Chapter 13

Linda screamed in shock, and everyone tensed up, looking around. The branches shook, and through the darkness of the forest, a faint shadow of something could be seen. An eerie, unknown energy grew thicker and thicker.

“What the heck is that sound?” Claire asked, drawing her sword.

“There’s something here,” Zion said, raising his shield and taking a defensive stance. “Ellie, Claire, get ready.”

“Got it,” I said, focusing holy power at my fingertips and scanning the surroundings. Luan hugged the spirit tightly and stepped back. The spirit emitted a faint light, seemingly reacting to the energy.

Linda flailed her arms and hid behind Zion. “Zion, I… I’m really scared! Isn’t this… something wrong?”

“Don’t make too much noise. If we give away our position, it could get more dangerous,” Zion tried to calm her, but Linda was still trembling and muttering.

“Ugh, I don’t even know why I followed you guys. Something about forbidden magic made me uneasy, but… what if it’s really dangerous?”

At that moment, the shadow suddenly coalesced in front of us, taking shape. It looked like a massive beast made of dark energy. Its glowing red eyes flashed as it glared at us.

“It’s a Demon Beast!” Claire shouted. “What the hell…?”

I quickly made a decision. “Claire and Zion, take the front. I’ll support from the back with Sacred Technique. Luan, protect Linda.”

As soon as Linda heard that, she raised her hand and shouted, “Hey! I’m a mage too, you know! Just standing still doesn’t suit me!”

“Then use your magic to find its weakness,” Zion said firmly. “We don’t have time to chat.”

Linda flinched for a moment, then pouted and said, “Fine… I’ll give it a shot.”

She raised her hand and began casting a spell. “Mana Scan! I’ll expose what this thing really is!”

At that moment, the mana radiating from Linda’s hand began to scan and analyze the black beast. She narrowed her eyes, checking the results, then shut her mouth.

“Well? Did you find anything?” I asked, and Linda replied with an awkward expression.

“Uh, well… I think I did… It seems like this thing was completely made with forbidden magic. It’s a Demon Beast created by sacrificing souls.”

“Sacrificing souls?” Zion said in shock. “Does that mean the one who made it is nearby?”

Linda nodded and continued, “That’s right. This isn’t a naturally occurring Demon Beast but something someone created through a ritual… So the creator might still be around here somewhere.”

“That means… this isn’t just a problem we can solve here,” Claire said, gritting her teeth.

“Everyone, focus. We need to take down this Demon Beast and then find its creator,” I instructed, preparing my Sacred Technique. “Linda, keep looking for its weakness while we attack.”

“Got it!” Linda replied in a trembling voice, starting to prepare her magic again.

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The forest was filled with tension amidst the silence. The prelude to battle had already begun. The Demon Beast roared at us, its black mist swirling around it. Its red eyes shone brightly, as if promising death. I gathered holy power at my fingertips and shouted to the party.

“Everyone, focus! Claire, attack its flank! Zion, hold the defensive line! Linda, find its weakness!”

“Got it!” Claire dashed toward the beast’s side with agile movements. Her sword glowed as it struck the Demon Beast’s skin, but it bounced off its tough hide.

“Dammit, what is this? Are we supposed to chip away at a rock?” she growled.

Zion raised his shield and blocked the beast’s massive claw. The impact reverberated through the shield, and Zion gritted his teeth, maintaining his stance. “Ellie, it’s tougher than we thought! Don’t you have a stronger Sacred Technique?”

“Just hold on a bit longer!” I created a glowing spear in my hand. “Spear of Radiance!”

The radiant spear flew and struck the Demon Beast’s body, but it didn’t even flinch. Instead, it roared even more fiercely, threatening us.

Linda was preparing something from behind. A magic circle unfolded from her fingertips, sensing the energy surrounding the Demon Beast. But at that moment, the beast’s gaze turned toward Linda.

It twisted its massive body and charged at Linda.

“Linda, watch out!” I shouted, but the Demon Beast was already closing in on her. Its claw slashed down, cutting through the air.

