Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: The Elemental Stone
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Yahalong, Lee Si-woo, and their party used a portal terminal to travel to a forest several dozen kilometers away from the Niam Mountains.
This was a precaution, as they were defenseless immediately after teleporting.
After confirming all four party members had arrived safely, Yahalong spoke.
“Alright, before we move out, how about we do some brief introductions? I know all about you from your profiles, but you don't know each other.”
At Yahalong's words, a Lycanthrope man stepped forward.
His glossy black fur and muscular body, clad in a form-fitting gray robe, gave him a stylish air.
“Van of the Lang tribe. 2nd Circle Beginner. School of Space.”
Displeased with the overly simple introduction, Yahalong asked.
“Since you're sharing, why not reveal your level too?”
Van shook his head firmly.
“I’d rather not. Revealing my level, a measure of combat power, is something I'm reluctant to do, even with fellow mages from the same tower.”
Yahalong scoffed as if it were ridiculous.
“Nonsense. A level is just a number, not an absolute measure of combat power. It's just one part of your stats. What, I accepted you because you seemed confident, but you don't even know the common sense in this field that good stats don't automatically mean you're competent?”
“That may be so, but I'm still reluctant.”
Yahalong clicked his tongue, looking exasperated. He seemed displeased with Van, who was acting timid despite his appearance.
But what could he do?
Mages from the School of Space were rare, so he had to take him along even if he wasn't entirely to his liking.
“Well, can't be helped. Your mindset isn't my style, but a space mage's concealment ability is irreplaceable, so I'll just have to put up with it. Alright, who's next?”
A diminutive monster, a goblin, stepped forward.
“Hehe, my name's Panpan. I'm a 2nd Circle Beginner, a dark mage. Ah, and my level is 230. A maxed-out Beginner, so you can all count on me.”
Yahalong nodded enthusiastically, pleased with Panpan's introduction.
“Now that's what I'm talking about. A real man lays it all out like this. Just as I expected from Panpan. You're a talent I had my eye on out of more than a dozen mages.”
“Hehe, just trust me. Despite my looks, I'm a ridiculously good fighter.”
“Of course, of course. I believe you. Now... what about our little chick?”
Yahalong's gaze fell on Lee Si-woo, the only 1st Circle mage in the group, who was wearing a yellow robe.
It wasn't just Yahalong; Van, who looked somewhat grumpy, and Panpan, who was smacking his lips with displeasure, were also watching Si-woo.
They had followed the decision of Yahalong, their leader and a true-born elite of the Magic Tower, but they were curious why he had chosen a 1st Circle mage like Si-woo out of more than ten candidates.
“Lee Si-woo. 1st Circle Beginner, I haven't learned any school magic yet. But thanks to a special Talent, my level is over 200.”
Hearing he was a 1st Circle Beginner who hadn't even learned school magic, Panpan's and Van's faces twisted, but their eyes widened in surprise at the part about his level.
Over level 200 with just a Talent?
It was something that defied common sense.
Yahalong chuckled and asked.
“Hey, my chick friend. You can't just brush it off by saying you have no school magic, not when you wield Omage, which makes you practically invincible against 2nd Circle mages. And 'over 200'? Ha, let's not be timid. Lay it all out there.”
At the mention of Si-woo being an Omage wielder, Van and Panpan dropped their disdain for him.
Being able to cast Omage, which could drain a mage below the 3rd Circle of their mana with a single touch, meant he had few rivals within the 2nd Circle.
It was no wonder Yahalong had accepted him without a second thought.
Si-woo gave a wry smile at Yahalong's words, which laid all his cards on the table. It seemed the troll, true to his status as an elder's grandson, had already thoroughly reviewed the selection trial videos.
“If you put it that way, Sir Yahalong, I have no choice. It's 220.”
In truth, Si-woo's level was 250, the level of a veteran 2nd Circle mage who had broken through the Expert barrier and continued to grow, but he deliberately stated a lower number.
It wasn't his style to reveal all his cards on the day he first met someone.
Yahalong nodded and said.
“220? Higher than I thought. Well, your combat sense is top-class, just like I saw in the selection trial videos, so there's no question about that. You really are the talent I had my eye on.”
As Si-woo revealed his level, Van, who had been fidgeting for some reason, raised his hand to speak.
“My level is 222.”
Yahalong asked back, dumbfounded.
“What's this all of a sudden? Weren't you reluctant to share?”
