Chapter 42: Buffalo Dungeon (5)

It was a scene difficult to believe.

Speedweapon almost stopped the exhausting rhythm of his flute out of sheer astonishment.

With effort, he regained control, shook his head to clear his thoughts, and continued playing, his gaze fixed on Geom-Ma.

“This is… incredible.”

Saki Ryozo let out the words as though completely overwhelmed.

Beside her, Chloe, who had been incessantly cheering Geom-Ma on just moments before, now stood slack-jawed, her face a mixture of shock and confusion. Speedweapon turned his eyes back to Geom-Ma and the beast.

Something was emanating from his knuckles, enveloping the sashimi blade in his right hand.

A deep blue aura rose around the blade. What Geom-Ma had unleashed before their eyes was unmistakably an aura—so dense and powerful that it seemed to light up the entire shadowy cavern.

‘Geom-Ma, you always defy logic every time I see you…’

Focused on his flute, Speedweapon kept his eyes fixed on him, feeling the air scratch at his throat, though his eyes sparkled with admiration.

There was reverence in his gaze, a profound respect for witnessing something legendary unfold.

The aura surrounding the sashimi blade intensified, and cracks began to spiderweb across its surface under the pressure. In its current state, Murasame was unable to endure the sheer force of Geom-Ma’s aura.

Geom-Ma’s expression hardened, his resolve evident as he gripped the sashimi blade firmly.

“¡Moooooo!”

The Bull King let out a ferocious roar, the battle cry of a warrior determined not to back down.

With his sole remaining arm, he lifted the massive double-bladed axe and scraped the ground with his hooves, his movements brimming with purpose. At the same time, a sinister red glow enveloped the axe.

“This is impossible… How can a beast use magic…?”

Saki Ryozo murmured, her voice trembling. Chloe, standing beside her, swallowed hard. It was an absolute rule that beasts could not use magic—only demons could, subjugating beasts with their spells.

However, the sinister energy radiating from the Bull King’s axe was undeniably magical, coursing along the handle.

How was it possible? The answer quickly became clear. The Bull King was burning his own vitality to generate the power. He was using his body as fuel, feeding the magic with his life.

With a leap that shook the ground, the Bull King charged forward, his axe radiating malevolent light, while Geom-Ma inhaled deeply and held his ground.

Though the aura from Speedweapon to dull his pain was active, Geom-Ma still felt a constant stabbing sensation. Yet instead of yielding, he smirked—the pain reminded him that he was alive.

“¡Moooo!”

The Bull King let out a piercing cry and swung his axe, releasing an arc of red magical power. The attack covered a wide area, its scale immense compared to Geom-Ma. If he were caught in it, he’d be torn to shreds.

Geom-Ma closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was in a state of complete focus.

The pressure of his comrades’ anxious gazes vanished, and his mind went blank.

The sound of air being sliced by the axe’s blade was accompanied by a wave of heat.

In less than a second, Geom-Ma stood face-to-face with death.

He recalled the words.

‘If you cut, it will be cut.’

Those words now carried absolute meaning for him.

Geom-Ma sharpened his concentration, his shoulder and arm moving on their own, driving the aura-wrapped sashimi blade forward.

The blade struck the magical force of the Bull King’s axe like a whip.

Sshiiiing—

Geom-Ma’s aura collided with the magical energy of the Bull King, slicing through it with precision.

Each time his blade cut into the magical power, it dissipated into a red mist.

Boooom.

The sound of the collision echoed throughout the cavern, and the impact heated the air.

Moments later.

Chloe and Saki felt the force of the impact ripple across their skin.

A dull thud sounded, and Saki Ryozo raised her arms to shield herself from the rising dust.

She gasped when she saw what lay before her.

Thud!

Geom-Ma’s sashimi blade was buried halfway into the Bull King’s chest.

Geom-Ma twisted the blade like a key, and a blue current began to spread from the beast’s chest, engulfing it.

“¡Mooooooo!”

The Bull King howled in agony as Geom-Ma twisted the blade once more.

The aura surrounding the sashimi blade tore through the beast’s insides, the sounds of breaking bones and tearing flesh echoing clearly.

With his vision blurring, the beast lifted his head to gaze at the human who had defeated him.

Geom-Ma looked at him without joy, his face showing compassion rather than pride in victory.

“…Moooo.”

The Bull King let out a faint groan, his eyes beginning to well up.

In his final moments, he mustered all his strength to strike the ground with the handle of his axe.

Thud!

That was his final wish.

Humans and demonic beasts.

Though they couldn’t communicate with words, their emotions were clear.

The human nodded and raised his weapon to grant the beast its final rest.

For the first time in his life, the Bull King showed an expression of peace and a faint smile as Geom-Ma’s blade descended in a clean, decisive motion.

