Chapter 23
[The Curse of Exhaustion]

It was a curse that drained an opponent’s energy, leaving them utterly spent.

Though a basic one-star black magic curse, she wielded it with the power of a three-star mage.

Naturally, the difference in strength was glaring.

Yet Chris didn’t flinch.

Then something astonishing happened.

Shatter!

A black barrier sprang up, deflecting the curse.

It was the three-star defensive black magic known as the Shield of Darkness.

But Chris hadn’t cast it himself.

Darkness was flowing out from his necklace.

“An artifact?”

“Yes. I stole it from the family vault. It blocks all black magic of three stars or below.”

Count Kazar’s face twisted in surprise.

That artifact had been hidden away in the vault—he had no idea when it was taken.

“I happen to be quite skilled at thievery. The vault’s security was laughably weak.”

Chris grinned slyly.

“Well, this is acceptable, isn’t it? We agreed to fight as if it were real combat. In real battles, gear counts as skill.”

Merin let out a bitter laugh.

It was a weak excuse, but not entirely false.

If this were truly a real fight, no one could fault him for using such an artifact.

But Merin didn’t know the half of it.

This was only the beginning of Chris’s prepared arsenal.

“Time to show the true power of gear!”

More precisely, the power of money.

Chris had used the money he extorted from a corrupt merchant to acquire several artifacts.

He pulled a murky-colored orb from his sleeve and hurled it.

Shatter!

The orb exploded midair, releasing a cloud of black smoke.

It was poison magic—the specialty of a poison mage!

Merin stepped back, narrowly avoiding the toxic radius.

But Chris’s barrage didn’t stop there.

Predicting her movement, he pulled out another orb and threw it in her direction.

This time, it was the destructive black magic ‘Flames of Darkness.’

Similar to the white magic ‘Fireball,’ but with a difference: it exploded around the target, darkening the surroundings.

True to black magic’s nature, it carried a sinister, disorienting effect.

Merin’s vision momentarily plunged into darkness.

And Chris wasn’t done yet.

He threw a final orb—an ominous red one.

A two-star curse black magic: ‘Decay of the Rusted Blade.’

“!!”

This curse weakened the durability of the opponent’s weapon, causing it to corrode and break.

The problem was that her vision was still impaired, causing her to react a step late.

This was an area-effect curse; once caught in its range, evasion was impossible.

Crackle.

The sword Merin held began corroding instantly.

“Tricks…”

But Merin remained composed.

She summoned her mana to resist the curse.

After all, it was only a two-star curse—she could easily shake it off.

Then something unexpected happened.

Chris emerged through the smoke of the Flames of Darkness and swung his holy sword!

Clang!

She blocked it without much trouble, but there was a problem.

The mana she had gathered to resist the curse scattered because of the holy sword’s strike.

With her mana dispersed, the curse corroded her blade.

“Damn it!”

Merin’s expression hardened.

Her sword was made of exceptional material, so it wouldn’t break outright, but its durability was definitely compromised.

And with a weakened sword, she couldn’t block the holy sword.

Shatter!!

Chris’s sword struck again, breaking Merin’s blade.

“Good!”

Merin’s face twisted in frustration.

Her specialty was the sword.

Though she had learned hand-to-hand combat, it was no match for her swordsmanship.

Her other specialty, curse magic, was useless against Chris’s defensive artifact.

Her combat effectiveness had plummeted in an instant.

“With both hands effectively tied, I suppose this counts as three-star level strength? Far below four-star.”

That meant victory was within reach.

“This is my win.”

Chris’s eyes flashed with fierce determination.

His sword pressed Merin back.

It was a strange sight.

Merin was a powerful mage.

Even with her strength suppressed, her physical abilities and mana control far surpassed Chris’s.

Yet she was the one being pushed back.

Her faster, stronger attacks were repeatedly blocked by Chris’s sword.

Meanwhile, his slower, weaker strikes kept catching Merin off guard.

“!!”

Merin twisted her shoulder in surprise.

She had nearly been cut.

In truth, someone of her caliber could take a sword strike to the body without harm, thanks to mana defense.

But this was a holy sword.

It could pierce through mana and inflict a fatal wound.

“Am I… losing?”

Merin’s eyes wavered.

No, it was worse than that.

Unthinkably, she might actually lose.

Her heart pounded at the thought.

“Damn, this feels amazing.”

Merin was a pure battle fiend who found pleasure in fighting strong opponents.

Her heart trembled at Chris’s insane talent.

“I will definitely crush you.”

Her eyes went wild.

So caught up in the heat of battle, she forgot that her opponent was the young master.

All she could think about was defeating this genius and forcing him to kneel.

That thought consumed her mind, and her attacks grew fiercer than before.

Unlike before, when she held back to avoid fatal blows, now she fought with all her might.

“!!”

“W-Watch out!!”

The onlookers gasped in alarm.

Merian frowned deeply.

