Chapter 146
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Countermeasures (4)
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White Whale Mercenary Corps.
And their captain, the 5th Circle mage Jun.
They were the stars of the recent hot topic, and Wart had no intention of dismissing their achievements.
After all, as a soldier who had sworn to protect the Empire, he couldn't ignore them.
Blocking Dimension Reverse twice in a single year was something beyond his ability to belittle.
However, the reason Wart regretted Joseph's decision was different.
'Just one year. Their experience in Blackout amounts to a mere year.'
From what he'd heard, most members of the White Whale Mercenary Corps—excluding the senior priest—were nobodies from humble origins.
Captain Jun had been a mere 3rd Circle mage a year ago, a vagabond who graduated from the Mage Tower, no less.
Aiden was some unheard-of commoner(?), and the petite Maya was reportedly an Empire citizen from the Outer districts.
'If we had just a bit of luck on our side...'
Couldn't they surpass the White Whale Mercenary Corps?
In that sense, Wart thought it more efficient for Joseph to proactively contract with other nobles rather than picking up scraps under the White Whale banner.
This stemmed from his own pride, but above all, from his loyalty and faith in Joseph.
However.
'What...'
Once they entered the dungeon on the 2nd floor, Wart's thoughts began to change.
The dungeon they were in was a field-type dungeon.
It started around the midpoint of the progression.
Up to that point, Wart and the mercenaries had been brimming with confidence.
Their skills were solid enough for Level 3, and they showed remarkable teamwork, calmly dispatching any monsters that ambushed them.
On top of that, Enamel, who had recently joined the Hermes Church, cast [Pilgrim's Dawn], allowing them to proceed smoothly without fear of getting lost.
But.
"4 o'clock direction! Lizard Walker incoming!"
"Damn salamanders!"
"10 o'clock still isn't cleared!"
"Wait, isn't this a 2nd floor dungeon? Why are they swarming like this when the info said otherwise?!"
At some point, monsters that were supposed to come periodically started swarming all at once, defying their intel.
Though the Break Mercenary Corps drew on their military experience and didn't panic, the unexpected onslaught forced them to expend more energy than planned, wearing them down quickly.
And that's when Aiden, who had been observing up to then, placed his hand on his sword.
"Told ya. Shoulda sewn their mouths shut."
Aiden replied to Maya's words with his usual awkward smile.
"Even so, you can't just sew a stranger's mouth... "
"Anyone spoutin' that 'mission's easy' curse gets it."
Thanks to their year of experience, Aiden and Maya had already sensed something off in this dungeon.
'Might be a good thing, actually. Was gonna test the new skill anyway.'
Before he knew it, Aiden—unaware he was being influenced by Jun's mindset—began channeling his mana.
"Ugh, why's it so chilly? Spring vibes already?"
Blackout wasn't particularly affected by seasons, but Eleanor grumbled as she closed the open window anyway.
"Or maybe I'm just drained..."
Twisted from studying magic theory to the point of feigning illness, Eleanor rubbed her eyelids wearily.
Reading with her black eyepatch was tiring in itself.
Though the [Insight] skill made it manageable, it still consumed mana.
"Who in their right mind would absorb that thing just to study...?"
Like coffee for grad students, mana fluid cylinders littered Eleanor's side.
When she complained to Jun about it,
-Looks like you can raise [Insight] proficiency this way too?
...he just spouted nonsense that made her want to explode.
At least her skills were improving noticeably in proportion to her suffering.
"Hate to admit it, but that guy's teaching method is pretty top-notch."
It had been two weeks since she started staying in the Black Forest.
Jun vanished for a week without a trace, then suddenly showed up days ago, insisting on teaching her.
And she was indeed benefiting greatly.
"So why am I not happy about it...?"
When she botched a magic theory, Jun would cast the spell right there, dissecting her mistakes point by point.
Naturally, Eleanor learned in real-time: "Oh, messing up like this causes that disaster!" ...Now she had an obsession with checking magic patterns.
And understandably so—a senior priest botching holy magic and hurting herself was absurd!
"Hoo..."
Eleanor sighed deeply, recalling it again.
At least.
"Thanks to that, I can finish the quota faster than expected."
She had thoroughly studied the magic books she deemed worth learning during this break.
Now, she might even create her own holy magic with this knowledge.
"Maybe I have real talent? Hehe!"
Her self-delusion, born from resenting Jun, shattered that late evening.
