My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 9

Could it be that, like the man from earlier, she was walking forward, terrified, to beg for her life?

The movement of the zombies halted at the child’s actions, and all the hostages’ gazes turned to her.

At the same time, the man’s eyes, filled with madness, now carried a hint of curiosity and doubt as they focused on the child.

‘Hoo.’

That gaze made her hands and feet tremble uncontrollably.

She felt like she might collapse again at any moment.

Her heart pounded so fast that her knees felt weak, and she feared she might lose control and disgrace herself right there on the floor.

But she forcibly suppressed her instinct to flee immediately.

Summoning all her courage, she looked the man directly in the eye and, with a trembling voice, barely managed to speak.

“I’ll do it.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll be the first to die. I’ll do it.”

It’s fine.

Her uncle was downstairs.

She knew.

Her uncle, who lazed around all day like an unemployed man and never lifted a finger to help with household chores.

She knew he was hiding something extraordinary.

Yes, her uncle would surely come to save her.

So all she had to do was buy time until he arrived.

“But let me choose how I die. Is that okay?”

Arina, boldly negotiating with the man using her life as collateral.

Had he never imagined such a situation?

Even the man’s eyes briefly showed a flicker of surprise.

“How do you want to die?”

And so, he asked.

What would that girl say in response?

“Let me fight a zombie one-on-one.”

Simply dying felt too unfair, so she planned to resist and endure as much as possible.

Perhaps the conversation had given her a bit of courage.

Using that as an excuse, Arina’s clear eyes met the man’s gaze.

“But while I’m fighting, don’t touch anyone behind me. I’ll definitely be the first to die.”

I see.

So, she intended to buy time?

Realizing the child’s clever little scheme, the man chuckled.

“What a self-sacrificing kid.”

The man who had clung to his pants earlier.

And even now, the hostages trembling and sitting helplessly behind the child.

She was far better than any of them.

For a moment, he even thought, “Maybe I could spare this kid,” forgetting his revenge entirely.

Despite being the perpetrator of this terror, she was impressive enough to make him want to applaud.

There was no real reason to humor her ridiculous attempt to buy time, but he accepted her terms precisely because of that.

“Alright. I’ll accept your condition.”

Well, it should be fine.

After all, she was just a child.

It wouldn’t take long to kill her.

‘Besides, the death of a child like her always leaves a bigger impact.’

After all, the death of children and animals has always been one of the most effective ways to evoke sympathy.

At the man’s beckoning gesture, a zombie staggered forward toward the child.

A scar engraved on its abdomen.

It was the very clerk Arina had first spoken to when she came up here.

‘It’s okay. I can do this.’

She took a deep breath.

It’s just one zombie.

Sure, it was strong enough to take down the department store’s security guards.

But as long as she didn’t let her guard down, she could hold out.

Whirrr.

Thinking that, she slowly began to draw upon her magic power.

At the sight, the man’s eyes widened in surprise once more.

“You’re a magician?”

Magic, black magic, martial arts, spirit magic, supernatural power, and so on.

A collective term for those who could use magic power to create extraordinary phenomena.

As the man had guessed, Arina was a magician.

“And a 2-star one at that.”

Every magician had stars within their body.

These stars served as reservoirs for storing magic power.

The more stars one had, the greater the capacity for using vast and advanced magic, and reaching the level of 2 stars at Arina’s age was an extraordinary feat even across the entire continent.

The man, who had caused this commotion and was over three times Arina’s age, was only a 3-star magician himself.

‘How infuriating.’

Perhaps it was because he lacked talent himself.

The admiration he had felt for the genius child was now replaced by jealousy and envy.

Unaware of the man’s malice, Arina focused all her attention on the zombie.

“……”

She had been introduced to magic during her childhood with her father’s help.

After her father’s passing, she had self-studied using the magic books he had left her.

Though she had occasionally used magic before, this was her first real combat experience.

And a first experience was always nerve-wracking for anyone.

