I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 136

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136. The Most Important Demonic Realm Tour Guide Karin (2)

With Karin and Jong Ho at my sides, I travelled the demonic realm.

Since the time when Jong Ho was done in by the demon king and Ladin, they haven’t shown any interest towards us.

To them, we were just a few humans who wandered into the demonic realm.

On top of that, they were fooled into thinking that they could not obtain magical energies from us even after defeating us.

It was a great situation that granted us free travel throughout the demonic realm.

However, this free pass to hunt wouldn’t last for long.

I knew that the magic energies of the demonic realm was limited.

It was like being a frog that was trapped in a well.

There was a limit on how much one can grow, and the food chain merely cycled the flow of power around.

From their point of view, humans were stealing that limited valuable magic energy bit by bit.

On top of that, they thought they could not recover said magical energies back.

The drop rate wasn’t as good as I thought.

The drop rate on Earth was already low, but it was far more severe in the demonic realm.

If Earth was on easy mode, then the demonic realm was on hell difficulty.

The only thing I could do to increase the drop rate was to slaughter a senseless amount of monsters.

Experience points were trickling in, and in Jong Ho’s case, his stats were increasing due to his armor.

I spoke to Karin, who diligently pointed the way while being carried by me.

“At this rate of hunting, won’t I have more magical energies than the demon king?”

“Keruru. You’re speaking nonsense.”

“……..”

“Are you planning to catch up to the demonic king’s magical energy by taking down these small fires? Kelhelhel!”

“Don’t you know the saying of many drops make an ocean?”

“Kuhu….. It could be possible.”

“What. Why are you going back and forth like that.”

“If you hunt like this for a hundred years, maybe. Keheheh!”

“Are you saying that the magical energies of these creatures are that low?”

“That’s right. They are the lowest trash of the demonic realm.”

“So that’s why the demon king ignored you and left…….”

“Keruk? That was hurtful! I wish you would avoid saying things like that!”

“Ahem. Then stop mocking my words and answer me politely.”

“Okay, keruu.”

“Now! Where is the next location?”

“Over there! I sense quite a lot of magical energies.”

“Okay.”

Our method of hunting was pretty simple, but each of us had a role to play.

Karin acted like a navigational device that was attached to me.

He read the magical energies ahead and guided us towards the monsters.

Jong Ho had the role of dishing out attacks.

It was true that I would clear the monsters much faster by pouring out magical attacks, but this wasn’t an actual dungeon.

If we were hunting in a dungeon on Earth, then we would each obtain experience points no matter who landed the killing blow.

It didn’t matter the distance or the number of party members when it came to that, as everyone got the same amount.

However, this place was different. Only the one who landed the killing blow would obtain all the experience points for themselves.

Jong Ho and my level was far past 400, nearly reaching 500.

Of course, there were many on Earth with greater levels, but our rate of growth would leave anyone speechless.

And due to that increase in level, so had the experience points require to level.

After obtaining a single level through great difficulty, the only reward for that was a measly 5 points of stats.

However, it was different for Jong Ho.

He was able to obtain a point for taking down a hundred.

Seeing as to how he was taken down from a single hit by the demon king and Ladin, it helped me put into perspective just how strong their offensive capabilities were.

That was why Jong Ho needed to grow much stronger.

Previously, I had thought that our current strength was enough to allow us to travel through the demonic realm without issue.

I was severely mistaken and had paid the price for it.

All of the countless monsters in the demonic realm was Jong Ho’s prey.

Using Karin as a navigation tool, we were able to keep out of sight of the demon king and Ladin, allowing limitless growth.

So what about me? My role was….

“Hey Min-Cheol, a jewel dropped there!”

“Yes…. Going……”

“Make sure to not miss it!”

“Yes….. I’m going.”

I was just the luggage bearer.

The Devil Avatars and King Suwoo were protecting the Gate.

This meant that I could not command them to pick up the artifacts.

Even in the demonic realm, a serious lack of a workforce was a problem.

Here, I finally understood the saying that an army advances backwards, since despite being the one with the highest combat and defensive capabilities, I was the one filling the role of a porter.

“Hey, why don’t you come down for times like this and help me pick this stuff up?”

“Keruk? It takes a lot of concentration to read the flow of magical energies!”

“Whew…….”

“If I let down my guard for even a moment, we will only realize that the demon king is near only after it’s too late! Is that okay with you? Sadly, I cannot help you. Kelkelkerurururu.”

“You’re laughing?”

“No? I didn’t laugh? I always go keruru? Min-Cheol! There is another jewel that dropped over there!”

“Okay….. I’m going. I’m going to pick it up.”

It was humiliating, but it couldn’t be helped.

Consoling myself by reminding myself that I was the youngest of the three gathered here, I went forward to continue collecting jewels.

Collecting them one by one, there was now enough gathered to fill half the duffle bag.

However, this wasn’t enough.

That was because the success rate of using a jewel to strengthen equipments was low, and there was a chance that the equipment would be destroyed upon failure.

We needed a room full of jewels and equipment to attempt enchanting on.

Not only that, but the equipment needed to be equal or stronger than the equipment we currently had.

I asked Jong Ho, who was pouring down magic attacks on the monsters.

“Hyung-nim, is the Warp cooldown over?”

“Ah, I totally lost track. Looks like it’s been at least 30 minutes?”

“Then could I ask of you to make the trip for me?”

“Okay, I should. I needed to pay more attention. Sorry for that.”

“No worries. Let’s meet in the middle like before.”

“Right. Karin, what direction do I need to come from the Gate to get here?”

Jong Ho spoke while showing his wrist watch to Karin.

Since they did not understand the concept of time, it was likely that they’ve never seen a watch.

Since giving directions using only the cardinal directions was too vague, we decided upon this method instead.

After all, Warp was a skill that only allowed travel one way.

To meet up again, we had to reduce the amount of deviations.

With his sharp fingernails, Karin combed the few strands of hair left on his head, then pointed at the one of the numbers on the watch.

“Keru. You need to go here!”

“Since you’ve done this a couple times already, you wouldn’t make any mistakes, right?”

“Of course! I am a very smart goblin. This is the right way.”

“That’s correct, hyung-nim. Seeing how he made fun of me before, he’s totally a smart goblin. A goblin idi- I mean, genius.”

“Pfft. Alright. I just need to go in the direction of 7 o’clock? Min-Cheol, if we’re not able to meet, you remember that we’ll be meeting in front of the Gate in 12 hours, right?”

“Yes, of course. Ah, Karin.”

“Keru.”

“It’s time to show your capabilities. Please assist us this time as well.”

“Understood! Min-Cheol, you can count on me!”

Karin hopped down from me and laid down flat on the ground.

He possessed another ability that was beyond our expectations.

A practical ability far more useful than his storage capacity for food, and it was very useful to us.

The ability was that he was able to read specific magical energy signatures.

However, this wasn’t an ability he could continuously use.

He could use this ability roughly every 6 hours or so.

It was similar to cooldowns for the Awakened.

“Keruuuk!”

“How is it? Do you sense the magical energies of the demon king or Ladin nearby?”

“Kel. Nope. They’re located in a place far away from the Gate. However, they’re not very far from here. It’s not Jong Ho who should be cautious, but us two instead.”

“Is that so…..”

“For now, I’ll go take care of the monsters near the Gate.”

“Yes, hyung-nim should get going. We’ll meet in the center. Don’t forget that you’ll be heading in the direction of 7 o’clock.”

“Yep. Be careful. They are nearby, after all. And Karin, don’t forget to keep your guard up, alright? I’ll trust you, Karin.”

“Do not worry, Jong Ho. And do not die again. We’ll see you in a bit. And take this!”

Karin took out some water and a can of tuna from his pocket, then tossed it to Jong Ho.

It was a lot more than our normal rationed meal, since there was a chance that we are unable to meet up.

We might have forgotten it, but Karin had remembered for us and took care of it.

Jong Ho gave a satisfied smile and spoke to him.

“Pfft. Alright. Kind of odd that a monster is worrying for me when I’m leaving to kill other monsters. Well, it’s not all bad, I guess!”

“That’s why you shouldn’t die. I do not want to be left alone.”

“Karin is pretty much family at this point. Right, Karin?”

“Yes.”

The Warp’s cooldown was a whole whopping 12 hours.

This cooldown did not decrease even by leveling up the skill.

Even with the passive skill that Jong Ho obtained, which reduced the cooldowns of skills, didn’t work on Warp’s cooldowns.

It was important to grow stronger, but it was also imperative that we kept the area around the Gate safeguarded.

That was why Jong Ho and I were taking turns going there every 6 hours.

If Jong Ho went there at 6, I would go there at 12. When Jong Ho’s cooldown for Warp was over, he’d go there at 18, and I would be there 6 hours later, at 24.

Each time we did so, I felt grateful for Karin.

If we didn’t have him on our side, we would have to be a lot more cautious in encountering the demon king, and therefore wouldn’t be able to efficiently defend the area around the Gate.

It also meant that we wouldn’t be able to hunt efficiently as well.

The benefits that Karin brought didn’t end there.

Remember how he had bounced up and down my bed throughout the entire night?

That’s right. He was a monster that did not sleep.

He can feel exhaustion, but since all he does is talk while hanging onto me, there would be no reason for him to be exhausted.

This meant that he could read the flow of magical energies 24 hours a day without rest.

Even when Jong Ho and I were asleep, he continued to carry out his duties.

Looking at Karin, who stood back up after having lain down on the ground, I couldn’t help but speak up.

“What would we do without you?”

“Keru? What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“Don’t worry about it. Looks like this servant who picks up jewels went insane for a little bit.”

“Kel kel kel. Human, you’re strange from time to time. Now! Jong Ho is gone. Then…..”

“What’s the beef between you two? Even though you two take care of each other as needed. Are you two a married couple or something? Alright, let’s have some steak.”

“Keruu!”

I wasn’t sure where he had gotten a bib, but he put it around his neck and sat in front of the fire that I started.

However.

“Kuruk! Kuruuk! Kuhuh!”

“What? Did you learn to make those new noises?”

“Keheh?”

“Kururuk! Kuung!”

“Hm?”

“Keruk! Min-Cheol, I’m sorry. I let down my guard for a moment!”

“What is it? Is it the demon king?”

“No….. Kehu…. W…. We have to run!”

“What’s the matter?”

“L…. Lich King! It’s a Lich King!”

“Ah. Is that all. I already have a history with him. Where is he?”

“T… There……”

“Huh? Who is next to him though…..”

“KEHEHEH!”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 135

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135. The Most Important Demonic Realm Tour Guide Karin

The monsters that Min-Cheol and Jong Ho easily dispatched were quite a different story on Earth.

Many Awakened had gathered here to fight against them.

There’s a saying that a disorganized bunch won’t accomplish anything, but this saying did not fit here.

The offensive capabilities of this group was more than enough.

Even if everyone casted only one skill, due to the sheer amount of Awakened gathered here, it was plenty enough.

It would be no exaggeration to say that if everyone threw an egg at the monster, it would be enough to take one down.

However, the issue here was their defensive capabilities.

The Awakened here did not have a way to defend against the monsters that attacked by blowing themselves up.

It would be okay if the Awakened here were able to take the monsters out before they detonate themselves, but there were too many monsters to take them out before they reached the Awakened.

Even if only a single one or two detonated, the destructive force was great.

No matter how much shields and buffs the tanks got, they would take a crippling blow unless they had enough stamina stats to back them up.

However, due to the surprise appearance of the self detonating monsters, the defensive line was taking heavy losses.

This was occurring while the two that left for demonic realm was battling against Berdan.

The monsters must have realized that this was their chance to charge through the Gate.

As if to tell just how many monsters were present in the demonic realm, the amount that poured out through the Gate was insane.

To think that this many monsters poured out like water in that short span of time.

Looking at this brutal scene, the commander Yoon Jong-sun’s expression hardened.

At this rate, too many of the tank class Awakened would be sacrificed to hold the line.

On top of that, he had no idea just how many more monsters would pour out from the Gate.

