How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 30: The Holy Sword

The woman watched him in silence for a while—then dismounted.

And Karl could feel it. Vaguely, but unmistakably.

A heavy, suffocating, and ferocious killing intent directed straight at him.

Her half-concealed face remained blank, indifferent—but it felt like the part hidden beneath the mask might be twisted into something demonic.

Her lips parted.

“Black mage of the Gram School.”

“......!!”

A beautiful, clear voice—but Karl felt his heart drop with a loud thud.

The worst-case scenario never fails to come true.

He’d been caught.

She had discovered his use of dark magic.

Karl stood frozen, hands starting to sweat.

‘How the hell...?’

It was the first thought that sprang to mind.

He had only used dark magic twice.

Every corpse he turned into an undead, he had burned or erased completely.

And yet she had followed the traces all the way here?

“You created a chimera undead in the forest village of Gerod’s domain. You killed a dark mage of the Kadiac School.”

Her hand moved to her sword hilt.

“In Kerry City, you summoned more undead and committed indiscriminate slaughter.”

Her eyes moved from the corpses scattered around them back to Karl.

“And here as well, you’ve killed many.”

“......”

Her gaze practically said, Go on. Try to explain.

Karl swore inwardly.

‘Fuck...’

So she was the one that chimera bastard said was chasing him?

‘A Judicator of the Behass Order.’

How she tracked him wasn’t the problem anymore.

What mattered was that she was absolutely convinced he was a black mage—and from here on, things would unfold exactly as expected.

Karl knew that no matter what he said, she wouldn’t listen.

Those who hunt black magic are zealots—fanatics. Especially the ones from the Orders.

The only silver lining was that she hadn’t brought a whole squad of battle-priests with her.

Still, he figured he might as well try to talk.

He had no other outlet for the frustration boiling inside him.

“...It’s a misunderstanding.”

“......”

“I’ve never killed the innocent. The Kadiac mage and that chimera—no argument there. But the ones I killed in Kerry were part of an underground crime ring. They came after me first. They killed civilians. I just hit them back. And these people—”

She cut him off.

“Pathetic excuses.”

“It’s not an excuse. It’s the truth—every word.”

“Even if that’s true, it doesn’t matter. Black magic is absolute evil.”

Shiiing.

She drew her sword from her belt.

“And you are a black mage who learned black magic. A sin that can only be paid for with death—under any circumstance.”

In the wrecked clearing, where every tree had been torn away, the silver blade caught the direct sunlight and gleamed with a blinding brilliance.

From the moment she unsheathed it, Karl felt it—some unfamiliar, alien energy.

Something holy. Something untouchable.

Whatever it was, this was no ordinary weapon.

And that not-so-ordinary weapon was about to carve him open.

“I had no choice. I learned it out of necessity. And you’d kill me for that? No matter who I am?”

“There are no exceptions in the purge of black magic. Not for the old, not for the young, not for the sick, not even for the noblest sage revered by all.”

It was as if she were quoting a divine law. Her face betrayed no doubt.

The picture of blind fanaticism.

Karl gave a short, bitter laugh.

“Jesus fuck, that’s some batshit way of thinking. You seriously broken in the head? You freaks are worse than the black mages, in your own way.”

“......”

For the first time, her expression showed a flicker of anger.

“Do not soil your filthy tongue. We, who follow the will of the great Behass, are the embodiment of absolute good and justice.”

“Then that god of yours must be just as nuts.”

She closed her mouth. She didn’t intend to talk anymore.

Drawing a holy symbol with her hand, she raised her sword high toward Karl.

“Even when you blaspheme, the merciful Behass forgives. If you sincerely repent your sins now...”

“And?”

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“I’ll give you a swift, painless death. And in death, your soul will not be cast to the deepest layers of hell.”

Karl scoffed.

“Do you even know what the fuck ‘mercy’ means, you lunatic?”

FWOOSH!

