#181
Demon King Castle Escape Operation (3)
All of the Earth’s Awakened who were sent to another world were basically receiving growth corrections.
Even if you learn something under the same conditions, you can grow under conditions that are much more advantageous than those of the natives.
Of course, there were individual differences in talent, but it meant that even people on Earth who couldn’t even handle their own bodies properly could be active as warriors if they put in the effort.
But is there anything in this world that is easy?
It is not uncommon for people to devote their entire lives to becoming the top in a field, so unless you are a true genius, a slight reduction in that period would not be of much significance.
Because cases of ‘true geniuses’ like Lee Se-ah were extremely rare.
Naturally, it was common for Awakened players who were desperate for immediate survival to use a more comfortable growth method, which was the ‘unique skill’ given at the beginning and ‘status enhancement’ through the Karma Shop.
‘However, even unique skills with fraudulent potential have many restrictions at first, making them difficult to use. Even 「Avatar」 was unusable at first.’
What was needed to quickly overcome that limit was reinforcement through the Karma Shop, and the starting point for strengthening unique skills was a whopping 300,000.
It’s a very high number that you’re more likely to die before you can just blindly save up.
‘So in most cases, it’s a priority to secure survivability by strengthening status first.’
Hesperon glanced down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them repeatedly.
A faint blue shimmering as the movement progressed indicated that magic had been applied in that brief moment.
“Huh, reinforcement magic…? When on earth did it…!”
Prince Simon staggered to his feet, clutching his jaw where he had been hit.
He was struck in the vital spot at an unexpected moment, but fortunately, he was able to avoid being incapacitated in one blow because his entire body had been strengthened with aura.
It was just as embarrassing as it was to go forward with confidence and get hit.
“···You, you’re quite the resourceful guy. Ha! That’s why you were talking so carelessly.”
He tried to cover up his embarrassment somehow, stood up straight and took a fighting stance again.
“And besides, it seems like you’ve learned some martial arts. And you’re using magic instead of aura? Maybe you lack talent and had no other choice?”
“Wow, who the hell is that guy who only talks?”
Simon raised his voice roughly, as if he wanted to protest that he hadn’t given up yet.
However, Hesperon, who lightly ignored him, simply prepared hastily and re-established her somewhat unstable magic.
Woohoo—
The world slows down for a split second as thoughts accelerate.
In that short period of time, small buffs such as improved body vision, increased reaction speed, and increased strength were properly activated, further strengthening his body.
It was an incredibly high level of magical power usage for a low-level wizard, but in reality, this was nothing to him.
Even without the indirect assistance provided by Hans the Immortal.
‘Of course. How much points are poured here?’
The status required to use magic was not simply mental power.
From general thinking abilities such as memory, computational power, and reasoning power.
Abilities related to mana in general, such as affinity, anti-magic, and control.
Since there are so many different types, it is common to use them only to complement weaknesses or highlight strengths.
‘Well, it’s not bad to put it up moderately.’
For him, whose karma was steadily increasing even at this moment, it was just a decent investment.
The starting point for strengthening all statuses is 10,000.
Even considering the number of items, they were worthless compared to the powers that could be used to enhance useful abilities.
The next level points are 20,000.
I only invested more in items that I felt were effective in the first reinforcement, and although there were still a lot of them, it wasn’t too burdensome.
And in the third, 40,000.
The required number itself was not large, so I used it quite a bit, but from then on, it was time to select among many items.
Of course, ordinary awakened people could not use karma like this, like pouring water.
After much thought and consideration, you had to decide how to use it, and even then, you had to set aside some points in preparation for returning it…
“···You’re so arrogant after just getting me off guard once. This time, I’ll really deal with you properly.”
But then.
Simon, who had been ignored for so long, raised his auror again with a soft voice.
When Hesperon showed an indifferent reaction to his continued self-justification as if making excuses, he seemed to have hurt his pride, and added the trademark lines of a defeated villain.
“I got hit because I let my guard down earlier! It’s impossible with just that level of magic!”
Kuung—
As if his all-out effort wasn’t just an empty boast, he rushed in at a much faster speed than before.
An energy aura that allowed him to overcome the limitations of the human body shimmered thickly in his body, explosively enhancing his physical abilities.
A speed that is so fast that you can’t even react at an average level.
‘Certainly, what that human said is not wrong.’
Of course, his auxiliary magic, as a low-level wizard, would not be able to deal with Simon, a seasoned knight.
It’s definitely better than nothing, but if you just rely on that, it won’t end with just seeing a bad sight.
‘Of course, if that’s all you believed…’
Hesperon, who had noticed the trajectory of the fist that had come close to his nose, turned his head slightly without blinking.
As it was indirectly influenced by the “Way of the Dance” through Heinrich, there was not even a single unnecessary detail in its movements.
Then, a stride that firmly plants the ground, a slight twist of the waist, and a fist clenched tightly at the side, shot out—.
Phew!
“Keuhp!”
It dug straight into Simon’s psyche and then escaped.
Thud! Thud! Crunch! Crunch!
And while he was in a brief state of stiffness after being hit in a vital spot, Link took advantage of this and pounded his body without mercy.
He stepped on the instep of the stepping foot, limiting his movement, and raised his arms to protect his face, only to have his elbows dug into his side.
He lightly deflected the outstretched fist with the back of one hand as if in rebellion, and aimed for the exposed armpit with the other hand.
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Fingertips, fists, elbows, knees, feet, etc…
His entire body was literally like a weapon.
“Keuk! Kkuluk!”
But this time, perhaps Simon was also determined.
