Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: The Elemental Stone
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“I... will be heading back...”
As Si-woo was about to turn back to the Magic Tower, avoiding the unnecessary adventure, a piercing sound tore through the air and a blue portal opened before him.
Recognizing the portal for what it was, Hwan-hwan exclaimed dramatically.
“Oh, a quest messenger!”
A hand of white mist emerged from the portal and dropped a letter in front of Si-woo.
Feeling uneasy about the white hand appearing at this exact moment, Si-woo carefully picked up the letter.
And he sighed as if the world was ending.
[4-Star Quest]
※Absorb the Elemental Stone.
*This is insane...*
Si-woo almost let out a string of curses.
The White Hand's Star Ascension quests could never be received again if refused or failed even once.
In other words, unless he wanted to remain a 3-Star and use only three Talents for the rest of his life, he had no choice but to accept the 4-Star quest.
*Absorb the Elemental Stone? Ha, they might as well just tell me to go die. This is crazy. Do they have any idea how many powerful individuals will gather there? And I'm supposed to obtain the one and only Elemental Stone?*
But, now that the quest had been given, Si-woo had no choice.
The moment he gave up here, he would have to live the rest of his life as a 3-Star.
As the master of Barathrum, unaware of what dangers he would have to face in the future, Si-woo was standing on the edge of a cliff with no way back.
Closing his eyes in frustration, Si-woo sharpened his resolve.
*It's one thing before you decide to ride the tiger, but once you've made up your mind, negative thoughts and fear are of no help. There's no other way. If I have to do it, then I have to find a way to succeed.*
Si-woo put the letter in his inventory and said.
“I will follow you, Lord Yahalong.”
Seeing Si-woo, who had been about to leave, change his mind, Yahalong chuckled and said.
“Keke, interesting. Judging by the look on your face, I don't know what the quest is, but it seems to be forcing you to take a step you didn't want to take?”
“Yes. Well, that's what happened.”
Yahalong asked subtly, as if testing him.
“Why? Did it tell you to get an Elemental Stone or something?”
As he asked, Yahalong watched Si-woo's face closely.
But Si-woo just shrugged and replied nonchalantly.
“If a mere human's 3-Star quest was to retrieve an Elemental Stone, what human in the world would ever achieve Star Ascension? I can't go into the details of the quest for privacy reasons, but the problem is entering the Niam Mountains, not the quest itself. It's not that difficult.”
Even in that situation, Si-woo downplayed his 4-Star quest as a 3-Star one to avoid suspicion.
“Hoh... is that so?”
“Yes. Otherwise, why would a coward like me crawl into the mountains? Anyway, I'll do my best to assist you, Lord Yahalong, while completing my quest.”
“And what if you just leave? Then we'll be screwed, won't we?”
Si-woo gave a wry smile.
“If I could make it out of there alive on my own, I might have done just that, regardless of whether you get screwed or not. But what can I possibly do alone in that den of demons? To survive, for better or worse, I have to stick with you, Lord Yahalong, until the very end.”
Apparently pleased by Si-woo's frank and straightforward answer, Yahalong burst into a cheerful laugh.
The more he saw of Si-woo, the more he liked him. Yahalong asked in a suggestive tone.
“Hey, human friend. I quite like you. So, after this is all over, how about you get close to me instead of a psycho like Isabelle?”
“I have nothing to lose.”
“Kekeke, so magnanimous. I've made a real friend today. Ah, right. There were two others, weren't there? So, what do the rest of you think?”
Hwan-hwan and Ben darted their eyes around, gauging the situation.
No matter how precious the Elemental Stone was, was it worth their lives? Their reluctance to agree was palpable.
Noticing their inner thoughts, Yahalong said.
“Tsk tsk... I can hear the gears turning in your heads from all the way over here. Useless. Hey, think carefully. Let's say, by some chance, you abandon me and leave. Do you think my grandfather, having lost a lovely grandson like me, will just sit still? Or will he look for someone to take his anger out on?”
