I saw no need to correct his behavior.

Even if I could only cast a single spell, I was still a mage. More importantly, I had saved their lives.

"I'd appreciate a change of clothes, some shoes, and water for washing."

"Fortunately, there are still some uncontaminated wells in the city. I'll have water fetched for you immediately, and I'll prepare some clothes and shoes as well."

"Thank you."

I discarded my tattered rags and cleansed my dust-covered body with the clean water provided.

After finishing my bath, I stood before a cracked and grimy mirror, slowly assessing my appearance.

With pale skin, a sharp nose, sapphire-colored eyes that gleamed like paint on a blank canvas, and hair somewhere between silver and white—I was, objectively and subjectively, quite handsome.

If there were any flaws, they would be my vagabond origins and the unfortunate combination of Strength 1 and Endurance 1, resulting in thin limbs and deep dark circles under my eyes.

Well, I hadn't spent much time customizing my character at creation, so this was something I just had to live with.

...Had I known, I would've spent a little more time on customization.

"By the way, when will the reinforcements arrive?"

Drying my wet hair under the faint sunlight breaking through the black clouds, I turned to Hans.

"In two days."

"Will there be mages among them?"

"Yes, the central headquarters promised to send a mage of at least the 4th Circle."

"I see."

I quietly rested my chin on my hand, organizing my thoughts.

The most dangerous and grueling phase in the One Strike Mage build was right after the initial tutorial.

The true journey of a human vagabond character began with escaping from Strathus and making the perilous trek toward the capital.

Like most games, the early zones were filled with level 1 mobs.

These creatures constantly harassed players as if urging them to farm experience and loot, making combat a tutorial in itself. Most players would kill as many as possible to stockpile items and experience before progressing further.

However, the problem was that this world had no experience or level-up system.

No matter how many monsters I killed, I wouldn't grow stronger. While combat experience was valuable, properly training at a magic tower would be far more efficient.

"Once the reinforcements confirm that the situation here is stabilized, they will return to the capital, correct?"

"…Well, yes? I believe so?"

Hans hesitated momentarily before giving his answer.

"Then, may I stay here for two more days? I also need to head to the capital, so it would be ideal if I could travel with them by carriage."

Additionally, I wasn't just any ordinary mage.

Being a One Strike Mage meant I could only cast magic once per day, and the moment I used my spell, I would lose consciousness. Wandering alone through monster-infested roads was a death sentence.

Think about it—what if [Bloom] wore off, and I collapsed on the roadside, only for a stray wild dog to sink its teeth into my neck?

"I will make the arrangements. You saved our city; allowing you this much is the least we can do."

Hans responded with a bright smile, watching me dry my hair under the sunlight.

Hmm.

It seemed I had managed to bypass the most dangerous phase of One Strike Mage progression with an ingenious shortcut.

***

Three days passed without incident.

The citizens and guards, having barely escaped the threat of the demons, slowly began rebuilding the city walls.

Though the madness-fueled despair that had gripped the city wasn't entirely gone, at least there was now a faint glimmer of hope in people's eyes.

The madmen who had once screamed hysterically had fallen silent, and the corpses that littered the streets had disappeared.

Just as the sunlight began to vanish behind the black clouds, the reinforcements finally emerged beyond the horizon.

"I am Rex, son of Berzak."

The leader of the reinforcements was Rex Berzak. He was an orc barbarian hero, a named character of the allied forces who became prominent in the mid-game.

'So he was the reinforcement assigned to Strathus.'

I couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the three-meter-tall orc, whose entire body was covered in muscle.

Seeing him in person was an entirely different experience compared to viewing him through a game screen.

"I hurried here upon hearing the urgency of the situation, yet the battlefield seems eerily quiet."

"Well, actually…."

Captain Hans began explaining what had happened to the enormous orc, whose hands looked like they could crush a human's head as easily as a cake.

"If what you're saying is true, then this boy is an absurdly gifted mage."

The mage wearing a crimson robe, who had been silently listening beside Rex, cast a skeptical glance at me after hearing Hans's account.

