"Damn."
"What the hell is that?"
The snake approached with slow but steady movement.
Think, Marcus. Think quickly.
"Oi, Fanzell, cover me for a minute!"
Fanzell quickly stepped in front of Marcus, casting several spells at the giant snake, but they caused no damage.
Screw those goblins and their high-level combination magic.
Fanzell summoned every ounce of magic he had and launched deadly wind attacks at the snake's head, aiming to disrupt the spell by destroying the goblins atop it.
The snake opened its mouth and swallowed the attacks as if they were nothing.
While Fanzell dealt with the snake, Marcus quickly pulled something from his pocket.
A horn—black in color, with cryptic symbols etched into it.
Marcus recognized the horn. It was the reason this group of goblins had come to this area.
A year ago, while he was still paralyzed, his mother had told him a story.
"Sweetie, I've located it away. It's somewhere near our village, on the route to the capital."
"I thought it would be the solution to your problem. I'm sorry, honey," his beautiful mother apologized as she stood beside his bed in their dilapidated, poor room.
"What is it, Mom?" Marcus asked.
"Oh, you didn't know. Well… it's a horn. A black horn. They say it grants immense life force to the one who uses it, and on top of that, it increases their mana."
"I wanted to get it for you to cure you, but later I learned it wouldn't be useful for you," his beautiful mother said, her voice tinged with sadness.
"It's okay, Mom. As long as you're here with me."
"There's nothing I want more," Marcus replied, earning a warm hug from her.
As soon as Marcus saw the goblins marching, he knew they were here for a reason.
And when Fanzell mentioned that goblins sometimes used a combination magic that drained life force, Marcus was certain of his theory.
The horn could give life force. Now, seeing that snake, Marcus understood.
The goblin chief wanted it, to gain unlimited life force and use the ultimate attack without casualties. He had even brought human prisoners for experimentation.
To confirm his suspicions, Marcus had checked the treasure hall in the caves. Of course, something so valuable would be kept there, so he searched the chief's room and found it.
Of course, he wasn't sure if it was real.
Marcus raised the horn high, and from atop the snake, the village chief roared.
Marcus had gained his approval.
Marcus closed his eyes and concentrated his mana into a single point. He wanted to end everything with one spell.
The tremendous mana around him converged at that point, releasing a terrifying amount of energy.
What the hell is with that kid? The goblin chief thought.
He has more mana than a royal I've ever seen at his age.
Fanzell kept fighting the snake, buying more time for Marcus.
Life force… So, it grants life force and boosts my mana level as an added effect.
He drank the liquid inside the death horn.
Life, but I am death… wait, I'm Marcus. No, I'm a necromancer. I deal with death.
Why am I not using death, my main attribute, and instead using the sub-attribute—Death Chill in the form of ice magic?
I know this chill, this ice feel, but…
Yes, I didn't feel death. Wait, I'm already dead in my world and reincarnated here.
What have I experienced? A dark silence. A dark place… wait, I got it.
From atop the snake, the goblin chief grew even more anxious and enraged at the sight of a human using his precious treasure.
With a burst of fury, he smashed Fanzell aside and began charging toward Marcus.
"Ah!!!" "Hissss…"
The goblin chief wanted to finish him, but before he could reach Marcus,
Marcus opened his eyes and extended his palm. A terrifying amount of mana gathered at a single point.
A black orb began to take shape in front of Marcus.
His grimoire glowed in mid-air, and a blank page flipped open.
"Thanks for getting me a new spell."
The blank page filled with cryptic words.
"Necro Magic: Death-Bolt."
The darkest black orb converged in front of Marcus, sucking mana from everywhere, creating a destructive force field around it as it moved.
It shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. The mana-boosted death spell launched at the giant snake.
With catastrophic force, the two collided, and a blinding white light engulfed the area.
The impact generated such power that it caused tremors, and the ground cracked and shattered.
Everyone, including Fanzell, felt the shockwave and was thrown back to stabilize themselves.
As the white light faded, there was nothing left—no goblins, no snake—everything had evaporated.
Fanzell landed beside Marcus. "What just happened?!"
"My new spell. Like it?"
"What a dangerous spell! Use it with care."
Marcus nodded, still surprised that Fanzell had lost his clothes again.
Fanzell glanced at the shocked prisoners, who were taking their time adjusting to the sudden change.
He quickly ran to a man with glasses.
"Oi, are you Mister Heath?" Fanzell put a hand on the man's shoulder.
"Yes?" Heath was sweating, clearly intimidated by the power of this red-headed figure before him.
"I heard from your assistants that you bought some magical items from a brown-haired lady."
Fanzell tugged on his collar.
Heath nodded nervously, gulping. "Where is she?!"
"I don't know. I bought those on the road from Haiku Village to the capital," Heath replied.
Fanzell released him, smiling slightly, as if relieved.
Marcus walked over to the group of people and caught the gaze of the little girl to whom he had given his ice magic.
He approached her and patted her head.
"As I promised, you're free. You can see your parents now."
The girl cried softly.
He turned to face the others.
"I am Marcus. I defeated your captor."
"I've avenged you."
"No, we have taken our revenge. We got our freedom!!!"
With a roar, the people cheered.
The cheering continued. Smiles spread across their faces, and their joyful mood erased the memories of the dark past they had endured.
As the small celebration continued,
He quietly slipped away from the crowd. from far distance, he gave one final look back and waved goodbye with a closed fist.
He may have known them for a short amount of time, but they fought alongside him.
Yet the path he must walk is one of solitude; farewells are common on this path.
He started walking in a random direction. After some time, he stopped.
"I think we should part ways," Marcus said, turning his head back.
"Oh ho, you're getting better at mana detection. Nice going," Franzell chuckled lightly.
"Yeah."
"Where are you heading, anyway?" Franzell asked.
"Not sure. Somewhere my name will spread quickly, where my promise can be fulfilled sooner." Marcus looked up at the sky, recalling his promise.
"Then I can suggest a place."
"The Magic Knight Exam."