MTLNOVEL Ch. 115
Chapter 115: Acanthus (4)
The Red Magician was strong.
One look at Acanthus’ members proved it. At minimum, Graduate-level warriors and equivalent magicians, even a “demon” shunned across the continent, had joined forces.
Yet, the consensus was that they were still insufficient to face him head-on, making further explanation of his strength redundant.
So, what could be done?
If even a force that could make a Master-level powerhouse wary wasn’t enough, should they just accept reality and live on?
With the burning hatred still smoldering in their hearts?
Carrying the torment that would rot their lives forever?
No.
That couldn’t be.
Thus, Acanthus’ members, as “relative weaklings,” had to adopt an assassin’s approach to face the Red Magician.
Namely, concealing their presence.
“Well, not everyone can do that… but the boss is exceptional in that regard.”
Vivian, watching the spar in her true fairy form, thought to herself.
She prided herself on her skill in stealth and deception, but she couldn’t compare to Konjinyu.
Who could imagine?
A man who, at best, looked like a weathered Bronze Plate mercenary was actually a phenomenal Spirit Master.
BOOM!
BOOM!
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-!
“That’s it! Keep it up!”
“Heh heh, the boss is finally showing some real strength.”
“Kill him! That Harang kid looks cocky—time to knock him down a peg!”
A pillar of earth struck the ground repeatedly, transforming into a hammer, a fist, or a spiked mace.
It was an attack of tremendous physical force. Even renowned elemental magicians of the Red Magic Tower couldn’t replicate such raw power.
Konjinyu, displaying prowess far surpassing a 6th or 7th-star magician (equivalent to a Graduate), drew cheers from some Acanthus members.
But only briefly.
BOOM!
CRASH-!
BOOOOOM-!
As Konjinyu’s earth spirit magic showed no signs of stopping, worry crept onto the members’ faces.
“Hm.”
“…”
“Is this okay?”
“Boss? Boss! How long are you going to keep attacking? Isn’t it over?”
Acanthus was a group of some of the continent’s most dangerous and nefarious beings.
But they were still human.
Capable of feeling compassion.
To them, the fight was already decided.
Though the dust cloud obscured their view, Harang was surely in tatters, rolling in the ruins—a pitiable sight they couldn’t help but sympathize with.
“…This won’t do. The boss is too excited from using his power after so long. We need to stop him.”
Despite his rough appearance, the soft-hearted Zak made up his mind. Determined to stop the boss, he strode forward.
But only for a moment.
Three iron-masked men blocked his path faster than he could move.
Seeing this, Zak glared with his single eye at the wedding-dressed woman.
“Ms. Silenos? What are you…”
“It’s not over.”
“…What?”
“It’s not over yet.”
“Hm?”
“What does that…”
“Really? The fight’s not done?”
The members were shocked by Silenos the demon’s words.
They strained their eyes, trying to peer through the dust cloud.
But it was futile.
The dust raised by the earth spirit obscured even Acanthus’ senses.
This was Konjinyu’s fearsome skill. Not just brute force, but meticulous attention to details like sensory disruption made him a formidable opponent.
What was astonishing was Silenos’ ability to accurately read the battle despite this.
And even more shocking was the fact that Harang, enduring in that chaos, hadn’t collapsed.
CLANG-!
Moments later, an astonishing sight caught the members’ eyes.
A massive earth club, falling at terrifying speed, was deflected in an entirely unexpected direction before hitting the ground—as if parried or struck by a sword.
And it didn’t end there.
Harang began deflecting the relentless attacks one after another.
CLANG!
Parrying upward.
CLANG!
Deflecting sideways.
CLANG-!
Pressing downward to create an opening, then darting out of the dust cloud’s range like lightning!
Seeing Harang emerge minutes after the battle began, the members gasped. His appearance was far less battered than expected. Covered in dirt, yes, but aside from a few beads of sweat, he seemed unharmed.
Of course, escaping the earth spirit’s range didn’t end the fight.
Konjinyu, grinning, extended both arms.
Over a hundred lesser wind spirits, Sylphs, appeared, decorating the sky. But soon, they melded into the darkening heavens, shooting toward Harang like blades of shadow.
SWISH-!
WHIRR-!
They didn’t just fly straight.
Some moved in straight lines, others in gentle curves, some spiraled to amplify their power, and a few were aided by fire spirits. Explosions at critical moments sent Sylphs at unpredictable angles. It was a dizzying onslaught.
But Harang remained calm.
He widened his eyes.
Not relying solely on sight.
Hearing, smell, touch, even taste.
Using every sense available, the black-haired young man read the night’s aura, imprinting every move of the comet-fast Sylphs in his mind.
No mistakes.
No failures.
Harang’s swift sword strikes burst the wind spirits apart.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
BOOM-!
POP-POP-POP!
“…”
“…”
“…”
Acanthus’ members were speechless.
Even Konjinyu was stunned. Instead of cheap exclamations, he reactivated the earth spirit he’d left idle. A trap he’d set while Harang dealt with the wind spirits paid off.
Rumble.
RUMBLE-!
Front, back, left, right.
