Wandering Mercenary in an Open World

“Look at these bastards.”

Omar glared and quickened his pace as he saw the group chatting casually in front of them.

As he approached, his forehead melted and sizzled. Strabo roared and charged at him.

Crunch!

Zillera, Kyle, and Igor followed suit, attacking the burly woman with the axe eyes.

“What are you looking at? Pig.”

“Merciful mother-”

Ruon, who had been watching them briefly, moved towards the mansion’s main gate.

“Stop!”

Omar, who had turned into a lion-headed monster, raised his blade-like mane and tried to block Ruon. He was fast, but the vines that covered the mansion’s wall were faster. They whipped and wrapped around his wrist.

“Damn! A druid of all things…”

Bang!

Before he could finish his sentence, Omar was hit by Strabo and flew far away.

“I’m your opponent!”

Strabo shouted in a voice mixed with animal growls and ran towards Omar, who was rolling on the ground.

At that moment, Ruon reached the entrance of the mansion and kicked the door open.

Was he in a hurry?

The holy sword, which emitted a pale light, was shaking more violently than ever. It seemed to be saying this:

You have a different enemy.

That was the real reason why Ruon left the fight outside to his companions. Of course, it was also a decision based on his trust in them.

Using the holy sword as a guide, Ruon ran fast. He was ready to cut down anyone who got in his way, but there was no one to stop him in the spacious mansion.

Soon, he arrived at the end of a narrow corridor and pulled the doorknob without hesitation.

He was greeted by a soft voice.

“Are you here?”

A middle-aged man with gray hair smiled and spoke.

“You’ve come all the way here in less than a day since you arrived in Bern… You really have a reckless personality.”

Ruon didn’t answer, but took out a dagger from his pocket and threw it with full force.

The dagger flew at an incredible speed towards the man’s forehead. But it disappeared in mid-air as if it were a lie.

Ruon, who had superhuman strength, didn’t miss the fact that the dagger didn’t vanish, but corroded at a tremendous speed.

As proof, the dust that was once a dagger was scattered in the air.

It was a creepy sight, but Ruon’s comment was simple.

He was a magician after all.

The man chuckled.

“So you don’t like clichéd dialogues?”

“I don’t think we have much to talk about.”

The man stood up slowly, with a straight back that didn’t suit his age.

He took off his glasses and put them on the table.

“My name is Pashianu Onflik. I’ve been watching your journey from afar. I played a little prank on you before, but I don’t know if you remember.”

He made a popping sound with his mouth.

Ruon remembered the corpse that exploded at the inn and sighed lightly. He lowered his stance and said.

“I don’t care.”

He slammed the floor and reached Pashianu’s nose in the blink of an eye. He swung his holy sword.

He had activated the holy sword’s shield, wary of the enemy’s ability to corrode the dagger.

Thanks to that, he avoided the misfortune of having his head smashed.

Grrr!

He was pushed back by a tremendous force and hit the wall twice as fast as he ran.

Small sparks flew towards his face, which slid down.

Ruon instinctively read the ominous power in them and raised his holy sword, pushing his holy power into it.

The sparks blinked brightly and exploded. With a loud noise, Ruon’s body hit the wall again.

Kwaaaang!

The chain of explosions caused by dozens of sparks shattered the thick wall.

Ruon, who was thrown into the corridor by the aftermath of the fierce spell, quickly regained his balance and stood up.

A sharp ringing sound pierced his ears. He rubbed his ears irritably and said.

“You’re quite hot-headed, aren’t you? Don’t you care about other people’s eyes?”

Pashianu smiled at Ruon.

“You don’t have to worry. I’ve taken care of the sound not to leak out of the mansion. I’ve overlaid a wave that beats the perception, so there won’t be any trace outside. There’s nothing like magic to fool the eyes of the culprit. Don’t you agree?”

Ruon ran towards him, regardless of his words.

He couldn’t afford to give him any distance, considering the magic he had shown before.

Another invisible force flew at him. But Ruon didn’t take it lying down.

He tore the floor and swung his holy sword at the intangible force, creating a gap. He threw himself into it.

Ignoring the noise behind him, Ruon swung his holy sword at Pashianu.

The holy sword, emitting a faint glow, reached Pashianu’s vicinity. But something stopped its tip, and crimson sparks flew in the air.