“Merin’s lost control. I have to stop her.”

Merin was from the main family.

Merian knew her well.

When excited, she was reckless—a mad, or rather, a battle-crazed lunatic.

If left unchecked, she could cause serious trouble.

“I’ll stop her.”

“…Please.”

Count Kazar nodded in agreement, but Merian hesitated.

Chris was faintly smiling.

Despite being pushed back by the fierce assault.

It was the smile of a victor.

“What’s he up to? Trying to exploit her reckless moment?”

But that was a misjudgment.

Merin wasn’t a careless mage.

Despite her excitement, she maintained cold rationality.

Chris knew this well.

Still.

He looked into Merin’s eyes.

They gleamed with savage intensity.

The look of a predator ready to bite the moment prey shows the slightest weakness.

If that was the case, the way to bring Merin down was clear.

Make her rush in recklessly.

“No half-baked traps. I need to show a real opening.”

Chris acted immediately.

He stumbled.

His stance wavered.

He hurried to regain his posture, but it was too late.

Merin didn’t miss the brief opening.

It was a gap no skilled fighter could overlook.

She threw a mana-wreathed punch.

She thought it was over.

No one could respond properly to such a faltering stance.

Everyone in the arena thought the same.

But Chris’s battle sense was far beyond their expectations.

Something incredible happened.

Despite his stumble and twisted stance, Chris countered her attack.

With his sword hand empty, he reached out toward her fist.

“What’s he trying to do?”

Merin wondered.

Her fist was wrapped in mana.

Blocking it barehanded would only cause serious injury.

Everyone watching shared the same question.

Then, as her fist and Chris’s palm met—

Chris’s hand slid forward.

His open palm grazed Merin’s mana, and he lightly touched her wrist.

That simple move disrupted the trajectory of her punch.

It barely missed Chris’s body.

“Parry!”

Merin’s eyes, and those of everyone else, widened.

He had performed an unbelievable feat despite his faltering stance!

That was the turning point.

The situation reversed.

Chris fully regained his posture, while Merin’s stance faltered.

Chris seized the opening.

The outcome was decided.

Thud.

The holy sword touched Merin’s neck.

“……”

The arena fell silent.

No one dared speak.

All eyes stared, wide and unblinking, at Chris’s sword pressed against Merin’s throat.

They thought they were hallucinating.

But no—it was real.

A one-star novice had forced a four-star, upper-tier mage to her knees!

No matter how many artifacts he wielded or what tricks he used, it was unbelievable.

Chris shrugged.

His calm voice echoed through the arena.

“I’ve won, haven’t I?”

“!!”

He then spoke to Merin, who stood frozen.

“Was it a satisfying duel?”

“!!”

Merin clenched her lips tight.

Satisfying?

How could he say that?

She looked down at her arm.

Goosebumps rose from the thrill she’d just felt, and the excitement from witnessing Chris’s insane talent throughout the fight hadn’t faded.

“Judging by your expression, it seems you found the duel satisfying. Think carefully about the proposal I made to the deputy commander earlier, and give me your answer soon. Though I won, I will respect the deputy commander’s decision.”

He was asking her to decide whether to pledge loyalty to him.

Though victorious, he didn’t force the issue.

Loyalty couldn’t be coerced; he wanted her to genuinely join his side.

“Even without forcing it, it seems she’s already leaning that way.”

Chris gazed into Merin’s unsettled eyes.

Indeed, Melin spoke up.

“No, I’ll tell you now.”

She glanced at Chris for a moment.

“If I were to serve under you, young master, would you still be willing to spar with me like this in the future?”

There was a reason behind Melin’s decision.

She was curious.

‘Just how strong will he become?’

Even at the mere rank of one star, he sent shivers down her spine.

If Chris grew stronger—much stronger—how incredible would the thrill be?

That thought settled everything.

No other nobleman could ever give her this kind of excitement.

“Anytime,” Chris said, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“But there’s one thing you should keep in mind.”

“What’s that?”

“That I will soon surpass the vice-captain.”

“!!”

“And as time goes on, the gap will only widen. The vice-captain won’t be a match for me. But if you can handle that despair, I’ll spar with you as much as you want.”

Melin almost burst out laughing.

Chris was barely a one-star novice.

And yet, here he was, making such a bold claim to someone like her, a four-star mage.

But the problem was—it didn’t sound entirely wrong.

Even now, Chris’s presence was astonishing.

Before long, he would soar far beyond her reach, flying into a realm she couldn’t even see.

‘That, in its own way, will be fun.’

Melin chuckled softly.

Feeling relieved, she replied, “Come find me once you’ve officially become a nobleman. I can only serve under you after you’ve earned that title.”

It was an acceptance!

After that, Chris turned to Marian, who was watching him with wide, shocked eyes—so different from before.

“How did you find it, Aunt?”

“!!”

Chris grinned.

“So, does that mean I have your approval too?”