Even though he had just allowed more than a dozen attacks, he managed to get into a defensive stance and twist his body backwards.
‘···Is it because you took a lot of elixirs? The quality of your aura is also like that, and you’re stronger than I imagined.’
Still in pretty good condition considering it’s been hit in the vitals several times.
Aside from other things, the thick aura surrounding the body absorbed the shock, preventing the blow from properly registering.
“Ugh, ugh. No, this… This can’t be happening? What kind of wizard would do something like this…!”
The other person didn’t seem to think so.
‘As expected, the physical abilities were greatly reduced through ‘customizing’. Since the strength is lacking, the destructive power is not very good.’
Although Hesperon benefited greatly from the karma, his physical status also went through a considerable adjustment process during the avatar creation stage as he was aiming to become a magician.
Of course, I was able to compensate for some of the shortcomings through training using “super recovery” afterwards···.
‘I guess that wasn’t enough.’
Fortunately, since the visual acuity and reflexes that are helpful to wizards were not greatly affected, he was able to meet the minimum requirements to react to the movements of Simon, the knight.
Any other physical abilities that were lacking could be sufficiently compensated for by receiving indirect support from the experience and skills of senior avatars.
“···Heron? You were originally a martial artist? You have a talent for magic, and you have that talent too? What kind of unreasonable thing is this···.”
At some point, Princess Riley became a bystander and just blankly watched their fight, but before she knew it, she said something.
“Khuh…! What the heck? This one is much faster, but why…? Did he anticipate my movements first? No, but that guy definitely….”
The crown prince muttered to himself, confused by the discrepancy between the momentum he sensed and the skill of the opponent he had personally experienced.
‘If you don’t have enough, you can just beat him until he collapses. Fortunately, you have “super recovery” and your stamina isn’t that lacking.’
Even Hesperon, who slowly released his hands and stepped forward with a murderous thought.
The farewell party at the immortal castle, attended by only three people, ended successfully, leaving one person with an unforgettable memory.
***
About an hour after the battle began.
“Whew— That’s refreshing. It’s great for building up tension while resisting appropriately, as well as providing a sense of impact. This is truly the best sandbag.”
Hesperon, who had just finished a long, intense workout, stretched out and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Before him lay what had been Crown Prince Simon, sprawled on the floor like a tattered doll.
Since he was so strong, I may have overdone it, but considering his resilience, he should be able to recover in just a few days.
However, there was one unexpected piece of news.
《The entity has gained enlightenment through repeated training. It acquires the skill “Martial Arts”.》
It was said that in this short moment, a skill related to close combat was created, although it was not known what conditions were met.
It was a useful ability that could be considered essential for martial artists, as it gave additional bonuses to all actions related to fighting.
‘No, more than that, I’m a wizard.’
Of course, it’s better than nothing, but I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.
The first path I thought of was one where she would use magic elegantly from the back while seeking safety with summoned creatures, but it seems like she’s becoming a battle mage who fights on the front lines.
“···It’s over. I never thought I’d get to watch Simon get beaten up like this right next to me. It’s not so bad, but···I have a strange feeling.”
At that moment, Riley quietly approached him and looked at the fainted prince with a complicated expression.
No matter how much you hate him, family is family, and he seemed to be frustrated at the sight of his battered body.
“···Ah! I see.”
But before Hesperon could say anything,
She looked down at Simon bitterly for a moment, lost in thought, then suddenly let out an exclamation as if she had realized something…
puck!
I just kicked him straight in the face.
“···Riley?”
“No? I still don’t know.”
She tilted her head for a moment, not caring what was being said beside her, and then swung her foot again.
Phew!
“Ah! I think I know something…”
Bam! Bam!
After a few more kicks, she finally stepped back, seemingly relieved.
“Whew— It was frustrating just watching from the sidelines. I always thought that I wanted to hit someone like this someday. And now I’m finally getting to do it this way.”
“······.”
Only then does Riley smile bashfully with a refreshed face.
Hesperon just nodded awkwardly, looking at the drops of blood that had spattered her cheek.
“···Well, well. If you’re satisfied, then that’s fine.”
Anyway, he’s such a strong gentleman, it wouldn’t be any worse if that slender girl kicked him a few times.
But if that made one person feel better, wouldn’t that be a good thing?
“We’ve been delayed considerably by unexpected circumstances, so let’s get moving now. Simon must have passed out too, so now is the perfect time.”
“Are you okay? You must be tired from fighting until just now. Why don’t you take a short break and go…”
“No, it’s okay. This is nothing. Wouldn’t it be better to get out of here right now when the opportunity arises?”
As he said that, he held out a hand to Riley as if to ask her to grab it.
Of course, she wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, so she agreed with those words and held his hand tightly with a serious expression.
As if this were their only lifeline.
“Go.”
“yes.”
Now it was really the end.
Woohoo!
He gathered all his remaining magical power and wrapped it around himself and her, and then he used his energy to the limit…
[Where are you going···?]
“Huh—? Cool—!”
Thud—
At that moment, a cool voice was heard.
The magical power flowed back and a glob of blood was vomited out from the mouth.
“Heron!”
Riley hurriedly hugs him as he collapses right next to her.
Embarrassed by the sudden situation, she looked around nervously and immediately bit her lip.
Before I knew it, the surroundings were covered in thick fog, and a chilling cold air filled them.
[I heard there was a commotion… But an escape? This is another unexpected development…]
And from within the fog, a pale-faced noblewoman dressed in black mourning clothes slowly appeared.
The current chief administrator of the immortal kingdom.
Olivia, the Banshee Queen.
