The Hunt

Footsteps filled the corridor.

The presence of just one person.

Dro felt that Pernok had come all the way here.

‘A physical enhancement type mage. Once that magic disappears, he’s merely an ordinary warrior.’

Nothing beat weapon techniques for those with high basic physique to press down those with low physique.

Dro placed his hand on the wall and activated magic.

When Anti Magic activated, the footsteps stopped abruptly.

‘Is he flustered that magic won’t activate? Yeah, other bastards were the same. In this domain, I am king!’

Right after first realizing Anti Magic, he’d poured all his time into weapon techniques.

He’d hunted those unable to activate magic with overwhelming power using his innate physique.

He, who had the epithet ‘Butcher’ unsuited for a knight, ran down the corridor.

Far away, Pernok hesitating came into view.

He just stood blankly as if unable to activate magic.

‘Height that only reaches my waist. A body with only lean muscles attached. If I push with strength and speed, I’ll have enough left over to bisect him!’

Dro, who finished estimating, raised his sword high.

“Hup!”

And he tried striking down the sword with a vigorous shout, but.

Clang!

He was blocked by the sword Pernok lightly lifted.

“Interesting magic. It has quite many flaws, but it’s worth playing with moderately.”

“…!”

Dro’s eyes widened as if they’d tear.

The moment Pernok exerted force, Dro’s large frame began being pushed back.

‘What is this strength?!’

Even if mana disappeared from Mana Reinforcement, Ataka remained as is.

In contrast, Dro deployed weapon techniques purely with the body’s strength alone in the Anti Magic field.

An ordinary knight mingling hands with a warrior tempered by Ataka was an insult.

Clang!

“…!”

Dro’s confidence burst forth in one move.

The moment Dro was pushed back to the point the sword was lifted to his head.

Pernok drew a second horizontal strike toward the fully exposed abdomen.

Swoosh!

Dro died with eyes widened, his body cut in half.

Pernok shook off the blood on the sword and absorbed Dro’s spiritual power and mana.

[Anti Magic Lv.4]

Makes a space reaching 10m into a state without mana.

Those belonging in this domain have their mana frozen.

Now looking, it was unique-type magic that intervened in mana itself, not magic.

But he didn’t place great meaning on it.

Anyway, it was a defective product he couldn’t use on those stronger than himself, merely a means to quickly shake off.

Pernok stood before a two-way fork while wrapping his body in mana that filled up again.

Among them, his head turned right.

“They’re hiding over there.”

The synchronization rate rises.

The Observation Eye begins seeing through to distant places.

* * *

While waiting for Dro who didn’t return even after time passed, the manager’s composure was disappearing.

BOOM-!

The thick iron door shattered. The manager abruptly stood and drew up mana.

“I wandered around looking for you.”

Crossing the shattered iron door, Pernok covered in blood all over his body revealed himself.

He scanned the surroundings and showed disappointed color at the fact there was no coveted prey besides the manager.

“Is this all there is?”

When Pernok raised his sword, the VIPs were shocked.

The emblem engraved on the sword blade. It was the knight order’s sword symbolizing Marquis Falkion’s territory.

It was Dro’s beloved sword like his alter ego.

“Wh-where is Sir Dro…!”

At the VIP’s flustered words, Pernok grinned.

“Ah, this?”

Pernok placed his hand on the wall. When nothing happened, the VIPs showed dubious expressions. But the manager’s face hardened stiffly.

‘Magic won’t activate. This is…’

Just like Dro’s Anti Magic, mana drained straight out from inside the body.

Because he was the only mage among these people, he noticed the special change circulating inside.

“Where are our players who went to kill that bastard!”

“Do something, manager!”

If it were up to him, the manager also wanted to cut Pernok’s throat. But he was a typical mage.

Besides simple self-defense techniques, he hadn’t even learned professional combat techniques.

Right now with magic not activating, he was merely a middle-aged man with slightly better strength than ordinary people.

‘I’ve never even heard of Anti Magic tools. Then this is his magic. But wasn’t Pernok’s magic acceleration? When he pierced through Iron Man, he also swung something quickly. That should be his ability normally…’

As if to shake off dizzy thoughts, the manager put on a final bluff.

“The knight order will arrive soon! Even now, if you surrender, I’ll consider leniency.”

“The knight who struggled like that died uglily by my hand.”

When Dro’s death became certain, people fell silent.

The chill climbed up their spines and finally made them aware of reality.

“You bastards…”

Pernok scanned the VIPs.

Everyone whose gaze met shuddered in their shoulders.

‘They have no nutrition even if I devour them, and killing them wastes wealth and authority.’

He had no means to manipulate them.

Unfortunately, most of the magic stolen from this place was only for killing opponents.

‘Even if I feed them the manager’s poison, it would be useless. Since they’re called VIPs, with that wealth, they could just find a detoxification method.’

He couldn’t restrain them with poison given a generous time of one month.

The possibility was high they’d harbor different intentions and secretly detoxify the poison to stab him in the back.

To obtain anything from them, he had to go above ground, but that place was the VIPs’ world. The current Pernok could be killed immediately.

“…Useless.”

Pernok didn’t cling to things he couldn’t handle.

When his hand moved callously, before screams could burst forth, the VIPs’ throats were cut.

At the appearance of necks that couldn’t close their eyes rolling on the floor, the manager trembled.

‘How can only this bastard use magic?!’

Only the manager, who didn’t know Pernok’s Ataka, anxiously stamped his feet.

“Le-let’s deal!”

“Do you have anything left to compare with your life?”

“The detoxification method!”

“That’s basic. For a deal, it’s extremely meager.”

“If-if you don’t detoxify, you’ll die next month!”

“Instead, you die right now.”

Pernok pulled out a VIP’s self-defense sword and raised it high.

