The Game of the Greatest Black Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 89

3.

Hero Hindel's ultimate technique, Galactic Collapse.

His companions, the three of them, had never seen him use this technique.

Hindel had explicitly said it was too dangerous.

So, he had never used it in their presence.

However, he had told them about it.

If he ever used this technique, he told them to flee immediately to avoid being caught in it.

Having heard Hindel's story, they knew well what this phenomenon meant.

They didn't understand why he was using such a dangerous technique in a sparring match, but since they were about to be caught in it, the other three were thrown into a panic.

"I-insane!? H-Hindel has lost his mind!?"

"E-even if it's Seonghyun, we'll all die if we get caught in that!!! W-we have to run! Right now!"

"…We need to escape quickly and prepare!"

Their panic was brief.

Flan, Adeline, and Lyaden all started moving hurriedly in a state of confusion.

Even after getting quite far away, they weren't reassured.

The Sage Flan and the Saintess Adeline created multiple layers of defensive barriers.

As if that wasn't enough, they used the Elven Archer Lyaden's spirit magic to surround themselves with trees and earthen walls.

Was he really trying to kill Seonghyun?

They all trembled at Hindel's uncharacteristic behavior.

As they braced for the impact, truly terrifyingly hot heat and a powerful shockwave reverberated, shattering most of the defensive walls they had created.

It was fortunate that they were far away; seeing the surroundings turned to ash, all three of them turned pale blue.

But was Galactic Collapse supposed to have this effect?

Something felt off.

"It's... more like destruction by heat... Was that really Galactic Collapse?"

"…It's certainly strange, but to think there's another skill with this kind of power is a bit... difficult, don't you think?"

"…That's not Hindel's skill."

"Huh? T-then what skill is it...?"

"N-no way!?"

At Lyaden's words, the most experienced in combat among the three, they both widened their eyes in shock.

Lyaden, who had provided the answer, also had his eyes trembling violently.

Sensing something was wrong, the three of them immediately headed to the explosion site.

There, they saw Seonghyun standing unharmed, looking troubled, and Hindel collapsed, having exhausted all his energy.

They wondered what had happened.

Seonghyun, seeing them, brightened up as if saying, "Perfect."

"Since I don't have healing skills, I'd appreciate your help."

At Seonghyun's words, the three of them unknowingly looked around.

The explosion had devastated an area of at least several hundred meters.

However, they were in cognitive dissonance, unable to reconcile the unscathed Seonghyun with the explosion he had just caused.

But only for a moment.

Hindel, lying collapsed, coughed painfully.

"Cough."

Red blood seeped out.

Clearly a serious injury, Seonghyun scratched his cheek as if troubled, and seeing this, the three of them began to move hurriedly.

"Hindel-nim!"

"I-I'll heal him!"

"Hurry!"

"F-first, let's go back to the town!"

Everyone agreed with Flan's words.

Then, Adeline, the most experienced in this situation, shouted:

"I'll heal him on the way. You'll have to carry me and Hindel-nim."

"I... Hindel..."

"I'll carry Adeline! Seonghyun-nim, please come with us too!"

As they were about to carry each other and run, Seonghyun made the remaining blood swords flat, using them as stretchers to lift everyone up, as if saying there was no need for that.

"I thought this would be faster."

Adeline nodded at Seonghyun's words,

and they were able to return to the town of Sermath at high speed.

Without stopping anywhere else, Seonghyun immediately took everyone back to the inn.

Adeline quickly used healing magic and holy spells to restore their energy.

However, Hindel's injuries were not only severe, but his condition also seemed quite critical.

One might describe his expression as if he were possessed by a demon.

They had definitely completed the healing.

They had perfectly healed the external wounds, and Adeline had shared her holy power to restore some of his energy.

However, Hindel's expression was as if he were having a nightmare, sweating and struggling slightly.

One couldn't help but think how severely he had been affected.

'I hope he doesn't develop a phobia of black magic.'

He knew it was a recreation of a past stage.

He also knew that he didn't have to worry about the butterfly effect.

Still, he was concerned about Hindel's state.

It looked quite serious.

However, what was more concerning was:

'Why is everyone watching him like this, as if it were understandable?'

Hindel's companions, Flan, Adeline, and Lyaden.

They all looked at Hindel with pity, but they didn't look at Seonghyun with reproach.

Rather, their expressions were closer to asking Hindel why he went so far.

Hindel was fighting a nightmare, and soon, he was able to regain his senses.

"Kuh, wh-where is this...?"

He seemed disoriented, not even realizing he had collapsed, wondering where he was.

Then, he seemed to realize something and stared blankly at the air.

As he came to his senses, his expression turned slightly empty.

Then, a faint smile appeared on Hindel's lips.

But it wasn't a smile of amusement; it was a bitter and self-deprecating smile.

'Was I too harsh?'

Seeing the awakened Hindel, Seonghyun felt a little sorry.

He had completely collapsed in the latter part of the battle.

Should he have held back a little then?

But Hindel was the one who used the powerful skill first.

If things had gone wrong, Seonghyun might have been the one to suffer.

Thinking he should have held back a little might be arrogance.

It was unavoidable.

The duel had been witnessed by the others as well.

Surely self-defense would be acknowledged, right?

Whose responsibility was it?

