Karina walked around the streets, taking in the cold air.
Her mind wandered back to the events that had just transpired.
“….What the hell, Karina!?”
She cringed, realizing how unprofessional she’d been.
She had dropped her formal tone somewhere along the way, speaking to the Professor as if he were anyone else.
And yet, throughout the entire evening, he had remained composed.
Reserved.
Professional.
“Gosh!”
The embarrassment was too much.
She wanted to dig a hole right there and bury herself in it.
“How am I supposed to face him tomorrow!?”
She groaned, rubbing her temples.
“Get a grip. He probably doesn’t even care.”
But she cared.
Karina had worked hard to maintain her image as a responsible assistant.
And now? One casual dinner, and she’d acted like a fumbling idiot.
Her thoughts spiraled as she turned a sharp corner.
Suddenly, her steps faltered.
“….”
A chill ran down her spine.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
Bloodlust.
Ba… Thump! Ba… Thump!
Karina froze, her heart hammering in her chest.
Slowly, she turned her head.
A shadowed figure stood at the edge of the alley, holding a glint of steel in their hand.
A dagger.
Step– Step—
The figure stepped closer.
“….”
Karina’s breath hitched.
It couldn’t be.
The stories she had heard.
The Mage Killer.
Her body tensed as she tried to think.
Run? Scream? Fight?
But her feet felt rooted to the ground, feeling the panic gripping her tightly.
Swoosh—!
The figure lunged.
Karina dodged instinctively, adrenaline flooding her veins as the blade narrowly missed her side.
She stumbled back, her mind racing.
‘Stay calm. Think.’
The figure didn’t hesitate, advancing again with a feral speed.
This time, Karina saw it coming and turned to the side.
Raising her free hand, she began to chant under her breath.
“—Aqua Sphere!”
A sphere of condensed water formed instantly, swirling with icy particles.
Karina lunged forward and hurled the sphere at the figure.
Swoosh—!
The attacker moved to dodge, but the sphere exploded upon impact, shards of ice scattering in every direction.
One shard grazed their arm.
Karina hoped it would slow them down.
But it didn’t.
Boom—!
The ground trembled as the figure kicked off with explosive force, shattering the earth beneath them.
Karina’s eyes widened.
“A Crusade.”
This wasn’t a mage.
The figure’s speed was overwhelming, closing the distance faster than she anticipated.
Karina jumped back and chanted quickly.
“—Glacial Spike!”
A towering pillar of ice shot up between her and the attacker.
Crack—!
The figure’s dagger met the ice, slicing through it like paper.
“Shit,” Karina cursed under her breath.
The figure lunged again, and Karina barely dodged to the side.
She spun her body, her hands glowing faintly as she chanted.
“—Frozen Mist!”
A chilling mist spread through the street, obscuring the figure’s vision.
Swoosh—!
Karina moved swiftly within the mist, holding her breath to avoid revealing her location.
However, she wasn’t fast enough.
“….”
The figure darted through the mist, honing in on her as though it wasn’t even there.
Karina raised her arms in defense, summoning a shield of ice just in time to block a strike aimed at her torso.
Crack—!
The shield shattered instantly under the force of the dagger.
Karina stumbled back.
That dagger wasn’t ordinary.
It could cut through magic.
If she didn’t adapt, this fight would be over in seconds.
Taking a deep breath, she focused, drawing on the heat within her mana core.
“—Ignition!”
A burst of flames erupted from her hand, colliding with the icy mist.
The sudden clash of heat and cold created a volatile reaction.
Steam hissed violently as it filled the air, forcing the figure to hesitate.
Karina didn’t let up.
She moved quickly. With a steady voice, she chanted her next spell.
“Crossfire—Converge!”
Flames and frost twisted together, forming a chaotic vortex that surged toward the attacker.
The figure sidestepped as their dagger deflected part of the vortex.
But the force of the spell pushed them back, giving Karina a brief opening.
She seized the moment, summoning sharp shards of ice above her.
“—Icicle Barrage!”
The shards descended in a deadly flurry. The figure deflected some with their dagger, but one shard grazed their leg.
Though they didn’t even kneel. As if indifferent to the pain.
Karina gritted her teeth, sweat dripping down her temple.
She could feel her mana reserves depleting rapidly.
She needed to end this.
Swoosh—!
However, the figure’s speed didn’t falter at all. And within seconds, they charged again.
Karina clenched her fists, channeling everything she had left into her next move.
An array of magic were sent out as sparks scattered in the air.
Each magic that barraged towards the Mage Killer would instantly dissipate upon contact with their dagger.
Karina, gritting her teeth, stepped back and crossed her hands together as she chanted.
“—Thermal Pul—Ukh!”
