NOVEL WEB Chapter 53
“So you finally showed up.”
It was a bit frustrating that I couldn’t finish this just because of a Skull Wolf getting in the way. The fourth verse… it’s still going to take some time to perfect the magic.
“At least I dropped Shin-seon’s disciple.”
In the end, the Team Leader carved a path using his own magic power.
“Agail!”
The foolish voice of my sister echoed in my ears, calling out to me with urgency. Her determined gaze was practically begging me to surrender.
“This is really the end now.”
“Anela.”
“This is your final warning. Stop here.”
“You should have said that five years ago. You must have known better.”
Siblings had long been at odds. Like two ships passing in the night, our disagreements never seemed to close in. Gu Jin-ha pointed the sword at Agail.
“Agail Morest. Stop chanting and surrender. This is your last warning.”
“Ha.”
Agail scoffed.
“A warning?”
With a frigid sneer, he raised his hand.
“What are you going to do about it?”
The tangled web of purple threads. When Agail snapped his fingers, magic swarmed over Gu Jin-ha. I saw an illusion for just a moment, but having been hit once already, I knew better to defend against it.
“Hah!”
With extreme focus, his sword stabbed directly at the center of the magic. The very core of the web. His calm response aimed true.
“I’ll take that as a response!”
Considering Agail a full-blown enemy, he raised his magic power. In an instant, he closed the distance, attacking him with intricate swordsmanship. Teetering on the edge of danger, he disregarded his life—though it certainly looked that way, every move was calculated. It was the product of absolute experience.
The Team Leader, Gu Jin-ha, specialized in one-on-one combat. Agail was forced to retreat under the dizzying array of techniques.
“Guh!”
The robe tore, and blood splattered. In the meantime, fingers intertwined, forming a hand sign.
‘Of all times.’
Agail frowned. The reason he was struggling was simple. He had to form the hand sign with just one hand.
“Keep chasing!”
Like a wild dog, Gu Jin-ha chased after Agail relentlessly.
Feeling that it would be impossible to chant his remaining spells under such persistent pursuit, Agail unleashed his magic, albeit imperfectly.
“Adormiți în oglindă!”
Even so, it was a fourth verse chant. The magic that struck Gu Jin-ha was nothing to scoff at.
‘I was waiting.’
Both of them knew of the magic’s existence. Agail manifesting it and the two rushing to stop him. The moment Gu Jin-ha turned back, Anela nodded.
“Ruperea fanteziei!”
A third verse chant prepared ahead of time. Illusion Breaking—crafted solely to shatter the magic of illusions, her own secret move.
‘Is it done?’ No.
Gu Jin-ha quickly rolled away. He initially thought he could counterattack, realizing just how foolish that decision was. Agail’s magic mercilessly crushed Anela’s Illusion Breaking. A horrifying great magic brushed just above Gu Jin-ha’s head. Even without touching him, all manner of illusions lurked. Sounds resonated from all around, making him feel nauseous. The world spun, and he felt as if he was spinning in the opposite direction.
As if forcing a screw into place—
“Snap out of it!”
As Anela yelled and snapped her fingers, his hazy mind returned.
‘I knew this.’
Gu Jin-ha clenched his teeth. He wasn’t caught off guard, having prepared for it. Thinking knowing would allow him to defend against it was a misconception.
But Agail had his misconceptions too.
‘That he was preparing such a thing.’
Magic solely for breaking the illusion. Thanks to that, the magic he prepared was rendered useless. His potion’s effects might have healed his wounds, but what was lost couldn’t return.
However.
“Agail. Your hand!?”
As he saw his sister finally realize, he smirked grimly.
“This is where my little game ends.”
A swirling mass of magic enveloped his empty wrist.
Enough power could make almost anything possible. While he couldn’t regenerate his wrist—
‘I can create one.’
The swirling power took shape. Agail opened and closed the newly formed hand.
‘What a pain.’
He had to readjust his senses, and he felt an oddity the most. But as long as he could form the hand sign with both hands—
“Guh!”
