Episode 52
The one small relief was that the beasts appearing in this trial weren’t very agile.
The rank of a beast was determined by its overall abilities. These creatures were strong, no doubt, but compared to other Grade 4 beasts, their movements were sluggish. So if you made up your mind to dodge them, you could just barely hold out.
Of course, barely dodging was all you could manage, and one slip-up would mean a fatal blow.
‘He really is good at dodging.’
Through the video orb, Chris’s movements were visible.
He was weaving and dodging with a delicate, almost daring finesse.
[He definitely has talent. His movements are completely different from the others.]
Nordian’s voice carried a hint of admiration.
[But he’s too clever. He’s predicting and avoiding every move the beasts make. To truly feel the essence of Dark Magic, he’d need to be pushed to the absolute limit.]
Nordian’s hope for this trial was simple.
Before beginning formal instruction, he wanted Chris to experience the essence of Dark Magic firsthand under extreme conditions.
Feeling the core of Dark Magic just before fully entering its study was a priceless experience.
‘Dark Magic is a tremendous power. If one could perfectly perceive and wield its essence, that alone might be enough to bring down these beasts.’
Of course, that was a very advanced skill.
Most Dark Mages never reach that level, even after a lifetime of practice.
Nordian had designed this trial to lay the foundation for that path of growth.
‘But at this rate… he won’t even feel the essence of Dark Magic…’
Just as he was thinking this with some displeasure, something unexpected happened.
Boom!
One of the Twin Head Bears collapsed.
“!!”
[?!]
Merian and Nordian’s eyes widened.
It was completely out of nowhere.
“Could it be that Lord Gaju intervened?”
[…No.]
“Then how?”
Nordian couldn’t answer.
He stared intently at the video orb, unable to believe what he had just seen.
‘That just now…? No, it can’t be.’
Before the Twin Head Bear fell, Christian’s hand had lightly touched its back.
Not an attack, just a touch.
And yet the beast collapsed.
There was only one explanation.
Nordian knew how such a phenomenon could occur.
It was impossible.
There was no way someone who hadn’t even begun studying Dark Magic could do that.
But then—
Boom!
Another loud crash.
The second Twin Head Bear fell.
The room fell silent.
This time, even Merian recognized what had happened.
“Lord Gaju… could it be that just now was—?”
[…….]
Instead of Nordian, who had fallen silent, Simon, standing quietly nearby, smiled wryly.
“That looks like the technique Lord Gaju favored. ‘Dark… Death’ or something like that?”
“…….”
No.
It was impossible.
But even Nordian had to admit that the technique Christian had just used was indeed ‘Dark Death.’
He had told Chris to feel the essence of Dark Magic, and now Chris had skipped dozens of steps, using an advanced technique!
And the surprises didn’t end there.
Watching what Chris did next, Merian, forgetting she was standing next to the Lord Gaju, muttered under her breath,
“…Insane?”
‘As expected of Lord Gaju. True to his reputation. This is excellent teaching.’
Chris admired inwardly.
At first, when the difficult beasts appeared, he had been puzzled.
Why assign such a dangerous trial?
It seemed only risky.
But it wasn’t that at all.
Nordian, as the strongest Dark Mage, had given exactly the right challenge.
‘He wanted me to use Dark Magic to take down these beasts!’
That wasn’t the intended lesson.
But Chris misunderstood.
It seemed possible.
‘The only thing I have over these beasts is Dark Magic.’
So he had to use Dark Magic as a weapon.
That must be the answer to the trial.
…Even though that wasn’t the case, Chris misunderstood and found his own solution.
‘The nature of Dark Magic is pure darkness. And domination.’
What Nordian didn’t realize was that Chris had already perfectly grasped the essence of Dark Magic.
Not through knowledge, but instinctively, imprinted in his body as he absorbed the Holy Light fully.
‘Darkness and domination. How do I use that as a weapon?’
It didn’t take long to find the answer.
Beasts also contain magic.
You have to subjugate that magic.
‘It won’t be easy. But against these beasts, it should work.’
Chris was impressed by Nordian’s consideration.
The beasts that appeared now were powerful and physically tough, but slow and weak against magic resistance.
Originally, they were chosen to push Chris physically to the limit, but instead, they became perfect targets for practicing Dark Magic.
At first, it didn’t go well.
He couldn’t quite grasp how to dominate the opponent’s magic.
No one had taught him.
But Chris slowly found a clue on his own.
‘You have to release the Dark Magic temporarily. Let it run wild.’
Dark Magic naturally tries to dominate other magic.
But if you try to force that domination artificially, it doesn’t work.
So what then?
You let go of control for a moment.
Let the Dark Magic run free.
Of course, it couldn’t stop there.
If the Dark Magic ran wild too much, the opponent’s magic would fiercely resist, and you’d lose control.
The moment the Dark Magic exerted domination, you had to immediately regain control and adjust it to move the opponent’s magic as you wished.
