You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿

"Come on, move quickly."
The people who received the equipment looked at me with resentful eyes, but I didn't care.
"Don't even think about running away along the way. This wolf will keep an eye on you."

"Growl!"
Robo, standing beside me, growled.
"At least let us rest until dawn. Climbing a mountain in the pitch-dark night...!"

"I gave you items that let you see in the dark, what complaints do you have?"
There wasn’t much time to waste, anyway.
Margarita wasn't a fool.

If I gave them time to rest, they would recover their strength quickly, and any chance for a counterattack would fly away.
... I could explain it that way, but...
‘It's a hassle.’

Threatening them is far better.
"If you don't succeed by the time dawn breaks, I'll kill everyone in this village."
"Yikes..."

"Damn! Okay, okay, just don't touch our kids!"
"Waaah!"
Even the children started crying.

It seemed I was living up to my former demonic reputation.
"Quiet, shut up! Do you want to die right now?"
I yelled at the crying children, and they stopped immediately.
The villagers glared at me while trying to comfort the children.

Hmm, this gaze feels familiar.
"We'll leave right now."
"Just go already, go! Damn it."

I selected a few people from the villagers who claimed they could climb the mountain.
I picked a few more who specialized in using items.
‘One of them should succeed.’

To be honest, if possible, I'd like to go up that mountain myself and scatter some blood on the eternal snow, but that would be pointless.
The people who have lived in this area for generations must accomplish this themselves for the laws of language to work.
"Mom!"

"Mariya, I'll be back."
Among those going to the peak, there was also Lola.
Lola hugged Mariya tightly once before letting her go, then looked at me with an unreadable gaze.

I thought her eyes would be filled with resentment, like the others who felt deceived, but her look was strange.
"... Please take care of Mariya."
"You picked the wrong person to ask."

I had just threatened to kill them all.
"No, it was the right choice... though you're not exactly an angel."
The villagers, who all looked at me with resentful eyes for deceiving and threatening them, had a very different reaction.

Lola spoke softly.
"If you hadn't said that... no one would have stepped up. It’s easier to conform to reality. But I would’ve lost my daughter."
"........"

"I will succeed, even if it’s to repay the benefactor who saved my daughter."
"...Alright."
Well, misunderstandings are free.

Soon, the villagers set off on their journey.
Mariya, watching her mother leave, tugged at my sleeve.
"Hey, sis. Do you think mom will be alright?"

I twitched my brow.
"...Sis?"
"Then what should I call you?"

"Call me whatever you want."
When I think about how I threatened to kill the villagers in front of this child, I can't help but feel like her boldness is more than just a casual personality.
Even now, the remaining villagers are watching me warily.

Well, people with magical talents tend to have unusual personalities... just look at Han Jaeyoung and his HP guild, they're not exactly normal.
Mariya kept talking while holding onto my sleeve.
"Everyone's funny, huh? Did they really think you were going to kill them?"

"I was serious."
"No, the vibe I felt from you back when we were at the shell was totally different."
"......"

This was truly impressive talent.
In fact, great mages like me can have subtle shifts in magical energy depending on our emotional state.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

She must have grown up isolated with no formal knowledge, but still, her ability to sense other people's magic was developed to this level.
"And, um, when the shell tried to attack again, you hid me behind you. Just like our mom."
"......Don’t treat me like someone who acts all cold on the outside but is warm inside."

I was getting goosebumps, feeling like I wanted to peel my skin off.
At that moment.
Rustle!

The sound of breaking leaves echoed as a knight in shining silver armor appeared, even in the dark.
"......"
I sighed as I looked at the silent knight.

I had expected they wouldn’t just let people calmly climb the mountain.
"Margarita..."
It was definitely a mistake to face Yuhanul in front of that child.

Yuhanul was quick to notice, and by now, she must have realized I had some connection with him.
It was natural for her to show up like this.
"Hey, sis. That’s..."

Mariya grabbed at my hem, but now wasn’t the time to worry about her.
I could feel the cold sweat running down my back.
The silent knight exuded hostility.

