How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game

Darkan Rubedom.

The Iron-blooded Margrave—the ruler and guardian of the Empire’s southwestern frontier.

As his ancestors had done before him, he had spent decades commanding countless battles and holding off invasions from the Forest of Gwangrim.

The world called him “The Iron Man.”

No matter how desperate the battle, he had never once faltered. Though his skin was now creased with age and his hair streaked with gray, his expression remained unchanged—unyielding, steadfast.

But this time...

Even that Iron Man could not conceal the wavering in his eyes.

“......”

A green wave was steadily flooding across the plains.

Standing atop Bard City’s walls, Darkan stared at the oncoming tide in silence.

Behind him, knights and officers stood rigidly, nervously watching his back.

“My lord, your orders...?”

The report from the ranger—who had barely escaped the Forest of Gwangrim—had come only an hour ago.

There hadn’t been much time. The invasion had happened in the blink of an eye.

He had prepared for strange signs and rumors, of course—but standing face-to-face with this overwhelming force was another matter entirely.

“They’re the Hawk Riders. They’re charging ahead of the main army to slam into the outer wall.”

A mage watching the enemy forces through a vision-enhancing spell reported urgently.

Hawk Riders.

Elite shock troops of the orc army—mounted on “Hawks,” colossal, steel-skinned rhinoceros-like beasts that could trample even fortress gates.

The only viable way to deal with their insane momentum was concentrated firepower—kill them fast. Even if the rider died, the Hawk wouldn’t stop charging until it hit something.

Using the Hawk Riders to create chaos before the main force struck was one of the orcs’ favorite tactics. It was simple, but hard to counter due to its raw power.

And this time, they had numbers unlike anything seen before.

Darkan finally spoke.

“Raise the city’s defenses to maximum alert. Deploy the defensive formation immediately. And seal the gates on all city sides—”

His voice was cold and commanding—but suddenly, he stopped speaking.

Aide, sensing why, hesitated before cautiously saying,

“By now... Lady Lette should be arriving.”

“......”

At those words, silence fell.

She had been returning from securing weapon supply contracts in nearby trading hubs.

A young knight stepped forward, breaking the stillness with a desperate cry.

“I’ll ride out right now and warn her! I’ll stop her from approaching the city—”

“L-Lord Margrave!”

A mage, still scanning the plains, interrupted—his face pale.

All eyes turned to where the mage was looking.

And they too, turned pale.

A tiny speck crossing the plains—marked with the crest of House Rubedom.

“...It’s Lady Lette.”

All gazes returned to Darkan.

His eyelids trembled.

No one present could bring themselves to speak.

That the gates must be closed now—that the barrier spells had to be activated.

That by the time her carriage arrived, the Hawk Riders would already be at the gates.

“Father...”

His sons, standing on either side, called out with trembling voices.

Darkan slowly closed his eyes.

Before he was a father, he was the ruler responsible for countless lives within these walls.

“...Seal the gates. Activate the barrier.”

In the end, he made the only choice he could.

* * *

THUMP!

The carriage veered sharply and raced away at full speed.

The knight who had come to warn them rode beside it.

To their left, the plains were filled with orcs.

Karl watched the rapidly approaching green tide with a grim face.

'...This timing is absolute bullshit.'

He’d known something big was coming.

But for it to begin right before they arrived in the city?

<Unexpected Quest: Survival>

A massive orc army is charging in. Escape the area and survive at all costs.

Quest Reward: 50,000 SP, 10 Mana Recovery Potions

First the monster geezer from Aranhel, now this—another damn survival quest.

At this point, it felt like the game was deliberately throwing him into the meat grinder.

Karl swore internally and turned his head.

Lette and Yurie’s faces had hardened into stone.

“So the invasion has already started... all those orcs...”

Lette muttered.

Her tone showed more concern for the city than her own life.

Karl scoffed silently.

'You’re not even shaken? Your father basically abandoned you out here to die.'

Sure, it was an unavoidable decision—he had to protect the city.

But when had emotion ever followed logic?

Abandoned by her father and cast into a literal battlefield, she still maintained her composure.

Karl, however, couldn’t understand why the gates had been shut so early.

'They were close, yeah... but there was still distance. The carriage could’ve made it. They had time.'

But it didn’t take long for him to realize he was wrong.

They soon saw them.

A wave of green still rushing in from afar—but ahead of it, a cluster of units charging far faster than the rest.

“...You’ve got to be kidding.”

Karl muttered without even thinking, completely forgetting Lette and Yurie were right in front of him.

Hawk Riders.

The orcs’ equivalent of battle tanks—charging not just for the city walls, but straight at their carriage.

And unlike tanks, these things weren’t slow.

“Hawk Riders...!!”

Yurie gasped.

“At this rate they’ll catch up! We have to abandon the carriage—get on horseback, now!”

It would take precious seconds, but there was no choice.

They had two horses pulling the carriage.

Luckily, that matched the number of people exactly—six riders, six horses.

They slammed the carriage to a stop and unhitched the horses in a flurry. Everyone paired off and mounted up.

The two knights from the driver’s seat rode together. Karl was about to mount with the messenger knight when Yurie stopped him.

“You ride with the lady.”

“...What? Why?”

“No time to explain—do it!”

From her urgency, Karl got a vague sense of what she was thinking.

