Chapter 9: The Dark Sorcerer (Part 2)
Damian Haxen followed the trail of his tracking spell, hot on the heels of the dark sorcerer.
The spell led him to a forest adjacent to the estate—a place where the locals often gathered mushrooms and herbs.
“Farther than I expected,” he mused.
Dark magic, especially curses, became less effective over long distances. For the sorcerer to have set up so far from the manor meant he was confident in his abilities.
“This one might be dangerous,” Damian muttered, stepping deeper into the woods.
He reached the heart of the forest when the tracking spell abruptly vanished.
“It should be around here somewhere…”
Damian stopped, scanning the area. Nothing but fallen leaves and trees surrounded him.
“Must be hiding somewhere.”
Dark sorcerers, often hunted by the church for their ties to demons, were adept at concealing themselves and their lairs.
“Let’s see…”
Damian began a meticulous search, examining tree trunks and seemingly ordinary rocks.
After a while, he paused, sensing something odd beneath his feet. He knelt to inspect the ground.
“An illusion?”
It wasn’t just any illusion; it had a tangible presence.
“Definitely a dangerous one.”
Thanks to the extensive knowledge of dark magic imparted by Dorgo, Damian quickly deciphered the spell’s structure.
“Found it.”
He drove his longsword into the core of the spell, shattering it. The illusion dissipated, revealing a staircase.
Damian descended. At the bottom, a vast cavern unfolded before him.
A strange, unsettling laugh echoed through the space. Damian quickly hid behind a wall.
“The boss of the Black Serpent, that fool. He actually brought me everything I asked for.”
A small man was gloating, his voice filled with glee.
Damian observed the man.
Barely over 150 cm, with spindly limbs devoid of muscle—a typical wizard’s physique.
‘Strange. He doesn’t seem that dangerous.’
Contrary to Damian’s expectations, the dark sorcerer didn’t exude an overwhelming aura.
‘Is he hiding his power? No, I would have noticed.’
Damian’s observational skills were beyond expert. Even if the sorcerer concealed his strength, Damian would have detected it.
‘Better keep watching.’
Damian continued to observe, keeping his presence hidden.
“With this much, I won’t have to worry about experiment materials for a while.”
The sorcerer surveyed the items scattered around the cavern—jars filled with animal entrails and blood, various herbs strewn about.
“Still, it’s a shame. Reduced to taking on such lowly tasks.”
The sorcerer grumbled, displeased.
“If it weren’t for the church hunting me, I wouldn’t have to deal with this nonsense… Damn it.”
He grabbed a bottle of wine from the table, drinking straight from it without bothering with a glass.
“Ah, it’s a bit dull, but not bad. I can avoid the church’s gaze and finally conduct the experiments I’ve only dreamed of.”
The sorcerer quickly emptied the bottle, his tolerance for alcohol apparent.
“Still, it’s lonely being by myself.”
He glanced around the cave, lost in thought.
“Come to think of it, that noble’s eldest daughter was quite the beauty.”
The sorcerer stroked his chin, a sinister smile spreading across his face.
“No, not just quite. A gem like her is rare even in the capital. Who would’ve thought such a treasure would be in this backwater?”
His eyes gleamed with a disturbing intent.
“The family’s doomed anyway. Might as well kidnap her and have some fun.”
Perhaps because he thought no one was listening, the sorcerer spewed vile words about Louise Haxen.
‘What the hell is this bastard saying?’
Unbeknownst to him, Damian was there, listening.
‘My sister… what?’
In his past life, Louise Haxen had worried about Damian until her dying breath. She was the family member he felt most compelled to atone to.
Hearing such filth about her ignited a fury within him.
Deliberately making his footsteps loud, Damian entered the cavern.
“Who goes there?”
The sorcerer spun around, eyes widening as he recognized Damian.
“You… you’re the eldest son of the Haxen family.”
The sorcerer’s eyes narrowed.
“They warned me at the Black Serpent to be cautious of you, having killed dozens on your own… How did you find this place?”
“Why is a dead man so curious?”
“Dead? Who, me?”
Damian drew the longsword his father had given him.
“You know what’s coming. Just offer your neck and wait.”
“You’re a real piece of work.”
The sorcerer’s lips twisted into a sneer.
“I’ve decided. I’ll make you my test subject and torment you endlessly.”
As the sorcerer raised his hand, black energy coalesced in the air, forming dozens of projectiles aimed at Damian.
As the dark projectiles launched, hundreds of ways to kill the sorcerer flashed through Damian’s mind.
He could slice through the projectiles and drive his sword into the sorcerer’s heart, or deflect them back at him.
But an unexpected phenomenon made him forget all those plans.
A red light emanated from the back of Damian’s left hand.
“Could it be…?”
Startled, Damian examined his hand.
