WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 110: 110

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I stared intently at the High Black Mage.

They had spent a while rambling about Dragons and whatnot with a despairing expression. Then their expression changed.

"...A High Black Mage of the Black Mage Tower cannot turn their back and die."

Their despair turned to resolve.

Even knowing they were no match for me, they intended to struggle until the very end!

What a guy.

They knew full well that a wound on a swordsman's back was a mark of shame. Was this the pride of a High Black Mage?

They shouted fiercely.

"Whoever you are! Do you think I'd be frightened enough to beg for my life?!"

"I wasn't planning to spare you anyway. You're worth 30,000 Points. Even if you begged pathetically, I wouldn't let you live."

"Die!"

They aimed their staff and cast a spell.

Phase One, Magic Bullet.

Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat!...

A barrage of Magic Bullets fired rapidly, roughly one every second.

Black trails crisscrossed the air.

I clicked my tongue.

'Kim Taeseok's strategy post said they fired Magic Bullets like a machine gun, but this isn't even as fast as a semiautomatic rifle. Uncle Taeseok was surprisingly dramatic, huh?'

If this counted as a machine gun, my Air Bullets would be treated like a Gatling gun.

Anyway.

"Dispel, yah."

Pssshhh...

The incoming barrage of Magic Bullets vanished completely with a single Dispel.

The Black Mage's eyes widened.

"What...?! You can break my magic so easily?! How?! Even the Sect Leader couldn't break my magic this quickly...!"

"It's me."

"...Don't be arrogant! No matter how strong you are, your soul can't be as strong! Freeze down to your very soul!"

Kwaaaaah!

Black energy burst from the tip of their staff and surged toward me.

Phase Two, Curse.

Unlike the Curse magic used by ordinary Black Mages, this energy was far denser and more concentrated. As expected of a High Black Mage, they seemed capable of wielding a rather powerful Curse.

Of course, that was all it was.

Pssshhh...

The moment their Curse touched my body, it melted away like ice cream in midsummer.

Their eyes widened again.

"My Curse doesn't work?! Why...?!"

"You idiot. Did you think a Curse would work on this body, the Extreme Lunatic Hell Heaven Holy Divine Prophet Hunter?"

"A Prophet? What nonsense...!"

Curse magic or whatever, I seemed to be immune to it.

Come to think of it, Curse magic hadn't worked on me when I first met Raphael, either.

I didn't know why, but hey, nice!

Anyway, I'd confirmed two of their spells.

Magic Bullet and Curse.

They were both spells I already knew.

Their rapid-fire Magic Bullets were nothing more than existing Magic Bullets fired quickly without chanting. Their Curse magic was also just the usual Curse reinforced by pumping in a massive amount of black mana.

In other words, neither had anything new for me to learn.

But their remaining spell...

That would be new magic for me to learn.

I quietly studied the High Black Mage.

And they...

"..."

Stood there silently.

With both Magic Bullet and Curse blocked, they clenched their teeth in despair. The hand gripping their staff trembled.

They had fully realized the difference between our levels.

They knew they were going to lose.

Still, perhaps they had the pride of a High Black Mage, because they muttered quietly.

"In the end... I have no choice but to use this."

"Oh. Is the big one coming?"

"You're quite relaxed. But... no matter how strong you are, you will never overcome this. Om..."

They closed their eyes and began chanting.

A low, sinister incantation flowed from their lips.

At last, Phase Three.

They were casting an earth-corrupting spell!

'Finally, the earth-corrupting spell? I've been waiting for this!'

I watched their magic eagerly.

It began with a massive release of black mana.

Kurururur...

Particles of black mana began billowing up around them.

It was quite a large amount. Enough black mana to fire several hundred Fireballs poured out and spread evenly through the surrounding area.

Then...

Kugugugugugu...!

The black particles spreading in every direction gradually began to rotate.

First around their feet.

Then across the entire boulevard.

Finally, as far as several hundred meters away.

A huge current whirled around the High Black Mage at its center.

It was like...

A typhoon.

As it spun, the Blue Motes dormant in the air and earth began to rise one by one.

I immediately understood.

'Ah. This is a mana-draining spell.'

A massive amount of black mana flowed clockwise.