The commander roared out his orders loudly enough to swallow the sounds of the chaotic battleground.

“We cannot take more casualties! All bruisers, take the tanks and retreat from the battlefield!”

“KUACK!”

“Yes! Yes, yes!”

“KUUK!”

Just by looking at the color of their skins, anyone could tell that the Awakened gathered here were from many different nationalities, levels, and specializations.

However, all of them understood the commander’s orders clearly and moved at once.

To them, a language barrier wasn’t that much of an issue.

Not only did they have a lingo of their own, but they were pretty much on the same page as what the commander was thinking.

“KUWUHEHCK!”

“KURURU.”

With the retreat of the tanks, the encirclement around the Gate became further spread out.

It was obvious that it would be harder to defend against the Gate as the encirclement widened.

However, there wasn’t any other options.

This was the best decision to make in order to reduce casualties and to recover against a fight that could go on for long.

The commander let out another order.

“All magicians who have obtained Mana Shield, move forward with that spell up! We will be the ones to stop them in their tracks!”

“Understood.”

“Other than the healers who are healing the injured tanks, everyone transfer your mana to the mages! And those magicians who cannot cast Mana Shield, focus on attack instead! Physical attacks do not work against them. This will be over soon! Focus and give it your all!”

The commander’s order was stained with urgency.

It revealed just how much he wanted to protect everyone’s lives and to win without any sacrifices.

As soon as he finished his command, he himself jumped into the fray.

However, the tank class ranked Awakened from the association stood steadfast to prevent him from going forward.

“C…… Comander! You cannot do that. Commander……”

“Let me go! I am also an Awakened who came here to defend this place! I did not come here to stand by and watch from the rear!”

“We understand what you mean by that. However, if something happens to you, then we’d be……”

“All of you…. What……. What are you saying!”

The commander’s voice rang throughout the battlefield.

Between the white hairs of the commander, his red face with bulging veins showed.

His forehead and neck was strained to the point where veins were bulging out, and anyone could easily tell that the commander could not be stopped at this point.

He stared down those who would dare block his path.

“You’re saying that something would happen to me! Are you expecting our defeat!”

“That….. That’s not true, but…..”

“How can you…… Ahem! Out of my way! If you continue to stand in my way, I will have you suffer the penalty of disobeying your superior!”

“Commander…..”

It was then.

“Okay, okay. We all know that we can’t stop him at this point, right?”

“Sang-ho……”

“Let that old man go. And we will also jump into the fray. I know that they’re gathered here for the promise of skill books beyond ranking as a reward, but aren’t they still fighting and risking their lives? Whatever their motives might be, instead of hesitating until we perish….. Make sure to land at least one more hit before you die, okay?”

“Sang-ho… Thank you. However, you cannot die.”

“Yes, yes. No need for thanks, old man. You know that I got married two months ago, right? I finally left the tiresome life of being single and got married. If I think about my wife, I want to run away right now…… I’m only going in because of my trust in you.”

“…….”

“The commander that has never been wrong once. I’m only going because I believe in you. It’s the same for those subordinates around you.”

“Commander, let us go!”

“Let’s take them out before they gain further ground, commander!”

“So I plead once more. Let everyone here…. get back home safely. Please let them come back home in one piece. I implore you.”

“Yes…… I understand. I promise! Even if I have to beg a god hundreds and thousands of times with my life, I will make sure that I keep my promise! I must…..”

“Ha……. To think this old man is searching for a god. Guess you really have gotten old. Go! We go!”

“Yes! Follow the commander!”

“Yes!”

****

The battle between Min-Cheol and Berdan had ended, and he had finished wiping out the monsters near the Gate.

In that time, an hour had passed, and a battle that the two who had left for the demonic realm could never imagine in their wildest dreams had occurred on Earth.

Many wounded lain on the battleground, and in the center stood a commander whose breathing was heavy.

He had given his all to the fight.

Just as he had used up all of his mana, the Gate had stopped trembling, and he had also expended enough stamina to the point where he could barely stand.

Many healers were casting healing spells on him, but perhaps due to the sudden release from tension, none of the healing were taking effect.

No, his body had recovered completely, but his mind must be exhausted.

“Ha…… Ha…….”

“Old man, you okay?”

“Of course! Who do you think I am! Are you all expecting so little of me?”

“What….. You’re an old…..My boss that’s without equal. Your command, as expected, was the right call. It was perfect, old man.”

“Hahahahaha! It’s hard to believe that those words came out of your mouth, Sang-ho.”

“Just, yeah. Ha…… Think I’m gonna die.”

“Rest for a bit. We don’t know when they’ll be back.”

“You should lay down and rest too, old man.”

“I’m fine. I won’t fall until they’re completely eradicated.”

“You’re still in your prime. Your prime. All right! Everyone, focus on recovering your mana. Rest as you will until the Gate trembles once more!”

“Yes, commander!”

“Yes! Understood.”

Sang-ho looked at the commander who stood his ground.

From behind, he looked dignified.

It was because after the initial sacrifices of the tank class Awakened, he had fought to make sure that none would lose their lives in vain.

However, he could not rest for even a moment.

It was because of the guilt he felt for those that had lost their lives to his decision.

He could not show weakness before anyone, for he led as an example.

The Awakened who followed the commander into battle were in the same situation.

Sang-ho, who followed Yoon Jong-sun, as well as Hye-won and Geon were laying on the floor that was soaked with monster blood, using each other’s legs as a pillow.

Each thought about what they wanted to protect, and even with the battle temporarily stopped, none wore smiles on their faces.

It was the same for everyone gathered here.

No one knew when this lull would end.

Everyone had given their all, but there was a possibility that this was just round one.

Or this could have just been the wake caused from the formation of the Gate.

They could only guess that Min-Cheol and Jong Ho were near the Gate, defending it against the wave of monsters.

The one thing they could be sure of was that this lull had something to do with their well being.

If the monsters cease coming out, that meant that they were okay.

If that wasn’t the case….. then something horrible that they did not want to imagine had occurred.

“KUHUHUH!”

“A….. Already?”

“Damn it…….”

“No. Do not worry and rest. As you can see, it’s nearly dead. It’s evidence that Min-Cheol and Jong Ho are holding them back.”

“Just how many are there that these monsters can get through them…….”

“Hm……”

****

“Karin, do you see this?”

“Keru? What is this?”

“It’s called a jewel.”

“Kel. Jewel?”

“Yes.”

“Is this an item found on Earth?”

“No, we got this from here.”

“Keru? That can’t be. Only bloodstones drop in the demonic realm.”

“Exactly. I’m not sure if this is a prank by a god, but it seems that when humans kill monsters, there is a very small chance for artifacts to drop.”

“Keruu…….. Those gods are very stupid and cunning. I’d like to rip them to shreds……”

“What. You sound like you’ve seen them before.”

“Don’t even talk about them. They’re very disgusting.”

“Well, okay. Anyways, I need your help.”

“Keru. What do you mean?”

“At this rate, the moment that the demon king finds us, the two of you as well as I will die, right?”

“T….. That’s right. If Min-Cheol and Jong Ho disappears….. I will die as well.”

“That’s right. We’re on the same boat at this point. So what do you think we should do to stop that from happening?”

“We need to run away right now!”

“Wrong!”

“Keruu?”

“We need to…. Kill the demon king.”

“Kelkec! Min-Cheol, are you serious?”

“Of course I am. That’s why I need you to help us.”

“That’s impossible. You cannot kill the demon king. Did you not see his display of strength!”

“Didn’t you at first think that we could not face up against Berdan? But look at the result. There’s no rule saying that the demon king cannot die, right?”

“Keeh….. Okay. What do I need to do to help you?”

“We need items like these….. Artifacts, to be precise. Basically, we need to get to place with lots of monsters. It would be good if we could enter the Unknown Dungeon again, but you said that it wasn’t possible, right?”

“Yes. It’s impossible to return there.”

“Okay. Then we’ll let that option go. It doesn’t matter if the monsters are strong or weak. We just need a location with a dense amount of monsters packed close to one another. The key is that they’re in a condensed group.”

“Keruu… Okay….. A place with lots of monsters…… There is one! I know of a place.”

“Good….. Let’s go!”

“Keru. Wait! What about steak? You said that we’ll be eating some…. Do not joke with me, human! Karin is being serious.”

“Ha. That was quite threatening, you know? We’ll eat first, then go!”

“Kel!”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 134

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134. To Think That I Would Be a Laborer Even in the Demonic Realm

Jong Ho and I continued to take out the monsters near the Gate while we waited for our Warp to go off its cooldown.

It was because if we returned to where Karin was right away, there was a chance that we’d run into Ladin and the demon king.

According to what Jong Ho relayed to me, he wouldn’t be able to face Ladin, let alone the demon king.

To be more precise, I would be able face Ladin at the least.

However, unlike the regular monsters, he seemed to possess a special offensive ability.

If I fought him without learning what that was, I was sure that I’d be severely injured.

Not only that, but the demon king and Ladin were moving together as a pair.

They must be moving on the premise that the humans are here to eradicate the demonic races.

The ring of resurrection that we had as insurance was already consumed.

The only thing I could now do in the worst case scenario was to cast Status Denial.

Due to Status Denial being a healing type skill, it could not be stored in Balrock’s Treasure Storage ring.

Jong Ho could not cast it, so that only left me who was able to cast it.

This meant that if either or both of us were to take a fatal blow, due to the long 24 hour cooldown of the skill, I could only save one of us.

That was why we needed to be even more careful from now on, to the point that we had repurposed our travel skill Warp as a defensive measure of escape.

We waited the 11 hrs that was left on the cooldown of the Warp spell without a single bite of food or a sip of water.

It was because both the duffel bag and Karin’s pocket dimension storage were near Ladin’s castle.

Jong Ho, who was taking down the monsters, hurriedly called me over.

“Hey, Min-Cheol. Come over here! What is this?”

“What is it?”

At Jong Ho’s call, I ran over at once.

He must have found something important.

Where Jong Ho was pointing was an item that was plenty important enough to get my attention.

“Oho……?”

“I thought that only bloodstones dropped in the demonic realm?”

“I thought that was the case too, at least from what Karin had told me…….”

“Isn’t this place just like a dungeon? The entire world here is just one giant dungeon.”

The item that dropped after killing all those monsters was a jewel.

Karin had said that artifacts and skill books do not drop in the demonic realm.

He had said that only bloodstones dropped, and the weapons that the monsters were wielding were crafted from them.

Of course, those weapons did not have any stats on them either.

However, a jewel had dropped right before Jong Ho at this very moment.

“Karin had said that the appearance of artifacts and skill books were an abnormal occurrence, similar to the appearance of the Awakened on Earth…….”

“But a jewel just dropped here.”

“It seems that things will work out far easier than I had thought?”

“……..”

“It must be that only humans can obtain artifacts by slaying monsters. That’s the only explanation that makes sense in this situation. Even if the drop chance is absolutely abysmal, it seems that this is a huge opportunity for us.”

“Good…… A good news amongst misfortune. Ah, it seems my Warp is finally off cooldown now.”

“Is that so? Then we’ll ask Karin for details. Shall we go?”

“Hm….. I wonder if he’ll be okay. But is there really a reason for both of us to move together?”

“Yes, I think it’s important that we do so.”

“…….”

“Are you worried that the demon king is near Ladin’s castle?”

“Yep. Then it would be best if you, who has a higher chance of survival, go instead…… You have Status Negation, and I could just weigh you down.”

“You’re right. But what if they arrive here instead?”

“Then I’ll have Warp near Ladin’s castle.”

“Hyung-nim, does your cell phone work right now?”

“No. Do you really think that a cell phone will have signal in the demonic realm? I don’t even have global data.”

“As expected.”

“Ah…….”

“The demonic realm is beyond comparison in terms of size with Earth, and we don’t have any methods of contacting each other. The only reason we are able to regroup right now is that we’re using Ladin’s castle as a landmark.”

“That’s true.”

