The first shadowhound leapt at Clive. Time seemed to slow as his [Motion Vision] analyzed the creature's trajectory, giving him enough warning to twist aside. Metallic teeth snapped shut on empty air where his throat had been seconds earlier.
"Clive!" Lucia shouted. She hurled a vial toward the ground between them and the advancing pack. The glass shattered, releasing a blinding flash of golden light that momentarily pushed back the darkness. One shadowhound caught in the blast yelped as it was thrown backward into its packmates.
"Light essence!" she called out. "It won't hold them long!"
Clive's fingers were already moving as he maneuvered his brush across his palette. His first thought was to repeat the strategy he had done with the bandits. An area of effect spell to take them all out. He swept through the blue paint.
[Paint: Blue Flu I]
The azure mist materialized, spreading outward toward the regrouping shadowhounds.
But instead of the expected effect, the mist dissipated harmlessly as it touched the creatures' shadowy forms. A notification flashed in Clive's vision:
[Shadowhounds immune to human flu pathogen]
Damn it.
Clive's mind raced. If they weren't humans, then human afflictions wouldn't work. He needed something more destructive. The brush dipped into red paint. The fireball took shape in the air before him, glowing defiantly against the rain.
[Paint: Red Fireball I]
The spell burst forth, striking the nearest shadowhound square in its head. The creature howled as flames engulfed it. Its liquid-darkness body bubbled and evaporated where the fire touched. Clive felt a surge of hope, until he saw the rain rapidly diminishing his spell's effectiveness. The flames hissed and sputtered, and though the shadowhound retreated, it wasn't destroyed.
[Environment Modifier: Rainy]
[Red Fireball Dmg x 0.5]
"The rain!" Clive shouted in frustration.
Three more shadowhounds charged. Clive launched another fireball, then another, then another. Each spell pushed them back momentarily, but the rain continued to weaken his magic's impact.
This wasn’t working. But if the environment affects the spell’s efficacy…
Clive reached for his blue paint.
[Paint: Blue Hail I]
[MP Cost:3 +1/min]
With swift strokes, he painted a blue sigil over the falling raindrops. The air temperature plummeted instantly, crystallizing the moisture in the air. Shards of ice materialized above the shadowhounds, crashing down upon them in a concentrated barrage.
The creatures howled as the cold penetrated them, disrupting their movements.
[Spell Effect: Area damage + movement impairment]
[Environment Modifier: Rainy]
[Blue Hail: +100% area coverage]
However, the large area of effect spell drained Clive of his mana reserves at an alarming rate. Each crystalline shard that materialized pulled energy from his core. The effectiveness of the spell was undeniable. Shadowhounds shrieked as their forms partially froze and shattered. But the cost was steep.
[Mana reserves 10%]
The warning notification flashed in his vision. Clive could feel the fatigue setting in. His limbs were heavy, yet he forced himself to maintain the spell, pushing through the exhaustion.
With his remaining mana, he attempted to direct the last of the icy barrage toward the largest shadowhound, but the blue sigil flickered and destabilized. The remaining ice shards dissolved midair, falling as harmless snowflakes that evaporated before touching the ground.
[Mana depleted]
The final notification appeared. The magical connection severed abruptly, sending a shock through Clive's system that brought him to his knees.
Sensing weakness, the shadowhounds advanced on him.
[Certainty: Oh no. Poor Clive is out of mana. Perhaps this is where your story ends?]
A smirk formed at the corner of Clive's mouth as he drew his dagger.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
End? We barely started. A true artist doesn't stop creating when the paint runs dry.
[Certainty: Ah, that delicious defiance. Show me what you have, Clive.]
Certainly
A shadowhound lunged at him, jaws wide. Clive’s [Motion Vision] tracked the motion, sidestepped, and stabbed with his dagger, feeling the blade connect with something solid. The shadowhound flinched back, leaving a silvery gash on its side.
Another shadowhound circled behind him. Clive pivoted, but fatigue slowed his movements. Razor teeth tore through the sleeve of his coat, grazing the skin beneath. Pain flared through his arm.
"Clive! Catch!"
Lucia hurled a small vial towards him. Clive snatched it from the air with his free hand, recognizing it as another mana potion. With no time to uncork it properly, he bit down on the wax seal and spat it away, then gulped the contents while fending off another attack with his dagger.
The effect was immediate. Energy surged through him, like ice water flooding through parched veins.
[Mana reserves restored: 85%]
As strength returned to his limbs, so too did clarity to his mind. Blue hail was effective but it required too much mana. There had to be a smarter way. Lucia's words from earlier echoed in his mind.
The God of Light offers his blessing and protection during the day.
These creatures were born of darkness. They feared light.