The intent to kill manifested and pricked me like needles.
This guy was definitely the strongest swordsman I’d ever faced.
‘Did they send him to kill me?’

I had thought that I might have to fight Yuhanul someday, but I didn’t expect it to happen here.
‘At least it’s a relief... from sending Yuhanul here, it looks like Margarita’s damage is worse than I thought.’
If Margarita was absolutely certain she could kill me, she would have come herself.

But by sending Yuhanul alone, it meant Margarita needed more time to recover.
‘Then I just need to hold on until they reach the peak of the mountain.’
If I can shake this magical structure, I can wake Yuhanul from his trance.

And most importantly, I’ll also be able to use magic again.
‘...I should’ve set the time limit before dawn instead of this.’
The problem was, the time I needed to endure was extremely long.

It was still deep into the night.
Dawn was still half a day away.
I knew I was being crude, but I couldn’t help but curse.

"Damn."
I looked up at the sky for the first time in a while.
A system message appeared in the air as I gazed upward.

-Reminder: Transaction with ‘Jeong Da-on’ has been suggested.
"Transaction, my ass..."
I was about to die here.

Sling!
Yuhanul drew his huge bastard sword.
And, reluctantly, I had no choice but to raise my sword.

"Hey, sis! What should I do?! Should I throw a stone or something?"
"Shut up and stay inside! The others should do the same!"
I shouted, then cautiously looked at Yuhanul while holding my sword.

Yuhanul would undoubtedly prioritize me as his target.
As long as I don’t fall, Margarita wouldn’t have the chance to kill the villagers first.
But whether I could keep standing was the real question.

‘I used too much magic using Pomong’s torch.’
Reality was harsh.
For a mage to fight the world’s strongest swordsman with just a sword when they can’t even use their magic... isn’t this a huge imbalance?

I quickly searched my inventory while holding the sword.
‘A sword alone isn’t going to win. I need to use my items well.’
But as I searched, I realized something.

Most of the strength-boosting items I had already given to those climbing the mountain, and the items I had taken from Han Jaeyoung didn’t leave me with much.
If I had known, I shouldn’t have given them all away!
"Everything’s going wrong... ugh!"

Wham!
The sword swung.
Well, of course, I couldn’t possibly be a match for Yuhanul, especially with a bastard sword in his hands.

But this was beyond what I had imagined.
As the bastard sword swung, the force of the wind pressure was immense.
I dodged the sword’s swing, then quickly took a step inward, aiming to thrust my rapier into Yuhanul’s body.

This was a technique I had learned directly from him.
After a sword swing, any swordsman’s balance would inevitably be broken, and in that brief moment, I could slip inside and thrust.
I did exactly as I had been taught.

But...
Before my rapier could pierce his throat, Yuhanul swung his bastard sword and knocked it away.
The giant blade sent me sprawling, and I had to roll quickly to avoid being sliced by it.

‘This damn cheat hero!’
Swinging a bastard sword and recovering so quickly... how am I supposed to make use of the rapier’s advantages now?!
Crack!

The sword missed me by a hair’s breadth as it buried into the ground beside my neck.
If I had been even a moment slower, my head would have been severed.
‘Now’s my chance!’

I didn’t give up.
When Yuhanul had exerted force to pull the sword from the ground, I took the opportunity to climb his back like a snake, wrapping my legs around his neck while striking his skull with my horned knuckles.
Thud!

A huge sound echoed.
...But Yuhanul didn’t even flinch.
How is this possible?

Is his skull made of steel?
Thud, thud, thud!
I hit him several more times with all my might, but nothing happened.

I was hitting him hard enough that a regular person’s head would’ve cracked open! At least his eyes should have burst, right?!
"What the hell, you thick-headed..."
Yuhanul easily freed my legs from his neck, grabbed my ankle, and threw me across the ground.

I was tossed like a ragdoll, rolling down the rocky mountainside.
Being thrown on the rocky ground felt like getting hammered by stones.
Before I could even feel the pain, though.