“If the demon king and Ladin take over this Gate, then we’d be cut off without a way back home”

“You’re right. If you think about it that way, it’s probably better to move together.”

“Even if we do encounter them and have to fight, I’ll make sure to keep you alive, so don’t worry too much.”

“I’m not sure how much longer we’ll stay in the realm, but let’s make a promise.”

“A promise all of a sudden? What is it?”

“If we get into a situation where only one of us could survive……”

“……..”

“If it comes down to that, I want you to be the one who lives.”

“It won’t come to that. Don’t worry.”

“Of course. Still, promise me. Promise me that you will.”

“Hyung-nim, if we go down, we go down together. Don’t act so weak after being beaten by them once.”

“I know, so that’s why I’m saying it. Looking at it from an objective standpoint, it’s true that you have far greater combat potential.”

“Yes.”

“As you said, if we fail here, then everything is lost. But if worst comes to worst….. Shouldn’t we bet on something with a higher chance of succeeding, no matter how small that difference is? I’m saying that you’re the one with a higher chance of succeeding.”

“I understand what you’re saying. Let’ just drop all this serious talk……”

“Answer me.”

“Alright….. I will do as you say.”

“Good. Thank you.”

“Always have to say something odd to make people worry about you. Such an odd personality. I don’t understand why So-Hyeon noona likes someone who’s so serious and lame.”

“It’s probably because I’m like this that she’s dating me.”

“Glad you’re such a big catch. Really. Now let’s go! We’ll be in big trouble if our food storage goes cold.”

“Yeah.”

****

Even while we were heading towards Ladin’s castle. I did not let down my guard for a split moment with my Eye of Insight.

Despite the constant vigilance slowing us down, it wasn’t something that we could do without.

We were finally able to arrive at the area near Ladin’s castle that we had designated as a base camp.

There stood Karin.

Just as Jong Ho had asked him to, he was waiting there still.

To think that he would follow instructions so well.

Even though it was to guarantee his own survival, it almost made me feel bad for treating him as a simple food storage.

As expected, Karin also saw us.

Jumping up and down from where he was, he greeted us.

“Heck. To think that he had a cute side…….”

“Keruu! You forgetful humans!”

“Hm?”

“Kel! Do you know how long I’ve waited?”

“So you weren’t greeting us, but instead angry? Know your place!”

“Hey hey, Min-Cheol. I’d be mad too if I was in his shoes. He didn’t just wait an hour or two, but a whole 12 hours instead. Cut him some slack.”

“If it wasn’t for Jong Ho-hyung, I would have pilfered everything from your pocket dimension and killed you!”

“You……. don’t know how scared I was! Kehelel.”

“What. You’re crying? You’re really crying? Why are you making me feel bad.”

“Human! Please don’t leave me alone! Keh eh eh! I thought the demon king would come back! I thought the stealth casted on me would expire! Do you know how anxious I was!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll cook lots of steak for you.”

“Keruk. Let’s get away from this place. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“Yep, let’s do that. I have questions for you as well.”

****

After Min-Cheol and Jong Ho went through the Gate, many Awakened were on standby at the entrance of the Gate.

On top of that, many news crews had come to obtain footage of the scene, causing the area to be overcrowded.

Of course, the news crew were prevented from getting too close to the Gate though.

Just like that, an hour had passed.

However, no monsters came out of the Gate.

Instead, the Gate silently wavered like the rippling surface of water.

However, the commander Yoon Jong-sun and the Awakened deployed from the global Awakened association did not let down their guard.

Abnormal events with the portals were continuing to occur in Korea.

While the portal explosions were artificially created by the the radical faction, the fact still remained that a Gate leading to the demonic realm formed here.

Not even for a moment did they let down their guard.

Ho Jin, who stood guard next to the the commander, spoke.

“Commander, it’s too quiet.”

“Hm….. I hope that it stays this way, but……”

“I also hope for that as well.”

It was then.

The portal that pulsed serenely suddenly began to tremble violently.

Noticing the change in the portal, the commander’s expression soured instantly.

He knew better than anyone else what that meant.

It wouldn’t be long before the monsters showed their faces.

“Everyone, group up! It seems that the monsters will be coming out soon!”

“Damn it. It really is happening…….”

At the commander’s orders, all the Awakened gathered near the Gate at once.

A Fear roar skill that sent shivers down everyone’s spine echoed from the Gate.

“KUWUHHH!”

“KURURU! KURURU!”

“If we fail here, an unspeakable disaster will fall upon this world! Tanks at the front! All healers, cast shields and buffs on the tanks. Focus on healing spells on the tanks! And please cast debuffs on the monsters!”

“Yes!”

“Yes, commander!”

“All magicians, please prepare single target spells instead of area of effect spells! AoE spells will not only damage the tanks, but will pour mana into the Gate itself! These monsters will definitely have some form of resistances. Awakened of the warrior and assassin classes, prepare to attack alongside the tanks.”

Thanks to his vast experience in combat, he was able to organize a proper formation and lead it.

The commander was well respected by all Awakened of Korea.

Since even the national organization recognized his accomplishments, none disobeyed his orders.

When the radical faction cause the portals to artificially explode, they had done so by infusing the portals with a massive amount of mana.

Currently, this Gate was connected to the demonic realm.

It was obvious that monsters far superior to those found in the dungeons were in there.

However, the commander wasn’t sure if this Gate would be the same as the other portals.

That is why he had commanded the group to position themselves into a formation with safety in mind.

“We do not know how many monsters will come out, but we have to focus our attacks to take them down one by one! Show them our determination!”

The monsters emerged from the Gate that was completely surrounded by the Awakened.

They were completely trapped in by the Awakened.

Trying to reduce the amount of damage the tanks would take from the monsters, he casted an aggro pulling skill from afar.

The lower ranking monsters charged towards the commander with their gazes fixed on him.

However, they could not get near the commander.

The monsters were easily dispatched by the Awakened that surrounded them.

It seemed that things were progressing more smoothly than what he had originally expected. However….

“KUAHACK!”

“KUUUUAAA!”

“These….. These monsters attack by exploding! Tanks and warriors, do not let them get close to you!”

“Kuack! Commander! They’re pouring out endlessly!”

“Kuu…….. We have to hold! Do not fall back!”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 132

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132. The Demon King

“KUHUK!”

“I asked if you are human.”

“KUHUH!”

“Such an obvious weakness. Due to this single organ, you are in this much pain and on the brink of death.”

“KUHACK!”

Jong Ho’s eyes and face was turning red like blood.

Due to the severe pain he was feeling, he could not breathe in or out.

A fresh stream of blood was pouring out from his mouth.

As Jong Ho had tried to enter the Warp, Jamon had closed the distance between the two of them.

He didn’t even have the time to think about avoiding the demon king’s attack.

Not only was Jong Ho unable to see the attack, but he didn’t even feel the demon king’s presence.

Jamon’s hand had pierced the left side of Jong Ho’s chest.

A flawless singular strike.

Despite not having any interactions with humans before, it was a fierce attack that seemed to aim straight for the heart, a weak spot of the human body.

Due to never having received such a severe injury, Jong Ho’s consciousness began to fade.

The demon king did not stop there, as he lifted up Jong Ho while his body was still pierced by his hand.

Blood spilled down his arm that was smooth like pottery.

In his grasp was Jong Ho’s heart, beating madly to stay alive.

Almost as if enjoying this, he slowly increased the pressure of his grip, observing Jong Ho’s face that was twisted in pain.

Despite Jong Ho not having enough time to react to put up his shield spells, he had massive amounts of stamina points due to his armor.

However, before the demon king’s strength, those stats seemed like pointless numbers.

A flood of emotions overwhelmed Jong Ho.

‘This is the strength of the demon king, who rules all of the demonic realm? I’m going to die. There’s not even a chance that I could defeat him. To think that he literally holds my life in his grasp. It’s so pathetic that I can’t help but find it funny.’

“……. here?”

‘If Min-Cheol returns here right now, it’ll be a huge problem. He won’t be able avoid a dog’s death. Please…. Don’t come back. Please…..’

“……. is here?”

‘I can’t even feel the pain anymore. My body feels warm, and I feel drowsy. Is this what death is like……’

The demon king kept talking, but Jong Ho could no longer hear anything.

Instead, he was silently accepting his death.

His senses slowly dulled, and he could no longer feel the pain that was driving him mad.

Before him, the demon king was still asking questions.

“How can such a weak race stand to face demonkind…. How disappointing, seeing that he has already arrived near death’s door.”

“…..”

Suddenly, Jamon lessened his grip.

The heart that was in his grasp began to beat weakly once more.

The demon king’s face hardened, seeming as though he had lost interest, and then he tossed Jong Ho to the floor.

“Kuwu….. Kuhuh! Huhuh……. Huhuh…..”

“…….”

“Kuhuhuh! Kuwu…..”

Sprawled out on the floor, Jong Ho began to breathe once more, his breath labored.

This meant that he was on the path to recovery instead of death.

Since he had an insane amount of stamina stat points, that meant that his recovery speed was incredibly high as well.

After all, despite the hole in his chest and the vessels near his heart being severely damaged, he regained consciousness, and his wounds were sealing back up.

No longer interested in Jong Ho, the demon king had turned his attention on the Warp.

“A Gate that the humans made….. Does this lead to the place that Zekill headed for, the dimension called Earth.”

The demon king moved his hand into the Warp.

However, since the caster was Jong Ho and not the demon king, it denied him completely.

When Jamon’s blood coated hand touched the Warp, it began to tremble fiercely, similar to rough waves.

“Amusing. So you’re saying that you have an owner. I am the demon king. I can take anything I want as mine.”

The demon king hurled his fist without a single change in his expression.

His movement stopped, followed by the Warp quaking before a massive shockwave from the resulting blow.

It was difficult to believe in the speed and force behind the attack.

However, the Warp still did not dissipate and did not allow the demon king entry.

Instead of getting angry, the demon king smiled and shook his head.

“Incredible stubbornness. Ha ha ha. Amusing. Amusing.”

“Ha……. Ha……..”

“Oho? Quite the resilience. Just moments ago, your life was flickering as if it’d be extinguished any second.”

“Hhuuu… “

Covering his bleeding wound with his hands, Jong Ho was in deep thought.

Over there.

He could survive as long as he went through that Warp.

Despite the hellish pain, Jong Ho did not let his gaze wander away from the demon king.

He looked at the very same demon king that could not enter through the Warp that he had spawned.

However, was it possible to do so?

It was true that Jong Ho was outmatched in both speed and destructive force by far.

The fight was already impossible with his opponent being the demon king.

On top of that, there was another monster that was guarding the demon king to boot.

Jong Ho could guess that the other monster next to the demon king was Ladin.

It happened as Jong Ho finally began to get his breathing under control.

“Humans are actually quite amazing.”
“……..”

“I’ll ask again. Do not count on being spared a second time.”

“Kuwuu…..”

“Why did a pathetic human like you come to the demonic realm?”

“Nothing that important.”

“Hm?”

“What do you think the reason is? It’s to kill some demon king or something.”

“Pfft. Is that so? You’ve come to the demonic realm to kill me? However, even if you take my life, there is nothing you’d gain from doing so. Guess you don’t really have much a reason to do so.”

“…….”

“Then….. Where is the other one.”

“…….”

“I do not sense the magical energies of Zekill and Berdan from you. This means that another human has killed them.”

“……..”

“This will be the last question I ask of you. If you want to taste hell again, I shall gladly oblige.”

“My motto is safety first.”

“……”
“But do you really think that I’d sell out my own sibling? Don’t you think so? You’re just balding!” 1

“It seems that humans take their lives lightly. As you wish.”

“…….”

“Ah! That’s right, Ladin.”

“Yes, great demon king.”

“You should try out your newly obtained magical energies.”

“But…….”

“You haven’t met any worth opponents to test out your newfound strength yet, right?”

“It is as you said, great demon king.”

“Kuhu…. Perfect. Rip apart this so called human. Tear out his organs and feel the difference between our temperatures. Bathe in his crimson blood, a color vastly different from ours. I shall allow you to have the magical energy that he possesses.”

