Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: First Come, First Served
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Lee Si-woo left the ruins and headed for the mountain's peak.
As Lee Si-woo climbed the steep, rocky mountain, his superior physical abilities bolstered by his Mineralization skill, his eyes gleamed.
‘A magic circle? In a place like this?’
A translucent magic circle was secretly etched among the massive boulders that jutted out from the mountain like protrusions.
It was hidden so meticulously that an ordinary observer would fail to find even a trace of it.
What was more surprising was that what Lee Si-woo could see seemed to be only a fraction of a much larger magic circle.
Judging by the lines of the magic circle extending endlessly toward the summit, it appeared to encompass the entire Niam Mountain Range.
‘This is... an exceptionally high-level mana-condensing magic circle. And one of this immense size? Just how many resources were poured into installing this thing?’
An ordinary mage would have struggled to discern the circle's purpose, but Lee Si-woo, having absorbed Harman's vast knowledge, easily saw through its true nature.
‘Not only that, whoever installed this circle had extraordinary malicious intent. A typical condensing circle draws mana from the atmosphere, but this one is designed to tap into the very roots of the Niam Mountain Range. Hmm, at this rate, the range might soon become a mana-barren wasteland. A tree without roots is bound to wither...’
In a way, the magic circle was utterly senseless.
The cost of installing such a massive circle would be astronomical, while the potential gains were laughably minuscule in comparison.
What's more?
It was essentially destroying a perfectly good mana source with vast resources, making it seem more plausible that it was created to screw someone over rather than for any actual gain.
‘What could possibly be gained by installing a circle like this? At best... no. Could it be?’
As his thoughts raced, the words "Elemental Stone" flashed through Lee Si-woo's mind.
In fact, quite a few people had found the appearance of Elemental Stones in the Niam Mountain Range suspicious.
After all, it was strange for anyone to see Elemental Stones—a product and purification of mana—appear in the Niam Mountain Range, a mana source for low-Circle mages.
Thus, upon confirming the magic circle's existence, Lee Si-woo understood.
The Elemental Stones were being artificially created by someone.
‘Absorbing the roots of a mana source to create Elemental Stones? Heh, who in the world would do something so brutish?’
An Elemental Stone was certainly a legendary elixir worth taking immense risks for, but there were limits.
It wasn't valuable enough to justify crudely absorbing the entire root of a mana source.
No matter how exceptional the Elemental Stone was, it had a fatal flaw: it was only effective for mages of the 4th Circle or lower.
Frankly, with the kind of wealth required to construct a magic circle of this scale, one could afford an elixir effective for a 6th Circle mage and still have money left over. There was no need to be so obsessed with Elemental Stones.
‘Hmm, who would create an Elemental Stone, and for what purpose... huh?’
A sharp signal from his Danger Sense made Lee Si-woo frown, and he quickly hid his body in a nearby crevice between the rocks.
No sooner had he hidden himself than three unwelcome guests in black robes ascended the steep slope.
They were beast mages from a foreign land.
-Halt.
The leader, who was at the forefront, suddenly stopped and approached the traces of the magic circle Lee Si-woo had been examining.
Kneeling on the ground to inspect the circle, the leader spoke.
-Trusting the divination and heading for the summit instead of the ruins was the right call. This is a grand mana-condensing magic circle of the Demon Country.
A Seven-Faced Seokcheok flicked its grotesque, reptilian tongue and said.
-The Demon Country? Why would they pop up here?
A Vespid buzzed its transparent wings and spoke.
-Leader, we aren't well-versed in magic circles, so we wouldn't know. Are you certain... that it's in the style of the Demon Country?
The leader nodded without hesitation, full of conviction.
-There's no doubt. I saw this style of magic circle when I accompanied the Elder to the Demon Country.
The Seven-Faced Seokcheok's eyes blinked in surprise.
As far as he knew, the leader had only been to the Demon Country once, and had only visited one place.
-If you saw it when you went to the Demon Country with the Elder... does that mean you saw this magic circle at the Graves Family's estate?
The leader muttered in a low, somber voice.
-Yes, this is a secret magic circle of the Graves Family. And the fact that it's installed here means they are behind everything that's happened in the Niam Mountain Range.
