The Drake's Submission
Lim Dojun made a slightly awkward face, and Gunter tilted his head in confusion.
What’s with him? Is it not good?
That couldn’t be right.
Anyone who specialized in offensive magic was welcomed everywhere.
Wasn’t Casian literally staring at him with envy right beside them?
She had refused when Casian asked for help, but accompanying Lim Dojun as far as the city should be fine.
“Ah. Do you want me to go all the way to the ruins with you? Hmm… that’s something I’d need to think about carefully…”
Gunter fell into serious contemplation.
He wondered if this junior was hoping for help not just to the city, but for the entire journey afterward.
For the sake of future networking, he probably should help, but the problem was that Gunter genuinely hated exploring ruins.
He had grown somewhat used to hiking by now, but ruins filled with all kinds of traps and bizarre ancient magic never got any less unpleasant no matter how many times he went.
“It’s fine. Just going to the city with me is more than enough.”
Of course, Lim Dojun had no intention of taking Gunter to the ruins with him.
Who knew what might be in there? Why would he bring someone along!
Casian might be one thing, but if he went with Gunter, they might have to split any treasures they found.
Since it’s my first time heading to the city, having a senior come along would definitely be helpful.
The western part of the continent held Monster Land, a paradise for monsters, and a massive mountain range separated it from human territory.
Milberg was a city situated right in front of the western mountain range. It was also known as the City of Mercenaries.
Countless troops were needed to stop the monsters that crossed over the mountains or broke through the canyons. Since mercenaries never had to worry about finding work there, the name stuck.
“I heard some small cities don’t even have warp gates. I’m surprised they installed one all the way out here?”
At the forward base built in front of the western mountain range, Lim Dojun looked around the tent he had just stepped out of with a curious expression.
“It means that much manpower and money flows into this forward base,” Gunter replied.
Although Milberg was a city adjacent to the western mountain range, it was still quite a distance from the actual foothills.
Knights, mages, and mercenaries found it inconvenient to travel back and forth to the city every time, so a forward base had been established. Over time, its scale had gradually grown.
Now it had even acquired a warp gate and had essentially developed into something close to a full city.
“Are there a lot of knights and mages here too?”
“Quite a few. The monsters in the western mountain range are far stronger and more threatening than those elsewhere. If you take down the right ones, it’s easy to build a reputation.”
Knights who gained fame for slaying powerful monsters often drew interest from various noble families.
Likewise, mages known for outstanding skill could attract sponsors.
So it’s a kind of self-promotion hub.
After listening to Gunter, Lim Dojun thought it was perfect timing.
He had been wanting to build up some fame anyway, and now he had arrived at just the right city.
“Junior, want to hunt some monsters with me while we’re at it? The monsters you’ve seen on missions so far are completely different from the ones around Milberg. You might get flustered the first time you see them, so I’ll help you out.”
“Understood.”
Although Lim Dojun believed his combat experience against monsters was second to none, he gladly accepted the goodwill.
Since they had come together, there was no reason not to receive help.
The two immediately left the forward base and headed into the foothills of the mountain range.
“Squeee!”
“Squeeeek!”
What they encountered was a single boar huffing aggressively. Instead of fur, sharp spikes protruded from its back.
“It’s a Thornbush Boar. Be careful. Its hide is tough enough to block one or two low-grade spells.”
Gunter said as he pulled out his staff.
I should show off a bit of my senior dignity.
While its hide was tough, the flesh beneath was weak—that was its vulnerability.
For a third-year offensive magic specialist, a Thornbush Boar wasn’t a particularly difficult opponent.
If it had charged right in front of him it might have been different, but since there was some distance, he could cast a spell in that time and finish it off.
—Crack!
—Boom!
At that moment, a small explosion went off right in front of the Thornbush Boar’s nose, and the creature screamed.
The scattering ice shards completely shredded its face, ending it instantly.
Gunter looked to the side in shock.
Lim Dojun was staring ahead with a calm expression.
“…What did you just do?”
“I created a single ice crystal inside its nostril and detonated it.”
“?”
Gunter was stunned.
When the hell did he…?
He had been right beside him, yet he hadn’t sensed Lim Dojun casting any magic at all.
Silent casting.
And at a level so subtle that not even the flow of mana could be felt.
That kind of thing only comes from endless training or innate talent…
But what was even more important was the application of the magic.
Creating ice and launching or exploding it wasn’t that difficult.
However, making it extremely small and detonating it so close to the enemy’s body that they couldn’t even notice was incredibly difficult.
It required near-artistic control over mana and cold-type energy.
“Is it because we’re still at the entrance? It wasn’t very difficult.”
“Uh… yeah. Right.”
Gunter quietly lowered his staff again.
If he had stepped forward first, instead of showing senior dignity, he would have only invited comparison.
“Senior Gunter. If it’s alright with you, may I try a few more times?”
“Of course! Keep going until it gets hard!”
“Thank you.”
Lim Dojun thought this senior he had only recently met was quite kind.
He must want to build his own reputation too, yet he was yielding so generously to his junior.
