Clear Rewards
Every flash of Vermoor's sword sent chunks of flesh flying.
The tentacles he failed to cut were seized in his left hand and hurled against the walls, or crushed beneath his leather boots.
CRUNCH.
An unpleasant sound of rupturing flesh echoed through the passage, but Vermoor continued advancing without slowing down.
"What a mindless brute. Have fun playing with my little darlings. I'll be taking my leave now."
The witch clicked her tongue as she observed the view through her rat familiar's eyes.
At that moment, Vermoor flicked his finger.
A stone fragment no larger than a fingernail shot forward like an arrow.
The witch, who happened to be looking through her familiar's eyes, saw the stone flying straight toward her and fell backward in fright.
"Oh, heavens! That startled me!"
The connection was severed.
That meant her familiar had died. Naturally, there was no chance a rat could survive being struck by a stone traveling at such speed.
"Such an impatient fellow. Well then, perhaps it's time I made my escape."
Grumbling, she stood up and patted her aching lower back.
Since she had been conducting her activities in Sylvrant, the territory housing the Tenever Magic Tower, the witch had made thorough preparations.
Preparing an escape route in case her activities were discovered was one of the most basic requirements of being a witch.
She picked up a bottle of oil and poured it over the little garden she had so lovingly cultivated.
Once she set it alight, the flames spread rapidly, swallowing both the garden and her experimental equipment.
The witch hurriedly packed only her essential alchemical tools and rare medicinal ingredients into a bag.
Naturally, she also took her money and research journal.
Finally, she pulled down the fashionable feathered hat hanging on the wall and placed it firmly on her head.
After checking her reflection in a puddle on the floor and adjusting the angle of her hat slightly, the witch set off with a spring in her step.
"Heave-ho! If you want to catch this old woman, you'd better be prepared to wear out your feet!"
As she made her way through the passage, she snatched up a passing rat and immediately transformed it into a familiar.
She wanted to check how far the Barbarian had progressed.
The rat's vision was soon shared with her.
However, something about the scene before her felt strangely wrong.
The Barbarian was charging forward like a madman.
The passages he was running through looked oddly familiar.
As the rat followed him around a corner, a very familiar 'fashionable hat' appeared in its field of vision.
"Gasp!"
The witch sucked in a sharp breath and threw herself into a narrow crawlspace beside her.
The Barbarian swept through the spot she had occupied only moments earlier and slammed into the wall with the force of a charging beast.
BOOOOOM!
The cavern wall shook and collapsed.
Fortunately for the witch, the resulting debris blocked the crawlspace behind her.
Terrified, she scrambled forward on all fours and hurriedly emerged from the narrow passage.
THUD! THUD!
But her nightmare was far from over.
The cavern continued to reverberate with the footsteps of something enormous.
"Eeeeeek! Stay away! I said stay away!"
The witch waved her staff, causing tentacles to pour down from the ceiling.
She had intended to slow his pursuit, but the attack appeared to have no effect whatsoever.
If anything, the sounds of tentacles being trampled and crushed as they followed her were even more terrifying.
'Damn it!'
As the sounds of pursuit drew closer, an icy chill ran down the witch's spine.
She twisted and turned through the underground passages, desperately trying to buy time.
She even squeezed through several passages that, by all appearances, should have been far too narrow for a Barbarian of his size.
Yet Vermoor continued pursuing her with almost supernatural precision.
Escaping him seemed utterly impossible.
At last, near a dead end, she felt the chilling presence of sword energy behind her.
"Surrender, witch."
His deep voice echoed through the cavern.
The witch whirled around and swung her staff.
"You're the one who should surrender, you insolent brat!"
At that instant, the ground split open like an enormous mouth, spewing forth a mass of writhing tentacles.
This was a chamber she had prepared in case the Mages of Tenever ever discovered her.
The entire room was actually a trap formed from a massive tentacled monster that had been solidified in place.
'I've got him!'
He had fallen straight into it.
The tentacles wrapped themselves around the Barbarian and swallowed him whole.
Yet instead of smiling triumphantly, the witch's face remained tense.
She swallowed hard, refusing to release her grip on her staff.
"Did that finish him……?"
It had to end here.
If that brutish savage managed to get close to her even once, her slender neck would snap like a dry twig.
The witch swallowed again and stared fixedly at the hellish mass of tentacles that had swallowed the Barbarian.
And then—
BOOOOOOM―!
A shockwave erupted, sending fragments of tentacle flesh flying through the air.
One particularly unpleasant piece struck the witch's cheek and stuck there.
All it had taken was a single stomp.
