I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game

Typically, demons manipulate mutants to steer battles in their favor.

In most cases, demons prefer to conclude battles using only their mutant subordinates.

They only appear on the battlefield in two extreme scenarios: when their victory is nearly certain, ensuring a decisive end, or when their defeat is inevitable, making their direct intervention the only chance of survival.

It is not that demons are inherently weaker than humans, orcs, or elves. In fact, their individual capabilities far surpass those of most other species.

They possess extraordinary physical abilities, wield eerie dark magic, and have an exceptional regenerative ability that allows them to recover from injuries almost indefinitely.

Yet, despite their numerous strengths and superior abilities, demons never take the vanguard themselves.

The reason is simple.

If a demon dies, the mutants they control become lifeless husks, standing still like puppets with severed strings.

The significance of a commander in a demon army is on an entirely different level compared to other intelligent races.

In human, orc, or elf armies, if a commander perishes, their subordinates—officers and lieutenants—can continue fulfilling their roles and carry on the battle.

Demons, however, are different.

When a commanding demon falls, the battlefield halts instantly.

This unique characteristic is not limited to the demon-mutant relationship.

The same holds true for Grand Lords and their subordinate demons.

If a Grand Lord dies, all the demons under their command immediately lose function.

The moment a Grand Lord perishes, the demons they control freeze in place, becoming utterly useless, and naturally, the mutants they manipulate become inanimate as well.

Autonomous thought or creativity is a privilege granted only to the highest-ranking commanders—the Grand Lords. The demons beneath them are nothing more than obedient, mindless pawns who follow orders without question.

Because of this, Grand Lords rarely reveal themselves to humans.

The death of a Grand Lord results in an immense loss of power for the demon army.

“Tch, so the disruption magic was destroyed by the lightning strike.”

Within the burning forest, Grand Lord Maltiel clicked his tongue as he closed his eyes, controlling the mutants.

The white-haired boy had summoned a powerful lightning strike, obliterating the barrier magic that had enveloped the forest.

As soon as the barrier magic was broken, Maltiel had ordered the mutants to eliminate the mage holding the crystal orb. However, this plan, too, had been thwarted by the white-haired boy.

“You act quickly. That just gives me more reason to kill you.”

From within the burning foliage, Maltiel slowly rose to his feet, his crimson body gleaming.

If a creature with such talent was allowed to live, they could one day become a disaster.

Sending a lesser demon after them and failing to end their life would only make matters worse in the future.

For most intelligent beings, ‘pain that does not kill’ serves as a catalyst for growth.

A monster like that boy, no matter how young, had to be uprooted and burned to ash. That was Grand Lord Maltiel’s doctrine.

“Now that the report of my presence has reached headquarters… That one must be on his way. The time left is… two minutes? No, let’s be generous and say three minutes.”

Spreading his dragon-like, scale-covered wings wide, Maltiel leaped into the sky. The burning leaves clinging to his body did nothing to faze him. For a Grand Lord, such flames weren’t even worth acknowledging as wounds.

“I’ll have to finish this quickly.”

Engulfed in fire, the Grand Lord shot straight toward the lightning-wielding boy.

***

Sizzle…!

An unfamiliar electrical current tingled in my ears.

An overwhelming pressure, unlike anything I had felt before, bore down on my shoulders. Even with my [Composure] trait, this immense fear tightened around my chest, suffocating me.

I quickly turned my gaze toward the sharp presence bearing down on me.

There, like a demon crawling out of hell itself, stood a figure wreathed in flames.

“What the…?!”

The demon, hovering regally in the sky with its wings spread wide, suddenly folded them and shot toward me like a missile.

Without a moment to think, I pushed off the ground and threw myself toward the burning forest.

Boom!

An ear splitting explosion shook the ground, scattering embers and flaming debris in all directions.

That was close.

Had I hesitated for even a moment, I would have been crushed beneath that brute’s feet.

“I was hoping to enjoy this outing a little longer… but thanks to that damn woman, I’ll have to cut it short.”

At the Grand Lord’s arrival, Herion paled and collapsed, trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Even with my [Composure] trait, the oppressive aura was nearly unbearable. How could an ordinary mage possibly endure this?

Paralyzed by fear, she couldn’t even raise a barrier in time.

She was utterly helpless.