Overwhelmed by the heavy weight of the Graves Family's name, the Vespid let out a groan.
-Leader, shouldn't we pull out now? It would be a disaster if we were to incur the wrath of the Graves Family, wouldn't it?
After pondering the Vespid's reasonable concern for a moment, the leader slowly shook his head.
-The Elder ordered us to acquire the Elemental Stone by any means necessary. We have no other choice.
-But...
-Enough. That's the end of the chatter. Let's move quickly. Judging by the state of the magic circle, there isn't much time left until the Elemental Stone is born. Any delay could cost us the opportunity. Let's go.
As the leader led them forward, shooting ahead, Lee Si-woo, who had been watching them from his hiding spot, narrowed his eyes.
‘They're not as dangerous as the pursuers, but they're still quite a threat. A head-on confrontation would have left me with slim chances of winning. Well, the good thing is, unlike with the pursuers, there seems to be a way to deal with them.’
Was it because he'd had the chance to observe them without an unexpected encounter?
Lee Si-woo thought his luck wasn't half bad today.
Thanks to this opportunity to watch them, he had been able to come up with a countermeasure.
‘Hmm, still, the best move would be to get the Elemental Stone and leave the summit before I run into them again. I should move now.’
Unlike Lee Si-woo, who had received a definitive answer from Barathrum's divination that the Elemental Stone was at the highest point, they had no idea where it might be.
So, for now, he had a clear advantage.
Lee Si-woo slipped out of the crevice and began to scale the rocky mountain like a squirrel.
A moment later, the scenery around the crevice where Lee Si-woo had been hiding shimmered like a heat haze.
*Shhh.*
The scenery distorted, and three figures emerged from within.
It was the beast mages, who he thought had already left.
-As expected, nothing beats your Camouflage for tricking a little rat. Then again, it's only natural, since it boasts a level of stealth a dimension higher than a space mage's concealment.
The Seven-Faced Seokcheok giggled at the leader's praise.
-How could a mere human see through my Talent? Just trust me, Leader. That bastard won't notice our presence until the very end. More importantly, are you sure? That he's our guide?
The leader took a card from his robes.
Displaying the card, which depicted an old human man with a staff guiding the way, the leader spoke.
-My divination draws a picture on a blank card to hint at the future. And what appeared on the card was an old human guide. The interpretation can vary, but in this case, it's right to interpret it as a human leading the way.
-Oh, nice. Perfect. Then let's get going.
Unlike the Seven-Faced Seokcheok, who was delighted like a child, the cautious Vespid didn't forget to ask a question.
-Leader, you always draw two cards for your divinations. Why did you only interpret one? The other one doesn't have a bad outcome, does it?
The leader shrugged and took out the remaining card from his robes.
Drawn on the card was the Grim Reaper, cloaked in black rags and holding a giant scythe.
The Death card had two possible interpretations.
Either the situation would change so drastically that it would be difficult for them to handle, or a great crisis, like death, would befall them.
However, the leader deliberately excluded the latter interpretation.
Since retreat was not an option, needlessly stirring up fear would have been foolish.
-The card of upheaval. It seems there might be some unforeseen variables. But I'm sure we can handle them.
Reassured by the leader's confidence, the Vespid buzzed its wings cheerfully and said.
-If it's a divination from you, a Tentacle, then it's trustworthy. Alright. Let's go.
They secretly followed Lee Si-woo, like shadows clinging to the sun.
* * *
Three hours later, Lee Si-woo reached the summit of the highest cliff-faced mountain in the Niam Mountain Range.
The summit, its surface like stone worn down by the wind, was so vast that the words "rocky plateau" came to mind.
‘I've finally arrived.’
The journey to the top must have been quite an ordeal, as Lee Si-woo's appearance was a mess, covered in dust and blood.
No matter how tempting a bait the ruins were, it was impossible for no one to have noticed the existence of the giant magic circle spread across the mountain range.
Thanks to that, Lee Si-woo had to fight several arduous battles on his way to the summit, and at one point, judging his chances of winning to be nil, he even had to hide inside Barathrum.
However, despite enduring such a difficult process, Lee Si-woo was the first to set foot on the summit.
