The Black Beast

[Magic: 'Incarnation' activated.]

Golden currents crackled violently, illuminating the cavern as if it were broad daylight. Thanks to this sudden brightness, the knights could clearly see the cougar's condition.

"It's practically dead! This might be easier than I thought."

The cougar was on the brink of death—its life hanging by a thread. A single thrust of a sword would be enough to end it, like planting a flag in unclaimed territory.

The promise of 2,000 gold coins shimmered tantalizingly before the knights' eyes.

But there was a problem.

"That damned Arhan…"

Though their mission was to kill the cougar, Arhan's sudden change in attitude had thrown everything into disarray. The knights were left pacing nervously, unable to act.

After all, the one who had summoned the Fire Dragon and reduced the cougar to this pitiful state was now standing guard over it.

"Hey! Weren't we on the same side? Isn't your mission to kill the cougar too?"

"I've changed my mind."

"Tch! Damn Arhan… I knew traveling with a mage would be trouble."

"This is your last warning. Leave."

Summoning a dragon meant Arhan was at least a 9th-circle mage—far beyond what they could handle.

As they hesitated, one knight suddenly clapped his hands together.

"Wait! A Fire Dragon? But that guy's using lightning magic!"

"Huh? Now that you mention it…"

It was such an obvious truth that they had overlooked it.

How could someone with lightning-based mana summon a Fire Dragon? If he truly could summon dragons, it would have been a Thunder Dragon instead.

Realization dawned on them, leaving their jaws agape.

"So then… what's with the Fire Dragon? Didn't that merchant swear he saw it?"

"He must've used a magic scroll! There's no way he summoned it himself."

"Ah… that makes sense!"

They had felt something was off all along. After all, how could someone so young possibly reach the 9th circle? Even Rondo Arhan, the eldest of their group, was still far from that level. How could their youngest member have surpassed them all?

"Ha! We almost fell for it."

"We were so focused on the dragon that we missed the obvious."

"Wow—you're pretty sharp!"

"Haha, and I've heard Jed Arhan only recently unlocked his mana."

"So at best, he's what? A 2nd-circle mage?"

The knights turned their attention to Jed, smirking wickedly as if they had already won. Their expressions seemed to say: Now that your bluff is exposed, what will you do?

But Jed remained impassive, his face devoid of emotion.

"What are you waiting for?! Finish this already!"

York arrived late to the scene, panting heavily from climbing the slope. His frustration grew as he took in the stalemate before him.

One of the knights clicked his tongue and pointed at Jed.

"That brat over there told us to back off without explanation. Care to enlighten us?"

"What?"

"You said his mission was to kill the cougar too! So why is he protecting it now?"

York quickly assessed the situation—it wasn't hard. The near-dead cougar lay sprawled on one side, while Jed stood firmly in front of it. The scene spoke for itself.

His face twisted into an ugly scowl.

"Knights, listen carefully to my proposal."

"You mean adding another 2,000 gold coins?" one knight asked skeptically.

"Yes. Kill that Arhan as well."

"What?!"

Kill an Arhan? The knights couldn't believe their ears. That would be suicide.

If they killed Jed, the Arhan family would hunt them down relentlessly for revenge—no matter how long it took.

"That's insane! Are you out of your mind?!"

"I'll make it 5,000 gold coins."

"Five thousand?!"

"With the cougar's bounty included, that's 7,000 gold coins in total—enough to change your lives forever."

"..."

"With that kind of money, you can disappear anywhere. No one will find you in this backwater region."

"But still…"

"Do you know how people become rich? By seizing opportunities when they arise."

York removed his mask, revealing a face that was utterly malevolent. Sweet words lured the knights, and soon they began to tighten their lips in contemplation.

'...Right. I can't live like this forever.'

'Life is about seizing opportunities. This is my chance.'

The knights' eyes glimmered with greed at the thought of the 2,000 gold coins they had received as an advance, with an additional 7,000 to come. With 9,000 gold coins in total, they could achieve anything. There were no witnesses, so Arhan would have no grounds to pursue them.

As their eyes filled with avarice, they sparkled with murderous intent.

"Fufufu. I can just watch the show. I'll make sure to keep that red-eyed one's eyes as a souvenir."

York chuckled as he settled onto a nearby rock. Jed shuddered at the sight of him, grotesque like a filthy pig.

"I've never seen a more vile human in my life."

"Ha! How long do you think you'll live, brat? I'm dying to see what expression Arhan will have right before he dies. My body is itching with anticipation."

"You plan to kill me to cover up the forged decree. You'll make it look like I was killed by the Black Cougar."

"Oh? I've heard you're clever, but I didn't expect you to figure that out. Quite impressive. But isn't it foolish? You followed me into a death trap."

"I let you play your game on purpose. I needed to leave evidence behind."

"What?"

Jed fiddled with his crystal orb, which recorded their entire conversation as proof.

Realizing what Jed was doing, York's lips twisted into a smirk.

"…Knights! Retrieve that crystal orb for me. I'll give you an extra 3,000 coins."

"Sure! We'll bring it right away!"

Whoooosh!

Their swords gleamed menacingly.

Even if they were third-rate knights, they wielded mana and held titles of nobility. As they unleashed their magic, their previously jovial faces hardened with grim determination.

Crackle!

"I told you moving would get you killed."

"Trying to kill an Arhan as a knight isn't such a bad idea!"

Despite Jed's warning, the knights had long made up their minds.

As they took their stances, Arhan's red eyes flared up with intensity.