It was obvious that it was the same force that had turned the dagger into dust.

Ruon was about to slice his opponent in half with that force, when Pashianu pushed his palm towards Ruon’s face.

Ruon quickly turned his head, sensing the ominous power swirling in his hand. A red lightning bolt grazed his ear and made a large hole in the ceiling.

Pashianu swiftly moved both his hands towards Ruon, who had lost his balance for a moment.

It was a nimble and precise movement, as if he had anticipated this situation.

Unlike other magicians who only threw magic from afar, Pashianu’s movements were like those of a warrior who was used to close combat.

By the time Ruon regained his posture, Pashianu’s palm was already close to him.

Ruon, who was ignorant of magic, had no idea what kind of power was in his hand.

So he moved according to his intuition.

He swung his holy sword with one hand to cut off the incoming flames, and stretched out his other hand at a surprising speed to grab Pashianu’s hand.

“What?”

As Pashianu widened his eyes, a bright light burst out between his fist and Ruon’s.

The magic that had lost its target exploded, sweeping both men’s arms and bodies.

The force that had covered Pashianu’s body faded for a moment, and Ruon didn’t miss it.

He barely stopped his body from bouncing back, and slammed his forehead forward.

His head, like a cannonball, collided with Pashianu’s face.

“Ugh!”

A single scream and a gush of blood splashed on Ruon’s face. But he didn’t stop. He pulled Pashianu’s hand with his arm and smashed his forehead into his face again. This time, he felt the sensation of his teeth shattering.

He would have been safe from a counterattack if he had pushed him that far, but Ruon let go of his hand and quickly backed away.

Clang!

His guess was right. Red lightning bolts struck the spot where he had been standing. Ruon spat out blood-stained saliva on the floor and said.

“It’s impressive that you can cast spells with such a body.”

Pashianu slowly straightened his twisted face and opened his mouth.

“That’s what I wanted to say. I never imagined that you could endure the pain of casting spells right before they hit you. And you’re still holding your shape… You have an extraordinary physique, but it’s terrifying.”

His face was a mess.

One of his eyes had burst, his nose was flattened, and his teeth fell to the floor every time he opened his mouth.

His left arm, which had been swept by his own magic, was charred and barely maintained its shape.

But his spirit was fierce, unlike the dying Mole.

Ruon gripped his holy sword.

He looked fine, but his condition was not good either.

Pashianu’s spells had a curse that clouded his mind, and as before, his head was filled with sentences.

Stab! Cut! Tear! Burn!

That wasn’t all.

His whole body ached from the explosion he had taken head-on, and his left hand, which was covered in blood, was barely able to make a fist.

It had been a long time since this happened.

He had been used to winning fights, but the magician in front of him was a worthy enemy.

A slight difference, a moment of carelessness, could cost him his life. In the tension that sharpened his senses, Ruon curled his lips without knowing it.

His fierce smile was answered by Pashianu’s forehead, which began to melt and sizzle.

At the same time, Ruon smashed the floor and rushed forward.

He closed the distance in an instant, and Pashianu spread his arms and shouted.

“Be baptized!”

He shouted and spread his arms.

Then, a dark red darkness erupted from his body and fell like a huge blanket over Ruon’s head.

Ruon quickly raised his holy power and activated the holy sword’s shield. But the shield, which was shaking nervously in front of the darkness, shattered with a clang.

The darkness engulfed Ruon in an instant.

It forced its way into his eyes, nose, and mouth. As his vision narrowed and his breath was cut off, Ruon moved his body roughly to shake off the darkness.

But the shapeless darkness clung to him more and more, like a lover.

It was not a simple magic that immobilized his body.

As the darkness pushed into his body, Ruon felt an unknown, immense power shaking his innermost being.

Pashianu, who had the symbol of Belthuzias on his forehead, spoke in a creepy voice, as if he was scraping metal.

“This is a baptism. It is a glorious process that strips away the weak shell of a mortal and fills it with the king’s power. Do not be afraid.”

Ruon heard his words clearly, even in his fading consciousness.

This bastard?

He realized that he was trying to make him a servant of Belthuzias by force. He gathered all his strength and focused.

His sharp senses and innate holy power mixed and surged explosively in his body.

And then.

He felt it.

The epithet [Demon Adversary] engraved deep within him transformed into [Demon Judge].