“With all factors considered… We have three minutes, at best. Entertain me while you can.”

The Grand Lord raised a finger toward Herion, who lay on the ground like an insect.

The next moment, a barrage of arrows rained down upon her.

Herion, frozen in terror, didn’t even attempt to shield herself. Arrows pierced her body, tearing through flesh and bone. The sound of her body being shredded apart rang out, even over the crackling flames.

The light vanished from her eyes in an instant.

A chilling shiver ran down my spine, my limbs growing cold.

Her cheerful voice, once asking me what my favorite magic was, now echoed through my mind like a blade slicing my throat.

Death had arrived.

Fear and reason battled for control in my mind as adrenaline surged through my veins.

‘Calm down. Stay calm.’

With the help of [Composure], I barely managed to maintain rationality in this overwhelming moment.

“Few can stand before me without being completely overwhelmed. Unlike that trash over there, you seem to be made of stronger stuff.”

The Grand Lord’s pitch-black finger pointed toward Herion’s lifeless body.

He was utterly nonchalant about what he had just done.

Just as a person peels an apple without a second thought, this creature took lives without the slightest emotion.

My stomach churned, but I forced myself to keep a grip on my sanity and moved my stiff tongue.

“For someone as powerful as you… what exactly are you doing here?”

I remained prepared to react at any moment while speaking to the Grand Lord.

The Grand Lord had revealed himself.

This was by no means a normal situation.

There had to be a reason.

A compelling reason for the Grand Lord to take on such immense risk by showing himself.

If I wanted to develop a survival strategy, I first needed to uncover that reason.

Understanding the enemy’s intent was crucial—whether I planned to threaten, negotiate, or beg for my life.

"What do you think I'm doing? I came to kill you. Why else would I take such a risk to appear in person?"

The Grand Lord smirked as he spoke.

"……"

I could only stare blankly at the smirking Grand Lord.

…What the hell is this bastard saying?

He came to kill me? A Grand Lord? Willing to risk exposing himself?

For a moment, I was completely dumbfounded as I stared at his face.

Wait, but why me?

I had just left the tutorial area. I was literally a level-one character.

"Why do you look so surprised? Did you think I wouldn't know that you reduced my precious subordinates to ashes in a single strike?"

…What?

"Moreover, you only used a single spell to kill my subordinate. There aren’t many mages in the world who can pull that off."

"……"

"You are at least a 7th-circle mage. Considering your young age, you’ll likely reach the 9th circle soon."

"What the hell are you talking about…?"

Without realizing it, I muttered my thoughts aloud.

…No, seriously, what the hell is this guy saying?

7th, 8th, and even 9th-circle mages were among the strongest figures in the game, only attainable at level 90 or beyond.

Yet I was just a lowly character, born three days ago, a vagabond from the slums. I had no idea how I ended up with this ridiculous misunderstanding.

Things had spiraled completely out of control.

‘No, think about it differently. This might actually be an opportunity. He’s grossly overestimating me. If I use this properly, I might survive this insane situation.’

I forcibly steadied my nerves, determined to make the most of this misunderstanding.

Over the past three days, I hadn’t used any magic, allowing a considerable amount of mana to accumulate within me. With [Bloom] active, I could manage to evade him for a short time.

Of course, once that time ran out, I’d be reduced to a bloody pulp.

But he didn’t know that.

More importantly, he believed I was an elite mage hiding even stronger spells. That was likely why he hadn’t immediately attacked and was maintaining this standoff.

‘In reality, I’ve already exhausted all my available mana…’

It felt like standing alone on a cracked glacier, just moments away from plummeting into the abyss.

‘Stay calm. Stay calm.’

Begging or negotiating was impossible.

His goal was my death, plain and simple.

But the Grand Lord was under pressure too.

The best way for demons to fight mages was to exhaust their mana by sending in wave after wave of mutants before moving in for the kill.

Unlike warriors or barbarians, mages had to spend mana to use magic.

Mages were powerful and dangerous, but once their mana ran out, they became defenseless.

The Grand Lord had likely intended to drain me dry before finishing me off.

But then his disruption spell was shattered by my lightning, his location was exposed to headquarters, and suddenly, the entire plan had gone up in flames.

Now, he had only three minutes to complete his mission, forcing him to reveal himself before I ran out of mana.

