How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Snake Hunt (2)

It wasn’t the monster I had seen in person before. No, to be precise, it was a being that shouldn’t be the subject of the act of’seeing’in the first place.

Its gaze was imbued with a powerful curse, so even making eye contact could be life-threatening.

Despite that, the reason I could immediately grasp its identity was simple.

Because attempts to raise the king of those cursed snakes had been made for five hundred years.

The conversation I had with the High Priest five hundred years ago flashed through my mind.

‘Instead of raising such a monster, why don’t you study the Hell Bible more? You’re supposed to be the High Priest. Modesta would lament.’

‘Not all Black Mages are like you. Three books are my limit.’

‘Setting your own limits is a grave sin for a mage.’

‘……Unlucky bastard. Get out of here.’

It wasn’t a very nutritious conversation, but I clearly remembered the characteristics of the monster that the High Priest had boastfully talked about.

‘Did they finally succeed in raising it?’

It seems they haven’t just regressed for five hundred years. Of course, the unpleasant cave was still the same then and now.

Kiaaaak!

A large head suddenly popped out from below, literally turning the soil of the cave upside down.

A thickness that seemed to be at least a few meters. Thick scales imbued with ominous demonic energy and a crown-like horn crest on its head.

The monster, worthy of the title of King of Snakes, revealed its massive form from the bottom of the cave.

Kwaaah─!

As the earth-shaking roar echoed, the soil of the cave began to collapse. Marchena, who brushed off the foul-smelling, damp soil falling on her head and shoulders, muttered as if chewing out the words.

“Damn it. What a grand welcoming ceremony.”

“If possible, don’t open your eyes. Its gaze is imbued with a powerful curse.”

“……Damn it.”

Marchena, who let out a small curse at my words, already had her eyes tightly shut. Thanks to her following my shout without any doubt, she and the other four people were all safe from the Basilisk’s curse.

But that was literally just a temporary measure.

The monster, which had emerged into the passageway, roughly pushing through the thick soil, was still a threatening opponent even excluding the curse in its eyes.

Kwaang!

The giant tail of the snake, fully revealed in the cave, mercilessly struck the cave wall. The destructive power was as if an explosion spell had detonated.

A part of the cave wall, boasting a thickness of several meters, literally crumbled like a sandcastle built by a child.

Kwarrrr. An amount of soil that could easily bury several people fell down.

But before the debris could cover us.

Wooong.

The barrier created by the witch Pekilla-nim unfolded like an umbrella in an instant. Despite the enormous weight, the barrier created by the witch didn’t budge an inch.

And then.

Wheek!

Despite the shaking ground, the arrow shot by the Dark Elf Siena, who skillfully maintained her balance, hit the Basilisk’s jaw.

Although she had her eyes closed, it was an achievement made thanks to the loud roar and the giant body.

Tang!

But that was all. Her arrow, which had easily pierced the snake’s head just moments ago, failed to penetrate the Basilisk’s tough hide and bounced off harmlessly.

Of course, it might have been a little different if she had taken a proper stance, focused her energy, and aimed for a vital point, but the current situation didn’t allow for that.

“……Damn it!”

The Dark Elf, realizing instinctively that her attack had failed upon hearing the sound, cursed.

“Quickly do somethi─”

I pushed aside the Dark Elf, who was desperately shouting while looking at the wrong wall instead of where I was standing, and walked forward.

“Uh……!”

Marchena, whose body was half-transformed into a bloody mist, quickly caught the Dark Elf, who momentarily stumbled at my touch.

“It’s damn huge.”

Passing in front of the group, I muttered softly while looking at the Basilisk. I was a little curious if the curse in its eyes would work on me as well.

After all, if it was a power belonging to a curse, I was confident I could handle it. But there was no reason to needlessly risk my mental strength. Because I had a simpler method.

Hwaak!

The eyeballs, flashing crimson light and emitting an ominous green light, reappeared in the air above my head after a long time.

Vision Field.

The large eyes, sharing my vision, blinked and met the gaze of the King of Snakes.

Pazzik!

Sparks flew in the air as the two forces collided. The surrounding energy fluctuated due to the clash of powerful forces.

Pssss!

The air currents created by the fierce scattering of demonic energy generated a strong wind in the material world. The wind that suddenly enveloped me and the Basilisk also affected the group standing far behind.

“Ugh……!”

The Dark Elf Siena staggered back, flinching from the stinging dust.

But the strong air current was only momentary.

The eyes in the air, still emitting a gloomy greenish-black light despite the Basilisk’s cursed gaze, blinked slowly as if mocking the opponent.

“Just a King of Snakes.”

With my eyes closed, but looking directly at the Basilisk, I continued.

“Do you think you can defeat a Black Mage who has reached the peak?”

Kiaaaak!

As if understanding my words, the Basilisk roared fiercely. At the same time, a powerful energy began to gather in the crown-shaped horns on its head.

It knows how to do all sorts of things.

Of course, I had no intention of waiting for this giant earthworm to gather all its strength.

Wheek!

The activation was completed in an instant. Five black orbs, created with a flick of my wrist, hurtled towards the Basilisk at tremendous speed.

The spell I had used once before. Black Explosion.