"How foolish."

Whoosh!

The leading knight lunged forward.

With both arms gripping his sword behind him, he swung down vertically with all his might.

The powerful strike aimed for Jed's neck. Despite the sharpness of the attack, Jed stood still without changing his expression.

[Magic: 'Current Release' activated.]

"Wha?!"

Crackle!

Just as the mana-infused sword was about to reach Jed's head, sparks flew as it ricocheted away.

The knight's eyes widened in shock as he watched his sword fly several meters away and embed itself in the ground.

"Gah…!"

In that instant, Jed's fist crashed into the knight's abdomen like a battering ram.

Without a weapon, the knight could neither counter nor defend himself and was sent flying far away.

The battle ended too swiftly and anticlimactically for the remaining knights, who looked on in disbelief and heightened vigilance.

"What just happened?! How did he do that?"

The 'Current Release' spell was supposed to be a close-range area spell centered around Jed. However, thanks to Crank's training, Jed could control lightning at will, giving him near-unlimited potential for using 'Current Release.'

"You can't even touch a hair on me."

"Tch! What nonsense!"

One knight who couldn't accept this rushed at him again.

With his sword aimed at Jed's heart, he charged forward with a thrusting attack.

Crackle!

"?!"

Just before he could pierce Jed's heart, his sword was once again deflected by an unseen force above Jed's head.

This caused the knight's stance to falter and left him wide open.

"Damn…! Ugh!"

By the time he realized he was in trouble, it was already too late.

Jed's fist landed squarely on his face.

The knight fell to the ground in a pitiful state and lay motionless.

"W-What the hell?! Why are they acting like this?!"

It was an incomprehensible sight unless experienced firsthand. There were no visible incantations or spells; how could his attacks be neutralized?

The remaining knights readied their swords and swallowed hard.

"There must be some trick involved! Let's not charge in separately; we need to attack together!"

In an instant, all ten remaining knights charged simultaneously—thrusts, vertical slashes, diagonal cuts—all aimed at Jed.

But the result was the same.

Crackle! Crackle!

"Ugh!"

"Gah…!"

Powerful sparks erupted around Jed's body as their swords veered wildly off course. Instead of being blocked, they slipped away entirely from their intended paths.

As a result, the knights found themselves stumbling awkwardly like clumsy dancers losing their footing.

In that moment of chaos, Jed gathered lightning energy and unleashed it forward.

[Magic: 'Current Release' activated.]

"Ugh!"

"Gah!"

A dazzling golden current blazed forth with blinding intensity.

In an instant, all ten knights were sent flying out of the cave.

York's eyes widened in shock as he realized what he was witnessing.

'What is this guy? Even 3rd-circle knights are no match for him…?'

The knights groaned on the ground below after being rendered combat ineffective by just one spell.

York clicked his tongue in disdain but refocused his gaze on Jed.

"Ha… So this is what an Arhan truly is. I underestimated him too much."

Thinking he was merely around 2nd-circle level when hiring him at 3rd-circle rates had been a mistake—one that cost him dearly when he paid handsomely for twelve knights to ensure success.

He had worried about overextending himself back then; now it seemed laughable by comparison.

"Truly impressive. To reach such heights in such a short time… It seems worthy of praise for being from the Empire's foremost family."

"Is that all your last words will be?"

"Heh! Last words? You think too highly of yourself; only those who prepare thoroughly become great figures."

"Do you have some sort of reliance…?!"

Whoosh! Thud!

"Gaaah!"

In that moment, a metallic spear shot up from the ground and pierced through several knights' bodies.

They trembled violently before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

Jed narrowed his eyes at the man standing behind York.

"So it's you left."

A man approached steadily—Putan, the Emperor's envoy—who ignored Jed completely and bowed respectfully to York.

"Are you alright?"

"Heh heh, your timing is impeccable. I'm glad we kept Putan on standby; I almost met my end here."

"Don't worry; I'll handle the rest."

"For now, can you dispose of these filthy creatures? The smell of blood is quite bothersome."

"As you wish."

Boom!

As Putan began incanting spells, the ground where corpses lay started to crack open.

Soon after, the knights' bodies fell beneath the earth and were sealed away once more—a simple task for a 7th-circle earth mage.

"…You never intended to pay them from the start."

"Haha! Isn't that obvious? Why would I give money to these lowlifes? I'll be retrieving that advance payment immediately!"

"You won't die easily."

"Putan! Are you going to let this brat talk back?"

As York taunted him further, Putan shrugged nonchalantly and stepped forward.

With this high-ranking mage's arrival, even Jed felt tension mount as he glanced toward the cougar.

His breathing became erratic; perhaps sensing an intense foe approaching made him shudder slightly.

Jed knelt down on one knee to meet eye level with him.

"I can't fight while protecting you; I'll have to give it my all too."

Creak… creak…

"If I lose, your body will be sold off piece by piece—your teeth turned into weapons and your skin made into clothing and armor. Your eyes will be auctioned off as decorations for nobles."

The cougar stared blankly at him—the serious Arhan before him now seemed different somehow.

"Enter my ring; once this battle is over, I will release you again. I swear it on my name as an Arhan."

Creak…

The cougar understood well—it had only minutes left before its life flickered out completely—and that its body would soon be violated by human greed.

Yet hesitation lingered within it; meanwhile, Jed had already made up his mind.

"This is my final act of mercy; refusal means refusal."

In that moment, Jed's summoning ring began to shine brilliantly.