‘He’s carrying a heavy burden. And since he sees me as a high-level mage, he won’t act recklessly. That means…’

I swallowed dryly, took a deep breath, and…

I lifted my chin arrogantly and slowly opened my mouth.

"…Hah."

If begging and negotiation were impossible, there was only one thing left to do.

I had to bluff.

"Well, since you already know, there’s no point in hiding it."

Damn it. No matter how much I thought about it, this was my only choice.

So, like a madman, I looked down on the Grand Lord with sheer arrogance and spouted nonsense.

Boom!

The moment I finished speaking, I released as much mana as I could into my surroundings.

The scattered remains of trees and stones around us shattered into dust.

Wasting mana like this was painful, but I had no choice—I needed to instill as much intimidation as possible.

Even a little hesitation or doubt on his part would be invaluable.

"Your mana flow is quite peculiar. I’ve never seen anything like it before. What kind of magic is this? Did you develop it yourself? I’ve never seen this spell, but it’s remarkably refined and intricate."

As expected, Grand Lord Maltiel seemed completely unfamiliar with [Bloom].

To begin with, [Bloom] was widely regarded as an impractical skill for orthodox mages—either not worth investing in or only deserving a single point at most. So, it wasn’t surprising that Maltiel had never seen anything like it before.

"……"

I maintained my poker face, refusing to respond to his question.

There was no need to boast about my magic’s power or its supposed strength.

The unknown was the greatest fear for all intelligent beings.

I wasn’t sure if this monster even felt fear, but rather than bragging about how "amazing" my magic was, staying silent would be far more effective.

"…Most astonishing is your concealment ability. Whatever magic you're using, I still only perceive you as a 4th-circle mage. Are you suppressing your mana? Quite the impressive deception tactic."

Seeing my silence, the Grand Lord began analyzing me with his crimson eyes.

Thousands of demons’ lives rested on his shoulders.

He couldn’t recklessly attack an unfamiliar mage wielding unknown magic—not with so much responsibility weighing him down.

‘Deception tactic? Yeah right. My mana is actually just at the 4th circle level. Damn it, I was born three days ago.’

"Impressive. If I had more time, I would have enjoyed fighting you at length."

That monster had no idea that the mage turning his mutants to ash was nothing more than a level-one character who had sacrificed everything for a bizarre build centered around [Bloom].

"Hmph… I’ll allow you the first strike. Come at me."

Grand Lord Maltiel looked at me with amusement and made his declaration.

No doubt, he wanted to analyze my attacks while minimizing his own risks.

He crouched low, spreading his wings wide in preparation for my expected lightning strike.

Of course, I didn’t attack.

After summoning a lightning bolt with voltage surpassing hundreds of millions, I had already used up half my mana.

"……"

"……"

Amidst the burning trees, a frigid tension hung between us.

Twitch…!

The moment his fingers moved, I unleashed a burst of electricity from my body.

Leaves and branches ignited as they came into contact with my discharged energy.

"Ha!"

A chilling smile stretched across his face.

"I gave you the first move. What are you waiting for?"

"Why would I play along with your game?"

I responded, subtly contorting my expression. I wasn’t sure if I conveyed irritation or frustration as intended.

"Are you rejecting my offer?"

"……"

I answered with silence once more.

"Why so quiet? Are you scared? No, that’s not the look in your eyes… What are you doing? I told you—I’m giving you the first strike."

Maltiel taunted me, pressing his dark fingers against his throat as if daring me to strike him with lightning.

"Come now, don’t you want to become the hero who killed the Grand Lord?"

I forced a hollow chuckle.

"You talk too much. Getting nervous, are we?"

I maintained my arrogant expression as I spoke.

Damn it, I had no idea what I was doing.

"You feel fear, yet you refuse to lose your composure. A mere sixteen or seventeen-year-old brat dares to challenge me!"

Maltiel grinned, his face twisting with amusement.

To him, this was nothing more than an entertaining game.

Then—

"All units! Change our combat objective from ‘survival’ to ‘protecting the boy’! That child must not die here! No matter what, we must escort him safely to the capital!"

The tense standoff between me and the Grand Lord was abruptly interrupted by the booming voice of Orc Hero Rex.

…What the hell was that Orc talking about now?

Damn it. I had absolutely no idea what was going on anymore.