Episode 161
Chapter 55: The Remnants of the Dark Magic Council (Part 2)
Deep. Dark. Vast.
That was the first impression the academy’s wizards and cadets had upon entering the cave. Enya, too, seemed fascinated by the earth-element magic at work, turning her head this way and that to take in the cavern.
“They really made it wide, huh? For a bunch of lowly criminals,” one cadet muttered.
“Feels like there might be five hundred people in here, not just fifty. Were they trying to build a fortress or something?”
As some cadets casually voiced their thoughts, Jin’s mind was elsewhere.
‘No way this cave was made by just fifty third- or fourth-rank mages.’
Earth magic is incredibly versatile, used in all sorts of construction and engineering. Digging caves is one of its most common applications. Travelers often create small shelters to escape the rain, and eccentric mages sometimes spend years crafting research caves.
But a cave of this scale? That’s a whole different matter. Unlike a simple hollow, the ceiling and floor must be carefully reinforced with magic to prevent collapse, binding stone and soil meticulously.
‘The entrance alone is wider than the main hall of Lord Hawson’s castle. If it were just carving into a cliff, dozens of low-rank mages could manage it together… but this—’
Jin enhanced his senses, scrutinizing the floor, ceiling, and walls.
‘The texture is unnervingly uniform. This is definitely the work of a single person. And the soft, crumbly stone near the entrance—only someone truly masterful in earth magic could even attempt this.’
He glanced at Otern Melson’s back, curious how the lead mage would react.
‘If he’s really a seventh-rank mage, he should feel the disconnect.’
If he ordered them forward without hesitation again…
Then Otern was either a spy for the Dark Magic Council or deliberately putting the cadets in harm’s way.
Moments later, Otern began chanting a brief spell, raising his staff. The magic he unleashed was “Ground Detection.”
Jin had used this spell himself when tracking the Kinzello operatives who kidnapped Mesa on his first mission. Back then, he combined it with wind tracking for efficiency, but Otern was not one for simultaneous casting.
Thrum, thrum, thrum…
The magic rippled across the cave floor, probing its condition as it advanced.
“Looks like the ground detection is extending straight ahead. This might be a tunnel rather than a cave. Depth’s at least five hundred meters,” Otern said.
“What do you suggest, Lord Otern?” asked a sixth-rank mage, second-in-command.
“All cadets, advance with shields ready at all times. You, wait here with squads four and five. When Arts returns, join up and pursue.”
“Understood.”
“Don’t get too reckless. We’re waiting because he might get lost.”
Previously, Otern had feigned confusion to pull Arts and squads one through three out of formation. Now, he was pulling squads four and five and a sixth-rank mage aside.
The original force of thirty had dwindled to just fifteen cadets and Otern himself.
‘It’s clear now. He’s either a spy or deliberately sabotaging the mission.’
Most likely a spy.
Splitting the forces like this probably made it easier for the Dark Magic Council remnants to pick off the cadets one by one.
‘And the strict vegetarian suddenly eating meat…’
That raised the possibility that Otern Melson wasn’t the real Otern Melson. There was the case of Bubar Gaston and his transformation crimes.
Jin had information on Bubar, and in this life, he’d been attacked by zealous Ziphl followers who transformed into paladins as soon as he left Storm Castle.
So the thought that this might be a transformation crime crossed his mind.
‘Better keep watching for now.’
Though he was almost certain Otern was a spy, Jin had no intention of raising the alarm. Unless the cadets were his comrades or innocent civilians, their danger wasn’t really his concern.
Besides, Bimont was closer to Ziphl than to Runkandel. The cadets were, in effect, potential enemies.
And even if Otern revealed his true colors or a battle with the Dark Magic Council remnants broke out, Jin only needed to win or escape with Enya.
‘Fifty or so Dark Magic Council mages plus Otern? I can handle that alone.’
They walked on for a while longer.
Only the eerie sound of wind flowing through the cave filled the air; nothing else happened to break the monotony.
“Uh.”
So when a cadet at the front suddenly stopped and uttered a sound, everyone’s attention snapped.
The cadet’s body crumbled like a sandcastle, and a small pool of blood quickly formed on the ground. It became clear that an arrow, fired from an orc lurking in the darkness ahead, had pierced the cadet’s chest.
Yet the cadets didn’t immediately grasp the gravity of the situation.
‘It’s begun.’
An ambush!
Someone gasped upon seeing the orc emerge from the shadows.
Some rushed to the wounded cadet, casting healing spells; others raised shields to protect them. The rest gripped their staffs, scanning the surroundings.
Then Otern, raising his staff, struck the first cadet who had screamed.
“Ugh! Gah!”
He caused a backlash.
Whether Otern was the real Otern Melson or a spy transformed by Bubar, one thing was certain: he was a seventh-rank mage.
