Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: 9. Wisdom King
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Riding atop the hell horse Mu-yeong, So Gun-ak cut a figure that was the very essence of a black knight, clad head to toe in ebony. Jake, following behind on a sturdy bay horse he'd bought, gazed at So Gun-ak with eyes brimming with admiration.
So Gun-ak hadn't skimped on spending for Jake. He'd casually bought him a horse and handed over all the remaining gold coins for safekeeping.
That alone wouldn't have earned Jake's true respect.
The night before, So Gun-ak had sneaked into Viscount Jamby's castle and retrieved Jake's slave contract from the estate administrator's office. With his mastery of stealth techniques and the aid of the wind spirit Chu-a, snatching a single document had been child's play.
Right before Jake's eyes, So Gun-ak had burned the slave contract to ashes.
Now, with his face altered so no one could recognize him, Jake was deeply touched by So Gun-ak's thoughtful gesture in going out of his way to destroy the document.
This made him resolve to serve So Gun-ak with utter sincerity.
Even the brutality he'd witnessed when they first met now made sense. A knight who draws his sword with intent to fight can't afford hesitation.
As Jake recalled, So Gun-ak had embodied the ideal of knighthood in that moment—a black knight rampaging across the battlefield. No one fit the description better.
In Jake's eyes, already filled with esteem, every action of So Gun-ak's appeared in the best possible light. Before he knew it, his attitude toward So Gun-ak had shifted completely from fear to reverence.
"Captain. Where are we headed?"
"Well..."
So Gun-ak pondered their next move. It was a crystal that wouldn't melt even in heat fierce enough to liquify iron.
Could he cleave it with sword gang?
His thoughts grew increasingly skeptical.
While secluded training had its merits, he saw no need to keep the Black Dragon Corps cooped up any longer. As long as they avoided making new enemies, their current strength was more than enough to adventure through this world.
There had to be a way to shatter the crystal in this world. The Magic Suit hanging at his waist alone upended everything he knew.
So Gun-ak eased back on the reins, slowing to ride alongside Jake. He had come to trust Jake to a certain degree by now.
Jake's conduct toward him had been nothing short of devoted. Moreover, his advice had proven immensely helpful.
Jake even seemed to grasp his personality now, offering timely counsel precisely when needed. If he wanted a strategist, no one fit the bill better.
So Gun-ak pulled a fist-sized crystal from the saddlebag and handed it over.
"We need to uncover what this is. My precious comrades are trapped inside this mysterious substance."
"People are trapped inside?"
So Gun-ak nodded. Jake's face darkened as he asked,
"Forgive me, but if they can't even breathe... if people are trapped in there, isn't it already too late...?"
It was a doubt So Gun-ak had harbored himself.
"They're alive. Don't worry."
Jake's expression brightened a touch. He'd found a lead on unraveling the enigma of the mysterious crystal.
"No person can survive without breathing or eating. It's been a fortnight since I met you, Captain, and if they're still alive, it has to be magic."
"Magic?"
"Yes. Likely a spell involving time reversal, or one separating space itself."
So Gun-ak nodded. It was a reasonable theory. Hadn't he himself considered seeking out a magic tower?
"Spells like Haste warp time to accelerate the body. The space inside that crystal you described is probably distorted, with time slowed to a crawl or frozen still."
"Is there a magic tower nearby?"
Jake answered instantly, as if he had a full map etched in his mind—not just city locations, but every route connecting them.
For merchants, safe and swift paths meant direct profit, so memorizing maps was essential.
"The Kingdom of Rosco has two magic towers: the Royal Magic Tower in the capital, and Fortune Magic Tower on the Mountain of Emptiness."
"Distances?"
"A month to the capital, a month and ten days to the Mountain of Emptiness."
Farther than expected. The Kingdom of Rosco stretched long north-south, with Viscount Jamby's territory skewed south, while the capital and Mountain of Emptiness lay north.
Reading So Gun-ak's expression, Jake added,
"Near the border with the Kingdom of Ramie, there's the Silent Plains—unclaimed by any nation—home to the Lights Magic Tower."
"Distance?"
"Twenty days by horse."
So Gun-ak nodded. He wouldn't recommend it lightly just for saving ten days.
"The Silent Plains lie where the borders of the Kingdom of Rosco, Kingdom of Ramie, and the orc barbarians' lands meet. The mages of Lights Magic Tower there are the finest in the region."
"Then that's our destination."
"I'll lead the way."
They veered southeast. As they neared the border, inspections would tighten. To use their barely marked mercenary tags as ID, they'd need to build credibility by completing some requests first.
After leaving Toden City, they cleared several requests in their first stop.
