I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game-Chapter 6

Generally, demons use mutants to control the battlefield and lead the fight in their favor.

In most situations, demons prefer to end the battle using only mutants. They only appear in the battle when their chances of victory are nearly 100%, or when it’s an extreme case where the fight would be lost without their direct involvement.

Demons themselves are not weak compared to species like humans or orcs. In fact, the abilities of individual demons are far superior to most humans, orcs, and elves.

In addition to their immense physical strength, demons use grotesque black magic and possess extraordinary regenerative abilities, allowing them to heal even severely damaged body parts almost endlessly.

However, despite their numerous advantages and impressive abilities, demons will never be at the forefront of the battlefield.

The reason is simple.

If a demon dies, the mutants they control become like puppets whose strings have been cut, standing motionless without resistance, turning into lifeless scarecrows.

In the demon military system, the importance of the commander is on a different level compared to other sentient species’ armies.

In the armies of humans, orcs, elves, and similar species, even if a commander dies unexpectedly, a subordinate or officer can take over their role.

However, demons do not operate this way.

If the demon commander dies, the battlefield freezes entirely.

This characteristic of demons is not limited to the relationship between demons and mutants.

This trait is also evident in the relationship between a demon lord and their subordinates.

When a demon lord dies, all demons under their command lose all function simultaneously.

Once the demon lord dies, the demons serving them turn into lifeless scarecrows, unable to act, and naturally, the mutants they control also turn into lifeless puppets.

Only the demon lord, at the highest rank, is allowed autonomous thought or creativity. Their subordinates are simply loyal but mindless dogs, only following the commands of the demon lord.

Because of this, demon lords rarely reveal themselves to humans.

The death of a demon lord leads to a tremendous loss of power for the demon army.

“Tch, the blocking spell was destroyed by that lightning strike.”

Maltiel, the demon lord who had been controlling mutants in the burning forest, clicked his tongue.

The boy with white hair had struck down a massive lightning bolt, completely destroying the blocking magic that surrounded the forest.

As soon as the blocking magic was destroyed, Maltiel immediately ordered the mutants to handle the mage holding the crystal orb, but once again, his plans were thwarted by the white-haired boy.

“Quick thinking. That makes you someone I have to kill.”

Maltiel slowly rose from the burning underbrush, his red form towering over the flames.

Sending a high-ranking demon to deal with a monster like that would be a huge mistake. If the demon lord didn’t take its life right now, it could bring disastrous consequences later.

For most sentient beings, “pain that’s not fatal” is often used as fertilizer for growth.

Such a monster, even as a sapling, should be uprooted and burned to nothing. That was Maltiel’s policy.

“Now that the news of the demon lord’s appearance has reached headquarters... that fool will begin heading this way. We’ve got about two minutes, or maybe three if we’re generous.”

Maltiel spread his wings, which were as tough as dragon scales, and leaped high into the sky. The burning leaves caught fire on his body, but the demon lord didn’t even flinch in pain. For him, this level of injury wasn’t even worth calling a wound.

“I need to end this quickly.”

Engulfed in flames, Maltiel surged forward toward the boy, unleashing blue lightning from his body as he charged.

Swoosh...!

I sensed a strange current of electricity near my ear.

A pressure I had never felt before in my life weighed down on my shoulders, and an overwhelming fear that could not be dampened by my [Composure] trait squeezed my chest.

I quickly turned my sharp gaze toward the source.

There, a demon lord engulfed in flames, looking like something out of hell, hovered in the air.

“What the...!”

The demon, wings spread wide and floating arrogantly in the sky, suddenly folded his wings and began charging straight at me like a missile.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I threw myself toward the burning forest, my feet propelling me forward. There was no time to think.

Boom!

The ground shook with an enormous crash, as if a small meteor had struck, and burning leaves scattered everywhere.

It was a close call.

Had I reacted even a second slower, I would’ve been crushed under the massive beast’s feet.

“It’s been a while since I’ve gone out, and I wanted to enjoy it as long as possible... but it’s a shame. That girl ruined it for me.”

At the appearance of the demon lord, Herion collapsed to the ground, her face turning pale as she couldn’t utter a word.

Even I, with my [Composure] trait, was feeling intense pressure, so how could an ordinary mage handle this?

Herion couldn’t move her hands or feet, her brain frozen in fear.

“The time left is about three minutes, maybe a bit more. I hope you can entertain me for that time.”

