How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 75: 6-Circle (6)

KyaaAAAAAK!!

A piercing scream echoed through the cave, loud enough to shake the walls. Even the ground trembled faintly.

Smoke rose from Kainbella’s head, struck directly by Ray Buster.

With her defenses drastically lowered and her flesh still soft from incomplete molting, even a 5-circle spell couldn’t be fully blocked.

BOOM!

Kainbella slammed her front legs down on the spot where Karl had stood.

The force was devastating—but compared to her level, it was absurdly slow. Karl activated [Magic Booster] and dodged backward.

‘Yeah, this is gonna be a pain.’

Karl clicked his tongue as he watched Kainbella begin to thrash wildly.

He hadn’t expected her to be completely immobilized, but her reaction time was faster than he thought.

And despite taking a direct hit from Ray Buster, she didn’t seem to have suffered massive damage. Weakened or not, her base level hadn’t vanished.

SCHWAHH!

A jet of black liquid shot from her mouth—clearly venom.

Karl dodged again instead of shielding.

No way was he tanking any of Kainbella’s attacks head-on.

His plan was to keep evading and bombarding her with spells, taking full advantage of her slowed movements.

BOOM! CRASH!

Fire exploded and lightning surged as Karl pelted her relentlessly, his magic hammering her massive frame.

The cave trembled as pieces of the walls broke off and rained down.

Kainbella’s size made it impossible to avoid the barrage. She could only endure the hits and try to counterattack.

She lashed out with her legs in vicious sweeps, spat venom and webs in every direction in a desperate attempt to catch the fly buzzing around her.

SSSSSSSSSSSZZZ

One wall of the chamber melted away completely.

Karl managed to divert the corrosive attack just in time with a force spell, and he let out a shaky breath.

‘Shit. This really is a bitch.’

Because of her incomplete molt, her attack chains were clunky and inconsistent.

But individually, some of those strikes had terrifying speed. There had already been several close calls.

He’d hoped to rely on his past experience fighting her in the game, but it wasn’t helping much this time.

No matter how game-based this world was—this was still reality. She was a living creature.

She didn’t fight like an AI stuck in predictable patterns. Her behavior deviated from the game.

Against Garduka, just identifying his spell types had made things manageable. But bosses like Kainbella, who fought physically rather than with magic, were an entirely different case.

Her movements weren’t precise, and she reacted dynamically. Relying too much on game strategies could easily backfire.

The battle paused.

Both Karl and Kainbella had stopped attacking, sizing each other up.

Dozens of writhing spider eyes scanned him.

Karl narrowed his gaze, observing her condition.

Her body was ruptured in several places, ichor dripping from her wounds. But none of it looked fatal.

‘The other spiders must’ve all gone to the central island. I need to finish this fast...’

As he drank a potion from his inventory to recover mana, Karl suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right—the holy sword."

No one was around to see anyway. No reason to hold back.

Might as well throw in everything he had.

Karl drew [Drudenthe].

WHUMMMM!

A golden halo flared into existence behind him.

Apparently, the light made Kainbella uneasy—she immediately lunged to attack.

Karl swept the blade horizontally, sending divine flame hurtling toward her.

BOOOOM!!

He used the opening to leap into the air.

【Fire Horn】

A sharp, horn-shaped pillar of flame shot forth.

At the same time, Karl swung the sword. The blade’s divine energy followed right behind the fire, both strikes converging on Kainbella’s back.

CRAAAAASH!!

This time, the reaction was violent.

She writhed in agony and slammed into the wall. A flood of bodily fluid gushed out.

Karl’s eyes widened.

‘...That combo’s not bad.’

Firing a spell and immediately following it with a sword slash.

The divine flame struck right after the magic hit—amplifying the damage significantly.

Normally, each spell gave the enemy a window to counterattack, forcing Karl to retreat.

But with this method, he could rack up damage far faster. He immediately changed his combat rhythm.

BOOM! BOOM!

Magic and holy sword strikes.

The two different forces swirled and slammed into Kainbella, disorienting her completely.

Before the ten-minute duration ended, Karl pushed the assault to its limit.

He severed two of her legs and shredded the left side of her torso—finally leaving her in a completely broken state.

‘Alright, at this rate I can—’

Just as victory came into view, Karl flinched.

He heard something from outside the cave.

With detection magic, he sensed two massive spiders approaching.

He snapped his gaze back to Kainbella.

‘You sneaky bitch.’

She must’ve deliberately left a few spiders nearby.

