Isekai Journey Of The Magic Archer

True berserk occurs when a beast loses all sense of reason, let goes of its sanity, let goes their control over its powers, and just mindlessly runs wild and destroys everything or makes the reason for its berserk their target of obliteration.

The boy had faced this kind of berserk once and almost lost his life to the berserk creature.

He also met one of the most important persons in his life in this process but he definitely couldn't defeat that truly berserk being.

He couldn't do that back then, but now he was different.

He was stronger and had more equipment, strong weapons, and even some special powers.

He was confident that he could win against a creature like that one, though after a bloody fight, he was sure he can.

And if he could defeat that demonic beast, this pure one that had gone berserk and was one step lower than that one, was a definite easy target.

Even more so after losing the sanity that made him the most difficult opponent just a moment ago.

The troll mage that had seen the destruction of his family, the death of all his children and loved ones, only had one last thing remaining in his heart.

A bloody revenge.

He was quiet after the small intruder's weird arrow pierced the last of his newborn.

His silence, the micro sound of flowing blood that flooded the floor, the flickering of flames, the small winds flowing through the open area, and... the calm before a storm.

The dangerous storm that started as soon as the brown shield covering his surroundings suddenly shattered into tiny particles of light.

He walked out of the area without Mana, his head still looking down.

The open area inside the cave only lit by the flames around the area was now only filled with one thing...

-Thum.

-Thum.

-Chum.

The giant troll walked out of the Mana-sucking barrier with his ground-shaking steps.

Steps that just walked toward the intruder that was silently watching him walk toward him.

His steps shook the ground. His big steps that fell on the blood of his children, creating a wave in the silent pool of clear green blood covering the surrounding, trembled ever so slightly that it was unnoticeable.

But... the small intruder with a demon-like eye saw it clearly.

He knew the 'thoughts' of this creature that has fully gone insane after witnessing his family's death.

He knew he was to blame for that but, right now, it wasn't time to mourn over his decisions.

-Sweeeeeeeee...

The Mana in the surrounding, the Mana from the bodies of his fallen family, as well as the Mana from other parts of this cave, started gathering around this troll.

The calm nature of Mana, which always stayed natural in all conditions, started becoming chaotic as soon as it gathered around the berserk mage.

The natural color of Mana that gathered around him started becoming darker, darker... and darker, until it became as gray as his skin.

A murky gray that looked unsightly, something that was very contrasting to the nature of the great Mana.

But the boy, the small intruder, knew what this was.

He could recognize the precursor of Mana storm just from that ugly gray color.

He had expected this might happen, but the speed at which the Mana gathered around him was the unexpected factor.

Mana gathered. Turned gray. The troll's body also started emitting a weird black fog.

The black fog was the result of the Mana circuits through his body becoming flooded with extreme and unstable Mana. And this certain scenario leads to a rare phenomenon (Mana contamination).

The nature of his stable, pure, noble, beastly Mana became chaotic and impure...

The black fog continued, and the gray cloud of Mana became thicker and thicker. The Troll's strong gray body started losing hardness and became vulnerable because of the contamination.

The small intruder just watched silently, his eyes still sharply observing the uncommon process.

The red patterns on his brown magic bow were slowly turning brighter, a glow slowly filling the patterns from its root.

This process was activation. Activation of the main power of this magic bow.

This was naturally a special bow, and it had two major functions. First, creating a magic barrier that wouldn't break until the impact limit exceeds a certain amount of damage. Second, the ability to 'penetrate'.

The bow itself was called the bow of earth and strength and after a certain 'charging', the bow gained the ability to almost penetrate anything.

Even the hard scale of a [Drake] or any [Draconian] species.

But the charging took time.

So, he was waiting now that every piece was in place.

Target's defenses were at their lowest right now. His [Damage return] ability was also unstable because of the Mana contamination. His continuous spell-casting was a problem, but he wasn't sane anymore, so his accuracy was practically at the bottom.

The conditions were in his favor. And the storm of Mana was of no concern for him now.

He could now defeat this creature with minimum damage... though the psychological damage will remain with him forever.

...

The troll opened his eyes.

His now red, blood-filled eyes.

There were no emotions other than anger, rage, hatred, agony, and… one wish.

He looked at the small intruder, drops of bloody tears sliding down his sullen cheeks.

He was empty now. The only thing in his being was the hate for the intruder, so... he started his attacks while still standing in the middle of this pool of blood made from his own children's blood.

The wand in his hand started glowing.

The wand had the ability to gather Mana and make the spell casting faster.

It was also a wand that increased the ability of wind-type spells.

And the troll mage was also a wind and fire mage, so... spears made of dark wind, red fireballs of hateful flames, and arrows made of fire and wind combined appeared all around its body.

There were tens of spells, something normal mages couldn't do.

His continuous casting was also magnificent, even in an unstable state.

But the magic itself... wasn't strong enough.

It was weak and unimpressive.

One could tell that this wasn't just because of impure Mana. The process of berserk itself made the mind weaker than it had been.

The power of these (tier-3) spells fell, which was a naturally good thing for him.

But the most important thing that he did all this for was...

-Swuuuuung!

-Swiiiiiish!

-Spppppin!

The fireballs, arrows, and spears shot in all directions of the cave.

Some struck the strong walls of the cave, some destroyed the houses he had built with his children, and some even destroyed his food storage.

