The man sneered.

He knew the elf wouldn’t run away.

He just hoped to see that kind of attitude.

The elf was the first to attack.

Thump!

She kicked the ground, launching his body like a bullet.

Two daggers held in reverse grip crossed in both hands, emitting a sharp light.

She aimed for the man’s neck, which was not covered in scales.

Clang! Clang!

The man’s hands blocked the attack.

Pushing the dagger away, he counterattacked.

Clang clang!

The sound of metal friction as the dagger and hand collided.

In terms of martial arts alone, the two were evenly matched, and the outcome was hardly determined.

However, the hardness of the elf’s dagger was inferior to the man’s arm.

Snap!

The blade broke, and fragments flew.

The man’s hand pierced through the fragments and pierced the elf’s neck.

Whoosh!

“Argh!”

She forcibly moved her body to avoid the blow aimed at her neck.

But avoiding his attack completely was impossible.

Her neck was torn, and bright red blood flowed down.

It was a wound on the carotid artery.

The elf forcibly kicked the demonic man’s body, widening the distance.

“Haah, haah…”

The elf wrapped her torn neck with her hand and breathed.

She realized that even if she tried any further, she wouldn’t be able to buy time and would die.

“Your comrade won’t be lonely.”

White teeth appeared between the demon man’s beard.

He seemed to enjoy the moment, slowly closing the distance and approaching.

It was then when the elf needed a glimmer of hope.

Something flew towards them. Something flew at the demon man.

It was an attack aimed at the head, but this time, he didn’t dodge it and caught it instead.

“What’s this?”

What flew was not an arrow.

It was flatter and less aggressive.

It was a card.

The demon man looked at the card.

A single unreadable character was written on it.

The character turned bright red.

This was not an ordinary object.

Realizing that it wasn’t an ordinary object, he tried to throw it away, but it was already too late.

Boom!

A fiery explosion enveloped the demon man’s entire body.

It was an explosion that would have blown up an ordinary person, but the demon man crossed his arms to block the blast.

Some of the thorns that had sprouted on his arms, which the elf’s dagger had not even touched, broke.

“Ugh!”

He groaned in pain, but it was just for a brief moment.

The broken thorns grew back, restoring their original state.

The demon man, whose body had returned to normal, turned his head to where the elf had been.

There was a man standing there.

Ashen hair with golden eyes.

He wore a red uniform on a black background and had a gauntlet with a crystal orb inserted in one hand.

“A wizard, and the Silence Tower Master at that. Were you the one who threw that card?”

“Does it matter who threw it?”

“A wizard who uses strange objects…”

“You’re a strange one too.”

What Reed threw was a card with the rune of explosion engraved on it.

Despite its power to inflict serious injuries on anyone off guard, the man quickly recovered as if he had just been scratched.

‘Is that a demon?’

Similar to humans, but superior to them.

And they always have one purpose.

To exterminate all humans.

There was no need to know why.

From the moment they became demons, they united for that single purpose.

“Let’s see what kind of skills the trickster Tower Master has.”

The demon man charged.

But Reed was no pushover either.

He thought he had precisely cut Reed’s neck, but what his hand had passed through was an afterimage.

‘What?’

The man swallowed his astonishment and looked back at Reed, whom he couldn’t follow with his eyes.

He began to stare at Reed, who had been underestimated, with a more composed gaze.

“I know you’re a wizard, but you’re moving like a warrior. Have you trained as a battle mage?”

“Unfortunately, I have no connection with that side.”

The demon man thought the same.

He could feel mana permeating his muscles, not inner strength.

Even now, the wind was wrapped around his feet.

‘Is it a movement created only by the magic “Haste”?’

The demon man was well aware of magic.

That’s why he had a second question.

‘But he didn’t cast a spell, and it doesn’t seem like he used a scroll, so how did he use it?’

He couldn’t even see a proper preparatory action.

“Seeing that you mentioned battle mages, you must be a battle mage, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Which school?”

“…”

The man didn’t want to give any more information.

It didn’t matter.

Reed had the “eye for talent,” and it could be used on enemies as well.

Name: ???

Occupation: Battle Mage

Age: ?? years old

Alignment: Order·Evil

Health: 1,612/1,612

Stamina: 540/540

Mana: 1,632/2,582

[Traits]

「Dismissed Monk」, 「Demon Blood」, 「Warrior’s Tenacity」

[Attributes]

“Magic Martial Arts Lv.5”, “Iron Lv.4”, “Agility Lv.4”, “Magic Lv.3”, “Blood Magic Lv.3”, “Mana Sensitivity Lv.3”, “Swordsmanship Lv.2”

[Unreleased Traits & Abilities]

「Demon King」, 「All Master」…….

The 「Demon Blood」 trait is an ability that appears when the power of a demon is activated. It raises all attribute levels and exhibits the characteristics of a demon.

‘His black hand means he has fully adapted to the Demon Blood.’

The unique black skin of the demons.

Hard scales and horn-like spikes protrude, creating an optimized state for battle.

‘Could this guy be… that one?’

It would be a difficult spec to deal with if it were another demon, but Reed seemed to know who this man was.

That’s why he could strategize against him.

“It’s fortunate that you’re a battle mage.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear me properly? I said it’s fortunate that you’re a battle mage.”

The man’s lips twitched.

“I said it’s fortunate because you’re a half-penny species that can’t master either side, is there a problem?”

It was a remark that would have infuriated any human who walked the path of magic martial arts and battle mages.

However, the man just smiled.

“Magic martial arts are garbage, I admit.”

The man walked to the side.

Reed watched his movements.

“But I’ve broken free from that constraint. I’m different from the fools who admit their limits in the name of the right path.”

“Do you really think that way?”

Reed laughed as if it was absurd.

“Trying to become stronger by turning into a beast, you seem to be the most pathetic.”

Breaking away from the right path, even shedding the form of a human, is just trash.

The veins on the man’s head bulged.

“I’ll make sure you can’t talk so arrogantly anymore.”

An ominous aura rose from the man’s entire body.

The process of becoming a demon involves a mutation of mana.

As that mutation occurs, a murky energy rises instead of the blue mana.

The moment he tried to chant a strengthening spell.

A card was drawn from Reed’s gauntlet, stuck between his index and middle fingers.

He swiftly drew and threw it like a gunslinger from the west.