Chapter 179
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Slayer Coast Island (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
7th layer, Moltan's mining district.
Dust-covered figures emerged from the mine.
The woman at the forefront had an extraordinary swirl of mana raging around her, as if she'd just come from battle—the flow was incredibly fierce.
"How's Belles doing? The one who headed to the 4th layer?"
The mage standing right beside her answered her question.
"He says he just arrived. It's about time for the banquet to start."
"Hmm. I see?"
"At least he's the most formal one among us, so there shouldn't be any major issues."
"Good to hear he arrived safely. Lucky for us Belles had some time to spare."
The middle-aged woman muttered to herself, ruffling her hair as she let out a deep sigh.
"Is it that important? I heard some imperial royals came down."
"Imperials? That's none of my concern. I heard there's an intriguing mage with them."
"Ah..."
Given her utter lack of interest in politics, the mage listening nodded as if it were par for the course.
"Word is he climbed up to the 5th layer in just one year."
"That's right... That's quite the anomaly—a rare talent."
"Considering the Tower Master's personality, I figured you'd take an interest."
Of course. Ranes, the master of Ranes Mage Tower, known as a battle-crazed mage—why would she care about the Imperials when a mage had caught her eye?
"From 3rd circle to 5th in a single year, they say? Impressive. How on earth did he manage that?"
"Talent makes it possible, but..."
"There's something we can't overlook. He's a tower outsider."
A term despised by most mages: tower outsider.
Yet there wasn't a trace of disdain in Ranes' aura.
If anything, it carried intrigue and a hint of awe.
"You're right. Sure, there are mages who've grown two circles in a year, but they had the Mage Tower's support—enough resources to build dozens of castles."
You couldn't compare someone backed by endless grimoires, skillbooks, and vast funding to a 3rd-circle mage starting from rock bottom.
"And what's the defining trait of those who grow like that with all the support?"
"...Their crisis response is abysmal."
They might show immense talent, but applying it in battle was a whole different story.
Yet this mage named Jun, leading the White Whale Mercenary Corps, was said to have blocked a Dimensional Reversal twice.
"But isn't all the talk about the White Whale Mercenary Corps just rumors? We don't know the truth."
"That's why I sent Belles."
"Pardon? Sure, Belles is talented in our tower, but... he can't gauge the other's true strength."
"Yeah. But that kid treats mages like they're some noble bloodline."
The mage's face twisted in shock as he grasped her meaning.
"...You don't mean you sent him to pick a fight?!"
"Exactly."
"No, that's insane...! It's the mercenary group the Imperials personally brought along! If he starts trouble..."
"Do we have time to worry about that?"
"..."
Come to think of it, no.
They all operated on the 7th layer, and Tower Master Ranes even delved into the 8th.
No Imperial would dare punish the Mage Tower they belonged to lightly.
"Still, the funding, or lack thereof..."
"Heh, foolish mortal. The pittance they send versus what I earn on my own. Think there's even a contest?"
"...The difference is overwhelming."
"So it'll be fine. Besides, he might work with us someday. No harm in getting familiar now."
Is 'getting familiar' the right way to put it? Isn't it more like making them blush?
The mage pondered briefly.
I give up... I can't read the Tower Master's mind...
At best, he hoped the other mage, being one himself, had heard the rumors about Ranes Mage Tower and wouldn't hold too much grudge.
Belles of Ranes Mage Tower faced the mercenary mage on the pristine white sand beach and spoke.
"No need to hold back on the first strike, right?"
Though his dignity as a mage might be lacking, he didn't doubt the mercenary's skill.
The weight of the Imperials made rumors too risky to dismiss lightly.
Before Jun could even nod, Belles began his incantation.
Swaaaaa...
'Oh.'
Jun, watching, betrayed a hint of genuine surprise.
[Icicle Spear (4th Circle)]
High-difficulty ice spell with enhanced durability
Unlike a standard [Ice Spear], this 4th-circle spell boasted impressive difficulty among ice magic. Its persistence made it far tougher than [Ice Spear], resisting even fire attributes without crumbling easily.
'Casting ice magic this strong in a sandy environment.'
