Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 184

Magic is Learned in Vain – Episode 185

# 185

Invincible Weapon 2

The underground market had descended into chaos.

Many people, fleeing the battle above ground, sought refuge below.

The lord was dead.

The nobles who followed him were all dead, too.

The knights who served them were enraged. Nearly a hundred nobles had been massacred, and the number of knights serving them exceeded a thousand.

They were all about to become wandering knights, having lost their lords. In military terms, it was a dishonorable discharge.

Enraged and furious, they were determined to capture and kill all those involved in this incident without exception.

Just then, Marquis Porse appeared and fueled the situation further, inciting them with his words.

“You must capture all suspects tonight. By sunrise, not a single one of those rats will remain. Why? Because they will escape the castle. Strike like lightning! If there is any suspicion, arrest them all! If they resist, consider them enemies! Kill them all! They brutally murdered your lords!”

His cold speech further ignited the knights’ animosity.

The city was plunged into great chaos.

Flames soared from dozens of houses. People who had nothing to do with the conflict were dragged out of their sleep. Some, emboldened by alcohol, resisted and were beheaded.

The city was gradually being consumed by madness.

The madness of the people spread from the surface to the underground.

Knights who had lost their masters forcibly opened the gates of the underground market and indiscriminately swung their swords. People screamed and scattered in all directions.

However, the underground market was even more complexly intertwined than an ant colony.

No matter how many troops were deployed, capturing someone was never an easy task.

“There! Baserabap is there!”

A mercenary, surveying the area from a high vantage point, pointed to Baserabap. Overlook, the pyromancer, unleashed fire magic at him.

With a bang! The mercenary was engulfed in flames and fell.

But it was too late.

Dozens of mercenaries were already rushing towards them, their eyes bloodshot. It felt like they were on drugs. Well, since they had to risk their lives, it would be difficult to maintain their sanity without drugs.

Legion swung his iron sword at the approaching enemies.

Crackling!

A narrow alleyway.

The massive iron sword swept through the shops on both sides. The wooden shops could not withstand the power of the iron sword. Like dominoes falling, three or four shops collapsed at once.

Fortunately, the merchants had already fled.

“Kuaaaaak!”

The mercenaries screamed as they were buried under the collapsed shops.

The advance team was annihilated, but the rear team was not at all intimidated. They jumped over the collapsed shops and quickly approached.

“Earthquake!”

Legion stomped his left foot hard.

Instantly, the ground cracked open, tearing towards the mercenaries. It widened rapidly to the left and right. The charging mercenaries fell into the cracks.

It wasn’t deep, but it was difficult to jump out in one go.

Legion detonated a shock wave between the cracks. With a crackling sound, the mercenaries trembled violently. White smoke billowed from their entire bodies. In the end, the mercenaries collapsed, their tongues hanging out.

Baserabap and the three guardian mages were amazed by Legion’s incredible abilities.

So, a magic swordsman really exists!

On the surface, possessing two abilities seemed flashy and impressive. However, once someone achieved a certain level, it was considered difficult to develop further.

Magic and swordsmanship, where it was difficult to see the ultimate even when focusing on one, were generally considered almost impossible to pursue together in the short life given to humans.

It would be much more efficient to master only one of the two.

Yet, Legion was demonstrating outstanding skill in both.

He used magic and swordsmanship with ease.

His improvisation skills were also excellent.

They didn’t know how old he was, but he gave off the feeling of a seasoned veteran who had been through thick and thin.

Therefore, Baserabap and the three guardian mages were convinced that Legion was in his mid-30s or older.

“Amazing. For the first time, I’ve felt like taking someone as a disciple. If only he were a little younger,” Joint clicked his tongue as if regretting it.

He was a warlock, a close-combat mage. He felt that he was the most similar to Legion.

“Me too.”

Overlook also nodded.

“Me too…….”

Gunflake, who usually remained silent, also agreed.

“Even if he’s not a disciple, I can still pass down a magic tome [a book containing spells and magical knowledge],” Baserabap said.

At Baserabap’s words, the three guardian mages widened their eyes.

Passing down a magic tome to someone who isn’t a disciple?

That was unheard of. A magic tome was not even passed down to one’s own children.

“I’ve realized this time that people are different on the inside and outside. Look at Baron Legion. He exudes murderous intent…… but in reality, he has a very warm heart. Moreover, he has risked his life several times to save us. To us, who have no connection to him.”

“That’s…… Baron Legion is also hoping for something from us…….”

“Tsk, don’t belittle Baron Legion’s pure heart. Could you do this if you were him?”

Baserabap asked Joint.

Joint shook his head. Even if he was hoping for something, there were few people who could throw themselves into such a situation. Wasn’t it an overwhelmingly disadvantageous situation?

The probability of escaping safely from this place was very low.

If Baron Legion hadn’t helped them, they would probably be having their dantian [energy center in the body] sealed and being dragged somewhere. Or they would all be killed and become crow food.

“How can we ever repay this debt…….”

The three guardian mages, understanding Baserabap’s words, lowered their heads in shame.

“Hoo. What are you doing? We need to hurry.”

Legion composed himself. He had consumed quite a bit of mana.

“Mana recovery! Stamina recovery!”

Baserabap used auxiliary magic. He was indeed an 8-circle archmage [a mage of very high rank].

