Blacksmithing Is Child’s Play for a Dark Mage - Chapter 7

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 7
The party ventured deeper into the Sewers, their light pushing back the darkness that pressed in from all sides.
With each step forward, monsters continued to emerge.
In rapid succession, they found themselves locked in combat four times over—goblins, then giant centipedes, then walking mushrooms, an endless parade of creatures hurling themselves at them.
By then, Tay began to sense that something was wrong.
These madness-infested Sewers did harbor monsters, yes, but they were also known as the eternal hunting ground of Stone Badge Mercenaries.
Which meant—
There should never be this many monsters.
The creatures were culled periodically, so their numbers should remain far lower under normal circumstances.
In fact, a typical Stone Badge Mercenary team of three would venture in, dispatch roughly a dozen rats or goblins, and leave—that was the standard.
And even that required considerable wandering through the tunnels.
A dozen kills like that earned each member enough to eat for two or three days.
That was the ecosystem of Harundel’s Sewers mercenary trade.
Yet how far had they even penetrated before already clashing four times in succession?
“Captain. I hate to say it, but… I’m getting tired here.”
Gallin, the stocky man leading from the front, spoke up.
‘Hasn’t learned an aura yet, by the looks of it. For his build, his stamina is pretty ordinary.’
Tay assessed Gallin with that thought running through his mind.
His frame was solid—muscle distributed well beneath the bulk. But four consecutive battles had left him drenched in sweat. Tay knew that was normal.
Gallin’s shield had intercepted blows from more than twenty creatures.
To withstand the assault of more than twenty beasts and swing his War Hammer dozens of times over—
Without proper Secret Technique training, fatigue was inevitable.
But they were still barely past the entrance.
Reaching the Central Sewage Treatment Facility would require at least another full day’s march.
‘But wait. Could there really be some mad sorcerer deeper in doing something? Why have the monster numbers spiked like this?’
Tay knew from certain knowledge that things hadn’t been this way even days before.
Now that he thought about it carefully, the timing of his own awakening to the Hunter System in his past life seemed to align rather strangely with this surge.
‘What is this. Could it possibly be because I awakened…?’
He’d barely begun that thought when—
Ellen, the unit leader, moved up beside Gallin.
“It’s true. Four consecutive fights are brutal. At this pace, if the entrance is already like this, the deeper sections must be absolute chaos. Molton, what’s your assessment?”
“If we need to push forward for another full day—our current strength won’t suffice.”
As Molton answered, that was when—
Glashalavolias spoke up.
“Contractor. We’re surrounded.”
“What!?”
Ellen’s head snapped around at the warning, and Tay immediately pressed for details.
‘Does this creature have detection ability too? Though I suppose a common imp wouldn’t be unremarkable.’
“How many?”
“Twenty in front. Ten from behind. Ratmen, by the look of them.”
“Molton! Hold this position! Gallin! You and I are cutting through!”
Ellen seized Gallin by the back of his neck and wheeled him around toward the direction they’d come from.
Their formation reversed in an instant.
“Human-human! Kill-kill!”
“Screeeee!”
The moment the formation shifted, sounds erupted from the rear position where Molton stood, and the Ratmen came charging in.
They charged forward, indifferent to the dark mage’s soul-gnawing power!
“Damn it! Skull! Scatter some spells and get clear!”
Ellen’s urgent voice cut through the chaos.
‘Damn these vermin. Once they get going like this, there’s no stopping them!’
Pack Behavior Trait!
The Ratmen gained heightened mental exhilaration the greater their numbers swelled.
It could be called a Berserk State—once they entered it, most forms of mental damage became negligible.
This was dire.
Twenty Ratmen surged forward, crude weapons clutched in their paws.
Tay immediately issued a command to Ash through their telepathic link.
-Use every spell you can cast!
A summoned demon could deploy magic infinitely. But there was a constraint.
Cooltime.
After casting a spell, a delay proportional to its power had to elapse before that same spell could be used again.
So the more magic you know, the more advantage you have!
And as for Tay himself.
Thanks to the Hunter System, he could use magic without needing incantations.
“Clinging Flame! Darkness that Blinds!”
He hurled out a damage-over-time spell first, then immediately followed with magic to obscure vision.
Glashalavolias did much the same.
Four of the twenty ratmen fell in one wave, incapacitated, and the formation of those charging alongside them shattered entirely.
With that, Glashalavolias unleashed a new dark spell.
“Let burning and piercing agony take root within you all. Curse of Agony.”
-The Madness Measurement Eye activates.
-You have acquired the spell: Curse of Agony.
A new dark magic gained! But this was no time to dwell on such things.
