Chapter 163
Episode 55: The Remnants of the Dark Magic Council (4)
A towering figure nearly three meters tall, his massive yet sleek body covered in pure white fur, and eyes that truly lived up to his name—wolf-like and piercing. Among the White Wolf tribe, he was on the larger side.
The grotesque hammer slung over his shoulder was stained with blood—a grim testament to the massacre of the mages outside the cave.
“So that’s why the fake Otern said he liked living toys,” Jin thought to himself.
The White Wolf tribe, a quintessential warrior beastfolk race, usually regarded humans as nothing more than prey or playthings—unless the situation or opponent was exceptional.
“Whoa, what on earth happened here? This is a complete mess!”
The White Wolf clicked his tongue, scanning the scene. His expression shifted through a range of emotions as he looked at the fallen Dark Magic Council mages sprawled across the cave floor.
Though clearly taken aback by the chaos, he showed no fear—not even when he saw nearly fifty of his subordinates either dead or unconscious.
“Hey, whose head is that? Oh, it’s Rolt’s, huh? Hah, unbelievable. Let’s see… judging by the atmosphere, it doesn’t look like a betrayal.”
The moment he appeared, Enya stiffened, raising her staff with a grim expression. But there was no trembling fear—only a fierce determination to fight.
“Enya’s going to learn a lot from this,” Jin thought, hoping they could get through this and return safely to Tikan.
With exaggerated, almost theatrical gestures, the White Wolf pointed at the two of them.
“You two brats! This is your doing, isn’t it? I’m sure of it—there’s no way I’m wrong. You caused a magical backlash, didn’t you? Rolt mentioned there was a human mage who was a master at causing backlash.”
It was common knowledge that mages or warriors caught in a backlash would foam at the mouth and collapse.
His fingers, long and thick like iron rods, pointed at Jin and Enya. Jin just shrugged and met his gaze.
“Hah! Look at me—young and blue, yet with a pretty decent look in my eyes! You should be a little scared of me, don’t you think?”
Naturally, the White Wolf assumed Jin was a mage.
After all, Jin had beheaded Rolt and immediately sheathed his sword, hiding it beneath his robe. There was no advantage in advertising himself as a magic swordsman to the enemy.
So the White Wolf saw Jin and Enya as pure mages.
“Well, I’ll decide if your name’s worth fearing after I hear it.”
Jin’s words made the White Wolf shiver, then clap his hands and let out a wolf-like howl.
“Impressive! You’re on a whole different level from the humans we were toying with and killing just moments ago. I like you. My name’s Goltep Hapalleb. It feels strange to say my name when we’re not about to have an honorable duel, haha.”
Jin breathed a quiet sigh of relief upon hearing the name.
‘He’s unusually big, so I thought he might be Tujad Riker or Byuto Wens, but thank goodness he’s not.’
Tujad Riker and Byuto Wens were among the White Wolf tribe’s most famous warriors, known for their massive size and near nine-star human-level strength—still too much for Jin to handle.
In any case, Jin had never heard the name Goltep Hapalleb before, even in his past life. That likely meant he wasn’t an especially outstanding warrior among the White Wolf tribe.
Still, even if he wasn’t Tujad or Byuto, the White Wolf tribe was a race born solely for battle and slaughter, so Jin couldn’t let his guard down.
“Goltep Hapalleb, huh? Never heard of you. I’m Jin Greyd. This is Austin Grey. But shouldn’t you be a little afraid? The two of us just wiped out your fellow mages.”
“Fellow? Aside from Rolt, they were just meat to fill the numbers. Don’t get cocky just because you killed some worthless trash like that.”
The White Wolf tribe specialized in countering magic. Their tough bodies were hard to damage with anything below six-star magic, and their fur had properties that repelled magical energy.
So Goltep wasn’t worried at all, even though he classified Jin and Enya as “extremely skilled mages.” He also assumed their magic reserves were nearly depleted.
After all, they’d caused backlash in over fifty mages, including Rolt and the fake Otern. That was the only logical conclusion.
“Now that Rolt’s dead, it’d be awkward for me to just leave, hmm…”
Goltep rubbed his head, then clapped again.
“Alright! Here’s a sweet offer. Since you’ve proven your skills by killing Rolt and the others… how about this? Instead of being crushed by my hammer and becoming my next meal, why not join Kinzelro?”
Jin’s eyes widened.
“Kinzelro…? Isn’t this the Dark Magic Council’s cave?”
“Ah, the Dark Magic Council is like a branch of Kinzelro. Kinzelro only accepts warriors, so mages belong to the Dark Magic Council.”
Jin had unexpectedly stumbled upon an interesting piece of information. Since the Seven-Colored Bird operatives had uncovered that Vishkel and Bubar belonged to Kinzelro, Jin had kept a close eye on the group.
‘Come to think of it, the White Wolf I faced on my first mission as a cadet, Kwajito Truka, also seemed to be part of Kinzelro. And the Dark Magic Council too.’