As Seonghyun was thinking about this,

Hindel, struggling to rise, knelt on one knee before Seonghyun and bowed his head.

"Huh?"

"I sincerely apologize to Seonghyun-nim. I am truly sorry."

"Huh???"

Seonghyun was flustered by Hindel's behavior, but the other three companions nodded as if it were natural.

Only Seonghyun was bewildered.

Hindel was in the wrong, but it was too sudden.

"I acted very disgracefully. In truth, I was consumed by fear from the middle of the fight, and my impatience took over."

"Ah..."

It was an apology for Hindel's behavior, which had changed midway through the fight.

Furthermore,

"I am truly sorry that I couldn't show you my proper self because of that."

"No, it's understandable. It's only natural for someone who's always been strong to have less experience with such things, isn't it?"

"…Ah?"

It was just something he said off the top of his head.

In his life, Seonghyun had seen that the outwardly strong often succumbed to fear even more when they became ghosts.

It was a thought that came to him.

However, after hearing those words, Hindel seemed to realize something and returned to his previous clear-headed and spirited self.

The fearful demeanor he had shown since the middle of the duel vanished completely.

"…Thank you for giving me enlightenment even when I acted so disgracefully. You are truly generous and profound."

"…Ah... no problem."

"Wow, Seonghyun-nim is truly amazing. Most people couldn't do that."

"That's absolutely right. I don't think I could have done that. Honestly, what Hindel-nim showed was indeed disgraceful. Hindel-nim's sincere apology is absolutely the right thing to do."

"…Deeply generous."

As everyone praised him, Seonghyun couldn't help but feel his face flush.

He hadn't done anything special.

"…Then, since Hindel-nim needs to rest, I'll be going back now."

"Ah, you must be tired. Go and rest quickly."

"Thank you~ for not killing Hindel-nim."

"That's right. Go get some rest and we'll see you tomorrow."

"…Good night."

Everyone chimed in with a word of farewell, and Seonghyun had no choice but to leave, feeling bewildered.

As Seonghyun left, tilting his head as if wondering if this was really okay, the people remaining in the room all glared at Hindel.

This time, it was definitely reckless and rude.

He had never seen Hindel lose his composure like that during their time together.

"So, Hindel? Why did you do that?"

"I'm also curious."

"…Me too."

They were all asking why he did it, but they were indirectly asking if he had been that scared.

Hindel, hearing their words, gave a self-deprecating smile and lowered his head.

He had nothing to say.

"Using Galactic Collapse, it's truly disqualifying as a hero. I'm ashamed."

"…But you were driven to that point, right?"

"…I think so too."

"…Me too."

"Yes, it was an irresistible aura. No, it was the first time in my life I've felt such a threat of death. At that moment, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I was truly dead."

"…It was... to that extent?"

Hindel nodded without hesitation at Flan's words.

Then, he said calmly:

"Death is not something that can be overcome. It must simply be accepted. Seonghyun-nim probably showed me such power in this duel to teach me that."

If Seonghyun had heard that, he would have politely asked,

"What are you talking about?"

Unfortunately, Seonghyun wasn't in the room, and they were all people who held Seonghyun in high regard.

"Kyaaah!!! That's Seonghyun-nim for you."

"…I think he's amazing."

"…A hero."

"I agree. Not someone like me, who only wears the mask of a hero, but someone like him is a true hero."

4.

Seonghyun had unknowingly become a hero, but how could he possibly know?

He returned to his inn room, sighed, and sat on the bed.

He felt the cheap medieval bed with straw filling under the cloth sag.

He appreciated the ambiance, but Seonghyun didn't have the luxury to care about such things right now.

'That was close.'

It was fortunate that Hindel took it well.

If things had gone slightly wrong, he could have returned to the beginning, as the quest dictated.

The battle itself had been a bit of a close call.

Seonghyun's attacks, where he targeted and manipulated Hindel, were very accurate and effective.

There were definitely parts that went better than intended.

Thanks to that, he was able to win.

In any case, he had won, so

'Should I check the spoils?'

He had obtained three things in total.

Two titles and one Unique-rank Random Skill Book.

Since the Random Skill Book guaranteed at least a Unique rank, he decided to open it last.

Should he check the titles first?

Seonghyun opened the first title he had obtained.

『Acknowledged by the Hero』

→《Unique》

→This is a title granted to a user acknowledged by the hero.

→Increases attack power by +5% upon attack.

→Increases attack speed by +10% when using sword skill.

'Oh?'

It's a sword skill title that can be obtained when using sword skills.

It also had an option to increase attack power upon attack, but since he didn't have any sword skills, it was a bit disappointing.

He would have to learn sword skills later.

The title's effect was quite decent.

Then next,

'The Ultimate Calamity?'

It was an ominous title,

which made him anticipate it even more.

What kind of title would it be?

『The Ultimate Calamity』

→《Legendary+》

→This is a title granted to the user who defeated the hero for the first time in Eternal World history.

→Since it was the first time ever achieved, the existing rank was slightly upgraded.

→When damaged by holy attributes or vulnerable attributes, reduce 33% of the damage and return the reduced damage.

→You can use 'Destruction of Salvation' once a day.

→The effect of 'Destruction of Salvation' reverses all beneficial effects of the opponent, such as recovery and buffs.

'What is this...?'

He had anticipated something, but it was even more incredible than he had imagined.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]