The old crone felt an excruciating pain tearing through her entire body.
Damn it!
This was the price of forcibly distorting the spell. A price paid in agony.
The pain did not stop at her physical body alone.
She could feel her very soul being violently shaken.
Shamanism was a mystical art governed by equivalent exchange.
That’s why a proper price had to be paid to the entity that lent her its power.
With ordinary Shamanism, this cost could usually be substituted with a different sacrifice. But this time, she had skipped that step entirely.
It was a measure born of sheer desperation.
Therefore, this pain was something she had no choice but to endure.
You wretched bastard!
She felt the presence watching her. No, more precisely, an outer god was gazing upon her.
It was merely a glance, but even that was enough to make her feel as though her body and soul were being shredded to pieces.
And in that dreadful gaze was a hint of mockery.
What a vile and cruel outer god.
Even as it watched the old crone in anguish, it mocked her.
Still…
At least the biggest problem had been resolved.
That unexpected mage. Even though he was only a fifth-circle mage, he had a level of magical power that was far from ordinary.
She was not one to engage in battles with unforeseen variables.
Still, one thing lingered in her mind.
The mage seemed to have some knowledge of Shamanism.
The way he fired magic beneath her staff as if sensing the flow of her spell…
Could it be that he might escape the spiritual dimension she had created?
Tch. Lately, everything has been going wrong, and now I’m overthinking things. How ridiculous.
Until now, no human had ever escaped her Forest of Life and Death.
The mage would wander endlessly within, only to be torn limb from limb by skeletons in the end.
This spell had been crafted by absorbing the overwhelming energy saturating this land over a long period of time.
The number of souls absorbed had already reached thousands, even tens of thousands. It wasn’t something a mere fifth-circle mage could overcome.
***
Nearly a hundred skeletons lay sprawled on the ground with their strength completely drained.
Flames crackled around them, but when Jun cut off his magical power, the fire quickly died down.
Watching the scene, Jun found himself craving a sip of beer.
Such was the surge of exhilaration welling up from the depths of his chest.
“Dominating the weak… what a beautiful concept.”
Moments ago, Jun had unleashed a barrage of spells, something he hadn’t done in a long time.
From [Fireball] to [Flame Burst], to [Fire Wall], and more.
He had cast all kinds of magic, experimenting with spells he’d stolen from the Volcatornic Magic Tower.
It wasn’t something he could easily do outside.
Casting spells like these could ignite the field, or worse, make others think he was committing an act of terror.
Moreover, it wasn’t easy to find suitable opponents for such magic experiments, but here, the skeletons had served as perfect targets.
“Hmm. Fire magic really is easy to control.”
Fire-attribute magic boasted top-tier power and range, but it required a great deal of mastery to handle effectively.
Fire didn’t distinguish between friend and foe.
For this reason, it was necessary to either learn highly efficient fire magic for battlefield use or develop exceptional fire-control skills.
At some point in the future, I’ll need to stop relying on my fire attributes. But for now, mastering this sensation will be a great help.
Jun wanted nothing more than to stay here a while longer and experiment with a variety of spells against the skeletons.
But he couldn’t ignore the situation outside. Indulging in such leisure wasn’t an option.
“Alright, then. It’s time to move to the next area.”
As the last of the skeletons fell, four doors revealed themselves.
Each one emitted a swirling black energy and exuded an ominous aura.
“Hmm?”
As Jun examined the newly revealed doors one by one, he tilted his head in puzzlement.
Originally, he would have to choose one of the four doors and proceed forward.
However, among the four doors, three were traps.
Only one led to the next area which was the “Life Gate”.
What would happen if he entered a door that wasn’t the Life Gate?
“This process repeats, only upgraded each time.”
The curses that spread throughout the Forest of Life and Death would intensify, and the attacking skeletons would grow even stronger, and that wasn’t all.
Their numbers would double, creating a truly impossible challenge.
The key is finding the Life Gate.
Jun knew how to locate it.
It required either possessing a special artifact or traveling with an NPC companion well-versed in shamanism.
In this case, it was the latter. As a reincarnator, Jun already possessed knowledge about shamanism, and now, with his understanding sharpened by reaching the fifth circle, he could recall it in greater precision.
A place where the flow of energy is strongest.
Sensing the energy of the shamanism was the critical point.
Just as he had read the energy of the old crone earlier.
“But what’s this?”
Among the four doors, three were half-collapsed.
More specifically, they bore marks of having been melted by something.
Even more strange, Jun could feel traces of his own magic in those marks.
“Ah.”
It was then that Jun suddenly remembered the Forest of Life and Death hadn’t been completed properly.
“So this happened because my magic damaged the medium.”
Only one door remained.
It was the Life Gate.
“I didn’t think things would turn out this easily.”
Jun scratched his head and lightly tapped the golem’s head.
“Let’s go, Golem.”
Guuwoooong—
The golem that was formed from piles of bones began walking toward the Life Gate.
***
Bern raised his shield against the charging Butcher Monk.
Baaaang—!
A heavy force slammed into the shield.
