I Became the Male Lead who was Clinging onto the Female Leads

Chapter 14: Why on earth do bandits have this? (3)

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: N/A

Illustrations: Posted in discord.

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You, who are you?

Im a student.

Stop with the nonsense!

The bandit quickly hid the antidote in his clothes, revealing a hostile attitude.

I told you, I'm a student.

Without hesitation, Eugene drew his sword.

It was best to settle the fight before the other bandits woke up.

However, the bandit with the antidote was quite formidable.

Bang!

The bandit quickly unleashed a spell, distancing himself from Eugene and shouting with all his might.

Wake up, you bastards! We have an intruder!

...Intruder?

It's real!

Kill him!

Four bandits, who had been deeply asleep, sprang up to attack simultaneously.

A chaotic battle ensued.

Eugene parried and dodged the bandits' attacks, continuing to fight.

"Try to dodge this..."

The bandit with the antidote sneered wickedly, drawing power from a mana device.

As the bandits bought him time, he finished his lengthy incantation.

From his outstretched hand, massive flames shot forth, engulfing where Eugene stood.

Roar!

The bandits hideout was set ablaze.

It doesn't matter.

Valuables were safely stored in a magic-protected chest.

This one... hes strong...

If it came to a one-on-one fight, he couldn't guarantee victory.

If setting their hideout on fire subdued him, it was a small price to pay.

Soon, the flames subsided, replaced by thick smoke.

He can't possibly survive that.

The bandit smirked and walked into the hideout.

Whoosh!

At that moment, a gust of wind erupted from within the smoke, clearing it away.

What the!

Any mage could see it. It was a gust caused by a high-tier wind spell.

None of my men know wind magic!

A sense of foreboding struck him, and his intuition was soon proven right.

No matter how ruthless bandits can be, using magic where your men are? Really?

Eugene, unharmed, stood with his sword ready.

Around him, four bandits lay motionless.

Did you intend to kill all of your men?

Having shielded himself from the flames with a defensive spell, Eugene had incapacitated the four bandits in moments.

I could have killed them because they're just bandits.

But he felt pity that they served such a man and spared them.

You, you! Who sent you? How did you find this place?

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Im not obliged to answer that. I'm here for the antidote. Will you give it willingly or should I take it?

Antidote? Did you come on those noble brats orders? I killed them all, yet you still came looking!"

Avoiding the question with useless blabber.

Better to subdue him first and think later.

With a powerful stride, Eugene launched himself forward.

After swiftly subduing the bandits earlier, only about a third of his mana remained.

There was no time for restraint.

You think you can beat me!?

The bandit, too, went all out.

Magic and swords clashed, the battle raging on.

Eugene had the upper hand in the fight.

'This isn't a mere sparring session.'

The gift granted by Sword Soul was an unparalleled understanding of the sword and a rate of growth that was unparalleled.

More valuable than that was the calmness and composure he felt in life-threatening battles, an instinct that surpassed human limits.

When he shouldn't harm his opponent, the Sword Soul would silence its voice.

But when there was no such restraint, it freely voiced its opinions.

'Strike here to threaten your foe's life, swing that way to sever their neck.'

Each movement of Eugene's sword sent chills down the spine of the bandit.

The bandit constantly retreated, casting spells in defense, but the ever-present threat to his life prevented him from displaying his full abilities.

"Arghhh!"

His composure crumbled, making his spells erratic.

Out of ten spells, only one barely reached Eugene.

'What on earth is this madness?!'

The movements of the swordsman, intent on taking his life, were like that of a ghost.

Hiding within the smoke produced by clashing magic and swords, Eugene pounced like a predator, swinging his blade.

Even if the bandit fired spells into the smoke, Eugene would emerge from beyond his field of vision.

'How can this young whelp do this?!'

Compared to the bandit, his opponent was much younger.

The total amount of mana the kid possessed would barely match a grain of rice in comparison to his.

Yet, none of his attacks found their mark, and every attack from the young swordsman threatened his life.

As the battle reached its climax, the bandit, with a look of desperation, reached out.

No magic came forth. The bandit had run out of mana.

"Is it over now?"

Eugene approached, sword in hand.

The bandit realized he had lost.

If it were the bandit of the past, that is.

'It's not over yet...'

The bandit smirked wickedly.

Months ago, he had found a peculiar book on the ground and learned an eerie spell from it.

This magic could be cast without any mana, harnessing an unknown power to unleash a dark energy.

With this power, he annihilated entire groups, armed with escorts.

'With this, I can snuff out his life in an instant.'

It might be a shame to end such a talented young swordsman this way, but to the villainous bandit, his own life was much more valuable.

With a chant, he released his spell.

An indescribable black energy emerged, ominously slithering and pulsating maliciously, as if hungry for life.

The moment Eugene caught sight of this dark energy.

"You damned lunatic!"

Eugene's previously relaxed face tightened instantly.

With astounding speed, he lunged forward, delivering a swift sword strike.

Whooosh!

The bandit's hand flew through the air.

"Ah! My hand!"

He clutched his arm, writhing in pain on the ground.

But Eugene was far from letting his guard down.

He thrust his sword into the bandit's abdomen, his voice low and menacing.

"Where did you learn that spell?"

"Ah! It hurts! Stop, please!"

"If you don't talk, your heart is next."

Eugene pulled out the sword and aimed it at the bandit's heart.

The bandit, overwhelmed by excruciating pain, regained a semblance of sanity, fearing he might truly die.

"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

"Speak quickly if you don't want to die. Where did you learn dark magic?"

The dark magic Eugene referred to was the signature of a nefarious cult, the Black Flower Blood Demon Society.