Crack!
Yuhanul’s sword came crashing down toward me as I tumbled.
Ignoring the small rocks that hit me, I dodged again while trying to thrust my rapier into Yuhanul’s neck.

Whoosh!
But the sword just cut through the air.
Yuhanul stepped back, dodging my thrust, and retrieved his sword from the ground.

Why does he make it look so easy?
‘Hah...’
It had only been a few minutes of back-and-forth, but I was already drenched in sweat.

Despite my current stats, which weren’t bad even without magic, it felt harder than when I had avoided the giant ants after awakening.
‘But I can’t die like this.’
Not like this, at least.

If I were to die at the hands of this hero so ridiculously, the title of World’s Destroyer would be meaningless.
I quickly started thinking.
If there’s any chance of victory, it’s that Margarita got Yuhanul to wear cumbersome armor that might slow him down.

For some reason, he seemed less agile than when I faced him in training.
The judgment was quick.
Bang!

I kicked off the ground and jumped out.
My only option was to hide in the mountains and drag things out.
That was my only chance.

Thud!
The sound of a huge tree falling echoed as Yuhanul’s sword slashed through the forest.
It was clear that escaping wasn’t going to be easy.

I gritted my teeth.
But somehow, I just had to hold out until dawn.
This was the beginning of hell.

How many hours passed?
Boom!
I threw the last smoke bomb I had taken from Han Jaeyoung onto the ground.

The smoke quickly spread among the dense trees.
As the smoke expanded, I jumped to another large tree.
I set off the smoke to obscure my visibility and erase my scent.

But that wasn’t all.
The ground leaves would leave clear footprints, so I was jumping from tree to tree, moving between them.
I wasn’t sure how useful this method would be against a hero, but...

It was working quite well so far.
Yuhanul was wearing armor, which made it hard for him to move his joints freely.
It was harder for him to climb trees, like me.

The monster... no, Yuhanul was moving slower, giving me a bit of a breathing space.
Crack!
Boom!

But the moment I relaxed, I heard the sound of trees being felled one by one in the distance.
Had Yuhanul realized I was running through the trees?
Was he planning to knock all the trees down?

‘As expected of a hero... Damn nature destroyer, apologize to the trees!’
I muttered curses under my breath, but honestly, there was nothing left to do except curse.
My inventory was nearly empty, my legs were shaking with exhaustion, and without control over my magic, even my evil determination had limits.

‘How much time is left?’
I was waiting for dawn, but it felt so far away.
‘If the magical structure shifts even a little... huh?’

I frowned.
Without thinking, I instinctively tried to seize the surrounding magic, but...
‘Margarita’s magic structure is loosening!’

Could they have succeeded?
Excited, I peeked out from the tree and looked at the mountain peak, but nothing seemed to have changed.
If they had succeeded, the structure wouldn’t have just loosened...

There must be something else going on...
"...Wait a second."
I had been too caught up in the fight to notice.

I narrowed my eyes.
The spot where Yuhanul had stabbed his sword into the ground near my neck.
Coincidentally... right from that point, Margarita’s once-solid magic structure was beginning to twist.

‘...Could it be?’
Boom, boom.
Yuhanul stomped closer, knocking down trees like a rhino.

I looked down at him from my perch on the branch.
"Hey, Yuhanul."
I whispered quietly, but his face didn’t change one bit.

The hostility directed at me, the force behind his sword swings, it was all real.
Just like it had been for the past few hours.
"...If this is smoke, I swear on my name that I’ll tear your soul apart, send it to hell, and scatter the pieces."

".........."
The knight still said nothing.
But there was one small change.

His brows, which had been furrowed tightly, relaxed slightly.
".........."
".........."

I looked up at the sky again.
This wasn’t just a guess...
This guy, is he really doing this with a clear mind?

The system quickly flashed a message.
The system suggests reconciliation with user, ‘Jeong Da-on’.
The system reminds user, ‘Jeong Da-on’ about the transaction.

"Good deeds will bring blessings." Quest is progressing.
Understanding others’ circumstances is judged as socially ‘empathetic’.
 

...
I swear, I’m going to kill all these damn fools!