“I’ll give you money too! I have more jewels than the VIPs!”

“Where are they?”

“If you spare me, I’ll tell you everything!”

“You still haven’t come to your senses.”

As Pernok approached closely, the manager screamed.

“Outside! It’s outsiiiide!”

Pernok’s Observation Eye activated.

‘It’s here.’

The characteristics of opponents lying appeared best from within.

The heart beats or constricts peculiarly matching specific words.

Like the current manager.

“You’re saying you hid it outside when there’s a safe place?”

“Right. You can never find it without me!”

“Not even funny. With your viper-like personality, you embezzled your cherished treasure outside instead of keeping it in your nest? Aren’t you lying when it’s in the study?”

“It’s not in the study! My life is more important, do I look like I’d lie right now?!”

This was also a lie.

‘The study, then.’

Pernok placed the sword on the manager’s nape.

“Is it only treasure?”

“I-I have everything you want!”

That confidence was truth.

Pernok withdrew the Observation Eye and smirked.

“Your guts are thick.”

“Huh?”

“If you send me outside, you’ll join with the knight order and try to kill me?”

“N-no. Why would I…”

When Pernok tried to slash the sword, the manager thrust his body forward.

Pernok kicked up the manager’s abdomen with his knee.

“Urk!”

He stabbed the sword into the back bent in half while vomiting bile.

The manager screamed as if struggling.

“You’ll die too! Your limbs torn in all directions…!”

Pernok pulled out the sword and struck the manager’s neck. The manager collapsed with eyes widened.

The severed neck that rolled before his feet had eyes brilliant with obsession.

After absorbing the magic, he could know why he’d been so wronged.

[Poison Fog Lv.4]

Generates poison smoke extending up to 20m.

It was the reason the manager only watched the situation continuously.

Poison Fog was magic peculiarly uncontrollable by the caster.

If he’d spread Poison Fog in this narrow space or the arena, even allies would have died together, so the manager also couldn’t use magic rashly.

As a result, highly lethal magic rather caught his own ankle.

“Manager!”

“The VIPs are here!”

Several players and guards who’d been spread out to catch Pernok came running.

Pernok spread Poison Fog outside and simultaneously closed the door.

No sound whatsoever came into the interior completely cut off from the outside.

When Pernok measured appropriate time and came outside, corpses that died while suffering with wretched expressions lay scattered.

Synchronization Rate – 9%

Absorbing their mana and spiritual power led to a synchronization rate increase far exceeding predicted numbers.

He finally began feeling tangibly stronger, but Pernok had no intention of stopping here.

Before the knight order arrived, he had to collect the enormous gold and silver treasures the manager illegally accumulated.

* * *

In the world where monsters disappeared, escapees overflowed.

“We survived!”

“Where did the manager go!”

“Find that guard captain bastard! Find the remaining bastards and kill them!”

Pernok passed the group full of madness and approached Yak.

Yak jumped seeing Pernok covered in blood.

“You! How did you receive such injuries…”

“It’s not my blood.”

“Huh?”

“Monsters and the manager. It’s mixed.”

Yak looked at the calm Pernok like a monster.

“I-I see. Really amazing.”

“Are those all the people?”

“Roughly over 100. But is it okay to leave them like that and depart?”

“I freed them from prison and even sorted out the players. Escape won’t be difficult. Rather, let’s worry about our business.”

“Is there more left to do?”

“We have to receive compensation for effort.”

When Pernok shook his palm in the air, mana was refined like a compass before his eyes.

[Detection Lv.1]

Detects metal.

It was magic obtained by chance while killing guards.

This magic, guessed to have been used by guards to find players’ hidden weapons, surprisingly matched perfectly with Pernok’s interests.

“What’s this?”

“God’s revelation that will lead us to gold.”

Pernok walked down the blood-reeking corridor with the dubious Yak.

The compass began spinning round and round, detecting weapons left by corpses.

Nodding at the normally functioning magic, Pernok racked his memory.

‘Was it around here?’

It was when he achieved his 4th consecutive win.

The manager invited Pernok somewhere other than the sealed room.

“No matter what you say, the study…”

“What does it matter? This fellow’s our family now.”

Brushing aside the dissuading guard captain, the manager drank alcohol with Pernok in the study.

Because he’d fed poison and Pernok fought hard while obediently listening, he regarded it as a reward given to a well-behaving pet dog.

Pernok, who’d been drafting an escape plan at the time, had observed the study’s location carefully.

“It’s here…”

Pernok opened the door.

The study had people’s and monsters’ blood mixed as if a storm had swept through.

“What place is this?”

“The manager’s study.”

“Why this place…?”

“There it is.”

The compass stopped moving while pointing straight ahead.

Pernok slowly walked to the wall’s front.

Just as he tried confirming the inside by lightly tapping the wall with the back of his hand, the compass pointed under the desk.

Pernok grinned and stamped his foot hard.

The ground’s sound reflected upward.

Not a sound tightly packed solid like a wall, but an awkward sound as if somewhere empty came.

A subtle difference he could never have found without the compass.

Pernok concentrated all of Mana Reinforcement into his fist.

Mixing in even low-level magic that made fists hard, he struck down the floor as is.

Claaang!

The roar of iron and iron colliding resonated.

Just as Yak backed away shocked, the iron plate hidden under the study’s floor revealed itself.

Tearing apart the iron plate with clear fist marks once more, stairs descending below appeared.

The compass penetrated straight inside.

“Follow me.”

Pernok and Yak hurried down the stairs.

The moment they felt they’d descended quite deep, they were wrapped in light bright as the sun.

“Wow…”

Yak’s dazed sound echoed in the space.

A space the size of several prisons attached.

Inside, treasure was piled like a mountain.