So, there are approximately 50 of them. I can't use magic with strong firepower—this cave might collapse if I do.

The goal is to subdue these 50 men, then escape with Kayin and his mother. I glanced at Kayin, analyzing the situation. It seems his mother is too high to even notice him.

Then, suddenly, a few of them pulled out daggers and began to charge.

I heard some chanting nearby as multiple magic projectiles were launched in all directions.

I cast a barrier to block all the attacks.

Archie then decided to join in, punching my barrier repeatedly.

My barrier is strong and sturdy, but there's still a limit. A barrier can only withstand a certain amount of attacks before it begins to crack. However, since I have a huge amount of mana, I can replenish the barrier before it's completely destroyed.

The hard part about fighting these people is that they attack continuously, not giving me a chance to counterattack. I can't fly either, as the cave has a high ceiling.

Then, suddenly, the ground beneath me began to boil, and a fire pillar erupted, hitting my barrier directly.

My barrier started to crack, and then an ice magic spell pierced through, completely destroying it. As the barrier shattered, I cast a strong surge of magic to push everyone back.

I need to locate all those mages and subdue them first.

Then, suddenly, the system popped up right in front of my vision:

*/System: Killing Intent Detected

*/System: New Main Quest: Protect Kayin

*/System: New Side Quest: Kill All the Bandits [50 Remaining]

I immediately noticed a few bandits walking toward Kayin.

I launched myself toward those bandits, summoned a psi blade through my hand, and sliced their bodies in half.

*/System: +100 Exp

*/System: +100 Exp

Kayin saw it and looked traumatized by what he witnessed.

This is another massacre. It seems like the system is trying to turn me into a killing machine.

Archie's face turned sour upon seeing the two bandits killed in the blink of an eye. The remaining bandits stepped back slightly, their faces frozen in shock as if this was their first time witnessing someone die on the spot. They hesitated for a few seconds before screaming and launching an all-out attack.

Their attacks became much faster, and the magic cast was multiplied.

I decided to fight them head-on using the psi blade while casting my barrier on and off whenever a projectile was about to hit me.

I summoned water magic, flooding the ground, then instantly froze it trapping the bandits' feet in ice. But the mages quickly cast heat magic, melting it.

Archie then launched a barrage of punches. I swung my psi blade, aiming for his neck, but his movements were smooth dodging my attack effortlessly.

Then, I reshaped the remaining ice on the ground, turning it into ice spears and launching them toward the bandits.

*/System: +100 Exp

*/System: +100 Exp

*/System: +100 Exp

*/System: +100 Exp

I could feel my mana draining quickly because of the psi blade.

A fire pillar was constantly being cast in my area, trying to burn me to ash. I had to keep moving, dodging both the fire pillar and the bandits' melee attacks.

Then, suddenly..

I felt a punch hit me directly in the back.

It was Archie, looking down at me.

I cast my barrier immediately, but then a fire pillar struck it directly, followed by a barrage of attacks from the bandits. My barrier shattered under the assault.

Then Archie lunged at me, throwing relentless punches at my face as I felt sharp stabs piercing different parts of my body.

I struggled and then cast a flame to surround me.

Archie jumped backward, but some of the bandits around me succumbed to the fire. I could hear their screams as their bodies burned.

At the same time, I felt my blood slowly draining from my body because of the stab wounds earlier.

I let my mana flow into my bloodstream, channeling it into my heart to produce dark mana. I could feel my physical and magical power amplify. Then, I focused my mana into a point in space...

- Black Hole -

Once again, a black hole appeared, devouring the bandits caught near it.

I lifted my arm and bent the space between me and Archie. His body was pulled toward me as I cast Psi Blade and let gravity push him straight into it. The Psi Blade impaled his body before evaporating, causing Archie to collapse to the ground.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

I continued my assault, cutting down the bandits one by one, but my vision started to blur. Maybe it was because I was constantly losing blood... or maybe because dark magic took a heavy toll on my body.

Suddenly, the ground began to glow red. Multiple fire pillars erupted from beneath me. The mages kept casting fire magic as if they had unlimited mana.

Oh, right. I remember.