Whoosh.

Magic power condensed around Arina.

One of the most basic spells used by magicians.

She shaped her magic power into the form of arrows and launched them straight at the zombie before her.

“Graaaah!!!”

The zombie, enduring the attack with its bare body, charged forward even as the magic arrows pierced through it.

Enhancing her body with magic power, she quickly leapt to the side, avoiding the attack.

“Ugh!”

It’s fast.

Even with her enhanced body, barely dodging was the best she could do.

Of course, if it weren’t strong, the security chief, who was at least stronger than her, wouldn’t have been taken down so easily.

‘I need to create some distance.’

What made the opponent truly terrifying wasn’t just its speed.

It was the pressure of knowing she couldn’t afford even a single scratch.

Even the smallest wound would turn her into a zombie, just like that clerk, and she would die immediately.

“Graaaah!”

Was it defying the laws of physics?

Twisting its knees and joints deliberately, the zombie ignored inertia and sharply changed direction.

Bang!

The zombie shattered the ground it was charging across.

Its foot caught on the uneven ground, causing it to stumble and fall.

This gave her a little more time.

Just as she felt a moment of relief.

“Aaaaah!”

A scream suddenly echoed from behind her.

When she turned her head, she saw a zombie biting into one of the hostages.

“This isn’t what we agreed on!”

You said you wouldn’t touch them!

At her protest, the man tilted his hollow eyes and chuckled mockingly.

“I changed my mind.”

Consumed by envy and jealousy, he no longer had any intention of keeping his promise to Arina.

Instead, he laughed gleefully, seemingly entertained by her indignation.

“Aaaaah!”

“No! Stay back!”

“Honey! Damn it!”

Pandemonium erupted among the hostages.

The man pointed mockingly at Arina, who was flustered by the chaos.

“Do you really have the luxury to look elsewhere?”

“……!”

At his words, she urgently threw herself to the side.

A zombie that had approached right in front of her zipped past the spot where she had been standing.

‘Damn it.’

It’s hopeless.

The screams of the dying clouded her mind.

Just as when the man first appeared, the slaughter resumed.

The dying people.

“Get a grip, everyone!”

In the midst of it all, Nell shouted loudly, striking a zombie’s head with her handbag.

“Even a child younger than us is stepping forward to fight and save others—aren’t you all ashamed!?”

Hiding behind a young girl, unable to resist, they merely screamed and fled from the zombies’ attacks.

“You won’t survive no matter where you run! If you want to live even a little longer, grab something and swing it!”

She repeatedly struck the drooling zombie’s face with her handbag.

Though the bag tore, scattering its contents into the air, Nell didn’t care.

Instead, she hurled herself toward the glass case in anger at the still-intact zombie.

“As expected, a handbag doesn’t even scratch it. Isn’t there a gun lying around somewhere… huh?”

They say fortune favors the bold.

The Magic Bullet Gun fired by the deceased Security Chief lay rolling right in front of her.

Feeling as if she’d struck gold, Nell quickly picked it up.

Click.

But there were no bullets left, and only the hollow sound of the trigger echoed. Seeing the zombie shrieking right in front of her, Nell couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

“Couldn’t you have left just one bullet?”

You greedy Security Chief.

Internally cursing the Security Chief, Nell squeezed her eyes shut.

Crackle!

But no matter how much time passed, the pain never came.

Cautiously opening her eyes, she saw a young girl with yellow hair standing atop the fallen zombie, holding a strange rod.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Responding instinctively in polite speech to the girl’s casual tone, Nell’s gaze shifted to the rod in her hand.

‘Is that a Self-Defense Artifact?’

Sparks of electricity crackled.

What is that thing?

If she had something like that, she should’ve used it earlier.

“Don’t look at me like that. This is already at maximum output. My brother said it was dangerous, so he didn’t buy me a stronger Artifact. Even with this, the fuel is barely holding up.”