At Yahalong's words, the color drained from Hwan-hwan and Ben's faces.
They realized that if they hadn't joined the party, it would be a different story, but now that they had, they couldn't escape the responsibility.
A high-born mage like Yahalong was a reliable insurance policy, deterring enemies' killing intent. But conversely, if Yahalong died, he would become a landmine—an anti-tank one at that.
Because there would be no way to avoid the unbearable consequences.
That is, unless they had a powerful backer like Si-woo.
The goblin mage Hwan-hwan rubbed his palms together like a sycophant and said.
“Hehe, Lord Yahalong. Why would you say such a disheartening thing? There's no need to even think about it; I'll stick with you to the end. How could I call myself a proud mage of the Senior Magic Tower if I disloyally backed out here?”
Ben also spoke up, reluctantly but as if he had no other choice.
“I, too, will join you. As a member of the great Rang tribe, it is not right to evade a crisis.”
As everyone expressed their intention to join, Yahalong smiled brightly and said.
“I knew I had a good eye for talent! Great, then let's go see that precious Elemental Stone for ourselves!”
* * *
A forest near the outskirts of the Niam Mountains.
In the shadows of the forest, darkened by the falling dusk.
A woman wearing a black mask with a golden spider drawn near the forehead spoke.
“Was there anyone else besides us who knew the Elemental Stone would appear in the Niam Mountains?”
In response to the golden spider-masked woman's question, a man wearing a similar black mask, but with no pattern on it, prostrated himself and answered.
“I believed there were none, but it seems I was mistaken. An anonymous informant has leaked the Elemental Stone's location to all the nearby Magic Towers.”
“An anonymous informant... fufu, interesting. To think there are still those who would interfere with our Black Night's affairs in the Main Dimension. Hmmm, could this be the work of Dawn?”
“We are currently investigating under the assumption that it is their operation.”
“Dawn. The desperate struggles of those declining followers are quite cute. But as long as Lord Destrier is here, the tide has already turned. More importantly, I heard there are ruins in the mountains. What did you do about the faceless statue? The Elemental Stone is something nice to have, and a shame to miss, but the ruins must not be left behind under any circumstances.”
“We have disposed of it cleanly, so please do not worry. At least in the mountains, no one will be able to come into contact with the statue. However, Lady Spider Matriarch. Due to the barrier that has been cast, it has become difficult for our own talents to enter the mountains. What should we do?”
“They say it's a barrier that only those of the 2nd Circle or below can enter, so there's no need to overthink it. If it's one of the Four Great Royal Clans, there will be no one of the same level who can compare.”
“The Four Great Royal Clans... who?”
“Hmph, who do you think I would send on such a dangerous mission without a good reason? The Ancients, of course. I, for one, find them quite unsettling. They may stand with us now, but weren't they once members of Dawn in the past?”
Understanding the Spider Matriarch's intention to use them for more dangerous and arduous tasks, the man bowed his head and said.
“If it's a 2nd Circle Ancient, then it must be Yoana. Understood. I will send her.”
* * *
The summit of a nameless mountain near the Niam Mountains.
There, figures wearing faceless masks gathered one by one.
Except for the eye holes, the faceless masks had no mouth or nose, but strangely, Arabic numerals were engraved on their foreheads: 98, 78, 67, and 44, respectively.
When the four had gathered, No. 98 was the first to speak.
“If we are to obtain the Elemental Stone, we must move as quickly as possible. The Spider Matriarch of Black Night is here.”
No. 78 replied, his voice filled with alarm.
“The Spider Matriarch? You mean she's here? Then shouldn't we give up on the Elemental Stone? We don't have the strength to face her right now.”
No. 98, who seemed to have the least authority among them, hesitated at No. 78's grave words and delayed his response.
Then, No. 67 answered calmly in his stead.
“Even for her, she won't be able to cause trouble openly in a place where the elites of over twelve Magic Towers are gathering. So, she will handle things with common sense.”
Calmed by No. 67's composure, No. 78 replied in a much more composed tone.