-Swish!

The sound of the slash was refreshing.

The blade sliced horizontally through the Bull King’s neck. He felt no pain.

At last, the Bull King’s head fell to the ground.

The two ears of the demonic beast twitched once, and a faint metallic sound echoed.

The sword had left such disarray that it was hard to tell it had been severed.

Belatedly, the Minotaur’s head hit the ground. The demonic beast closed his eyes in satisfaction.

At the end of his solitary life, there had been a human to accompany him.

***

“Hah, hah…”

Speedweapon moved the flute away from his mouth, struggling to catch his breath as he tried to steady his erratic breathing.

Leaning on his knees, he bent forward, only to be overcome by a wave of nausea that made him cover his mouth.

His body was wrecked.

Though he had no visible wounds, the effects of the pain blessing had left his insides utterly ravaged.

It felt like sharp needles were piercing every inch of his body, from the tips of his toes to his head. Even attempting to straighten up was impossible; his balance betrayed him, causing him to sway and collapse to one side.

“Hey, breathe! Breathe!”

Saki Ryozo rushed over and began patting his back. Despite her efforts, SpeedWeapon’s legs gave out, and he fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

“Haa, haa…”

He took deep breaths, exhaling in loud gasps.

Spitting up bloody phlegm onto the ground, he used his arms to support himself, barely managing to keep his torso upright.

Then, his gaze shifted toward Kang Geom-Ma.

Kang Geom-Ma stood staring at the beast’s corpse with a distant look. His expression wasn’t one of someone who had just achieved a hard-won victory.

Speedweapon, who had expected a more animated reaction, maybe even a triumphant shout, scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“Speedweapon.”

“Huh? What is it?”

Saki Ryozo, crouched beside him, spoke up.

“…I think I finally understand what you said before.”

“What I said before?”

“That thing about legends or something.”

“Oh, that.”

Saki tilted her head back, looking up at the ceiling.

“And I also understand why you follow him everywhere.”

“Hey, I don’t follow him everywhere!”

Speedweapon raised an arm in protest. Saki chuckled softly, her smile teasing, before turning her gaze back to Kang Geom-Ma.

“Somehow… now I want to follow him too.”

“…What? Did you hit your head or something? Or is the mana messing with you? You, Saki Ryozo, wanting to do something of your own free will?”

Saki let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head as if trying to organize her thoughts before speaking again.

“Speedweapon, according to academy rules, it’s impossible for Kang Geom-Ma to level up this year, right?”

“Of course not. Rule 2, paragraph 4 explicitly forbids it.”

Speedweapon shrugged as he replied. Saki, touching her temple with a finger, thought for a moment before saying:

“And the opposite? There’s no rule saying that can’t happen, right?”

“Saki, don’t tell me you’re thinking…?”

Speedweapon stared at her, but Saki only responded with a sly smile.

***

The Minotaur was dead.

Despite receiving Speedweapon’s pain-relief blessing, Kang Geom-Ma’s body swayed under the immense agony coursing through him.

He managed a brief smile.

‘That wasn’t so bad.’

He had faced an enemy without fully relying on the blessing, and to him, that was a significant achievement.

If he rested over the weekend after returning to the academy, he could recover at least part of his physical condition.

“Kang Geom-Ma!”

Chloe ran toward me and hugged me tightly. While I appreciated her gesture…

I stayed still and took a deep breath. It felt like my lungs would tear apart if I dared to cough.

As I tried to ignore my extreme exhaustion, a status window appeared before my eyes.

[NEW: Congratulations. You have unlocked a new Blessing.]

A destiny that was originally meant for the protagonist, Leon. I let out a bitter smile.

Regretting what had happened wouldn’t change anything. After all, I had to face the Bull King to survive.

With a trembling finger, I tapped the message on the screen.

[Transfer Blessing]

Allows you to transfer a blessing you possess to a creature or object.

[Note: Physical contact with the target is mandatory.]

‘Straightforward enough.’

This wasn’t my first time seeing this blessing; I’d already unlocked it during my days playing Miracle Blessing M, so it felt familiar.

A blessing that relied on combinations to show its true potential. Its classification was spiritual level, an extremely rare type in this world.

‘I guess I should look on the bright side.’

I sighed deeply, and at that moment, the stone door opened with a creak.

Through the opening, I saw a familiar figure.

The control post employee.

A mix of emotions was etched onto his face. He was smiling, but the twisted expression made him seem more terrifying than any beast.

Chloe blinked, glancing between the door and me, before tugging at my sleeve.

“Geom-Ma, about what you asked me earlier…”

“Chloe, the task I gave you earlier.”

I smiled slightly and nodded toward her.

“It’s time.”

“Yes!”

Chloe nodded firmly before darting toward the employee, her brows furrowed with determination.