Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: First Collaboration (4)
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Sensitivity was an intuitive ability to detect and harness mana—one that couldn't be discerned or verified from the outside.
Ian knew Vivian's mana sensitivity had to be exceptional.
He'd vaguely suspected it from the start, but he'd become certain when she'd failed at a spell.
Normally, when a spell fails to manifest, nothing happens at all.
Situations like Vivian's—where the magic circle forms but then fizzles out—simply didn't occur.
That was exactly why Vivian's spell failures were so unusual.
She didn't understand the magic, yet the attempt to cast it succeeded anyway.
So when he'd realized she had the talent for 'No Casting'—the pinnacle of intuition, allowing her to unleash spells without incantations even with only a rough grasp of them—he'd had a hunch.
That she was someone with outstanding sensitivity.
'But I never expected her artifact compatibility to be this high...'
Artifacts each had their own compatibility ratings, of course, but generally speaking, high compatibility with one meant similar results with others.
"Heh, Helena, you should try it too..."
Vivian, oblivious to just how incredible her own talent was, tried to hand the ring to Helena.
Helena shook her head firmly.
"No way! This belongs to you, Vivian! I can't even use magic!"
That much was true.
"W-well then... could I...?"
Ian cut in.
"Who else but Vivian would use it?"
"...Hng."
Vivian suddenly teared up.
"Wh-what? Why all of a sudden...?"
"I'm sorryyy... Ah, I'm just so happy, I couldn't help it... I didn't know if I even deserved something like this..."
Helena hugged the sniffling Vivian.
"Of course you deserve it, Vivian! Enjoy it to your heart's content!"
"Sniff... Thank youuu... Hic..."
While Helena comforted her, Ian finished his assessment.
It wasn't much of an assessment, really.
'No Casting is impressive enough on its own, but she was born with even more...'
The artifact's power had far exceeded the limits Ian had heard described.
At this level, she could enter a D-rank dungeon right now.
And since the artifact's performance partly depended on the user's skill, it might even handle higher-level dungeons as she grew.
'What an unexpected windfall.'
Ian explained the ring's effects to Vivian in detail.
Once she'd heard everything and wiped her nose, Vivian asked,
"Did you... know this was here when you came, Ian?"
"...No, not at all. I just heard somewhere that an artifact like this existed."
If word got out that he knew the location of hidden pieces, it'd cause no end of trouble.
He'd already told the imperial family it was thanks to his prophetic insight, but there were too many ears here.
Not just Vivian and Helena, either.
"Anyway, you two did great. Next time, we'll find something useful for Helena too."
"Thank you just for saying that!"
Helena showed not a trace of envy or regret.
She simply congratulated Vivian on her artifact with pure sincerity.
"Hmm..."
Iris let out a groan.
"Something wrong?"
"No, um. That artifact lets you fire stored spells without casting, right?"
"That's right."
"I'm curious how that's possible... Mind if I take a look?"
"Well... as long as you don't steal it, ask Vivian for the details."
"Ah, uh..."
Vivian hesitated like a child forced to hand over a treasured toy, but surprisingly gave in easily.
"Here."
Iris slipped on the ring and tested the Lightning Bolt Vivian had stored.
It was much weaker than Vivian's version.
She stored one of her own spells, Fireball, and tried that too.
Just as weak.
Weak compared to Vivian, that is.
It was perfectly average—exactly what Ian had expected.
After fiddling with it a few times, peering inside, and even pulling out some kind of magnifying tool from her bag to inspect it closely, she spoke up as if struck by realization.
"No clue!"
"......"
Iris handed the ring back and added,
"But I did figure out one thing. The spell's power is influenced by the wearer's computational ability."
"Computational ability?"
"Yes. Or, to put it simply... Vivian, you're pretty quick at chanting, aren't you?"
Iris had been too far away to hear whether Vivian chanted or not.
"Pardon? Oh, y-yes... I suppose so."
Vivian didn't elaborate on her talent.
"Your computations must be incredibly fast. That's why the ring can divert mana from calculations to raw destructive power and precision instead."
It was an artifact that required no casting—and the perfect match for someone innately gifted in No Casting like Vivian.
Iris nodded, looking pleased at the new knowledge.
