IMTDIK 62

Episode 62: The Black Drug

The lightning bullet shot from Ferda’s hand pierced the enemy’s head. Blood splattered, and the soldier collapsed. The scene was so shocking that no one reacted immediately.

“Huh? W-What!?”

The enemy soldiers were too stunned to understand what had happened.

After Ferda’s surprise attack, Consillus and Marco stepped forward, charging into the enemy ranks.

“Argh!”
“Ugh!”

Consillus and Marco cut down the two men standing before them. Only then did the remaining enemies realize the situation.

“It’s an attack!”
“R-Run away!”

Panic spread quickly, but a commanding voice shouted over it.

“You fools! There’s no way to escape anyway! Pick up your weapons!”

It was the order of the Dark Elf, Commander Rinne. The panicked soldiers grabbed their weapons immediately.

Rinne raised her staff.

“How dare you attack this place! Show yourself, sniper!”

Ferda calmly stepped forward.

Rinne’s eyes widened.

“Gray hair, blue eyes… You are Ferda Valdrova.”

She recognized him immediately.

“What a surprise. I was hoping to one day see the face of the man who destroyed my home, and now you’ve come yourself.”

“Are you happy?”

“If I say I’m happy, I mean it. Because now, I can kill you with my own hands. Kill them all!”

The minions charged at Ferda. At that moment, a calm energy surrounded Consillus and Marco. It was their knightly aura, mana covering their entire bodies. A knight wielding aura was worth a hundred soldiers. Fighting twenty mere Servant-class enemies was effortless.

Swish—! Every movement of Marco and Consillus felled an enemy. The minions, nothing more than disorganized mercenaries, quickly lost their will to fight.

Seeing this, Rinne became furious.

“You useless fools! Secretary!”

“Y-Yes!?”

“Come here!”

The frightened secretary approached. Rinne pulled something from her bag: a syringe filled with black liquid. Without hesitation, she stabbed it into the secretary’s neck.

“Guh!?”

The black liquid flowed into his body.

“Ugh… Ugh… Grrraaaah!?”

The secretary’s body twisted and jerked violently. Sensing danger, Consillus shouted.

“Marco! We must stop him before he transforms!”

“Leave it to me!” Marco raised his sword and charged at the mutating man.

“You won’t get past me!”

Rinne raised her palm toward Marco. A magic circle appeared in her hand—it was human magic, Force Rush.

Boom! The air in front of her palm compressed and exploded, sending Marco flying.

They had failed to stop the transformation.

“Ugh! Grrraaah!”

The man’s body swelled abnormally. His skin darkened, his clothes tore apart, and he grew to the size of a gray bear. Then, he lifted his head. Black skin, red eyes, sharp canines—it was unmistakable.

“A demon…!”
“And a Bouncer at that.”

Bouncers were demons specializing in physical strength, strong enough to break even binding magic with pure force. Marco and Consillus felt the heavy pressure.

“Ghehehe! I’ve received His blessing too!”

The Bouncer laughed excitedly, stomping the ground. Each step shook the room. Even veteran knights froze at the sight.

But Ferda wasn’t interested in the Bouncer. His eyes were fixed on Rinne’s bag.

‘She took the syringe from that bag. It can’t be the only one.’

He turned to Consillus and gave an order.

“Count, take care of that Bouncer. Can you handle it?”

Consillus answered firmly.

“If I can’t overcome this, how could I lift my head in shame?”

“My sword is yours, Regent!” Marco stood firm. Inspired by their courage, Ferda nodded.

“I understand your determination. But there’s no need to make it difficult.”

A magic circle formed in his palm. Ferda chanted:

“Frenzy.”

A black magic circle shot out like lightning, piercing the Bouncer’s head.

“Ghehehe! Guh… Guh!?”

The Bouncer grabbed his head in pain.

“Grr… GRAAAAAH!! AAAAH!! IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO MUCH!!”

The beast thrashed violently, smashing everything in sight.

“Gah!”
“What are you doing?! We’re on your side—ugh!”

It was like releasing a rabid dog into a chicken coop. The minions were slaughtered instantly.

“IT HURTS! IT HURTS!!!”

The Bouncer’s rage turned toward Rinne. She quickly chanted a spell.

“Restrain!”

A rune-like spell struck the Bouncer’s head. The rampaging monster suddenly calmed.

“Do you recognize me now?”
“Ah… C-Commander?”
“You’ve finally come to your senses. If you understand, then get rid of those humans!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!!”

The Bouncer, now obedient, charged at the two knights.

“You humiliated me in front of the Commander! I won’t forgive you!!”

Marco and Consillus braced themselves and blocked the attack. Boom!