“B…… But…….”

“Do not hesitate. Zekill and Berdan are dead. Out of the 4 demonic race leaders, two have perished. Your growth is for the demonic realm and demonic race.”

“I am touched by your words.”

“Toss his corpse into that Gate. It’ll be a gift to whoever is left on the other side of the Gate. Kuhuha.”

“Yes, almighty demon king.”

While the two of them conversed, Jong Ho looked for an opening.

He was looking for a chance to enter through the Warp and escape.

Exerting as much force as possible, Jong Ho kicked the ground and shot out toward the Warp like a bullet.

However, as if he had expected this, Ladin acted accordingly.

Despite being behind him moments ago, Ladin was blocking the path towards the Warp in a split second.

His attack came immediately after.

“Ku…… uu…..”

Jong Ho’s body went limp.

His heart beat no more, and the air he took in no longer served a purpose.

He had breathed his last from a single attack by Ladin.

Ignoring Jong Ho’s corpse, the demon king gave an amused smile as he turned his gaze towards Ladin.

He then opened his mouth.

“Hm?”

“……”

“Strange. He definitely lost his life. The magical energy he possessed should naturally be absorbed by you……”

“Is it perhaps because humans cannot use magical energy?”

“So they can take, but cannot be taken from……”

“Looking at our current situation, that can be the only conclusion……”

“Tsk! I was hopeful for no reason.”

“…….”

“This means that we won’t be able to obtain the massive amount of magical energy that human who is still left in the demonic realm.”

“Yes……”

“My mood has turned sour.”

“Demon king, what of the goblin who is hiding here……”

“Leave him be. He is a weak existence that pleaded for his life with the humans. It won’t take long before he will lose his life to the natural cycle of the demonic realm.”

****

I had used the Warp near Ladin’s castle.

I had arrived back to the starting point.

Warp only allowed a one way travel.

To get back to where Jong Ho and Karin was, I’d have to be diligent and keep moving.

The area around the Gate wasn’t that bad.

I did see a few monsters scattered about, but the number had definitely shrunk.

4 summoned creatures still guarded the Gate.

Just from their appearances, I could tell that the fight was brutal.

Their bodies were covered in wounds without exception.

“KURUUH!”

“My, my. Good job holding on. You’ve done well.”

“KUWUH!”

“However, since the cooldowns are quite long….. I know it’s difficult, but I need you all to hold out a little longer.”

“KWUH! KWUH!”

The Avatars seemed confident, beating their chests with their weapons and letting out a Fear roar skill.

King Suwoo was in the same condition.

The elegant armor had become ragged.

It would be nice if I could cast recovery spells on them, but that was impossible.

Recovery skills only worked on the Awakened, and normal civilians, monsters, and summoned creatures were not affected by them.

However, King Suwoo was acting strange.

His sword that was big as a house glowed blue, and he pulled in that sword with both hands in a meditative pose.

“What are you doing?”

“……..”

“KUWUHUNG!”

“KUWUH!”

“Jackpot?”

His movements were for the purpose of recovery.

Not only did it heal him, but he had healed the summoned creatures around him.

And he had did this without me commanding him so, on his own will.

The exhausted summoned creatures became lively once more.

Since this was the case, it seemed that I didn’t need to return here each time Warp went off cooldown.

My amazement at my summoned creatures didn’t last long.

I saw that a Warp had formed near in my field of vision.

Jong Ho must have casted it.

Other than him, there probably wasn’t anyone else who would be capable of using Warp.

“That’s strange? I said that there was no need for him to come….”

Stranger still was that despite the Warp forming here, I did not see Jong Ho.

There was a possibility that he had used it earlier than when he planned to enter in order to start the cooldown timer.

Without much concern, I shifted my focus solely on taking care of the monsters nearby.

Due to the number of monsters being reduced already, it didn’t take long for me to finish the job.

With the situation taken care of, it happened as I prepared myself to return back to Ladin’s castle.

“Hyung-nim, you’ve arrived?”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 131

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131. Demonic Realm Guide Karin

“Kerut.”

Out of the 6 duffel bags that were filled with beef, Karin had eaten one of them completely.

It made me wonder how he was able to shove in so much food into his small little body.

Patting his belly, he wore a satisfied expression.

“Whew. I feel alive again.”

“Keru. The steak was good.”

“How were you able to eat all that?”

“Keru keru. Human, there is nothing that is impossible. I am not a goblin that gives up easily.”

“Don’t get so fired up on something like that!”

“Kel kel! Human, I am curious about something.”

“What’s up?”

“I know that you, my human master, is named Min-Cheol.”

“Yep.”

“Then what is the name of that human that you are raising….?”

The single grain of rice that was left in Jong Ho’s bowl flew from his fingertips, hitting Karin on his forehead dead center.

In a single moment, the well cooked grain of rice had transformed into a weapon.

Being hit by that, Karin let out a scream of pain and froze with his mouth agape.

I was thankful that he didn’t die from that.

To be hit with such force, anyone would be wearing an expression like that.

“Kehk!”

“Hyung-nim! Control your own strength. Our food storage….. I mean, Karin could implode from that.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know that much at least. However, I need to make sure that he learns who’s in charge.”

“What is the meaning of this! You lowly…..”

Karin could not finish his sentence.

It was because his eyes met with Jong Ho’s fierce glare.

Lowering his gaze immediately, he croaked out an apology.

“Ahem! Keruru…… I’m sorry.”

“My name is Jong Ho. Lee Jong Ho. Remember it well. I’ll be quizzing you on it later.”

“Keruru. I understand. I won’t forget……”

“That’s right! Anyways, Min-Cheol. What of the Gate? Did you take care of the monsters near it?”

“Yes. I took care of all that I could find as a cautionary measure, but it probably won’t be long until they come back. There are a lot of monsters after all.”

“Keru. That’s right. The amount of magical energy the Gate is giving off is massive. It’s enough to entice most lesser monsters nearby into a frenzied charge towards the Gate.”

“Hm….. Seems we’ll have to find a way to deal with it?”

“I have some summoned creatures guarding it as a temporary measure for now, but this won’t serve as a permanent solution.”

“It’s still better than nothing. But as you said, they won’t last long.”

“Yes. Karin, can the demon king and the leader of the remaining demon tribe able to sense the magical energy of the Gate that leads to Earth?”

“Keru. Not for now at least.”

“What do you for now?”

“Kel! Unless you get close to the Gate, you won’t be able to sense the magical energy of the Gate, even if the one trying to detect it was the demon king. Other than the magical energy of the two of you, he wouldn’t be able to sense anything else.”

“Does that mean that he’s able to pinpoint our exact location?”

“Keru. He can’t do that either. All he would know is that you two are somewhere in the demonic realm.”

“Hm….  That’s not too bad. I guess there are things that this omnipotent demon king can’t do?”

“Kel! However, we should keep moving! He probably doesn’t know about the existence of the Gate yet, but he should have noticed that Berdan’s magical energy signature has vanished. Currently, I’m able to detect both Zekill and Berdan’s magical energies within you. If I’m able to sense your powerful magical energy flowing within you, then there is no way that the demon king has missed it. He will definitely come here to investigate.”

“……”

“Guess that means we gotta provoke him.”

“Taunting him?”

“Yes. If the demon king did come here, he will learn of the location Gate, since it isn’t far from where we are right now. The whole point of us coming here was to minimize the damage that Earth takes from this ordeal, right?”

“Of course.”

“This means that making sure the Gate isn’t discovered has become our top priority. If he does cross over to Earth…….”

“It would be over for Earth. To taunt him…….  What do you have in mind? It’s not like you’re saying that we should charge headfirst into fighting against him.”

“Of course, that’s not it. Karin.”

“Kel? Speak, Min-Cheol.”

“We are going to the leader of the remaining demonic tribe. Let’s head for his territory.”

“Keruk! We’re going to where Ladin is?”

“Yep. The demon king can sense his magical energy as well.”

“That’s obvious.”

“If Ladin perishes, he can easily tell that I’ve moved locations, right?”

“That’s true……”

“Why? Even after seeing this, you can’t trust us?”

I cracked my neck.

In the castle where we finished our meal, the place had become ruin.

On top of that, the monsters that had filled this enormous castle had become nothing more than unrecognizable corpses.

Looking around his surroundings, Karin swallowed his spit before speaking.

“That’s not it….. However, Ladin has become incredibly strong as of now.”

“That’s different from what you told me before though? You said that the demon king Jamon is number one, while Berdan was second, followed by Ladin as the third?”

“Keruu…. That was the case up to just a few days ago. However, that’s not the case anymore.”

“…….”

“The demon king gave greater powers to Ladin. He has given both Berdan’s land and subjects to Ladin.”

“This has become quite a pain. I was hoping to take down one of the remaining demon leaders easily.”

“Kel….. Min-Cheol, if you were able to use magical energies, not only will Ladin not be able to face you, but even the demon king wouldn’t be able to hold himself against you. It’s a shame.”

“Well, we don’t have time to waste on something that we can’t use. Either way, Ladin will be weaker than the demon king, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then let’s go! Does anyone oppose? Perhaps the goblin?”

“H……”

“Well……”

“Done. We’ll be going now. To Ladin. Karin, lead the way.”

“Kel?”

****

With Karin, our guide for the demonic realm, leading the way, we headed for Ladin’s territory.

According to Karin, he said that it wasn’t far from here.

I heard that the demonic realm was huge, so I was quite thankful.

I even wondered that I had been scared unnecessarily and brought too much food.

After much time passed, I asked Karin.

“Karin, how much further?”

“Kehek! Kehek! We’re nearly there.”

And like that, far more time passed by.

“How much further?”

“We’ll be there soon.”

“Min-Cheol, haven’t we been running for 3 hours already?”

“He said that we’re nearly there.”

“Hey, Karin.”

“Kehek! Speak, Jong Ho.”

“Just how many more hours before we’re there?”

“Kehem…. Probably half a month.”

“Ah, half a month.”

“We just have to go for half a month.”

Both Jong Ho and I stopped at the same time.

We then proceeded to question if our hearing was still ok.

Jong Ho then gave a hollow smile while looking at me.

“I must have heard wrong, right?”

“Of course. What did you hear?”

“Half a month. Hey, no way that’s the case. Right?”

“You little shit…. Karin!”

“Kehk! Why are you doing that human!”

“Come here, you little shit! It’s my fault for trusting you!”

“Min-Cheol….. Why….. Why are you doing this. In the demonic realm, that pretty close by. You can’t compare this place with your tiny Earth’s standards.”

“Ha……”

I wanted to smash him into the ground right this moment.

This stupid goblin was ranting on about how it would take half a month.

I was so flabbergasted that I was about to let out a soulless laugh.

If he didn’t carry our food supply in his pocket dimension and wasn’t intelligent to deliver information on the demonic realm, he would be buddies with the ferryman of the River Styx by now.

Barely able to contain my boiling anger, I spoke.

“Whew…. Get on.”

“Kemuruk…..”

“I’m not angry, so get on.”

“Okay.”

“Hyung-nim, I know it’s gross, but hurry up and hold onto me.”

“Again?”

“Can’t help it. Karin, I’m not expecting much. Just make sure you’re giving me the correct directions. If you tell me that we’ve gone in the wrong direction halfway through traveling or some nonsense along the lines of this being the wrong place, you best be prepared to die, okay?”

“Kerut….. Min-Cheol, are you sure that you aren’t mad?”

“Oh! Not at all! Not in the slightest!”

“Alright! I know the demonic realm like the back of my hand. Don’t worry!”

“I really hope that’s the case.

****

“That’s the place?”

“Yes. That castle in the distance is Ladin’s castle.”

“We should’ve done this in the first place….. Whatever. For now, let’s use this spot that’s far away from the castle as our base camp.”

“Why? Aren’t we going there right away?”

“Yes. I have to first set up a Warp to the Gate. I need to make sure that my summoned creatures are holding the line properly.”

“Then should I go?”