His brush moved with purpose as he dipped it into the white paint. He began painting a glowing sigil in the air. Unlike his fire magic, the rain didn't weaken this light. If anything, the water droplets amplified it, scattering the glow in all directions
[Paint: White as Holy I]
[MP Cost:3]
The completed sigil exploded outward in a wave of pure, brilliant light. Unlike the harsh flash of Lucia's potion, this light was sustained and expansive, washing over the camp in gentle waves. Where it touched the shadowhounds, the cloud of darkness surrounding their form hissed and steamed away, revealing the skeletal silver structure beneath their dark exterior.
[Shadowhound is weak to holy]
[White as Holy Dmg x2]
The largest shadowhound shrieked as the light penetrated its form. The creature's body began to dissolve, wisps of shadow evaporating into the night air until only a metallic skeleton remained. Then, it collapsed into dust.
"By the Gods," Lucia whispered as her eyes widened. "You're channeling divine magic now."
The other shadowhounds retreated into the surrounding darkness, beyond the reach of Clive's spell. Within moments, the pack had vanished, leaving only the continuous patter of rain and the soft glow of the divine light that now encircled their camp.
"How did you do that?" Lucia asked, her voice filled with awe. "Divine magic is reserved for the priests of the Light Temple. Most mages can't channel it directly."
Clive stared at his brush, still wet with white paint. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just... I thought about what white represents in art. Purity. Light. Divinity. And it felt right."
"Whatever you did, it worked. The shadowhounds are gone now.”
No sooner had Lucia's words faded than another bone-chilling shriek pierced the night air. It wasn’t over yet.
"Spoke too soon," Clive muttered, his fingers tightening around his brush.
From the darkness beyond, something massive rolled into view. Unlike the shadowy forms of the hounds, this creature had a segmented carapace of overlapping plates. As it unfurled, the monster rose to stand on powerful hind legs, its front limbs ending in curved claws that looked like they could shred steel.
"Gods preserve us," Lucia whispered. "That's a shadowarmadillo. What did we do to deserve this? They're supposed to be rare."
[Shadowarmadillo]
Power Level: 20
Clive frowned. His power level was fifteen. For the first time, he was facing someone, or something, with stronger than him. This would be difficult.
"Lucky us," Clive said as he raised his brush.
He repeated the same motions that had banished the shadowhounds, his brush gliding through white paint.
[Paint: White as Holy I]
The sigil bloomed in the air before him, releasing another wave of divine light. It washed over the shadowarmadillo, but unlike with the hounds, the creature merely flinched and lowered its head, using its armored plates as a shield. Though the darkness coating its shell wavered, the creature itself remained unharmed.
[Shadowarmadillo is resistant to magic]
[White as Holy Dmg x0.5]
"It's not working!" Clive shouted.
Lucia ducked behind him, frantically rummaging through her satchel. "The scales are resisting your magic! These creatures evolved to withstand both arcane and divine attacks.”
The shadowarmadillo charged, rolling into a ball of spiked armor before hurtling toward them with frightening speed.
"Move!" Clive cried, shoving Lucia sideways.
They barely evaded as the creature barreled past, leaving a deep furrow in the muddy ground. It uncurled at the edge of their camp, turning back with surprising agility for something so large.
“If magic doesn’t work, then...” He drew his dagger, which gleamed in the dying light of his fading spell.
"You're not seriously going to—" Lucia began.
The shadowarmadillo charged again. This time, Clive stood his ground until the last possible moment. His [Motion Vision] tracked the creature's trajectory, calculating its angles and timing. At the exact moment, he stepped aside and slashed downward with his dagger.
The blade scraped across the creature's armored shell, producing a shower of sparks but leaving barely a scratch.
[Shadowarmadillo is resistant to slashing attacks]
[Dagger slash dmg x0.75]
The impact caused Clive's arm to recoil. The creature skidded to a halt and whirled around. It opened its mouth, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth, and let out another ear-splitting shriek that made Clive's ears ring.
"The shell is too thick!" Lucia called. "I don't have anything strong enough to penetrate it!"
Damn it. What now?
[Certainty: Every monster has a weakness Clive. You just have to find it.]
A weakness...
Clive studied the monster before him with his [Artist’s eyes].
With each movement of the creature, he observed how its plates overlapped, how they shifted as it breathed and moved. There was a rhythm to it. Between the larger plates, gaps appeared momentarily as it reared back, preparing for another charge.
Clive closed his eyes for a second, visualizing his plan of attack in his mind’s eyes. When they opened, his gaze was sharp and focused.
He could already see the ending.
I was just an adventurer once. Slaying goblins, plundering loot— I never asked for anything more. But word of my deeds spread, and soon my enemies were calling me a villain. They placed their hate and spite on my shoulders, as though defeating me would magically make their lives better.
And so I fought and I fought and I fought some more... until there was no one left to fight. I won... and what awaited me at the end? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
- Extract of “The Solitude of the Void”, autobiography of the Demon King.