However, his shield, which had been strengthened by divine power and filled with aura, didn’t yield easily to the Butcher Monk’s fists.
“Hmm!”
The Butcher Monk was well aware of that fact.
He knew that his fists alone weren’t enough to penetrate the shield.
Then the solution was simple: make his fists stronger. Though an impossible task for most, it was a trivial matter for him.
The tattoos covering his body began to glow.
A crimson light seeped into his skin, which eventually turned completely red.
Baaaang—!
After a brief exchange, his fist struck the shield once more.
This time, the force was incomparably heavier than before.
Even so, Bern withstood the attack.
That was close.
Had Eleanor not dispelled the shaman’s spell, his stance might have collapsed under such a blow.
Yet, his expression remained unfazed.
“With strong force,”
Clench—
He gripped his prayer beads tightly and continued,
“You simply overcome it with even stronger force.”
“That’s quite the accurate observation.”
Once again, the tattoos on the Monk’s body began to radiate light.
[Blood Mountain Reincarnation]
It was his skill, Blood Mountain Reincarnation.
The more he accumulated the karma of killing, the stronger his body became.
In other words, his abilities grew with every act of murder.
At first glance, it sounded like an incredible skill, but it had significant drawbacks.
To accumulate the karma of killing, the target couldn’t be a monster.
It had to be another human being for the skill to take effect.
If a player were to acquire such a skill, it would impose severe limitations on their growth.
And that wasn’t all.
Each time the ability was used, his mental strength took a massive hit, making a mental defense skill absolutely necessary.
The more he accumulated the karma of killing, the higher the level of the mental defense skill needed to be, which made maintaining the ability all the more challenging.
Conversely, if he failed to build up the karma of killing for even a short while, the skill’s power would begin to deteriorate.
It was, without a doubt, a power that only a maniacal killer could wield.
But its performance was truly exceptional. So much so that many players had tried to acquire it in the game.
Of course, due to the immense difficulty in maintaining the ability, all of them had failed.
But not the Butcher Monk.
There was a reason “Butcher” was part of his name.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With every strike of his fists, Bern felt the numbness spreading through the arm holding up his shield.
Even his body, which had stood firm like a deeply rooted tree, was gradually being pushed back.
“How much karma have you accumulated to reach this level?!”
Bern was a seasoned paladin, and he immediately recognized the Butcher Monk’s ability.
With a grunt, he slightly tilted his shield.
The Butcher Monk adjusted the trajectory of his fist in response.
But Bern shifted his footing and twisted his position in return.
Thud!
The force that had been directed at his shield dissipated, and the Butcher Monk’s stance wavered slightly, revealing an opening.
Whooosh!
In that instant, Bern’s battle hammer swung down, aiming straight for the Butcher Monk’s head.
However, the Butcher Monk had already begun retreating.
He had predicted the counterattack the moment Bern’s shield tilted.
An exchange that took place in less than a second.
The two recognized once again that neither of them was an easy opponent.
That’s why the outcome of this battle would ultimately be decided by time.
And the goddess of time’s favor seemed to smile upon the Butcher Monk.
[Spell: Borrowed Sword Killing]
[Spell: Two Blades, Three Warriors]
[Spell: Masterless Wandering Souls]
[Spell: Soul-Strength Siphon]
Despite still wearing an expression twisted in pain, the old shaman moved with slightly more ease than before. She planted a totem into the ground and started chanting spells without pause.
Eleanor immediately responded, invoking her divine magic.
[Light of Life]
A golden curtain unfolded to shield Bern from the spells and stood firm against the onslaught.
It blocked two of them, but the remaining two spells struck their targets. One landed on Bern and the other on the Butcher Monk.
The spell, Two Blades, Three Warriors, conjured the apparitions of three greedy warriors who raised their swords against Bern.
Though they were mere phantoms created by the spell’s energy, their attacks would inflict real harm if they struck.
On the other hand, the spell that reached the Butcher Monk was Soul-Strength Siphon.
This spell extracted the power of spirits interwoven with the spell to enhance the target’s physical body.
“Kirruk…!”
The old shaman let out a disturbing cackle.
The synergy between the old shaman and the Butcher Monk was excellent.
The Butcher Monk, who needed to accumulate the karma of killing, found that the shaman’s spells amplified his power by providing him with that very karma.
As expected, Bern’s body was violently shoved backward under the renewed force of the Butcher Monk’s swinging fists.
From behind him, the three phantom warriors that were formed by the spell closed in and aimed for Bern’s neck.
Eleanor gripped her staff tightly in her hands.
Tatat—
The decision was brief, and action followed immediately.
Three warriors swung their blades at Bern’s unguarded back as he fended off the Butcher Monk’s assault.
Eleanor squeezed herself between them.
***
Aiden and Maya.
The two could do nothing but watch the tense battle between Bern and the Butcher Monk.
Both instinctively understood the truth.
In this fight, their interference would only be a hindrance.
The clash between two level 7 warriors made all the battles they had fought so far seem like child’s play.
