Chapter 253: Open World (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 253: Open World (2)
Fierce flames rose around the wall of mana. There were screams and wails of grief for those who had been lost. Watching all of this with blank eyes, Nebarce Greenhope thought to himself, Where... did it all go wrong?
The answer wouldn't be found here. The one at the heart of it all was the Dragon Slayer, Regal Vagos, who had kidnapped the high priest against Noark's advice and treated him like a slave, and whose evil deeds had led the palace to draw their swords when they were revealed to the world.
...Was it me?
Nebarce accepted the blame. What was the use of turning to the past to escape the present? In the end, even the former castellan of Noark's castle, the one who took Orcules in, should be held accountable.
"How about it? Did everything turn out the way you wanted?"
That was why he accepted that he was to blame for what was happening today.
"Stay close." Nebarce ran tirelessly so as not to fall behind and out of range of the sphere of mana. In front of him stood an elderly man who was casting float magic as easily as breathing.
This was Belbev Ruingenes, the old man who had gained the moniker of the Fallen Scholar in his later years, a wizard who had longed for knowledge his entire life and had driven countless people to ruin in his pursuit of it. After hearing from Amelia that there was nothing they could do, it fell to Nebarce to go seek the wizard despite his displeasure. Because back then, he'd had a powerful conviction.
It was a great cause.
The palace was in the wrong. They had to be brought down and a new world had to begin, one where the people above and belowground were united. That was the right thing to do. At least, that should have been the case.
"I-It's hot..."
"Please, save me. I can pay you whatever you want..."
People were burning alive and dropping like flies. Each time one did, the beliefs that had made Nebarce into the man he was today slowly crumbled. Was this really the right thing to do? To trample over those who didn't even have the strength to defend themselves for the sake of a great cause? Was this really the path to a new world?
Nebarce finally couldn't take it any longer and opened his mouth. "Stop..."
Only then did the old man stop and glance back, frowning like Nebarce had just said something strange. "Stop? I also came here hoping to avoid destroying the balance of power, but you were the one who requested my help in the first place. If we stop now, the army headed for Noark will never turn back."
He was right. "But... I didn't ask for this."
"Really? Then what did you want to happen?"
He was rendered speechless. What had he expected after seeking out the Fallen Scholar, who was the greatest villain of this era?
"This is an opportunity that will never come again. Even I didn't expect that man to appear. I don't understand what the problem is. As long as he is drawing attention toward the palace, we won't be in danger."
"You think I'm saying this because I fear for my life? I just... I just...!" Nebarce couldn't finish his sentence.
Then, apparently finding this conversation to be a waste of time, the old man mercilessly turned back around and began walking forward. "You look like you're having a hard time." Even at that moment, hundreds of flames were flying indiscriminately from his hands with the sole purpose of destruction, dyeing the city red. "Throw away your emotions and think only about your goal. That's better than losing both."
It was an extremely calculated, wizard-like remark.
Whoosh!
The bubble of mana followed the old man and before long, Nebarce felt a scorching heat begin to sear his skin. He picked up his frozen feet and continued walking. Each step was full of questions.
"M-Mom... I-I c-can't b-breathe..."
"It's okay, baby... Momma is right here. To the end."
What would be at the end of this road?
***
Rain fell that night. It was the achievement of the wizards of the Magic Tower.
Chwaaa!
The guards who came from all over the city to provide support weren't resting, either. A long line had formed in front of the well. They were passing buckets tirelessly down the line and throwing them toward the flames. And it wasn't just the guards.
"If you're tired, don't be stubborn and step back! Being pigheaded will only do more harm than good!"
Joining them were adventurers who lived nearby and civilians who had heard the news and rolled up their sleeves to see if they could be of any help. People came together to overcome the calamity in front of them.
"My goodness, my house is going to catch fire at this rate!"
"Hey, bro, are you seriously saying that right now? There are people with families in there right now!"
