Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Milestone
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“Run!”
“What???”
Sharon, who had no idea what was going on, stammered in confusion.
But there was no time to explain.
I already knew.
That thing was not something we could face.
I grabbed Sharon and bolted straight toward the arena wall.
“Sage! What in the world…!”
Right then.
A strange sensation washed over me, like something was slipping out of my body.
“Huh?”
When I turned my head, a thin strand of black, hazy smoke was rising from my body.
The smoke was sucked straight into the Magic Carver’s nose and mouth.
‘What the hell?’
The Magic Carver’s movements froze for a moment.
His eyes lost focus, wandering blankly into space.
The dazed Magic Carver.
Whatever it was, this was our chance.
We’d bought even just a little time.
“Sage, the entrance we came through is gone!”
Sharon shouted, panting for breath.
She was right.
There was no sign of the exit we’d entered from.
“Do you know any other exits?”
“Y-Yeah, uh, there! That way!”
I manipulated the ground with magic and shot off in the direction Sharon pointed.
Faster than any human could run—twice over.
“Running doesn’t seem like it’ll work…. Damn it, but fighting’s even more impossible.”
In my mind, the idea that other Hunters had beaten that thing was pure nonsense.
For it to be possible, there must have been some insane restrictions in place.
But I was on EXTREME difficulty.
From the transcendent display I’d just seen, it was clear there were no such restrictions here.
While we flailed around searching for an exit.
The Magic Carver slowly opened his eyes.
The look in them had clearly changed.
From simple curiosity to outright possessiveness.
The Magic Carver’s gaze pierced right through me.
“…It seems we need to have a deep conversation. Traveler of time.”
A chilling voice.
The Magic Carver slowly extended a hand toward us.
At that instant, two shadows moved to block his path, against my will.
A sandworm erupted from the ground amid a massive cloud of sand.
And the nimble spear-wielder charged forward, spear at the ready.
My two summons had stepped up on their own to protect their master.
“Hey, what are you doing! You can’t stop him!”
I yelled in shock.
That thing wasn’t something you could oppose with brute force.
But my summons didn’t back down.
The Magic Carver glanced over the two beings blocking his way, as if intrigued.
“Remnants of a fallen god and a newborn earth spirit…. Quite an interesting combination.”
He snapped his fingers lightly.
Snap.
That was it.
The sandworm’s massive body froze solid in midair.
The spear-wielder, too.
Locked in the motion of thrusting its spear, it stood utterly motionless.
It happened in an instant.
My strongest summons, neutralized without even putting up a fight.
“Sage!”
Right then, Sharon wrenched her hand free from mine and spun around.
She pulled the bow from her back and nocked an arrow without hesitation.
Twang-!
An arrow infused with mana flew toward the Magic Carver.
“No, you idiots, why won’t you listen! Just run!”
“We’re gonna get caught anyway even if we run!”
“Okay, fair!”
The result was as expected.
The arrow halted right in front of the Magic Carver’s nose, as if hitting an invisible wall.
The Magic Carver turned his head to look at Sharon.
Another flicker of interest crossed his eyes.
“The key to the world that understands all languages? It’s been a while.”
He beckoned toward Sharon.
Her body froze in the exact pose she’d been in while firing the arrow.
My three companions had become living statues.
“Fuck…. This isn’t working.”
I gripped the belt at my waist.
I gritted my teeth.
Running away like this was impossible anyway.
I placed my hand on the magic battery at my waist.
“Magic Cancel!”
At least I could free the three of them from whatever spell bound them.
Brilliant light poured from the belt.
The powerful magic-dispelling energy spread in all directions.
Sharon, nearby, seemed to start breaking free from her paralysis, one by one.
“Met a dwarf, have you?”
The Magic Carver spread his palm.
All the light and mana pouring from the belt was sucked into his hand.
“Fuck… What kind of bullshit cheat is that….”
I muttered in despair.
Even my last trump card, rendered utterly pointless.
The Magic Carver closed his eyes, savoring the magic he’d just absorbed.
A satisfied smile curved his lips.
“To think it even carries the legacy of an extinct race. My hunch was right after all.”
He nodded to himself, muttering under his breath.
That was when I gave up everything.
Resistance was meaningless.
I could never win with force.
That left only one option.
“Um, sir…. Any chance we could talk this out like civilized people?”
At my suggestion, the Magic Carver’s lips quirked up in amusement.
“Talk? That’s what I intended from the start.”
“Huh? Really?”
I blurted out in disbelief.