Her words were cut off as a brutal force on par with a rampaging bull slammed into her abdomen.
The impact knocked the air from her lungs, sending her sprawling to the ground.
She gasped, clutching her stomach as her vision began to blur.
Just one attack from the Mage Killer was all it took to damage her significantly.
Standing up, Karina scrambled back, clutching onto her stomach as her other hand lifted up, muttering a chant.
“—Convergence Fla—”
Her voice caught in her throat.
A flicker of silver flashed before her, and for a brief moment, her life flashed before her eyes.
It was then.
Swoosh—!
A gale of wind, strong enough to fill the entire vicinity, pushed both Karina and the Mage Killer back.
There, he stood, and relief washed over Karina like a tidal wave.
With his hood down, and his bangs framing his face, he stood impeccably poised and indifferent as ever.
“Professor!”
Vanitas Astrea.
***
“Hmm….”
Vanitas stood behind the corridor, crossing his arms as he masked his presence.
As expected, the Mage Killer hunted Karina.
The pattern was clear to someone who had encountered the Mage Killer countless times in different playthroughs.
It always targeted Professors.
Specifically, Silver University Tower Professors.
Vanitas knew its backstory well, having cleared the act dozens of times.
The Mage Killer was once a Silver University Tower alumnus.
A Crusade Department prodigy.
But his career was cut short after angering a Professor.
Unjustly expelled.
Banned from every University Tower.
Denied every opportunity.
And so, he turned to Dark Magic.
The Mage Killer wasn’t just a Crusade anymore.
He was a Crusade who wielded Dark Magic.
His dagger? An artifact that could cut through any spell, making him nearly unstoppable against unprepared opponents.
Fueled by vengeance, he hunted Professors across the empire.
It didn’t matter which University they taught at.
His grudge consumed him.
Vanitas knew the Mage Killer’s first encounter was with a Professor too powerful to defeat.
Humiliated, the Mage Killer withdrew, biding his time to hone its strength.
He hunted weaker Professors, and each kill only served to refine his corrupted stigmata.
But truth be told, Vanitas wasn’t certain which Professor would be targeted next.
But the pieces were falling into place.
Something about the timing.
The circumstances.
He had a lingering suspicion.
Karina Maeril had been working late into the night recently.
Too late.
That single thought echoed in his mind.
Karina Maeril was in danger. For that reason, Vanitas discreetly followed her ever since he found out about her issues, eventually being led to the Korean restaurant.
“It’s for her protection.”
But at the moment, seeing Karina holding her own against the Mage Killer, he didn’t intervene right away.
Instead, he stood back, watching.
It was an opportunity to evaluate his assistant’s capabilities firsthand.
After all….
———「Karina Maeril」———
◆ Age: 23
◆ Stigmata: ???
◆ Essence Discovered:
—Aether: Master
—Pyro: Advanced
—Aqua: Master
—Zephyr: Intermediate
————————————
The stigmata was unfound.
Meaning, the game recognized it was there, but the data was insufficient enough for comprehension.
It only meant one thing.
“She’s never awakened it in all of my playthroughs.”
And at the age of 23, awakening a stigmata this late was more than odd.
Vanitas could only imagine just how powerful it would be.
In other words, Karina Maeril had a lot of potential.
But the glaring disparity in skill between the current Karina and the Mage Killer was undeniable.
The outcome was obvious.
But Vanitas bided his time. In moments of desperation, when Karina is pushed back helplessly, that was when Vanitas would step in.
Karina Maeril, a blank slate who harbored fear for him due to the difference in status and the shady rumors surrounding the original Vanitas.
It was all for the purpose of cementing her faith in him.
To Vanitas, it was three birds with one stone.
It was then.
“So this is her limit.”
There was no time to hesitate.
Activating his stigmata, he adjusted his spectacles. The lenses glowed faintly as they processed the scene ahead.
Bang!
With a sharp kick off the ground, a powerful gust of wind exploded outward.
The force propelled both Karina and the Mage Killer apart, buying Vanitas the precious seconds he needed.
Swoosh—!
Vanitas landed swiftly between them, cradling Karina in his arms.
In one fluid motion, he leaped backward, a powerful gale of wind erupting from his position and hurtling toward the Mage Killer.
“….Professor,” Karina whispered.
Vanitas steadied her, gently letting her stand on her own.
“Go home,” he said. “Don’t call anyone. Just leave. I’ll handle this.”
“What?”
“I said go!” Vanitas repeated, his voice sharper now.
Karina hesitated as her eyes darted to the Mage Killer, who was already regaining their footing.
“Professor, you can’t—”
“Do not make me repeat myself,” he said, his tone cold as ice. “Leave. Now.”
“….”
The weight of his words silenced her.