"If you two have the strength to bicker, pass down a bucket!"
Of course, not everyone was helping out with noble intent. Like me.
Raven.
When I actually arrived at Karnon, the situation was bleak. The fire was on a whole other level from several modern-day factories burning down. I wondered if Raven was holding up all right. Or if maybe...
Maybe what?
I slammed my fist into my chin to wake myself up.
Smack!
A healthy mind dwelling in a beat-up body. There was no time to worry. Raven was a wizard, after all. With her personality, she'd be holding out well right about now and even taking care of the people around her. Yeah, with luck, she might even have decided to stop by the Magic Tower tonight and avoided this whole mess entirely.
"Hey, wizard." I approached a wizard who was helping to suppress the fire and revealed my identity.
Even though I'd bothered him at a busy time, the look in his eyes was friendly. "'Hey, wizard?' It's been a long time since someone's talked to me that way. Haha!" Aside from my noble title, it seemed I'd made a good impression. "So, what does Bjorn Yandel need from a wizard?"
"Can you cast Cold Blood?"
"Is there any wizard who can't?" At my request, the wizard chuckled and cast the spell on me.
[Your Flame Resistance has significantly increased.]
Whew, it was less hot now.
"Are you thinking of going in there?"
"I have a teammate inside."
The wizard who cast the spell on me nodded and chuckled. "But will you be all right with just that?"
Huh? What is this? Is he mocking me?
The thought came to mind, but I was left ashamed by what he did next.
It was an extremely calculated, wizard-like remark.
Whoosh!
The bubble of mana followed the old man and before long, Nebarce felt a scorching heat begin to sear his skin. He picked up his frozen feet and continued walking. Each step was full of questions.
"M-Mom... I-I c-can't b-breathe..."
"It's okay, baby... Momma is right here. To the end."
What would be at the end of this road?
***
Rain fell that night. It was the achievement of the wizards of the Magic Tower.
Chwaaa!
The guards who came from all over the city to provide support weren't resting, either. A long line had formed in front of the well. They were passing buckets tirelessly down the line and throwing them toward the flames. And it wasn't just the guards.
"If you're tired, don't be stubborn and step back! Being pigheaded will only do more harm than good!"
Joining them were adventurers who lived nearby and civilians who had heard the news and rolled up their sleeves to see if they could be of any help. People came together to overcome the calamity in front of them.
"My goodness, my house is going to catch fire at this rate!"
"Hey, bro, are you seriously saying that right now? There are people with families in there right now!"
"If you two have the strength to bicker, pass down a bucket!"
Of course, not everyone was helping out with noble intent. Like me.
Raven.
When I actually arrived at Karnon, the situation was bleak. The fire was on a whole other level from several modern-day factories burning down. I wondered if Raven was holding up all right. Or if maybe...
Maybe what?
I slammed my fist into my chin to wake myself up.
Smack!
A healthy mind dwelling in a beat-up body. There was no time to worry. Raven was a wizard, after all. With her personality, she'd be holding out well right about now and even taking care of the people around her. Yeah, with luck, she might even have decided to stop by the Magic Tower tonight and avoided this whole mess entirely.
"Hey, wizard." I approached a wizard who was helping to suppress the fire and revealed my identity.
Even though I'd bothered him at a busy time, the look in his eyes was friendly. "'Hey, wizard?' It's been a long time since someone's talked to me that way. Haha!" Aside from my noble title, it seemed I'd made a good impression. "So, what does Bjorn Yandel need from a wizard?"
"Can you cast Cold Blood?"
"Is there any wizard who can't?" At my request, the wizard chuckled and cast the spell on me.
[Your Flame Resistance has significantly increased.]
Whew, it was less hot now.
"Are you thinking of going in there?"
"I have a teammate inside."
The wizard who cast the spell on me nodded and chuckled. "But will you be all right with just that?"
Huh? What is this? Is he mocking me?