'This woman... no way.'

Lette, realizing it too, tried to stop Yurie—but the knight had already mounted another horse with one of the knights.

In the end, Karl had no choice but to ride with Lette.

Three horses.

Six riders.

Galloping at full speed across the open plain.

With an entire herd of Hawk Riders charging after them.

'Shit. They're too close.'

Karl looked back.

They’d picked up speed, but during the transition from carriage to horseback, the orcs had closed the gap significantly.

Hawks weren’t slower than horses—if anything, they were faster. And—

“...Goddamn it.”

Everyone groaned when they saw the view ahead.

They were retracing their path to escape—but now, even from that direction, a green tide was rushing toward them.

More Hawk Riders—charging right at them.

'Those lunatic orcs... are they surrounding the entire city? How many of them are there...?'

Not that it mattered what the orcs' plan was.

Now the threat loomed from behind, in front, and even from the right.

The retreat was completely cut off—and so were their odds of surviving.

Yurie bit her lip, eyes narrowing.

Then she shouted to the others,

“Our priority is the lady! Turn the horses to the right!”

“......!!”

The other knights nodded without hesitation.

From behind Karl, Lette shouted at Yurie—her voice cold and furious.

“Shut up, Yurie! If you do that, I’ll never forgive you!”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Milady, please, listen to me! If we keep going like this, we’ll all die!”

That was why Yurie had placed Lette on the same horse as Karl.

But truthfully, even if the knights sacrificed themselves... it wouldn’t change much.

Just four of them—two per horse. Could they even hope to draw the attention of that many Hawk Riders? They’d be trampled to death in seconds.

Still, the knights had already steeled themselves for that meaningless act.

Holding on ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) to the slim hope that they might buy just a few seconds.

“Karl! Ride forward no matter what! Even if the lady tries to stop you, don’t you dare slow down!”

“Yurie, you...!!”

Galloping horses. Hawk Riders closing in. Lette and the knights shouting back and forth.

Separated from them, Karl glanced briefly to his left.

The towering city wall.

Hawks were closing in from all directions. The gate was sealed tight, but now, that wall—was the only possible way out.

Karl took a deep breath and shouted.

“Shut up and turn your horses toward the city! We’re going over the wall!”

“...?!”

Everyone stared at him, eyes wide.

Ignoring their shock, Karl began casting a spell. For the first time in ten days, the mana of his Circle surged from his heart like a storm.

It quickly converted into electricity—and surged backward toward the charging Hawk Riders.

【Chain Lightning】

CRACK-CRACK!

The lead Hawks stumbled and fell.

The ones behind them couldn’t dodge in time, collapsing the whole formation. Riderless Hawks rampaged in confusion, turning the chaos into a stampede.

Lette, Yurie, and the knights stared in stunned disbelief.

“You... how can you...?”

“Ride to the city! I have a way over the wall!”

Every second counted. Every word mattered.

Karl turned his horse and charged toward the city.

Yurie and the knights had no choice but to follow.

【Flash Bomb】

【Frost Field】

【Air Pressure】

BOOM! FLASH! CRACK!!

Karl unleashed a barrage of spells, blocking the Hawks trying to catch up.

But numbers were numbers.

Even with broken formations, they kept charging relentlessly—encircling them more and more.

Damn it...

The wall was close now.

But at this rate, they’d be crushed before they ever got there.

“......!!”

Suddenly, something Karl had forgotten flashed in his mind—a quest reward.

The random magic item he’d received after surviving the Aranhel monster.

<Scroll of Earthquake – Consumable Magic Tool>

Triggers a powerful localized earthquake within the desired area.

Cast Time: 15 seconds.

“...You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Karl checked his inventory and let out a dry laugh.

This was the item he got—for this situation?

Earthquake. A 6-circle grand spell.

No matter how contrived it felt, this was his miracle.

Karl used the scroll without hesitation.

[Using Scroll of Earthquake.]

[15, 14, 13...]

[Casting complete.]

RUMMBLEEEEE!!

The ground exploded beneath the orcs in a cone-shaped radius.

The swarming, screeching wave of Hawk Riders was all swallowed by the churning, buckling earth.

“Oh... my god...”

Lette, Yurie, and the knights turned and stared, speechless.

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

Level-up alerts popped into view, but Karl ignored them.

He kept riding—until they finally reached the wall.

Up top, people were watching them from the battlements.

“Get close!”

At his shout, everyone dismounted and gathered around him.

Karl summoned all the mana he had left and cast another spell.

【Magic Booster】

A magic circle spread out on the ground.

With a roar of propulsion, the six of them shot upward into the air.

But it wasn’t enough.

Damn it...!!

Karl summoned every last drop of mana and added a force boost.

Only then did they finally clear the height of the wall.

Now they just had to angle themselves to land on top—

THUMP!

They landed, crashing onto the stone battlements.

“Hahh...”

Karl looked up—and was met by countless stares.

Dozens of knights and soldiers, all watching them from the ramparts.

And among them, standing tall, a middle-aged man with bloodshot eyes.

“Father...!!”

Still in disbelief at having survived, Lette rushed toward him.

Darkan lifted her into his arms.

And then, slowly, the people nearby began to cheer. As if they had already won the war.

WAAAAAAAHHHH—!!

And all of it... was for Karl.