Chapter 177
Chapter 177
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 177
>Chapter Title: Is This What They Call the Smell of Adventure?
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A few days after Aster accepted Senior Mysern’s proposal.
Time flew by quickly.
Mysern was handling canal exploration alongside tutoring Damian in spirit arts, leading to days that were truly nonstop.
“Today... let’s go over the basic temperaments of spirits.”
In the mornings, he’d finish a simple meal and teach Damian spirit arts.
What started as an excuse had become no half-hearted endeavor.
Whether this kid could contract a spirit or not was still up in the air, but Mysern always approached spirits with sincerity.
Plus, the boy was impressively diligent.
‘His aptitude is quite impressive. And his enthusiasm is top-notch.’
The kid was so proactive that Mysern almost felt bad about the initial excuse. Damian’s talent for spirit arts wasn’t genius-level—one lesson sparking ten insights—but it was undeniably strong.
Was it the innocence of a child?
He showed a rare gentleness toward Mysern’s spirits as well.
After morning lessons came lunchtime right away.
Post-lunch, Mysern headed straight out for canal exploration.
As expected, the underground canals of the Amera region were vast.
Even Mysern, who’d investigated them for so long, couldn’t grasp their full scale at a glance, but the surveys progressed steadily.
By the time exploration wrapped up, it was already dawn.
Was it the heavy mana drain?
Trudging through the canals all day left his old body feeling like a waterlogged sponge, but that wasn’t the end.
He’d return straight to the mansion for the follow-up strategy meeting.
“I checked out the canals around Horian Lake, Kalua, and Zima Lake today.”
“I went fishing. Caught three.”
“As you said, it’s easier to survey lakes at set intervals rather than combing every single one.”
“Definitely. Fishing in one spot isn’t working out. The fish are getting craftier—might be my imagination, though.”
And so Mysern mapped the canals while Aster filled in the fishing map for Gigs Lake.
The first day had been haphazard wandering through the canals with no end in sight.
From day two, they used the water spirit Aiki to roughly map the canals first, then dove into proper exploration.
Surveying the sprawling Amera region canals was grueling, but progress wasn’t zero.
“Hmm. About as expected? The canals tend to converge in spots. Not spreading out like ant tunnels, but bunching up at certain points.”
“Yeah, fish seem to gather at certain hotspots too. Caught four today.”
Easy to say, but this was absurd.
Mapping Amera Lake’s canals in just days?
Not perfectly, of course—just inferring the rough layout—but either way, no small feat.
It was possible only because Mysern was an exceptional spiritist, and as Aster, he couldn’t help but be amazed.
‘So this is a spiritist?’
Impossible for a mage, no matter the realm.
Flying across Amera all day to map canals was a nightmare with magic.
Magic had its own advantages over spirit arts, but people always crave what they lack.
‘Man... I want it.’
His mouth watered.
Aster’s heart raced watching Senior Mysern’s feats.
Visions filled his head.
Countless spirits offering handshakes. Himself as lord of ten thousand spirits. Decullan crumbling before that horde.
Of course, one spiritist commanding ten thousand was impossible. Pure fantasy.
But even realistically, spirits were tempting.
Unlike magic’s fixed phenomena, spirit arts adapted fluidly to situations.
What if magic fused with spirit arts?
‘...Probably not much change.’
Magic was magic, spirit arts were spirit arts.
Linkable, sure, but pointless.
Matching spirit arts realm to his magic realm? Near impossible.
But Aster eyed the conveniences.
“Heh, hehehe.”
Laughter bubbled up at the mere thought.
Fury startled at the sight but now looked resigned.
Anyway, time rushed for some, crawled for others.
Two days before the fairy dance at Gigsen Lake.
‘...Hmm.’
Mysern slowly sank to the bottom of Ollia Lake.
He breathed as easily underwater as on land, thanks to Fury and the water spirit Aiki.
Seated cross-legged on the lakebed, Mysern closed his eyes and sent a thought to Aiki.
‘Aiki, let’s begin.’
No response?
Cracking an eye, he saw Aiki indifferently grooming its paws like a cat. Only after Mysern pulled out a moonlight stone did Aiki stir.