The instant Vermoor, who had supposedly been caught in the trap, planted his foot, an enormous shockwave spread outward in a circle.
It destroyed the writhing mass of tentacles beneath his feet, cracked the cavern walls, and utterly shattered the witch's composure.
The terrifying force of the impact sent her thin, withered body staggering.
A fierce gust swept through the cavern, and the fashionable hat she treasured so dearly was blown into the air.
The witch instinctively turned her eyes toward it.
In that brief instant, the world before her eyes turned black and white.
SLASH―
Vermoor's sword passed through the witch's neck.
The strike was so swift and silent that she never even realized she had been cut.
SPLASH.
Vermoor flicked his bloodstained sword through the air.
The blood clinging to the blade splattered against the cavern wall.
"That wasn't particularly difficult."
And that was the extent of his assessment.
Just then, something happened.
Hyunwoo's book suddenly floated into the air of its own accord, without any prompting from its owner.
The book opened.
FLUTTER―
Its pages turned violently, like a starving beast searching for prey.
Eventually, they stopped on a completely blank page.
The book then began absorbing the witch's Mana Core.
Strange symbols and characters rapidly filled the previously white paper.
All the Mana the witch had accumulated over the course of her lifetime—
Was only enough to fill a single page.
And then—
[A large quantity of Mana with the 'Demon and Aberration' attribute has been absorbed.]
"Oh?"
Vermoor's eyes brightened with interest at the unfamiliar message.
Unfamiliar yet remarkably vivid knowledge flooded Vermoor's mind like a tidal wave.
[A large quantity of Mana with the 'Demon and Aberration' attribute has been absorbed. Knowledge of the Stage 1 spell Bone Spear, belonging to this attribute, will be transmitted.]
Fragments of magical knowledge took shape in his mind as symbols, formulas, and languages he had never encountered before.
Although it was supposedly only a Stage 1 spell, the sheer weight of the information pressed heavily upon his mind.
Now he understood how Hyunwoo had intended to become a Mage.
'Finally.'
He had become a Mage himself.
The thought brought a satisfied smile to Vermoor's face.
But then—
'Hmm?'
The knowledge evaporated.
The memories he had only just acquired disappeared, and he could no longer recall the formulas that had seemed so vivid moments earlier.
Vermoor had always been able to sense the faint particles floating in the surrounding air.
However, not a single one of those particles existed within his body.
Precisely because he was completely empty inside, he was more sensitive to the particles outside his body than anyone else.
And that remained true even now.
There was simply no place within his body where anything resembling Mana could exist.
The knowledge transmitted by Hyunwoo's Spellbook had also taken the form of Mana.
It was drawn into some unknown part of Vermoor's body, where it disappeared into an empty void.
[Knowledge of Bone Spear will be transmitted.]
When the first transmission failed, the Spellbook tried again.
However, nothing changed.
It merely repeated the exact same process.
[Knowledge of Bone Spear will be transmitted.]
[Knowledge of Bone Spear will be transmitted.]
[Knowledge of Bone Spear will…….]
By this point, the Spellbook seemed to be growing flustered, trembling slightly.
Under normal circumstances, knowledge transmitted through Mana was supposed to settle naturally into the owner's mind and remain there.
But that was not happening.
The knowledge entered Vermoor's mind for a fleeting moment, only to disappear without leaving the slightest trace.
Even filling a bottomless jar with water would have been easier than this.
"Is something going wrong? Try it again."
[Knowledge of Bone Spear will be transmitted.]
No matter how many times the Spellbook attempted it, the result remained the same.
It was completely useless.
However, Vermoor was not someone who understood the meaning of giving up.
"One more time."
[Knowledge of Bone Spear will…….]
"Again."
[Knowledge of…….]
"Try it once more. You lack perseverance."
The book fluttered furiously, as though enraged.
In the end, it was the Spellbook that surrendered first.
Utterly exhausted, it let out a strange little hiccup and dropped to the ground with a dull thump.
Its pages hung limply like the limbs of someone who had fainted, and the entire book trembled weakly.
Only then did Vermoor uncross his arms and stop urging it onward.
"Can't be helped. I suppose that's enough for today."
Vermoor picked up the book, dusted off the dirt, and tucked it back inside his clothing.
He did not know why it was failing, but if he kept trying, surely he would eventually find a way.
At the words 'for today,' the Spellbook gave a startled twitch.
However, its faint trembling went unnoticed by Vermoor.
Vermoor opened the bundle of belongings the witch had packed for her escape.
It was surprisingly heavy for something assembled in such a hurry.
Then again, she had likely packed only the most valuable possessions she had accumulated throughout her lifetime.
