Chapter 112
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Chapter 112
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Mist
After dropping a nuke of my own in the chat room, my task was still to wander in search of the Oracle Stele.
Yeah, putting it like that makes me sound pretty helpless.
But no one was paying more attention to the chat room's flow than I was.
Now that the upheaval had begun, unexpected variables would come pouring in from here on out.
I had to respond to them appropriately.
To handle those variables even better, I needed the Oracle Stele—and my own strength.
So it wasn't like I was just leisurely wandering around.
'Anonymous (6)… no, Naked Truth has a stele too, she said.'
Retrieving that one would probably have to wait until after the magical integration was complete.
On top of that, I had to hear what Merciful Crown wanted to ask of me.
"Busy, busy."
In the midst of all that, the newly arrived Blazing Glory spoke up as well.
What he said went like this.
What should I do?
Huh?
Hm?
First thing you say after joining is that?
Was it some kind of succinct expression of confusion in the bewildered atmosphere where no one knew what to ask or where to start?
But it didn't seem like that either.
Blazing Glory's personality was a bit unique too.
I'm asking because I don't know how I can be of help.
What am I supposed to do?
Well now.
Asking like that makes me feel like your babysitter.
The Tower of Intellect said that, but it seemed like he was licking his chops.
Maybe he'd already figured out most personalities by now. It felt that way somehow.
Anonymous (5). No, not content with the Son of Courage, now going after Blazing Glory too?
For now, out of the two new members, he clearly didn't match with Naked Truth.
I can't help if it's not now.
You'll help if we ask?
Isn't that what you want?
So you'll do whatever you're told?
There must be a reason you called me here.
No...
The Tower of Intellect seemed flustered.
He hadn't expressed it in the chat room, but I felt the same way.
What was it? Our ways of thinking were just fundamentally different. That's why the conversation wasn't flowing smoothly.
Of course, it would be great if I could truly 'inspire' the members of this chat room.
From some point on, when Anonymous (2) started treating '0' sincerely, it had felt burdensome at first, but looking back now, that trust was the foundation that let me call them my apostles.
Anonymous (1) grumbled in his speech, but he showed respect for '0' here and there.
That kind of faith was necessary to keep this organization solid.
But that would take time.
Anonymous (1) and (2) weren't early members, after all.
Especially the new ones—I didn't have a clear read on them yet, so I figured I needed time to test the waters.
But if he was this obedient—or straightforward—it worked in my favor.
The only weird part was that he'd shown up, preached grand goals, even changed his name to something unfamiliar, and yet was willing to do whatever he was told.
Do you already know about '0'?
I don't.
...
Should I believe this or not.
But what do you mean you can't help unless it's now?
I have to go to work.
Work?
Can't you smuggle out a little stele like this from there?
Blazing Glory's reply came much later.
I see.
It's possible.
But I can't leave that place.
You mean you can never leave from now on?
No.
Hm.
I can come outside.
Hm.
It'll take quite a long time, though.
In the meantime.
Hm. You don't have to post that here.
You post everything here, things you can say and can't say.
Hm, that's within the range I can understand.
I'm honored that the Root of Understanding understands.
Blazing Glory?
Not funny.
I wasn't trying to be funny.
Anyone could see it that way.
Do you think I wouldn't know?
And don't use the epithet '0' gave you for such lowbrow puns.
This is scary; I can barely bring myself to say her name.
Don't be sarcastic.
Be grateful '0' isn't angry.
...
Anyway, continuing with Blazing Glory.
The Tower of Intellect seemed to be running out of things to say.
Judging by how he turned back to the easygoing newbie.
If you can come out even briefly, that's enough.
I don't know your sense of time, but it doesn't mean much to the people here.
Especially to '0'.
It has no meaning...
I see.
Understood.
If there's something you want, we can trade for it—on our terms.
You can pay up when you can come out briefly.
And just like always, the Tower of Intellect explained the rules of this place to the newbie.
I left that to him and looked away from the manaphone.
To recap, there were two reasons I'd set out on this journey.
One was finding the Oracle Stele. The other was achieving magical integration.
Those two things seemed similar but were different.
Finding the Oracle Stele would give descriptions of the primordial glyphs for each attribute.
Achieving magical integration meant growing familiar with each attribute.
Discovering the primordial glyphs might make familiarity come faster, but even without them, integration was possible.
For example, in this volcanic region where I'd spent the last few months, I'd grown familiar with the fire attribute.
I could say I'd taken one step closer to magical integration.
But I hadn't found the Oracle Stele.
It'd be nice if there were a more systematic way to find the Oracle Steles…
Like how I could read those inscriptions with primordial mana.
Or like when I'd first found the hero's tomb, with primordial mana guiding the way.
Leaving it to the chat room members or searching on my own would inevitably consume a massive amount of time.
'Am I being too handout-hungry?'
But hadn't the primordial mana concept been all about handouts so far?
Click and handout.
Changing that now might disappoint…
Even if the result was the same, having a grueling process along the way suited the hero, not me—sorry, Rosellin.
If it wasn't that kind of method, how else could anyone find all the scattered Oracle Steles without knowing how many there were or where?
…I'd wasted so much time that some dark impulse deep in my heart had reared its head without me realizing.
'Calm down.'
I might be overthinking it in a rush, but as a Transcendent, I had plenty of time.
What the Tower of Intellect had said in the chat room—that time held little meaning—was probably along those lines.
That's when it hit me: the giant tree by the hero's tomb.
The massive tree engraved with complex, countless glyphs.
After finding the primordial glyph of frost, I'd tried to search for it on the tree but put it off for later.
'Maybe I should take a look.'
It might hold some key.
I found a safe spot to hide, then used my consciousness to head to the hero's tomb.
In that place shrouded thickly in mist, I turned my gaze to the towering giant tree piercing through the fog above.
The lesser primordial mana was already blooming in my palm.
It lit up the surroundings, revealing the intricate glyphs carved into the grain of the wood.
The tree was so enormous that the glyphs were huge too, tangled so complexly it was hard to tell where they began or ended.
I had to stare for a good while.
But since I knew the primordial glyph of frost, after gazing long enough, part of a specific glyph caught my eye.
Using that as a tail, I followed it and precisely located the frost glyph.
I even floated up into the air to confirm it.
It was definitely the frost glyph. The primordial glyph of frost.
'It's just carved there?'
Why were they engraved into the wood grain like this, when the Oracle Steles had detailed explanations?
On a hunch, I channeled mana imbued with the primordial glyph along the glyph carved into the wood grain.
The rate at which the mana flowed out was no different from using normal mana. It really was just the pattern that had changed.
And yet it held boundless power—that was the advantage of these primordial glyphs.
And the moment I fully channeled the mana into the frost glyph carved on the tree.
Rumble.
Centered on where the tree was deeply rooted, the ground began to shake.
The vibration spread outward, as if the space itself was quaking.
And soon, the mist enveloping the surroundings was pushed back like waves.
The mist hadn't cleared completely, but a fairly wide area hidden beyond it was now revealed.
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