Aiki’s spirit power spread wide.
It rippled outward in concentric circles, like waves on the surface.
That’s when Mysern sent another thought.
‘Madrin.’
Madrin was Mysern’s earth spirit, shaped like a land tortoise.
It poked its head from the ground and unleashed spirit power.
Madrin’s power spread along the lakebed.
Aiki’s power, reading water flows, now synced with Madrin’s.
A clear canal map formed in Mysern’s mind.
‘...’
He grunted at the flood of data but kept absorbing it.
How much time passed?
‘...!’
Mysern’s eyes snapped open.
Aiki and Madrin’s power had found an underwater cave.
Cave? More like a massive cavern.
Their power extended through branching paths from it.
A smile crept across Mysern’s lips.
‘Found it?’
Not the barrier, but a prime candidate.
He’d theorized it’d be at a canal nexus.
Now what?
Visual confirmation only option.
‘Aiki, Madrin. That’s it. Let’s go check it out.’
Mysern rose and moved.
Aiki’s power followed, water currents softly boosting him.
His form plunged into the deep, dark waterway.
* * *
Meanwhile, Aster sat lakeside today too, locked in fierce battle.
Why fierce?
Fishing was like that.
A pride-staked showdown between fish and man. Winner takes all, loser loses it.
Aster’s stakes were just bait, but he took it seriously.
Anyway.
“Phew.”
Finishing one bout, Aster wiped sweat and netted a roughly 10cm behemoth.
‘A peachy one.’
Yes, peachy.
Why 10cm? Plenty of reasons.
Standards are relative. Among his catches, this was a giant monster.
Smiling at his first peach, Aster gazed skyward with the cool breeze.
Vast, high sky.
Crystal clear.
His heart matched it—pure peace.
‘Having capable allies... is truly wonderful.’
No micromanaging, no frustration.
He’d have run himself ragged before; now he wished for a sweat.
Mysern was that competent.
But another thought crept in.
‘Things are going too smoothly.’
Why a problem?
There’s a saying.
‘The sum of happiness and misfortune converges to zero.’
Forgot who said it, but plus happiness, minus misfortune—totals zero.
Misery brings equal joy...
‘Positive, sure. But not now.’
Why?
Happiness levels spiking hard before real ops.
Meaning bigger misfortune ahead.
“Not good.”
“What’s not?”
Aster shook his head at Damian, fishing beside him.
“Nothing.”
Back to it.
Yeah, not good.
Felt like a massive incident loomed.
But Aster stopped there, no deeper worry.
Normally he’d fidget anxiously, but he’d let go.
‘The mountain is water, the water is mountain.’
World flows right eventually.
How could one man alter it?
Just savor life’s joys.
Mid-relaxation, the surface erupted with a massive splash!
“...?”
Aster frowned at the suddenness.
‘Monster?’
Staring at the emerging shape, a familiar voice soon rang out.
“Found it.”
“Huh?”
Out of the water: Mysern.
Face flushed, eyes gleaming, he pressed on impatiently.
“I said, I found it.”
Bloodshot excitement in his eyes.
Voice pitched high.
Aster tilted his head, then got it.
“No way...”
“Yeah, the barrier. Right where we predicted—at a canal junction.”
Mysern couldn’t contain his pounding heart at finally locating the long-sought spot.
Seemed quick to others, but how many nights had he puzzled over the hypothesis? The efforts to gather intel?
Now left was...
‘...rescuing the spirits.’
Clenching fists, he grinned in ecstasy.
“Now, let’s go save them. When do we depart?”
Meanwhile, Aster thought.
‘Uh... this is bad.’
No matter how he sliced it, screwed.
Mysern was too hyped to notice, but he wasn’t alone.
“...Whoa.”
Damian let out a soft gasp at Mysern bursting from the water. His mouth opened soon after.
“Save? Save what? What’s the teacher saying?”
Aster didn’t answer.
But Damian’s eyes sparkled.
Found it. Barrier. Let’s go save.
Just three bits, but he knew.
“Is this what they call the smell of adventure?”
Probably.