Naturally, its contents were bound to be worthwhile.
The first thing that caught his attention was a money pouch.
It jingled pleasantly and had a satisfying weight to it.
When he opened it, he discovered that it was filled entirely with Gold Coins.
"Oh."
This was turning out to be quite profitable.
Examining the other items, he found an ivory-colored Wand engraved with strange patterns and several experimental instruments made of intricately twisted tubes.
There were also rare medicinal ingredients that had been carefully processed.
He could probably earn a considerable sum by handing these over to the Magic Tower as well.
Then his hand brushed against a small wooden box tucked into the corner of the bundle.
When he opened the lid, he found several small bottles giving off a powerful fragrance.
The peculiar scent assaulted his nose, causing him to frown.
"……So this is it."
Without hesitation, Vermoor tightened his grip.
CRASH!
The bottles shattered into powder within his hand, their contents scattering across the filth covering the sewer floor.
"Worthless garbage."
He briskly dusted off his hands and packed the remaining tools and medicinal ingredients back into the bundle.
Among them was an old book.
His eyes brightened for a moment, thinking it might be a Spellbook, but it was not.
It was the research journal the witch had kept.
[……Those on the surface call me a madwoman, but they know nothing. This damp, dark sewer is the true treasure trove of life. While the Mages of Tenever strut about arrogantly atop their tower, pretending to be above everyone else, I shall witness the most primordial power here. For Helgor's magic begins in the lowest depths!]
"Helgor?"
He had heard that name somewhere before.
After thinking about it for a moment, he recalled that Hyunwoo had mentioned it during one of his many lengthy explanations.
Vermoor opened the book and searched for Helgor.
[#Helgor School: A School of Magic that claims the human body contains the entire universe and that the gateway to truth can be discovered through it.
Its practitioners specialize in magic that utilizes and develops the human body, including bones, flesh, blood, and muscles.
Once proudly recognized as one of the Five Great Schools, they were expelled from the magical community after violating too many forbidden taboos.
*If you encounter a Mage of Helgor, beware even of their corpse. Their power extends not only to the bodies of the living but also to those of the dead.]
"Hmm."
Vermoor looked toward the witch's corpse.
There was no indication that it intended to rise again.
In the first place, now that her Mana Core had been taken, it should have been impossible for the corpse to move again.
Still, better to be safe.
Vermoor took out a large sack and placed both the severed head and the headless body inside.
If he brought it back to the Magic Tower, they would surely know how to dispose of it.
When Vermoor returned to the Magic Tower, the first-floor lobby was in complete chaos.
News that a witch had established herself directly beneath their feet had spread, and a search party was being assembled in great haste.
Not only were all available combat Mages being mobilized, but the territory's lord's castle had apparently been informed as well, judging by the presence of knights and soldiers.
Everyone was rushing about, preparing supplies and drawing up search plans.
Vermoor walked past them and headed toward Elsie.
Even though Elsie had already completed the reporting procedures, she still appeared unable to calm herself.
The situation was no longer in her hands, yet she could not bring herself to sit still.
When she spotted Vermoor, her face immediately brightened with relief.
"Mr. Vermoor!"
Elsie rose from her seat and called out, her voice carrying a mixture of relief and reproach.
"Goodness, I specifically asked you to wait! Where on earth did you go all by yourself……?"
Elsie hurried toward him, only for her steps to come to an abrupt halt.
Her eyes had fallen upon Vermoor's shoulder.
He was carrying something.
Its shape looked strangely familiar.
Long, vertical, and wrapped tightly in cloth.
Moreover, thick drops of fresh blood were dripping steadily from the fabric.
"Um…… Mr. Vermoor? What exactly is that……?"
"I caught the Witch of the Sewers. Apparently, she was a witch of Helgor."
THUD.
Vermoor released his grip, dropping the heavy cloth bundle onto the floor.
As the wrapping came undone across the polished surface, a severed head and a headless corpse tumbled out.
The noisy lobby instantly fell silent, as though someone had poured a bucket of ice water over everyone present.
The Mages who had been debating how to search the sewers and whether to surround the area.
The soldiers examining sewer maps while trying to remember their superiors' instructions.
Even the knights who had been issuing those orders.
Every single one of them stopped moving and stared blankly at the corpse lying on the floor.
All their preparations had been rendered pointless.
A single Barbarian had gone out and resolved every last problem before they could even begin.
[#Linked Quest: The Witch of the Sewers]
[*Clear Rewards - Gold Seal of the Tenever School. One Beginner-Grade Magical Device Selection Voucher from the Tenever School.]