Chapter 207: The Ancient City (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 207: The Ancient City (2)
An hour had already passed since we entered the city.
We still hadn't managed to move past the entrance.
The reason was simple.
There were too many magical beasts.
In that one hour, we had dealt with about fifty of them. Considering there were a fair number of B-rank beasts mixed in, this was far from ordinary.
The fact that so many had appeared in the outskirts, not even the city's center, was proof that the situation deeper inside was even more dire.
The atmosphere in the party was heavy as we returned to our base camp.
Fortunately, there were no injuries, but everyone was exhausted.
The one silver lining was that the undead lacked a commander-grade individual, so they hadn't formed any proper formations.
What if that many undead had attacked us in formation?
“...Sir, what's the plan now?”
Cha Seunghyeon, the party's counter and sub-dealer, spoke up, his anxiety palpable.
I’d thought he was just a chatterbox, but it turned out he was a coward too.
“After a short break, we'll move along the city wall again and clear out the magical beasts in the outer areas.”
“What? Are you serious?! You saw it too, sir! The city is crawling with them!”
“Don't make a fuss.”
Kim Yujun, the party leader, flared his magic, warning Cha Seunghyeon not to lower the party's morale.
At his firm attitude, Cha Seunghyeon quietly shut his mouth.
“The number of magical beasts is greater than expected, but the magic level of this gate isn't that high. That means their numbers are finite. In fact, the fact that they're swarming the outskirts suggests there are fewer beasts inside the castle where the boss is likely located. There's also a high chance the boss itself isn't very strong.”
His confident voice captured the party members' attention. Drawn in by his words, they began to focus on him one by one.
Watching him command the atmosphere in an instant, I could see why he was the party leader.
“As I just said, our party will now move along the city wall, clearing out the magical beasts in the outer areas. The city has four gates in total. From our current position at the south gate, we'll head toward the west gate and set up a new base camp. After we've reduced the number of magical beasts in the city, we'll head to the castle and take care of the boss. Any objections?”
No one raised any.
Retreating just because there were a lot of magical beasts would be a blow to their pride and careers.
Of course, I didn't care about such things, but I hadn't felt overwhelmed at any point since entering the gate.
All I'd done so far was cast a few spells under the protection of Noel and a few other party members.
It might seem like I was always using high-powered magic, but against B-rank or lower undead, I didn't need anything fancy.
Most undead had high physical resistance, but their magic resistance was on the lower side.
Magic consumption?
I had used a lot of magic while retreating from the final wave of undead, but they were just 2nd Circle spells.
'It would be a lot easier if I could use 3rd Circle magic.'
But I couldn't. Right now, I was a 2nd Circle mage.
That's what the Magic Tower and the Association knew me as.
Unless I planned on killing them all to silence them, I had to refrain from using magic of the 3rd Circle or higher.
“Hyun-woo.”
“Yes?”
While I was lost in thought, Kim Yujun approached and handed me a potion.
“You used a lot of magic. Are you feeling alright?”
From its bluish color, it seemed to be a magic potion.
“I can still hold out.”
“That's a relief. We're planning to move out after a 10-minute break. If you need time to meditate, please let me know.”
I gave a slight nod, and Kim Yujun returned to his spot. I downed the potion, and the same garbage taste filled my mouth.
I wanted to just pour it on the ground, but I had to avoid doing anything that would openly antagonize them inside a gate.
“Excuse me, Mage-nim.”
As I was resting, eating a piece of chocolate Noel fed me, someone spoke to me.
It was Song Minha, the party's ranger.
“What is it?”
“Ah, it's just that you mentioned you're 21 this year, right?”
“Yes.”
“Are you... by any chance, that genius mage who reached the 2nd Circle in just six months through self-study?”
“?”
A genius mage?
“I've heard about it too! The story about an incredible genius appearing at the Gray Magic Tower! And that he became the Tower Lord's disciple and is already aiming for the 3rd Circle. Could that be you, Hyun-woo?”
“I've heard that as well. They said he's close with the next head of the Seongbuk Choi Family... No way?”
Along with the baffling remarks, all eyes in the party turned to me.
Except for the parts about being the Tower Lord's disciple and aiming for the 3rd Circle, the story was more or less accurate. But when did such a rumor start spreading?
I hadn't seen any articles about it online.
“...It's true that I learned magic on my own, but I'm not the Tower Lord's disciple.”
At my words, the party members' reactions grew even more intense.
After all, I had essentially confirmed the rumors about being close to the 3rd Circle and being on good terms with Choi Hyena.
But on the other hand, it gave me a convenient excuse.
Being "close to the 3rd Circle" could mean that I could, with some effort, manage to cast 3rd Circle magic.
“Th-then is the rumor that you're in a relationship with Choi Hyena of the Seongbuk Choi Family also true?!”
“Hey!”
Smack!
Song Minha slapped the party member who had spoken.
“Ow?! Why'd you hit me!”
“Have you no sense? Noel is standing right there!”
I just wished they would all be quiet.
“I'm fine.”
