Chapter 11
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Magic Tower Genius Descends into the Labyrinth
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마탑 천재는 미궁을 내려간다 11화.
They began climbing the mountain amid a heavy, sinking atmosphere.
"Ah."
Sylbian understood soon enough as well. It was due to the acrid stench of blood assaulting their noses.
Naturally, their bodies tensed up, and their movements grew awkward.
"Sylbian. There's something I want to say before we encounter the beast."
"What is it?"
"I'll take the lead. A mage has their own way of fighting, don't they?"
Cherentia expressed her intent calmly.
Her amber eyes met his with surprising resolve, enough to make even Sylbian flinch.
"...All right, let's do that."
He raised no objections either.
'She must think this beast poses too much risk for me to take on directly.'
At the same time, considerable curiosity stirred within him.
In that case, it was likely a cursed beast.
Those possessed far greater mana than ordinary specimens.
Above all, each cursed beast could fetch a hefty price as premium alchemy ingredients.
...
How long had they been climbing?
Without even trying, their gazes naturally turned in one direction.
The direction where the blood scent grew even thicker.
"......"
Sylbian pondered for a moment.
Cherentia had said she would stay vigilant against a possible ambush.
But she hadn't said she would hunt it down.
It was a reasonable stance.
There was no need to approach a cursed beast first and face the danger head-on.
However, when he checked his remaining mana in the status window, any fear vanished.
'If it's just to protect myself, this amount of mana is more than enough.'
Moreover, Cherentia possessed considerable strength, proven beyond doubt over their journey so far.
The idea of her getting hurt or losing to a beast was unimaginable, even in his mind's eye.
Thud.
Sylbian suddenly halted.
"Cherentia, let's take down that beast."
He stated his intention without hesitation.
"Sylbian, are you in your right mind? I clearly said there's a high chance it's a cursed beast."
Cherentia furrowed her brow in disbelief.
In her experience, cursed beasts were far too dangerous.
Sylbian continued unfazed.
"I know. But even after we reach Soren, we'll have a long journey ahead before heading north."
"That's obvious. What does that have to do with hunting the beast?"
"I plan to get proper gear before entering the labyrinth. That requires substantial funds."
In simple terms, they needed money.
But to Cherentia, Sylbian's eyes seemed a bit different as he looked at her.
"Sylbian. Have you ever faced a cursed beast before?"
She asked that first.
His reasoning was valid enough, in a way.
The more funds they had, the smoother their journey would be.
But experience with beasts was what mattered.
"I have experience. I've even taken them down myself."
"Then you know how dangerous they are. And yet you're still set on heading into that cave where a cursed beast might be?"
Cherentia couldn't accept his idea easily.
"...I think we can handle it. You and I together."
Sylbian softened his stance slightly in response to her negativity.
He hadn't expected such strong opposition.
'Why is Cherentia so wary of cursed beasts?'
He agreed they were dangerous.
But he believed he and Cherentia could manage at their current level.
Neither he nor she had ever shown their true capabilities against bandits or beasts so far.
They were both that exceptional.
No matter how dangerous a cursed beast, it wasn't beyond them.
"Haa......"
Cherentia let out a deep sigh before nodding.
"Fine. If you're that insistent, I'll go along."
"Wait, Cherentia. If you're that against hunting it, I won't force my way."
Sylbian was genuinely flustered.
In all their time together, she had never been so skeptical or opposed to his ideas.
Especially the way she seemed openly disappointed in him—it threw him off completely.
"No. Your point is valid enough. I think we can take it down too."
Crunch.
Cherentia turned and headed straight for the distant cave entrance.
"......Huh."
Sylbian followed awkwardly, stealing glances at her expression the whole way.
Cherentia's face was as composed as ever.
The disappointed look had been fleeting, just a brief moment.
She hadn't shown ongoing dissatisfaction.
But still.
'Does she have some bad memory involving a cursed beast?'
The thought crossed his mind suddenly.
Even mages, who stood close to the mysteries of the world, rarely encountered cursed beasts easily.
Yet Cherentia seemed to have experience with them.
And vaguely, he sensed it.
It surely wasn't a good memory.
