Chapter 74

The blast didn’t just deflect—it tore through the shield like wet paper, punching a clean hole through both the metal and the man holding it. His body collapsed unceremoniously onto the ground.

“You thought you could block it?” Justin’s voice was low, mocking.

“Son of a—!”
The leader’s snarl was accompanied by visible tension among the remaining enemies. None of them had anticipated the sheer destructive power behind the spell.

“Don’t rush forward! Stay behind the shields! If we close the distance together, we can overwhelm them!” the leader barked, trying to regain control.

Sure, two of them were down, but ten enemies still remained. If they advanced cautiously, using their shields as cover, even Justin and his team would struggle against overwhelming numbers.

But Justin had no intention of letting that happen.

“Black Missile!“

BOOM.

“You idiot! That won’t work!” The leader’s voice rang out, trying to rally his men’s confidence.

“Let’s see about that.”

“Black Missile. Black Missile. Black Missile!“

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

The barrage was relentless, each spell slamming against the enemy shields. The shield’s magic-deflecting ability was impressive, scattering the attacks before they could connect. But Justin wasn’t convinced the defense would last forever.

No magic-dispersing equipment works without limits. Time, number of uses—there’s always a breaking point.

Even a dungeon reward couldn’t offer infinite protection, especially against relentless assaults.

The leader’s face tightened as realization set in. The earlier arrogance was gone, replaced by fear of the inevitable. And yet, he didn’t dare rush forward—if he moved outside the shield’s protection, he’d meet the same fate as the fallen warrior.

Ten, twenty spells… The rapid barrage continued without pause.

“Black Missile!“

CRACK. CLANG.

A metallic shatter echoed through the air. The shield’s shimmering silver surface dulled, its magical sheen fading as cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.

“No… You’ve got to be kidding me!”

The once-pristine shield was now a dull, grim gray—its magical defenses broken.

“Black Missile!“

“Argh!”
The leader tried to brace behind the broken shield, but without the magic to disperse the spell’s force, the missile hit hard. His body curled instinctively behind the useless metal, but the blow left him trembling.

“…What the hell?”

“Why isn’t he getting back up?”

“Out of magic,” Justin realized with a grim twist of satisfaction. Twenty stored spells, plus the extra five from the apprentice’s staff… all spent.

Even his Cursed Lightning had been used twice, leaving only one last trick—Energy Drain.

The enemy leader seemed to sense his dwindling magic reserves. A triumphant sneer curled across his face.
“Out of spells already? Take him down!”

A magician without magic was as good as dead weight—especially a dark mage, who couldn’t regenerate mana without sacrifices.

But Justin wasn’t finished yet.

“Imp Summon!“

WHOOSH.

Violet smoke swirled outward, causing the advancing enemies to falter. The sudden display of dark magic made them hesitate, wary of whatever creature was about to appear.

When the imp emerged, small and unimposing, their fear turned into scorn.

“That’s it?”

“What’s he going to do with that little thing?”

The imp, meanwhile, stared up at Justin with an expression of sheer annoyance.
“Again? You know, just because we’re bound by contract doesn’t mean—”

“Energy Drain.“

“SCREEEEE—!”

The imp’s complaints turned into a shrill, agonizing screech as Justin clamped a hand over its head, draining its life force with brutal efficiency.

“H-He’s using his own summon as a mana battery?!”

“That bastard…!”

Killian, the one who had explained the dark mage class back in the tutorial, had mentioned this limitation. Yet reality seemed far more flexible than the system had suggested. After all, if the target wasn’t human—if it was an imp, a snide and irritating little demon like this one—then…

I can drain every last drop without any morale penalty. And I can do it three times over.

“Screeeee!“
The imp’s agonizing shrieks echoed through the air as Justin absorbed its life force, his spell reserves rapidly replenishing. Before he could even finish charging the fifth Black Missile, the enemy leader’s voice rang out.

“Stop him! Now! Block his spells!”

The enemy pioneers, fully aware of what had happened to their comrades, rushed toward Justin in a frenzy. They had seen firsthand how easily the spells could pierce through shields—if he finished charging, the results would be catastrophic.

But in their desperation, they had forgotten one crucial detail.

Thwip. Thud.

“Argh!”
An arrow embedded itself in a charging warrior’s thigh, sending him tumbling. It was a clean, precise shot—Nathan had been waiting for the perfect opportunity. Unlike before, when the enemy had approached cautiously behind their shield wall, now their reckless charge left their bodies wide open.

“What, am I invisible or something?” Nathan muttered under his breath, readying another arrow.

“Energy Bolt!“

BOOM.

“Not today!”
A second enemy mage launched a spell at Nathan, but Ethan and Rachel were ready, intercepting the attack with their shields.

While they blocked the magical assault, two faster warriors managed to close the distance. But this time, Derek stepped forward to meet them.

“You bastards—!”

WHAM.

“Block it!”
One warrior instinctively raised his shield as Derek’s massive warhammer came crashing down. Meanwhile, his partner tried to circle around and strike from the side—a textbook flanking maneuver.

But their strategy lasted less than a second.

CRASH!

“Argh!”
The sheer force of the hammer’s blow sent shockwaves rippling through the air. The unlucky warrior who had blocked it was hurled into the sky like a ragdoll, while the concussive blast knocked the second attacker off balance.

Seeing his ally flung through the air, the flanker’s eyes went wide.
“A dungeon reward…!”

“Yeah, what? You think you’re the only ones with tricks?” Derek snarled.

WHAM!

The hammer came down again, faster this time. The shield meant nothing—the impact snapped the defender’s arm like a twig and crushed him into the ground. Three enemies down in an instant.

With half their force already eliminated, the remaining enemies began to hesitate.

“Stop screwing around, you idiots!” the enemy leader screamed, his voice raw with frustration. “That bastard’s recharging his spells—get him now!”

WHOOOSH.

As he shouted, the leader hurled his axe with all his strength. Whether by luck or skill, it flew straight toward Justin’s head like a missile.

“Lord!”
“Oppa!”

The cries of his allies overlapped as the spinning blade closed in. But then—

CLANG!