As the woman dashed at him, Karl cast a lightning spell.

She dodged the electric burst effortlessly and closed the distance in an instant.

She was even faster than he’d expected, and Karl fired off a shockwave in a hurry.

He needed to knock her back and drink a potion before this got out of hand—but—

CLANG!

“......!!”

She sliced through the shockwave like it was nothing and stabbed at him.

Aiming for his throat, the strike was stopped by his shield.

BOOM!

Karl unleashed another shockwave and finally threw her back.

In that brief moment, he popped the mana potion and tossed the empty bottle away.

He clicked his tongue as he watched her recover from where she’d been thrown.

‘She reacted fast enough to cut that?’

Even when fighting Efe and Galleon at once, none of them had managed to break through that combo.

Karl mentally upgraded her threat level.

Just like he was stronger than the average 5-circle mage, she too was far beyond the average high-ranking knight. Elite among the Judicators, maybe?

‘Well, it’s not unmanageable...’

He cranked up his tension.

Her sword now began to shimmer with blood-red energy.

Most battle-priests shaped their blade energy using divine power.

But hers felt more like aura than sanctity—an odd discrepancy, but not something to worry about now.

BOOOOM!!

Karl began firing spells for real.

Flames and lightning crashed down, spikes burst from the ground, and invisible force struck from blind spots.

But she was even faster, sharper, and more agile than Efe and Galleon.

CLANG!!

The second clash.

Her blade half-pierced through Karl’s shield.

She pushed harder, trying to drive it through with more energy—

But Karl had baited her.

CRACK!

The sword broke through the first shield and drove straight for his heart—

Only to stop against a secondary shield from a magic tool.

At this distance—too close—her brief hesitation would cost her dearly.

【Wind Claw】

KRAAACK!!

A streak of blood burst through the air.

She twisted away quickly, but not fast enough.

Her arm was torn up, now dangling like shredded cloth.

Karl clicked his tongue in disappointment.

‘Tch. Aiming for the torso.’

Even so, it was a serious wound.

From here on, time was on his side.

Karl didn’t rush. He would pressure her slowly, carefully.

“......”

Then, staring quietly down at her ruined arm, she suddenly raised her sword straight.

FWOOSH!!

Golden light flared from the blade, and behind her, a radiant halo took form.

At the same time, her arm began to heal rapidly, the light pouring from the sword mending her flesh.

Karl stared in disbelief.

‘What the...?’

This kind of healing should’ve been impossible—even for multiple high-ranking priests working together.

He’d figured the sword was unusual, but this was ridiculous.

The attack he’d finally landed now meant nothing.

And the sword’s abilities—clearly—weren’t limited to healing.

FSSSHHH!

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Golden flames flared from the blade, surging up like a wildfire.

She swung the vast wave of energy straight toward Karl.

The ground ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) ripped open beneath it as the divine force roared forward. Karl hastily raised a shield.

KWAGWAGWANG!!

The barrier cracked loudly.

He had deliberately weakened his shield earlier to lure in her blade—but this time, he had blocked at full power.

Karl broke into a cold sweat.

“...Hey, is that thing some kind of holy sword or something?”

He’d asked half-jokingly.

Surprisingly, she didn’t deny it.

“Druedante. A sacred sword that may only be wielded by one blessed by the great Behass.”

“...!!”

So it was the real deal.

Karl didn’t know anything about Druedante—it wasn’t part of any storyline accessible to non-priest classes.

But he knew one thing: holy relics were always busted. Beyond broken.

“Now die, black mage.”

FWOOM!

That overwhelming wave surged toward him again.

【Ray Buster】

Karl fired his most powerful spell in retaliation.

The beam blasted through the wave of divine force—but didn’t reach the woman.

A semi-transparent golden shield had formed around her.

Karl cursed inwardly.

‘Rapid healing, ranged burst, barrier defense—how many damn powers does this thing have? Holy crap, it’s just gear diff...’

