Chapter 31: Second Evolution

‘Hmph.’

Just as he was about to take a step, he felt the flow of demonic energy change.

And so, at that moment, Muno leaped straight into the gap where the three streams of demonic energy were crossing each other.

Chwa-rr-ruk.

The four chains that shot out interfered with the flow of demonic energy that was about to entangle in a strange pattern and absorbed a part of it.

Gulp gulp.

- Kyaaaaah!!

The Demon Devourer in his head cheered as if he had drunk nectar of the gods, but this time, unlike the last time, he did not surrender his body to it.

‘Until you are perfectly controlled, you are sealed.’

He had no intention of absorbing all magic by recklessly crashing into it with his body.

He had learned that he shouldn't do that, so shouldn't he act differently?

Just like now.

“How……!?”

The face of the magician in front of him was ordinary.

A gray robe that a long-distance traveler would often wear, and a bushy beard that covered half of his face.

Muno swung his greatsword as he watched the eyes of the man, who would have been dismissed as a street vagrant if he hadn't felt the demonic energy, widen to twice their size.

However.

Chwa-a-a-a-a-ak.

Skak.

“Ack!”

‘It's shallow.’

Tch.

That 3-Circle magician, as if to show the difference in level with Amos, slid back, leaving only a severed arm behind.

“How……!?”

“I heard he just awakened……!?”

Listening to the boisterous voices of the enemies, Muno quickly rushed towards the front of the sliding vagrant magician(?).

“Where do you think you’re going……!”

At least the one whose arm he had cut off had to be caught right here.

But the moment he confirmed the enemy's terrified face and was about to swing his greatsword again.

J-j-j-j-jeok.

A huge ice wall suddenly appeared in front of the man.

‘Damn it! Already?’

Kwaaaaaaaang!

As the greatsword, swung with all his might, broke the innocent ice wall.

“Catch him!”

The magician who was the target screamed at his comrades.

Of course, his own body was sliding on a suddenly appeared ice patch and moving away at an even faster speed.

Soon, as if responding to his shout, a storm of sharp cold from all sides engulfed the spot where he was.

J-j-j-jeong.

‘This is nothing……!’

Kwad-d-d-duk.

But Muno, who absorbed the magical power and dispersed the aftermath of the ice storm as much as possible, rushed towards his original target again.

“How!?”

“Crazy……!?”

Immediately after the enemies' astonished voices spread.

‘Hmm!?’

This time, chunks of ice like blades began to pour down from all sides.

‘Without any warning?’

He was slightly flustered, but his response was quick.

Pabababak.

Kwa-gwa-gwang!

The moment the swung greatsword and chains knocked away the flying ice blades all at once.

“Hup!”

Muno's charging body suddenly shot up into the air in a straight line, as if ignoring inertia.

“Up!”

“Kill him!”

“No, capture him!”

Pabababak.

The moment the enemies' words became tangled, the storm of cold and the ice blades mixed awkwardly, halving their power.

And some of that magic was sucked into the body of Muno, the human spider who was performing three-dimensional maneuvers in the forest using the four chains as his legs.

And the magicians who witnessed the scene could only be astonished.

The magic barrier around them, made of their own magical power, made them feel the process even more clearly.

- Magic is the truth that reigns over providence.

- Therefore, the magician is the greatest of humans.

The behavior of the knight who ate magic, as if to deny that absolute proposition.

Naturally, a reaction like a seizure came out.

“This one eats magic!”

“Kill him!!”

“We must kill him!”

As voices mixed with killing intent, excitement, and panic poured out.

The human spider with chain legs leaped from the tree and fell towards another magician who formed the axis of this prison-like area of cold.

“Damn it……!”

J-j-j-j-jeok.

Once again, that familiar ice wall blocked his path, but Muno smiled coldly.

W-w-w-w-wooduk.

His body, which had exploded with energy while squeezing his muscles, bent like a bow in mid-air.

Flash.

The moment the greatsword, swung like lightning, penetrated the ice wall as if ignoring it, a scream erupted from the enemy's mouth.

“Aaaaargh!”

Chwa-a-a-a-a-ak.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

The ice wall shattered belatedly, and a shockwave swept through the area.

‘Got him!’

Seeing the body of the skinny magician with a harsh expression split open from the right collarbone to the abdomen, Muno grinned in satisfaction.

The Wind Slicer, which he had thrown with all his might, anticipating the ice wall to rise from the beginning, had shown the expected effect.

He had completely neutralized one enemy with a single blow.

And that sight.

- looks very ‘appetizing’.

W-w-w-w-wooduk.

His eyes turning black, his muscles bulging, and black veins popping out on his skin.

But Muno did not recognize his own changes.

Rather.

‘Before that bastard dies!’

Chwa-rr-ruk.

He hastily moved the chains and wrapped them around the weak magician's body, which was on the verge of dying.

Kwad-d-d-d-duk.

“Kuaaaak!”