I’d figured he wanted to grab me and poke and prod after hearing about the robe.
Had I run for nothing?
“Then you’ll release them too?”
I pointed at Sharon, the sandworm, and the spear-wielder, frozen in place.
“If you wish. But only after our conversation ends.”
He said it without taking his eyes off me.
“I want to have a quiet chat just between us two. Ah, of course, they’re plenty interesting specimens too. A very rare combination.”
The Magic Carver appraised my companions like museum exhibits.
“But not quite like you.”
His gaze returned to me.
Intense beyond words.
“Me?”
“Well, believe me. Nothing in this world, no one, has piqued my interest as intensely as you.”
“You’re really not going to harm me?”
“Why would I kill you?
He gave me a meaningful look.
“For taking my robe?”
‘…Fuck, he really does know.’
I’d hoped maybe not, but the Magic Carver remembered it perfectly.
A chill ran down my spine.
But defying my expectations, he burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha! Over something as trivial as a robe? Of course not.”
He shook his head as he spoke.
“You’re my very precious… milestone, after all.”
“Huh? Milestone?”
Before I could even mull over the meaning.
The Magic Carver snapped his fingers lightly.
Snap.
Particles of light gathered in the air, instantly forming a lavish table and two plush-looking chairs.
A steaming teapot and teacups sat perfectly arranged atop the table.
“Come, have a cup.”
He gestured to a chair as he spoke.
I hesitated for a moment.
Who knew what he’d done to that tea.
‘No, he wouldn’t need to resort to something that petty.’
The gap in our realms was overwhelming.
No need for childish tricks.
I cautiously sat in the chair and took the cup he poured for me.
A pleasant aroma rose from the clear golden liquid.
Eh, whatever.
I squeezed my eyes shut and took a sip.
“…!”
The moment the tea touched my lips, warm vitality spread through my body.
Fatigue melted away like snow, my mind sharpening.
Not only did the mana I’d burned in the fight recover in an instant, but the total amount felt slightly increased.
Tea that boosted your mana just by drinking it?
“This tea….”
“How is it? A gift from the forest fairies.”
“Delicious. And it feels like my mana’s increasing….”
“One sip extends your lifespan by ten years. I drink it often because I like the scent.”
The Magic Carver said it casually.
It really was something special.
I downed the rest in one gulp.
“One more, please.”
“Hoho, of course. As much as you like.”
At my shameless request, the Magic Carver chuckled in amusement and poured another cup.
“So, what do you want from me?”
“What I want….”
He lifted his teacup, savoring the aroma as he pondered my question.
His eyes seemed lost in deep thought.
After a moment, he spoke.
“You swim freely through time and space.”
His first words were utterly out of left field.
“Huh?”
I echoed in confusion.
Me, with that kind of power?
Ah, if he meant climbing up and down the tower, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
He nodded as if reading my thoughts.
“Of course, you yourself lack the skill to leap through spacetime. I understand. The situation you’re in.”
The Magic Carver set down his teacup and leaned his elbows on the table.
“To be frank, I thought I was the traveler.”
“….”
“At least until moments ago, before receiving that from you.”
He was probably referring to the black smoke from earlier.
“But it seems you’re the true traveler. And I’m merely a native bound to this era.”
A bitter, self-mocking smile tinged his voice.
I couldn’t comprehend a word of it.
“About that black smoke earlier—what the hell was it?”
The unidentified smoke that had slipped from my body and been absorbed by him.
Right after absorbing it, his demeanor had shifted subtly.
“A magic that transmits memories.”
“Memories? My memories?”
“No, mine.”
He answered calmly.
“It’s a sort of insurance I designed myself when I was young. If another version of ‘me’ from a different time appears, it automatically transmits my memories. A spell I created back then.”
He murmured softly, staring into his empty teacup.
“I’d always thought this day might come. In this vast world, I couldn’t be the only one with such power…. There had to be others free from time’s shackles.”
His voice sank low.
“And I figured someone might meet my past or future self and return to the present me. Just like you have.”
He stared straight through me.
“Experiencing it for real leaves my heart in turmoil.”
“What memories did you receive?”
I’d encountered the being before me twice.
On floor 5, as an old man.
On floor 15, as a young man.
Which one’s memories had he gotten?
The Magic Carver answered.
“I received memories from my youth. Back then, I was studying your magic and suddenly realized. This magic came from ‘future me’….”
He paused, fixing me with an intense gaze.
“In other words, the being before me was the time traveler I’d always imagined.”