Above all, the casting speed was absurdly fast.
'She's got real combat experience.'
In a sand-filled area, prioritizing persistence while weaving in ice attributes to drastically compress activation time.
Even knowing the theory, executing it required perfect mastery of the principles at play.
'Not every mage grasps the fundamentals that deeply. And at that speed? It means she's properly trained.'
Having analyzed that far, Jun countered.
Chwararak!
[Shield]
[Modified Form - Single Point Focus]
[Attribute Shift - Fire]
The icicle spear hurtled toward him as a jagged lance, infused with potent imagery—its momentum was ferocious. But Jun's [Shield] halted it cold.
"...! Reinforcement magic?!"
Belles recognized it instantly, crying out in astonishment.
He couldn't dissect it as finely as Jun, but the spell pattern revealed its mechanics at a glance.
'Feels a bit like cheating.'
Jun inwardly muttered, relying somewhat on 'Illusion' for his calculations.
'What can you do? Blackout's always been a game where gear matters.'
The craftsman blames his tools?
Pure nonsense, in Jun's view.
Tools let you unleash your skill to its fullest.
That said, Jun only deployed his [Shield]—no counterattack.
'This is pretty fun.'
His past made him instinctively wary of tower mages.
Their skills rarely inspired him anew.
But this one was different.
'So practical.'
Not just theory-bound spells, but battle-ready magic brimming with utility.
Jun's eyes gleamed as Belles' spells came in waves.
Belles was a prodigy even among the geniuses of the Mage Tower.
Proud of it, he loved his tower just as fiercely.
'I'm the Mage Tower's brightest future.'
Yet other towers trashed Ranes Mage Tower relentlessly.
To traditionalists, magic was scholarship and art.
Ranes treated it purely as a tool.
No wonder they called it 'base.'
Belles, devoted to his tower, couldn't stomach it.
Treated like lowborn scum just for using magic practically?
Absurd. So he strove to embody a true mage's dignity.
That made this all the more infuriating.
A rumored tower outsider who'd blocked Dimensional Reversal twice—yet he approached without a shred of dignity.
'Not every mage needs dignity. But one with skill must have it.'
That was Belles' creed.
Jun would've scoffed at the bullshit philosophy, but it stemmed from Belles' love for his tower.
True dignity was untouchable.
If he became its face, his grace would elevate the tower.
But...
'Is that really true?'
A mage wasn't just about casting well.
It was how you wielded it—what results you forged from infinite possibilities.
'Can I, as I am, represent the tower?'
A crack formed in his deep-rooted pride.
Kagagak—!!
Hwarrrrr—!
Kwaaaang—!
Dignity mattered to a mage who aspired to be the tower's face.
His worldview shattered.
'A mage's noblest moment is...'
His summoned ice melted away.
His bid to dominate space with ice was seen through.
The frost blanketing the ground collapsed in seconds.
No tactic budged the man.
Incantation-free, with mere gestures commanding all mana...
Like a conductor leading an orchestra.
This sand-choked beach reshaped at his whim.
'The dignity... of magic...'
An overwhelming skill gap.
Belles had faced it countless times.
Ranes was battle-focused; he'd sparred seniors endlessly.
His record? Far more losses than wins.
Seniors took him seriously.
Even the Tower Master had once acknowledged his genius and effort, teaching him personally.
'It's like sparring Ranes herself.'
Back then, he'd unleashed spells futilely while she defended and critiqued.
He'd felt awe and respect then too.
'But this... it's different. Something's off...'
Frankly, the man's magic was crude—even to another mage.
Lacking refinement, its power paled against Ranes.
Yet Belles' heart pounded.
'Beautiful...'
Crude at first glance, but intricate like a master clockwork mechanism.
Handcrafted by an artisan.
Flawless blueprints, executed without error.
All converging perfectly.
"Kuhk..."
Enraptured amid the spectacle, Belles flung spells like a moth to flame.
Failing to regulate mana as a mage meant mana exhaustion.
Plop.
"What the...?"
As Belles collapsed with a final gasp, Jun—who'd faced him—could only blink in confusion.
'...Is Ranes Mage Tower weaker than I thought?'