Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Chapter 17: Hall of Harmony (3)
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Martin looked at Bartez and Alessandro before speaking.
“What do you need me to do?”
“There are space-affinity ability users among both our kin and the dwarves. The problem is that none of them have manifested an innate ability strong enough to pierce the distorted barrier.”
“So that’s why you need me, Elder Bartez. Because I’ve manifested Spatial Dominion, the pinnacle of space affinities.”
“Exactly. On the vast Crasian continent, you’re the only one who can resolve this.”
“You can refuse. One misstep, and you could be ambushed by a wyvern empowered by the World Tree’s mana.”
“But our alliance would be off the table then, right, Elder Alessandro?”
“Of course. We’re not forcing you— it’s your decision.”
Alessandro and Bartez fell silent after that, watching Martin.
Armand, Paolo, and everyone else gathered in the chamber waited for his answer.
‘They’re giving me time to think. Well, in most cases, you couldn’t just agree right away.’
It was dangerous, just as the elders had warned.
But he felt no burden at all.
In fact, it ignited his fighting spirit.
“I’ll do it. It might be risky, but if it earns your trust, then of course I should.”
“...Thank you for accepting our request, young heir. In return, I promise this: the moment the barrier is fixed, we’ll honor your request and work to ensure smooth exchanges between our three races.”
“That’s all the answer I need.”
Martin smiled as he replied.
There was one thing he hadn’t told them, though.
He wasn’t just planning to fix the barrier— he intended to hunt the wyvern for sure.
‘We’ve come this far; I need to grab everything worth taking.’
The World Tree was renowned for containing the essence of life force, the purest mana.
The wyvern was growing stronger by absorbing it.
‘There might be stronger wyverns in the dungeon, but none rarer.’
Five years from now, maybe— but right now, it hadn’t finished growing.
So it wouldn’t be as strong as then.
It had absorbed the World Tree’s mana into its body, though.
He was certain of that.
No such specimen existed in the dungeon.
Considering the World Tree’s properties, its dragon blood would be superior to any ordinary wyvern’s.
‘Rewards are always better when there’s more.’
Martin inwardly savored the plan he’d devised.
* * *
The moment he accepted, Martin headed to the World Tree with his companions.
Not just them, of course.
Bartez and Alessandro came along, as did Armand, Paolo, and the other elders.
Solen and others connected to Martin joined too.
“Aren’t we moving too fast? It’ll be night soon anyway— wouldn’t tomorrow be better?”
“Ah, there’s a reason for it.”
“What?”
“The Altaire Forest itself is sustained by the World Tree, but the wyvern’s mana absorption is causing all sorts of problems.”
“So we need to resolve it quickly before things get worse?”
“Exactly.”
The forest’s ecosystem would collapse, and the wyvern would escape five years later.
But that was knowledge only he had.
To the elves who sensed the crisis, swift action was inevitable.
“But we’re just fixing the barrier, right? Nothing more dangerous?”
Anxiety flickered across Sien’s face as she asked.
To reassure her, Martin smiled.
“We might get attacked while manipulating it, but that’s really just a possibility. No matter how much mana the wyvern has absorbed, it can’t beat two 9th Circle masters.”
“And excluding you, there are four more 8th Circle powerhouses...”
“Honestly, with this lineup, we could take on a dragon. So don’t worry too much. Nothing will go wrong.”
“Got it.”
Sien finally relaxed, Martin’s words taking effect.
Solen, watching them, chuckled softly.
“I noticed in Akella City too, but you two really get along.”
“Well, we’ve been together a long time. She’s needed a lot of looking after since we were kids, so I’ve taken care of this and that.”
“A sudden backstory feels kinda embarrassing...”
Martin immediately objected to Sien’s response.
It fell on deaf ears, though, and Solen drew closer to her.
“What was Martin Adalbert like as a kid?”
“The moment he first picked up a sword, his talent shone. He’d watch others demonstrate a technique briefly and replicate it perfectly. Everything else, though? Zero.”
“In what way?”
“Everyone spoiled him for his talent, so he got bratty. I got a mission from the previous family head to fix that.”
“Oh ho. How’d you do it?”
“Like this.”
Sien clenched her right hand into a fist and shook it lightly.
Solen nodded in understanding.
‘Good grief.’
Martin smiled wryly to himself.
What Sien had just said was basically a lie.
He’d matured right after turning fifteen.
Unable to manifest his innate ability for so long, the mockery intensified, forcing him to withdraw.
He’d realized pointless suffering wouldn’t make him grow up.
Sien was the one who stuck by his disheartened self to the end.
She’d even sacrificed her life to save him before his regression.
“We’re almost there.”
Bartez spoke up.
At that moment.
Kuuooooh!
A terrifying aura and pressure crashed over the group.
At the same time, the dragon blood he’d taken reacted, making Martin’s body shudder violently.
‘At this level... not quite Basilisk King tier.’
Still, it rivaled the monster lord guarding floor 40.