After cutting off a bit of the Thornbush Boar’s spikes as proof of the hunt, the two continued wandering through the mountain range.
Various monsters appeared, but none were enough to fluster Lim Dojun or require Gunter to step in and help.
It’s hard to find the right timing to use mid-grade magic.
However, he still couldn’t use mid-grade magic that required casting due to his lack of proficiency.
Rather than creating distance and timing his casts, he judged it was better to finish them quickly.
—Booom!
At that moment, an explosion rang out from farther away.
“Looks like someone else is here.”
The two carefully walked toward the direction of the explosion.
There they found a mage wearing a red robe and the area around him engulfed in roaring flames.
The other party, sensing their presence, turned to look and flinched in surprise.
“…Mages from the Blue Magic Tower. Nice to meet you. I am Dietrich of the Blazing Flame Magic Tower.”
“Blazing Flame Magic Tower?”
Lim Dojun tilted his head.
Where have I heard that before…
His common sense about this world was still lacking.
He studied whenever he could, but with so many spells to learn, when was he supposed to study general knowledge?
Still, the name Blazing Flame Magic Tower wasn’t entirely unfamiliar.
I’m sure it doesn’t rank among the ten great magic towers, but… I think it’s considered a fairly decent one just below them.
The memory came back vaguely.
“I’ve heard of it. I’m Lim Dojun of the Blue Magic Tower.”
“I’m Gunter.”
“…Hah. You’ve heard of it? Must be because you’re from the Blue Magic Tower. You probably don’t bother knowing about small places like the Blazing Flame Magic Tower.”
Dietrich replied in a clearly displeased tone.
Just as everyone knew the Blue Magic Tower, the same should have applied to the Blazing Flame Magic Tower.
Mages were extremely high-class personnel to begin with, so even if it wasn’t one of the ten great towers, no one was ignorant of the other towers.
Normally, simply introducing himself as being from the Blazing Flame Magic Tower would elicit surprised reactions, yet this guy was pretending to be unsure and saying he had only “heard of it.”
Lim Dojun had even tilted his head in confusion.
Dietrich concluded that he was deliberately ignoring both him and his tower.
“That’s not it, so please calm down. My junior has been so focused on magic that he’s a bit lacking in general knowledge.”
Gunter smoothly intervened to calm him.
Having plenty of experience with external missions, he knew there were quite a few mages like this.
People who believed their talent was equal to those in the ten great towers but thought they had simply been unlucky not to get in.
They tended to dislike mages from the ten great towers.
It’s a kind of inferiority complex.
And most mages from the ten great towers would usually take the bait and fight in these situations.
They would clearly demonstrate the gap in skill as mages.
Gunter had originally been that type too, but he stayed quiet this time.
The mana he sensed from Dietrich was far from ordinary.
Just from the residual mana in the blazing flames around them, he could tell Dietrich was a more experienced and skilled mage than either of them.
There was nothing to gain from clashing, so it was better to let it slide.
At that very moment!
—Kyaaaaaaaaw!
“!!”
“!?”
A roar that seemed to tear through the air slammed into the surroundings.
Any creature with instincts would have frozen on the spot.
Soon after, two bright yellow eyes appeared from between the bushes.
“A drake!?”
Gunter shouted in shock.
A drake appearing this close to the city!?
The creature known as a lesser dragon—drake—was exactly what stood before them.
Gunter gripped his staff tightly, tense.
Although they had easily taken down the monsters so far, a drake was on an entirely different level.
Its hide and scales could deflect magic, and its strength could rip humans apart like it was nothing.
It was a monster that could make a meal out of even a knight and mage working together, yet there were only three mages present.
“Junior! I’ll buy time, so run first!”
Gunter said as he leveled his staff.
His own legs were shaking, but as a senior of the great Blue Magic Tower, he couldn’t possibly run away first!
“Tsk. Hey. You Blue Magic Tower brats. Both of you run together. You’re in the way.”
Dietrich clicked his tongue.
Although these arrogant Blue Magic Tower bastards were unlucky to run into, the way they looked out for each other as senior and junior was rather admirable.
Besides, they looked like much younger juniors. As a senior walking the same path of mana, he didn’t want to show them anything embarrassing.
Even if he died, he wouldn’t tarnish his honor…
—Whine… whine… whine whine…
“???”
“!!??”
The drake flopped down in front of Lim Dojun, rolled over, and exposed its belly.
Then it began wagging its tail vigorously and acting cute!
The three people flinched in shock at the completely unimaginable sight.
How is this possible!?
I-is it magic? A secret spell from the Blue Magic Tower? Some special technique only the ten great towers possess? What the hell is this??
Dietrich in particular nearly fell into a panic.
He himself would rather die than do something like that, yet a scene straight out of a miracle had unfolded before his eyes.
At that moment, Gunter and Dietrich’s eyes met.
“……”
“……”
Dietrich, who had been fidgeting awkwardly, finally opened his mouth.
“…Now that I think about it, it’s possible you wouldn’t know about the Blazing Flame Magic Tower. Since it’s tucked away in a remote corner, that’s perfectly understandable. I apologize for speaking too harshly earlier.”