They have access to that weird potion that replenishes mana. That must be why. I need to find those mages and eliminate them first.

Then, an idea struck me. Since I’m fighting mages… what if I use Gustav’s technique to annihilate them?

His technique is highly effective against those who possess mana. since my physical prowess isn’t as strong as Gustav’s, I need to rely on magic. By releasing a massive amount of pure mana, I can forcibly displace their mana from their bodies.

I raised my arm, facing my palm toward the crowd of bandits charging at me. I channeled my mana into my palm and released a beam of pure energy, striking all the bandits in a straight line.

The beam didn’t destroy their bodies, but every single one of them hit by it collapsed to the ground, displacing large quantity of mana out of their body, and as a human that's a fatal blow.

99% of their mana was depleted.

Just like Gustav explained.

But instead of using sheer force, I displaced their mana using an overwhelming surge of pure mana. It’s like hitting a ball with a cue ball in billiards. Not very proficient spell and extremely draining.

As Lili once said powerful mages aren’t measured by their mana reserves, but by how effectively they use their mana against their opponents

I need to refine this technique.

My breathing became heavy. My body felt like it could collapse at any moment.

- System, how many are left?! -

/System: Main Quest: Protect Kayin

/System: Side Quest: Kill All the Bandits [29 Remaining]

Still 29 of them. I need to end this quickly.

Then i felt a sharp pain.

A blade pierced my body.

I turned to look... It was Archie.

His left hand clutched the wound in his abdomen. In his right hand, he held a thin longsword.

My vision darkened... and I fell to the ground.

Then everything stopped.

Archie and the bandits stood frozen in place.

I tilted my head. It wasn’t just them. The world itself had stopped.

And then…

/System: Rebooting..

A faceless, glowing white man appeared out of nowhere.

With a flick of his finger, everything disappeared turning into a pure white void.

-- Welcome back, Leon. -- said the faceless man.

- I'm here again... I guess I died... -

-- Probably. Look at this, Leon. --

He held out a pure white orb. -- Remember this? --

- Yes… That’s the same thing Sario gave me when we met in this white space... - I answered.

-- BINGO!! . Now, give this to that child. --

- To Kayin? - I asked.

-- Yes. You need to protect him until he can finally use this power. He will help you soon. Recruit him and take him with you to Tlauven. --

- And now you’re giving me clear instructions, unlike before… -

-- Yes. I’m getting bored watching you waste your time, so I’ve decided to give you direct orders myself. Hope this boosts your progress toward our goal... To kill the Demon King. --

- Why do you want me to kill the Demon King? -

-- Because he’s bad. Is that reason enough?, Killing the Demon King is our first step toward the real goal. Make sure no one hinders your progress. Now, take this and give it to the child. --

He handed me the white orb.

Suddenly, the white void turned black.

As I opened my eyes, the bandits were already moving toward Kayin.

A mage in their group was tending to Archie’s wounds.

I raised my arm again, focusing a massive amount of mana into my palm and fired another beam of pure mana.

The beam struck Archie’s entire body, forcefully expelling every last drop of mana from him Killing him instantly.

The mages, however, managed to dodge.

I used earth magic to create a giant wall between the bandits and Kayin. The bandits turned back, their faces filled with shock as they saw me alive.

I propelled myself toward them using wind magic, summoning the psi blade once again. Engaging in close combat, I slashed through them before channeling dark magic and casting another black hole.

- Black Hole!! -

Even though I don’t need to say it when casting, shouting the spell name just makes it feel way cooler.

The remaining bandits were pulled into the black hole, their bones crushed under the immense force.

Now, only the mages remained.

They were trembling, clearly shaken after watching their comrades die. Then, without warning, they positioned themselves in a circle around me and began to chant.

A magic circle appeared beneath my feet. I immediately cast a multi-layered barrier, but before I could react further, crystals began to form engulfing my body. I tried to use earth magic to collapse the ground beneath me, but before my mana could connect to the ground, a massive crystal structure formed, imprisoning me in its center.

So this was sealing magic...

I couldn't see outside, the crystal was too thick, blurring everything beyond it. No light reflected inside either.

My oxygen was depleting... I couldn't breathe...

/System: Rebooting...