His significantly depleted stamina and mana were instantly restored by 80%. The effect was much better than a potion.

It was something he had experienced several times since coming down to the underground market, but it was still amazing to see.

Slightly excited, Legion once again swung his iron sword and harassed the mercenaries.

“He’s a monster.”

Baserabap and the three guardian mages shook their heads as they watched Legion mercilessly take down the mercenaries.

Thanks to Legion, they were able to break through the path without much difficulty.

* * *

“Mercenary Squad 1 annihilated!”

“Mercenary Squad 12 annihilated!”

“Assassin Squad 2, Squad 4 annihilated!”

“White Knights annihilated!”

“Semi-Knights annihilated!”

The shocking news of defeat came one after another.

The damage inflicted by just five people was too great.

“Gritting teeth.”

Marquis Porse clenched his teeth. He had deployed 1,000 troops in the underground market. Including the knights of Count Office and his retainers, who were out of their minds, it seemed to be over 2,000.

However, he had not yet heard that they had captured the guys.

The only news he heard was that the units were being defeated individually.

If it were a wide open space, this would not have happened. The maze-like narrow underground market was too advantageous for them.

“The opponent is too strong.”

Count Audi, Marquis Porse’s aide, said.

Count Audi, who wielded great power under Marquis Porse, was renowned as a military genius. He was one of the few subordinates whom Marquis Porse did not treat lightly.

“Is there a way?”

Marquis Porse asked.

“The opponents are one 7-star warrior, one 8-circle mage, and three 6-circle mages.”

“I know that.”

“Considering the terrain, they should be seen as almost a corps-level force.”

“Hmm.”

Marquis Porse nodded slightly.

The 8-circle mage. If he stepped in, he could take Baserabap’s head, but he was definitely skilled enough to exert that much power against ordinary troops.

Still, he thought he could capture them with this many people.

He seemed to have underestimated them too much.

The damage was increasing exponentially. If they all disappeared, he would eventually have to deploy his direct subordinates. Would he be able to catch them in that situation?

The situation was becoming a bit ambiguous.

“However, it’s not unconditionally advantageous for them.”

“Why?”

“They probably haven’t fully recovered yet. Above all, it’s difficult to use wide-area magic in this situation.”

“Hmm.”

That was right.

What makes mages scary is wide-area magic.

Death Storm, Fire Blight, Blizzard……. If those 8-circle spells were unleashed, there would be few troops who could withstand them. Especially if they used the lightning-based Crime Raiden, all living things within several kilometers in front would evaporate.

No, even without going that far, a single Fire Wall could instantly take the lives of most soldiers.

However, in a narrow place like the underground market, its power is greatly reduced.

Mages with weak close combat abilities face a very difficult fight in such places.

That’s why he thought he could catch them without much difficulty, but…….

Damn Don Deckman.

“That’s enough situation assessment. Present a solution.”

“Burn them all to ashes.”

“What?”

“Fire is the best way to catch rats.”

“Fire…….”

It wasn’t a bad idea.

But the problem was that this was the underground market. This was the underground world. It was vulnerable to fire. If it was a fire caused by arson rather than a natural fire, he couldn’t even imagine the disaster.

“Wouldn’t it be possible to clean up this area this time? We have identified 61 entrances to the underground market. I repeat, we have identified 61 entrances. Considering the entrances we haven’t identified, it’s difficult to even estimate the number. This place is a hotbed of illegality anyway. I think it’s a good idea to block it off completely this time.”

“Interesting.”

“If you’re worried…… I’ll do it. Please pretend you don’t know, Your Excellency.”

“No.”

Marquis Porse shook his head.

The population living in the underground market alone was over tens of thousands. A significant number of merchants traveled between the surface and the underground, so there would be many overlapping numbers.

Still, it was certain that it exceeded tens of thousands.

Moreover, a significant number of territorial residents had fled here to escape the chaos on the surface.

If he set fire to this place…….

At least ten thousand, and if he was unlucky, over twenty thousand people would die.

But…….

Marquis Porse clenched his fist tightly.

Baserabap’s life was worth far more than their lives.

“Execute it.”

Marquis Porse gave the devil’s command.

“Understood.”

Count Audi nodded, his eyes gleaming sharply.

* * *

Ttang-

Ttang-

Ttang- Ttang- Ttang-

Bide was hammering non-stop. There was no time to rest. It seemed like he was trying to burn his soul in one breath.

Rulu approached and wiped the sweat flowing like a waterfall from his forehead. He only drank a few sips of water when he was about to become dehydrated.

He refused any other action, saying that if he did it leisurely, it would be bad luck.

Bide’s amazing concentration made his disciple Rulu and the loan shark Friza shake their heads. Friza looked at Bide again. He felt a little sorry for having treated such a great person so carelessly.

“But…….”

Rulu sniffed and looked around.

“Don’t you smell something burning from earlier?”

Rulu asked, looking at Friza.

“Huh? Burning smell?”

“Yes, I think I’ve been smelling that since earlier.”

“Hmm, I don’t know.”

Friza touched his nose and went outside the smithy.

His face quickly turned pale as he went outside. A huge firestorm rising from afar came into his eyes.

The firestorm was burning fiercely as if it would consume this entire district in one breath.