The thought came to mind, but I was left ashamed by what he did next.
Click.
The wizard took out a message stone and asked someone for a favor. "Ah, ah, can you all hear me? Sorry to bother you while you're all busy, but I want to ask a favor. A man called Bjorn Yandel, who you've probably all heard of, says he needs to go into the fire to save his teammate. If any of you have an item or potion that can help with fire resistance, please send it to the coordinates of my personal lab. I'll summon it out here."
What was this, a wizard group chat? This was an unexpected stroke of luck so I kept my mouth shut and just waited. Before long, replies rolled in one by one.
"Bjorn Yandel has a noble title so his credit shouldn't be a problem. But still, I'm going to charge you for any damages, just so you know." The first to speak was a stern-sounding old man.
"All right. Most of my disciples have gone to Karnon to offer support, but I'll ask anyone still here and send everything that matches your description," said the voice of a young woman.
"My dear disciple came home alive thanks to him. I'm going to send a scroll along, but tell him he doesn't have to pay for it." This man sounded benevolent.
"Bjorn Yandel... it's not a bad idea to have him indebted to me at this juncture. If he's not next to you listening to this, tell him this for me: the Fire Dragon's Ring was sent by the School of Ioni. Don't forget that," said someone with a calculating tone.
One of the voices was even familiar. "Aru? Is that the teammate you're referring to?"
That voice is... Old Man?
If I was remembering right, the one who had just spoken was called Old Man, the Master of the Great School of Altemion and also Raven's teacher.
"Hmm, that seems to be right. He is nodding."
"I will send everything I have right now."
With that, the transmissions all ended. To be honest, I was dumbfounded.
What just happened?
All I had done was strike up a conversation with an easygoing-looking wizard to get Cold Blood cast on me. But I could now see that this was no ordinary wizard. The people in his group chat each sounded like the head of a different school and I knew for a fact Old Man, who was the Master of Altemion, was in it.
That means this guy is no ordinary wizard, either.
"Who are you?" I asked out of pure curiosity.
I guessed he'd never intended to hide his identity as he introduced himself with a smile. "Oh, come to think of it, I didn't say. My name is Leven Arfegan."
It was my first time hearing the name, but I had heard of the school of magic he subsequently mentioned. It was a school belonging to the middle ranks of the Magic Tower. To think the master of that school would be this young.
"I will make sure to repay this debt someday."
"If that will put you at ease."
A few minutes later, we heard word through the message stone that the items had been delivered, and Leven Arfegan used magic to summon all the items to this spot.
That really is the Fire Dragon's Ring.
Starting with a high-ranking Numbered Item, there were various rare items. As I looked through them one by one, I felt a strange feeling well up inside of me.
"Luck was on my side."
To be honest, good luck wasn't enough to explain it. What were the chances that the wizard I had happened to speak to was the head of a school of magic and would be kind enough to use his personal group chat to help me?
"Luck? That's not right."
Huh?
"I've never seen those people take direct action to help a stranger. You think something like that can be attributed to luck alone?" When I tilted my head in confusion, Leven smiled. "I don't know what they saw in you to so readily help you rescue your teammate, but... It's a testament to your own achievements."
It was the kind of wordy explanation you'd expect from a wizard, but I could understand what he was getting at. Although it was kind of embarrassing for him to say it to my face.
Swipe.
As I scratched my ash-stained nose out of embarrassment, Leven laughed and patted me on the shoulder with a delicate hand. "So don't talk about how lucky you are and just do what you have to do. You should hurry and save your teammate."
Yeah, this was not the time to be sentimental. "Thanks." After thanking him sincerely, I activated or put on the summoned items.
[You have consumed Lye of Eternity. Your Flame Resistance has temporarily increased by +50.]
[You have consumed Tears of the Elemental. All of your Elemental Resistance stats have temporarily increased by +15.]
[You have consumed Pure Flame. Any Flame Damage you take will be reduced by 10% and your Flame Sensitivity has increased by +15.]
