The Grasp of Dark Mana
While Bartin swung his greatsword, mercilessly bisecting the swarming bone wolves, Celine leaped into the air like a bird and drew her twin curved blades.
The bone wolves had flattened themselves among the reeds, holding their breath in ambush, but they couldn’t fool her razor-sharp senses. She kicked off the ground in an instant, twisting her body fluidly in midair as she spun. Following the graceful, dance-like arcs of her twin blades, the hidden bone wolves’ heads flew off like fallen leaves in autumn.
The wolves that lost their heads in a single stroke twitched and leaped into the air, only to crash lifelessly to the ground. The moment Celine landed lightly on her feet, she shot forward like a bullet toward the next source of hostile presence.
Her twin blades moved like living creatures in her hands, piercing and slicing precisely through the bone wolves’ necks. Every time her figure flashed and shifted, three or four wolves collapsed in a heap.
Despite moving with such blinding speed and ferocity, Celine’s expression remained as indifferent and serene as ever. Her breathing didn’t falter in the slightest, and not a single drop of sweat beaded on her forehead. To her, who often explored the abyssal depths below the fiftieth floor of the labyrinth, these surface bone wolves were nothing more than yawn-inducing trivialities.
‘Tsk. Still… there are far too many of them. If a pack this size has already made it near Melin Lake, then the moment we step into the Ephel Mountains, an overwhelming number of bone monsters will come pouring out.’
While Celine coolly analyzed the situation, Bartin unleashed his final slash, shattering the remaining bone wolves into pieces.
The reed field, swept by that brief storm, now looked utterly devastated—like the back of a head with clumps of hair violently torn out.
Ian, watching the scene from a distance, felt his jaw drop at the almost unreal display of prowess. As he stood there in a daze, Zenon spoke up casually.
“Hey, they haven’t even shown a tenth of their real skill yet. You’re already this shocked?”
“Haa… I’ve never seen anyone fight that fast or that destructively before.”
Ian answered in a hollow voice, as if he had just woken from an enormous dream. Zenon simply gave a small chuckle at the sight.
“Looks like everyone’s rested enough. Let’s get moving again.”
“Huk… Are we going to run like before?”
“No. From here on, we’ll likely face bone monsters multiple times, so we’ll slow the pace.”
Only then did Ian let out a genuine sigh of relief. Soon Bartin and Celine returned, still radiating a chilling cold that hadn’t fully shed its killing intent. The group gathered their gear and set off once more.
But despite their sharp vigilance as they traveled, the results were disappointing. They crossed the vast reed field and reached a plain scattered with small rocks like stones on a baduk board without encountering a single bone monster.
Instead, the massive gray barrier-like silhouette of the Ephel Mountains began to reveal its true form beyond the horizon. At the same time, a heavy, spine-chilling aura that made every hair on their bodies stand on end began to press down on the atmosphere. It was the instinctive revulsion of dark mana.
“Huk… Haa…”
Eventually, Ian stopped in his tracks for the first time that day. The vast sky had been dyed a deep blood-red by the sunset. He couldn’t suppress the faint tremors running through his entire body.
“Hup… Huk…!”
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and even drawing breath felt like sharp thorns stabbing deep into his lungs. His vision blurred, his heart pounded as if it would burst, and as Ian hung his head, shivering violently—
Zenon approached and lightly touched his trembling back. At that moment, a refreshing blue light poured from Zenon’s palm like a waterfall.
“…?!”
The light instantly enveloped Ian’s body and spread outward. It was Zenon’s pure mana. Like being pulled from murky filth into a clear spring, Ian’s breathing magically calmed. When he finally lifted his head, the rest of the party had gathered close, watching him with worried expressions.
“Ian, are you okay?”
At Lucas’s question, Ian managed a weak nod. Celine stared coldly toward the Ephel Mountains with a hardened face.
“Hah… That black magician must have poured all his dark mana into the crystals. The aura is incredibly thick.”
“This won’t do. We should camp here and help Ian adapt to the dark mana.”
The moment Zenon spoke, the group began pulling camping gear from the expansion bags at their waists. From palm-sized pouches came large tents, various cooking tools, and firewood for the campfire, appearing as if by magic. Normally Ian would have watched the wondrous sight with fascination, but now he could only lean against Zenon, struggling to steady his ragged breaths.