Only a few were aimed at him and despite the spells being giant, they were far easy to dodge compared to an actual, sane mage's attacks aimed for actually killing the target.

This was the result of insanity. And the change was complete.

The pattern on his bow glowed pure red now. The attractive glow in a dimly lit cave gave it even more coolness.

But that was it.

The intruder moved from his position using [Quick steps] and moved back using [Shadow dive].

He pulled back his bowstring, materializing an arrow that looked just like a real solid red arrow.

-Swuuuuung!

-Swiiiiiish!

-Spppppin!

The fireballs, arrows, and spears continued without rest and the boy easily dodged the spells, secured a position, and shot his arrow... perfectly aimed at the head of the troll mage.

The arrow he shot was a perfect materialized spell of earth and fire attribute, somewhat similar to the spells he used previously to kill the normal trolls.

But, unlike those peak-level (tier-2) spells, this (tier-3) arrow was something superior to them.

-Swiiiiiiiiiiiish!

Like a wyvern flying through the air, cutting the air and everything in its path, this arrow also cut through the spells.

Weak fireballs were dismissed, red arrows of fire enhanced by gray winds were broken down, and the spear tips that collided with the arrow tip were pierced as easily as a bullet piercing a sheet of paper.

The arrow moved through the sharp and chaotic storm of Mana around the troll, collided with the dark murky gray storm that seemed like an impenetrable protective shield, and even pierced through it with similar ease.

But... the mage perceived the arrow as a threat to his life, so he tried to block the arrow with his wand!

The big wand, which had become as big as his size because of the size-changing skill attached to the old wand, was placed before his head.

-Booooooooom!

The arrow collided with the staff covered by a thick fog of dark and impure Mana. And... the little intruder clicked and shook his head.

He had already anticipated this action from this insane being, so he had moved through the shadows and arrived just behind the troll mage.

And as soon as the big collision with the arrow tore the Mana fog, collided with the wooden wand, and exploded...

-Swiiiiiiiiiiiish!

He released another similar arrow; this time covered by a strong, sharp wind.

The arrow moved without any sound this time. There was also no 'smell' to this magic as the wind erased that characteristic.

So, the arrow pierced the storm of Mana without resistance, and this time... it stuck the neck of the Mage troll.

...

It was instinctive.

He could sense something that just poked the back of his neck.

He could guess what it might be from the sudden scent of the intruder that had somehow moved to his back.

The scene of pandemonium where his family was slaughtered by a single arrow that obliterated their heads was still there in his mind even though it had lost control.

He knew instinctively that his time had also come.

This was the first ever pain he felt after he lose against that damned evil spirit.

He could feel the heat that was now moving from his neck to his spinal cord, through his nerves, and the muscles, to his skull, and his brain.

It was a short time. A very short time since he lost control.

He admitted... he was weak. Even after giving up on everything and gaining a momentary ultimate power... he was still weak agast the small demon that killed all his family.

Every weak creature would yield before the strong at one point. He knew he was also weak against the true strength of nature.

There were countless stronger creatures but, he was also strong.

He was stronger than many alive beings on this island.

He was spared by the creature that devastated their home at one point because of this strength.

And though he had to live in this dark, desolate place for the longest he could remember, he was still living with his family with whatever remaining happiness.

But... his family was gone now. Every one of them.

his home, this dark cave, was also on fire now.

The bodies of his family were burning, the home they had built was burning, their food was burning... and the reason for all this, the devil that took away everything from him, was standing before his eyes as the storm of Mana disappeared.

He met his eyes for the first time, though it was also his last moment too.

He saw the look in his eyes at that short moment. The look that was anything but like a devil's.

The eyes were red, glowing in the sea of fire he himself created.

His eyes... those eyes of the devil that had done everything here.

Those eyes... they contained insurmountable grief. Shame that definitely didn't want to do the things he did. Eyes of a sinner that knew his sins. But... these eyes that contained so many emotions were devoid of guilt.

He knew the things he had done wouldn't be wrong from a hunter's perspective. But he still felt sympathy for the creatures who had to live and die like this.

He killed them, knowing full well that they were somewhat intelligent creatures, had families, and lived their own small, alone lives.

But, in the end, he knew he had to do it if he wanted to go through the mage.

And the dying mage, in his last breaths, also knew he had to block anyone from going through this path.

He would have done anything in his power to stop him, so the intruder did what he had to and just made the most ideal situation for his victory.

But still, even after his win, he had a warm heart, a big vessel that could carry the known sins of his life.

This wasn't something the troll that momentarily gained his senses could ignore.

This wasn't what devils and demons would look like after the 'slaughter' that so much delighted them.

These were the eyes of a noble creature, a being impressive enough to know the truths of good and bad in this world, and a person that deserved not hate and contempt but... respect.

He didn't live a single one alive, so now, he could actually reunite with his family in some different world. A better world where he neither has to worry about a bad fucking undead or any other 'good' demon.

He was thankful for this death.

This painless, quick death.

So... in his last moments, the creature that had ruled over and guarded this middle part of the tomb smiled with his unique smile and said his last words...

[< Thank you... >]

-Putch!

And just after that last hateful smile, his big gray head, his bleeding eyes, and bloody mouth... vanish as his head popped, just like his children's and family.