C75
Canis brought a dark green robe. Even though Arin was watching, Arcane changed clothes without hesitation.
Leaning on the table and taking a step, Arcane could finally catch his breath after sitting down on a chair.
"Whew, I could live a bit more now."
"Are you alright, Master?"
Canis asked worriedly. His pale skin and dark circles contrasted sharply, making it clear that he was a dark magician without even revealing it.
'He has great eyes. That's why I took him as my disciple.'
On the other hand, Arcane didn't like Arin very much. It was clear that she had talent, as seen by the changes in her black hair and black eyes, but she was emotionally weak and lacked sound judgment.
There was no trace of malice in her pretty face, and her emotions were clearly visible in her large eyes.
Looking at her trembling pupils since seeing the old man's naked body, Arcane clicked his tongue.
'Tsk tsk, what good is someone like that? She seems useless.'
He wouldn't have brought such a fragile girl if she wasn't Canis's close friend.
It was seven years ago.
Unable to move even with life support, he squeezed his last strength and entered the capital Bashka.
As befits the largest city in the Tormia Kingdom, the the streets were affluent and dazzling. However, on the other side of the light, the miserable lives of those who were abandoned in the city continued.
The slums of Radum.
As befits a highly polarized capital city, the residents of Radum lived a much more miserable life than the beggars of other cities.
The only way to obtain food in this place where people wouldn't even glance was rummaging through garbage cans. Even then, competition was so fierce that it was common for people to commit murder for fish bones.
Arcane found Canis and Arin there.
In Radum, where everyday life was a war, 10-year-old Canis had to become cruel to survive with Arin.
Canis's eyes were burning with resentment towards the world.
Arcane liked that look in his eyes. And so, he brought the two of them to the dungeon and taught them dark magic.
'I wasn't mistaken. That one is definitely a valuable asset.'
Arcane refused Canis' support and stood up. It was the day he would break free from the annoying aging, and he didn't want to show any weakness today.
"Watch closely, and witness the greatness of dark magic."
Arcane held the black crystal and closed his eyes. His hands trembled from lack of strength, but his face was filled with excitement he couldn't hide.
“Keua!”
As he let out a yell, the crystal turned liquid and swirled around Arcane like a stream of water. Then it dispersed like dark clouds, covering his entire body.
“Kuaaaaaa!”
Arcane let out a monstrous scream. Absorbing the power he had gathered over 40 years all at once would have driven an ordinary person insane.
The concept of dark magic is absorption and assimilation.
Arcane regained his former power by assimilating the dark power absorbed into the crystal into his own darkness.
“Wooooo!”
The shadow cast beneath Arcane's feet flared up like flames and then detached from his body, scattering like fragments.
How much time had passed?
Canis and Arin slowly opened their eyes. There was no trace of the frailty Arcane had shown until now.
His appearance hadn't become younger or his back straightened. However, his complexion was rosy, and his pupils were full of vitality.
Feeling an unapproachable aura from their now-healthy master, Canis trembled with emotion.
'Is this the real appearance of our master? I've heard rumors, but he's truly amazing.'
Arcane smiled, seemingly satisfied. He was as powerful as before he was defeated by Alpheus.
"Let's go. From today, the history of Arcane will be rewritten."
Arcane, who had waited for this day for 40 years, left the dungeon without even feeling the aftereffects of his surging power.
--------------------
The place where Arcane arrived was Bashka's western prison 'Inferno'. It boasted ironclad security, as it was where medium-level criminals between D and B ranks were incarcerated.
"Stop! Who are you! This is a restricted area!"
The guards didn't take the approaching old man and children lightly. They drew their weapons and shouted defensively.
"Identify yourself! If you don't comply, we will arrest you!"
"Greenhorns..."
The shadow under Arcane's feet stretched and merged with the guards' shadows. Unaware of what was happening, the guards' eyes rolled back, and their eyelids trembled violently. Then, they fell to their knees and collapsed on the ground.
"Hmph, they're not even worth a snack. Canis, open the door."
Canis took the bundle of keys from a guard's waist and opened the main gate of Inferno. Although his master could have easily crushed the iron gate if he wanted to, it seemed he didn't want to make a big fuss.
However, Canis's expectation was quickly proven wrong. As soon as they broke through the main gate, Arcane began to show his true colors.
“Intruder! Attack! Killing is permitted!”
"Contact the headquarters for backup! It's a mage!"
Guards rushed forward, brandishing their weapons. However, the number of opponents didn't matter to the dark mage. Arcane's shadow stretched out like tentacles, merging with the soldiers' shadows.
"Ugh! What is this?"
"I can't move my body!"
The guards were unable to move. Then, as Arcane waved his hand, they involuntarily turned against their comrades and started attacking with their spears.
"Agh! Are you crazy? That’s dangerous!"
"I don't know either! It's not me!”
Arin's face turned pale. Born with eyes completely different from those of others, she accepted the fears of the guards without filtering them.
"Canis, Master never mentioned coming to a place like this."
It was the same with Canis, who wondered. However, his trust in Arcane did not waver in the slightest.
