Chapter 321 – A Hair’s Breadth (3)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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What woke Gremory from despair was a shout.

“Risk your lives to protect her!”

……Good, authority is unrelated to the fear I feel.

She tried hard to gather her mind.

The mixed-blood power was still uncontrolled.

Rather, it was fortunate. Regardless of Gremory losing her will to fight, even at this moment, players and monsters did not hesitate to dedicate themselves to protect their Queen.

Roooaaar─!

Soon, pushing through the bushes, the monsters of the Zero Mountain Range appeared. Just as Akshan had aimed for Gremory, they also rushed at the Demon Hunters who aimed for the Queen.

Gremory’s eyes flashed.

‘……It’s an opening.’

No matter how crazy they were, they were humans in the end. Even in a situation where claws were hanging over their necks, they wouldn’t be able to aim for her. If she aimed for that opening, escaping from here and plotting for the future would be more than enough……

“!”

Of course, that too was a delusion stemming from ignorance.

Thrust.

Akshan.

They were existences who would not stop their hunt if a demon was in front of them, even if a sword was plunged into their hearts. And although it was a fact unknown to Gremory, the current Akshan were [Legends], not humans.

Moon Glaive Bear.

Even if they were slashed by its ferocious claws, they did not let out a scream, not even a small moan. Still maintaining silence, looking only at the prey, they did not stop their actions. That sight shook Gremory’s mental power even more. However, reality had not yet abandoned Gremory.

“Hey, wake up. Hey!”

“When did we fall into a status effect……?”

“Allure? Is it a superior status effect to Charm?”

The agitation of the awakened players.

“……What’s with the black clothes? What guild is that?”

That negative emotion was also momentary, but it became power. It pushed Gremory’s judgment to the extreme.

Gremory ground her teeth.

‘I can’t be thrown into hell like this.’

She looked at her body. It was still beautiful. The flower blooming in the mud called the Demon Realm was herself. Humans, other races, even elves of the Arcana Continent could not approach her beauty. With Gremory’s high self-esteem, doing something like wearing someone else’s shell? There was no way she would be interested in possession.

“Tsk.”

She touched her long, hanging apricot-colored hair for the last time. Then she made a decision. Now was not the time to be pointlessly stubborn.

‘I need a new body.’

Taking advantage of the confusion to possess a human. She had to shake off the pursuit of the Demon Hunters. Gremory’s gaze turned toward the slaves of authority swarming around. Then there was one human who caught Gremory’s eye.

‘That’s…… acceptable.’

Black hair and features uncommon on the Arcana Continent. However, rather than lacking, it was considered different. It was a flawless beauty, to the extent that it would not offend even her high aesthetic sense.

Gremory did not hesitate. She immediately attempted to possess the target. She took over the body without difficulty, and at the same time…… “……!”

Knowledge and common sense of reality dug into her head, along with the player’s abilities.

‘Well, well.’

Gremory, opening her eyes in a new body, thought. ‘To think the price of throwing away my pride would be this sweet.’

Admiration was brief, and she swallowed her saliva. If she could only get out of here alive…… ‘……Revenge is truly not a dream!’

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Somewhere near the summit of the Zero Mountain Range.

I was sitting in an antique chair. If you asked where a Renaissance-style chair suddenly came from deep in the mountains…… I’d answer that there was no limit to my construction magic and the utilization of [Aesthetic].

And what was important was not where I was sitting. ‘Why.’ How did it happen? In such a place, sitting in this posture was what was important!

The Great Mage training of Jesse and Mary. Since when did I become an observer of that class? ‘Strictly speaking, I started as an interpreter……’

Just realizing the difference between magic and skills was not an easy task. But, twilight magic? I thought communication would be impossible without my help.

But contrary to my concern, there was no need for me to step in. I was shamelessly sitting on a dizzying peak, looking down at Jesse and Mary.

Flowing silence. I hadn’t heard any conversation for a while, but the purple mana rippling around showed that the Great Mage training was proceeding smoothly.

‘Anyway, thanks to that.’ I could observe twilight magic with the qualification of an observer. I was looking and learning excessively proudly.

Needless to say, Granfel’s talent was amazing today as well. “Opportunities to explore the roots are not common.” The grand soliloquy was also amazing as expected.

The eye level of the Mage Tower’s Chief. Even by that distant evaluation standard, twilight magic was amazing. Shall I give an example? What was the reason Marcelo’s Theoretical Magic Studies was currently considered the greatest magic in the Mage Tower?

