Chapter 118: Monologue (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: Monologue (1)
[Familiars]
Eden (Lv. 101)
Grade: ★5
Race: Magic Beast
Element: Rock
Bond: 100
Synchronization: 100
Summoning Mana Consumption: 1,100
Skill Tree ❰❰Details❱❱
Frost Dragon Hilde (Lv. 183)
Grade: ★8
Race: Magic Beast
Element: Ice
Bond: 65
Synchronization: 5
Summoning Mana Consumption: 26,000
Skill Tree ❰❰Details❱❱
[Master, the laws of physics will finally apply to my daily life as well!]
Morning sunlight pierced through the curtains, seeping into the room.
This was Briggs Hall, the dormitory for middle-to-low-ranked students at Märchen Academy.
As I changed into my workout clothes, I glanced at the small white dragon rolling around on my desk. Her elegant, lady-like voice sounded much more excited than usual.
The miniature version of the Frost Dragon, Hilde. Finally, I could summon her in the form of a baby dragon. She was now a tangible entity, no longer just a flickering wisp or a small flame with eyes.
It was all thanks to the significant boost in my strength after conquering the Floating Island.
“I could summon you on a larger scale, but the mana drain would be too much for me to handle right now.”
[I am already exceedingly grateful for this much! Hehe. More importantly… manners like that are possible now, too.]
“Ah.”
I immediately understood what she meant. Hilde had been dropping subtle hints about this for a while.
I walked over to the desk and began stroking her head. Closing her eyes with a faint smile, she leaned into my touch.
The texture of her scales was unmistakable—definitely a reptile. However, because she looked like a "chibi" version of a Frost Dragon, she was undeniably adorable.
[Hehe.]
Grandma was pleased.
Though her voice sounded youthful, considering her actual age, she was indeed a millennium-old grandmother.
My familiars, Eden and Hilde, had gained a massive amount of EXP for their roles in defeating the Floating Island. After a streak of level-ups, Eden had reached Level 101, officially being recognized as a 5-star Magic Beast.
Because of this, his mana consumption had spiked, but that was an unavoidable trade-off. The mana required to summon Hilde would only grow more astronomical as she leveled up.
However, that high cost was only for summoning the Frost Dragon in her perfect form. At my current level, I could summon a version of Hilde roughly the size of my own body.
‘It would only last a few minutes, though.’
I wasn't confident I could sustain the mana drain for long.
‘I should at least keep Hilde in her summoned state as much as possible.’
The more I utilized a familiar, the higher our [Synchronization] became. Previously, [Synchronization] had barely budged because I couldn't even summon Hilde as a distinct entity. Now that she had a physical form, the rate of increase would be much faster.
Once [Synchronization] reached its maximum, Partial Summoning would become possible, allowing me to channel Hilde’s power through my own body. Just as I could create a rock gauntlet by partially summoning Eden, I would eventually be able to harness Hilde’s true might.
Setting the mechanics aside, though…
‘She’s so cute…’
Isn’t she way too cute?
Watching Hilde bask in the joy of being petted, I couldn't help but feel a sense of healing myself.
*
To undergo the Trial of Sandstone, I had to gather four Traces of the Rock Sovereign.
Much like the traces of the Ice Sovereign, these were fragments of a light brown mana stone that had been split into four pieces.
“Ugh, this is taking forever.”
Between my regular training and the meticulous search for the traces, two weeks had passed in the blink of an eye.
The grounds of Märchen Academy were exceptionally vast. This world boasted a realistic scale, unlike the compressed maps of the game it was based on. Finding the exact locations of all four Traces of the Rock Sovereign was a grueling task.
To make matters worse, the Primordial Elemental Kings had hidden their traces in the most inconspicuous places, as if they were playing a twisted game of hide-and-seek. Among them, the Traces of the Primordial Rock Sovereign were particularly devious to locate.
‘What was wrong with that guy? Why hide it in a lake?’
Even though he was long dead, I wanted to punch him just once. The Ice Sovereign was practically a saint compared to him.
I was currently scouring the depths of a freezing winter lake to find the fourth trace. At this rate, I felt like I was going to freeze to death. When I explored this lake in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, I didn't think much of it. Doing it in person, however, was pure misery.
‘Oh!’
As the sky began to darken, I summoned Hilde as a small mana wisp to act as an underwater flashlight. While inspecting the lake bed, I finally spotted a fragment of a mana stone gleaming with a faint brown light.
Finally…!
[Congratulations! You have found [Traces of the Rock Sovereign 4]!]
I grabbed it and kicked toward the surface immediately.
“Pwah! I’m done! You Rock Sovereign motherfucker!”
I was at a lake near the Tantak Underground Cave. As I floated among the shards of broken ice, my emotions boiled over into a fit of manic laughter. A mix of elation and pure fury fueled my high-quality curses, which echoed throughout the gorge.
I thought I was going to lose my mind because of how tedious this was.
Soon after, Hilde—flickering like a white flame—and Eden, my small golem familiar, surfaced beside me. Eden was swimming by attaching thin layers of rock to his arms like paddles. I mentally dubbed this his "Eden Swimming Form."
“Eden, Hilde! I’m finished! I found all of them!”
[You did it!]
[Kuuuuuuh!!]
When I showed them the trace, Hilde cheered happily. Eden responded by habitually raising his arms in a "Hurray!" gesture.
[Kuuurrrrrruk…!]
But as soon as he did, his heavy body began to sink back beneath the surface.
I dragged myself out of the lake with Eden in tow and collapsed onto the stony shore. After I fed her a bit more mana, Hilde transformed into her small dragon form and perched on my shoulder.
I looked up at the evening sky, now a deep, navy blue. It seemed I had become quite resilient to the cold thanks to the Trial of Frost. Despite spending hours in a freezing lake, I felt fine. It was as if my internal ice energy naturally shielded me once my body temperature dropped to a certain point.