“With common sense... Hmm, you mean she'll send out talents of the 2nd Circle or below to handle it?”
No. 67 nodded.
“That's right. So we, too, must send a promising talent to deal with it.”
“That's easy for you to say, but is it realistic? As you know, No. 67, low-circle members of our Dawn are extremely rare. Even if we had them, most are human and stand no chance against mages of other races armed with all sorts of Talents. Besides, Black Night has quite a few young talents from the Four Great Royal Clans...”
At No. 78's mention of the Four Great Royal Clans, the atmosphere grew cold, and an uncomfortable silence fell.
They were once again reminded of just how colossal and powerful the force they were up against was.
As the grim silence stretched on, No. 44, who had not said a word until now, spoke up.
“Let's wait and see. If we're lucky, things might work out.”
His sudden suggestion to wait might have sounded absurd, but none of them took No. 44's words lightly or ignored them.
That was how much they trusted No. 44.
No. 67's face lit up as he said.
“Lord No. 44, have you already taken action?”
“It's not so much that I took action, but rather that things coincidentally turned out this way. Besides, he's a kid who's lacking in many ways to be considered capable of obtaining the Elemental Stone over all those stellar individuals. But...”
No. 44 clenched the fist behind his back and continued.
“Still, I find myself looking forward to it for some reason. I haven't known him for long, but that kid... there's something about him that's strangely hard to gauge.”
At No. 44's words, the others tilted their heads in confusion.
The No. 44 they knew was such a great figure that none of them could even hold a candle to him, let alone compare.
And he couldn't gauge someone?
From the nuance, the opponent was clearly a low-circle, which made it all the more incomprehensible.
Leaving the puzzled gazes of the others behind him, No. 44 said.
“In my opinion, if that kid can't do it, then no matter who Dawn sends, the result will be the same. Of course, that doesn't mean we can just sit back and do nothing... No. 67. I'd like to borrow your spirit. Would that be alright?”
“My spirit, you say?”
No. 44 nodded.
“Yes, I'm sorry... it might be a bit of a hassle, but please send your spirit inside the barrier and continuously check on the kid's safety.”
No. 67 tilted his head.
“You want me to check on his safety, not the Elemental Stone?”
“Yes. Hope is one thing, but we also have to prepare for the possibility that things don't go well.”
“Prepare...?”
“Prepare to abandon the Elemental Stone and go rescue the kid if need be.”
No. 67 was taken aback by No. 44's calm declaration.
“What? I can understand giving up the Elemental Stone, but... you're going to move, Lord No. 44? Don't tell me you're going to destroy the barrier and go in yourself?”
“You understand correctly. Yes, that's the plan.”
Everyone except No. 44 began to murmur.
His words were that shocking.
No. 78 spoke in a tone of disbelief.
“The moment the barrier is destroyed, the masters of the twelve Magic Towers, not to mention the Spider Matriarch, will notice your presence, Lord No. 44, and come rushing. And... you're going to commit such a crazy act for a single low-circle mage?”
Even in the face of No. 78's agitated voice, No. 44 remained firm.
“No matter what any of you say, my mind won't change. No matter what, he is my responsibility, and taking responsibility for him is my duty. So even if you have more to say, hold your tongue. I intend to go in there even if Destrier himself is inside, not just the Spider Matriarch.”
When No. 44 went so far as to mention Destrier, a member of the Five Divine Seeds and a key figure in Black Night, No. 78 was so dumbfounded he was speechless, letting out only a hollow laugh.
And it wasn't just No. 78 who reacted that way.
Everyone except No. 44 repeatedly sighed and lamented.
With his hands behind his back, No. 44 said in a placid voice.
“No need for everyone to be so negative. In any case, if things go well and the kid gets the Elemental Stone, then all's well that ends well.”
No one answered No. 44.
* * *
To avoid attracting attention, Si-woo's party traveled on foot without using any flying artifacts, reaching the Niam Mountains after a little over an hour.