Fwoosh!
As she lit the torch, Cherentia carefully scanned the cave's interior.
From afar, she hadn't gauged its size.
But upon entering, its vastness exceeded expectations.
Above all, a primal revulsion boiled up fiercely.
'It's definitely here.'
A cursed beast lurked within this cave.
The ominous presence stimulated her instincts with absolute certainty.
"Cherentia. From now on, I'll be more careful about pushing my ideas."
At the sudden soft voice, Cherentia blinked.
Turning to Sylbian, he looked a bit different from usual.
"I came here because I thought your idea was reasonable. You don't have to say that."
"Even so, it felt like I was forcing mine. I promise it won't happen again."
His even more earnest response surprised her anew.
'He's truly different from the human mages I've heard about from the elders.'
It wasn't just because he was a mage.
'Sylbian' was distinctly different from other humans altogether.
Cherentia reflected on that as her lingering discomfort melted away in an instant.
"Thanks for saying that."
"...Yeah."
Leading the way now, Cherentia advanced through the cave without hesitation.
There was no uncertainty in her steps.
Sylbian followed, fully focused, ready to unleash magic at any moment.
It wasn't long before they encountered beasts.
"Kikik...!"
"Kirik! Kirik!"
Slither.
The beasts scuttling along the cave walls were small at a glance.
But their vicious appearance and incredibly agile movements were another story.
"...Gremlins."
Sylbian murmured the name, lips pressing tight.
If they were gremlins, that changed things.
Normal gremlins weren't a big threat.
Their petty curses wouldn't faze a mage like him.
Their physical power wasn't overwhelming either.
The problem was the 'cursed beast' variant.
"Kiririk!"
"Kiiik...!"
Six gremlins revealed themselves, crawling along the walls before charging straight at them.
Their response was immediate.
Thud!
With a light stomp, Cherentia at the front vanished from space like a shadow.
"Chante."
Left alone, Sylbian chanted to form a mana spear.
He could see everything unfolding.
Four gremlins reacted to Cherentia's leap.
Two rushed him instead.
Slash!
Cherentia's sharp claws rent the air.
A gremlin's body split open, spraying blood everywhere.
"Chante."
Gazing at her, Sylbian chanted again, channeling mana.
Vmmm!
The pre-formed mana spear resonated with his gesture, slicing across space in an instant.
Whoosh...!
Tracing a blue arc, the spear didn't fly straight.
It curved sharply through the air before abruptly veering to pierce the opposite direction.
A trajectory like folded lightning, mystical and precise.
Stab, shunk!
It pierced the brow of the gremlin lunging from the left, then the heart of the one charging from the right.
Snap!
With a flick of his fingers, the mana spear halted midair.
"Kirik!"
"Grrruk!"
In mana control that would astonish other mages.
Sylbian simply gazed ahead serenely.
There, Cherentia landed after handling the rest.
Thud!
Not a single scratch marred her form after felling four gremlins.
"Impressive every time I see it."
As Sylbian murmured in quiet admiration, Cherentia retracted her claws and glanced at the fallen gremlins.
"A mage's combat is even more astonishing to me."
She had witnessed his magic several times on their journey.
But seeing him handle it purely with spells like this was rare.
That made it all the more startling.
He downed gremlins effortlessly with Chante mana spears.
It looked simple, but the mana control was exquisite technique.
'Sylbian really is different from ordinary mages.'
His insistence on hunting the cursed beast suddenly made perfect sense.
"Cherentia. Maybe you were right after all."
Then, Sylbian said something unexpected.
"What do you mean all of a sudden?"
"If the cursed beast is a gremlin, it might be wiser to leave this cave."
Sylbian peered intently into the torchless darkness.
Soon, he clasped his hands and chanted.
"Sacraria."
Fwaaah!
Brilliant light bloomed from his hands, banishing the cave's shadows.
The moment the light illuminated the interior fully.
"Kirik!"
"Kirrruk!"
Innumerable cries echoed, freezing them both breathless.
The walls and ceiling, untouched by prior light, teemed with beasts.
Nearly hundreds of gremlins stared down at Sylbian and Cherentia.