Soon three tents were arranged in a circle, and in the center blazed a magnificent campfire. Five backless wooden chairs were placed around the flames. With Zenon’s hand still resting on Ian’s back, the two sat side by side on one of the chairs.
“Ian.”
“Yes, Zenon…”
“I’m going to remove my hand now. The mana barrier I placed around you will slowly dissipate. Don’t be afraid—try to adapt to the dark mana little by little.”
Inside, Ian was gripped by fear and wanted to beg him not to, but he bit his lip hard and steeled himself. If he knelt before the pressure of dark mana here, he wouldn’t even be able to set foot in the Ephel Mountains. He didn’t want to end his journey so pathetically. Above all, it would be a great discourtesy to the Shield of Thorny Vines Guild members who had placed their trust in him.
Having calmed himself, Ian nodded with hardened resolve in his eyes. Zenon gently stroked the back of his head as if proud of him.
“Impressive. And you’re not even twenty yet.”
“Huk, how did you know that?”
When Ian asked in surprise, Bartin cut in with a booming laugh.
“Kid, your skeleton hasn’t even finished growing! Who would mistake you for an adult over twenty? Puhaha!”
“Haa… Since no one said anything, I thought you all saw me as an adult.”
At that moment, Lucas, who had been stirring the pork stew by the campfire, added with a voice full of laughter.
“If Ian stays with our guild, I can finally escape this damn youngest member position!”
“No way. I’m still shaking in fear from the dark mana right now.”
“Hehe, you know what, Ian?”
“Yes? What?”
Lucas lifted his gaze from the cutting board where he was slicing potatoes and carrots and looked straight at Ian.
“Just wait and see. You’ll find out later.”
“Whaaat?”
Ian stared back at Lucas’s clear, water-colored eyes in bewilderment, then looked up at Zenon, who was a full head taller. Zenon sat with his arms crossed, one hand propping his chin, and met Ian’s gaze with a faint smile.
In those pale violet eyes, Ian read a torrent of emotions in an instant—thirst for talented individuals, overwhelming confidence, and a meticulous determination never to let go of what he wanted.
‘Aaaagh, I just want to live as an ordinary errand boy! Why are you all like this?!’
When Ian shook his head, his face turning deathly pale, Zenon burst into loud, hearty laughter as if the reaction amused him greatly.
“Well, the future is something no one can see even an inch ahead, right?”
“Y-yes… Well, that’s true. Who could know the future?”
Ian answered half-heartedly, but inside he made a firm vow. No one’s going to sway me. I will definitely live a peaceful life as an errand boy in Gelion. As if they could see right through his inner thoughts, the Shield of Thorny Vines Guild members simply watched him with intrigued expressions.
The evening meal that followed was quite lively.
It began with Bartin scolding Lucas, claiming the carefully prepared pork stew was too bland and asking why his cooking skills never improved. Lucas frowned deeply and snapped back fiercely like a yapping Pomeranian. Bartin merely snorted as if the outburst was beneath him.
Finally exploding, Lucas shouted at the top of his lungs, threatening to see just how magnificent a feast the next night’s cook—Bartin—would produce. Taking advantage of the commotion, Celine, who had already emptied one bowl, generously scooped more stew into her metal dish.
Watching the scene, Ian let out a helpless laugh and swallowed the slightly bland stew. Meanwhile, the mana barrier Zenon had placed around him was slowly thinning.
The terrible sensation of dark mana piercing his skin returned, but Ian endured it somehow. The moment he resolved not to yield, his body mysteriously began to stabilize little by little. Zenon, who had been quietly observing the process, spoke in a low voice.
“That’s it. Well done. The more you fear dark mana, the tighter it binds your body like a noose.”
“Huu… My whole body is still tingling, but at least I’m not suffocating like before.”
“Yeah. That’s enough.”
Ian smiled at Zenon once more and sped up his eating. By then, deep shadows of night had settled all around them.
As Ian gazed at the black night sky where faint starlight had begun to twinkle, he suddenly realized something. He had only spent a single day with the Shield of Thorny Vines Guild, yet he had already grown by a full stride.