Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Yo, You Think Magic's Easy?
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Yo, you think magic's easy?
Snow Mountain's Ice Crystal Cave.
In the bone-chilling cold that froze his entire body, the resounding echo of one man's pickaxe strikes filled the air.
Clang! Claaang! Claaaang!
"...Insane."
"That's no Beastkin—that's a golem."
The Beastkin miners erupted in gasps of admiration at the sound.
Their eyes were all fixed on Shihanbu.
"Is that a Beastkin or forged steel?"
"He's gonna mine the whole damn thing by himself."
Before the men's envy could cool,
"Kyaa! Back muscles! They're flexing even under his clothes!"
"My heart's pounding!"
"Should I pretend to offer him water and chat him up?"
The female Beastkin let out squeals of delight.
That sparked an explosion of jealousy from the men.
A few Beastkin stripped off their shirts and started swinging pickaxes.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
But.
Claaaaaaang—!
Shihanbu's single strike drowned them all out.
Only then did the Beastkin snap back to reality.
"It's cold."
"Yeah, bro. Let's put our shirts back on."
They slipped their shirts back on and resumed their chatter.
"You hear? That steel guy originally wanted to join our crew."
"But he brought a bear Beastkin instead, right?"
"Heard he's an ace guide too. Left half a day late but arrived earlier."
At that, everyone's eyes turned to the weasel Beastkin.
He stared vacantly down at Shihanbu's feet.
At his feet lay five Ice Crystals.
When others had barely mined one.
"...God of mining or what?"
He turned to the bear Beastkin he'd picked instead.
The bear was swinging his pickaxe, sweat pouring off him.
Two Ice Crystals lay at his feet.
Above average.
But it paled next to Shihanbu.
"...Haa."
The weasel Beastkin let out a regret-filled sigh.
The other Beastkin snickered at him.
"Heh heh. Always discriminating by race, and look at you now."
"Pathetic weasel."
Rau overheard the Beastkin chatter.
He poked my side with a grin as I swung my pickaxe.
— Rau "Heh heh. See that weasel's face? Pure regret. That's why you need someone sharp-eyed like me for mining foreman, tsk tsk." Rau, bragging like crazy.
I couldn't believe it.
He'd tried to bring a bear and tiger instead of me at first.
"You got dementia or something?"
"Ahem."
Rau cleared his throat awkwardly and changed the subject at my jab.
"Anyway, thanks to you, we'll hit record yields in just two days. Look forward to settlement."
That sparked my curiosity.
"Speaking of, why just two days? Can't we keep mining and rake it in?"
"Blame the dinosaurs staking territory here. They keep coming and going."
Dinosaurs coming and going?
"Ancestors observed they scout the depths. But every two months, exactly two days—no dinosaurs show. That's today and tomorrow."
"Got it."
I peered into the cave depths, convinced.
"What's in there anyway?"
"Heh heh. You're curious too, huh? Nothing."
"Huh?"
"Got nosy and sneaked a peek. Nada."
As I stared at Rau in disbelief,
My senses picked something up.
It was...
"A dinosaur?"
That instant.
"Gaaahhh!"
A Beastkin's scream echoed from the cave.
I whipped my gaze to the cave entrance, the scream's source.
Chomp chomp—
A four-legged dinosaur, its body transparent like ice.
It clung to the wall, chewing something.
In its mouth: a Beastkin who'd been mining Ice Crystals moments ago.
As everyone froze in shock,
"Assemble!"
The fox captain shouted and charged the dinosaur.
Combat Beastkin followed her.
And then.
"We're going too!"
Other group fighters joined the fray.
Battle had begun abruptly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Abandoned Continent.
This place was undeniably dinosaur-dominated.
But they didn't rule the entire continent.
Spirit beasts like Shihanbu, who slew dinosaurs and claimed territories.
Or Beastkin tribes existed too.
The fighters called "combatants" hailed from such tribes.
They hunted dinosaurs and planted their flags.
Thus, they were strong.
Veterans of decades hunting dinosaurs,
blue aura clung to their claws and fangs,
And leveraging Beastkin physical prowess, they freely scaled cave walls and ceilings, unleashing three-dimensional attacks.
"Now!"
A black panther Beastkin dove from the ceiling.
His honed aura claws slashed at the dinosaur's nape.
But.
Swish—
Like slicing mist, no sensation at his fingertips.
"What!?"
The dinosaur gaped wide at the stunned panther.
Cold energy gathered, firing an ice chunk.
He barely kicked off the wall; fist-sized ice shattered against it into powder.
"...Al-most died."
As the panther swallowed hard,
"Charge! Hit it together!"
"Kill it!"
A wolf Beastkin roared ahead.
Gray fur bristled, muscles bulging.
Tiger, leopard, bear Beastkin followed, encircling from all sides with their specialties.
Slash! Snap! Rrrrip!