The three swords darted around. In an instant, purple thorns erupted and rotting chains whipped around. He avoided the thorns but the chains grazed his shoulder.
‘To combine two verse chants? Just using hand signs?’ Gu Jin-ha shook his head. Agail’s prowess as a mage was truly beyond measure.
Like before, there was no room to pursue.
‘This man is insane.’
His skills and abilities. All surpassed even Hong Yu-ri, the greatest mage of dawn.
‘Is this the Square?’
He felt the tremendous pressure anew. Steeling himself, Gu Jin-ha positioned his sword at a right angle with his elbow.
‘Now the real fight begins.’
Agail’s hands shaped the purple magic. Soon it transformed into a whip with barbs, Anela bit her lip.
‘Faster than me without even chanting!’
Instead of closing the gap with her brother after three years, the distance seemed only to grow. The reason was simple. The gap in talent. Agail’s expression as he looked down at Anela stood in stark contrast to her astonished gaze looking up at him, cold and indifferent.
“You’re still the same. —Obsedat de fantezie.”
He formed the hand sign, uttered the chant. Yet he spoke to her as well. It was proof that he still had enough strength remaining. Again, a terrible inferiority complex swelled up in her throat. Anela’s coat fluttered in front of her, obscuring her view.
“Don’t mind me; just keep chanting.”
At the moment the whip swung, Anela’s eyes widened.
Weird trajectories approached erratically. Gu Jin-ha countered each one. His coat flickered relentlessly.
“I won’t let a single one hit you.”
The magic enveloping the sword was localized, but that only concentrated its power. Agail standing as a mage at incomprehensibly high heights. The Team Leader, one standing at an altogether higher realm battled him blow for blow.
“Deveniți o închisoare care vă reține.”
Agail admired sincerely.
The leader of Dawn’s third team. More formidable than expected. No matter how hard he attacked, breaking through from the front seemed impossible. Moreover, Anela was preparing Illusion Breaking. The Team Leader would evade the magic; even if he got caught up, Anela would dispel it. In the end, the same result as before seemed inevitable.
‘Then I’ll change my method.’
Agail stood by the magic he was preparing. The remarkable technique of a mage was to hold back spells. Anela had known for quite some time that he could do so. However, what surprised her most was the new magic that was starting now.
“Sicriul pentru îngroparea morților.”
“You can’t be serious?”
“The black rose is a thing of the dead.”
“No! Stop it!”
Merely saying it while chanting made her head throb. Yet Anela couldn’t help but shout.
“That spell! That one must be stopped!”
Anela’s face darkened as she chanted. He had kept his promise. Certainly, Agail had never once cast a magic spell against her. But he had no remaining strength. All he could do was parry the magic formed with his hand signs. Biting her lip, Anela pondered.
Then.
‘I have to… stop it!’
Could she do it? Anela felt like she was on trial.
“Plâng în fața mormântului”
Already at the third verse. She couldn’t control her trembling body.
Lacking dominance over the magic, Anela couldn’t suspend her spell as Agail had. There was no choice but to activate the imperfect magic, only to parry as if she was expected to. The moment she saw Agail curl the corner of his mouth upward, Anela thought.
‘Ah.’
She had been fooled. No, she had gotten hasty.
Anela regretted too late. The purple magic bore the attributes of an illusion in itself. Had she calmly completed her magic—
‘If only.’
She had lost the contest of wills. If she could have erased only the hand sealing the signs with Illusion Breaking, the Team Leader would certainly have stopped Agail!
‘I… messed up again.’
The same result as five years ago. She hadn’t grown even a bit. Caught up only in the immediate situation. Her impatience fed back upon her, leading to an irreversible blunder. Her heart slowly crumbled.
“Frigul care îți umple locul vacant.”
Finally, the fourth verse. Anela felt as if her heart was being crushed. A black rose bloomed amidst the icy chill encompassing the air. She sank down with a bleak expression.
‘Now… it’s over.’
A shroud of despair.
That day, when I couldn’t save my brother, he became a monster.
The knight had fallen, and the Team Leader remained trapped. Meanwhile, she felt woefully inadequate to stop her brother.