As the vortex of black mana raged, mana from the air and earth was sucked in. The drained mana was then converted into black mana and delivered to the core of the typhoon, the High Black Mage.

Kugugugugugu...!

Their presence swelled.

Black smoke billowed from them and tainted the area around them.

"T-That's! It's the magic that kills the continent!"

"Fall back! All forces, retreat!"

"Prophet! It's dangerous! You must get away-"

Rumble.

People began fleeing in a panic.

I stood still and watched the changes around me.

The ground blackened and rotted away.

The air turned purple and filled with a foul stench.

The atmosphere suddenly felt like Dark Souls.

After waiting for a while...

Kurururururur...!

They finally devoured all the mana within a radius of several hundred meters. Wrapped in massive amounts of black mana, they opened their mouth triumphantly.

"Hehehehe...! Regret giving me this time, foolish wizard who falsely calls himself a Prophet. Now that I have completed the Earth Plunder spell, I possess mana of Sixth Tier or higher...!"

For an ordinary person, it was certainly a respectable amount of mana.

It was enough for roughly a thousand Fireballs.

But a thousand Fireballs' worth was Sixth Tier or higher?

My mana capacity was already 3,600 Fireballs.

Sixth Tier wasn't that impressive after all!

Anyway.

'Hmm. They put in several hundred Fireballs' worth of mana, squeeze mana out of nature, then get several times as much mana back? This isn't money duplication, it's mana duplication...!'

Put simply, it was a spell that forcibly milked mana from the earth!

Earth-Milking Magic, for short.

In martial arts terms, it was the Earth Star-Absorbing Grand Technique!

The aftereffects poisoned the air and left the earth rotten and lifeless, but did Black Mages care about that kind of thing?

They were like those Chinese bastards who polluted King Korea with fine dust.

A spell that destroyed the environment to gain mana...!

"As an environmentalist and an eco-friendly man, I can't forgive such an unforgivable spell! Earth-Milking Star-Absorbing Grand Technique? You environment-destroying Chinese bastard-!"

"What is a Chinese bastard? I don't know what it means, but it sounds deeply insulting..."

"We must protect the environment! The reason this summer is hot as hell is all because of environmental destruction! As an Extreme Lunatic Hell Greenpeace member, I shall judge you!"

"Jiho, are you actually a Greenpeace member?"

"No?"

Why would I join an organization like that?

Membership fees were a waste of money.

Still, I worked hard at sorting recyclables for the environment, so I was obviously an environmentalist.

Anyone who disagreed was an environmental destroyer.

Anyway.

"I'll save the environment by killing you, you Chinese bastard! Keep our Earth green and green!!!"

"..."

Had they decided they didn't want to deal with my nonsense anymore?

They didn't even pretend to listen. Instead, they raised their hand.

Kugugugugu...

Dark smoke spread outward in every direction.

The ground around us became even blacker and slimier.

Then...

Twitch.

The Ghoul remains scattered across the ground began to rise one by one.

Amazing!

"No! You're raising the dead Ghouls again! So this is... Impure World Reincarnation! Damn it, High Black Mage! Were you Orochimaru?!"

To think I'd get to see the ninjutsu of Impure World Reincarnation in person!

I wanted it!

While I admired the spectacle, they said, "Kill that insolent fool."

Kyaaaaaaak!

Several hundred Ghouls that had died and risen again began rushing toward me.

Their limbs had been torn off by my Fireball barrage, and their guts hung from their bodies. They all looked miserable.

Yet their movements, and the pressure they gave off, were far greater than before.

It seemed Earth-Milking Magic also strengthened undead such as Ghouls.

Anyway.

I examined the flow of black mana around me.

'Earth-corrupting magic... No, the formation of the Earth Plunder spell. I saw it clearly.'

I raised my staff.

The key was to scatter black mana across a wide area and rotate it clockwise. It generated a huge spiritual force that plundered and corrupted the mana of the earth.

That was the principle behind Earth-Milking Magic.

Copying it exactly would be easy.

I was an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard and a copy ninja with cheat eyes!

I could copy a spell like Earth-Milking Magic after seeing it just once.

But I had no intention of simply copying it.