The impact pushed them back, but they endured, allowing them to counterattack. Slash—! Aura, sharp enough to slice through flesh and bone, barely cut the Bouncer’s skin.

“Hahaha! I’m strong! So strong!!”

The battle between the knights and the Bouncer raged. The key to victory lay with the mages. Whoever supported better—Ferda or Rinne—would decide the outcome.

Rinne made the first move. She prepared a magic circle to cast Slug Time, slowing the knights and giving the Bouncer an advantage.

“Slug Ti—”

Before she could finish, she sensed an attack. A mana bullet flew straight toward her magic circle.

“Wha—!?”

Boom! The magic circle exploded before activating.

“…He destroyed my magic with a mana shot?”

Rinne was shocked but suppressed her doubt. Few could see and use magic weak points effectively.

Her eyes glowed blue as she tried to gauge Ferda’s power. She was not wrong—he had spotted her magic weak point.

‘How can a mere 4-circle regent handle magic weak points?’

Ferda provoked her.

“What are you waiting for? Cast your magic. What will happen if an elf, who threw away nature’s blessings and chose human magic, loses in magic?”

“You are only at the 4th rank. Are you not too arrogant for your level?”

Ferda measured her mana. It was the same size as his.

“Don’t lie. I already know you are 5th rank.”

“My eyes are not just for decoration, Regent. If you reached the 4th rank, you should at least—”

“Do I look like a fool who can’t recognize someone using the Aquinas School’s training method?”

Rinne’s eyes widened. Before she could ask how he knew, Ferda interrupted.

“Don’t make that face. It makes me uncomfortable.”

Ferda prepared his magic circle—a strong Magic Blast, a high-level 4th-rank spell. It took time to cast, but he moved faster than most. Using it was a distraction.

‘It worked perfectly.’

The spell struck under the desk, where he had hidden his Shadow Hand. A bolt of lightning shot up, shattering the wooden desk and piercing Rinne’s head.

“Kyaaah!”

The Lightning Bolt came from Ferda’s Shadow Hand. Magic Blast had been a distraction all along.

‘The Aquinas School gains the upper hand by keeping secrets. But you, who use their method, got caught off guard.’

Rinne groaned, clutching her left eye. Ferda examined the wound: the Lightning Bolt had pierced her chin and exited through her eye.

“Your survival instincts are amazing. I intended to kill you, but you dodged at the last moment.”

“Damn you! You filthy short-lived bastard!”

Ferda smiled twistedly.

“Ferda Valdrova! I will never forget this humiliation!”

Rinne pulled out a scroll—a teleportation spell—and vanished in a burst of light.

Bouncer stared blankly at the spot she disappeared from. Without their mage, the Bouncers were easily defeated.

Marco and Consillus, exhausted, looked down at the fallen enemies.

“Huff… Huff… I never thought I’d fight demons.”
“Same here. I only saw them now, after all these years.”
“Save the talk for later. We only have 20 minutes left.”
“Yes.”

Though the fight had ended, the heat of battle lingered. They searched the facility, now abandoned. Classified and ordinary information had already been sorted.

Ferda approached where Rinne had vanished. ‘Emergency teleportation magic cannot transfer items.’ Everything she carried remained behind.

On the floor lay discarded clothes and a leather alchemy bag. Inside were a journal and a small box containing syringes in a grid pattern, each labeled:

• Doppler Butcher (Prototype)
• Dark Sorcerer (Prototype)
  …and more.

Each name belonged to a high-ranking demon. Doppler was just one tree, not the whole forest.

Flipping through the journal, Ferda saw strange symbols. ‘A code.’ Even if stolen, no one could understand it. He placed the journal in a sample bag and locked it.

“Count, we got everything we need.”
“Understood.”

The mission was successful. They escaped quietly and returned.

Meanwhile, three people headed to the research building. Dressed in winter gear, Jed shivered through the snowstorm.

“Damn, it’s freezing. Who builds a house in a mountain like this?”
“Be quiet. What if someone hears us?”
“Don’t worry. Not even an orc’s howl can be heard in this weather.”

The knights silently listened as they walked. Soon, they reached their designated point and entered.

“It’s quiet.”

Unlike the living area, the research building was empty. Only big machines, trash, and bombs remained.

“That demon was right. They really planned to destroy everything in six hours.”
“Not exactly.”
“You think they won’t?”
“I mean, it could happen sooner. We can’t trust demons. Let’s move fast.”

Their mission was to save the test subjects trapped inside the research building. Moving prisoners was difficult, so the demons had planned to bury them with the building.

Their guess was right.

“What… is this?”

They froze, shocked at what awaited inside.