"Well then, now..."
"W-wait a second!"
Just as they were about to head out in high spirits, Brian shouted.
"Don't we get a share too...?!"
Ian instantly understood why the silent group had finally spoken up.
Artifact and magic stone distribution.
'They overheard and realized its value. It's worth far more than the stones, so they're thinking they deserve at least those.'
It could be desperation for survival... or pathetic pride.
'Probably the latter.'
Either way, it wasn't Ian's problem to accommodate them.
Fleeting contempt flashed across Vivian and Helena's faces.
Iris looked at them curiously before turning to Ian.
"How do you handle dungeon reward distribution in cases like this?"
"Winner takes all. Unless the winner shows mercy."
"Is that an unwritten rule among heroes?"
"You could say that. It's not codified in law."
"H-ha, but..."
Eilene muttered regretfully, then shut her mouth at Iris's innocent gaze.
Why were they making such a fuss?
Her eyes held pure, baffled curiosity.
"I told you not to..."
The manager stepped in late to restrain them.
Ian scanned the four faces closely.
Brian, Dominic, Eilene, Claudia.
The very ones who'd tried to insult Vivian in the street.
"Vivian, Helena."
"Yes?"
"Yeah!"
"Go on ahead with Iris. I need to have a word with these guys."
The two glanced between Ian and the four before nodding.
"We'll be with Mercy and Kati."
"We'll head out first!"
The three hurried off, leaving Ian, Brian's party of four, and their manager.
Six in total.
Brian sneered at Ian.
"Who said we wanted to talk? Ridiculous."
The manager looked anxiously between Ian and the four.
"Let's just go. We don't need some stupid artifact..."
-Thwack!
A stone flew in and embedded itself right in front of Brian as he turned.
"You should talk."
Ian said calmly.
Everyone turned to see him holding another stone.
It was odd.
There were no stones around.
Their eyes shifted to the rough wall right beside him.
A chunk was missing from it.
Shaped exactly like the stone in Ian's hand.
"Or I'll just kill you."
Ian tossed the stone into the air and caught it repeatedly.
"I'm giving you a choice. Talk and keep your lives. Or ignore me and die here together."
A man who'd ripped a rock from the wall barehanded was offering them options.
*
Brian and his group couldn't move.
Not just because of that freakish strength bordering on the absurd.
The moment they saw those eyes—so fitting for his foul temper—their soles felt glued to the ground.
An inexplicable terror seeped into their bodies.
'This is...'
Brian had been in a similar situation recently.
That day they'd picked a fight with Vivian—the silver-haired maid who'd blocked them.
Just looking at her had made their legs buckle and bladders loosen.
"What's your choice?"
The feeling was similar, though the flavor differed.
With the maid, it had felt like his head would roll off at any second.
Now, it was the gut-wrenching chill of limbs bound and flesh carved away.
The others felt it too, minus Brian.
Only then did they realize.
Whose hero they'd messed with. Whose they'd dismissed.
What kind of man this Ian from the rumors really was.
"......"
No one could speak.
Opening their mouths felt like tempting their tongues to be severed.
This killing intent was a different breed from Kati's, clamping down on their control.
Their clueless manager blinked between them and Ian in confusion.
Ian looked them over and nodded.
"Looks like you want to live after all, acting all meek. Good."
-Crack!
He tore off another chunk of rock.
Just like that—gripping a section barehanded and pulling. The rock actually came free.
"......"
The onlookers stared blankly at the near-magical feat.
How much physical reinforcement did it take to produce that kind of power?
Ian used the sharp fragment he'd just broken off to carve lines into the surface of the stone he held.
"P-please... spare me... Have mercy..."
Eilene dropped to her knees and begged.
"I said I'd spare you if you talked. And I don't lie."
Ian kept scratching at the stone as he spoke.
"I know who you are, more or less. And what you did to Vivian in the street last time—I heard about it, not the full details, but enough."
Ian was no stranger to cases like this.
People often picked fights even after hearing his reputation.
The 1st Hero Party had drawn plenty of trouble during its rise.
Especially with Kaily and Beatrice, whose pre-hero misdeeds had piled up high.
In other words, he was very experienced at handling this sort of thing.