“...It would be troublesome if you thought my level was lower than a human's.”
In other words, he was saying it would be embarrassing if his level were lower than the human Si-woo's, so he was telling them.
Yahalong spoke with an expression that said, *What a character.*
“Haha, you look like a warrior who could take on any orc, but you act like such a weasel. Well, fine. I'll keep that in mind. Hmm... I think that's about it for introductions. Shall we get going?”
Just then, Lee Si-woo spoke up.
“I believe there's still one person left.”
It was clear from his gaze who Si-woo was referring to. He was looking directly into Yahalong's eyes.
At Si-woo's audacious remark, Yahalong gave him a meaningful look, then leaned in with his troll's characteristically grim face and spoke.
“Yahalong. 2nd Circle Beginner. School of Elements. 230.”
Though the foul breath and sticky body odor typical of monster species were enough to make one wrinkle their nose, Lee Si-woo just smiled brightly like a child and clapped his hands.
“Wow, two maxed-out Beginners? Our party's looking pretty good.”
Watching Si-woo defuse the potentially tense atmosphere—created by his comment that interrupted the leader's flow—with his lighthearted demeanor, Yahalong let out a small snort.
‘Quite the sly fox. Still, it's a hundred times better than being an idiot.’
Yahalong gestured for them to follow and said.
“Let's get going, then. We have a long way to go.”
* * *
The coniferous forest zone of the Niam Mountains.
Hidden among the stiff needles of a conifer, the dwarf Valen trembled as he looked down.
‘Why are they all the way out here? Th-this is clearly the territory of the Free City's Magic Towers!’
Countless corpses were strewn about beneath the tree where Valen was hiding.
The bodies were dismembered.
The strange thing was the gruesome marks around the hearts and brains of the corpses, as if a hyena had greedily feasted on them.
‘Dammit, monster mages from a foreign country...? There's going to be a bloodbath in the Niam Mountains today.’
Three figures in black robes. No, three *beasts*. The mages were searching for intact corpses and meticulously devouring their brains and hearts.
Valen watched the scene, which evoked instinctual disgust and terror, with a hand clapped over his mouth, wanting to request backup from his Magic Tower before it was too late.
The fact that monster mages from a foreign land had left their assigned mana source and come this far was a matter serious enough to warrant the intervention of a high-circle mage from his tower.
But he didn't dare take out his smartphone until the monster mages had finished their meal.
He knew that with the bizarrely sharp senses of monster species, one wrong move would mean instant death.
‘Please, please just leave. Just get the hell out of here.’
Did his prayers reach the heavens?
The black-robed mages who had finished their meal were slowly beginning to leave.
The moment Valen secretly let out a sigh of relief, a gust of wind blew from behind him, brushing past.
When the wind, carrying his scent, reached the black mages, one of them lifted its head and sniffed the air.
‘Damn it!’
As befitting a seasoned 2nd Circle Expert, Valen's reaction was swift.
Having assessed the situation, Valen kicked off a conifer branch and scrambled higher, pulling his smartphone from his robes.
‘I can't escape them even with a flight-type artifact. I'd better request backup...’
Valen managed to dial '119', the Magic Tower's emergency number, and send a message to his master.
Perhaps because he felt he had done his duty despite the grim situation?
A faint smile on his lips, Valen heard an unpleasant voice next to him—less a human voice and more of a monstrous shriek.
-Foolish little dwarf. Did you really think we would come all this way without preparing a countermeasure for your requests for backup?
As soon as the monster finished speaking, a "No Signal" message popped up on his smartphone screen.
It seemed they possessed some kind of artifact that jammed nearby signals.
A purple tongue approached the despairing Valen's face and licked his cheek greedily.
Soon, the purple tongue wrapped tightly around his neck, and Valen squeezed his eyes shut in resignation.
His will wasn't strong enough to resist a monster species that had slaughtered dozens of 2nd Circle mages in one spot.
*Crack.*
The four-legged lizard monster, a Seven-Faced Lizard, plunged its tongue into the back of Valen's head as he fell with a broken neck, and said.
-Seeing only weaklings around... it seems we're the only ones who know about the signs of an Elemental Stone's birth at the heart of the Niam Mountains.
Another monster mage approached the Seven-Faced Lizard and replied.
-Of course. We wouldn't have known either if not for an anonymous informant.
-Informing someone about the location of an Elemental Stone? I can't imagine who would do something so foolish.
