Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Penetrating Vision
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How many hours had passed?
My vision was spinning, and my mind was starting to fade.
Was it because of the repeated, excessive pain?
"Uh... ah..."
I could barely speak.
It felt like I'd lost my language entirely.
But it didn't feel all that bad.
There were clear results, after all.
Swoooosh-.
Even though my jaw wouldn't move properly, magical energy was surging through my body.
I gazed at the four empty bottles in front of me and cheered inwardly.
'It's done!'
With the last one I'd just drunk, I'd finally fully absorbed all the elixirs.
Among the changes, two stood out the most.
Swoooosh!
One was this mana rising from my fingertips like a heat haze.
Even at a glance, the energy felt completely different from before.
'Much denser and stickier.'
The concentration of my mana had thickened.
[Elixir of Mana Concentration].
That was the effect of one of the elixirs I hadn't known about.
And the other one.
'I can see it.'
I could see all those changes.
The concentration and flow of mana, the nature of my own mana, and so on.
Everything was visible to my eyes, far more clearly than usual.
The remaining unknown elixir must have been the [Penetrating Elixir].
If so, then not just my mana, but others' mana too. No, auras, demonic energy—every kind of energy would be visible to me.
What kind it was, its condition, how strong it was, and more. My field of vision itself had expanded.
Of course I was satisfied.
'Come to think of it, I'm a 7th Circle mage now too.'
With that thought, I closed my eyes and focused on my mana.
From 7th Circle onward—high-rank mages—could imprint a unique pattern on their mana.
Having reached that level, the method came naturally to mind, and soon enough, I engraved a pattern onto my mana.
'Done.'
Now my mana had resistance that others couldn't easily interfere with.
It felt strangely emotional.
'[Elixir of Casting Speed], [Elixir of Attribute Affinity], [Elixir of Mana Concentration], and [Penetrating Elixir] too...'
I'd fully absorbed all four elixirs and even patterned my mana.
As I felt the dramatically stronger mana throughout my body, it happened.
Thud!
"Ah, top ranker! I was wondering where you were... Huh?"
Thompson, who had barged into my room, flinched and took a step back.
His eyes were wide; he looked extremely flustered.
"...Top ranker, what happened to you?"
Thompson asked in a worried tone, and I followed his gaze.
There I saw my completely wrecked state.
My noticeably skeletal arms and legs.
A torso so emaciated my ribs were visible.
The area around me was soaked with sweat expelled from my body, and it gave off a foul stench unlike normal sweat.
This must have been one of the elixir side effects too.
I tried to say I was fine since my mind was still sharp.
"Gah... uh..."
"T-Top ranker!"
My pronunciation was still off, and Thompson rushed over to me in a panic, unable to understand.
For some reason, his face looked even more serious than before.
***
Crunch! Crunch!
Asion Gail looked at the man in front of him with incredulous eyes and spoke.
"So, he drank the elixirs?"
"Yes... There were four empty bottles scattered around. They had to be elixirs."
"Truly reckless. Reckless..."
At the word "reckless," Thompson nodded in agreement.
Honestly, even he thought so.
Who in the world drinks four elixirs in one go?
Thompson liked simple things, but even he wouldn't have the confidence to down four elixirs at once.
That was gambling with your life.
Times like this made him think that guy lived even more recklessly than he did.
The funny part was, even that seemed cool.
'That's the heroism for you.'
Not just anyone could be a hero.
Maybe that's why he was destined to be one.
He knew it wasn't true, but the thought kept creeping in.
'...He's a different breed from the start. The top ranker is.'
As Thompson admired him, he spoke up.
It was cool, sure, but he was still worried.
"He'll recover soon, right?"
Thompson's eyes were on Yoo Han's emaciated body.
It was worse than their first meeting.
He could pass out any second.
"Probably. Elixir side effects don't last long."
Fortunately, Asion Gail gave a positive answer.
And sure enough, soon.
Crunch! Crunch!
As Yoo Han shoveled food into his mouth like a madman, flesh began to fill out his body.
Just as Asion Gail said, consuming food was resolving the elixir side effects.
"Phew..."
Thompson finally let out a sigh of relief.
He'd thought he'd have to see skinny Yoo Han like this forever.