“No. Since the Warp cooldown is 12 hours long, we have to rotate cooldowns between us to get to the Gate. I’ll go first.”

“Okay. I’ll be scouting the area nearby.”

“Yes. Don’t overdo it.”

“Of course. Safety first!”

Min-Cheol moved into the Warp.

Now Jong Ho and Karin were the only ones left here. It was just the two them.

Perhaps still feeling the shock from Jong Ho’s rice grain attack, Karin only glanced at him time to time in silence.

The one to break the silence was Jong Ho.

“Are you upset?”

“No.”

“Hey, you are upset. I’m sorry for before.You know, hitting with that grain of rice.”

“……”

“You wanna eat some steak?”

“I don’t need it. I’ll eat it when Min-Cheol returns.”

“Hm……”

Jong Ho tried to get Karin to stop pouting, burning time in doing so.

It was then.

Jong Ho sensed a presence from nearby.

However, he didn’t pay much heed to it.

After all, countless monsters roamed the fields of the demonic realm.

He thought that it was just a wandering monster or something.

The owner of the sound was a monster alright.

However, with a single word from Karin, the mood changed in an instant.

“Keh! D….. Demon king!”

“Hush!”

Jong Ho pressed down Karin’s head and laid low on the ground.

He then asked in a whisper.

“Where? Where is the demon king?”

“Kel…. I cannot see him. However, I can sense it. The demon king’s magical energy!”

“Damn it…. This means that he would’ve sensed our magical energies as well……”

“He shouldn’t have been able to sense my magical energy, since there are plenty of monsters nearby. However, Jong Ho, you on the other hand…..”

“Is he getting close?”

“Kuhuk! He’s not alone!”

“……”

“Ladin… Ladin is with him!”

“Damn it…….”

“Jong Ho! We have to run away immediately.”

“I understand, so be quiet for now.”

“What will you do?”

Jong Ho was briefly lost in thought.

Since he could cast Warp right now, it wasn’t that difficult to escape this place.

However, it was obvious that Karin wouldn’t be able to follow.

After all, only the caster could go through the Warp.

However, he wasn’t in a situation where he could just abandon Karin and run away by himself.

Karin had absolutely no combat capabilities.

Many violent monsters nearby were glaring at him, eyeing him with aggression.

‘The only solution here would be Mass Stealth Jutsu…..’

The conclusion that Jong Ho came to was to use Mass Stealth Jutsu.

The Balrock ring could store all spells with the exception of shields and recovery magic.

The stealth spell should be stored inside the ring somewhere.

Jong Ho spoke in a whisper to Karin once more.

“I’ll bring him here, so stay quiet as a dead rat.”

“Kel? Jong Ho….. Are you leaving me by myself?”

“At this rate, the two of us will die. This is the only way where we can both stay alive.”

“Keruwu…..”

Jong Ho hid Karin’s form completely and then casted Warp.

It was then.

“A….. Aaaaa!”

“Human? So you are the so called human race…..”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 130

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130. A Dog Who Lost His Owner

“Kerut! Keruk! Hu-human…. How…..”

There was surprise in Karin’s eyes, the same eyes that gazed at Jong Ho and I.

Almost as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have seen, the wrinkles near his eyes flattened out.

On top of that, he was hiccuping.

Jong Ho spoke to Karin, who had turned still like stone.

“Karin, why are you acting as if you’ve seen a ghost?”

“Keheh… Human…..”

“Pfft. We’re nothing different from ghosts. He was absolutely positive that Berdan would win, but here are the two of us standing right before him. He must be quite shocked.”

“Aha. I guess so.”

“Hyung-nim, especially time times like these, we should help him face reality, right?”

“Keruu….”

“Hm… That’s true.”

Jong Ho put on his most earnest face.

Putting his hand on Karin’s shoulder, he spoke.

“Your owner Berdan is dead. Even pulling out his horns, he resisted. However, all his limbs were cut off and he was butchered pathetically before being turned to ash! You can’t even recognize him by his remains!”

“KEHEH!”

“Hey, are you insane! Is there something wrong, hyung? Why are you being so graphic!”

“Why I told him the reality of the situation immediately and accurately. I’ve met all of the requirements…..”

“Whew….. You’re being quite the handful. Look how scared he is. What are you going to do about his expression?”

“Was it too much?”

“You realized that now?”

“Keru….. What happened! Human! Where is sir Berdan?”

“Berdan is dead. We won.”

“…….”

Looking at us, his eyes were filled with loss.

Other than the demon king Jamon, he had thought that Berdan was without equal, so it must be difficult for him to accept this.

However, this was the truth.

For a long while, he lowered his head and was lost in thought.

It was then.

“KUWUH!”

“Keh! Keruut!”

One of the monsters standing nearby had tried to charge in an attempt to attack Karin.

I grabbed onto its neck and blew it up in a single hit.

Perhaps being severely frightened, he was holding onto me tightly while trembling.

When we headed for Berdan’s castle, all the monsters quaked in fear when they looked at us.

Forget attacking like this, they were too afraid even make eye contact with us.

This included not only Jong Ho and I, but Karin as well.

But a sudden attack from the monster just happened.

Latching himself onto my trousers, Karin murmured to himself.

“Kel. Berdan’s Authority has disappeared…. My magical energy…. Kehel….”

“……”

“I’m going to die now. Keruu….. Sir Berdan……”

That was right.

The Authority that Berdan had given to Karin was the only reason why the monsters of the demonic realm weren’t attacking Karin.

However, since Berdan had disappeared, the Authority bestowed upon Karin had disappeared as well.

That was why Karin, who was the lowest ranking monster called Puppet Goblin, was nothing more than a snack to the monsters.

Losing his owner meant that he did not have anyone to rely on at this moment.

I spoke to Karin, who was shaking in fear.

“Are you scared?”

“Keru……”

“Berdan, who had been your shade this entire time, is no more.”

“Kel.”

“What will you do?”

“……”

“Do you want to become a meal for the monsters while you guard Berdan’s castle? Or will you serve me and live longer?”

“……..”

It seemed that he wasn’t able to come to a decision easily.

That was expected, as he had been serving him for hundreds of years.

Due to the situation completely changing in a single moment, he must be in quite a shock.

However, it didn’t take long.

Wobbling about, Karin hurriedly ran into the castle.

There was panic behind his footsteps.

It seemed that it was difficult to accept Berdan’s death.

I followed in after Karin.

Lowering his body before the giant throne, Karin was murmuring.

“Oh great Berdan……”

“Hm….. If it goes on like this, food supply will be an issue.”

“I am having a hard time accepting this situation.”

“……”

“How could this happen…. It’s such a tragedy.”

“It was expected that it’ll be difficult to get him to switch sides….”

“However, doesn’t the living have to go on? Keruk.”

“Huh?”

“Keruu. Thank you for taking care of me all this time. I’ll be going then…….”

“Why is he so quick at changing sides?”

After dogeza-ing before the throne, he quickly ran over to me.

I was flabbergasted at how he was acting as if this was normal.

Staring at me, he cleared his throat and spoke.

“Kerut. Ahem! Great Min-……”

“Hey hey! No need. Just go on as normal.”

“Kel kel. Are you sure that’s ok?”

“I guess you were waiting for me to say that?”

“Keruru. Human, is it ok for me to follow you?”

“Yep. I’ll protect you. In return, provide me with information about the demonic realm and take care of the food inside your pocket dimension, okay?”

“Kerut. I got it. You can count on me.”

“Firstly, I’m going to go take care of the monsters near the Gate.”

“Kel? Ok. I shall guide you!”

“I’m not bad with directions, so I can at least remember where I’ve been. You should help with Jong Ho hyung to make dinner.”

“Kel! I got it.”

“Yeah. Also ask hyung-nim to melt the frozen beef for you.”

“Kel kel. You really are a good human.”

“How can you be so weak against steak….”

Jong Ho entered the castle after us.

I picked up my weapons and was preparing to go towards the Gate.

Looking at me, Jong Ho spoke.

“What happened with Karin? And you said you wanted to eat, so where are you going?”

“Please prepare the meal, hyung-nim. I already gave Karin instructions. I think I need to get to the Gate.”

“The Gate?”

“Yes. I have to clean up the surrounding area around the Gate.”

“Hm… Ok, got it. Take care.”

“Yes.”

I was going to head for the Gate in a bit.

If any of the idiotic monsters of this demonic realm entered through the Gate, they would immediately be teleported to Earth.

Despite Berdan’s death and his Authority vanishing, this wasn’t made from his own strength.

Using Karin to relay his commands, this portal was made by sacrificing countless monsters, so it wouldn’t have expired.

The whole reason to have come through the portal willingly was to stop the chaos and destruction that would occur if Earth was to become a battlefield.

To accomplish our original objective, I had to defend the Gate from entry.

****

It didn’t take long to arrive at the Gate.

As expected, many monsters were gathering near the Gate due to it exuding power magical energies.

Perhaps some had entered already.

However, on the other side of this Gate stood the combined might of the commander and Awakened from all over the world.

There wasn’t much of a reason to be concerned.

They would be able to stop them without much trouble.

“KUWUHHH!”

“KAAAA!”

At my arrival, the monsters became restless.

Each of them let out fierce Fear howls, but how they acted after was pathetic.

All of them were lowering their tails and slowly falling back.

It was to be expected.

I had taken down 2 of the 4 leaders of the demonic realm.

The amount of magical energy within me would be beyond their wildest imaginations.

“How obnoxiously loud.”

“KARU!”

“Hush! Hey! Who do you think you are to dare challenge me!”

“……”

“You die if you try to go through here.”

“……”

“Whew. I guess you don’t understand?”

It was then.

A herd of monsters were charging at full speed towards the Gate.

Looking with my Eye of Insight, I was able to see that these monsters were called Butcher.

At their appearance, the air became putrid with their rotting scent.

“Ugh! Are they friends with the Ragged? Smells quite terrible.”

“Kuruk!”

Leaping up, I blocked the entrance towards the Gate in a split moment.

Following that up, I casted In Storm to cover the area with electricity.

The moment that they arrived here from their running, they would become fried.

The many Butchers that charged fiercely as if they had been hypnotized finally arrived in the range of my In Storm.

“KUWHECK!”

“KWECK!”

It didn’t take even a few seconds for them to burn like a lump of charcoal.

Those that could still move continued to fiercely charge forward.

Their corpses burned, making popping noises from the sparks from the inferno.

They soon became ash and settled on the ground around me.

The monsters nearby spectated the entire scene.

As expected, due to their lack of intelligence, they looked on without a care.

Since this was the case, there would definitely be some monsters that would try to enter when I left this place.

“I killed them to make an example out of them, but none of you are scared? Guess that means that I have to kill you all.”

****

I took out all the monsters in my field of vision.

No matter how far I searched around the areas near the Gate, I could not see a single monster.

However, I knew that there were more monsters in the demonic realm than I could ever imagine.

That’s why it would probably only take a few hours or minutes before monsters would roam near here.

I wasn’t able to just stand here and guard though.

“Hm…. I guess the only ones I can rely on are them.”

“KUWAAG!:”

“KUWUHHH!”

“KUWUH!”

“Loud, huge, and good at combat.”

In front of the Gate appeared three Devil Avatars.

They understood and followed my commands to the letter.

While I explored the demonic realm, I would keep this place on my mind, but these creatures would be an immense help while I wasn’t here.

On top of that, I summoned one more.

It was King Suwoo, a creature summoned from an S+ ranking summon skill.

This was a creature that was summoned by Ghost during our fight before.

I already knew how useful summoner skills were.

That’s why I couldn’t help but be sold at King Suwoo’s destructive and endurance capabilities.

The Devil Avatars had strong magical attacks, while King Suwoo had powerful physical attacks.

Of course, I had to make sure that these monsters would be able to handle the situation in the case of enemies with magical resistances appearing.

The top 1% of the monsters in Berdan’s territory had already all perished.

Gathering in Berdan’s castle, they met their terrible fate at my hands.

