How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 76: 6-Circle (7)

Hellfire. Earthquake. Tornado.

These were the well-known and iconic 6th Circle spells.

Well, calling them “common” wasn’t exactly accurate. After all, mages who reached the 6th Circle were incredibly rare to begin with.

“......”

Karl slowly let himself feel the mana of the sixth ringed circle.

Deep. Vast.

He’d already felt a major shift in quality when awakening from 4th to 5th Circle... but this? This was beyond anything he could even describe with words.

Just for a moment, he felt as if he had completely become one with mana itself.

‘Was the gap really this absurdly wide?’

Only now, after reaching the 6th Circle, did he fully understand.

The difference between the 5th and 6th Circles—

The wall between them was higher and thicker than anything he could’ve imagined.

Even if you only considered raw mana alone, it made sense.

If the 4th Circle was a reasonably large pond, and the 5th Circle was a small lake, then standing in the 6th Circle now felt like facing an enormous inland sea.

Casting, control, and every other ability had risen incomparably as well.

[Due to the Circle increase, the effect of Arzak-type Circling evolves.]

<Arzak-type Circling>

Total mana increased by 35%.

Destruction power of lightning-type magic increased by 100%.

Mana cost of lightning-type magic reduced by 30%.

Effects increase or evolve as Circle level rises. (Current: 6th Circle)

A new message followed.

Karl blinked, then let out a short chuckle.

‘Right, this was supposed to evolve as the Circle rose.’

The effects of the Arzak-type Circling he currently used had improved as well.

His total mana was increased by an additional 10%, lightning spell power had gone up another 25%, and now it even reduced mana cost for lightning magic—a brand new effect.

Karl smirked and looked toward the two swarm commander spiders in front of him.

The bastards who had been charging at him confidently just moments ago were now visibly hesitating.

Because their prey’s energy had suddenly changed.

“Just in time. Some decent test subjects too.”

Might as well try it out.

Karl stretched out his hand and began casting a spell.

【Hellfire】

Fwoooosh!!

A blackish-red flame bloomed in the air.

Unlike ordinary fire spells, it crackled with a sinister aura.

Karl hurled it toward the commander spider on the left.

The massive black flame engulfed the creature’s body in an instant.

Kyaaaaargh!!

The spider shrieked in agony and flipped over onto the ground.

Its outer shell, which had held up even after taking a lightning strike earlier, burned away in seconds.

At that moment, the commander spider on the right lunged with its front leg to attack.

Karl casually soared upward and dodged.

Ssshhhkkk!!

Venom spat through the air but failed to pierce Karl’s shield.

He floated midair, looking down at the two commander spiders below.

It was a strange feeling.

Just moments ago, those things had seemed like overwhelming threats.

But now, they looked exactly like what they were—bugs. Bugs he could squash as easily as stepping on them.

“Let’s wrap this up.”

He wanted to try a few more things, but the central island was on his mind.

Kainbella was dead, so the swarm should’ve scattered by now, but if the defensive line was already breached, there’d be no fixing it.

【Lightning Wave】

BZZZZZAAAK!!

A devastating surge of electricity engulfed the entire cavern.

The already half-dead left commander spider was instantly annihilated, but the one on the right survived—barely.

“Hm?”

A red shimmer rippled across the creature’s body.

Karl laughed softly at the sight.

“You had Blood Armor too?”

Blood Armor.

A defensive ability so overpowered that, once activated, it absorbed nearly anything until its duration ended.

But that was all relative.

Karl cast another spell.

KRA-KOOM!!

Lightning crashed down once more.

Visible cracks appeared in the commander spider’s Blood Armor. The shockwave alone caused the cavern walls to collapse in several places.

The 6th Circle.

The 35% mana boost from Arzak-type Circling.

And the 100% increase in lightning magic destruction power.

That same Blood Armor which had tanked a direct lightning hit earlier? There was no way it could endure this now.