The demon lord raised his finger, pointing it at the crumpled Herion on the ground. In the next moment, a barrage of arrows shot toward her.

Herion seemed frozen in terror, unable to deploy her barrier. Dozens of arrows struck her body, and the sound of bone and flesh tearing apart pierced through the crackling of the burning wood.

Her eyes lost their light in an instant.

A chill ran through me as the sound of her agony cut through me like a knife.

Her voice, which used to ask what my favorite magic was so casually, now felt like a blade against my throat.

The word "death" loomed large before my eyes.

Fear and reason fought for control in my mind, and adrenaline surged through me.

“Calm down. Calm down.”

I held on to my composure, helped by the [Composure] trait, as emotions surged within me, and somehow managed to remain calm.

“Few can remain unshaken when facing me directly. You certainly seem to be a different breed from the garbage over there.”

The demon lord’s finger pointed toward Herion’s lifeless body.

The beast was completely calm, as if killing someone was nothing to him.

It was as if peeling the skin off an apple, with no emotional change, and he felt no remorse as he killed.

My stomach churned, but I forced myself to speak, keeping my thoughts straight.

“Someone like you... what are you doing here?”

I spoke to the demon lord, preparing to react at any moment to his attack.

It was clear that this was far from a normal situation.

There must be some reason for it.

A great reason to take such a huge risk, showing himself to us.

To establish a survival strategy, I had to figure out what that reason was.

If I could understand the enemy’s intentions, then I could threaten, negotiate, or beg for my life.

“What do you mean, what am I doing? I’ve come to kill you. The only reason I revealed myself is because of you.”

The demon lord answered with a smirk.

“......”

I could only stare blankly at the demon lord’s face, which was still grinning.

...What is he talking about?

He came to kill me? The demon lord? Taking such a huge risk?

I stared at the demon lord’s face, confused and unsure of what he meant.

Wait, who am I?

I just came out of a tutorial area as a level 1 character!

“What’s with that dumb look on your face? Did you think I wouldn’t know you turned my little minions to ash in one strike?”

...What?

“Plus, you used only one spell to kill my cute subordinate. There are few mages capable of that.”

“......”

“You’re at least a 7th-circle mage. Given your age, you’ll probably reach the 9th-circle soon.”

“What are you talking about...?”

I couldn’t stop myself from blurting out what I had been thinking.

...What is this demon lord saying?

7th, 8th, and 9th-circle mages are the pinnacle of magic, achievable only when a character reaches level 90 in the game’s final stages.

Yet here I am, barely three days old, a street urchin with no magic training. How did I end up with this misunderstanding from the demon lord?

Things had really gotten complicated.

‘No, think differently. This is an opportunity. They’re overestimating me. If I play it right, I might get out of this crazy situation.’

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself and decided to use the situation to my advantage.

Over the past three days, I hadn’t used any magic, so I had a lot of mana stored up. With [Bloom] activated, I could survive by running away for a while.

Of course, once the time runs out, I’d be meat for the demons, but they didn’t know that.

Plus, this demon lord believed I was a high-level mage, likely seeing me as a 7th-circle mage.

The reason he hasn’t attacked yet is probably because he assumes I have more powerful magic hidden.

‘In reality, I’m already exhausting all my mana...’

It felt like I was standing on a glacier that could crack at any moment.

Just a little imbalance, and that deep abyss would pull me down.

‘Stay calm. Stay calm.’

For now, begging for my life or attempting negotiations was impossible.

The demon lord’s objective was clear: my life.

However, even from the demon lord’s perspective, this situation was likely just as difficult.

The usual way demons handle mages is by throwing mutants at them, draining their mana before hunting them down.

Mages are powerful, but once their mana runs out, they become useless.

That’s why the demon lord likely attempted the ambush with only mutants at first.

However, the blocking magic was destroyed by my lightning, the demon lord’s position was reported to headquarters, and everything had turned upside down.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

The demon lord now had only a short time, and to achieve his goal, he had to reveal himself, despite the risk, while still being unable to drain my mana.

‘The burden on the demon lord’s shoulders is heavy. He thinks I’m a high-level mage, so he won’t make a rash move. If that’s the case...’

I swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and raised my head proudly.

“There’s only one thing left to do if begging and negotiating are impossible.”

I looked down at the demon lord arrogantly, then said the words that would set everything in motion.

“What’s the use? You already know everything, don’t you?”

In the heat of the moment, I couldn't help but give that arrogant response, even though I wasn't sure what I was doing.