Even so, I was positive that these summoned creatures could not kill all the monsters here.

After all, compared to here, the monsters of the Hidden Dungeon were child’s play.

There would be different results depending on the monster’s ranking, but if they charged in small numbers like what just happened now, these creatures should able to stop them.

I spoke to the summoned creatures that now guarded the Gate.

“Prevent them from entering. No living creatures are allowed to enter through this Gate, okay?”

“KUWANG!”

“Good. If any of you perish, I will sense it and come running. Do not forget that I am always watching over you, and halt them with all your might! No matter what it takes, okay?”

“KUWUH!”

“They sure are dependable.”

***

Demon king Jamon was staring into space with a serious expression.

Several days had passed since he had met with Berdan.

Berating him for his complacency, he had commanded Berdan to surrender his territory and monsters under him to Ladin.

The demon king spoke to himself.

“I cannot sense Berdan’s magical energy…… And what is that new magical energy…. Zekill? Berdan? No, whoever it is, they have both their magical energies.”

Due to Berdan’s death, the shroud that was used to hide Min-Cheol’s magical energy had become undone.

However, the demon king already knew of Min-Cheol’s existence even before the shroud became undone.

He is the demon king, after all.

It didn’t even take any effort for him to sense anyone with massive amounts of magical energies.

He had sensed the magical energy of Zekill, who had expended all of it while traveling to another dimension.

On top of that, he sensed the magical energy that had been Berdan’s on this new person.

Unsettled, Jamon whispered to himself.

“Who would it be…….”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 129

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129. Didn’t You Learn That You Die If You Pull Out Your Horns in the Demonic Realm?

“KUAAHHHHHH!”

Berdan screamed as he twisted his own horns.

The two horns on his head broke off, and his giant form rapidly shrunk as if his body was deflating like a balloon.

Purple liquid sprayed out like a fountain from where he broke off his horns.

However, that wasn’t the blood of a monster, even though the color was the same.

We would soon learn that this was magical energy.

The purple liquid that left his body wiggled and swirled around for a bit before being absorbed by his body once more.

Berdan had only a shoddy piece of cloth covering him before.

However, a single moment, his body was covered in armor.

The armor made him look barbaric, but it covered his entire body without leaving any gaps.

It was as if he had used his magical energy to strengthen his body.

Maybe that was why he wasn’t taking any additional damage from the In Storm electric magic in the slightest.

Also.

“Urgh…….”

“…….”

Finishing his transformation, he let out a mighty wave of explosive force from his body.

The various metal ornaments around him were instantly blown apart.

His body looked like an athlete’s, who had worked out far too much.

On top of that, he had armor covering up his whole body.

His body had shrunk, but his ability and his shape remained the same as before breaking off his horns.

After letting out an attack that wasn’t even meant to be an actual attack, Berdan stood still without a word.

The Eye of Insight that had told me before that his weak spots were his entire body now only pointed towards his heart.

Jong Ho, who had been near him to attack, made distance and came to me to talk.

“Doesn’t he seem really pissed off?”

“Seems so. Even so, do you think he’ll be anything to worry about?”

“Hm……”

“How much mana do you have left?”

“Plenty. Due to Mana Drain activating nonstop, I don’t feel starved for mana. It’s enough to make me feel like I have infinite mana like you.”

“That’s good. Don’t get too complacent though and make sure to keep checking how much you have left.”

“Of course. How long do you think I was starving for mana before.”

“Yes, but….. It was risky how you suddenly sprinted forward before. Thank goodness that the results were good…..”

“Ah. You mean baiting them in?”

“Yes. I know what you were thinking when you did that, but…..”

“Pfft. Yeah, I was out of my mind. I’m not even sure why I did that. Don’t know what I was thinking…. My body moved on its own, and I felt a surge of confidence without reason.”

“I guess you felt sure and confident.”

“Is that so? I guess I can say that I instinctively felt that I could take him down.”

“Well, it already happened. Either way, good job. I was quite surprised too.”

“Hey, should we really wait for him while he does that? It’s like how the main protagonists of an anime gives the enemy robot to finish transforming or something.”

“Haha. Almost forgot cause he has no presence. You should finish this up.”

“Me? I should?”

“Since you started it, you should see to its end.”

“Okay.”

I gave all the buff skills I had to Jong Ho, then proceeded to become a spectator once more.

Despite the transformation Berdan went through, since there was a huge difference in combat capabilities before, I wasn’t that worried.

I was absolutely positive that Jong Ho would win.

Holding magician class weapons, the staff and wand, he got closer to him.

It was then.

“Kurururu…..”

“……”

“Kuru……”

“He’s almost a magician at this point. A magician.”

“KUWUHHHHH!”

From his mouth came the sound that monsters without intelligence would make.

Every time he let out his breath, a huff of frosty chill came out, but unlike his breath, his body was giving off searing steam and smoke.

Jong Ho’s attack started.

A fierce blizzard came forth.

It was Glacial Field, a spell that dealt frost damage in a large area.

On top of that, Iceberg rose up from the ground.

He had casted two frost spells that prevented his opponent from moving.

It would be unlikelu for a monster at Berdan’s level to be completely frozen and shatter, but it was definitely enough to prevent his movements.

Glacial Field covered a huge area, but it didn’t do much damage.

Really the skill was to apply status effects.

However, Iceberg was plenty enough to fill the lack of damage.

It boasted enough damage to not lose to any other skill.

Jong Ho’s use of the skill displayed that he did not lack any sense in his decision making.

Delivering hits at the right time with precision, he hit dead center.

The Balrock ring was on his finger.

Within the ring were countless spells.

For being a warrior class, it would have taken a lot of effort for Jong Ho to obtain mastery over skills like these.

I was thankful once more that Jong Ho was person that I could follow and trust.

“Kuru….”

“Are you cold?”

“KUHUNG!”

Frozen stiff inside Iceberg like a stuffed display at a museum, his black eyes stared intensely at Jong Ho.

No matter how much steam he was letting out from his body, it would be incredibly difficult for him to escape the Iceberg spell that had hit level 300.

However….

-CRACK!

“KUWUHHHHH! KAHAA!”

“Does frost magic not work on him?”

“…….”

Letting out another powerful wave of pressure, the Iceberg was shattered into pieces at the impact.

On top of that, Berdan, who had been standing still, began to move.

However, his movement wasn’t slowed in the slightest.

Taking this situation into account, the only explanation was that he was either completely resistant to frost magic, or even magic damage itself.

That meant that this was an opponent that Jong Ho could not win against.

Despite Jong Ho being a warrior class and me being a magician class, our roles had completely flipped since the moment we had decided to head for the demonic realm.

However, unlike Jong Ho, I was without flaw in both my physical and magical offensive capabilities.

Just looking at the weapons Jong Ho was holding, it was obvious.

Both Jong Ho’s face and mine had surprised written all over them.

However, it wasn’t the expression of defeat.

It was just a small shock at his change in form and incredibly high resistances he obtained.

It was then.

“KURUK!”

Berdan sped up at speeds difficult to imagine and struck his abdomen.

The spell shield that didn’t take any damage before was instantly shattered.

On top of that, it dealt damage directly to his body.

My body that had completely relaxed from spectating immediately tensed up.

Despite the sudden attack, Jong Ho did not panic.

Casting his main defensive skill Otherworldly Skin, he avoided additional attacks that ensued and was looking for a chance to strike back.

His speed was unlike anything before.

It also looked like his attacks had increased in damage in multiples.

Avoiding his charge gracefully, Jong Ho attacked with flame magic this time.

Casting Explosion and Fire Shock, he finished off his combo with the main damage skill Meteor.

Predicting Berdan’s pathing, he landed a direct hit.

“A direct hit…..”

However, that didn’t work either.

Jong Ho followed up with Holy Shock and the spell that did self damage, Chain Explosion.

Even with Chain Explosion, which delivered various types of damages, he could not deal damage to Berdan.

I was absolutely sure of it now.

Due to letting out magical energies in order to obtain that armor, he had obtained a 100% resistance to magic.

It was made even more apparent from the fact that Berdan merely swatted away the intense flames that blocked his vision before walking out of the inferno.

In a split moment, I blocked Jong Ho’s path.

Quietly I whispered.

“Hyung-nim, it looks like you’re struggling a lot.”

“Magic resistance, right?”

“Yes, it seems so.”

“I was wondering why he was taking no damage. If I was alone, I would have been helpless against him.”

“Agreed. It can’t be helped, since you don’t do that much physical damage despite being a warrior class.”

“Yeah. Even though I received his attacks after he became stronger and faster, it wasn’t something that I couldn’t handle. It’s just that I can’t deal any damage to him. His transformation isn’t the deciding factor between victory and defeat.”

“Yes, I understand. May I take it from here?”

“Yes, please do.”

“Ok.”

“KUWUHHH!”

A single strike.

“KUWEHHH!

The sight of one of his arms falling to the ground was pleasing.

I merely swung my sword with massive force while leaping forward.

To put it simply, all it had taken was a leap and a single swing.

However, the results were devastating.

A nasty wound was left behind through his armor and on his body.

“KUWUHHH!”

Allowing me to attack without any resistance, now he was grabbing his severed arm and howling in pain.

However, that didn’t last long.

When I moved in to swing my sword at him again, he had dodged with incredible speed.

One could think of this as a simple dodge.

However, he had dodged and charged towards where Jong Ho stood.

His severed arm hadn’t completely recovered yet, but claws had formed there and they were sharp as a sword.

He was able to deal damage to Jong Ho before from just swinging his fists.

Now, what if he used that kind of weaponry, and if he attacked while losing his sanity and struck in a last ditch effort when he was cornered like a rat?

Noticing Berdan’ s intentions, Jong Ho hurriedly prepared his defenses.

However, I wasn’t just going to stand there idly and watch.

Casting Mass Stealth Jutsu, I hid both Jong Ho and my form.

However, he did not stop charging towards where Jong Ho had stood a moment ago.

Realizing that he was hidden from view, he quickly moved away from his previous location like a true pro.

His charge stopped only when he ran into the walls of the castle, and there I was, standing next to him.

No matter how much he struggled, he was merely a slow moving turtle before me.

“KUHUK! KUK!”

Berdan had taken his last breath.

I had stabbed his heart with Butcher’s Sword, the one weak spot that Eye of Insight had shown me.

His eyes that were pitch dark lost its color, and his body hung limp on my blade like clothes that were hung to dry.

As soon as I pulled out my sword, massive amounts of magical energy that he had absorbed poured out from him.

As the sword freed itself from his body, he turned into a pile of ash.

This was something that you could not see on Earth.

After all, this was the first time that we could see magical energy.

The magical energy that left his body swirled around me, unsettling me.

Following that, it was absorbed by my body as if it was natural.

“I don’t feel so good about it entering my body without permission…..”

“Is that so?”

“Well, I won’t be able to use it anyways. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

“You’re probably right. It’s something that only monsters need.”

“Whew….. We took down Berdan on the first day of arriving in the demonic realm.”

“It’s not a bad start.”

“I agree. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Hey, from running dungeons without a reason to be tense to focusing properly for the first time in awhile, it really does work up an appetite.”

“Pfft. I thought so. Our food storage should be outside.”

“Right, Karin. Let’s go outside for now. And let us rest here for the night while we’re at it.”

“Yes. I wonder what material this castle is made of in order to be this sturdy? To be able to receive Transcended spells without any issues…..”

“Dunno…. I didn’t have the luxury to think about it.”

“I think we have to bring some with us when we return to Earth.”

“Why? You have something to make?”

“I’m planning to make a house out of it for you when you get married.”

“Oh….. But by the time that happens, the monsters would cease existing on Earth.”

“Nope. This is for you and your wife to be able to have your lover’s quarrels without worry.”

“Shit!”

“Karin.”

“…….”

“Hey, Karin!”

“Keru… Yes! Great Berd-…… Keruk! Hu… Hu…. Human!”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 10

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Taken from Light Novel Bastion. All credits goes to the original translator and editor.