Suddenly, a system prompt flashed across his mind.

[A Sudden Quest Has Occurred.]

<Sudden Quest: Relic Acquisition>

You have discovered the holy sword Druedante. Steal it from the Judicator of Behass.

Relics provide major assistance in resolving main quests.

Quest Reward: Ownership of Druedante

“......”

Karl paused, reading the quest.

‘Steal it? That thing?’

How?

He wasn’t even surviving at this point—he was barely clinging on.

There was no time to think.

She was charging again.

Even without the sword’s powers activated, it had been hard to keep her back.

Now, his spells weren’t even slowing her down.

KWAAANG!!

Using Magic Booster, Karl barely hurled himself backward.

‘There’s no way she can keep using these broken abilities forever...’

If she could, she’d have done it from the beginning.

Still, the question was—how much longer could he last like this?

KWAANG! KWAANG!!

The relentless pressure pushed his shields to the brink.

Then she threw the holy sword at him—like a lightning bolt.

KWAANG!!

That final blow shattered his barrier.

The impact sent Karl sprawling to the ground.

She extended her hand, and the sword snapped back to her like it was magnetized.

She rushed in and brought the blade down toward his neck.

Karl, certain he was about to die, fired off a desperate Force spell at random.

She wasn’t guarding—so the Force grazed her face.

“......”

The sword didn’t fall.

Karl cracked one eye open and looked up.

His eyes went wide.

She had stumbled back, clutching her mask—visibly shaken.

......!!

It was just a half-mask, slipping a little during battle—what could possibly matter about that?

Whatever the reason, Karl didn’t waste the moment.

He fired Force at full strength again and yanked the holy sword out of her hand.

To his surprise, she let go with barely any resistance.

Karl grabbed Druedante and retreated instantly using Magic Booster.

“......”

She didn’t chase.

Instead, she calmly straightened her half-torn mask.

Then looked up, fixing her eyes on Karl.

She didn’t seem that flustered about losing the sword.

Instead, she sneered—her voice laced with scorn.

“Fool. Did you think anything would change by stealing it?”

“......”

“Only those who faithfully embody the justice of Behass may receive His blessing. That divine power is not something a black mage like you can wield.”

She extended her hand toward the sword.

Clearly intending to call it back, just as she had before.

But...

“...?”

Nothing happened.

The blade didn’t budge from Karl’s hand.

For the first time, her face showed real panic.

And at that moment, another notification flashed across Karl’s vision.

[You have completed the Sudden Quest: Relic Acquisition.]

[As a reward, ownership of the holy sword Druedante has been forcibly transferred from its original owner.]

<Holy Sword Druedante – Relic>

A sword imbued with a fraction of the power of Behass, the god of judgment.

Duration: 10 minutes

Cooldown: 24 hours

Rapid Healing – Instantly heals all bodily wounds.

Radiant Flame – Emits a holy flame brimming with divine energy.

Radiant Barrier – Summons a shield infused with divine light.

Without hesitation, Karl activated the relic’s powers.

A radiant halo burst into being behind him. Holy energy surged through his body.

‘Holy shit...’

It was overwhelming.

All his wounds, torn open when he was thrown earlier, healed in an instant.

Karl raised his head again.

The woman stared at him, eyes wide, lips trembling.

“...H-how... how are you using that power...?”

Karl grinned crookedly.

“Looks like the great god Behass prefers me over you, sweetheart.”

“N-no... no, that’s not... how could a black mage...”

Her voice shook violently. Karl could feel it—her disbelief, her despair.

Like an abandoned lamb, she stood frozen, just staring at the sword that had left her hand.

“Hey. Don’t just stand there. You gonna answer me or what?”

Karl summoned the Radiant Flame, letting it rise in his hand.

There was one line he’d always wanted to say.

“So... who’s justice now?”

KWAAAAANG!!

A colossal wave of divine power swept over where she stood.