“Alon!!”

“Self-destruct! You X-wit!!”

W-w-w-w-wooduk.

As if following those words, the skinny magician's body, which had been swelling up, began to shrink again like a deflating balloon as the chains tightened.

Pssssss.

Then, soon, over Muno's head.

“Die!”

“You monster!”

A huge blade of cold, filled with firm killing intent, fell.

J-j-j-j-jeok.

A chain of ice that climbed the tree bound both his ankles.

Kwaruk.

Kwad-d-d-duk.

But Muno, who was laughing with his eyes half-rolled back while sucking in the grayish energy through the captured magician, did not react to anything.

He just trembled all over, his body making a cracking sound.

But then, there was someone who responded to the attack on his behalf.

“This is……!”

Kwaaaaaaaang!

“……What are you doing!”

Psssssssss.

A blue-haired knight who shot out from behind the forest shattered the blade that was falling on Muno's head.

He had abandoned his attempt to exploit the magicians' weakness and saved Muno.

“Young Master Muno!!”

Only after Klarm's shout echoed through the forest.

Twitch.

Muno's eyes, which had been rolled back to show only the black, began to move.

And.

“We must kill him!”

“Such an unholy thing……!”

The two magicians, who seemed to have their eyes rolled back instead, drew up demonic energy as if squeezing their entire bodies.

They didn't care that their skeletons were twisting with a ‘w-w-w-w-wooduk’ sound as they explosively drew out demonic energy.

And that demonic energy immediately turned into a tremendous cold, and poured down as blades, spears, and arrows of ice that covered the area around them.

“Damn it!”

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!

Klarm's wildly spinning spear deflected the magic in all directions.

But that too was not enough.

‘This is absurd…….’

Klarm, who felt his body slowly freezing and his movements slowing down, gritted his teeth.

He had overexerted himself trying to protect Muno as well and had lost control of the invasion of cold.

‘Those guys self-destructed too. I just need to buy time…….’

If he dodged now, he thought he could protect his own body.

But he couldn't do that, even because of the face that flashed through his mind.

‘Ryan, you bastard, you better repay this debt when we meet in the afterlife. Damn it!’

His spear, with his resolve hardened, began to move even faster than before.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa.

He had decided to protect the talent that His Excellency was looking forward to, the beloved son of his junior who was called a genius, rather than himself.

And in return for that.

Kad-d-deuk.

The grip of his hand holding the swinging spear shaft was ground down and burst open.

Pupuk.

Puk.

Blades of ice began to pierce his limbs one by one.

‘Kuk.’

The pain eventually slowed the spear again.

Just before his body, which was being minced by the ice blades, completely collapsed.

“Sorry……”

Chwa-rr-rr-rr-ruk.

With a very small voice, thick chains shot out in all directions.

“……I am.”

Kwad-d-d-d-duk.

The black chains, which seemed to have doubled in length, moved explosively and began to knock away the pouring ice magic.

But that too could not completely replace the spear that the 4-Star knight had been swinging with all his might.

In the end.

“I'm here!!”

The owner of the chains soon began to charge towards the two magicians while swinging the chains in all directions to shatter the magic.

A decision he could make because he knew well that the target of the wildly rampaging magicians was himself.

And as if to prove that prediction.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa.

The pouring ice blades began to rain down only on him, who was charging past Klarm.

But naturally, it was impossible to completely block the attack pouring from all sides with four chains.

As the charging Muno's armor shattered like it was being crushed by the raging magic.

The protectors on Muno's hands and feet, who had gritted his teeth, expanded in an instant and began to cover his limbs.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

Then, the baptism of ice that Muno had failed to block with his chains crashed against his limbs, or more precisely, the black ‘armor’ surrounding his limbs, and shattered.

The black protector that had wrapped around his elbow to his wrist now covered from his fingertips to his shoulder.

And the protector on his leg, which had covered from his ankle to his knee, had also transformed into armor that completely wrapped around from his toes to his thigh.

It was as if he was wearing black armor only on his limbs, without any gaps.

And those armors, even under the pouring onslaught of cold, only had ice form on their surface for a moment.

Of course.

Pububuk.

A few ice arrows did get stuck in his torso, which the ‘black armor’ did not cover, especially his back which he couldn't block with his arms.

“Kuk…….”

But Muno's black eyes, who had reached the magicians, were fiercely alive.

Naturally.

“No…… way……”

“This…… can't…… be……”

“Die!”

Chwa-a-a-a-a-ak.

The two magicians, whose limbs were twisted and unable to move from drawing out all their magical power, were split in half by Muno's swung greatsword.

* * *

“Phew……. Already 2-Star, the second evolution? Didn't you say you awakened about two months ago?”

Perhaps because of some change of heart after the perilous battle, Klarm had stopped using honorifics and was speaking informally.

His words were filled with bewilderment and surprise.