Luck favored them: escorting a caravan heading their way wrapped up their debut smoothly. In the next city, they hunted bandits, and at the arena, they dragged back an orc slave who'd fled to the mountains.
So Gun-ak had seen orcs in Jamie's memories, but this was his first live encounter—fascinating.
In a world with real dragons, monsters like orcs were no surprise.
Nor was the task particularly tough. Orcs were stronger than humans and nimble in mountains, which was why capture requests came up often.
So Gun-ak nabbed the orc in under half a day. With Chu-a's scouting and his peerless lightness skill mastering the terrain, it was effortless.
They arrived at Horis City—the last stop before the Silent Plains—on the nineteenth day since leaving Toden.
The back of So Gun-ak's mercenary tag now bore a C, denoting credit and skill. From initial E-rank, this was lightning-fast promotion.
To earn C-rank, one needed ten-plus C-level requests completed at 90% success rate.
Nine successes out of ten granted initial C-rank, but maintaining 90% kept it—frequent failures dropped you back.
Horis City, near the border, bustled with soldiers, travelers, and traders, thriving on inns and entertainment.
They took a quiet inn. While So Gun-ak meditated in his room as usual, Jake gathered intel. Normally he'd scout mercenary guild requests, but today he just sat at the first-floor tavern bar.
"Huh? Crossing the border? No way, no way."
The bartender-cum-owner shook his head at Jake's mention of heading to the magic tower.
"Orcs are rampaging like mad right now. The army's sealed the passes just in case they spill over."
Orc tribes clustered south of Lights Magic Tower.
West lay the Kingdom of Rosco, including Horis; east, the Kingdom of Ramie.
Lights Magic Tower was a free city, unclaimed by either kingdom. Both recognized the Silent Plains as neutral, granting it full authority.
In exchange for tax exemptions, autonomy, and the Plains, the tower defended against southern orc incursions.
It started as just the tower, but wandering mages seeking knowledge gathered, followed by mercenaries for protection.
Fugitives from kingdoms fled to the neutral haven.
Thus, Lights became a true free city.
Citizenship required one task: five years defending as militia against orcs.
Neighboring kingdoms merely blocked their own passes, watching Lights' struggle like a fire next door.
Orcs were invading north more than usual now.
But something was off.
Mercenaries to Lights had never been restricted before.
It was the region with the most mercenaries.
"Even a C-rank mercenary can't go? What kind of nonsense is that?"
As Jake raised his voice, the bartender pursed his lips.
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger. That's the order from up top."
Jake cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem, sorry. Got heated. But blocking C-ranks... what about Lights City?"
Pretending concern, Jake prompted a nod from the bartender.
"Exactly. And the official notice? Hilarious. Says it's to protect our own mercenaries—no entry for unproven ones. As if."
Jake grimaced in disbelief. D-rank had the most mercenaries per tier.
C-ranks were vetted elites, combat prowess surpassing regular soldiers.
"Sheesh, as if the kingdom has B- or A-ranks to spare..."
"Tell me about it. Rumor has it Ramie's doing the same—no mercenaries to Lights."
"They're deliberately pressuring Lights City, aren't they?"
The bartender nodded and lowered his voice, impressed by Jake's grasp of affairs.
"Whispers say Lights Tower developed some amazing artifact. They're squeezing to force out the research."
Jake downed his drink in gulps.
It was a hub of top mages by design. Lights Tower drew pure researchers focused on their craft.
Kingdom mages answered to funders—kingdoms or nobles—tailoring progress to their whims.
Lights' freedom spurred unchecked advancement.
That's why groundbreaking archmages and artifacts emerged, shaking the magic world. The Magic Suit originated there first.
Jake recalled how its crafting method spread worldwide.
Then too, both kingdoms barred mercenaries, isolating Lights to watch it fend off orcs.
Cornered, Lights negotiated. Only then did the kingdoms march troops to rout the orcs.
The prize: the Magic Suit's secrets.
'Damn bastards.'
Jake scowled, cursing the leaders haggling over the new research.
He headed upstairs to report to So Gun-ak, who offered a simple solution.
"Just get B-rank."
"But that'd take longer than going to the capital tower from the start..."
B-rank needed ten B-level completions—easily over ten days. And Horis might not even have ten left.
"Can't turn back now, can we?"
Jake bowed apologetically.
"I'll scout worthwhile requests."
He left the inn again.
This time, to the mercenary guild—not C-rank board, but B-rank.
"Huh? What's with all these?"
The board, usually sparse with seven or so, brimmed with over twenty requests. Reading them, Jake frowned.
"Stand by for a fortnight, wait a month, escort a box to the capital."
None truly needed B-ranks.
All easy: transport goods, loiter somewhere.
Yet pay was generous—profitable even treating as downtime.
"They're trying to finish off Lights City entirely."