A six-pointed star had been drawn in blood on the back of my left hand.
Only when I spoke the Word Magic did it finally become magic.
『Blood Magic』
THUMP.
The heartbeat that had started faintly grew louder and louder until it echoed in my ears.
Before long, I could feel the pulse throughout my entire body.
THUMP. THUMP.
It felt like starting up a motorcycle.
The rhythm gradually intensified until the engine finally seemed to roar to life.
WHOOSH!
Blood surged explosively from my heart.
It raced through my arteries, filling my limbs as my muscles contracted.
An uncontrollable vitality coursed through my entire body.
As though deciding that was enough, my bloodstream tried to settle.
I immediately shifted into a higher gear and forced my heart to contract again.
Blood raced to the tips of my fingers and toes, passed through my eyes, and completed a full circuit of my body in an instant.
“Whew….”
Even though I had not run at all, a faint heat radiated from my body.
My eyesight had improved as well. I could now clearly make out even the freckles on Marco’s face that I had not noticed before.
More than anything, my body felt almost light enough to fly.
“Whew….”
But this still was not enough.
To shift into the final gear, I squeezed my heart with all my strength.
The bloodstream, sounding its third alarm, finally jolted my brain fully awake.
Only then did I calm the flow of my blood.
‘Damn it….’
This was dangerous.
Was it because I had forcibly enhanced my physical abilities?
I felt as though I had stepped somewhere I never should have.
A dangerous sense of omnipotence even whispered that I could tear Garbo apart with my bare hands.
‘Stay calm.’
Physically, I had only just managed to catch up to him.
My true strength was magic, not my body.
Blood Magic worked by accelerating the flow of blood, dramatically increasing both physical ability and mana efficiency.
Despite being called magic, the process itself consumed no mana.
However, if I forced my body to wield power beyond what it could endure, I would inevitably have to pay the price afterward.
‘Damn it.’
In truth, this was not something I should already be using.
At the moment, the gap between my physical abilities and those of other Adventurers was not enormous. But as the Ranks rose, my body would eventually fail to keep up.
While I increased my mana and developed my magic, they would continue training their bodies and techniques.
Even then, I had only ever intended to use a single gear.
‘How bad are the aftereffects going to be…?’
The engine was already running.
I took out a glass vial about the size of a pencil.
A purple liquid filled the transparent container.
I opened the cap and drank it immediately.
[The character consumes a Mana Potion.]
Ugh.
It was bitter enough to make me want to vomit.
Fortunately, my mana filled completely.
Considering it cost about as much as a decent Artifact, its absorption speed was impressive as well.
I formed a single blade of cold ice in the air.
[3 Soul Power is consumed to record Word Magic.]
[Allen Kalsburg activates the Ice spell ‘Ice Sword’.]
SWISH!
There was only one blade, but it was on an entirely different level from the wind blades I had used against Blondie’s group.
An ice blade created using 3 Soul Power.
The defining trait of the Ice School was suppressing regeneration through freezing.
I added one more Support spell to it.
[2 Soul Power is consumed to record Word Magic.]
『Enhancement』
The tip was sharp, while the overall shape resembled a narrow cone.
This Ice Sword was specialized not for cutting, but for piercing.
With Enhancement added as well, it should be capable of penetrating even a Werewolf’s thick hide.
“So you really are from the Glacie Mage Tower… Even then, your incantations are strangely fast….”
Marco muttered to himself.
I ignored the fool who could not even tell how many different schools of magic had been combined into a single blade.
First, I needed to deal with that Werewolf.
『High Speed』
Using 2 Soul Power, I added the Manipulation spell ‘High Speed,’ which had been unlocked thanks to my increased mana.
The Ice Sword searched for the optimal route to pierce the Werewolf’s heart.
Having been assigned the role of an arrow, the sword crossed the shortest distance in an instant.
WHOOOSH!
“!?”
Its speed was even more extreme than expected, and Garbo hurriedly raised the claws of his left hand.
Beyond him, Marco still wore a relaxed expression.
He probably believed there was no way I could break through the claws that were the pride of the Werewolf clan, even tougher than their hide.
CRASH!
That smug expression shattered immediately.
“!?”
Garbo roared from the intense pain.
“GRAAAH—!”
Marco forcibly cut off his howl and ordered him,
“Shut up and attack…!!”
Had he accelerated his regeneration?
The damaged claws were already restored.
‘Not bad.’
My enhanced dynamic vision could follow both the Ice Sword and Garbo’s movements.
My eyes were beginning to ache, but I ignored it.
SWISH.
The Ice Sword slipped into a blind spot beyond the torchlight and prepared for a second attack.
After finding a path where even its shadow would remain unseen, the blade shot forward explosively.
WHOOOSH!
At that instant, Garbo dropped his entire body low.
All four limbs touched the floor.
He looked exactly like a wolf that had locked onto its prey.
Without hesitation, Garbo kicked off with his hind legs and charged straight at me.
“GRAAAH!!”
Garbo’s instincts calculated the distance between us.
He had already moved outside the ideal line of fire for the Ice Sword.