Now that the spell had been cast, they’d hesitate for a moment.
Then enemies would swarm, and he’d need to flee!
That thought in mind, he took his stance—
And Tay’s eyes went wide in disbelief.
‘Huh?’
They were supposed to come rushing.
What are you lot doing?
Tay froze.
Here’s why.
The spells Tay and Glashalavolias had unleashed totaled five.
Two were thrashing about, hit by Clinging Flame.
Two were tumbling, struck by Darkness that Blinds.
And one was flailing under the Curse of Agony.
Five ratmen caught in magic and writhing—
Because of that.
Every last one of the charging ratmen had stopped dead.
Crash! Thud! Bang!
“Screeeee!”
“Kyiiiii!”
They tangled spectacularly, unable to charge properly, tumbling over one another in complete chaos.
Everyone stood watching with dumbstruck faces.
Then, as the cooltime expired, Glashalavolias cast again at those untouched by magic.
Three more ratmen fell to magic, and the situation for the swarm only grew worse.
Tay joined in as well.
“Clinging Flame.”
And then.
The creatures descended into pure self-destruction.
Several plummeted straight into the Sewers’ water channels and were swept away downstream.
Molton the priest approached those wretched rats.
And casually swung his War Hammer.
Crack!
One blow—skull shattered!
The remaining intact ones shrieked and bolted in flight.
What was left were those in poor condition from the magic.
‘So… it’s like this? Dark magic. That’s completely broken, isn’t it?’
Tay thought as much internally, but kept his mouth shut. Yet someone else had voiced a similar thought.
“Should I become a dark mage too?”
It was Joseph’s voice.
* * *
Gallin and Joseph were merely average combatants in terms of overall strength, but Tay had now proven himself to be Stone Badge Mercenary level.
Even so, Ellen made a cool-headed decision to retreat.
Because there was no way to know how chaotic things were deeper inside.
She knew better than anyone that for a mercenary who lived by the blade, recklessness meant death.
It was no accident she’d become Stone Badge Mercenary, nor was it mere chance she’d been made party leader.
Muscular warrior though she was.
She possessed exceptional judgment!
So Ellen’s expression was grim as she changed course and led the way back out.
When something felt wrong, you stayed on edge—because death could come at any moment.
The others were all visibly tense as well.
Only Glashalavolias, perched atop Tay’s shoulder, maintained a composed expression.
Well, the creature was a demon—what did it care?
“The Middle Realm is truly remarkable. If I were to tell my colleagues about everything I’ve experienced these past few days, they would be astounded.”
“Your colleagues—are they imps?”
“Some are imps, and others are different creatures. The one I serve holds a position of considerable rank.”
“And you can’t say who?”
“It would violate the contract. Though if you were to sign an additional agreement, there would be no restrictions on what I could tell you.”
“Never mind. I’d rather not. Anyway, what other dark magic can you actually use?”
“For now, only the curse I deployed today. As you grow stronger, I will be able to utilize more.”
“Listen here, Glashalavolias. You’ve got to stop chatting with the demon, or I’m going to lose my mind. It’s giving me the creeps.”
Then.
Gallin erupted in complaint.
“We demons are generally shunned by the human race, but this human finds my presence particularly unbearable. Perhaps because he carries so much excess weight, his spirit and will are naturally weak.”
“What did you just say!? You little demon bastard…….”
“Enough! Gallin, I’m warning you. A dark sorcerer having a demon they summoned is completely normal. If you can’t handle that, quit being a sellsword.”
“Tch! Some prissy little demon…….”
‘Good grief. Whether it’s jealousy or fear, this is tedious.’
Tay grumbled inwardly, but as someone with reasonable social experience, he kept it to himself.
There would be plenty more like this ahead anyway. What could he do about it? Dark sorcerers just earned better coin.
As he was thinking this and preparing to move forward.
Boom!
A sound echoed through the passage.
“What was that sound…….”
And then.
Crash!
Suddenly the entire Sewers began moving in a bizarre manner!
The ground beneath their feet lurched sharply to the left, while on the right side a wall split open, revealing a new passage.
“Damn it! What the hell is this!?”
“C-Captain! What’s happening…….”
The entire Sewers began fracturing like a cube and rearranging itself.
‘The Ancient Ruins had this kind of mechanism?’
While Tay reeled in shock, the floor beneath the group, which had been shifting leftward, began to sink downward.
This would submerge them in the filthy wastewater flowing through the Sewers!
“Ahhhhh!”
“Help meeeee!”
The panicked group was swept up in the current.
And Tay was no exception.
The Blacksmith Became a Dark Sorcerer Too Easily
Author |
Automaton G
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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