How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 24: The Mage Is Too Strong (2)

“If I give this to you, we’re good, right? No problems between us?”

He was tired of getting wrapped up in other people’s business.

Karl also didn’t intend to make assumptions about these people based on the fragment of the scene he’d witnessed.

At first glance, the masked group looked like villains and the dying man like a helpless victim, but things weren’t always what they seemed. It could just as easily be the other way around.

He’d had enough experiences as a rookie to stop sticking his neck out for strangers.

That being said, he was at least giving it a shot.

Karl tossed the gem to the masked leader.

Whip—

The leader caught it and examined it with a satisfied glint in his eye.

Then he nodded toward Karl.

“Kill him.”

Tadadak!

At those words, several of the masked figures lunged toward Karl.

Karl let out a sigh and looked up at the night sky.

“Of course. Fucking knew it.”

As expected—there was no such thing as a clean getaway.

He began casting a spell.

Since they came at him first, there would be no negotiations.

Crackle!!

A streak of electric-blue lightning lit up the darkness.

The attackers were charred pitch-black, their bodies collapsing and disintegrating into ash on the ground.

They were literally reduced to cinders.

‘Oh.’

Even Karl was a little surprised.

The power of his lightning spells had increased drastically.

With his 5th Circle Awakening, boosted mana, and a new Circling that gave a 75% damage increase to lightning spells, this result was inevitable.

“......!!”

The masked leader stared at Karl in shock, disbelief flooding his expression.

Karl smirked coldly.

“What, dumbass? Shocked I’m not some random scrub off the street?”

“......”

The leader gave no reply—just signaled to his subordinates again.

They spread out more cautiously this time, circling Karl while keeping their distance.

Karl couldn’t help but laugh.

Their tactics were so pitiful it was comical.

“What is this, a game of ring-around-the-rosie?”

Snap!

Two of the masked men suddenly rushed in.

They clearly didn’t think they could take him with just the two of them—not after witnessing that spell.

‘So they’ve dealt with mages before.’

For mages, nothing’s more convenient than enemies charging in all at once—it’s the best setup for wide-area spells.

But when enemies attack in small waves, one or two at a time, it becomes a nightmare. The mage either burns through all their mana or gets hit during the casting delay.

Of course, that only applies to low-tier mages.

Once you’re past a certain level, that kind of simplistic tactic is utterly worthless.

These idiots still hadn’t grasped the gap in level after seeing the last spell?

【Lightning Wave】

KWA-KRA-KOOM!!

A wave of lightning exploded outward in all directions, swallowing not just the two attackers, but even the masked ones keeping their distance.

All of them were incinerated, leaving nothing but red-stained earth where they had once stood.

Only the leader remained, wide-eyed, staring blankly at the carnage.

Karl used Force Magic to grab him.

“Ggh...!”

The man tried to resist, but it was pointless.

Judging by his aura, he was probably knight-level, but to Karl—now a High Mage—he was nothing.

Thud!

Karl yanked him forward and slammed him to the ground.

The leader glared up at Karl with all the fury he could muster.

“What, jackass? You got something to say? Keep that glare up and I’ll rip your eyes out.”

“......”

“You should’ve just taken the gem and fucked off, huh? Why’d you have to be an asshole and screw it all up?”

With Force Magic, Karl yanked the gem from the man’s hand.

He inspected it again and asked,

“What the hell is this thing anyway? The guy earlier said something about the Bawle family. Are they nobles in this kingdom? What’s your connection to them?”

The man remained silent.

Karl turned ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) his head slightly.

【Ray Buster】

VROOOM!!

The newly acquired 5th Circle Arcane spell.

He swept his arm sideways and fired—the massive beam tore through the darkness, vaporizing a distant enemy who had just arrived at the scene and was trying to flee.

The trees and underbrush in the beam’s path vanished completely.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

It was like reality itself had been erased.

The masked leader’s eyes trembled in fear at the surreal sight.

‘Huh...’

Karl didn’t show it, but he was impressed too.

An Arcane spell created by the former head of a magic school that specialized exclusively in destruction.

It more than lived up to its legendary reputation.

“Well, whatever. Just die.”

CRACK!

With Force Magic, Karl snapped the man’s neck.

He wouldn’t talk anyway, and Karl didn’t care to keep trying.

“......”

Now what?

Karl looked at the red gem in his hand, face twisted in annoyance.

“Should I just toss it?”

That would certainly save him some trouble.

But in the end, he decided to keep it.

Leaving it behind would feel like letting those assholes win.

Karl was logical about most things, but like with Aranhel, he could be surprisingly emotional about this kind of thing.

It still seemed to have an owner assigned to it, because the gem wouldn’t go into his inventory.

With no choice, he slipped it into his inner pocket.

“...Bawle family, huh.”

Where the hell is that, anyway?

Sitting among the corpses, Karl returned to his campfire.

He clicked his tongue as he glanced at the dead man, then sorted out his thoughts.

‘If it’s on the way, I’ll drop it off. If not, I’m just gonna keep going.’

He was irritated to be wrapped up in someone else’s mess again, but what could he do?

It wasn’t the first time—and wouldn’t be the last.

* * *

At dawn, Karl left the canyon and arrived in the Free City of Kerry.

There had been no further ambushes along the way.

After passing through the city gates, Karl picked a random inn to stay for the night.

He hated noise, so he chose a quiet one with few people.

“Welcome!”

A woman who seemed to be a staff member greeted him with a bright smile.

Karl handed her a silver coin.

“Pay for dinner, one night’s stay, and water for washing. Keep the change.”

Visit freёnovelkiss.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she politely guided him to a table.

Soon, food was laid out in front of him.

Before starting the meal, Karl stopped the staff woman just as she was about to head back to the kitchen.

“Do you happen to know how to get to the Bawle family estate?”

“Bawle? The Bawle Earldom?”

She tilted her head before answering.

“Their estate is in Cayenne City. It’s quite far from here.”

After hearing the full explanation and which direction it was, Karl made an uncertain expression.

It wasn’t completely out of the way—but it was still a notable detour.

After finishing his meal, Karl went upstairs to his room.

Lying on the bed, he pulled the gem out of his pocket again and stared at it.

Now that the adrenaline had worn off and his emotions had settled, he started to feel stupid.

‘Why the fuck am I playing delivery boy? This isn’t my job.’

Yeah, those masked bastards attacking him still pissed him off—but honestly, so did the guy who dumped this on him while dying.

Why drag a total stranger into your shit and make things complicated?

Regret washed over him.

“Tch. Should’ve just left it there...”

Yeah. Leaving it behind would’ve been the right call.

Karl stared at the gem, face conflicted.

“......”

Then he glanced toward the door and slowly sat up.

He spoke in a sharp, annoyed tone.

“Alright, quit creeping and come in, you dumbasses. I know you’re out there.”

BANG! TWANG TWANG TWANG!

The door flew open and a volley of arrows rained into the room.