Judging by their size, they might be commander-class. Whatever they were, if they joined the fight, it was over.

Karl surged forward to finish Kainbella off before that could happen.

CRACK!!

A wave of ice exploded outward, encasing her completely.

She was too close to death to break free.

Karl rushed to cast his next spell—

Too late to realize how close he’d gotten.

...KIIIIAAAAGH!!

Kainbella’s eyes flashed as she shattered the ice and slammed her head down at Karl.

Startled, Karl canceled the spell and threw up both a shield and the holy sword’s barrier.

CRAAACK!!

Both shattered instantly under the weight of the blow.

Though the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} impact was softened, Karl was still smashed into the ground, crushed under her head. It felt like his ribs had exploded.

"Urgh...!!"

He clung to consciousness and tightened his grip on the sword.

Her face was right in front of him.

He enveloped the blade in divine flame and drove it straight into the softer eye tissue beneath her shell.

KIEEEEEEK!!

Her scream was deafening.

Karl began casting spell after spell.

Using the embedded sword as a conduit, he pumped lightning directly into her skull—intent on frying her entire brain.

ZZZZZAP!!

Blinding light. The stench of burning flesh.

Just as the world began to fade, a message appeared.

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

Karl snapped back to awareness and shoved Kainbella’s head aside with force magic.

Immediately, the holy sword’s healing activated, repairing his shattered ribs and ruptured organs in seconds.

"Ahhh...!!"

He gasped for breath and sprang to his feet.

Feeling his battered torso, still soaked with blood and torn robes, he checked himself.

His clothes were wrecked, but thanks to the holy sword’s regeneration, his body was intact.

"Goddamn... holy shit..."

The curses slipped out unfiltered.

He never wanted to go through that again.

Right then, the holy sword’s ten-minute duration ended, and its healing shut off.

If he’d been just a bit slower, it wouldn’t have healed the fatal damage in time.

No time to rest. Karl turned toward the far end of the cave.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP...

He’d killed Kainbella—but it wasn’t over yet.

The spiders she’d summoned were closing in.

Karl prayed they weren’t above level 60.

But things were never that simple.

[Lv. 60]

[Kainbella Swarm – Commander]

[Lv. 61]

[Kainbella Swarm – Commander]

"......"

Karl muttered “fuck” under his breath as the spiders emerged from the tunnel.

Now what?

Sure, he’d hit level 60 from killing Kainbella—but he hadn’t awakened yet.

To reach the next circle, he needed to complete the [Circle Awakening] quest. Until then, he was still 5-circle, and no match for these things. Especially not two of them.

‘Can I run?’

The tunnel was narrow. Could he even escape?

This might just be his grave.

But then a message popped up that obliterated all those thoughts.

<Quest: Save Lugesium>

Defeat the spider queen Kainbella and protect peace in Lugesium.

Kainbella is currently undergoing molting. It is recommended to kill her before the process completes.

Quest reward: To be determined.

[Quest: Save Lugesium – Complete.]

[A reward will now be presented based on current circumstances.]

[1. 6-Circle Awakening + Learn 3 random 6-circle spells]

[2. Additional clue regarding the Third Dimensional Fragment]

[3. Learn 3 random Forbidden Spells]

"......"

Karl stood there dumbfounded, reading the message.

Then he snorted and muttered:

"This is some real bullshit."

So that’s why the reward was “to be determined,” huh?

Normally, Option 1 would be the weakest choice.

Awakening could be done later by finishing the awakening quest. So under normal circumstances, he’d have picked Option 2 without hesitation.

But not now.

You couldn’t search for clues if you were dead. And he was this close to dying.

No need to hesitate.

[You have chosen Option 1.]

[Awaken now?]

"Yeah. Right now."

[Beginning Circle Awakening.]

As always, it started with a pulse in his heart.

Five rings.

They rotated, interlocking, amplifying his mana exponentially.

Far beyond anything he’d ever felt—so much it felt like he might explode.

BOOM!

The magical shockwave alone made the cave tremble.

The two approaching commander spiders flinched and retreated.

SHUUU...

The massive wave of mana surged through his entire body, circulating before gathering back at his heart—where it formed the sixth ring. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

[Circle Awakening complete.]

Karl slowly opened his eyes, having closed them without realizing.

More messages followed.

[You have learned 3 random 6-circle spells.]

[Acquired ‘Hellfire’ (Normal).]

[Acquired ‘Earthquake’ (Normal).]

[Acquired ‘Overload’ (Normal).]