The magic, which I devised myself, that instantly sucks in all the air within a narrow range and then explodes violently, collided with the Basilisk’s body.

Kwaaang!

A deafening roar.

The orbs, which had struck various parts of the snake’s giant body, exploded with tremendous force.

Unlike Siena’s mana-infused black iron arrow, which had caused no damage to it just moments ago, the snake’s body staggered.

Puhak. The snake’s hide, torn and ripped apart, and the black blood within, splattered everywhere.

I simply waved my hand to create a dark protective barrier. It was obvious that those byproducts would undoubtedly contain a terrible poison.

Chiiik. As expected, the Basilisk’s blood and flesh touched the protective barrier I had deployed, instantly emitting black smoke.

Kwaaah!

The Basilisk, its body horribly mangled, roared at me as if venting its rage. At the same time, the powerful energy gathered in its head shot towards me.

It wasn’t fully gathered yet, but it was certainly not something to be ignored. Hoong. The energy the Basilisk emitted, dripping blood and poison from all over its body, created a fierce pressure.

But I had already prepared the next spell from the moment I had cast Black Explosion.

‘Pertamun’s Unfeeling Curtain.’

Chareureuk.

As the activation of the spell ended, a black curtain flowed down from the air like a stage curtain closing. And the very next moment, the energy the Basilisk had shot collided with the curtain.

There was no loud noise like before.

Chul-leong. The curtain positioned between me and the Basilisk fluttered as if it had been punched hard with a fist.

The desperate attack was blocked too easily.

“……!”

Naturally, there were no screams or shocked murmurs. But I could sense that the giant snake in front of me was quite flustered.

It seems that the King of Snakes, which had grown in the Catacomb’s cave, had no experience facing a powerful enemy that far exceeded its expectations. Well, it probably spent its entire life feeding on easy prey.

Of course, most beings would have been easy prey for it, but unfortunately, I wasn’t included in that majority.

“Just die already.”

While the severely injured creature was unable to figure out how to launch its next attack, the magic I quickly conjured rose into the air once again.

Black Explosion. And Beurehatan’s Fang.

Kwaaang!

Once again, the black orbs that crossed the air caused powerful explosions all over the Basilisk’s body, and at the same time, the sharp fangs of the giant magical beast mercilessly dug into and bit the exposed, vulnerable flesh.

Kieeeeek!

Now, the Basilisk’s scream, filled with fear rather than rage, echoed through the passage. And as if to commemorate the final death throes of the King of Snakes, the soil of the cave trembled faintly.

Due to its incredibly massive body, its breath didn’t cease immediately. But I avoided the Basilisk’s writhing and struggling body and continued to cast spells.

It would be foolish to approach the creature directly with a sword. Although the battle was almost over, my opponent wasn’t exactly the same size as me.

If I were to be accidentally hit by that ridiculously huge tail, breaking a bone or two would be a laughing matter.

Koo-woong.

After about ten minutes of calmly maintaining distance and casting spells, the Basilisk’s massive body finally collapsed.

It was an end not quite befitting the title of King of Snakes.

Kreureureu……

I approached the Basilisk, which was exhaling its last breath weakly, unable to move its body.

Despite its body being horribly mangled, a powerful energy could still be felt. The power residing within its body was accumulated over a long time in the Catacomb. Leaving it to dissipate like this wouldn’t be a wise move.

Sreuk.

As I reached out my hand, the energy residing within the Basilisk’s massive body began to flow out slowly.

The immense power, having lost its owner, flowed into the orb floating above my head.

The feeling of exhilaration.

An amount that was more than enough to replenish the considerable amount of demonic energy consumed in the battle just moments ago. Since the Artifact of the Rift had virtually no limit to the amount of demonic energy it could store, I absorbed all the energy remaining in the Basilisk’s body.

A satisfactory level. It was by far the most outstanding amount I had absorbed so far.

With this much, I wouldn’t be unilaterally overwhelmed like last time when facing the High Priest.

“……”

Sreuk. Although a tingling sensation was felt in my hand due to handling a large amount of demonic energy, it was a minor injury.

Feeling the silence that had once again descended upon the cave, I slowly opened my mouth.

“You can open your eyes now.”

Turning around, I saw the faces of the four people looking at me with somewhat dazed expressions.

Sreureuk. The Vision Field, which had been blinking in the air, also slowly disappeared as I dispelled the spell.

“Huh.”

A sigh escaped the witch Pekilla-nim’s lips.

“What was that eye…… No, how did you even penetrate that hide─”

Marchena chuckled, watching the flustered little girl rambling incoherently. It seemed to be a sight rarely seen.

“……”

When I turned my gaze to Siena, who had been staring intently at me, she quickly turned her head away again.

“……Let’s depart now. Even though we’re inside a cave, the loud noise here must have spread quite far.”

Kazan, who was looking at me with an almost burdensomely respectful expression, spoke as if to wrap up the situation.

He was right. My goal was the altar, after all.

But before that.

“Wait a moment.”

The gazes of the group, who had been cautiously avoiding the long, fallen Basilisk’s corpse and coming towards me, focused on me.

I could spare a few minutes. Looking at the Basilisk’s head, which was slowly decaying due to its own poison after losing all its energy, but still intact, I spoke.

“There’s more to collect.”

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