"Oh, Eleanor. Study these too."
"Huh?"
"Learning enchantment magic lately—it totally shattered my views on existing spells. It's a paper summarizing the theory."
"...Hey. My views only formed less than a week ago?"
"Exactly why you need to learn it fast. Smash those fixed ideas before they harden. Still soft, right?"
It's your thick skull that needs smashing.
Whoops.
Her actions spoke before words.
Around the time Eleanor was suffering under Jun.
Aiden and Maya had just finished a battle and were resting.
"What do you think we lacked in that fight?"
Maya, mid-bite on her meat, shot Aiden a glare for interrupting.
Gulp.
Reviewing every battle right after? Every time?
She didn't hate it, but not during meals.
Bear with it.
Accepting it in her tribal tongue, Maya spoke.
"Skill proficiency issue."
"Ah... Yeah. [Beast's Roar] sucked more mana than expected. But the power was solid."
"'Solid'?"
That's an understatement.
Maya glanced at the Break Mercenary Corps eating nearby.
The five-man team had been avoiding Aiden's gaze since earlier.
Aiden's new [Beast's Roar] intimidated nearby monsters, drawing their focus.
It made them perceive the user as a life-threatening target, prioritizing attacks.
The problem? It affected people too...
And Aiden's mana was a bit intense for normals.
"Haha... Shoulda tested it without people around?"
Maya shook her head at his question.
Not denial—just too lazy to reply.
"Good thing no big issues popped up."
"Probably Irregular."
As Maya said, the anomaly was likely an Irregular's doing.
Meanwhile, Wart of Break Mercenary Corps, watching their exchange, closed his eyes in dismay.
"Slicing monsters like that and still eating fine?"
In other circumstances, his comrades would mock him.
As Imperial Army vets, their training was brutal; they'd face trials stone-faced.
But today, they saw a mountain of monster corpses.
Aiden's crimson flames bursting with mana were one thing, but Maya didn't kill cleanly.
Monsters would particle away if killed quick, but to demonstrate for new recruits, the duo handled hordes with minimal numbers.
Limbs severed, screams echoing, blood splattering everywhere...
"Urk."
Enamel nearly vomited her meal recalling it.
"So casual in this mess... Impressive."
"Their rep's well-earned."
"Heard anomalies like this are super rare."
"We're just properly warding it off."
The dungeon's end was in sight, so they thought.
This bad luck ends here.
But whether the remaining two commissions would go their way? Only the goddess of luck knew.
A month had passed.
Time for comrades to regroup.
Aiden and Maya hadn't returned yet, but Jun wasn't worried.
A letter from Joseph arrived.
-My men are begging for mercy. Know anything? Monsters dying too gruesomely. Weird. They don't scream much even in my training. Once the training center in Black Forest's done, send 'em there. Need retraining.
With that, they'd arrive soon.
Meanwhile, after finishing Eleanor's lesson as usual, Jun visited Shylock and Mershar's workshop.
"Got a call from upstairs today. Heading there."
Shylock, tinkering away, replied.
"Was gonna tell you. No need to come anymore starting today."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You've milked this place dry anyway."
"Still feels lacking."
Not like day one, but new theories and applications popped up daily.
A mage wouldn't pass up such chances.
But Shylock shook his head firmly.
"Fool. Even food fills you up eventually. Stuff yourself without digesting, and you'll get sick, right?"
"...Yeah?"
"Same for you. You've absorbed plenty. Pile more before sorting? It'll turn to worthless crap. With your skill, future insights will come later. Organize what you have first."
"...Got it."
Even without mana, Shylock was a 'grand mage.'
Jun wasn't arrogant enough to ignore that.
After nearly a month, he visited Cloi's office. Paper piles were somewhat tamed.
"Hey, lookin' brighter these days."
"Wanna die?"
Cloi, dark circles fading, retorted.
She was hiring help, easing her load.
"Here."
"The thing from before?"
"Yep."
A month ago.
He'd commissioned Charles—who needed Blackout acclimation—to procure items.
Charles delivered faster and better than expected.
"What's Charles up to?"
Jun asked, unwrapping.
Cloi replied without looking up.
"Still in training. Handling that. It'll take time—building connections."
"Ah, right."
"What's that stone?"
Finally glancing up during a break, Cloi eyed the root-like stone in Jun's hand.
"Future comms device."
"...?"
Jun gazed satisfied at the tier-2 artifact called [World Tree's Root].