Chapter 95
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95
Turan drifted back to consciousness a few hours later, the sensation of something tapping his cheek pulling him from the darkness.
Bije was there, carefully prodding him with the side of her beak.
“Bije.”
[Does it hurt a lot?]
Bije held up a stone slate she had pulled from her high-capacity pouch. The words had clearly been written in advance. Seeing this, Turan couldn't help but burst into laughter.
“Not a lot, just a little… Ugh.”
As he tried to sit up, a stinging pain radiated through his entire body, as if he had been beaten to a pulp. He had detonated the Soul of Fire at point-blank range to achieve high-speed movement dozens of times, and at the end, he had slammed himself against the walls inside the Great Sea Serpent’s skull like a madman. It would have been a miracle if he were fine.
I didn't notice because I was so pumped up during the fight… but it looks like I’ve sprained quite a few places. It’ll take a while to heal on its own.
Of course, if he consistently used the recovery potion artifact, he would be back on his feet in no time. But before that, he had to treat the serious injuries of his companions.
“How are your wings?”
[They’re fine!]
“Can you fly?”
At Turan’s worried question, Bije tried to perform a light pirouette in the air, only to land with a sharp shriek of pain.
“Take it easy. I’ll check your wounds again later.”
[Okay…]
Turan then proceeded to wake his two fallen companions. Solif, who had merely been exhausted from excessive mana consumption and fatigue like Turan, woke up quickly. However, it took quite a while for Meisa to open her eyes.
“Where are we?”
“The same island as before. How do you feel?”
“I… I thought I was dead.”
“You almost were.”
Perhaps remembering the moment her entire lower body had been severed, Meisa looked down at herself with a terrified expression. Seeing her two legs still perfectly attached, she let out a long sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness…”
“Let me check the wound for a second.”
“Okay.”
The various defensive magic tools Meisa usually favored, including her coat, had all lost their power. It was a devastating loss, but considering they had saved her life, it was a small price to pay. A lost life could never be brought back.
As he carefully lifted her torn clothing, a long scar could be seen encircling her body just below the navel. Seeing this, Solif clicked his tongue.
“Whoa, it really is a miracle you’re alive. Didn't he just match the cut surfaces and heal them without properly connecting the internal organs?”
“I’m actually a bit worried about that. Can you try moving? I’ve confirmed that blood is circulating, but I don’t know if you can walk.”
“Hmm… You’re right. I can’t move them at all.”
After a few light pokes and pinches, it became clear that Meisa’s lower body was merely attached, not functioning. It seemed the nerves hadn't healed properly during the recovery process. He tried making her drink more recovery potions, but there was no sign of improvement. It was enough to patch the wound itself, but a more powerful healing ability was needed for a fundamental recovery.
“Should I call that lady who healed me back then? With her skill level, it would take a while, but…”
“It’s fine. I can move using flight magic anyway.”
As if to prove her point, Meisa immediately used levitation and flight magic to support her body, standing up and gliding smoothly across the ground. Having used these spells far longer than Turan, her proficiency was on another level.
“I can probably mimic walking if I practice a bit.”
“But you can’t live like that forever. Besides, there might be issues with your internal organs, so we need to find a way to heal you quickly.”
Turan had Meisa sit down and carefully felt around the wounded area. Perhaps because he had used relatively low-grade recovery potions, the connection felt precarious. It was like a broken mast that had been forced back together. Since he couldn't be sure if her internal organs were fully reattached, he felt they needed to find a way to treat her as soon as possible.
“Then we should start by absorbing the Great Sea Serpent’s corpse. By the way, what happened to it?”
“They said they’d put it on the beach. I just woke up too, so I haven't seen it yet.”
“Let’s go, quick! If some passing magical beast eats it, I might actually die of rage!”
Turan lightly waved his hand to restrain the fussing Solif.
“It’s fine. The Merfolk are guarding it.”
“Really?”
From the beach a few hundred meters away, he could feel the concentrated power of the Great Sea Serpent and the presence of a Merfolk nearby. Though it was only one person, there was almost no chance of an enemy equal to Merfolk royalty appearing in the middle of the North Sea.