He reached me in an instant and swung his claws.
WHOOSH!
Death rushed toward me, leaving an afterimage behind.
Without Blood Magic, I probably would not even have been able to perceive it.
One of the movements I had seen during my near-death flashback passed through my mind.
Evade the attack by the narrowest possible margin, seize the wrist, and twist it.
I combined that physical technique with Earth-Wood School magic.
『Wooden Cuff』
A one-handed restraint woven from wood appeared around my right hand.
As I slipped past his claws, I fastened it directly around Garbo’s left wrist.
SNAP!
The Wooden Cuff wrapped around his wrist and tightened.
It looked almost as though he were wearing a watch, but its effect was unmistakable.
“GRAH!!”
Frustration showed plainly on Garbo’s face.
He grabbed the Wooden Cuff with his other hand.
Just as he tried to tear it away, I spoke.
『Bind!』
CREAK.
Amplified by Word Magic, the Wooden Cuff tightened even further.
Among the Earth-Wood School, wood was characterized by its stubborn durability.
I had already poured a substantial amount of mana into it.
At this point, severing the trapped limb would be faster than trying to break free.
“Garbo!! Cut it off!!”
Marco made the correct decision faster than I expected.
Garbo immediately freed himself from the restraint at the cost of his trapped limb.
His regeneration began almost immediately.
While his body momentarily stiffened during the process, I used the Ice Sword I had kept waiting to strike from behind.
SWISH!
Garbo dropped flat and narrowly avoided it.
‘One more.’
I created another conical Ice Sword identical to the first.
WHOOOSH!
The Ice Sword plunged vertically toward the top of his head.
Garbo rolled to the right and avoided a direct hit, but the blade pinned his left hand.
“GRAAAH—!!”
Taking advantage of the opening, I used the other Ice Sword to pin his right hand as well.
With both hands restrained by Ice Swords, Garbo could only struggle with his lower body.
I created two more blades and pinned his feet as well.
THUD! THUD!
Garbo was suspended slightly above the floor, his hands and feet immobilized.
He was completely restrained.
I looked at Marco, who was watching with increasingly anxious eyes.
“No matter how strong his regeneration is, he can’t regenerate properly in that position, can he?”
“Garbo!”
At his master’s order, Garbo began struggling violently.
But with all four limbs pinned in place, there was no way he could rise.
The left side of his chest was completely exposed.
I squeezed out the last of my mana and created one final blade.
Then I sent it toward his heart.
WHOOOSH!
“Wait!!”
At Marco’s shout, I stopped the Ice Sword in midair.
When I silently looked at him, he sighed.
“Haa… I lost… I never thought you’d actually beat Garbo… But he’s the rarest collectible I own… so I’d like to negotiate….”
“Negotiate?”
For a moment, Marco’s muddy eyes gleamed.
“You… use two schools of magic, don’t you…? Ice and Manipulation… You’re more talented than most Mages… Haa… not bad… How much does the Mage Tower pay you…?”
“I told you I’m not from a Mage Tower.”
“I’ll pay double… No. For someone as skilled as you, I could even pay five times as much….”
“…….”
The sudden reversal in his attitude was absurd.
Five times an Executioner’s salary.
That would certainly be profitable.
Since he was suddenly acting so cooperative, I might as well ask him something.
“There’s one thing I want to know first.”
“You know… information is money too… Consider it a signing bonus… ask away….”
“Why are you hunting Mages? Does it have anything to do with the brains and hearts being traded on the black market?”
“I told you… the order came from above… It came down from Behertha….”
“I’m asking why they gave that order.”
“Who knows…? They don’t tell people like me their reasons….”
Behertha.
It was a familiar name.
I had clashed with them plenty of times in the game.
White Night, the Dark Merchants responsible for countless crimes throughout the black market.
Behertha was the group at the top that led them.
Their strength was one thing, but simply thinking about dealing with them was exhausting enough to make me sigh.
“Haa….”
There had been nothing in the game about Behertha searching for Mages.
What the hell were those lunatics plotting this time?
Marco was only a low-ranking member, so I doubted I could learn much more from him.
He grinned and asked,
“So you’re accepting…? Good choice… The higher-ups will—”
Without answering, I moved the Ice Sword hovering above Garbo.
Marco’s smile disappeared as he stared at me with murderous eyes.
“I thought our negotiation had gone well… What a shame….”
“What kind of idiot makes deals with a Slave Trader?”
The three men lying dead behind me flashed through my mind.
They had probably died precisely because they were that kind of idiot.
You should never negotiate with criminals like Marco.
Without taking my eyes off him, I sent the Ice Sword into Garbo’s chest.
THUD!
The Ice Sword struck true and remained hovering in the air.
Marco bit his lip and glared at me.
I snapped my fingers.
SNAP!
The Ice Swords dispersed.
With a fatal wound like that, Garbo would not last long.
I had pushed myself far enough to use Blood Magic because of this bastard.
My very first trip into a Labyrinth had turned into this complete disaster because of him.
Now, what should I do with Marco?
It was time to wipe that mixture of fury and despair from his face.