‘Because it integrated it into one.’ Because it could tie and organize the magic divided into dozens of schools in the Mage Tower alone into one. In that sense, twilight magic was…… the root of all magic. It would be appropriate to compare it like that.

Now I understood the reason why Mary could intervene in the exploration, interference, and manifestation processes even without understanding the structure of the portal I manifested.

I looked at Jesse, whose eyes were closed. ‘Would it be possible.’

It had taken a lot of time and effort for Jesse just to understand simple “magic”. Still, thanks to her diligent efforts, Jesse was the only one among players who could manifest magic besides me.

‘It won’t be easy.’ Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations. But that too was presumptuous meddling. How much time had passed? Purple twilight mana began to ripple from Jesse’s body as well.

I flinched. ‘……No, might it be faster than me?’ The influence of the class quest was certain. Actually, starting from witnessing the twilight mana that not even Marcelo or the seniors could see, Jesse’s learning ability was practically proven, at least limited to twilight.

I calmly opened my mouth. “Considering it’s the first day, it’s not a bad result.” If someone heard, they’d think I was the teacher.

‘Actually, I’m worried about my own future.’ Thinking of the days when I learned magic watching NetTube…… To handle twilight mana, I might have to write a few thesis-level books.

‘More than that.’ According to the procedure. Perhaps because the prior appointment was finished, finally, my attention turned elsewhere. ‘I wonder if they found it, the mixed-blood demon.’

The materialized Akshan Demon Hunters. I felt like I said this every time I used [Legend], but it’s not enough no matter how many times I emphasized it: the fact that the strength of a [Legend] depends on how widely it echoes.

‘It was obvious, but they wouldn’t be as good as the original.’ The Akshan seniors in hell, they naturally must have been strong since they hadn’t stopped hunting demons in hell for a moment. And were those demons ordinary demons? The Great Evils and High-ranking Demon Kings alone were tremendous.

The Akshan seniors who had sealed the Omen were the same. The ability coming from that tenacity was to an extent that even the Omen couldn’t handle. In fact, even without comparing them to the seniors, the materialized Legend of Akshan couldn’t be strong.

─“Akshan? It’s been so long my memory is hazy.”

─“Aha, Demon Hunter! Yeah, there was such a class too.”

─“In the end, wasn’t Akshan the losers?”

Both in reality and on the Arcana Continent, Akshan did not receive very good treatment. Of course, compared to the completely forgotten past, their situation was better then, but…… “Natural enemy relationships are irreversible.”

Well, to Granfel, all demons were the same demons anyway. So it was a reaction no different from usual. Unlike my loose tongue, I couldn’t shake off my discomfort.

Because I knew the abilities shown by that guy, the mixed-blood demon. Not only enchanting monsters but also hiding a presence that wasn’t detected by [Natural Enemy]. Perhaps because I hadn’t faced it directly, even if it was needless anxiety, I was worried.

Of course, this complex-as-can-be pride. Not being able to show it through expressions was basic. Being swayed by something like a demon and failing to be faithful to procedures was unacceptable. It was even unacceptable to assess the situation during a procedure.

“Let’s conclude here for today, Miss Jesse Heinness.” In the end, until Mary finished the Great Mage training, I ended up glaring and focusing on observing.

Then, shamelessly standing up from the Renaissance chair, “Then let us meet again at this time tomorrow.” I left a brief remark and moved my steps.

The first thing to do was decided. Let’s check the smartphone that had been vibrating for a while. A text message from Nam Cheol-min welcomed me.

─I am sorry, General Commander! I have urgent news, so I am contacting you like this……!

To summarize the flustered content of the message, it was simple. Akshan Demon Hunters had appeared in the Zero Mountain Range, and they were fighting against players.

I don’t know about Nam Cheol-min, but I wasn’t surprised. ‘They must have been in the middle of an Exorcism Ritual.’

Well, it was understandable to be mistaken. Still, during an Exorcism Ritual, a Demon Hunter’s attacks only deal damage to demons. Players wouldn’t take any damage.

Besides, ‘Why else would a Demon Hunter be treated as a trash class?’ Without a natural enemy relationship, a Demon Hunter’s combat power was more insignificant than any other class. To speak bluntly, if they fought against players, they’d probably lose every time. If they were materialized Demon Hunters from a legend and not real ones, it would be even worse.

‘Let’s see.’ As I checked the next text, as expected, he wasn’t an analyst for nothing. It was practically a text broadcast. It was vivid enough that I could picture the situation in my head just by reading.

Bzzzt─! Furthermore, that broadcast was currently ongoing. ─Th-The last Demon Hunter has fallen……!