Because I had a strong feeling that reversing that spell's rotation...

Would make it divine magic.

I raised my staff high.

Then I drew out the Blue Motes within me and released them.

Wooooooong!

My mana spread over a vast area.

My spiritual senses expanded without end.

Beyond the several hundred-meter radius that they had claimed as their domain, farther and farther away, I sent my mana out in an instant.

"Let's try a radius of about one kilometer first."

It was a distance with a little room to spare within the limits of my spiritual senses.

I made that area my domain.

Then I began rotating the mana I had sent out.

They had rotated their black mana clockwise.

So I would rotate mine counterclockwise.

If I rotated the mana in the opposite direction...!

Kiiiiiik...!

I immediately met tremendous resistance.

Just like with Blessing magic, the resistance was much stronger than with the original black magic.

That was only natural.

They went with the current, while I was swimming upstream against it.

The casting range was also enormous, so the resistance had no choice but to be stronger.

But when I strengthened my spiritual senses even further...

Kugugugugugugugu...!

There.

It turned despite the resistance!

Then...

Paaaaat...!

The black typhoon...

Turned golden.

A brilliant, warm vortex began at my feet and stretched outward into the distance, covering everything as far as the eye could see!

Then something strange began to happen.

Kyaaaaaak...!

Kieeeee...!

The Ghouls that had nearly reached me.

The black mana within them evaporated helplessly, and they crumbled into ash before collapsing.

Saaaaah...

The air changed as well.

The purple poison faded, and the foul smell disappeared completely.

In its place was clear, pure air.

Refreshing air filled my lungs.

Kurururur...!

The ground changed too.

The black, slimy earth that had rotted away expelled its filth and gained new life.

The ground that had looked like a sewer transformed into soil overflowing with vitality, and the fresh scent of earth rose around us.

Had the earth absorbed so much life force that it became saturated?

Rustle...

Pale green shoots sprouted from the ends of the dried street trees' branches.

Every tree along the boulevard began sprouting leaves at once.

Finally...

"Huh? My wound is healing...?"

"I can suddenly feel strength welling up inside me!"

"A Blessing! It's a Blessing! The Prophet has bestowed a Blessing upon us!"

"Waaaaah!"

Even the people behind me began to change.

The wounded gradually healed, while the soldiers exhausted by battle regained their strength and vigor.

All of it happened within a one-kilometer radius, centered around me, across the entire boulevard and part of the Imperial Palace.

"The earth... The earth is coming back to life!"

"No, there are sprouts growing?!"

"The wounded are recovering!"

"A miracle! This is a miracle! It's exactly like the miracles of the Prophet described in the scriptures!"

"My god...!"

Thousands of people were amazed and moved by the miracle I had performed.

I nodded with satisfaction.

"So this is the effect of Reverse Earth-Milking? As expected of me. Just like a chain-saving fiend, I've saved the nation, people's lives, industry, the economy, and hair. Now I've even saved the environment...!"

"Jiho, everything else is great, but could you stop saying milking? It sounds so trashy. You did something incredible, then you keep calling it that, and it makes the whole thing feel cheap."

"Hyeji, you're the one possessed by a lewd demon. The original meaning of milking is squeezing out vital essence! It fits perfectly for a spell that sucks mana from the earth. Stop looking at the term so lewdly. You lewd-demon creepy girl!!!"

"No-"

After giving lewd-demon Hyeji a stern rebuke, I glanced over.

The High Black Mage standing before me had a truly spectacular expression.

"H-How...! How did you break my Earth Plunder?! And where did this enormous life force even come from...?!"

"It's me."

"Could you truly be the Prophet?! No. That can't be. I don't know what trick you used, but the Prophet does not exist in this world!"

Just as they screamed in desperation...

Flash!

The space above my head suddenly brightened.

What was this?

"Halo-!"

"The Prophet has revealed his Halo!"

"Oh, Heaven...!"

"Iing Iing...!"

"Jiho, your Halo came out."

"Oh."

I looked up and saw something familiar floating there.

A golden ring.

In other words, a Halo had appeared!

Its size was different from last time, though.

Back then, it had only floated above my head. Now it was large enough to completely surround my body!

It was huge and bright enough to hurt my eyes...!