It seemed there was a reason she hadn’t used it until now.

“Well, it’s a good thing. If we make it out alive, I’ll have a reason to demand a better Artifact.”

“Yes, I suppose so…!”

Nell threw the gun behind the girl.

The zombie was struck by the gun and toppled over.

Startled, the girl looked back, and Nell shrugged triumphantly.

“Consider the debt repaid.”

“The Demon Lord’s secretary is more calculating than I expected.”

Thus, the two began working together to fend off the zombies.

Perhaps inspired by their efforts, others began to regain their composure.

One by one, people started resisting the zombies.

Though deaths hadn’t ceased entirely, the rate had slowed somewhat.

“So, what will you do? You’re the only magician left here. You need to step up and save these people.”

Amid the hellish scene, the man spoke mockingly to Arina.

A 2-star magician.

At Arina’s age, her skills were unparalleled, but among magicians as a whole, she was still a novice.

She didn’t have the ability to resolve this situation.

Knowing this, the man let out a deranged laugh.

2-star and 3-star.

The difference between a beginner and a seasoned expert, and yet, the gap shouldn’t have been this overwhelming.

But the Black Magic left by the Death King made it possible.

‘I can do this.’

It’s possible.

With this, I can take revenge on the Grant Association.

The first terror attack had proven it.

Even someone like me, with no talent in magic power, could achieve revenge.

The Death King’s Black Magic was that extraordinary.

Awed by this realization, the madness in the man’s eyes deepened.

“Huff! Huff!”

Arina’s breathing grew labored.

A child’s stamina could be depleted in an instant from even a brief fight.

Her movements slowed more and more.

She unleashed bursts of wind and shaped her magic into various forms, but they had no effect on the zombies, who felt no pain.

‘If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve learned some fire magic.’

She deeply regretted not properly studying the formulas, fearing the danger of using them alone.

No, she regretted focusing solely on gathering magic power quickly, neglecting the study of formulas.

If she’d learned more formulas, she could’ve used more versatile and unconventional attacks.

The drawback of being self-taught in magic.

The imbalance in her skills decided the outcome of the already unfavorable battle far too quickly.

If she’d had a good teacher, this wouldn’t have happened.

Or if she’d been enrolled in the Academy when this incident occurred, she might’ve been able to handle a few zombies.

“Ah!”

But it was already too late.

Arina stumbled and fell backward.

A zombie extended its sharp claws toward her.

“…….”

But even after some time, the zombie’s claws couldn’t get any closer to her.

“Huh?”

The man also stared in confusion at the scene.

Why had the zombie suddenly stopped?

Before anyone could fully comprehend the abnormal phenomenon.

Thud.

Starting with Nell and the little girl, the people who had been fiercely fighting the zombies suddenly began collapsing on the spot.

And the zombies did not attack them.

On the contrary, the zombies slowly backed away, distancing themselves from the fallen.

As if clearing a path for someone to walk through.

They moved of their own accord, even ignoring the commands of their master.

It was a natural phenomenon.

Because no being in this world could ever defy his command.

‘Night?’

And at that moment, the man realized.

The sky visible outside the window.

The place where the blue sun should have been had, at some point, turned as dark as a pitch-black night.

“Good job, kid.”

In the midst of it all, someone placed a hand on Arina’s head.

And with a rough, calloused touch, gently ruffled her hair.

“Rest easy and sleep. I’ll wake you when it’s all over.”

Ah, Uncle is here.

Relieved by the familiar voice, Arina, exhausted from the fight with the zombies, lost consciousness and collapsed.

“…….”

Catching her as she fell, Cain sat down on the spot.

Then, slowly raising his head, he locked eyes with the man, who looked at him with a mix of confusion and fear.

“So it was you. The one who dared to play such tricks with my Black Magic.”

Behind thick glasses.

In those barren, emotionless eyes, the man felt his breath catch.

The King of Death had revealed himself before the man who had recklessly rampaged without knowing fear.