Glowing letters appeared on his skin, causing his eyes to widen in shock.
“A power…?”
As Damian shouted in disbelief, the projectiles reached him.
Yet not a single one touched him. They disintegrated into dark energy before impact.
“Wh-what?”
The sorcerer stared, bewildered, at his own hand.
“Did I get drunk in the meantime? I’m missing my mark.”
He conjured more projectiles, doubling their number, and sent them hurtling toward Damian.
Damian reached out, and the projectiles vanished before they could even approach.
“Who… what are you? How are you interfering with my magic?”
The sorcerer shouted, his face a mask of shock.
Damian had no time to answer.
‘How is this power still with me?’
Dorgo had intended to make Damian an ultimate weapon. Even after granting him the strongest body and the best magic, he wasn’t satisfied.
So he transferred the power from ancient relics he had collected into Damian’s body.
Thus, Damian acquired seven powers.
Each power was so formidable that even Dorgo struggled to control them.
The power Damian had just used was the Power of Greed.
‘This can’t be. The power shouldn’t still be here.’
Damian didn’t know the exact nature of the powers. But he assumed they were lost when he lost his Death Knight body and dark magic during his return.
‘Is it really the Power of Greed?’
The Power of Greed could dismantle anything made of magic and absorb its strength.
If this was indeed the Power of Greed, it wouldn’t just destroy the projectiles but also absorb the dark energy.
Damian reached out into the air. The scattered dark energy from the disintegrated projectiles gathered around him.
‘Unbelievable…’
It was true. All seven powers remained intact within Damian.
“I see! You’re a dark sorcerer too! That’s how you killed all those people—using dark magic!”
The sorcerer sighed in relief.
“Meeting a fellow practitioner in a place like this… It’s rare for a noble to be a dark sorcerer. Who taught you? Your skills are impressive.”
Damian looked at the sorcerer as if he were spouting nonsense.
Instead of answering, he used the gathered dark energy to create his own projectiles.
“What are you trying to do…?”
Damian launched the projectiles at the sorcerer.
The sorcerer hastily conjured a shield to block them.
“What are you doing? Why are you attacking me?”
“Why am I attacking you?”
Damian replied, his expression incredulous.
“You took orders from the Black Serpent and cursed our family’s lands. Isn’t that reason enough for you to die?”
“We’re both dark sorcerers, aren’t we?”
“Who said we’re the same kind of sorcerer?”
Damian Haxen frowned.
“The thing I hate most in this world is a dark sorcerer. I want to tear them apart the moment I see them.”
The one who ruined Damian Haxen’s life was a dark sorcerer.
Given that, it was impossible for him to have any good feelings toward them.
“What? But you just said—”
“Enough with the nonsense. Prepare to die.”
Damian Haxen drew his longsword. His curiosity was satisfied; now it was time to finish things.
”…I don’t know what you are, but—”
Dark energy began to surge from the sorcerer’s body.
“If you intend to kill me, I can’t forgive you, even if you are a fellow sorcerer!”
“I told you, I’m not.”
The dark sorcerer formed a hand sign with both hands.
“Standing before a curse school sorcerer is akin to suicide.”
In an instant, the dark energy vanished.
It hadn’t truly disappeared; it was merely consumed to cast a spell.
Gray smoke rose from beneath the sorcerer’s feet.
Strangely, the smoke had a mouth with sharp teeth.
“May your joints rot and kill you.”
The gray smoke enveloped Damian Haxen, its sharp teeth biting into him.
He felt no actual pain, but something was seeping into him through those teeth.
‘A corrosion curse, is it?’
During his time as a death knight, Damian Haxen often used curses.
There was nothing better for fighting large numbers of enemies.
Even an army of tens of thousands could crumble under a well-placed curse.
‘It’s a high-level curse. If it weren’t for me, it would have been quite effective.’
Damian Haxen unleashed the power of greed.
The gray smoke disintegrated in an instant.
The broken-down dark magic was converted into dark energy.
Damian absorbed all of it.
”…”
The dark sorcerer’s face hardened as he watched his magic unravel.
”…What are you, really?”
“Damian Haxen.”
“I mean your ‘real’ identity! Who are you to be impersonating Damian Haxen?”
This was yet another absurd accusation.
“Now I’m being called a fake. I am the real Damian Haxen.”
“What nonsense…! Not only did you dispel my magic, but you also absorbed my dark energy! Only a high-level dark sorcerer could do that!”
The dark sorcerer shouted, his voice tinged with frustration.
After a moment of heavy breathing, he calmed down slightly.
”…Fine.”
Grinding his teeth, the sorcerer continued.
“If you won’t reveal your identity, I’ll force it out of you.”
He removed a bracelet he was wearing.
In that moment, the entire cavern was swallowed in darkness.