Yahalong raised a hand, halting the party. He scanned the surroundings like a weasel searching for prey and said.
“Ben.”
Ben, realizing why Yahalong had called him, immediately cast a spell.
[1st Circle Spatial Magic: Concealment]
The space around the party distorted, and their forms and traces slowly vanished.
It was Concealment, a spell that hid them by blending the surrounding space with the environment.
After confirming that the Concealment was properly cast, Ben spoke in a barely audible whisper.
“Concealment is an effective stealth technique, but it cannot hide sound or smell, so we must be cautious. I ask that everyone remain vigilant and careful.”
Despite Ben's warning, Si-woo asked in a normal voice, without lowering his volume.
“So it's a type of concealment field. But does it also block some of the enemy's magic or attacks?”
Annoyed by Si-woo's failure to lower his voice, Ben snapped.
“If it blocked attacks, would I be telling you to be careful? And lower your voice. If we get discovered because of this, it'll be a pain in the...”
Si-woo let Ben's outburst go in one ear and out the other, looking up at a tree not far from the party.
At a glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Si-woo could see it.
The presence of a lookout, hidden by a concealment field just like them.
Pinpointing the general location based on the signal from his 1-Star Talent, Danger Sense, and then finding the exact position through the red hue shown by his 3-Star Talent, Antennae, Si-woo's eyes flashed.
*Swoosh.*
The party stared in bewilderment at Si-woo's back as he suddenly shot forward like an arrow.
They wondered what that crazy bastard was suddenly doing.
But when Si-woo, his body dyed platinum-blond, climbed the tree like a nimble monkey and thrust his hand toward a branch, they gasped in astonishment.
*Thwack!*
The lookout in the tree realized he'd been spotted and hastily deployed a mana shield, but it was useless.
In that instant, Si-woo's palm touched his side, leaving a handprint made of mana flames on his flank.
“O-Omaji?!”
The lookout saw his own mana gushing out like a fountain from the handprint on his side and, horrified, tried to flee, but it was too late.
Si-woo had already closed in and punched the lookout in the face.
*Thump!*
He didn't care that the lookout's hastily erected mana shield had blocked his attack.
The attack wasn't meant to silence the opponent in one blow, but rather to pin him down.
After that, it was simple.
He just had to keep attacking at the right moments to prevent escape, like waiting for a fish out of water to tire itself out.
After holding out for just over a minute, the lookout's face was painted with despair.
No matter how hard he tried, his mana shield wouldn't activate.
This was the secret technique that, once used on a mage of the 2nd Circle or below, left them with no choice but to await death.
The terror of Omaji.
“S-Save...”
*Crack.*
Was there anything more helpless than a mage without a mana shield?
Before the lookout could say anything else, Si-woo mercilessly snapped his neck. He picked up the lookout's inventory ring like a dropped wallet and said.
“That's a relief. It seems he was a lone scout. There's no one else around besides this mage. Well then, shall we go?”
As Si-woo dispatched a 2nd Circle mage in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the gazes of Yahalong and the entire party changed.
They had finally recognized just how formidable the human mage was.
Ben, looking somewhat dejected, let out a groan, while Hwan-hwan rubbed his palms together, furtively watching Si-woo.
Yahalong, on the other hand, rather than being impressed by Si-woo, congratulated himself on his own good judgment.
“As expected of the winner of the selection trials, your skills are incredible. Keke, see? I told you I have a great eye for talent. Alright, let's ride this momentum and get our hands on that Elemental Stone!”
Si-woo and the party quietly followed the excited Yahalong.
But, despite having dealt with a spatial mage in an instant, there was no sign of joy on Si-woo's face.
No, instead, he ceaselessly scanned his surroundings, never letting his guard down.
Whether it stemmed from Danger Sense or an innate instinct sending him warnings, he didn't know, but a sense of alarm that he could die if he let his guard down had reared its head.
*I must not lower my guard. The more precious the Elemental Stone, the more formidable the people who covet it will be.*