Noel replied with a smile, but the grip she had on my arm tightened.
If I were a normal person, my bones wouldn't have just broken; they would have been crushed.
“I knew the competition would be fierce when I joined in.”
At her words, the women in the party let out a collective squeal. The men glared at me with jealous eyes.
“Noel, what was it about Hyun-woo that made you fall for him?”
“Hmm... If I had to choose, I'd say his assertiveness? He told me he'd take responsibility for me no matter what.”
I never said that.
But it was obvious I'd get nowhere trying to make excuses in this situation, so I pretended to focus on my meditation and let her words go in one ear and out the other.
Thankfully, the break ended shortly after. Noel's ridiculous stories about our past came to a halt as well.
The party left the base camp and, as planned, began to walk toward the west gate.
“Undead horde spotted at 11 o'clock!”
Not long after leaving the base camp, we hit our first snag.
The ranger, Song Minha, who had spotted the undead, had a look of panic on her face.
“A-A Deathcaller! It's a commander-grade individual!”
“What?!”
A Deathcaller.
It was a magical beast with necromantic traits, much like the Skeleton Mage I had encountered before.
Depending on the environment, it could command hundreds of undead. In a place like this, filled with death energy, its threat level would skyrocket.
“Dammit...”
Kim Yujun, the party leader, broke out in a cold sweat.
Ignoring the Deathcaller's group and running away was a bad move. It had already noticed us.
That meant it would use the death energy permeating the city to continuously summon more undead.
“Hoyeon and Seunghyeon, attack the undead horde's flank! Everyone else, except for Minha and Hyun-woo, follow me and attack from the front!”
“"Yes!"”
Song Minha would take over protecting me, and Noel would join the main force to attack the undead.
It wasn't a bad strategy, but there was no telling how long it would take to kill a Deathcaller protected by such a large horde of undead.
Moreover, a Deathcaller didn't just command the undead; it also used all sorts of curse magic.
The burden on the two sub-dealers, who had to divert the attention of both the Deathcaller and the undead from the flank, would naturally increase. If they got injured, it would disrupt the entire raid.
As someone who planned to get out of here before my restaurant reservation, this strategy didn't sit well with me.
“Yujun.”
“Yes?”
“I have a good idea.”
At my words, a mix of bewilderment and anticipation flickered in Kim Yujun's eyes.
“Are you serious?”
I nodded at him.
Basking in the gazes and attention of the party members, I walked forward and faced the undead horde.
[Lightning Spear]
I grasped the spear of lightning that materialized in the air.
It felt weightless. I steadied the wildly crackling lightning and took a breath.
Thump—
After reinforcing my entire body with support magic, I stomped the ground and threw the spear.
Thwack!
The spear cut through the air, flying in a straight trajectory and piercing right through the Deathcaller's head.
Rotten flesh, brain fragments, and a muddy-looking spray of blood erupted.
CRASH! RUMBLE—
The subsequent explosion of the spear sent arcs of lightning scattering into the surrounding undead.
However, I hadn't increased the spell's power itself, so none of the undead caught in the lightning died.
Ting—
[You have defeated the Deathcaller.]
[First Kill Reward: 450 Coins]
Calming my magic, I returned to my spot and spoke to the party members who were staring at me blankly.
“Shall we get going now?”
While everyone stood there, jaws agape and speechless, only Noel smiled brightly and threw herself into my arms.
“H-Hyun-woo, didn't you say you were a 2nd Circle mage...?”
“I did.”
At Kim Yujun's question, I looked at him brazenly, as if asking what the problem was.
They were hunters, ignorant about magic anyway. Making up an excuse would be a piece of cake.
“It seemed like an emergency, so I pushed myself a little. Thanks to that, I've used up all the magic I just recovered. I don't think I'll be able to use magic for a while.”
“...What?”
Besides, Lightning Spear is a 2nd Circle spell. On the surface, there was nothing wrong.
I could use the excuse of it being lightning magic to explain its abnormal power.
'Though in reality, I threw it with pure physical strength.'
I had reinforced my body, already enhanced with magic and internal energy, once more with support magic. There was no way a mage-type undead, which was supposed to be protected in the rear, could withstand that.
“I-I see...”
“My apologies. I should have asked for your permission first, Party Leader Kim Yujun.”
“N-Not at all! Thanks to your quick thinking, we were able to get through that safely.”
Kim Yujun glanced around at the others, and only then did the party members nod in agreement.
“Th-That's right! If it weren't for you, we might have had to fight hundreds of undead!”
“Yeah, yeah! That was lightning magic, right? I heard very few people can use it. Amazing!”
“We'll take it from here, so you can rest easy, Hyun-woo!”
After only seeing me use mediocre magic until now, witnessing me take off a B-rank magical beast's head from a medium distance seemed to have left a strong impression. The party members were now eagerly singing my praises.
A life at the center of the party, revered by all like a noble.
This was the life I had always wanted.
“Then I'll be in your care for a while.”
Now that I could legally get carried, I smiled in satisfaction as I looked at the party members.
Oblivious to what was to come.