-Who knows. But one thing's for sure, it wasn't done with good intentions. We've received intel that the tip didn't just come to us.
Displeased by the chatter in another faction's territory, the particularly large mage who had been silent until now chided them.
-Just as you said, we're not the only ones here, so let's move quickly. The more diligent we are, the better our chances of getting our hands on the Elemental Stone.
* * *
*Tring.*
While heading toward the Niam Mountains, Yahalong received a text message and stopped walking.
After checking the message, Yahalong's expression hardened.
“Hold on. Everyone, wait a moment.”
Yahalong spoke with a serious face, and the party waited in silence.
Yahalong, who had been frowning and un-frowning repeatedly after reading the text, sighed and said.
“Things have gotten a bit complicated. We've been ordered to return.”
Panpan tilted his head and asked back.
“Return? From the Magic Tower? All of a sudden?”
“Yes, you'll probably all get a text soon.”
As soon as Yahalong finished speaking, everyone's phone buzzed.
Lee Si-woo, who immediately checked the message out of curiosity, furrowed his brow.
[URGENT. All mages belonging to the Magic Tower heading to the Niam Mountains are to return to the tower immediately.]
‘So suddenly?’
Yahalong's phone began to ring loudly, indicating a call.
Frowning, Yahalong hesitated for a moment before sighing and finally answering the call.
He was on the phone for over ten minutes, and from what they could overhear, it sounded like his grandfather, the elder, was telling him to come back immediately, while Yahalong was stubbornly refusing to return.
A moment later, Yahalong hung up and spoke.
“Everyone, listen up. Something big has happened in the Niam Mountains. I don't know for sure, but in a little while, a barrier will...”
Before Yahalong could finish, a barrier of blue light erupted over the entire green mountain range ahead of them.
As Panpan's jaw dropped at the majestic sight of the barrier enveloping the entire mountain range, Yahalong explained.
“It's a barrier that no one 3rd Circle or higher can enter. More than twelve Magic Towers conferred and decided to erect it.”
Lee Si-woo murmured thoughtfully.
“A barrier that prevents entry for those 3rd Circle and above... Something must have appeared in the mountains to pique the Magic Towers' interest. So they acted hastily to prevent the situation from escalating. A large gathering of 3rd Circle or higher mages could easily lead to war...”
As Si-woo instantly grasped the core of the situation, a gleam appeared in Yahalong's eyes.
He had thought it several times while watching the selection trial videos, but this guy was truly extraordinary.
That's why he liked him, and why he wanted to bring him along.
He was certain Si-woo would be a great help in the Niam Mountains.
“You've seen it exactly right. Yes, just as you said, something incredible has happened. Signs of an Elemental Stone's birth have appeared in the Niam Mountains.”
An Elemental Stone.
It was an extremely rare resource that only mages of the 4th Circle or below could absorb, an invaluable training resource for elemental mages, comparable to any rare treasure.
When an elemental mage absorbed an Elemental Stone, their Mana Root would evolve into a Mana Tree, doubling the power of their elemental magic.
However, Elemental Stones were so rare, having appeared less than a thousand times in the history of the Main Dimension, that they were also called Disaster Stones.
The nickname came from the fact that whenever one appeared, mages would be slaughtered in droves.
Perhaps because Yahalong was also an elemental mage?
Unable to contain his boiling greed, he spoke in a voice filled with strong resolve.
“Listen up, everyone. By now, an enormous number of 2nd Circle mages have probably flocked to the Niam Mountains. It'll be complete pandemonium. Nine times out of ten, you probably won't make it out alive if you go in. But... I'm going in. No matter what.”
Yahalong made eye contact with Van, Panpan, and Si-woo one by one as he continued.
“Elemental Stones never appear alone. I don't know how many there will be, but I guarantee there will be enough for the four of us to share. So, make your choice. Will you enter the mountains with me and seize a life-changing opportunity? Or will you give up here and live the rest of your life as a nobody?”
It was a lie.
Because Lee Si-woo, possessing Harman's knowledge, already knew.
That only one Elemental Stone ever appeared at a time.
That's why he was conflicted.
About whether to crawl into that pit for a single Elemental Stone that he wasn't even sure he could obtain.
‘Hmm, what should I do...’
Yahalong, noticing Si-woo's hesitation, pressed him.
“First off, Si-woo. I want to hear your opinion first... what will you do?”
Lee Si-woo scratched the back of his head, then reluctantly opened his mouth.
“I...”