Karl had just entered the 6th Circle, but the sheer firepower of his lightning magic already far surpassed his supposed level.

“You won’t last a third hit.”

Karl murmured that and fired one final blast.

CRACK!!

The Blood Armor shattered into dust, and the spider’s body instantly turned to ash. It died without even letting out a death cry.

Karl descended calmly from the air.

He was just about to leave the cave when a monstrous presence was picked up by his detection spell.

“...What the hell?”

When he stepped outside, the sight that greeted him was something he hadn’t anticipated.

A black wave surging toward him from afar.

It was Kainbella’s swarm—the one that had been heading toward the central island earlier. Countless spiders, big and small, were marching together. Commander spiders were mixed among them too.

Why the hell were they suddenly coming this way?

There was one possible reason.

‘Did the queen call the entire swarm along with the commanders earlier?’

Yeah, she must’ve been desperate enough to just summon everyone at once.

The two nearby commanders had arrived first, and the rest—closer to the central island—were only now arriving.

Kainbella was dead, so their psychic link should’ve broken. But since they were already on their way here, they probably hadn’t stopped.

They were creatures of instinct. They had no higher thought—only the queen’s commands. Now that she was gone, they likely didn’t even know why they were here.

If he just avoided them, they’d probably wander off eventually...

[Emergency Quest Activated.]

<Emergency Quest: Extermination Sweep>

Now that the queen is dead, the spiders can no longer unite into a massive swarm. However, if left alone, they may grow into a new threat over time.

Exterminate the entire swarm to restore ecological balance in Sector 11 and eliminate the danger at its root.

Quest Reward: 500,000 SP

Karl grinned at the message that popped into his head.

Looking down at the incoming spider horde, he gathered the enormous mana of the sixth circle.

It had been a long time since a quest actually matched his mood.

* * *

Near the bridge connected to the central island—

“Hold them! Don’t let a single one across!”

The earlier standoff was broken, and the members of the 3rd squad were now locked in a desperate struggle under the pouring rain.

The bridge had collapsed, but that didn’t mean the spiders had no way of crossing.

Over time, they began launching webs toward the cliff face of the central island.

Most fell short due to the distance, but a few managed to stick and form connections.

And then, one by one, spiders started climbing across the connected threads.

Cutting the webs would’ve been enough—but there were simply too many of them. Just stopping all those attempts was already overwhelming.

On top of that, the 3rd squad was exhausted from the previous battles and badly needed reinforcements.

That was when Count Uldemir arrived, personally leading knights and mages.

The faces of the squad lit up with relief.

“Count!”

"I’ve been fully briefed on the situation. You’ve all done well."

Dismounting from his horse, Count Uldemir gave Rail a firm pat on the shoulder, then barked new orders to the troops.

"Support the 3rd squad! Stop the spiders ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) from crossing!"

Reinforcements surged forward in an instant.

The spiders, relentlessly firing webs to get across to the central island, began plummeting into the seawater one after another.

The knights’ swords and the mages’ spells came crashing down, cutting off all routes of approach to the island.

For a brief moment, it looked like the situation was back under control.

“L-Look over there...!!”

Someone suddenly shouted in panic, pointing toward the opposite side of the island.

From the rear of the spider swarm, massive shapes began to emerge.

Commander spiders.

The monsters that had nearly wiped out the 3rd squad earlier.

Rail spotted them too and shouted urgently.

"Focus fire on those huge spiders! Their jumping distance is—!!"

But it was already too late.

One of the beasts crouched low and then launched itself in a massive arc straight toward the island.

BOOM!!

Everyone at the landing site was instantly crushed to death.

The high-ranking knights and mages Count Uldemir had brought quickly retaliated, but their attacks did nothing.

The spider, swatting lazily with its limbs as if swatting flies, crushed several knights into pulp.

BOOOOM!!

Another one followed, landing on the island with an earth-shaking crash.

Despair flickered across the soldiers’ faces. They knew exactly what came next.