She shouldn’t have come from the start. What had she expected?
‘Did I delude myself into thinking I had caught up to Agail in three years?’
A delusion.
No matter how much she walked all day, some would easily laugh as they ran, flown past her. Agail was that sort of man.
Even knowing this, why had she chased after Agail? For her mother? Surely, he wouldn’t kill her. A vain hope that maybe he’d listen to her story?
‘Had I believed that a miracle would happen?’
Anela laments.
Miracles are only called miracles because they don’t happen.
“O liniște nesfârșită va cădea…?”
And at the same time— miracles are called that because they can overturn everything.
***
Breaking the illusion, the wolf finally returned to reality. As he rose from his curled position, the Fairy Dragon affectionately rubbed its cheek against him.
“Yeah. So it’s you.”
“Kyu-ru-ruk?”
“Wait just a moment here.”
The creature wagged its tail in welcome but stumbled. Perhaps even standing was too much for it, collapsing down and colorfully writhing.
‘No wonder.’
Central corridor.
Looks like the Fairy Dragon brought me this far. Thanks to it, I hadn’t been caught up in any fights while trapped in the illusion. It seemed to realize its state too, folding its wings dejectedly.
“Don’t worry.”
I glanced down the corridor where the fight was ongoing. As I looked briefly, I met the gaze of the creature.
“I’ll wrap it up quickly and come back.”
Leaving those words, the wolf dashed into the darkness. The young dragon followed, tilting its head in confusion.
“Kyu-ru-k?”
A feeling of conflict clashed with its very essence. The curious Fairy Dragon approached where a woman was lying flat on the ground, moaning in agony.
“Kyu-ru-uk?”
Its eyes sparkled. The woman’s wounds beckoned a rotting form that appeared quite tasty as a snack for the young dragon.
***
The wolf hid himself in the dark.
No matter how fierce he might be, finding him amid a violent battle would be difficult.
“Frigul care îți umple locul vacant.”
As the chant continued, the woman’s expression filled with despair. Agail’s purple magic spread like ink spilled over paper.
‘A bit more.’
Just as he was about to fall into an illusion, the ashes he had whipped up with a gust of wind spread throughout the hideout. Only he was untouched by the flames. Covered in black ash, he leaped towards the beast.
“O liniște nesfârșită va cădea…?!”
Just before closing the distance, he whipped up another gust. The liberated wind caused the ash to trail wildly around him. Although Agail noticed a bit too late, struggling against the ash, the black rose failed to bloom and vanished.
“Alpha?”
Gu Jin-ha’s eyes widened. The dark expression on the woman’s face revealed disbelief as she rubbed her eyes.
“Grrr.”
A chilling malice— the Team Leader kept his sword at the ready, watching Agail closely. It seemed they might clash at any moment.
Both recognized each other.
“Ha.”
A ridiculous, defeated laugh severed the thread of tension. The wolf and the man turned their heads simultaneously.
“What? Was my wrist not enough collateral?”
The wolf grumbled inwardly.
‘I never expected him to go this far.’
As if peeling away threads, Agail slipped free from the ash fire.
His understanding of magic and innovative concepts lay on a different plane. However, it seemed the effectiveness was not entirely lost as Agail staggered a moment.
‘Perhaps.’
A glimmer of strange light shone in the wolf’s eyes.
He wasn’t struggling due to wounds or torment but was instead faltering from mental fatigue.
“It’s time we put an end to this.”
Agail spat indignantly as he called upon the magic he had withheld. Anela cried out in a panic.
“M-Stop it!”
It was too late. The moment Agail snapped his fingers, both their movements halted abruptly. Their pupils faded as if they had lost their minds.
“What a drag.”
Agail spoke, watching the sight unfold.
“Why are you not falling into the illusion?”
Indeed, both Anela and Gu Jin-ha were trapped in an illusion, yet the wolf revealed its intense murderous intent.