"He must have a reason. Let's just go."
Arcane slowly broke through the battlefield and headed for the building. When the shadows connected to the guards were suddenly cut off, those who were fighting each other foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
It was mind control, a characteristic of dark magic.
Darkness merges with other darkness. Utilizing this trait, one could infiltrate others' shadows and control their bodies and thoughts.
Looking only at its advantages, dark magic's nature itself was overpowered.
Yet, it was considered a fringe magic because one drawback overshadowed all its advantages.
It was just that it was weak against light.
In the presence of the sun, darkness can only exist as a small shadow. Moreover, the stronger the light, the more mental power is required to cast dark magic.
Of course, the power of a dark mage is maximized at night, but even that was fading due to the popularization of the photonization theory developed by the genius Kergos.
In the magic academies across the continent, there were hardly any students majoring in dark magic, indicating the extent to which dark magic was scorned in the magical society.
But Canis knew that Arcane had perfectly overcome the weaknesses of dark magic, and the ultimate essence he had discovered was fully passed on to him.
'Yes, I must trust my master. The one who gave me everything.'
After breaking down the entrance and entering the prison, Arcane dealt with more guards in the hallway. Then, he opened the iron door to Block A-3, where the prisoners were held. Sensing that something had already happened, the prisoners banged on the bars with their food trays.
"Hey! I don't know who you are, but get us out of here!"
"Hey! Open this damn iron door! I'll make it worth your while! Or I can kill someone in exchange!"
Arcane slowly extended both hands. The gloomy environment of the prison was the perfect place for Arcane to show off his skills.
"Power of Darkness."
Shadows in the hallway transformed into hands and emerged three-dimensionally. Hundreds of hands gripped the bars and yanked it, and the sound of twisting metal rang out. As the frightened prisoners backed against the wall, the bars were torn off one by one down the hallway.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Power of Darkness was a magic that controlled shadows like limbs by absorbing the surrounding energy. A single strand of shadow could barely lift a pebble, but hundreds of pairs of hands working mechanically could easily exert the monstrous strength to pull off the bars.
The iron gate opened and after a while, the prisoners showed their bizarre appearance. They had heavy metal balls attached to their ankles.
"What's this, are you a mage? That's really something."
"Thanks anyway. Let's introduce ourselves. I'm Nightcat Crown. My name is well known around here."
Arcane felt the pathetic energy of the prisoners and put on a displeased expression. Even 40 years ago, Inferno wasn't like this. How had a place once filled with all kinds of vicious criminals fallen so far?
‘How fleeting time is. Does this mean life has improved?'
According to Arcane's theory, the quality of criminals decreases as civilization develops. There are more con artists who know how to scheme, while the truly bad ones infiltrate society.
"What pathetic creatures. Introducing yourselves as criminals? Do you think you can leave this place just because the bars are gone?"
“What, is this old man senile? I tried to be nice best I could, but do you know who I am?”
The prisoners relied on their numerical advantage. There was no guarantee that those who lived together in prison were on the same side.
"Listen well, you fools. If you have no confidence in taking me down, just stay locked up in prison. If you defy me, you'll suffer the pain of broken bones."
The prisoners burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! What's this old man babbling about? Do you think we'll just go back after coming this far?"
"Let's trample him! We need to get out of this annoying prison!"
Driven by the excitement of regaining their freedom, the prisoners charged without hesitation. But they soon realized that their ankles were still shackled.
Had their reason been paralyzed for a moment? Perhaps they hadn't been aware of it because they had been wearing the shackles for years.
"Uh? Uh? Damn it!"
The prisoners finally began to panic. Arcane watched their disarray and snorted.
If one chooses evil, they should have skills, and if they don't have skills, they should at least have a good mind. However, these prisoners were merely parasites that were fed in the prison.
"Power of Darkness."
"Ugh, what is this?!"
The hands that tore the iron bars now entangled the prisoners and dragged them into the darkness. Their eyes, nose, and mouth disappeared behind a black curtain, as if being buried in a giant gel.
Soon after, the sound of breaking bones could be heard.
“Euup! Euuup!”
“Keueu!”
The prisoners, with their mouths twisted, couldn't even scream.
Hearing the eerie sound, Arin shuddered and spoke to Canis.
"Canis, do we really have to do this when taking revenge?"
"Arin, denying our master is denying ourselves."
"Even so..."
"Have you forgotten what happened in Radum? There were even more terrible things than this. Besides, the prisoners here are just like those who tormented us in Radum.”
"But we promised. To forget everything that happened in Radum and be happy from now on."
"Nothing is over yet. If our Master's grudge isn't resolved, happiness won't come to us either."
As the darkness filling the corridor disappeared, the prisoners with broken bones lay in a grotesque position, writhing in pain.
Arcane, who looked down at them with arrogant eyes, murmured.
"Weaklings. Was it a wasted effort? Or would it be better if we went to another room?"
There were 320 criminals imprisoned in Inferno. Perhaps this place was filled with lowlifes for some reason.
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