10. The Taste of Money! Manticore (5)

I momentarily got lost in thoughts of doubt and hesitation.

Thoughts of self-justification slowly crept their way in, too.

Occasionally when I went to hunt monsters with a party,we hunted a few of the nearby Manticores.

Before they approached me, I used frost orbs to freeze the wings and legs, and poured electric discharge at them until they died.

No matter how many come, it’ll be fine as long as I kill them before they come near me!

That’s possible, right?

****

– Tti-Dik. Please scan your card.

– Tti-Dik. Please scan your fingerprint.

– The dungeon will now be activated.

I got lost in thoughts again, but before long, I found myself in the dungeon.

It appeared I had convinced myself unconsciously.

‘Perhaps I should’ve said I wanted to be a businessman,’ I thought to myself.

I waited until the six person party, that was previously on standby, entered first.

As soon as I saw they were gone, I entered.

I was a sophomore in high school, way past being in a sophomore in middle school, yet it seemed I had not completely recovered from the illness.

“At least I received the ‘Boots of Speed’ that Sang-Min used to use.”

The ‘Boots of Speed’ dramatically increased movement speed, so they were usually used by tankers or sub-tankers.

Mana mages usually used boots that increased vitality or agility, but I invested all of my stats to vitality, so I figured that  speed would be far more efficient and complementary.

“Now, shall I take it for a ride?”

KURURURUNG!

Due to a special nature of Manticores, getting their attention was easy. As long as I made eye contact with one of them, a whole horde would rush over.

Even though this was my first time fighting a mass number of monsters at once, I didn’t find it difficult.

[Experienced earned 600.]

[Experienced earned 600.]

[Experienced earned 600.]

.

.

.

 

Without much difficulty, I gathered Manticores around me. The hunt had started.

Of course, this was smaller in number in comparison to what we handled in a five people party.

I was disadvantaged, as I didn’t have the buffs or debuffs that Li In-Ah and Jo Young-Hun provided.

With them in my party, it only took two shots to finish off these monsters.  By myself, it took 4 to 5 rounds of tries.

Using the money earned from hunting with Sang-Min’s group, I learned ‘Frozen Shield.’

Thanks to it, I could fight the Manticores without taking damage.

Frozen shield was a skill that formed an effective protection layer of ice.

It could shield me from enemy attacks for up to three minutes.

It costed 300 mana, and had a cool down of 10 minutes.

I could ignore the mana cost, but the cool down was driving me insane.

I couldn’t even dream of purchasing an expensive unlimited-use shield that didn’t have any cooling time.

‘Frozen Shield’ could block most moderate attacks.

However, if the attack strength was twice that of my vitality, then the shield would be destroyed.

Regardless, since Manticores had nowhere near enough attack strength, so, I didn’t need to be concerned about it happening.

Once I had enough  money, I planned to learn all classes, and all kinds of shield magic.

Once I did, I was going to activate my shield at random, without a care for cooling time. It was a solid plan.

While hunting, I started getting excited as I gained experience at a crazy fast rate, and there were many bloodstones floating in mid-air, giving off a luxurious red shine.

Instead of sharing with five people, they all went into my own pocket.

Moreover, this was despite the fact that my minimum level doesn’t even qualify to be in this dungeon.

“To all those trust-fund babies and rich kids, listen up. Become independents. Stop living under the shadow of your parents so shamelessly. Stand by yourself with pride and leave their shadows, just like I did.  Face the world, head on. Be reborn!”

I thought that the rich kids and I belonged in different worlds.

However, the ones I used to look at, with eyes soaked with inferiority, I felt were now below me.

I finished off the last group of monsters, who were in the 3 o’clock direction, and headed to the dungeon’s main exit. Everything was going smoothly, until…

I heard a noise.

KUAAAAAAANG!!!!

KUAK! KUAK!

“What’s this? Is there a monster left?”

Fearsome howling pierced through the dungeon.

While I was thinking ‘No way, it can’t be……’

KUWOOOOAH!!

An incredible one suddenly appeared in front of me.

“Is this beginner’s luck? Am I hitting the jackpot?”

It was a Manticore three to four times the size of an ordinary one. It was called Kelvecore.

Its wing and tail were similar to an ordinary Manticore, however it had three heads.

The middle head was an old lion, the left head was a dog, and the right was a dragon.

The heads were all howling and baring their fangs at each other, as if they were fighting for dominance over the body.

“Wow, this really looks like something……”

Looking at the clock, I still had 15 minutes until the dungeon ended.

If I stayed out of sight for 15 minutes, I could exit the dungeon.

However.

10,000,000.

The money I could get for slaying that monster was 10 million.

“Was this good luck or bad luck? There was no need to think it over. Even if I couldn’t win, I at least had to try.”

Due to all the combat experience and successful kills, I was chock-full of confidence.

So, without hesitation, I drew Kelvecore’s attention.

KAAH! KURUNG! KRUUURUNG!

Moments ago they were busy fighting each other until moments ago, but now, as if they had found a common target, their eyes locked onto me.

‘As long as I tie down their movements, there shouldn’t be much more to it, right?’

KIAP!

With both hands, I concentrated the electric discharge and poured it at them.

CHIRIK! ZIZIZIZIZIZIK!

It hit their heads dead on. However, it didn’t do much damage.

It only made Kelvecore briefly stop, before he resumed flying at me with its swift wings.

Despite this, I didn’t panic. Instead, I aimed for the part where the wings attached to the body, and shot frost orbs. The wings slowly started to freeze over.

Perhaps it was due to realizing its wings were freezing and becoming unresponsive, but the heads charged towards me, going at what seemed like their top speed.

DUGUDUGUDU! DUGUDUGUDU! CRASH!

Due to its charging speed, the frozen wings, which were spread wide open, were torn apart by the air resistance.

“Okay! Now that I’ve stopped its air, I just need to tie up its legs.”

The front legs steered the body, and the rear legs provided propulsion.

I chose to freeze the rear legs.

When the heads came charging at me, I used the ‘Boots of Speed’ and ran diagonally to the left.

This reduced the distance between me and the heads, and it also gave me an angle that would allow me to strike at their rear legs.

TADAK! TADAK! TADAK!

Despite the tremors from the monster’s rapid movements, I managed to perfectly shoot two frost orbs to its rear legs.

The rear legs gradually froze over, and the distance also gradually increased… I had confirmed my victory.

“Frozen Shield.”

Now that I had activated the shield, the only thing left to do was to go all out and kill the bastard.

Holding the rod in both hands, I had just started releasing electric discharge when…

SHAAAACK!!

PUSHOOOOK.

The dragon’s head shout out powerful fire, that hit my left hand, dead on.

Soon after, poison needles launched from the tail, and pierced my left shoulder.

This was the first blow taken from the monster, and, due to the excruciating pain, I couldn’t think straight.

I had invested all of my stats points to vitality, but one blow from this crazy hidden boss made me helplessly collapse.

Because the shield had been pointlessly destroyed by the fire, I ended up allowing a strike on my shoulder.

“Ugh. Ha, Ha… Crazy……”

The pain in my left arm’s was dominating my body.

My left hand was burned to a crisp.

The only thing it maintained was its shape, I couldn’t feel or move it.

My sight was gradually becoming blurry.

The monster appeared to have regained feeling in its rear legs, and was starting to charge at me again.

“Kuk, damn it, this crazy little mutt……”

I wanted to live.

This was a chance that was hard earned.

It was a chance for me to be happy.

I didn’t want to lose this chance; I couldn’t lose this chance.

At that moment, I was thinking that ‘I could die.’

After that thought, I began to feel something emanating within me.

That feeling made me feel as if I was fully dosed in painkillers, and it also made me forget the pain on my left arm for a moment.

When I used both my hands my skill casting time doubled, which was a sharp comparison to when using only one, but I didn’t let that bother me.

I used the same method as before!

I had decided to use it carefully this time, and focus on precision.

Once again I aimed, and shot frost orbs at the rear legs and the dragon head.

Just in case, I prepared myself for the second round of its tail needle attack.

It was as if my combat senses had spiked due to the threat of immediate death.

My field of vision also widened substantially.

Before long I had the monster completely immobilized.

I sent twenty electric discharges towards it.

I could not make the same mistake twice.

Mistake meant death! To avoid that, I continued to move my body and cast skills.

The dog head lost strength and dropped.

The dragon head was already frozen and broke in half.

The remaining lion head was roaring with murderous intent and stared at me.

And then.

KRUAAAAANG!!!

“So long 10 million.”

.

.

.

My memory ended there.


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 3

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Taken from Light Novel Bastion. All credits goes to the original translator and editor.

3. Getting a Goal

I haven’t told my mother what has happened to me.

I want to go ahead and tell her that I’ll make her life comfortable, and say ‘You don’t need to go through all those hardships anymore.’

But.

That’s for when I’m able to use this cheat properly to profit!

That’s when I’ll tell her and surprise her.

Until then, it’s a secret.

Because my mother would obviously be against the idea of me having to face dangerous monsters.

After a dinner that was more satisfying than usual, I go back to my room.

Now that I know about my ability, I need to think about how to level up and how to become rich as fuck.

I go around many Awakened guild forums and collect various information.

It says that you need to first go into the Awakened association’s site and report that you are an Awakened.

You have to submit the report within a month of becoming an Awakened.

This rule doesn’t just end with fines.

You could even taste the dew of the execution grounds if you disobey it.

Even at school, students undergo physical examinations to check if they were Awakened every 3 months.

But I won’t report myself straight away.

That’s partially because I’m saving it up as a surprise event for mother.

But it’s mainly because I feel a sense of excitement as I hide my power, which is different from any other Awakened.

“Cough cough, respect my preferences please, keh keh.”

Just thinking about it makes this situation enjoyable.

I record the date to report in to the association on my smartphone’s calendar app.

-Ttum ttap- Ttum ttum tap- Good morning~ Good morning~

The alarm rings out loudly.

I don’t know when I fell asleep.

I was sitting at the computer, searching for skills like crazy…

While eating the breakfast that mother prepares for me every day, I talk to myself.

“First! A strong skill with long range.”

“Second! A skill that is imbalanced by its high mana consumption.”

“Third! A skill that is cheap due to that imbalance! Bingo!”

“There’s only that. Lightning Spray!”

It’s a skill that I tried to find until my fingers started hurting.

There are tons of commercials for it.

The price is around 800,000 to 1,000,000 won. 1

It’s laughable that it’s that cheap, considering my situation.

It’s a skill that gets traded around pretty often too. It’s that powerful.

But the one reason that it can’t be a main skill! That would be its insanely high mana cost.

A few Awakened novices bought the skill book, enticed by the relatively cheap cost for such a high strength skill.

But the results were poor.

The skill ‘Lightning Spray’ takes up 500 mana for every use.

And as the level of the skill rises, so does its mana cost.

The mana cost of Frost Orb is 10 mana. Do you get the idea of how abnormal the mana cost of Lightning Spray is?

A level one Magician class Awakened can use ‘Frost Orb’ about five times. One point of the Int stat boosts MP by five points.

I wonder if there is any other skill that suits me this much other than ‘Lightning Spray’.

Now I have my first goal since becoming an Awakened. The Skill Book: ‘Lightning Spray’.

I go to school.

With a face full of confidence that’s different from my usual face!

“Min-Cheol, you ok?”

It’s Tae-Seong, a guy who sits behind me.

“What?”

“I mean, you got wrecked by Jae-Hyuk.”

‘And who’s the bastard that knew about it but didn’t say anything?’

These words are on the tip of my tongue, but I hold back.

“Ah~ It’s ok, it happens all the time.”

It‘s this strange kind of greeting.

We just gather together and talk about our own interests.

These guys don’t think of me as a friend anyway.

“Wow~ Our Min-Cheol came to school after that beating?”

That thing that I knew was going to come finally arrives.

“Yeah!”

I reply bluntly.

“Yeah, I guess you have to come to school and study, I mean, what else would you do? But the way you’re talking is really annoying, you know? If you want to keep getting beaten up, then keep talking like that, okay?”

