Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 62

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

A faint tremor and the sound of thumping echoed from afar.

As I watched, the figure of a man desperately running came into view in the distance.

“There he comes.”

The man we were waiting for.

And the man who was performing his assigned role very well, Thompson.

“Uwaaaaa-!”

“That man sure can run. Even though their wings have degenerated, to be in a chase with those guys…”

Barundel, who was watching Thompson with me, said in admiration.

Even to Barundel, who had a flawless physique and speed that was second to none, Thompson's running seemed to be quite impressive.

Indeed, it was a rare sight to see someone outrunning [Demon Crows] just by running… But in fact, it wasn't that surprising if you thought about it for a moment.

“His body structure makes him a good runner.”

Long legs proportional to his tall height.

Well-maintained muscles and stamina from constant exercise.

And even earth magic to give him explosive speed.

It would be strange if he couldn't run well with all that.

I was sure that was what I meant…

“Body structure… you say?”

Was he hurt by my words?

Barundel looked down at his own legs and muttered with a sullen expression.

“Then it would be impossible for me…”

“…Haha, that's not what I meant.”

It seemed like he was complex about his short stature…

I hurriedly flattered him before the atmosphere became more awkward.

“But Barundel doesn't need to envy that. You already have a perfect physique. It's too greedy to want that kind of size too.”

My own way of flattering.

It worked perfectly.

“Do you really think so…?”

Barundel asked again, his face brightening immediately.

I quickly nodded my head, lest the mood dampen again if I hesitated.

“Of course. There's probably no one in the world who has it all.”

“Now that I hear it, you're right. Haha, I was being too greedy.”

‘Whew…’

I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

At the same time, I immediately brought up another topic so Barundel wouldn't have any other thoughts.

Barundel must never, ever recall the fact that the ‘Barbarians’ have a perfect physique, a large build, and inexhaustible stamina.

Never.

“So, how would you rate my physique…?”

“Judging by today, you're still at stage 3…”

Around the time we were having a conversation about the changed topic.

Duddudduddu!

The ground shook louder than before, and when I turned my head, I could clearly see Thompson running towards us.

He was almost here.

“Barundel, you should get ready now.”

“I know.”

Thud

As I spoke, Barundel bent down and picked up something that was placed beside him.

What he picked up was none other than an axe.

But it wasn't the one he usually used.

It was a handmade stone axe, sharpened by Barundel himself using Thompson's earth magic as material.

‘It suits him quite well.’

Was it because of the bushy beard that covered more than half of his face?

Barundel's appearance with the stone axe was natural, without any sense of incongruity.

It was like an image reminiscent of a primitive man from the Neolithic Age.

Of course, it was just my own thought.

“...No matter how many times I pick up this axe, I can't get used to it.”

Barundel frowned as if he didn't like his axe.

Well, if he had to use a primitive stone axe after using an expensive axe, it was understandable that he would frown.

But only for a moment.

“I'll go out first.”

Soon, the dissatisfaction disappeared from his face, leaving only seriousness.

He was more serious than anyone else when it came to hunting demons.

Flap!

Barundel kicked the ground and dashed forward in an instant.

Until a moment ago, he was commenting on Thompson's running, but his speed was not inferior at all.

The difference was that, unlike Thompson, he was purely using his muscle strength to generate that speed.

‘…I wonder how fast he would be if his legs were longer.’

While I was lost in such thoughts.

Screech?

Thwack!

Kiiiireuk-

The sound of Barundel, who had already run far away, clashing with the demons could be heard.

They say a true master doesn't discriminate when it comes to equipment.

Whether that was true or not, Barundel brutally attacked the demons' heads with just a stone axe.

I watched the scene and quietly caught my breath.

“Hoo.”

Now it was my… no, our turn to get ready.

If things went according to plan, they would gradually come this way.

“Kayla.”

“Got it.”

Kayla, who had been waiting for my signal, immediately channeled her mana.

So did I.

Woooong!

Mana, carrying my will, began to gather in my palm.

But then…

‘…Is this kind of attack a first too?’

Was it because of my obsession with growing according to the build?

What I was doing now was the most common way for a mage to handle mana, but it felt somewhat awkward.

It was like I was a novice learning magic for the first time, with that level of control.

… Screech?

The [Demon Crow]’s face distorted as if it had seen something unbelievable.