It was like a tightrope act.
But after a few tries, he began to get the hang of it.
‘You don’t need to dominate the entire core of the opponent’s magic. Just control the magic flowing to the vital organs.’
For example, the heart. Or the brain. If you control the magic flowing there and briefly stop the organ’s movement, you can take down the opponent with only a small amount of magic.
As expected, the Twin Head Bear lost consciousness and collapsed with a thud.
‘This is the best training for Dark Magic.’
Chris was amazed.
In reality, it was a difficult technique to use on other mages.
They wouldn’t just stand there like that bear.
But against beasts with strong physical power but slow movement and weak magic resistance, it was a powerful move.
Above all, it was excellent training for handling Dark Magic.
‘As expected of Lord Gaju. He gave this trial to train me in Dark Magic. Next up, the Rock Lizard.’
It was a lizard with skin like stone.
Physically, whether by magic or weapons, it was nearly impossible to damage.
‘He wants me to take this down with Dark Magic too. How should I do it?’
Simply controlling the magic flowing to vital points wouldn’t work.
Unlike the Twin Head Bear, its organs were different.
It had three hearts, and they were made of stone. They wouldn’t stop easily.
‘Then…’
Christian’s eyes gleamed.
He approached the Rock Lizard’s blind spot.
Once again, an unbelievable scene began to unfold.
“…….”
[…….]
Merian and Nordian were silent.
‘Am I really seeing this correctly?’
Merian thought, bewildered.
Nordian said nothing, but his thoughts were obvious.
Something impossible was happening.
Simon shrugged his shoulders and spoke cheerfully.
“Oh? This is an advanced version. Not just temporarily stopping some organ functions, but disrupting the flow of magic to deal widespread damage to the entire body.”
In other words,
What Christian had just done was this:
He temporarily ‘stopped’ the flow of magic running through the Rock Lizard’s blood vessels.
How?
Even Dark Magic can’t dominate the entire flow of an opponent’s magic.
Chris had seized control of the magic at intervals, cutting the flow into segments.
It was like a line of carriages moving in a row, and he stopped some of the carriages in the middle.
The number of stopped carriages wasn’t large.
But Chris cleverly broke the flow in a continuous pattern.
The confusion in the front carriages quickly spread to the ones behind.
In this way, the entire procession of magic was shut down.
“…Merian, did you teach him this?”
“…No.”
“…I thought so. You can’t learn something like this just by being taught.”
Right after acquiring Dark Magic, it’s hard even to move it properly inside your body.
That’s why Dark Magic training exists.
But what was this?
‘…It’s like he’s controlling his limbs.’
Merian swallowed hard.
Moreover, Chris’s insane display was evolving as time passed.
Soon, the same type of beasts that Nordian had pre-selected appeared, and Chris, as if practicing his Dark Magic, gleefully began taking them down.
With each round, his movements became faster and more efficient than before.
“At this rate, is there even a need to learn Dark Magic techniques?”
Dark Magic techniques were meant to help control Dark Magic.
Simon smiled wryly and asked,
“You seem to be handling Dark Magic much better already.”
“…….”
Silence filled the room.
Only the image of Chris happily defeating the beasts played on the screen.
After a long while, Nordian slowly spoke.
[The trial is over.]
At the same moment, Chris was summoned back to the training ground in a swirl of darkness.
Chris was momentarily stunned, then bowed his head toward Nordian.
“Thank you, Head of the House, for assigning me such a challenging task. Thanks to you, I was able to achieve a small victory.”
Nordian’s expression upon hearing that was… hard to describe.
It was as if he were staring at something utterly bizarre.
Merian understood why.
He probably wore a similar look himself.
The heir of the family had just accomplished something remarkable, so naturally, he should have been pleased… but perhaps it was precisely because it was so extraordinary that he felt unsettled first.
‘…I nearly died trying to complete that task.’
Chris tilted his head, puzzled by their reactions. Only Simon was quietly stifling a chuckle.
“Head of the House?”
[…Yes. I saw what you did. You performed better than I expected.]
“That’s too kind of you to say. It was your excellent task that made it possible.”
Nordian fell silent again.
He had told his grandson to face an extreme situation, but now he was at a loss for words toward the boy who had ended up toying with the monsters instead.
Even if Nordian himself were sent back in time, he doubted he could have pulled off what Chris had.
‘…Is he truly a genius?’
Nordian decided to admit it.
This wild, reckless grandson’s talent far exceeded his expectations.
And with that thought, his heart suddenly quickened.
How long had he waited for a bloodline like this?
His other children and grandchildren—
Though they were his flesh and blood, none had met his standards.
He had no real expectations left.
But with this kind of talent, maybe—just maybe—he could finally fulfill his long-cherished wish.
Yet.
Nordian’s face hardened.
‘He’s still only taking his first steps.’