I shielded my eyes with the back of my hand and said, "Could you turn off the lights? I need to see my magic."

"Jiho, what meme is that now?"

"It's a Great Sanghyeok meme. For a while, he was the most worshiped person in King Korea after me."

"?"

Hyeji, who knew nothing about League of Legends, didn't seem to understand my joke.

What a shame.

Once the Halo appeared, chaos broke out.

"Prophet! Please save the continent!"

"Ahh, Prophet!"

"Grant us salvation!"

"Oh, Heaven!"

Rumble.

Thousands of people fell to their knees and prostrated themselves at once.

"A-A Halo... This is impossible... He really is the Prophet..."

The High Black Mage stared at me with blank eyes, their mouth hanging open in disbelief.

They continued in a trembling voice.

"If you truly were the Prophet, then what have I done...? I..."

"Die!"

That magic-spewing pest isn't needed anymore!

I fired a Railgun.

Kwaang...!

A flash of light, followed by a thunderous crack through the air.

The High Black Mage's chest was blown straight through.

"Kugh...!"

They collapsed with a despairing expression.

Thud.

The High Black Mage's body rolled limply across the ground.

Hyeji, who had watched it all, asked, "Jiho? Judging by their expression just now, I think they were trying to repent. Was it okay to kill them so quickly? You didn't kill the Black Mages who repented before."

"That guy was a High Black Mage. How many evil deeds do you think they committed to reach that position? Ordinary Black Mages are one thing, but a High Black Mage shouldn't be allowed to live even if they repent and reform!"

"Oh... You're surprisingly serious, Jiho."

"Also, they were worth 30,000 Points. It would've been a waste to let them live."

"..."

Ordinary Black Mages worth only 1,000 Points might be worth sparing if they reformed.

But they were worth 30,000 Points. I couldn't let them live.

I had to earn Points!

Anyway.

I slowly looked around.

"Prophet...!"

"Ooooooh...!"

My Halo sparkled brilliantly.

Thousands of ordinary people worshiped me while bowed in prostration.

The air around us glowed faintly gold from the effects of Reverse Earth-Milking.

There were the corpses of the Black Mages, and the bodies of the Ghouls that had turned to ash and scattered in the wind.

I felt proud.

I'd learned a new spell.

I'd saved people.

And I'd earned a lot of Points!

I was very satisfied.

If I could also get plenty of loot here, I wouldn't have anything else to ask for.

Just as I stood there grinning...

"Her Imperial Majesty Aurora Di Elancia is arriving!"

A resounding voice echoed from afar.

It seemed the Empress or whatever had come here.

I turned toward the voice and saw it.

Kiiiiik.

At the end of the boulevard, the main gates of the Imperial Palace opened.

A blonde woman walked forward between heavily armed knights.

For some reason, her face looked familiar.

It didn't take long for me to remember.

"That woman... Isn't she the one I saved at the academy? I remembered her because she's pretty."

"Wow. You remembered her because she's pretty? That's pathetic."

"Virgin trait. Standards ridiculously high. Always remembers pretty girls seen on the street."

"Why are you saying that like you're proud of it...?"

She had stood out among the academy students back then for being especially beautiful and dignified, so I remembered her.

But she was the Empress?

"At the academy, I'm pretty sure they called her a princess or something."

Had she leveled up from princess to Empress in the meantime?

One of the ordinary people nearby answered my mutter.

"The previous Emperor, along with every other member of the imperial family, has passed away. Except for Her Majesty Aurora Di Elancia. There was a hunt for the imperial family by the Black Mages, but she escaped calamity because she was at the academy. Therefore, Aurora Di Elancia is the current Empress."

"Ah, I see."

Thanks, Speedwagon!

Since I had saved the academy, that woman must have been the only member of the imperial family who didn't die.

Anyway, an Empress...

"The woman I saved at the academy is the Empress now?"

Then I'd saved her life once at the academy and once here.

Twice in total.

And since she was an Empress, wouldn't she give me plenty in return?

She had the dignity of an Empress to maintain. She wouldn't just say thanks and call it a day.

'If this goes well... I might be able to send her a hefty bill.'

I slowly smacked my lips.

Footnotes:

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