"You their manager?"
"Y-yes... Daniel."
Even though he wasn't the target, his face paled.
"I get what you're worried about. Relax—I won't kill you since you talked."
Ian tossed the carved stone at Brian's feet.
All four sets of eyes dropped to it.
It was a crude die made from the stone.
Not a perfect cube—rough and uneven—but each face bore carved numbers.
"Take turns rolling it. Whoever gets the lowest loses both arms."
Ian said it casually, like it was a simple penalty.
"Roll."
He leaned against the wall, pulled out a stick of rock candy, stuck it in his mouth, and watched.
No one defied him.
With trembling hands, like malfunctioning machines, they each rolled once.
Brian drew the lowest: 1.
"I-I'm... sorry, so sorry... J-just once... I'm a swordsman...! I can't make a living without my arms...! I'll pay any price... I'll even be your dog!"
Ian's face twisted in disgust.
"...You, my dog? Imagining it makes me feel seriously filthy."
"Th-that's not what I—"
"I don't need a mutt that's arrogant and weak to boot."
Ian turned to the other three and ordered,
"Break them. Sever the tendons, or rip 'em off entirely."
"P-pardon...?"
"...Guess I need to give options again. Sacrifice that one guy, or make it bad for everyone. Decide."
The answer was obvious.
"Brian..."
"You serious...?"
"No choice."
"Better you than all four of us..."
"You bastards..."
Brian drew his sword to resist.
"You think I'll just take this lying down?!"
His shout was fierce, but carried no threat.
Just the death throes of a cornered animal.
The three drew their weapons without a hint of remorse.
Relief and excitement settled on their faces instead.
Sacrifice one—Brian—and the rest lived.
Simple math.
While the four fought to the death among themselves, Ian called over Daniel.
"Sorry about this for you. But I can't just let it slide."
"Y-yes, I understand..."
The four clashed with murderous intent.
Ian watched with a bored expression, chewing his candy.
Their outcome no longer concerned him.
What to do next?
That was the question.
Today's delve had confirmed Helena's talent.
Vivian's was far beyond even his expectations.
This party would make a name for itself quickly.
Not just because of old grudges like Vivian's—petty provocations would rise with their fame.
'Use my name or not...'
So far, he'd held back to avoid burdening Vivian with attention.
But given their growth, that concern seemed past.
Amos had already spread his name more than enough.
And staying quiet had vermin like Brian treating him lightly.
'Better spread it preemptively before more trouble.'
He decided quickly.
Let Amos announce he was Vivian and Helena's manager.
The 1st Party's situation wasn't his worry right now.
Besides that, recruiting the next member weighed on him.
'Vivian's firepower is overpowered... An archer might hinder dumping it freely. Skip archers, grab a close-combat specialist warrior, run with a trio...'
Four was standard, but Vivian's output covered two already.
Factor in today's artifact synergy, and she could solo dungeons now.
'Hold off on archer. Next recruit: warrior.'
As his thoughts wrapped up, the melee ended.
Brian lay unconscious, both arms severed.
A burnt leg was just icing.
Eilene's face bore a deep gash; Dominic had a sword wound in his gut.
The unscathed Claudia was healing them.
Not because of Ian's method—it was a common enough sight.
To steal another's magic stones.
Or a valuable artifact or holy relic, like today.
Or to eliminate rival parties from the start.
Heroes spilling blood on each other in dungeons wasn't rare.
Higher ranks were worse—guilds and authorities struggled to intervene.
Of course, picking a fight with such a clear power gap was new even for Ian.
Ian patted Daniel's shoulder and left the cavern.
As he exited the dungeon, Kati sent telepathy.
[Master.]
'Yeah, on my way.'
[An E-rank acute dungeon has appeared nearby.]
'...What?'
[A soldier just urgently reported it—there's a farmstead close by. What are your orders?]
No need for long thought.
'Prep to move out immediately.'
Ian hurried from the dungeon, using Memory Correction.
As he scanned for memories of that dungeon,
Ian stopped short without realizing.
'...Wait, this holy relic drops here?'
A brief surprise, then he ran faster.
Something for Helena.
And a dungeon perfectly suited for Vivian to shine with her new artifact.