Considering how recently it had started absorbing the World Tree’s mana, its growth rate was monstrous.
Wuuung.
Bartez gestured, and light shimmered in the air.
The space split vertically and opened wide.
The group couldn’t help but gasp in awe.
The wyvern’s presence still pressed down, but the sight before them was overwhelming enough to push it aside momentarily.
“...To think a tree like this exists.”
“Now I get why the elves revere it.”
Sien and Martin looked up at the World Tree.
Altaire’s trees were massive, but the World Tree defied comparison.
Its crown touched the sky, end lost to sight.
Each branch and leaf shattered common sense in size, and the pure mana emanating from it revealed what true nobility meant.
The admiration didn’t last, though.
“Kraaaah!”
The beast asserted itself with a savage roar.
Martin turned impassively toward the sound’s source.
And saw it.
A dragonkin with one pair of hind legs and one pair of wings: a wyvern.
Its scales evoked iron plate armor, and crimson flames leaked from its breath.
It gripped the World Tree with talon-like claws resembling blades, glaring down at them.
‘The wyvern’s a problem, but the space around it is definitely messed up.’
He then concentrated mana in his eyes.
The world turned a uniform blue in his vision— not entirely, though.
The space around the wyvern was shrouded in black currents.
“I can definitely see the barrier’s distortion. Severely, too.”
“Can you fix it, young heir?”
“I think so, right now. But the process might damage the World Tree— is that okay?”
“I swear on my name. Even if the World Tree is harmed, we won’t blame you. So please, focus on correcting the barrier.”
“Understood.”
With Bartez’s firm assurance, Martin relaxed and drew the holy sword Kaizen from his subspace.
‘Good thing All Distortion hit 4th Circle.’
The barrier was badly warped despite the wyvern’s recent arrival.
It wasn’t small-scale, either.
Honestly, 3rd Circle All Distortion had felt iffy, but the timing was perfect all around.
Whiiiing!
Wind swirled around Martin’s body.
It gathered at Kaizen’s blade, forming a small vortex that soon turned into crimson flames.
That wasn’t all.
Martin then manifested a golden aura blade, merging it with the flames. A new blade formed, blending gold and red.
“Hah!”
With a shout, he thrust the sword into the distorted barrier.
Pajijijik!
Sparks erupted on contact, a fierce backlash slamming into him.
“Urk!”
A groan escaped despite himself.
The violent rebound had wounded him internally.
His hands gripping the hilt felt like they’d snap any second.
Blood trickled from his mouth.
“Hah!”
Shouting through the pain, Martin pushed the sword deeper, piercing a hole in the barrier.
‘Not yet.’
The gap tried to seal instantly.
To prevent it, he slashed horizontally. The blade of light melted into the surrounding space, fusing.
Flash!
Brilliant gold and red light spread, forming a perfect cube.
The Adalbert direct line’s signature technique, Space Sword, had unfolded.
Through it, Martin seized partial control of the distorted space, blocking the wyvern’s approach.
There was more good news.
‘Feels lighter than before.’
At 7th Circle, he’d nearly dropped the hilt from the weight, struggling to swing it once.
Now was different.
Full power, he could swing it five times without issue.
The blade’s color was far more vivid too.
Shaaak!
This time, he slashed downward.
The blade cleaved the barrier precisely, opening a gap just wide enough for two adult men.
Without hesitation, he stepped through.
And yelled at full volume.
“Christian Haberz!”
“Yes!”
Christian had watched anxiously.
Hearing his name, he kicked off the ground and grabbed his lord’s left hand.
“Martin?!”
“Young heir, what are you doing?!”
Voices called from behind, but Martin ignored them cleanly and entered the barrier.
He withdrew the Space Sword as he did, and the hole sealed.
* * *
Regardless of race, dragonkin were notoriously hard to hunt.
Tireless stamina even in constant motion, robust physiques from massive builds, inexhaustible mana— they were on another level as living beings.
Even more annoying: each type had unique traits.
‘Wyverns especially have abilities most akin to dragons among monsters.’
From appearance to combat style, wyverns were dead ringers for the true dragons.
And the one they’d face now had powered up to monster lord level by absorbing the World Tree’s mana.
“Grrr...”
The wyvern bared its teeth, menacing Martin and Christian— its eyes vicious enough to stop a weak heart cold.
Martin didn’t care a whit.
Compared to the dragon blood’s agony or facing true death, its glare was nothing.
Christian overcame it differently.
“...Thanks to you, young heir, I’m a dead man.”
“Aren’t you overdoing the dramatics? You’ve fought plenty of monsters like that.”
“Not the wyvern— I’ll die to Lady Igrit’s wrath. All her anger at you will focus on me.”
“I’ll get chewed out too... Ugh. Sorry.”
“Eh. What can you do? It’s my fate. Anyway, teaming up again since the Basilisk King. Looking forward to it.”
“Same here.”
Kuuooooh!
Martin and Christian unleashed their auras simultaneously.
And kicked off the ground.