Scientia est Potentia, the Learner

*TACK* *TACK* *TACK* *TACK* *TACK* *TACK*

Without any warning, some small projectiles launched into all directions right from within the hellish flames!

"...!"

"Ghh!"

"What the?!"

"..."

"RAMPART! Thorson! Volk! Boss?!"

The distorted being dodged the one heading its way, but only one other mage - the young one who used the Impaler spell, Micheal, who served Melinda tea - managed to protect himself at the very last second and called out to the others before focusing on the elderly mage who didn't budge from his spot but neither did he let out any pained sound or used a spell to defend himself from the unidentified high-speed projectile.

"What the hell?! How could he be undamaged from the boss's spells?! Heal."

"What did that bastard shoot us with?! Heal"

The two other mages shook off the damage and scoffed, roughly examining their wounds before applying basic recovery spells.

"Thorson, Volk! You're alright?!"

"Geez, Micheal, focus on the enemy, take an example from our boss, he…"

The young mage called out, making his colleague shake his head at him before motioning at the elderly mage with his chin…

…and stopping as the elderly mage had started to slowly turn towards them…

"BOSS…!"

It was Micheal again, he called out in shock at the sight.

The elderly mage didn't manage to dodge the projectile at all, as it turned out.

The entrance wound was right in the middle of his forehead, with blood slowly oozing out of it and drowning his left eye.

"...get away… summon… the inquisitors…!"

With a vacant expression, the old man let out a few pained wheezes before his body spasmed.

"..."

"!!!"

The next moment, without making any more sounds, the elderly mage's head dropped onto his shoulder, and while the line of drool began dripping from the corner of his mouth, one of his eyeballs bulged and popped out of its socket…!

…but instead of dropping down and hanging on its nerve, it rose on a tentacle-like exposed muscle tissue…

"FUCK?! THAT GOT INSIDE OF ME!"

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!"

Both mages who got stuck with the same type of projectile began to panic, clawing at regenerating wounds in desperate attempts to make sure that the objects passed through their bodies without logging in.

"...this…"

Shocking everyone into silence, while a crown of teeth had sprouted out of the elderly mage's temple, with fangs and molars growing in several rows, the additional slit appeared across the man's actual lips, and one that slip moved like a parody of mouth, the voice that came out of it…

"...wasn't planned…"

…was baffled as the demon-crowned mage raised his convulsing hands with the fingers pulsating and twisting unnaturally in completely opposite directions up to the one exposed eyeball.

"This wasn't planned! Tell that one inquisitor girl that it wasn't my plan! Tell her I regret the explosion at the end and accept her deal! I appeared here by accident! It must be Sophia or Bouldegard's doing! They want to frame me! Tell her that!"

Whatever being was speaking through the mouth of the old mage, it appeared to be quite desperate before focusing at the young mage and pointing the twisted finger at him while demanding, sounding almost desperate.

And then…

"..."

*thump*

As if someone had cut off the strings of a puppet, the elderly demon-crowned mage dropped down lifelessly.

"...tsk… and that's it for that meathead? Once the report of Isle Five reached him, he really shat his pants. What a disgrace."

As the body of the elderly mage hit the ground, his spell went out only to reveal another creature.

Covered in molten metal from head to toe, the humanoid creature clicked its tongue and scoffed before wiping off the literal glowing-hot liquid to reveal its face.

It wasn't human, although it was an average height in human terms. It had greenish-gray skin and long spiky ears—the ears were very similar to elvish ones, with the difference that they were pointed sharply downwards, basically sticking to the humanoid's neck.

Its face had features commonly found in goblins and even ogres, but it was much more… refined… almost dignified. And its eyes… although the whites were white and the irises were brown, where a pupil should be black, they were only murky gray and slightly distorted, giving off an unnerving, otherworldly feeling.

Even after witnessing the bizarre demonification of an elderly mage, the creature's appearance was certainly the wildest sight.

"Humans. Be grateful. You are in the presence of Demon Lord Sophia's Third General. Scientia est Potentia, the Learner. Once I have gained an understanding of a phenomenon, I can no longer be harmed by it. Although I had to shed most of my levels to be able to move unnoticed, only one of you here might pose a challenge to me."

*WHAM*

The demon smiled, showing off its surprisingly human-like, although slightly bluish, teeth, only to get immediately attacked by the staticky being who launched itself at it and kicked at its head with clear bloodlust.

The attack reached the demon and connected, blowing off the molten metal away from its head and toned torso…

…and that's about it, Scientia didn't even budge. As it turned out, it caught the distorted being foot an inch away from its face.

"...ohhhh… And here I thought you were something outside the System, but you're just another human. I got my hopes up for nothing."

"!!!"

*WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*

The demon let out a disappointed voice, causing the distorted being to flinch and jump up, delivering one wild kick after the other in a futile attempt to break free.

"Your Strength stat is far too low for someone with a royal-type ability… Oh! I get it! Background Character, isn't it? I must say, it's the first time I've even heard or read about it being developed to that level, much less witnessed it first-hand! You aren't as much of a disappointment as I assumed!"

"!?!?"

Scientia said, squinting its eyes, carefully examining the staticky being and utterly baffling it with its knowledge.

"Hmm… Well, why not? Cogito asked me to test it out, and I will take the ability-less Fenrioette with me since she's just level 49 and would not survive it… Inventory. Equip Hungry Gauntlet."

The demon tilted its head and reached its free hand to the side before speaking up a command.

The next moment, in a flash of light, a blue scaly gauntlet with yellow vein-like wires running all over it appeared on its hand as Scientia wiggled its slender fingers.

"!!!"

*WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*

Without waiting for its next move, the distorted being, the demon claimed to be human, made another attempt at freeing itself, but each and every hit had the effect equivalent to tossing a floppy piece of paper against a wall.