They were the axis of evil in this world, known for pursuing power by any means, committing heinous acts like mass slaughters with no remorse.

Their ultimate goal was to resurrect a god-like being known as the 'Black Flower Blood Emperor'.

'There's no way they should be making their move now!'

While it was certain that they would eventually spring into action, according to the game's storyline, this was still the early stages.

There was still a long way to go before the Black Flower Blood Demon Society could threaten the world.

'But why is this bandit using dark magic? What's going on?'

Eugene felt his head was about to burst.

He already had his hands full, training every day due to the shortcomings of his body's previous owner.

Now witnessing a connection to this crazy group, things were getting complicated.

'If this guy's a member, this is seriously bad news.'

However, this bandit seemed too weak to be a member of the Black Flower Blood Demon Society.

If he really was a member, he would be considered disposable, just a pawn to be sacrificed.

But there was still a small possibility, so he had to verify.

"Spill it, now!"

He slightly pressed the sword's blade into the bandit's heart, urging a response.

Pale from excessive bleeding, the trembling bandit began to speak.

"I... I learned it from a book I found on the ground."

"You think I'll buy that lie? Do you need another stab to clear your head?"

"No, no! It's true! Why would I lie when I'm on the brink of death?"

Eugene stared deeply into the bandit's eyes.

Eugene stared intently into the bandit's eyes, searching for any trace of the distinct dark energy associated with those initiated into the Black Flower Blood Demon Society.

But he found none.

'So, he's not a member after all...'

Relieved, Eugene withdrew his sword from the bandit's chest.

If this bandit was simply an outlier who stumbled upon their book and learned dark magic, it meant they hadn't started their activities just yet.

"So, you really learned it from a book you found?"

"Yes, I swear!"

"Then hand over the book."

"I don't have it!"

Eugene's gaze turned icy.

"No, really! I thought the magic was dangerous and didn't want anyone else to learn it, so I burned the book!"

"How long ago did you come across it?"

"Just a bit over three months. Ugh..."

The bandit, who had been staunchly defending himself, suddenly grimaced in pain, clutching his severed arm and trying to staunch the bleeding.

'So desperate to live'

Eugene sighed.

"So, how often did you use that dark magic in the past three months?"

"Whenever I felt my power wasn't enough. I think I used it in about five fights."

"Did you ever use it after your mana depleted?"

"There was no reason to use it if I still had mana. Of course, I used it after running out. I felt something draining from my body, but since I could continue using it, I didn't hold back."

"This this madman"

Eugene laughed bitterly.

"You said you felt something draining from your body. Didnt you ever suspect what that might be? The dark magic you've been using draws from your life force when you're out of mana. Assuming you used it continuously in a single battle, you've basically burned about 10 years of your lifespan."

"What... are you saying?

"You've used it five times, so thats 50 years. Oh, what a madman..."

"Dont lie! What would you gain from deceiving me with such tales?"

"You said it yourself. Why would I lie? What would I stand to gain?

The bandit's face turned ashen.

It wasn't from blood loss.

It was the crushing realization that he had only a few years left to live.

I thought the blood I coughed up recently was due to the injuries from recent fights

The bandit laughed, disbelief evident in his voice.

A few months ago, when he discovered that book, he believed it was a stroke of luck.

All it did was bring death closer.

"Let's finish what we started."

Eugene approached, sword in hand.

"Wa-wait! Ive told you everything! How can you kill me after that?s

Did you act fairly when you killed others? Dont worry, I wont kill you.

The sword pointed towards the bandit's lower abdomen.

"This... are you trying to destroy my mana circuit?"

Losing one's mana circuit was worse than death.

Eugene knew that, which is why he was doing this.

Once someone lost their mana circuit, they would be forever stripped of their magical abilities, reduced from a powerful mage to a powerless being.

"Please, dont destroy my mana circuit! I'll give you everything I own! Please!

"It wont work. Considering how many people youve killed, I can't risk what you'd do with the few years you have left. For the sake of the innocent lives youve taken, this isnt negotiable."

With that, Eugene drove his sword into the bandits mana circuit.

The excruciating pain from the destruction of his mana circuit caused the bandit to lose consciousness.

From the bandit's belongings, Eugene retrieved an antidote and stored it in his pocket.

He then proceeded to destroy the magic circuits of the other unconscious bandits.

"All of them, so alike."

Men who had lived by robbing others of their lives and belongings.

The world wasn't so kind as to offer mercy to such villains.

If he let them be, more innocent people would eventually fall victim to these bandits.

Eugene couldnt bear the thought.

After the unpleasant task of destroying their mana circuits, Eugene made his way to the bandit hideout, now reduced to ashes.

Ever since a little while ago, both my health and mana were so depleted that simply moving around felt like death.

But, I had to check the bandits' stash.

Thanks to the Sword Soul invigorating my spirits, I managed to hold on.

"I think I saw a chest protected by magic just now."

During the fight with the bandits, a shimmering chest had caught my eye.

With everything turned to ashes, I found it rather quickly.

What could be inside?

Eugene opened the chest.

Dozens of silver coins and several gold coins were revealed.

'Considering they plundered the upper class... this isn't much.'

From what I could tell from their conversations, they seemed to have spent lavishly on women and other pleasures.

I had high hopes when opening it, so the sight was slightly disappointing.

Eugene rummaged a bit more inside the chest.

'What's this? A piece of cloth?'

The black cloth seemed to be concealing something.

What could it be hiding?

Eugene cautiously unveiled the cloth, revealing its hidden content.

'This is...!'

Eugene's eyes widened as if he had seen a pot of honey.

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