Chapter 304
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 304
Chapter Title: Proof
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Most of the Mage Towers moved centered around the Ranes Mage Tower.
Until now, the Ranes Mage Tower had been ostracized in mage society, but even they acknowledged one thing: its activity level.
The Ranes Mage Tower was famous for having the highest activity in Blackout, and it possessed cutting-edge technology for mobility as a result.
Whoooong-
An airship gliding leisurely through the clouds high in the sky.
For mages who always had to prepare for sudden ambushes, it was the most reliable means of transportation.
"Heh heh... Thanks to you, we can move so comfortably."
"Indeed. It certainly has its uses."
Even the prideful Mage Association acknowledged this airship.
More precisely, they openly showed their greed for it.
Instead, they were busy cursing Ranes as trash.
'Idiots. Don't they know what kind of revolution commercializing this would bring?'
'If we could just get the blueprints for this ship...'
'Securing the market first is key, and yet. Tsk tsk.'
And that gaze was so blatant that even Belles, Ranes's long-time disciple, could feel it.
"Master..."
"What? It's a gaze we're used to. And it's proof that we're not wrong."
Exactly as he said.
The Mage Association—and especially the Conventional Sorcerers at its center—had long disliked the Ranes Mage Tower.
They criticized it for not following tradition and blatantly selling magic.
While they busied themselves pretending to be noble beings...
"Look at their eyes. They're filled with blatant greed, and that's the most basic condition for human growth."
"That's why it's even more disgusting. They won't do it themselves but are full of greed to steal from others."
"Exactly. But that's why our task is clear."
To not let that greed fester in the shadows but pull it into the light and turn it into the driving force for mage society's growth.
It was what Ranes had always dreamed of.
Belles trusted her master more than anyone, but that didn't make her blindly optimistic.
'I wonder if we can really end this mission on a good note.'
She'd heard rumors that after this massive Mage Tower mobilization, bad news was spreading in the mercenary industry.
The open confrontation between the White Whale Mercenary Corps and the noble faction.
With the aftermath spreading among the mercenaries, could they really focus properly on this mission?
The Ranes Mage Tower could only stand tall if the White Whale Mercenary Corps held firm.
With such worries, Belles and her group headed to the 8th layer, End Field, aboard the airship.
Upon arriving at End Field.
As it was Belles's first time in the 8th layer, she crossed over looking quite tense.
But the sight that greeted her immediately after was a scene she hadn't even imagined.
"What the hell."
"How many is that already?!"
"That's five down, and he hasn't faltered once!"
According to the rumors, this was the White Whale Mercenary Corps that the entire mercenary industry avoided.
And the golden-haired, blue-eyed man from the White Whale Mercenary Corps, Aiden, stood amid a crowd of mercenaries, splattered in blood, glaring at his opponents.
Despite the blood scattered everywhere, the mercenaries stomped the ground excitedly in fervor.
"What is this...?"
"It looks like they've already started establishing the pecking order."
Belles turned to her master at the voice from beside her.
A faint envy in her eyes.
She envied that barbaric, simple—yet most primal—scene of the mercenaries.
Every industry has unwritten rules. The mercenary world is no different.
Focus on the request, not the people.
Why did such a rule come about?
The reason is simple.
Mercenaries never know when they'll run into each other.
They might meet as enemies one day and allies the next.
So view requests as just requests, and don't get too immersed in what happens during them.
But do human affairs always go according to plan?
'Is the White Whale Mercenary Corps for real?'
'All level 7. Yeah, impressive. But...'
'Does their skill overwhelm our experience?'
Of course, mercenaries knew better.
Reputation follows skill, and the longer it lasts, the more real it is.
The White Whale Mercenary Corps was living proof.
Most mercenaries acknowledged their skill.
But some couldn't accept it without seeing it with their own eyes.
At someone's shout, the mercenaries' gazes turned to Jun, who smirked and said,
"If you want to call out the captain from the start, you should've matched his level."
At the same time, Jun looked at Aiden.
Excluding Maya, Aiden was the one in the White Whale Mercenary Corps most skilled at dealing with people.
Wherever he went, he'd seek out strong opponents for spars, hungry for any insight from their movements.
How many knights' swords had Aiden faced, how many brushes with death had he survived?
In duels, he was slightly behind Maya, whose specialty was assassination, but in straight-up fights, Aiden far surpassed her.
"Go on. You've been itching for it."
"...I'll make sure to uphold the mercenary corps' name!"
Aiden strode into the crowd of mercenaries with eager steps, as if he'd been waiting.