No matter where they looked, there wasn’t the slightest opening for them to intervene.
“…Damn it.”
Maya cursed in her tribe’s language.
Even so, Maya repeatedly looked for the right moment to act.
――――!!!
But each time, the spirits of her ancestors screamed warnings and stopped her.
The voices told her that if she stepped in, she would not escape death.
If the two of them had prior experience working alongside Bern, it might have been a different story.
Bern would have adjusted his tactics to create openings suitable for their abilities.
However, Bern could not fully trust them and had decided to face this battle alone.
As a result, no opportunities for them to assist appeared.
Until the moment Eleanor rushed forward to block the shaman’s curse, the two could only remain steeped in helplessness.
***
Even after passing through the Life Gate, the battle continued.
This time, a huge bone golem emerged from the pile of corpses.
In response, Jun’s golem boldly stepped forward, colliding fists with it.
At last, the moment had come for it to leave its master behind and face its opponent.
But.
“Now is not the time for you to step forward.”
After saying those words, Jun destroyed the bone golem with a single blow using [Flare].
Guooo….
The golem’s shoulders slumped as if it was dejected.
But as if answering its fallen comrade’s unspoken expectations.
Rumble—
Around the melted remains of the bone golem, new bone golems began to rise.
“Looks like their numbers have increased here too.”
In the game, there would usually be at most three.
Yet now, the number of golems that appeared exceeded ten.
“In the game, the number would change depending on the number of party members. Ah, is it because of my magical power?”
Thinking back, he remembered that the number of monsters could vary by two or three depending on the party’s level.
Perhaps this was happening because of [Mana Body].
“Tsk.”
It was difficult to face that many bone golems at once.
“At least it’s an environment where mages can run wild. That’s a relief.”
If they had been ordinary golems, their substantial magic resistance would have made them tough to deal with.
However, these were golems created through shamanism. They didn’t have physical forms but were constructs born from the fusion of spirits and the shaman’s energy.
They were highly vulnerable to magic.
“Lend me your strength.”
Goowoong!
This time, he had to borrow the strength of the golem.
The golem clashed its fists together once again with a loud ka-kak, ka-kak.
As Jun dismounted from the golem’s shoulder, he felt the curse of [Drought] sapping his strength once more, leaving his body weak.
It’s fine. I’m not fighting directly anyway.
Perhaps because he had long tamed [Tear of Teiya] with his own magical power, his golem was noticeably larger. It was about 1.5 times the size of the others that had appeared earlier.
Additionally, its body was enhanced by his magic and was likely tougher than most steel.
Leaving the golem to handle the enemies, Jun immediately began chanting a spell.
[Rapid Casting]
Facing that many at once was exhausting. They weren’t like skeletons that would collapse from a touch of flame.
Instead, he needed to immobilize them completely.
[Ice Break]
Less imagination, more magical power.
He narrowed the range and raised the power of the magic in return.
Immediately, he changed the spell pattern and cast it.
Shhh—
The timing was perfect, as the ground was already soaked with water corrupted by dark energy.
The moment [Ice Break] activated, the golems attempting to move from their area found their feet frozen solid and got stuck in place.
“Well, I’ll leave that side to you.”
The remaining five bone golems charged at Jun’s golem.
Jun’s golem, as if mocking them, took a battle stance and rushed straight into their midst.
With its large fists, it smashed the heads of two enemy golems to pieces.
In the meantime, it lifted its foot—
Boom!
—and kicked a golem standing in front of it.
That single blow split the enemy golem’s upper and lower halves, leaving its shattered remains scattered across the ground.
“Phew.”
Jun rarely used the golem for direct combat; he mainly employed it to guard him, so this display of power was a rare sight.
It was surely impressive.
Next, Jun’s attention turned to the golems trapped by [Ice Break].
“Farewell.”
[Earth Burst]
The frozen ground beneath them erupted like a firework.
This time, three gates had appeared.
Two of them were already melting away.
Only one remained intact.
“Just two more to go.”
The final barrier was not far now.
***
“Keeerik!”
The old shaman watched the battle unfold with a sinister grin.
With just a few spells, the once-balanced fight had tilted drastically in her favor.
Although the vessel had taken the brunt of the spells to shield Bern, the priestess was still incapacitated.
Even so, the losses in this battle were too much.
The spells she had just unleashed came at a steep cost.
Normally, she would have used her power to mitigate it, but she had no energy left for that after paying the price of forcibly activating the Forest of Life and Death.
But… if I take both that soul and body,
If she offered them to the outer god—
And if she received the vessel as a reward within the Heavenly Church—
Perhaps she could finally break through the wall of growth she had always faced.
Especially that mage’s body and soul… hmm?!
“Kirraaaagh!”
The old shaman, who had forgotten even the pain of her body while paying the price, let out a scream.
It had only been five minutes since the battle began.
The mage’s body, which had been blurred as if shrouded in static, was already regaining its shape.
What could that possibly mean?
“Escaping… escaping from my Forest of Life and Death…?”
Another unforeseen variable had emerged.
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