The bastard spat out anger-inducing words without hesitation.

He must have been born in a breeding facility.

But I’m different from yesterday.

I won’t do what he wants and then have to fake laughter.

I will make myself understand, and I won’t work with him.

While I’m thinking these thoughts, the bastard’s already pulled out his cushion and is getting ready to sleep.

I can’t concentrate throughout the entire lesson.

My head is filled with thoughts about what I have to do in the future.

It seems to be really hard.

I need a proper advisor, not just a forum post.

It would be stupid to ask Hwang Jae-Hyeok, and… Haah… So annoying.

Entrance to hunting grounds, loot, everything…

I only study, I don’t know how the world works.

-Ding-Dong-Dang-Dong

The bell which signals the end of 1st period rings out.

I’m locked in my thoughts. Trivial things like lessons or the bell don’t even reach my ears.

“Hey, did you see that yesterday?”

“What?”

“How Choi So-Hyeon cleared the Level 28 dungeon for the first time?”

“Retard, is it the first time that Level 28 dungeons have been cleared?”

“Ugh! Dude~~ Dude~~ It’s a solo clear, you retard!”

“Real?”

“Really! It’s not just the first for Korea; it’s the first for the entire world!”

“Amazing, hooray for Korea! But hey, is Choi So-Hyeon your friend? Huh? Kekekeke.”

A conversation that pulls my interest is going on behind me.

It’s between Tae-Seong and his buddy Jin-Ho.

After the appearance of monsters, the fame of the top Awakened is pretty much the on the level of idols.

There are even fan clubs.

“Tae-Seong.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know a lot about Awakened or dungeons?”

Jin-Ho speaks up before Tae-Seong can reply.

“Hey, this guy’s an absolute Awakened worshipper.”

I smile genuinely as I look at Jin-Ho. Jin-Ho is laughing.

I feel like I can get information which wasn’t on the internet forums.

“But why are you so interested all of a sudden?”

“Ah well, I saw a documentary yesterday and it was quite interesting.”

I naturally ravel my story.

“Ahem~! Where should I start…? Do you know when and how the monsters came to be?”

Since I appear to have an interest in his profession, he looks at me and starts talking. It looks like he’s enjoying himself.

‘Ah… I don’t want a theory lesson like an instruction manual…’ I want to say those words.

But for now, I need information.

“I don’t really know, I just got a sudden interest in it…”

I smile and listen to Tae-Seong talk.

The beasts that Tae-Seong talks about appeared about 40 years ago.

All around the world, purple Portals appeared.

The Portals didn’t appear with any order, logic or pattern.

Randomly appearing, humanity felt fear and amazement at seeing those Portals.

But within an hour of the Portals appearing, we came to know that those things should not exist.

This is because the Portals exploded and started to vomit monsters into our world.

Many people were killed by them.

Every country gathered their forces to fight back against them.

But over the next three days, we realized how to stop the beasts from coming through the Portals.

Going through the Portal and killing all the monsters.

If all the monsters and the boss died, the Portal would become a dungeon, and no more explosions would happen.

Back then, military weapons were able to kill them.

And like that, humanity adapted.

But, as the days went by, the Portals also evolved.

With the monsters inside…

Near the Portals, rings like the the ones in the cross-section of a tree appeared.

Humanity considered the Portals as mere housework at this point, but we suffered more casualties as the monsters got stronger over the years.

The variety of the monsters increased too.

Then, with the military as their focus, ‘Awakened’ began to appear.

“They could’ve just destroyed all the Portals as soon as they appeared!”

I point out the most simple and correct solution.

“Hmm… Yeah! But what about the places that humanity couldn’t conquer?”

“What if the Portals appeared beneath the ocean, or in jungles or on top of mountains? And, the Portals keep appearing every year!”

Tae-Seong continues to explain in a knowledgeable tone.

I slowly began become interested in his words.

“Right now, there are Portals from level 1 through to level 40. But Portals above level 28 don’t explode. Isn’t it strange? Like they’re waiting for something big?”

-Pak! Pak! Pak!

“Really, you three, if you don’t want your heads to explode can you shut up and stay still?”

Jae-Hyuk hits the three of us on our heads and glares at us.

Fucking beggar, carnivore, ugly, inhuman bastard!

Yeah~ I’ll step over you soon enough, so just wait!

“S-Sorry, Jae-Hyuk.”

Tae-Seong and Jin-Ho apologise profusely.

I guess they want to avoid danger.

“Let’s talk more at lunch.”

I say that to the other two, then turn to face the front.

“Oi! Kim Min-Cheol, you mad? Why don’t you say something!”

As Jae-Hyuk’s finishes talking, what I see isn’t the front of the classroom, but its floor.

Ding-Dong-Dang-Dong

Everyone stares at me.

But not for long.

I guess they don’t want to get caught up in it.

“This fucker, I let him go when he was being cheeky this morning, and then he goes and fucking does this?!”

2

“Ugh… Ugh…”

It hurts! Even though I’m an Awakened too, it fucking hurts!

Luckily, it seems that my bones aren’t broken.

What level is this guy!?”

“Hey, the teacher’s coming!”

Jae-Hyuk stomps on me one more time before returning to his seat, seething.

The teacher’s really doing me a lot of favors here.


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 9

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Taken from Light Novel Bastion. All credits goes to the original translator and editor.

9. The Taste of Money! Manticore (4)

My current level was 25.

I achieved this feat within the first 10 days of the school holidays.

Other people had to form parties of 5-6 people to clear particular dungeons, but I could just clear them by myself.

On the surface, it looked like I had a growth rate of 5-6 times faster than normal Awakened, but, in reality, it was at least 10 times faster.

Why? Because I skipped low level dungeons, and went to the high level ones.

Having an ability that eliminates wasting time on mana maintenance is really handy.

Right now I’m doing something that only rich Awakened can do.

On Friday, after I had finished hunting, Sang-Min invited me to join his guild: “Nobless”.

According to searches it seemed to be a so-so guild.

It wasn’t a large guild, at most it was a middle sized one; one that didn’t have any relations to history or tradition.

However, joining a guild like this would only be a dream to others with my level.

Adding in the factor of the amount of time I’ve been an Awakened, it became more outrageous.

Using the guild as a stepping stone to get higher didn’t sound like a bad idea.

Joining gave a lot of perks, such as better hunting grounds, loot, items, and information.

But there were 2 rules I was uncomfortable with.

The first was money.

Every week, I had to pay 10% of my income to the guild.

Being sensitive about money, this was the biggest obstacle.

The second, although rarely occurring, was if ever a situation in which the guild had to fight against another one, I would have to join in.

Well, even if I did join the battle, only the top 5% would be fighting.

I still had to think about this.

****

Ttumttap-ttumttumttap
Good morning~ Good morning~

It’s been a long time since I’ve woken up to the morning call.

For some reason Sang-Min hadn’t called.

“What? Is he sleeping in?”

I called Sang-Min.

After a few rings, he picked up.

“Min-Cheol, what’s going on?”

It wasn’t a voice that belonged to a person who had just woken up.

I told Sang-Min and his party to talk to me normally.

In-Ah and Yong-Hyun were 23, Sang-Min was 25, and lastly Chang-Hyuk was 30.

“Hello, Hyung. Are we not hunting today?”

“What? Today? Today’s Saturday. On Saturdays you should rest.”

An uproar. Was he an official?

I wonder so I ask.

“So you don’t go hunting on the weekends? None of your party does?”

“Of course we don’t. We only need to work for 5 days to earn enough money. .. But this guy~~ You’re totally addicted to money now, aren’t you?”

“Haha, it’s not that… Anyway, okay. Have a good rest, Hyung.~”

After ending the call, I realized that what he said made sense.

“Huh, being an Awakened is an occupation too. Except it is rather exclusive.”

Maybe the me who didn’t even think ‘If I have this much money, of course I should rest.’ is an idiot.

Ttak ttak ttak ttak

I felt a presence from the kitchen.

I nervously gathered electricity in one hand, and carefully opened the door.

Through the tiny gap I saw my Mother.

After Grade 2 of Primary School, Mother never stayed home on the weekends.

Weekends, holidays, the dog must’ve bitten it all off.

A smile unconsciously formed on my face.

“Mother…”

“Did you wake up, son?”

I sometimes saw Mother, at the crack of dawn, making breakfast.

But this time, she was unhurriedly making breakfast, looking peaceful.

I wondered if this was true happiness.

The restaurant’s kitchen was being remodeled, so she got a two day holiday.

I wanted to skip out on today’s hunting, and just eat breakfast and spend time with her.

Suddenly…

BANGBANGBANGBANG!

Are they trying to knock the door down?

It was probably the loan sharks…

They usually came when Mother was at work. Why did they come today?

“Park Se-Ran ssi! Park Se-Ran ssi!!”

They usually came once a month.

I had given them 3 million twice in 10 days, and, having smelt money, they kept coming as if one day was really far away.

Of course, it wasn’t enough to pay back the interest.

Even though I found this quite natural, Mother was surprised.

I heard the men talking outside.

I didn’t hear what they were saying, but as soon as they finished conversing.

Kugung!

3 men broke down the front door and came into the house.

“My, my, my. If a visitor comes you should open the door! You know, you can’t make your debt go away just by avoiding it, right?

The guy in the front said, while sticking his head up.

I couldn’t help but compare him to a dried-up anchovy.

I’ve seen this guy a couple of times before, when I was home alone.

He’s that bastard who kept on swearing and complaining about how there’s too much interest backed up.

Usually, after complaining, he would leave soon after.

He didn’t look like an Awakened, but the two men behind him did.

They probably destroyed the door.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll pay back the interest no matter what.”

“Hey, Park Se-Ran Ssi! It looks like you’ve found a way to get money.  If you have, then you should pay back the interest first. Isn’t that right?”

After seeing that bastard tapping on my Mother’s shoulders and head with his finger, anger started clouding my brain.

I prepared to shove that fucker away, but…

“G…gah.”

The two Awakened behind him suddenly started grabbing my arms and body.

My limbs were firmly restrained. I couldn’t get free no matter how hard I struggled.

Fuck! Who the hell are these guys!?’

They were definitely Awakened stronger than me.

“Wow, your son has a really high ambition! Baby, you saw me a lot right? From now on, I’ll be seeing you constantly. So we’ll definitely meet again.

The bastard said this while tapping my cheek.

Even after Awakening, I still felt rage and humiliation, similar to that which I felt towards Jae-Hyuk.

I started to suspect they came just to scare us.

Soon after, dried anchovy goes back.

After he goes out, they stop restraining me.

They follow him out.

I gritted my teeth and vowed to get stronger.

On the day that I repay the debt, you will die by my hands.

Mother stared at the doorway they walked out of and quietly muttered to herself.

“Those fucking bastards…”

“Hm? What did you say?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“…Mother, are you really okay?”

“Of course! I’m fine. Just eat your breakfast. I made the delicious steamed eggs that you like.”

I don’t know whether she’s just acting strong in front of me, or she’s strong because she’s used to this happening.

Whatever her reasons, I can’t waste time like this.

In these circumstances, rest was too extravagant.

I started getting ready to head to the dungeon again.

As I reached the doorway, my Mother spoke to me:

“Son, I can live without money, but I can’t live without you. You have to study hard and become a scientist like that Tyson person. I’ll make something delicious for dinner, so come back safely, okay?”

I wanted to make a joke, and tell her that ‘I was stronger than Tyson right now’, but for some reason I felt bitter and uncomfortable.

Whenever I talked to her, I felt like there was a rock in my stomach.

“Yes, Ms. Park. I’ll be back!”

I acted like I didn’t remember what had just occurred, and made a humorous face.

My mother stared at me, and her face blossomed into the world’s most beautiful smile.

Not long after I arrive at the dungeon, I noticed that the dungeon entrance looks quite relaxed. I guessed that it was because of the weekends.

It looked like everyone had formed teams with their own guild members and were filling up on their mana, or performing maintenance on their items.

“Hmm… Should I go in alone?”


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