If two commander spiders started rampaging at once, there’d be no way to stop them.

And then—

“......?”

The commander spiders, scanning the battlefield as if picking targets, suddenly turned their heads.

Without hesitation, they spun around, crouched low again, and leapt away.

THUD!

They returned to the island of Sector 11 and began rushing off in a hurry.

And they weren’t alone.

The rest of the spiders, the ones trying to crawl onto the central island, all turned back as well. The entire swarm began moving deeper inland.

“Wh-What...?”

Just like that, the massive spider horde that had come charging in... retreated.

Everyone stood there, stunned, watching in disbelief.

Then Rail suddenly gasped and shouted at Henry.

"The queen! They’re going where the queen is!"

All spiders were psychically linked to the queen—if she was in danger, she would’ve summoned the swarm.

Karl must have found her.

Henry quickly pieced it together and stepped up to Uldemir.

"We have to follow them—now."

He briefly explained the queen’s connection, and how Karl had remained behind in Sector 11 to deal with her.

Even if there wasn’t much they could do now that the spiders were already moving, they had to try to help however they could.

Uldemir nodded.

"Gather a small team. We’re crossing the island."

And so Henry, Rail, two high-ranking knights, and a high-ranking mage accompanied Count Uldemir himself to pursue the swarm.

Though he wasn’t a high knight, Uldemir was a remarkably skilled swordsman in his own right.

A renowned noble from a prestigious knightly family, he was the type who couldn’t stand commanders who sacrificed their men from the rear without stepping forward themselves.

"Gather around me."

High Mage Kenzel activated his force field and began levitating the group across.

They crossed into Sector 11 and followed the trail of the retreating swarm.

They ran for some time, until finally, something began to appear ahead of the swarm, just a speck in the distance.

Squinting hard to identify it first, Rail and Henry’s eyes flew wide open.

"...Karl!"

It was Karl.

He stood calmly at the center of a broad, gently sloping stone hill, gazing down at the oncoming swarm.

"What the hell is he doing?! Why isn’t he moving?!"

Rail shouted, alarmed by the casual stance Karl was holding.

The others watching him began to tense, worry filling their expressions—

THUD...

A tremor rolled through the area.

Everyone froze in place and looked down.

"...What was that just now?"

The ground had shaken.

An earthquake?

And then, as they looked forward again—the sight before them widened their eyes to the limit.

RUMMMMMBLE...!!

The ground collapsed, the earth convulsed violently.

The terrain itself flipped over like a table. The swarm of spiders charging ahead were swallowed up completely by the quake. It had struck without warning—no sign, no prelude.

And it wasn’t over.

KRRRAAAAK...

A deafening boom tore across the sky, and suddenly, a bolt of lightning slammed down to the earth.

FLASH!

And it didn’t stop with one.

CRAAACK! BOOM! KA-KRAKOOM!!

Three times. Five. Ten. Twenty...

Soon, uncountable bolts of lightning were raining down from the heavens, tearing through the spider army.

Thunder split the sky. Blue flashes burst without rest.

The swarm, caught directly in the heart of this cataclysm, was utterly annihilated.

With each lightning strike, dozens of spiders burst into ash. Even the terrifying commander spiders exploded into chunks of meat, without putting up a fight.

Divine judgment.

Everyone watching, frozen in awe, had the same thought run through their minds. Anyone who saw this scene would have thought the same.

It looked like wrath from the heavens.

Sssshhhh...

Finally, the lightning storm faded.

All that remained were ashes where the spiders had stood—and a scorched, molten field of earth still glowing red.

"...6th Circle."

High Mage Kenzel muttered in a daze, his face completely drained of color.

The 6th Circle—Star-Class Mage.

A supreme level of mastery, capable of invoking localized natural disasters and annihilating entire armies alone.

All eyes turned again toward one spot.

Far in the distance, Karl still stood unmoving, surveying the exterminated spider horde.

And somehow, that arrogant posture of his... had never suited him more.