With a shaky nod, Karina finally turned and ran. As the sound of her footsteps lulled, Vanitas turned his attention to the Mage Killer.
———「Event Act: Mage Killer」———
「Rewards:」
◆ Understanding: +20%
「Bonus Rewards for Maximum Difficulty:」
◆ Understanding: +20%
◆ Dagger of Resonance
————————————
There it was.
Chae Eun-woo had spent countless hours obsessing over the Mage Killer event in his playthroughs.
In one particular run, something unexpected happened.
The rewards for defeating the Mage Killer had skyrocketed.
But he failed that attempt.
When he restarted and revisited the event, the rewards were significantly lower.
At first, he thought it was random.
Yet, as he pushed through trial after trial, a pattern began to emerge.
The rewards increased in direct proportion to the difficulty.
And the difficulty? It reached its peak when the Mage Killer was confronted alone.
This wasn’t immediately apparent.
In earlier runs, Chae Eun-woo had always relied on Named Characters to assist him.
But when he faced the Mage Killer solo?
The challenge increased to an almost impossible level.
It was clear now. The game rewarded proportionate to the difficulty.
And it seemed to take effect here.
In the game, it didn’t matter. Losing meant a restart.
But here?
If he failed, there would be no retry button.
Still, he couldn’t shake the thought.
If this was his only playthrough in life, then he would have to seize every reward possible, no matter the risk.
‘Scratch Claude. It seems like the Mage Killer is going to be my first boss.’
“….Vanitas Astrea.” The Mage Killer’s grueling voice reached his ears.
“Nice to see you again, Aldred Haide,” Vanitas muttered as he stepped forward, his boots echoing against the cobblestones.
Tak. Tak—!
The Mage Killer, Aldred, visibly flinched. “Again? Wait, you…. How did you kno—”
“That doesn’t concern you anymore.”
A grin tugged at Vanitas’s lips as he called for the Silverleaf Grimoire. The Grimoire materialized, hovering around him as the pages flipped continuously.
Swoosh—!
Vanitas kicked off the ground, sending a shockwave rippling through the earth.
Blades of wind lunged toward Aldred. Aldred twisted sharply, his dagger slicing through the magic with ease, dispersing the wind.
But Vanitas was already ahead of him.
The ground beneath Aldred shifted as the beginner spell, “Earth Cannon,” spun to life.
Immediately, chunks of earth shot forward like missiles.
Aldred darted to the side like a blur, but the force of the cannon blasts sent debris scattering in every direction.
The dagger slashed through the air, aiming for Vanitas’s throat.
But Vanitas ducked, the blade missing him by inches.
From his palm, a burst of Flame Lance shot forth. The heat rippled the air between them.
Swoosh—!
Aldred’s eyes widened as he twisted away, narrowly avoiding the scorching attack.
Vanitas didn’t relent.
Another windblade followed immediately, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.
The force sent Aldred skidding backward, his boots scraping against the ground as he barely managed to hold his stance, raising his dagger defensively.
Vanitas straightened, catching his breath.
Like a force of nature, Aldred’s figure blurred. Vanitas felt the pulse of dark energy rippling out of Aldred like a fountain.
The two clashed.
Vanitas maneuvered, trying his best to avoid the dagger.
Cuts and grazes appeared all over his body, but it wasn’t without its merits as his attacks didn’t leave Aldred unharmed.
“Haaa….. H-haaa….”
Vanitas took deep heavy breaths, rubbing the sweat off his temple.
The game was one thing, but despite having a deep understanding of Aldred’s fighting habits, it proved to be difficult in real life.
But Vanitas cleverly maintained his distance. It was impossible for a mage to keep up with Crusade in close combat.
It was then.
Swoosh—!
Aldred’s figure blurred once more, but this time, Vanitas couldn’t keep up with his movements.
Instinctively, he retrieved a parchment paper from his pocket and imbued mana onto it.
Vanitas had been preparing Master spells into parchment papers for immediate usage.
However, before he could even toss it, Aldred’s blade, rippling with dark energy, cut the paper clean in half.
In the same fluid motion, Aldred twisted his body and delivered a vertical kick.
Thwack!
The impact struck Vanitas’s chin with brutal force, sending him reeling upward as blood spattered from his mouth.
Aldred gave chase, leaping upward, his dagger glinting faintly beneath the moonlight.
In a moment of panic, Vanitas cast an Advanced ranked spell, “Windfall.”
A powerful gust of wind surged from his figure, slamming into Aldred and driving him forcefully to the ground.
Vanitas recovered, landing safely on the ground. The commotion that had just ensued should’ve alerted civilians by now.
He was already well aware.
“Haaa….. H-haaa…..”
It wasn’t going to be easy.