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“What’s going on?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking why all those people are gathering over there.”

“Oh, that! It’s a bit chaotic, isn’t it? We were in the middle of chopping trees when some bugs swarmed in. That’s why everyone’s rushing!”

“Bugs?”

“Yes, yes! It’s fine if they only eat through the outer bark, but if they burrow deeper into the wood, the trees we’ve worked hard to fell will become useless!”

Ian felt a sudden sense of curiosity.

“Do the bugs only swarm the felled trees?”

“Exactly. They only go after the freshly cut ones. I don’t know why, but after a few hours, they completely lose interest. You seem to be an investigator sent from Berger, right? Want to come check it out? The people from the Magic Tower left a bit ago, so you can meet them if you go now.”

The lumberjack, speaking quickly and anxiously, barely paused to breathe. However, Ian didn’t respond immediately. He turned his head, thinking for a moment. His gaze shifted in the opposite direction from where the crowd was heading.

“What’s over there?”

The lumberjack, though puzzled, answered obediently.

“That’s the log yard. We store the branches and trimmed logs there.”

“Is anyone guarding it?”

“No! We don’t set guards. The logs are so heavy, no one could steal them unnoticed. It’s not a transport day, so there’s probably no one there right now.”

Ian furrowed his brow. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off over there.

It was just a vague hunch, but it felt like there might be something. Ignoring it and walking away would leave him uneasy.

Since the people from the Magic Tower were already checking out the area where the bugs appeared, it wouldn’t hurt to investigate the log yard as well.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? But… well, never mind.”

Mael and Elliot quietly followed behind, seemingly indifferent to the situation.

The log yard was silent. Massive logs were stacked here and there like small hills, but nothing else stood out.

The lumberjack shrugged as if to say, “See, nothing here,” while Mael guarded the rear indifferently, and Elliot looked around curiously.

Ian, on the other hand, let out a quiet sigh.

Before his return, his sharp instincts as a treasure hunter were on par with the detection magic used by skilled mages when it came to sensing the presence of others. This ability, often called “Qi Sense,” was something a martial artist naturally acquired once they reached a certain level.

Though Ian had assumed he’d lost this skill after his return, as his body and accomplishments had been reset, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

‘Someone’s hiding.’

He could faintly sense multiple presences around him, not just one.

On closer inspection, the scenery before him also felt subtly out of place, and the flow of magical energy in the air was distorted.

Without letting anything show on his face, Ian simply continued to observe the surroundings as though intrigued. That’s when Mael whispered to him from behind.

“Master Ian. Doesn’t something feel… strange?”

Heh. Ian let out a small chuckle.

Most people wouldn’t notice such subtle changes, but Mael’s unusual talent must have alerted him to the unnaturalness of this seemingly ordinary environment.

“Mael.”

“Yes.”

“Stay on guard.”

Those few words were enough to convey the message.

Perhaps due to the trust they had built while training the Bane of Evil together, Mael took a step back without any suspicion, scanning the surroundings.

However, his inexperience was evident as tension radiated from his body. Thankfully, his helmet covered his entire face, or else his stiff expression would have been obvious. Even so, it was commendable that he hadn’t yet reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Ian glanced at Elliot, who was walking ahead. Though he wanted to call him back, doing so could arouse unnecessary suspicion. For now, Ian focused on figuring out the location of the hidden figures.

Unaware of anything, Elliot strode forward confidently, examining the logs with a serious gaze.

“Hmm.”

From the outside, everything seemed fine. The logs were straight, without any warping. The bark was as hard as stone, and the color was rich. No moss had grown on them either. But something felt off, making him hesitant to touch the wood. It felt dirty and repulsive.

Although this sentiment felt contradictory, Elliot, oblivious to the underlying oddity, turned around. At that very moment, his foot slipped, and, much to his dismay, he stumbled, reaching out to steady himself on the very log he had been avoiding.

“Ah.”

A sigh escaped his lips. Grimacing in frustration, he regained his balance and immediately pulled his hand away. But then…

‘Was the texture of the bark always this rough?’

The sensation wasn’t what he had expected. Glancing down at his palm, Elliot’s face froze. His hand was covered in blisters, as though it had been ravaged by hundreds of insects.

“Damn it. Of all things, I had to touch that.”

Suddenly, a strange voice echoed. Looking up, he saw a figure clad in a dark purple robe.

‘How long has he been there?’

Before he could fully process the shock, a wave of dizziness washed over him. The bark that had seemed solid was now writhing, revealing swarms of insects that began to take flight.

“……!”

Not hundreds, but thousands—perhaps tens of thousands of them.

Watching this grotesque and surreal scene unfold before his eyes, Elliot immediately realized what was happening.

A Dark Mage—there was no doubt about it. Coming to a swift conclusion, he knew exactly what to do next.

“Run!”

There was no time for formality. He shouted the command at the top of his lungs.

Bzzzzzzz!

But his voice was drowned out by the deafening sound of insect wings. The buzzing was as terrifying as a death sentence.

It’s over. My life, without ever having truly prospered, is ending in vain. I was just starting to gain recognition for my abilities and being assigned important tasks.

Seeing the approaching swarm, Elliot shut his eyes tightly, bracing for the inevitable.

Clang!

The sound of metal rang in his ears.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, he felt intense heat and a nauseating stench filled his nostrils. Grimacing, Elliot opened his eyes to see the Red Spear Knight standing protectively in front of him.

“M-Mael!”

Elliot, who had been a step away from death, felt a brief sense of relief, grateful for the reprieve.