First, I drank the doping potions.
Rip.
Then I tore open a scroll.
[You have equipped No. 4819: Lava Shield. Your General Item Level has increased by +985.]
[You have equipped No. 760: Fire Dragon Ring. Your General Item Level has...]
I equipped myself with a triple-digit numbered item and various fire-specific magical artifacts.
Whoosh!
The air no longer felt hot. As a test, I reached my hand out toward the flames and found it felt the same.
"It's cool," I said unwittingly. Of course, this was a sentiment a non-Korean like Leven could never understand.
"Hmm, no matter how high your Flame Tolerance rises, you shouldn't physically feel cold..."
"I was just talking about how it felt." I brushed that aside before he could get into magical theory with me and stared into the flames, which showed no signs of diminishing. I asked Leven one thing. "What did you see in me?"
Leven said earlier that he wasn't sure what, but the others had seen something in me, which was why they were willing to help. So what did he see?
His answer was something completely unexpected. "It was the rumors."
"Rumors?"
"Rumors I've heard about you. I only saw you for the first time today, but I knew as soon as I met your eyes that it was all true." It was an ambiguous response with a lot of room for interpretation. Just as I was about to ask for a more detailed explanation, Leven gave me a shove with his noodle arms. "...Your body is like iron." He let out an embarrassed laugh at the way I didn't budge at all and then asked me for a favor. "Oh, come to think of it, I didn't ask earlier. If you have strength left after saving your teammate, please save the others as well."
That wasn't a particularly difficult request. Okay, got it. "I will try my best."
"The fact that you're the one saying that makes me believe it. Anyway, I won't keep you here any longer. Go ahead."
Soon, I finished my preparations by activating the Orb of Fire I acquired months ago.
[You have activated the Orb of Fire. All Flame-type damage within a radius of 15 yards will be reduced by 50%.]
This was Barbarian Firefighter Mode.
"Behelaaah!"
Charge.
Click.
The wizard took out a message stone and asked someone for a favor. "Ah, ah, can you all hear me? Sorry to bother you while you're all busy, but I want to ask a favor. A man called Bjorn Yandel, who you've probably all heard of, says he needs to go into the fire to save his teammate. If any of you have an item or potion that can help with fire resistance, please send it to the coordinates of my personal lab. I'll summon it out here."
What was this, a wizard group chat? This was an unexpected stroke of luck so I kept my mouth shut and just waited. Before long, replies rolled in one by one.
"Bjorn Yandel has a noble title so his credit shouldn't be a problem. But still, I'm going to charge you for any damages, just so you know." The first to speak was a stern-sounding old man.
"All right. Most of my disciples have gone to Karnon to offer support, but I'll ask anyone still here and send everything that matches your description," said the voice of a young woman.
"My dear disciple came home alive thanks to him. I'm going to send a scroll along, but tell him he doesn't have to pay for it." This man sounded benevolent.
"Bjorn Yandel... it's not a bad idea to have him indebted to me at this juncture. If he's not next to you listening to this, tell him this for me: the Fire Dragon's Ring was sent by the School of Ioni. Don't forget that," said someone with a calculating tone.
One of the voices was even familiar. "Aru? Is that the teammate you're referring to?"
That voice is... Old Man?
If I was remembering right, the one who had just spoken was called Old Man, the Master of the Great School of Altemion and also Raven's teacher.
"Hmm, that seems to be right. He is nodding."
"I will send everything I have right now."
With that, the transmissions all ended. To be honest, I was dumbfounded.
What just happened?
All I had done was strike up a conversation with an easygoing-looking wizard to get Cold Blood cast on me. But I could now see that this was no ordinary wizard. The people in his group chat each sounded like the head of a different school and I knew for a fact Old Man, who was the Master of Altemion, was in it.
That means this guy is no ordinary wizard, either.
"Who are you?" I asked out of pure curiosity.