Walls of earth surged like a tsunami from all directions!
Zak, the one-eyed man, was stunned by the spectacle. He knew the boss was strong, but not this strong. If it were him, he couldn’t think of a way out. Harang, too, seemed destined to be crushed by the landslide-like disaster.
But he was wrong.
Harang closed his eyes.
Humm-!
He withdrew his expanded senses, focusing solely on himself.
Here, “himself” wasn’t just his flesh-and-blood body.
The sword.
The thing that made him who he was, perhaps more familiar than his hands or feet.
The moment he felt fused with it, Harang sensed his body being pulled into the sword.
No, it wasn’t an illusion.
It was reality.
BOOOOOM-!
Piercing the heavy earth walls with needle-like sharpness, Acanthus’ members felt as if a single sword had been launched at Konjinyu.
That dreamlike vision shattered when Harang’s critical strike was blocked by Konjinyu’s gesture.
CLASH-!
Konjinyu swung his right arm, roughly deflecting the sword outward.
Harang, who’d seemed like the sword itself, reappeared.
Everyone stared, entranced. Some voiced their shock.
“It was…”
“I’m not the only one who saw that, right?”
“Heh heh… I’ve heard of it. When a swordsman reaches the pinnacle, they enter a state where body and sword become one. But to see it in a man in his 20s…”
“…!”
The wheelchair-bound old man’s words hit Zak like a blow.
Indeed. He’d briefly forgotten, but their opponent was around Zeb’s age—barely 20 or 21, a mere rookie.
Yet, his display was nothing short of terrifying.
Zak couldn’t beat him.
No.
Except for Silenos the demon, Konjinyu the boss, and that one in secluded training, no one could.
For the first time in a while, Zak was caught in a whirlwind of envy, inferiority, and admiration, staring at Harang with eyes that seemed to burn.
“Hm.”
But Acanthus’ members weren’t the only ones shocked.
Harang was stunned too. Konjinyu’s strength far exceeded his expectations.
“A Spirit Master. I didn’t see that coming. But can Spirit Masters usually control multiple spirits at once?”
No, they couldn’t. Most Spirit Masters dedicated their lives to one spirit. Konjinyu’s ability to wield three spirits freely was a testament to his continent-shaking talent. Of course, Harang didn’t know this far.
That made him more curious.
Especially the final clash, where Konjinyu deflected his Aura Sword barehanded—it was shocking.
He asked, “How did you do that last move?”
“What? Oh, deflecting your attack? I wrapped my arm in a high-ranking wind spirit. Not just wrapped—spinning at high speed…”
WHIRR-!
The chillingly sharp sound alone made Harang nod. With that kind of power, it wasn’t surprising his Aura Sword was repelled.
But he wasn’t just impressed by the spirit’s strength. After all, it was Konjinyu himself who reacted and countered. He wasn’t just relying on spirits—he had considerable combat sense himself.
Harang voiced these thoughts candidly, and Konjinyu burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha… You sound like you’re above me.”
“That wasn’t my intent… but I think we’re about on par, don’t you?”
“No. Unfortunately, you’re still below me.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Unless you’re a Master-level powerhouse, you can’t gain the upper hand against me. You’re… about one, no, one and a half steps behind.”
A near-provocative response.
But Harang didn’t take it as such.
He hoped Konjinyu’s words were true.
“Even if he’s not a swordsman, a chance to gain real combat experience against such a strong opponent is rare.”
Unlike Acanthus, who aimed to unearth the village and kill the Red Magician, Harang prioritized protecting his precious bonds.
But different goals required the same means.
Strength.
Overwhelming strength was needed, and for that, Harang was willing to endure any hardship. Even if this were a life-or-death duel instead of a spar, he wouldn’t have backed down. There was much to learn.
“What a guy.”
Sensing Harang’s resolve, Konjinyu felt even more regret.
What a boon this kid would’ve been to Acanthus.
If that one taught him? How fast could he grow?
“Of course, in the current situation, they absolutely mustn’t meet… Hm?”
As Konjinyu gazed at Harang with a mix of regret and pride, his expression suddenly twisted.
He wasn’t alone.
Silenos the demon turned her head to the right, and the three iron-masked men fully shifted their stance.
Harang was startled.
His senses detected nothing, yet several people were already reacting to something.
But moments later, when he realized why they reacted, he was struck with shock so great his earlier thoughts flew away.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Everyone held their breath.
It was approaching.
Acanthus’ greatest force.
A blue reaper, chilling the night air, with snow-white hair flowing, stepped into the heart of the battlefield.
He stopped.
Looked around.
And spoke.
“Boss.”
“…Heitz. It’s, uh, been a while.”
“I’ve caused a stir. But…”
His eyes shifted toward Harang.
The emotion was clear. A piercing, icy gaze, asking “Who are you?” stabbed into Harang’s heart.
He understood.
It had to be.
If someone asked Harang who this man was, the most fitting answer would be:
“Sword Master.”
The strongest opponent he’d met since entering the outside world.
Meeting Heitz, Acanthus’ mightiest, Harang gave a faint smile.