Kinzelro and the White Wolf tribe.
What was their connection? Jin had a hunch that perhaps the entire White Wolf tribe was linked to Kinzelro, and that Kinzelro was far more powerful than he’d imagined.
Just the Dark Magic Council alone had at least nine mages above eight-star level.
“So, you’d be joining the Dark Magic Council as an executive under Kinzelro. Filling Rolt’s spot would be perfect—I’d feel less awkward meeting the commander.”
“Who’s the commander of Kinzelro?”
“That’s something you find out after you become an executive. So, what do you say? Join us. I think you’re worth a lot more than those guys lying there. Especially you—you feel like a real prize.”
Jin shook his head.
“Rolt said the same thing to me. I’ve already been offered membership twice. Kinzelro must be pretty desperate for talent, huh? They hand out executive positions like candy.”
“There’s always a shortage of talent when it comes to turning the world upside down. And you said this is your second offer? Usually, there’s no third chance. Your life’s too valuable to waste already. My kindness ends here.”
Goltep’s smile vanished, and his aura flared.
The moment his energy stirred, the cave’s air grew heavy. Enya gritted her teeth and glared at Goltep, while Jin raised his staff diagonally.
“When Rolt told me to join him, do you know how I replied?”
“Tell me.”
“I don’t serve anyone weaker than me. That goes for you too. If you want me to join Kinzelro, you’ll have to beat me first. If I lose, I’ll seriously consider it.”
A murderous gleam flashed in Goltep’s eyes.
‘His energy is no joke, but for some reason, I don’t feel intimidated…’
Goltep drew the massive hammer from his back.
Thud!
The weapon, even larger than Luna’s axe-sword Krantel, hit the ground with a heavy, resonant sound.
“Not the sharpest tool in the shed, huh… I get your point. But I warned you—there’s no third chance. My goodwill’s run out. Only punishment remains.”
Whoosh!
As Goltep moved forward, Enya flinched and raised her staff. She’d been caught off guard by his speed. Even a four-star martial artist—or mage—would struggle to react to such velocity.
It was as if a dark shadow flickered and closed the distance in an instant. Only a six-star martial artist or higher could have responded, even clumsily.
Bang!
Goltep’s hammer slammed into Jin’s protective barrier. The first strike cracked it, the second broke one side, and the third forced Jin to conjure a new shield.
“Uooooh!”
In the brief moment the first shield shattered, Enya unleashed a wind blade. But her four-star wind magic was barely enough to scratch Goltep’s hide.
In that sense, Enya truly deserved the title of prodigy—she aimed the wind blade precisely at his eye instead of his body.
Targeting a fast-moving opponent’s eye with magic is no easy feat.
But Goltep merely scoffed.
Without even blocking, he opened his mouth and swallowed the wind blade whole. Even Jin was taken aback.
“So the girls aren’t much after all. Stop just putting up shields and show me if your mouth lives up to its reputation, Jin Greyd.”
Goltep spat, smacking his lips. His tongue wasn’t even cut by the wind blade—no blood mixed with his saliva.
“How did you know I’m a woman!?”
“Don’t try to fool anyone with such a pathetic disguise.”
“People fall for it all the time!”
“That’s why humans are hopeless. Anyway, get lost, trash. I want to see what Jin Greyd can really do.”
Bang! Bang, KRAAANG! The hammer moved with surprising speed, belying its massive size. The shield blocking it was nearing its limit.
‘All that effort pretending to be a pure mage was for nothing. I was hoping to start by smashing at least one eyeball like Enya tried, but no such luck.’
Jin had aimed for the eyes just like Enya did. Now that it was clear it wouldn’t work, there was no point wasting any more mana.
More importantly—
Watching Goltep’s hammer strikes from inside the shield, Jin realized there was no need to fight defensively.
‘Maybe the reason his presence didn’t feel so intimidating is because I’ve grown stronger.’
Crash!
The fourth shield shattered, and Jin tossed his staff aside, drawing Bradamante.
He ducked low and lunged forward with the sword. Thanks to his awakened insight, he was certain the hammer barely grazed Enya’s face.
“Ugh!”
Enya jerked her head back with a scream, while Goltep, caught off guard by the unexpected strike, had to take a slash across his thigh. A thin line of blood spurted out, and Goltep stepped back, cursing.
“Damn it! So you’re a magic swordsman?”
“They fell for it easily enough.”
Buzz!
Energy crackled along Bradamante’s aura-infused blade.
Goltep hesitated for a moment, then, as if unfazed, layered fresh aura onto his hammer.
“No wonder Rolt’s neck was sliced so cleanly. It wasn’t magic—it was the sword. But it changes nothing, Jin Gray. Oh, wait, there is one thing. I won’t kill you—not yet. I want to show the captain first.”
Swish, swish. Jin spun Bradamante lightly in his hand, settling into a stance.
“I’d advise you not to let your guard down. It’s been a while since I fought a Whitefang, and it’d be a shame if this ended too easily.”