The cowed look under hostile glares was gone; he focused entirely on the one who'd called out Jun.
"What? Is your captain hiding his tail from a rookie like you?"
The crude provocation flew.
And surprisingly, it worked perfectly on Aiden.
He didn't want to tarnish the mercenary corps he cherished most in the world.
"Your mouth's too loose."
"Wha... Huh?!"
In the blink of an eye, Aiden closed in, his sword slashing from below upward.
'A skill...?!'
The opponent thought it was a skill, but no.
It was purely Aiden's skill.
Even without reaching level 8, Aiden could fully unleash his domain, moving faster and more naturally than anyone through the wind within it.
"Kuh..."
The cool yet burning sensation right below his throat.
Aiden's sword tip dug in slightly, a line of blood trickling down, soaking his clothes.
"I... I lost..."
In the end, without swinging his sword properly once, the opponent dropped it to the ground.
Mercenaries didn't have a knight's pride; no need for pointless stubbornness.
Getting a serious injury here would mess up future missions, and healing wasn't easy.
In a public spot like this, getting hurt that way just made you look like an idiot.
As one stepped down, silence fell over the makeshift arena.
Aiden said nothing to them, just looked down.
The aura only a true strongman could emit.
A few mercenaries, crushed by the atmosphere, gripped their knees and stood.
And so the duels began again.
"Wow. I didn't know Aiden had that side to him."
Eleanor couldn't hide her surprise at Aiden's display, while Bern shook his head with a chuckle.
"You should've seen him sparring in the holy land. That kid's always been tenacious. This is natural for him."
"This opponent's holding up pretty well, though. Feels like level 7."
"But that's all he can do. He must've just hit level 7 recently."
Bern and Eleanor chatted as they watched Aiden's duel.
The new challenger wielded dual swords with insanely skillful technique.
He couldn't create his own domain like Aiden, but he perfectly countered up to arm's reach.
'If it were Aiden from half a year ago, he'd have been pushed back.'
But such movements were easy for Aiden to read.
After all, he'd seen them plenty over the past few years—from Maya.
Kaang-!
"Kuh..."
In the end, dropping one sword, the man bit his lip in frustration, admitted defeat, and left the arena.
Silence returned, and this time even more strongmen rose.
Duels elsewhere halted as if by magic, all eyes turning to Aiden's arena.
'Showing our skills earlier than expected.'
Not a bad picture.
They wanted to dent the White Whale's reputation, but as Jun had told his comrades, all they could show now was overwhelming strength.
They'd even set up the stage openly. Backing down from the chance would be stupid.
"Eleanor."
"Yeah?"
"You're up for the good guy role."
"Yeah...? Oh."
Like what happened to Jun in Merdaine last mission.
One side plays the villain, the other the hero to win favor.
Eleanor caught on quick and signaled Aiden via the World Tree's Essence.
"Kraaak!"
Aiden reacted instantly, rampaging a bit more fiercely than before.
This time, a deeper gash.
But compared to prior duels, not a major injury.
Just more blood splattered.
On cue, Eleanor cast holy magic on the opponent.
The wound healed as if an advanced potion had been used.
"Hoo... Who's next?"
Aiden eyed the mercenaries coldly, and suddenly, massive excitement erupted, everyone rushing forward.
And that's when the mages arrived—not long after.
Experience is a hundred times better than reading in a book.
Or so the saying goes.
Jun didn't think it was entirely accurate.
You need to read the book first to truly understand its contents through experience.
Still, experience's importance was undeniable.
"Much better than before..."
"The atmosphere's improved, right?"
"Yes..."
As soon as the mages arrived, the mercenaries' festival ended.
With the clients here, it was only natural.
But the hostile glares from before had mostly vanished.
"That's the mercenaries' lack of decorum. They fight like mortal enemies one day, then switch if their goals align."
"Haha... It wasn't a bad experience."
"What a shame! I wanted to cut loose too!"
Bern pointed to his shield.
The new shield Cloi had procured before leaving the Black Forest.
Made from Blackout materials forged by earth tribe smiths, he seemed eager to test it ASAP.
"Plenty more chances soon."
This request started by the Emperor, but the mages' commander was Marquis Owen.
And Marquis Owen would almost certainly sabotage the Emperor's plans.
'The question is how.'
For now, the top suspect was that guy.
'Endo.'
The highest-ranking elder among the Conventional Sorcerers.
A 7th-circle mage he'd barely glimpsed at the magic conference's end.
The only corrupted spirit consumer Jun had found there.
That fallen spirit inside him was surely writhing even now.
If End Field's checkpoint collapsed, Endo was the likely culprit.