The others had been unable to pinpoint the exact location where the Elemental Stone would be created.
Lee Si-woo shielded his face from the headwind that relentlessly tousled his hair, narrowing his eyes.
‘Let's see... I just need to follow this line?’
Lee Si-woo followed the flow of countless lines, like cables haphazardly connected to a main server.
Looking at the lines, tangled like an intricate spiderweb, it seemed that all the lines of the magic circle spread throughout the mountain range converged here.
‘This is the place.’
The center of the summit.
Lee Si-woo swallowed dryly as he looked at the circular magic circle, ten meters in diameter, formed by the convergence of lines from all directions.
He had seen the sphere of light floating in the center of the magic circle.
‘An incredible flow of mana... The birth of the Elemental Stone is near.’
While Lee Si-woo was marveling at the immense mana fluctuations emanating from the sphere of light, the sound of light applause echoed from behind him.
*Clap, clap, clap.*
The scenery distorted, and the three beast mages in black robes walked out.
The Seven-Faced Seokcheok spoke with a frivolous laugh.
-Keke, well, well, we've caught a big one. It's like someone did all the work for us.
In contrast to the triumphant Seven-Faced Seokcheok, the Vespid flew high into the sky with the buzzing of its wings.
Not knowing what tricks Lee Si-woo might have up his sleeve, its intention was to control the sky first to minimize his movements.
However, Lee Si-woo did not panic at the arrival of the strange, unwelcome guests. He looked at the leader with calm eyes and spoke.
“Are you interested in making a deal with me?”
The leader tilted his head and asked back.
-A deal? With the likes of you?
“Of course, as you can see, I'm a rather shabby fellow. But... what if the Graves Family is behind me? Would I still not be qualified to make a deal?”
When Lee Si-woo mentioned the Graves Family's name, the leader laughed heartily and shook his shoulders.
-The Graves Family? Keke, what nonsense. You must have been hiding like a little rat and overheard what I said... Don't you think your ploy is a bit too obvious?
“Jin Graves and Alma Graves.”
The leader, who had been laughing his head off at Lee Si-woo, suddenly fell silent.
The leader had visited the Graves Family before and was naturally familiar with the names of the heirs who carried the direct bloodline.
Therefore, he had never imagined that Lee Si-woo would utter those two names.
-...Interesting. Yes, it was a pretty good attempt. If I were a complete idiot, that is. So? Do I look like a fool to you? So much so that I'd blindly believe you just because you drop the names of celebrities you can find with a quick search on the net?
“What if I have a picture of me with Jin Graves? Would you still not believe me?”
When Lee Si-woo took out his smartphone and showed him a few pictures taken with Jin, the leader could no longer scoff at him.
Having visited the Graves Family, he recognized the faces of the key figures.
-...What's your proof that the photo isn't doctored?
Was it thanks to Jin's usual habit of fussing over taking pictures that he was now reaping the benefits?
A relaxed smile unknowingly spread across Lee Si-woo's lips.
“Doctored... that's possible. However, if I didn't have the Graves Family backing me, how would I have known the exact location of the Elemental Stone? Wouldn't you agree?”
At Lee Si-woo's logical point, the leader fell silent, and both the Vespid and the Seven-Faced Seokcheok looked at Lee Si-woo, unsure of what to do.
Just then, a seven-colored phenomenon occurred, and a rainbow-hued aura bloomed in the sky.
And the sphere of light floating above the magic circle cracked open, giving birth to a brilliantly colored orb.
The legendary elixir, the Elemental Stone, had revealed itself.
Seeing the Elemental Stone, the leader shouted.
-Whether he's connected to the Graves Family or not, secure the Elemental Stone first! We can decide what to do with him later!
But unfortunately for them, they were a step too late.
From the beginning, Lee Si-woo had brought up the Graves Family's name not to make them back down with a few words, but purely to buy time.
Dashing into the magic circle, Lee Si-woo grinned and snatched the Elemental Stone.
“Don't be too disappointed.”
Pocketing the Elemental Stone, Lee Si-woo took out Barathrum and muttered as he connected to it.
“Because what falls on the ground belongs to whoever picks it up first.”
With those words, Lee Si-woo vanished, followed by the enraged screams of the beast mages.