That soon turned into a scream.

Fwoosh! Bang!

Kieeeeek-!

As if to prove that it could feel pain, it frantically flapped its wings and struggled.

But that wasn't just ordinary fire, it was fire created by magic.

There was no way it would go out like that.

Ki… eek.

Pssshhh-

In the end, it wasn't long before the crow was burnt black like a forgotten sweet potato, emitting a foul smell and grey smoke.

Ki… eek?

Kiee-eeeek!

The other crows, realizing that their comrade had died, started jumping up and down in place.

Their cries, scratching their throats even more frantically than before, and their bloodshot eyes showed just how agitated they were.

And…

Their ferocious glares and fury were directed at the party.

“W-We've stalled enough time, right?”

“…I think that's enough.”

Barundel and Thompson exchanged glances once more.

They nodded once and then moved their feet simultaneously.

“Run, run!!”

Duddudduddu!

The ground shook with a tremor that was unbelievable for just two creatures running.

But the [Demon Crows] were no pushovers either.

Gieeeeek!

Kieeeeeeek!

Two [Demon Crows] chased after them at a terrifying speed.

I watched them and checked the magic once again.

‘The formula… is fine. Enough mana. No internal conflicts.’

As long as I didn't miss by mistake, everything was perfect.

After checking the last variable, I turned my gaze forward again.

“Huff, huff… Mr First Place, hurry!”

Thompson shouted as if it was urgent.

Barundel, who was running next to him, also seemed to be in a hurry, judging by his expression.

But I just watched the situation silently.

As always, the most important thing before casting magic was timing.

So…

‘Right now.’

Kwaaaaaaaang!

As soon as I released the control, a bizarre ray of light shot out through the magic circle.

Thanks to the perfect timing I had calculated, the result was a direct hit.

It pierced through the two demons that were running in a line at once.

Pssssss.

Seeing them swallowed by the light and turning into grey dust brought a satisfied smile to my face.

“This is pretty good.”

It didn't receive the effect of the Spirit Engraving because it wasn't in the form of a blade, but it was a spell that squeezed out all my mana, contained the [Essence of Light], and went through casting.

Its power alone was comparable to any magic I had ever implemented.

The only problem was that the process was too cumbersome.

Unless my companions were openly acting as bait for me like this, it was virtually impossible to use in actual combat.

‘I need to simplify it.’

While I was giving myself feedback like that…

Suddenly, I felt the surroundings become quiet, so I raised my head.

“…”

“…”

What was this awkward atmosphere?

Everyone was just staring at me without saying a word.

“…Why are you all looking at me like that?”

Unable to bear the atmosphere, I spoke first, and Barundel answered.

“…Were you trying to kill us all?”

It was then that I realized there was something I hadn't noticed.

“Ah.”

Thompson's robe, completely damaged by being caught in the ray of light.

Barundel's hair, scattering in the air.

And Kayla, who was lying on the ground, panting.

“…Sorry.”

It seemed like the range of the ray of light was much greater than I had thought.

***

About 30 minutes after we returned to the base camp after defeating the [Demon Crow] group.

Thompson, still exhausted, asked while sprawled out.

“But Mr First Place, how are you going to hunt more? Your legs don't seem to be fully healed yet.”

“Ah, about that.”

Originally, I was going to show him after catching the [Demon Crows], but the plan went awry because I was a little short on experience points.

I didn't know what went wrong, but the crows didn't even think about showing up again.

In the end, it turned out like this, so an explanation was needed.

Just as I was about to open my mouth…

Gieeeeek!

A familiar cry started to echo from somewhere.

Thompson jumped up in fright at the sound.

“What, those bastards. Were they still alive…?”

I patted Thompson on the shoulder to reassure him and said,

“No. It's not like that.”

“Then what is it?”

“Hmm.”

There was no need to overthink this.

The [Demon Crows] were famous for having a strong sense of camaraderie.

It wasn't for nothing that they cried their eyes out when their friend died.

“Simply put, it's like revenge.”

“What? Then what do we do? Those guys seem like they're going to attack us here.”

What do we do?

This was also simple.

There was only one option a player could take when faced with demon monsters.

“We have to catch them.”

A monster that was awkwardly positioned between intermediate and high-ranking demons, the [Demon Crow].

‘Good timing.’

In my eyes, they were nothing more than lumps of experience points.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

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