"If what the captain says is correct, then slaying all those demons and mutants in a single blow means this young man must be at least a 7th-circle high mage. If someone this young had reached such a level, it would have already caused a stir in the academic world…."

"What do you think?"

Rex spoke while looking at the air beside Hans.

"Pulse and heartbeat are normal. No signs of deception."

A cold, whispering voice slithered through the air, wrapping around Hans like a serpent.

Startled, Hans recoiled, only for a masked rogue to reveal himself, deactivating his stealth skill.

Dressed entirely in black, the rogue silently retreated toward the carriage, his role seemingly complete.

"An unprecedented genius indeed. Even the prodigious Tokker only reached the 6th circle at the age of twenty-one…."

The crimson-robed mage widened their eyes in disbelief, staring at me.

"We cannot afford to let such talent waste away here. He must be taken to the Arcane Thunder Tower immediately for systematic training!"

While they continued their discussion, I… simply remained silent.

Judging by the flow of the conversation, things were naturally progressing in my favor without me needing to intervene.

Having seen every conversation, choice, and ending in the game, I had developed a knack for recognizing whether a dialogue would benefit or harm me.

…If only I had this skill in real life. Well, I suppose this was real life now.

There was no need to swim against the current. Wherever the water led, I would go.

I felt a bit uneasy about being mistaken for some 'unprecedented prodigy mage,' but once I reached the capital and officially entered the magic tower, our paths would diverge. I saw no reason to correct their misconception.

"…Then we shall return to the capital. Strathus seems secure enough."

Despite my silence, the conversation flowed seamlessly.

Rex, the masked rogue, and the crimson-robed mage decided to turn their carriage toward the capital, as there was no longer any reason for them to remain in Strathus now that the demons were vanquished.

I attempted to climb onto the carriage designed for special combat classes like mages.

With Strength at 1, even getting onto a high step was a challenge for me.

But seriously, was my strength so low that I couldn't even board a slightly elevated carriage?

"My name is Herion! Nice to meet you!"

Just as I was beginning to feel exasperated by my lack of physical power, a slender hand reached out toward me.

I took her hand.

Herion effortlessly pulled me into the carriage, almost as if I were a sack of potatoes.

She seemed slightly surprised at how little resistance I offered.

"…Would you like some snacks? Come sit next to me."

Herion pulled out a bite-sized piece of chocolate from within her robe and handed it to me.

Then, she immediately suggested that I head straight to her magic tower once we reached the capital.

She claimed her tower master was well-acquainted with the masters of the Arcane Thunder Tower and that she could introduce me.

…It wasn't a bad offer, but knowing that she would eventually discover the truth about me made it difficult to accept it outright.

Herion viewed me as an unprecedented genius—perhaps even the greatest talent in history… but that was far from reality.

"Heh."

All I could do was let out a dry chuckle, like an old man.

"Did you learn magic on your own? Where did you find your spell books? Do you have a mage you admire, or a spell you've always wanted to master?"

"Heh, well… not really…."

While Herion and I exchanged fruitless conversation, the masked rogue had already disappeared without a trace.

Rex, due to his massive size, rode a special mount exclusive to orcs, a Komodo, leading the reinforcement troops at the front of the formation.

'Things are falling into place surprisingly well.'

They say good deeds come back to you.

Thinking that all of this was a reward for choosing to stand my ground and fight the demons instead of abandoning the tutorial city filled me with a certain warmth.

…And that warmth lasted less than half a day before it was completely swallowed by the stench of blood and torn flesh.

Comments3Comments GuidelinesPlease login to comment.

LatestOldestBestwhatawonderthatthisisanecessityFeb 15, 2025 at 5:04 PM

There was no need to swim against the current. Wherever the water led, I would go.As one follows the flow.

👍 0shadecowlFeb 13, 2025 at 7:32 AMHe should test whether he could use spells that were restricted since game rules don't function in the same way in this world

👍 2BlBlack3shadecowlFeb 13, 2025 at 6:01 PMIndeed he should also check to see if he could gain stats through training

👍 1