I guessed he'd never intended to hide his identity as he introduced himself with a smile. "Oh, come to think of it, I didn't say. My name is Leven Arfegan."
It was my first time hearing the name, but I had heard of the school of magic he subsequently mentioned. It was a school belonging to the middle ranks of the Magic Tower. To think the master of that school would be this young.
"I will make sure to repay this debt someday."
"If that will put you at ease."
A few minutes later, we heard word through the message stone that the items had been delivered, and Leven Arfegan used magic to summon all the items to this spot.
That really is the Fire Dragon's Ring.
Starting with a high-ranking Numbered Item, there were various rare items. As I looked through them one by one, I felt a strange feeling well up inside of me.
"Luck was on my side."
To be honest, good luck wasn't enough to explain it. What were the chances that the wizard I had happened to speak to was the head of a school of magic and would be kind enough to use his personal group chat to help me?
"Luck? That's not right."
Huh?
"I've never seen those people take direct action to help a stranger. You think something like that can be attributed to luck alone?" When I tilted my head in confusion, Leven smiled. "I don't know what they saw in you to so readily help you rescue your teammate, but... It's a testament to your own achievements."
It was the kind of wordy explanation you'd expect from a wizard, but I could understand what he was getting at. Although it was kind of embarrassing for him to say it to my face.
Swipe.
As I scratched my ash-stained nose out of embarrassment, Leven laughed and patted me on the shoulder with a delicate hand. "So don't talk about how lucky you are and just do what you have to do. You should hurry and save your teammate."
Yeah, this was not the time to be sentimental. "Thanks." After thanking him sincerely, I activated or put on the summoned items.
[You have consumed Lye of Eternity. Your Flame Resistance has temporarily increased by +50.]
[You have consumed Tears of the Elemental. All of your Elemental Resistance stats have temporarily increased by +15.]
[You have consumed Pure Flame. Any Flame Damage you take will be reduced by 10% and your Flame Sensitivity has increased by +15.]
First, I drank the doping potions.
Rip.
Then I tore open a scroll.
[You have equipped No. 4819: Lava Shield. Your General Item Level has increased by +985.]
[You have equipped No. 760: Fire Dragon Ring. Your General Item Level has...]
I equipped myself with a triple-digit numbered item and various fire-specific magical artifacts.
Whoosh!
The air no longer felt hot. As a test, I reached my hand out toward the flames and found it felt the same.
"It's cool," I said unwittingly. Of course, this was a sentiment a non-Korean like Leven could never understand.
"Hmm, no matter how high your Flame Tolerance rises, you shouldn't physically feel cold..."
"I was just talking about how it felt." I brushed that aside before he could get into magical theory with me and stared into the flames, which showed no signs of diminishing. I asked Leven one thing. "What did you see in me?"
Leven said earlier that he wasn't sure what, but the others had seen something in me, which was why they were willing to help. So what did he see?
His answer was something completely unexpected. "It was the rumors."
"Rumors?"
"Rumors I've heard about you. I only saw you for the first time today, but I knew as soon as I met your eyes that it was all true." It was an ambiguous response with a lot of room for interpretation. Just as I was about to ask for a more detailed explanation, Leven gave me a shove with his noodle arms. "...Your body is like iron." He let out an embarrassed laugh at the way I didn't budge at all and then asked me for a favor. "Oh, come to think of it, I didn't ask earlier. If you have strength left after saving your teammate, please save the others as well."
That wasn't a particularly difficult request. Okay, got it. "I will try my best."
"The fact that you're the one saying that makes me believe it. Anyway, I won't keep you here any longer. Go ahead."
Soon, I finished my preparations by activating the Orb of Fire I acquired months ago.
[You have activated the Orb of Fire. All Flame-type damage within a radius of 15 yards will be reduced by 50%.]
This was Barbarian Firefighter Mode.
"Behelaaah!"
Charge.