As expected, Nam Cheol-min would have been surprised, but there was nothing to worry about either. A system message popped up before my eyes. [Materialization is canceled.] An immediate reaction came.

─……B-But they disappeared without a trace?! ‘Anyway, it would be impossible to explain this in words.’

For now, let’s go. I put my smartphone away at that point and drew up mana. First of all, the situation needed to be sorted out. Currently, the Zero Mountain Range was unintentionally in chaos.

‘I must be the only one who can clean it up.’ Let’s organize the flow of events. Players enchanted by the mixed-blood demon blocked the Demon Hunters. The mixed-blood demon, presumably the woman called Queen, suddenly disappeared. The continuous battle amidst the tangled Demon Hunters, monsters, and players. The fallen Demon Hunters disappeared without leaving even corpses. Fortunately amidst misfortune, all players were freed from the status effect…… ‘It looks like it’s roughly concluded but’

It wasn’t over yet. The high-level monsters that came down from the highlands would still remain. They had to be cleaned up before they became a threat to low-level players.

‘Did I lose it for now?’ Actually, a big shot like a mixed-blood demon, I didn’t think it could be easily hunted. But there was no need to be anxious either. Because I gained information unlike just before, right?

“Running away, it’s a futile effort.” Akshan’s reliable guardian spirit, Tempest. If it was Tempest who had tracked the Primordial Evil, he would easily be able to track the mixed-blood demon from the remaining presence. Let’s see, to clean up the situation…… This, the evening schedule looks like the time will be tight.

‘Let’s hurry.’ Entered the portal. As my vision changed, loud noises welcomed me. Players and monsters tangled together, shouting.

“What exactly happened?!” “If you’ve come to your senses, pick up your equipment first! It seems Akshan saved us. Don’t let that sacrifice be in vain!”

“……Akshan saved us? Then that status effect message was a demon’s doing? Crazy, then why don’t I remember anything……” “Damn it, it’s a pack of mountain wolves!!”

Indeed, it felt real that a demon had swept through. It meant it was a complete mess. However, it was not a problem. I drew up mana.

‘Anyway.’ There was no ‘moderation’ in Granfel’s dictionary. What I was preparing was none other than the twilight magic I had just observed and learned. By the way, wasn’t this the first time since awakening as a player that my head was complicated while manifesting magic?

It felt like I was forcing it that much. ‘As expected, it’s not clothes that fit me.’ Descendants of Twilight. And having a quest line related to the Descendants of Twilight, twilight magic would be something only the Great Mage class could manifest.

But how could Granfel’s stubbornness be ordinary? Wooooo─ The purple mana blooming faintly before my eyes. It seemed I finally managed to pull it off this time too by pushing through with absurd settings.

A message popped up. [The First World Tree’s Blessing rejects the ‘Curse of Twilight’.] Curse of Twilight, huh. I couldn’t tell the effect of the debuff because it was rejected, but I could guess why it popped up before my eyes. It must be a warning about wearing clothes that didn’t fit. But with the [First World Tree’s Blessing] active, did it look like I would care?

I opened my mouth arrogantly. “Do not dare try to sway me.” It was a soliloquy directed at the debuff. Could those listening possibly guess that?

Eventually, the players who noticed me were startled. “L-L-Lee Ho-yeol!”

“Try to sway me……? Could it be he’s guessing the cause of the situation? No, more than that, was it Ho-yeol who moved Akshan?” “J-Just Homen.”

……The reaction that made even me startled was brief. Zzzzt─ Purple magic covered the area. Exploration by twilight mana, manifesting the interference of Pure Magic Studies. It was an unfamiliar utilization of twilight magic. “!”

The effect was certain. Despite [Natural Enemy] not being activated, with only magic, he subdued hundreds of monsters at once.

[You leveled up.] I couldn’t be happy even if my level, which hadn’t fluctuated much, rose. Obviously, right? I missed a whopping demon. It was not a situation Granfel’s temper could tolerate.

‘Before I blabber something out of anger.’ Let’s hurriedly summon Tempest and begin the pursuit. By the way, with so many people watching…… Do I have to say that bizarre full name, Tempest Over The Horizon, out loud……?

It was the moment I was agonizing, albeit briefly. ─Sir, excuse me for interrupting you with urgent words. Suddenly, a telepathy dug into my head. It was Marcelo’s voice.

Just like Nam Cheol-min, this was a rare occurrence. However, to put it the other way, it must have meant it was that urgent of a situation.

Marcelo didn’t say a word twice and immediately added the reason. See, there was a reason to skip the prior appointment, right? ─A demon has visited the Mage Tower on its own feet.