"Top ranker, wanna eat together?"
Thompson approached him cautiously and asked.
Unlike earlier when he'd been obsessed with food, he looked a bit more compos mentis now.
Yoo Han nodded as he chewed his meat.
"Sure. I'll order some for you too, old man."
"Haha... Thanks."
Thompson smiled faintly.
The table was still piled high with food, but he wanted more.
He seemed intent on devouring every last bit here.
Well, that just meant the elixir side effects were that severe.
Food was prepared quickly, and as Thompson speared his with a fork, he asked.
"Why the rush lately, top ranker?"
It had been on his mind.
Unlike others resting after the war, he kept preparing something.
"Because of Alvheim?"
He figured it had to do with the next destination, that 'Alvheim.'
And right on cue.
"Yeah, well... It's a dangerous place. Gotta prepare thoroughly."
Yoo Han nodded in agreement.
"Is Alvheim that dangerous?"
Thompson had heard of Alvheim.
The elves' land, brimming with nature's mysteries.
He'd heard it was close to the dwarves' territory too.
But dangerous?
He'd never heard anything negative like that.
When he mentioned it.
"Yeah, that's true. The place itself isn't dangerous."
Yoo Han agreed.
"But it'll be different when we go. It's unambiguously异種族 territory."
"So, dangerous because of the species difference?"
"Yep. A kind of racial discrimination, you could say. Barundel had a hell of a time here in Asteron too, right?"
"Oh..."
Come to think of it, he'd heard that.
How tough it had been for the dwarf Barundel in human lands, Asteron.
Every kind of discrimination imaginable.
Word was, even the training hall he'd ambitiously opened had flown nothing but flies for ages.
Barundel was someone even Thompson acknowledged for physical training, so bad business meant racial discrimination plain and simple.
As he thought that, Yoo Han continued.
"We don't discriminate openly. We do it subtly, without showing it."
"True."
Humans, who valued face, rarely discriminated outright.
But.
"It's different there."
异種族 didn't care about that.
Yoo Han calmly shared anecdotes he knew with Thompson.
Humans who visited Alvheim and went missing for years, only to turn up as corpses.
People claiming they'd been brainwashed into elf culture, and such.
"...They go that far?"
The more he heard, the more outrageous it sounded.
At this point, it seemed like elves outright despised humans.
"Well, who knows if it's true."
They were all unverified rumors.
***
He'd stuffed himself to the bursting point before the meal ended.
'Time to head out.'
After a short rest, I slowly prepared to leave.
I'd told the others in advance to meet near the academy this evening.
When I arrived at the spot, they were already all there.
"Oh, top ranker. Over here. You okay now?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. You guys are early."
"We got nothing else to do."
Kayla, Thompson, and even Barundel.
"Let's get to the point."
I looked at my companions and spoke.
"You all really going?"
The reason we'd gathered today was simple.
To confirm everyone's intentions one last time.
I'd wrapped up goodbyes with others, so departure was truly imminent.
"I'll say it again: no need to force yourselves. Everyone has their own circumstances."
I spoke as lightly as possible to avoid pressuring them.
It wasn't empty words.
The journey ahead wasn't just Alvheim.
Alvheim, Vulcan Kingdom, dwarven lands, and beyond.
It would stretch on endlessly, impossible to say where it ended.
That's why I didn't want anyone swept up in the mood and forcing themselves along.
But.
"How many times you gonna say it? I'm coming no matter what."
"I got nowhere else to go."
"Catching demons is for the greater good, isn't it? Can't sit this out."
Contrary to my expectations, they responded with firm resolve.
Seemed everyone was set on it.
"You sure? You might regret it."
I pressed once more to be absolutely clear.
"Pfft, regret? Enough of this gloomy talk—cheers!"
"Good idea!"
They even started partying without me.
Clink!
The cheerful toast rang in my ears.
Amid it, Kayla whispered.
"You're too serious at times like this, Yoo Han."
I couldn't help but chuckle.
Her words soothed my heart somehow.
They might seem simple by my standards, but that's why.
'These people might just...'
Make it all the way to the demon world where Baal awaited.
It hit me then: for the first time in [Devil Fantasy], I'd found companions whose hearts matched mine—not for specs or efficiency, but truly.