Chapter 3: Repercussions

The stunned slave warriors even forgot that the battle was not over. They stared blankly at the unbelievable scene before them, allowing the bandits who had survived to run around in panic and wail. The sudden, catastrophic impact was so severe that it nearly broke their minds. The half-orcs, who had never seen such magical power before, became weak and had no strength left to chase the fleeing enemies. Even those like Fran and Baoling, who had witnessed Kommer’s power before, were stunned by Kommer’s final mutated move, the “Golden Snake Dance.” In just under ten days, the same move had become incredibly powerful. Even Ilot and Pube could not help but gaze at Kommer, who stood there pale, with a strange expression.

Kommer himself did not realize how dangerous his final move of using mental power to control the transformation was. The immense magical backlash surged like a raging tide, violently attacking the fragile mental defenses within him. It was then that Kommer understood why his teacher had warned him not to use high-level magic lightly, especially when his mental strength was not sufficient to control such powerful spells.

Kommer’s face showed expressions of pain, despair, and joy. He realized he could no longer withstand the escalating magical backlash, but he could not give up. If he did, he would become an idiot or a madman—the backlash would tear his mind to shreds. In his despair, a cold chill seeped in from the unnamed crystal close to his body, spreading from his chest and abdomen upward to his head. A blue aura rose from his neck and spread across his face, making it appear grotesque. Sweat droplets formed on his forehead and chest. By then, Kommer felt the mental barrier gradually strengthening. No matter how violently the backlash surged, it could not break through. He focused intensely on merging the negative spiritual energy with his own mental strength.

The raging backlash finally subsided. Exhausted, Kommer didn’t know how much time had passed before he finally collapsed.

It was not until the blue discoloration on Komer’s face gradually faded that those waiting by his side could breathe a sigh of relief. With the experience from the last time, Ilot and the others knew this was the most dangerous moment for a magician—using magic beyond one’s capabilities would inevitably lead to backlash from the magic force. If one couldn’t withstand this backlash, the magician would end up as an idiot or a madman, or even die on the spot.

While Komer struggled to suppress the magical backlash, Puber, who couldn’t help out, had already ordered the surviving half-orc slave warriors to clean up the battlefield thoroughly. Aside from over thirty bandits who were burned to ashes on the spot, another twenty were killed in battle, leaving only a dozen or so quick-witted individuals to escape.

Complaining that Komer’s magic wasn’t skilled enough to spare even the bandits’ wealth—such reckless destruction proving that their leader wasn’t a competent treasurer—Puber directed the half-orc soldiers to loot valuables from the bandits’ corpses. Unfortunately, these bandits seemed to be nothing worth stealing; aside from a few carrying a few gold shields, most were poor. Thankfully, they still left behind plenty of armor and weapons. Ignoring everything else, Puber ordered the soldiers to take all the intact armor from the corpses and pack up the collected weapons and arrows onto carts. Pulling out a small abacus, he crouched down to calculate how much loss could be recovered from this battle.

What pleased Puber the most were the several warhorses left behind as the bandits fled in disarray—rare and valuable assets. Just the saddles were worth at least thirty gold shields, and each warhorse was worth over two hundred gold shields. Since none of the remaining warriors could ride, this extra loot could be turned into cash. Puber gently moved an abacus bead to record this wealth as income.

By the time Komer woke up from his coma, the group had already crossed the Darman Pass and entered the territory of the Caucasus. To suppress the intense magical backlash, Komer devoted all his focus, and it was only with the help of the magic emanating from that strange crystal that he managed to contain the backlash. Yet this left him so exhausted that he couldn’t even move his fingers.

Over a distance of thirty miles, under the urgent urging of Fran and Bauling, they crossed it in just over three hours. Although they knew the chances of the enemy organizing a counterattack were slim, out of caution, everyone still hoped to reach their own territory as soon as possible. Though this territory was even more desolate and remote than the Leon region, it was still part of the Caucasus, and to the gangs from Leon, it was also an unfamiliar land.

Lying among the cargo in the carriage, Komer felt nausea in his stomach—this was the effect of excessive mental strain. He had felt the same way a few days ago, only this time the intensity was much greater.

Dusk was falling gradually, and the carriage became more bumpy. Once they entered the Caucasus region, the road conditions became extremely poor. Obviously, no one would invest in roads with no commercial value, let alone the Caucasus, which had long been neglected by its lords. It had completely become a semi-barbaric area left to fend for itself. If things continued like this, perhaps in less than ten years, it would turn into a habitat for barbarians, orcs, or even magical beasts.

Perched on a captured warhorse, Puber glanced around at the terrain while sighing. No wonder no one wanted to come to such a desolate place. Being a lord in such a remote area was worse than being a pauper in the city of Cyprus—at least there, one could sense some sign of human activity. Here, aside from dense shrubs and weeds, there were only sparse forests of evergreen and deciduous trees. Occasionally, exposed patches of bright red rock could be seen. At first, Puber was quite interested in examining them to see if he could discover any secrets. He hoped to use his keen eyes and hard work to uncover a large deposit of minerals. To his disappointment, every conclusion he reached was negative. Apart from the green stone that could be used as building material, there was only worthless volcanic rock everywhere. Even if used as building material, the shipping cost would likely exceed the value of the stone itself, especially in this poorly connected wilderness.

Four out of the twelve slave soldiers died in the battle, but fortunately the other eight were not seriously injured. Two spearmen and one shieldmaiden lost their lives, proving that in such small-scale close combat, shieldmaiden survivability was far greater than that of spearmen. The other casualty was the mortal archer, who was killed on the spot when an enemy rider struck him in the head with a flying axe at the start of the battle, much to Fran’s regret. Although the man was not a good archer, it was extremely difficult to train one, unless one had a naturally gifted archer like the other half-elf archer.

At Fran’s suggestion, Pube reluctantly awarded each of the remaining eight slave soldiers two gold shields as combat rewards. This special treatment, which they had never received before, filled the mortal and half-orc soldiers with joy. Aside from the half-elf archer, who politely expressed his gratitude with a bow, the others knelt down and pledged loyalty to Pube, making Pube feel as if his bones had become lighter. Of course, in the eyes of these half-orcs and mortals, Komer already resembled a god. Their gazes toward Komer’s carriage were filled with admiration and awe. They might never be able to imagine how someone could create such a terrifying scene; in their minds, only the god of war, Ares, and his messengers could possess such divine power.

Komer’s awakening relieved everyone. Though they believed he couldn’t be that fragile, after all, few warriors—even seasoned fighters like Fran and Ilot, who had fought in wars against foreign invaders and seen magicians cast spells—had ever witnessed such formidable and fierce magic. And this was done by just one young man who had recently reached adulthood. The danger level was thus unimaginable.