***
[Agail Morest (Human)]
[Height 182.1cm] [Weight 74.6kg]
[Strength 389] [Agility 396] [Stamina 416] [Magic Power 704]
[Skills Achieved]
[Greed (B)] [Great Magic (B)] [Storage (E)] [Suggestion (F)]
With magic power exceeding 700. Even as a mage, his stats overshadowed the tail of Lee Baek-seom. The only consolation was the fact that his magic was nearing depletion, evident from the pallor of his complexion. Especially after using the fourth verse chant.
‘But it’s still disadvantageous.’
It was a fight that would not have even been possible had it not been for the ashes. Dark liquids dripped down from his shoulder, which had been horrendously aflame.
‘Can Gu Jin-ha be awakened?’
Probably not. Unlike the Fairy Dragon, I had no way to intervene within dreams.
‘Then I’ll just wait for his magic to run out.’
The fight would become a war of attrition.
The condition was to survive until Agail’s magic ran dry.
Agail moved his hands swiftly. The fourth verse chant had been blocked after overcoming the fifth verse. Rationally, he concluded that illusions wouldn’t work on the wolf.
“Lanțul corupției.”
Agail conjured three chains simultaneously. Those ominous chains intertwined, becoming a great hammer. As the massive hammer slammed into the ground, it splintered the floor.
‘What a beast.’
And it did not stop there, gradually crumbling into rot.
‘That looks unhealable.’
Even granting one attack meant death. What a bothersome opponent!
“Good job!”
A bothersome opponent—it was not just the wolf who felt this way.
“Fereastra de foc.”
A blazing spear of fire burst forth. It was as expected, but his black flames consumed the spear in an instant. The illusions hadn’t worked, and the flames served merely as fuel.
‘Already, the entire hideout is in his territory.’
Black flames roared up everywhere around him.
A wolf cavorted freely within the pitch-black flames. Headaches grew more severe. Mental exhaustion was closing in on him.
‘What else can I do.’
Even if he were to kill this wolf, the Team Leader and sister would emerge from the illusion shortly after. An inevitable choice. Agail threw himself into the broken floor, heading towards Block B.
‘Wait for the next chance.’
As long as he survived here, he could devise something at any time. As Agail passed through the corridor, he grimaced at the unpleasant sensation under his feet.
‘……?’
The Elixir lab.
Agail’s heart sank. There should have been mock elixirs there, but nothing remained.
‘Where could they be?’
Sounds of footsteps broke the silence. Only then did Agail realize that his feet were drenched in blood and brain matter. And he noticed black fur left within the room.
“Ha.”
Agail released a powerless laugh, covering his face. The chuckle gradually grew, and soon morphed into mad laughter. After laughing for a while, he become limp, as if a different person.
“Right. Don’t tell me you did all this?”
In response, the wolf revealed a space. Agail’s eyes went wide. Just a peek, but it was certainly a mock elixir.
“……”
Agail felt a surge of emotions rising. Why was his illusions wavering? How could such intelligence and strength exist? All his questions were answered at once. What reason would the wolf have to show Agail the mock elixir?
“I won’t let this go.”
Provoked by his taunting, Agail pulled forth the final remnants of his magic power. Both his situation and pride wouldn’t allow him to retreat. The black magic his sister had feared began to creep out. Even the fiercely roaring ash flickered low before the foreboding magic.
“You! I will not kill you easily!”
The madness ignited in his bloodshot eyes.
Even if he was showing some exhaustion, he still wielded tremendous strength.
Unable to contain his fury, a murderous desire belied his words, carrying a promise to tear the wolf apart.
But it was mutual.
‘You’re not the only one feeling this.’
Emotions still boiled over.
Frustration, the scenes from the cages. Those pacing the ground without eyes or tongues.
“Please! Save me! Don’t leave me!” Memories of the last moment when the doors closed, those hands reached out still lingered vividly. Perhaps a sight she would never forget. The wolf no longer suppressed his emotions. Before dawn broke, in that darkest hour. The wolf filled with resentment in the hideout yearned deeply.
—For the black flames capable of killing him.
With the boiling rage, the hollow sockets of the wolf’s eyes slowly ignited with black ghost fire.
[Remaining Skill Points: 1]