“Dammit!” Zion threw his shield and leaped in. The shield deflected the claw, but it couldn’t absorb all the force. Linda fell to the ground, and Zion was struck by the claw, bleeding as he tumbled.

“Zion!” I tried to check on him, and in that moment, Linda slowly got up on her own. Her face, instead of fear, was filled with a madness I had never seen before.

“F***…” she muttered under her breath. “This is… f***ing ridiculous.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the air changed. A cold, sharp killing intent filled the surroundings. Red mana exploded from her fingertips as a new magic circle was drawn.

“Linda…?” I tried to call out to her, but…

She was different.

“Back off. Everyone, step back,” she said in a cold, sharp voice.

Linda swept her hair back with one hand and muttered, “Blood Rage.”

A red, mist-like aura of magic enveloped her body. She charged straight at the Demon Beast.

The Demon Beast swung its claws at her, but she caught them with her hands and snapped them off.

*Boom!*

The massive claw flew into the air. Linda let out a crazed laugh and said, “This bastard acted all tough, but it’s just trash.”

The Demon Beast let out a painful scream, trying to fend her off, but she had already become something else. In an instant, she leaped onto its head and condensed her magic into her hand.

“Ready to die?”

Linda grabbed the Demon Beast’s head with her hand and poured her magic into it.

*Boom!*

A massive explosion shattered the Demon Beast’s body into pieces. Red blood and black energy scattered, leaving no trace of it behind.

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Linda walked back slowly, fixing her hair. Her eyes had returned to their usual calm, but the remnants of her madness were still palpable.

“It’s over,” she said calmly.

I couldn’t say anything. No words came to mind to describe what had just happened. Beside me, Claire spoke in a trembling voice.

“Wow… is this even possible? Are you even human?”

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The tension in the forest remained unbroken as we surrounded Linda, unable to speak for a while. The scene of her tearing apart the Demon Beast was still vivid in our minds. Her red magic had now settled, but her cold gaze still overwhelmed us.

“Linda… what was that just now?” I finally managed to ask.

Linda plopped down on the ground and let out a sigh. Her voice returned to its usual lazy tone. “What do you mean? I just took care of the Demon Beast. Don’t ask more. I didn’t do this because I wanted to.”

“You didn’t do it because you wanted to?” Claire said incredulously. “You just ripped apart a Demon Beast with your bare hands while radiating madness! Do you think that’s normal?”

“If you’re asking if it’s normal…” Linda paused for a moment and then chuckled. “Since when have I ever been normal?”

“No, but…” Before Claire could continue, Zion raised his hand to stop her.

“Enough, Claire,” Zion said quietly. He looked at Linda and smiled. “Linda, you’re still our Linda. You did well.”

Linda turned her head away, slightly embarrassed. “Oh, come on, Zion. Stop it. You’re gonna make me get attached.”

Zion scratched his head and laughed. “I’m already attached.”

At that moment, Luan slowly approached us. Holding a small spirit in his arms, his face was pale, and his eyes looked troubled. He looked at Linda and suddenly spoke softly.

“Linda… noona…” His voice trembled slightly. “Noona, are you… okay now?”

Linda froze at his words. She didn’t respond for a while, then let out a small sigh and said, “Yeah, Luan. I’m fine. Sorry for showing you such a scary side.”

But Luan shook his head and muttered quietly, “That’s not it… noona, behind you… what’s that…?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to where Luan was pointing. Behind Linda, a faint, flickering black shadow loomed. It seemed to be intertwined with her body, as if it were a part of her.

“What’s that?” Claire asked warily, gripping her sword.

Linda turned her head to look behind her and was momentarily speechless. Her expression was complicated and sad. Then she muttered softly, “Ah, really… I didn’t want to talk about this…”

I looked straight at her and asked, “Linda, explain. What is that?”

Linda slowly turned her body to face us. Her eyes were calm, but deep within them, there was a strange sadness.

“That… is proof that something’s wrong with me,” she said with a small smile. “And… it’s also the reason I can survive in this world.”

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