The moment the words left my mouth, I released as much of my mana as I could.

The debris of the trees and rocks around me shattered into pieces, flying in all directions.

Though wasting mana like this was regretful, it was the best way to project as much intimidation as possible.

I didn’t aim for fear—well, I didn’t expect to inspire full-blown terror—but a little hesitation, even if just a flicker, was ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ all I needed.

“Your flow of mana is quite unique. It’s a kind of flow I’ve never seen before. The magic you’re using... what kind of spell is it? Did you develop it yourself? It’s unlike anything I’ve encountered, but the level of refinement and detail is certainly impressive.”

The demon lord, Maltiel, had clearly never seen [Bloom] before.

[Bloom] was a skill typically regarded as a joke—either something to completely avoid or at best a very minor investment for low-level mages.

So, I couldn’t blame him for being confused.

“......”

I maintained a poker face, silently responding to his questions with my silence.

There was no need to boast about the power of my magic. Facing the unknown is the greatest fear of any sentient being.

I wasn’t sure if the demon felt fear, but staying silent was undoubtedly a much more effective response than bragging about how powerful this magic was.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёnovelkiss.com.

“......The most surprising thing, though, is your camouflage ability. I don’t know what kind of magic it is, but to my eyes, you still seem like a mage with only the mana capacity of around the 4th circle. Are you suppressing your power? Not a bad tactic for deception.”

As I remained silent, Maltiel analyzed me, narrowing his red eyes as he did.

A thousand demon lives rested on his shoulders.

He couldn’t afford to rush into a fight with a mage he didn’t understand.

The last thing he wanted was to fight someone whose abilities he didn’t fully grasp.

‘Deceptive tactics, my ass. My mana is only at the 4th circle because I’m a level 1 character. Damn, I just turned three days old.’

“Impressive. If we had more time, I’d enjoy a long and drawn-out battle with you.”

Maltiel clearly couldn’t fathom that the boy before him was a level 1 character, a mere street urchin who had just entered this world.

He must’ve thought I was some powerful mage hiding my true strength, an illusion bolstered by the magic I used.

If only he knew the truth—that I was a bizarre character build designed around enhancing only one spell, [Bloom], to its maximum.

“Hmm... I’ll let you make the first move. Come at me.”

Maltiel seemed interested as he looked me over.

Apparently, he wanted to analyze my abilities further, given how many variables were at play, rather than making the first move himself.

With his wings spread wide, he lowered his stance in preparation, ready to move at any moment.

I, of course, didn’t make any move.

Having just released a lightning strike powerful enough to exceed billions of volts, I had already expended half of my mana.

“......”

“......”

Amidst the burning trees around us, there was nothing but a tense, cold air between us.

Flinch...!

The moment Maltiel’s finger moved, I released all the electrical energy coursing through my body.

The trees and branches around me caught the current and were engulfed in flames.

“Ha!”

Maltiel’s twisted face widened into a grin.

“You’re not going to take the first move? What are you doing?”

“Why should I play to your tune?”

I replied with a slightly scrunched face, trying to hide my discomfort. I wasn’t sure if I was able to convey annoyance or irritation effectively, but I gave it a shot.

“You’re rejecting my courtesy?”

“......”

Once again, I silently responded to his question with nothing but silence.

“Why the silence? Are you scared? That look on your face doesn’t say you are. What’s wrong? Didn’t I say I’ll let you make the first move?”

Maltiel taunted me, raising his black finger toward me, as though inviting me to attack him with lightning.

“Come on. Go ahead. Don’t you want to be the hero who killed the demon lord?”

I let out a bitter chuckle, one that I could barely control.

“Your tongue is too sharp. I guess you’re getting nervous, huh?”

I spoke with the same haughty expression from earlier.

Damn it, I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.

“You may be scared, but you certainly don’t lose your composure. For someone who looks like they’re only sixteen or seventeen, you’re impressive.”

Maltiel smiled widely as he looked at me.

For him, it was all just a game, nothing more than a pleasant pastime.

And then, just as I thought it was over...

“Every soldier! The mission’s objective has shifted from ‘survival’ to ‘escort the boy’! This boy is a valuable asset who must not die here! We must escort him back to the capital at all costs!”

Suddenly, from behind me, a mighty voice echoed through the tense standoff between me and Maltiel.

...What is that orc saying now?

Damn it, I have no idea what’s going on anymore.