Aura claws raked and tore the dinosaur's body.
Fangs sank in, fists pounded.
But.
Whoosh—
All attacks sliced empty air again.
The dinosaur's body blurred like a mirage, attacks passing through.
"Wh-what the hell!"
The wolf's voice trembled.
It felt like their lifelong bodily prowess was denied.
"Attacks aren't landing!"
"What's going on?!"
Horror spread across Beastkin faces.
The power they'd trusted all their lives crushed by futile strikes.
I checked the chat window at their dismay.
Sure enough, answers there.
💬 Unique Gallery Comments — Knowledgeable Person Protogryser! Danger level 9! — Baby Elf Records say it ate spirits in an elf village long ago and became a half-spirit! Be careful! "Half-spirit..."
I muttered, scrutinizing it.
It stuck to walls with adhesive feet, attacking Beastkin.
Right before physical hits landed, it miraged its body.
— Knowledgeable Person To hurt that thing: sword beams, spirit arts, or... "Magic, right."
I muttered, scanning the fighting Beastkin.
Looking for magic users.
But they were straightforward.
Honest fists and fangs only.
"Makes sense."
Beastkin, born with superior physiques.
Why abandon that edge for another path?
None, unless a freak.
"Guess I gotta use magic."
Ah, hate using magic for real.
My magic talents: Eyes of Calculation and Silent Casting.
Each use brings splitting-head pain.
Worse, repeated use raises dementia risk penalty.
"No choice."
Sighing, I checked the chat.
"Gotta use magic here. Anyone got tips? Ideally one-shot it."
Chat exploded.
💬 Unique Gallery Meltdown — Anon Is this guy nuts? — Anon No circles and he wants magic? — Anon Yo, is magic a joke to you? — Anon You hack a sword and think magic's easy too, you bastard? Mages flipped at the invasion of their sacred turf.
Martial artists raged at the mages' scorn.
— Anon These sword cucks dissing swords again? — Anon Without swords buying time, you mages do jack shit. — Anon Huh? Wanna eat a fireball? — Anon Fireball lol—you faint to a farmer's pickaxe before drawing your circle. Chat devolved into the usual magic vs. martial arts chaos.
⭐ Top Comment — Wanna Get Struck by Lightning? Haa. You dumb sword-swingers think magic's easy? Fine! Try it! A complex magic circle image uploaded with the taunt.
I clicked it.
A huge circle overlaid with dozens of intricate shapes.
"Wanna Get Struck by Lightning, can this one-shot it?"
— Wanna Get Struck by Lightning? Haa. Cocky... Tsk! 3-circle, won't kill. But seals its ethereal form. Enough, right? True, enough.
Beastkin handle physicals after.
— Wanna Get Struck by Lightning? Incant: Rag-na-Perk... "No need for the chant."
I recalled the shapes perfectly.
That moment.
Mana leaked from my fingertips, crawling the air like a living thing.
Complex diagrams needing precise mage calculations drew themselves from mere recall.
The completed magic circle.
A work of art.
Perfect circuits, zero waste.
"Urk—"
But in that beautiful creation,
my brain screamed.
Eyes of Calculation's info overload exceeded human limits.
Bloodshot eyes wept tears.
"That's... why I... hate using... magic!"
Face twisted in agony briefly,
I placed my hand on the pulsing blue-glowing circle.
The world shifted.
The circle's structure flooded my mind.
Centuries of mage research—formulas, math, mana flows—comprehended instantly.
Then.
The circle whispered.
Call it. Complete me in your true form.
Hearing it, I slowly infused mana.
The World Tree sprout reacted.
Its natural force coursed through me, breathing life into the circuit.
"Lightning Strike." ⟨ Lightning Strike ⟩
Those words warped reality.
Heaven's power descended into the narrow cave.
Kraka-ka-ka-boom—
Lightning struck the cave.
— Anon ...No way, no circles and... — Anon That's 3-circle Spark... why lightning... But shock didn't end there.
The spell should've struck once.
Boom. Kra-ka-ka-boom—
It struck three times total.
— Wanna Get Struck by Lightning? ...True Name. B-but even then, that power... H-how... She seemed to know something.
But her chat buried instantly.
— Anon Lmao just did it lol — Anon Magic's fucking easy lol — Anon Can't even do easy shit? Brain the size of your fist? Martial artists unleashed pent-up roasts.
Mages ignored, fixated elsewhere.
— Anon Th-this can't be... Impossible! — Anon M-my 5 years... Took me 5 years for 2-circle... — Anon Kaaaaah! God's a bastard! This ain't fair! Mage screams poured.
Martial artists grinned smugly.
— Anon Get it now, you wand-waving idiots? lol — Anon Shut it, you brainless blade morons! Chat bloodbath reignited.
I ignored it, looking ahead.
Beastkin stared in disbelief at me and the rigid Protogryser.
I told them.
"The inner core's mine."