“Lord Otern!?”
“What are you doing?!”
Cadets near Otern stepped back, shocked by his sudden change. It was hard to believe what they were seeing.
“Lord Otern…!”
“Th-there are orcs… how many of them?”
From the darkness behind Otern, orcs began to emerge. To make matters worse, a group of humans in black robes followed.
The remnants of the Dark Magic Council. About fifty, just as the Seven-Colored Bird had reported.
“You’ve all worked hard to get this far,” Otern said quietly. The cadets’ eyes were filled with fear and confusion.
“L-Lord Otern! What is this… Are you really a spy for the Dark Magic Council?!”
“Unfortunately, yes. Favoritism in promotions? Ha… The academy kids never learn shame, do they?”
“Damn it!”
“You will all become test subjects for the Dark Magic Council.”
The cadets could only sense death looming.
Their enemies: fifty Dark Magic Council mages, twenty orcs, and a seventh-rank mage. Inside the cave, only fifteen cadets remained—thirteen now, since two had been struck by arrow and backlash.
“Ugh, ahh!”
“Damn!”
Some cadets, abandoning their gear, began to flee. Only Jin and Enya, disguised as cadets, stood their ground.
The orcs trained by the Dark Magic Council didn’t bother shooting arrows at their backs.
They knew running was pointless.
“Ha, ha, he loves chasing fleeing prey. Run all you want, you little pests. You’re useless as test subjects anyway.”
The path they had come through was still open, but soon the monsters who had been “playing” with two sixth-rank mages and cadets outside the cave entrance would return.
‘I didn’t expect things to go this hopelessly wrong. Hmph, Otern… Saying the academy kids never learn shame—he must be the fake transformed by Bubar.’
Jin let out a low sigh. He felt Enya trembling close beside him.
But she wasn’t just shaking—she was releasing her magic, ready to fight at any moment. Unlike the other cadets, who were paralyzed by despair and only looked around nervously.
Maura, Orel, and Chip all looked to Jin. They knew he was part of the Special Task Force of the First Magic Division and hoped he had a plan.
In truth, one Special Task Force member alone couldn’t take them all on. It was almost a relief to them that Jin wasn’t really a task force member.
“Brother, what do we do…? The cadets are going to die.”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry. Why worry about those who’ve tormented you?”
“Not all of them were like that. Most, yes, but maybe one or two were good people?”
“From now on, stay right by my side. Don’t take a single step away.”
They were a little far off, so neither the cadets nor the Dark Magic Council remnants could hear their whispered conversation.
Jin smiled as he adjusted Enya’s hood. He, too, kept his face hidden beneath a deep hood.
There were more enemies than expected, but it was still manageable.
‘The mage who made this cave… if I can take him out, the rest will be easy. It’s probably not Otern, but one of those robed figures.’
That mage was definitely among the fifty Dark Magic Council mages. They all wore identical black robes, making it impossible to identify him at a glance.
But soon enough, Jin would find out. He had already perfected a spell to subdue them.
“Y-You really think you’ll get away with this… Otern!”
“A cliché line. Well then, shall I try? Surrender quietly, and I’ll show you the mercy of sparing your lives. But those who resist pointlessly will suffer a gruesome fate.”
Caught between options, the cadets exchanged uneasy glances, shifting their eyes between each other and the enemy. The fleeing thralls had already vanished from sight.
Just as some cadets were about to follow the path the thralls had taken—
“It’s better not to run, cadets,” Jin stepped forward. “In my opinion, those thralls who fled won’t survive. They’ve gone too deep, and it seems there’s something out there waiting for them.”
The remnants of the Dark Magic Society, the orcs, and all the cadets turned their gaze to Jin.
“Oh? The only thrall who didn’t run. Have you given up and lost your mind? How dare a mere thrall call me ‘that guy’—”
Crack!
Jin slammed his staff against the ground.
A pre-prepared formula glowed beneath his feet, and magical energy began to flow from the runes etched across his back.
Whoooosh, Kaaaaaang…!
Kiiiiiiing!
In an instant, the pure white magic coalesced into a massive sphere, filling the cavern’s ceiling.
The cadets stared at the sphere for a moment before collapsing, foaming at the mouth.
Most of the Dark Magic Society’s mages were similarly incapacitated—except unlike the cadets, they began bleeding profusely, trembling violently. Jin had focused the sphere’s power directly on them.
Otern, caught off guard by the unexpected “Grand Magic,” could only whisper in a trembling voice:
“Th-this… could it be the Kiddath Hall’s…!?”
Reverse Heaven.
The ultimate spell of reverse-flow magic.
From the moment Jin mastered it, the Grand Magic lexicon was no longer just a matter of numbers for him.