While Mael shielded Elliot, Ian had already sprung into action. As he awakened his dormant mana, strengthening his body, he deftly reached for his belt, retrieving two of the three daggers fastened there.

Without hesitation, Ian hurled them towards the spot he had been monitoring moments earlier.

Swish!

The daggers sliced through the air like arrows, embedding themselves in the seemingly empty space with pinpoint accuracy

“Ugh?!”

With a groan, the hidden figure revealed himself. A dagger was lodged in his chest, right around his solar plexus, indicating he was undoubtedly dead.

The proof was clear as he toppled forward. It was no mere trick or illusion.

Ian quickly shifted his gaze away from the body.

There were two suspicious areas he had identified. One had been dealt with, so now he pushed off the ground, launching himself toward the other.

He darted across the neatly stacked logs, pulling out his last remaining dagger and hurling it.

“Hmph!”

In an instant, two semi-transparent barriers unfolded, blocking the dagger. At the same time, some of the bugs flying nearby flapped their wings furiously and rushed towards Ian.

Their response was swift, but Ian merely scoffed as a blazing red flame erupted from his left arm.

Fwoosh!

With a sweeping motion of his arm, the intense heat and fire spread wide, engulfing the oncoming swarm of bugs.

It didn’t matter how many there were. They couldn’t break through the fire and were incinerated on the spot.

Without slowing his pace, Ian drew his sword from its sheath and slashed upward.

Clang! Clang!

The clear sound of metal echoed as the shattered fragments of the magical barrier fell away, revealing a figure in a robe behind them.

The robed figure seemed startled, perhaps not expecting the two layers of barriers to break so easily.

However, instead of chanting a spell, the figure pulled out a sword from his robe, prepared to engage.

Clang!

The moment their blades collided, Ian felt an unexpected force push back against him. But it wasn’t overwhelming enough to cause him to lose ground.

Ian twisted his wrist, and the tip of his sword swiftly aimed for the man’s throat as if guided by magic. Yet the man, seemingly trained in swordsmanship, leaned back just in time to narrowly avoid the strike and retreated.

Ian frowned. He couldn’t afford to drag this out. He needed to end it quickly.

With a surge of strength in his thighs, Ian gathered magical energy at the soles of his feet, surrounding the tip of his sword with flames.

[Bane of Evil: 2nd Form, Comet.]

The technique was activated. It was his first time using it in real combat, but that didn’t matter.

It didn’t require high skill, just a simple, powerful charge. As the flames enveloped his body, Ian shot forward like an arrow at blinding speed.

If the distance had been greater, the robed man might have had a chance to dodge. But at such close range, there was no avoiding it.

The gap between them closed in an instant, and though the man reacted, he was a beat too late. Ian’s sword had already pierced through his body.

“Urgh!”

The flames that cloaked Ian’s body transferred to the man through the sword. There was no scream—his life had already ended.

Watching the flesh melt from the heat, Ian withdrew his sword and extinguished the flames.

The man could no longer stand, his charred body rolling down the pile of logs, releasing the stench of burnt flesh.

“Phew.”

Only then did Ian exhale the breath he’d been holding. It might have seemed like a lengthy process, but everything had happened in the blink of an eye.

He turned his head to the remaining figure hidden behind the swarm of bugs. The person seemed rattled, likely from witnessing two of his comrades fall so quickly.

However, he didn’t appear to be scared. The twisted smirk barely visible under the hood of his robe suggested otherwise.

“…Ha, unlucky.”

The voice sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. A strange sense of déjà vu crept over him.

‘Have we crossed paths before?’

There were few who practiced insect magic, the ability to control bugs.

The nature of the ability was repulsive, often associated with those considered evil, which is why such practitioners were shunned.

Because of that, not many names came to Ian’s mind. But if he limited it to Dark Mages he had personal connections with, there was only one person who fit the profile.

‘The Devourer, Longos.’

Though only at Level 5 at the time, he later gained spiritual power and ascended to the coveted Level 6, a realm most can only dream of.

A menace to the empire, many sought the bounty on his head.

Ian recalled crossing paths with him twice during a mission. They hadn’t fought, merely exchanged a few words before parting ways.

This time, however, there would be no such retreat.

The Dark Mage had meddled with the Berger family’s logging yard.

Whatever his intentions, they certainly weren’t good. Whether to capture or kill, Ian had to take him down.

It seemed Longos understood this too, as he sighed and raised his head. His young face became clearly visible. It was indeed him.

“This wasn’t part of the plan at all. But, on the off chance, would you consider just letting me go? No need for unnecessary bloodshed, right?”

“Do you really think that’s an option?”

“…Hmm, I figured. Well, I guess there’s no other choice.”

Fwoom!

Suddenly, a dense surge of dark magic erupted from Longos, aggressively taking control of the surrounding space.

The air thinned, making it difficult to breathe. Ian’s body felt unnaturally heavy, clearly oppressed by the aura Longos was emitting.

But instead of feeling intimidated, Ian’s lips curled into a grin. From this display alone, he had a good sense of the opponent’s strength.

‘Level 4.’

That makes sense. Longos would only begin to make a name for himself at Level 5 in the years to come. Like any human, he was climbing the ranks step by step.

As Ian’s eyes sharpened, Longos stretched out his hand. The swarm of insects parted, making way for him.

Vrrrrm!

In an instant, a magic circle formed beneath him.

Ian’s eyes widened in response, recognizing the imminent danger.

———-