Still, I preferred being warm, so I decided to start a fire.
‘I need to dry my clothes, too.’
I activated a fire elemental magic scroll and ignited a pile of firewood I’d prepared earlier. The wood crackled to life. Having shed my outer layers, the warmth of the bonfire felt like a heavenly embrace against my skin.
“Eden, you worked hard.”
[Kuu!]
Eden raised an arm in acknowledgment.
“You too, Hilde.”
[I only obey my Master’s orders. Well, if you are truly grateful, perhaps it would be nice to stroke my back a bit… Hehe.]
When I gently rubbed Hilde’s head, she let out a bright, girlish laugh. Was it because she could finally enjoy her master’s touch after a thousand years? She seemed like she would never tire of it, no matter how much I petted her.
[Anyway, the Traces of the Rock Sovereign… I do miss him. He was a man of unshakeable conviction, as solid as the earth itself…]
“Yeah, I don’t really care.”
[…I was just trying to reminisce about the good old days.]
What’s the point of learning about a guy who’s been a corpse for a millennium?
Hilde tried to pout at my flat response, but as soon as I scratched her under the chin, she let out another "Hehe" and returned to her joyful self.
‘She’s so easy.’
While waiting for my pants to dry, I spent the time training my [Elemental Efficiency] by conjuring [Frostfire] in one hand. Eden was playfully rolling around nearby, and Hilde was quietly watching the flames when she suddenly spoke.
[Master, will you be alright?]
Her voice was uncharacteristically tranquil.
[You might die. I do not know if I have the right to say this, as someone who has forced trials upon others in the past… but are you not even the slightest bit afraid?]
“…Of course I’m afraid.”
How could I not be? I was terrified.
During the Trial of Sandstone, the challenger’s body gradually turns to stone. The higher one's [Rock Elemental Resistance], the slower the petrification. However, even if you delayed it, the ceiling of the trial chamber would slowly descend. If you didn't finish in time, you’d be crushed to death.
‘Now that I’m about to face it for real, it’s actually brutal…’
Despite having cheated death several times, facing such a crisis was still daunting. If not for the [Frozen Soul] effect keeping me level-headed when my emotions wavered, my mind would have snapped long ago.
However…
“I still have to try.”
Gormos’ Greatsword would exponentially increase my strength. Just as I received a boost to my ice mana when wielding Frostscythe, Gormos’ Greatsword would share its accumulated rock mana with me. It would also significantly amplify the power of my rock magic.
How could I pass up the chance to literally double my power? It was worth risking my life for, just as it had been for Frostscythe.
“Let’s head back.”
My pants were dry. It was time to go.
*
Under the bright daylight, I reached the peak of Mount Falk, a small mountain range within the academy grounds.
After using elemental magic to carefully descend the cliffside beneath a leaning pine tree, I found the hidden entrance. I created a temporary rock staircase along the perilous cliff and made my way down. It was a hell of a thrill.
‘It should be right around here… Found it!’
At a specific point on the cliff face, I found a passage just wide enough for an adult to squeeze through. Inside, a set of stairs led deep into the darkness.
There was no end in sight. Since these stairs cut straight through the heart of Mount Falk, the descent was incredibly long. It brought back that same unsettling feeling I had when playing ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
Furthermore, since this world was much larger than the game map…
‘Yep, this is going to be terrifying.’
But a simple fear of the dark wasn't going to stop me.
“Hilde, Eden. Come out.”
Extending my left arm, I activated the summoning circle for Hilde and called for Eden at the same time. The small white dragon emerged from the circle engraved on my wrist, while light brown mana coalesced in the air to form the small golem.
[Did you call?]
[Kuooong!]
Their voices echoing in the narrow passage was a welcome comfort.
[Master, where are we?]
“Mount Falk. We’re going all the way down. Hilde, you take the lead. Eden, stay with me.”
The Frost Dragon gave a determined [I shall], and Eden raised an arm in a [Got it!] gesture.
This is what familiars are for.
Hilde descended first, her ice mana casting a faint, ethereal light that brightened our surroundings. I followed her down the stairs with Eden by my side to keep the loneliness at bay.
[Kuoong, Kuooo!]
“Alright, Eden. Let’s hold hands.”
[Kuooo?]
After about twenty minutes of trekking down the stairs, we reached a dead-end rock wall. The journey hadn't been frightening at all.
[Master, the path is blocked.]
“We’ve arrived.”
This was the place.
I knelt on one knee and carefully retrieved the light brown mana stones from my magic pocket. I arranged the four pieces of the Traces of the Rock Sovereign on the ground.
Immediately, a magic circle etched itself into the floor, and a faint golden light began to pulse.
[Kuooo?!]
[Master, how did you find something like this? Even I could not sense it!]
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Information about the magic circle for the Trial of Sandstone was something you only learned in the late-game stages of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
[…Well, you are the reincarnation of the Ice Sovereign. I suppose it is only natural that you would know such things.]
“…”
Welp, she’s back to her delusions again.
[Then, Master… please make sure you survive.]
[Kuooo…]
Deep concern filled the voices of both Hilde and Eden. They were good kids.
I smiled faintly and patted their heads before unsummoning them. Now, it was time to put my life on the line for another level-up.
“Hooo.”
I’m so fucking nervous…
I took a deep breath to steady my nerves and placed my hand on the magic circle. I recited the predetermined chant, just as I had for the Trial of Frost.
“I shall face the Trial of Sandstone.”
Whoooooosh—!
As the words left my lips, the magic circle erupted in a brilliant radiance. My vision was dyed in shades of gold, and a sudden sense of weightlessness washed over me.
Closing my eyes, I surrendered myself to the sensation.