On the other hand, Muno, while feeling the boiling energy of his newly reborn body after evolving once again, could only bow his head and repeatedly apologize instead of cheering.

“I'm sorry. I couldn't overcome my impulse and lost my mind.”

Klarm's armor was almost in tatters, and his limbs were full of penetrating wounds.

His right arm, which was the most injured, looked almost like a rag.

The 4-Star knight had suffered damage he shouldn't have had to, in order to protect him.

Nevertheless, Klarm just laughed.

“……Well, it was worth it to protect a genius like this. It's an injury that will heal over time. It's no big deal.”

For an ordinary person, it would be a serious injury that would leave them with a severe disability, but fortunately, he was a 4-Star knight.

And a Corporeal Arts user with the trait of 'overall physical ability enhancement', which was considered the most stable in the world.

But Muno just bowed his head even further.

‘It was an enemy I could have dealt with easily if I had kept my wits about me.’

The Demon Devourer, which he had believed he could perfectly control, had momentarily consumed his mind.

He could also guess the reason why it had happened.

‘Strength, that is, an increase in level. Because I was hoping for that.’

The Demon Devourer, which becomes extremely impulsive when fighting magicians, had responded to his wish, and his body had gone out of control.

‘This must never happen again.’

It was a situation where he could have died a ridiculous death, intoxicated by greed.

Fortunately, he had survived thanks to Klarm and had successfully completed his evolution.

……A great lesson learned.

“I'm ashamed. This mistake, no, this favor will definitely……”

“Ah. Ah, it's fine, I said.

We dealt with the enemies anyway, didn't we?

By the way, is that an artifact?

It seems to have done something to the magic?

Is it perhaps an artifact for dealing with magicians?”

If there was anything to be thankful for, it was that Klarm didn't seem to know the most fundamental reason why the magicians had reacted with a seizure.

“That’s…… right.”

It was sorry to lie to his lifesaver, but he had no choice.

Chwa-rr-ruk.

Following his will, the protectors on his limbs shrank to a size that only covered his wrists and ankles.

Then, they began to freely transform again into a form of partial armor that covered from his fingertips and toes to his shoulders and thighs.

“Like this……”

“Hoh?”

In fact, just like Klarm, Muno was also admiring inwardly.

‘I didn't know it could be like this. I had imagined it.’

It felt like he had gained another great weapon, separate from his physical abilities.

Basically, the form of a crude armor was maintained, but it seemed to be a little more freely transformable than before.

The width of the chains could be adjusted, and the weights could be made larger or smaller, or sharper.

And above all.

“The gauntlets look much softer than usual, and the combat boots are of a unique shape I've never seen before.”

As Klarm said, the basic form of the armor itself had changed a lot.

‘This is really…….’

The gauntlets looked like the uniquely designed protective gloves he had used at work in his past life, and the protectors on his feet also reminded him of the safety shoes he had worn at that time.

It seemed that the image he had unconsciously thought of the moment the armor on his hands and feet had shattered had determined the form of the evolved protectors.

The sight of the gloves and safety shoes from his past life, which he had used good products with special care because his only asset was his body, being faithfully restored, brought about a strange feeling.

‘Was it ingrained in my subconscious? Really…….’

The parts above his wrists and ankles were of a crude shape, even for the armor of this era, but the parts corresponding to the gloves and shoes were of a peculiar shape that seemed to be particularly exquisitely crafted.

The unique design of the gloves and shoes, reminiscent of those high-end products from his past life with their ergonomic design, which would be considered quite peculiar by the standards of this life.

The incongruity of it being connected to the crude limb armor seemed to give it a strangely murderous and heavy impression.

“It looks quite heavy.”

“No. Not really……”

Thump. Thump.

“……It’s a bit heavy. Ha. Ha.”

An awkward smile hung on Muno's lips as he stomped the ground for all to see.

‘This should be metal…….’

It felt as light as air to wear, but in reality, it seemed to be quite heavy.

Not at the level of ergonomic design, but just like my own body…….

Ah, does that make sense?

‘These are practically my own body.’

Much harder than steel, but I feel pain when it's cut, and it's another body that moves according to my will.

It felt like he was getting further away from being human, but he didn't feel bad.

‘Well, it's a good thing.’

His body weight had increased, but his movements were not hindered, so that too would directly lead to an increase in combat power.

In this world where military power becomes ability and then status, strength was indispensable for the life he dreamed of.

Besides, separate from the growth of his level, he had also obtained gloves and shoes that were as familiar as the ones he had used in his past life, no, even more comfortable and sturdy than them.

‘It’s really comfortable…….’

With this, he thought he could finally say goodbye to the uncomfortable gauntlets and boots of this era.

That was a truly happy thing.

Of course.

“Ah, I'm envious. Ah, I mean your father……”

Klarm, who had been seriously injured while saving his life, was deliberately changing the subject so as not to burden him.

But it wasn't better than the fact that he had formed a bond with this excellent knight.

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