“They’re the ones who need to use the corpse anyway. More than that, I’m worried that if Meisa gets stronger by absorbing the mana, it’ll become even harder to heal her…”
Even now, her mana was so strong that recovery potions weren't very effective. If she absorbed the Great Sea Serpent’s mana and became even stronger, she truly wouldn't be able to heal without the help of a high-ranking healer.
“Don’t worry about me. It’s not like I’m going to die right now. Besides, the mana of a resurrected spirit dissipates if you don’t absorb it quickly, right? We went through so much trouble; we should at least get the reward.”
Meisa spoke with a calm smile.
*
After their brief discussion, the three of them immediately headed to the eastern shore. There, on the land completely devastated by the Great Sea Serpent’s death throes, lay the corpse of the monster once worshipped as a god.
“We really caught something like this…”
“I’m looking at it, and I still can’t believe it.”
Turan inwardly agreed with Solif and Meisa’s murmurs. The sight of the Great Sea Serpent, having lost its second life, was similar to when he had seen it underwater, but facing it again after fighting it directly made the experience even more chilling.
Just then, someone sitting atop the Great Sea Serpent’s head hopped down and approached them.
“What, you just woke up? I guess even humans that strong get weak when they’re tired.”
“It was a very intense fight. Where are the other Merfolk?”
The young Merfolk royal guarding the corpse was Koloba, the sea turtle who had been scolded in the past for his reckless tongue.
“They’re all resting in the nearby sea. We prefer being in the water when we’re exhausted. I’m the only one out here because I’m fine. Hurry up and suck out that mana. I’m going to go call my father.”
At the prince’s clearly annoyed words, Turan nodded and turned his gaze toward his companions. He could feel the anticipation and longing in their eyes.
“Shall we begin?”
“Yes.”
Approaching the massive corpse of the Great Sea Serpent, the three humans and one bird immediately began absorbing the mana. A vast amount of green radiance flowed out and seeped into their bodies.
“Oh?”
At that moment, he saw a portion of the mana split off and seep into the Mimic Relic. In his experience, the relic didn't absorb the mana of magical beasts even while he was wearing it. Could it be because the mana of a god’s spirit was mixed in?
Seeing this, Turan reflexively tried to take off the relic and throw it aside. The most efficient number for mana absorption was four. At this rate, he, Solif, Meisa, and Bije would all lose out on the mana they could gain.
However, Meisa and Solif, who were close by, grabbed Turan’s hands and stopped him.
“Why?”
“Just leave it.”
“Maybe it’ll have some good effect.”
They meant that if the mana of the god—the origin of the relic—dwelt within it, it might have some positive influence. If it were just gaining the mana of a Wave Walker or a Mimic, it would be a meaningless loss. Turan was about to argue, but a massive shock hit his head, and he lost the chance to reply.
“Ugh!”
“Haa…”
The startled exclamations and groans coming from beside him didn't even register in his ears. The Great Sea Serpent’s mana delivered a pleasure that truly felt out of this world. It felt as if every bone, muscle, piece of flesh, and nerve in his body was being burned away and then reconstructed anew. Compared to this, all the mana absorptions he had experienced before were mere child’s play.
Turan’s mana, which had been on the lower end among the highest-ranking nobles, instantly surpassed the middle tier where Solif stood, rose to the upper tier, and then climbed to the very top—the same level as Meisa.
Then, just like when his bloodline lock had been released in the past, he felt a clunking sound as he reached a limit and was then liberated. Even after that, Turan’s mana continued to rise, reaching a level slightly stronger than Meisa’s—somewhere between the highest-ranking nobles and the heads of the Great Families—before his growth finally stopped.
“Ah…”
Turan wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and looked toward his companions.
Solif was clenching and unclenching his fists as if he couldn't contain the power boiling within him, and Meisa had slumped down, unable to maintain her flight magic. The mana of both had also grown to a level incomparable to before, moving beyond the realm of ordinary high nobles. Meisa had now reached a level where she could put up a decent defense even against Osel Lavitas, the weakest Family Head he had met, and Solif was weaker than her but stronger than Turan.
He had worried that one of them might hit a limit, but as expected of those chosen as vessels for the gods, they clearly had enough potential to grow to the level of a Family Head.
[Turan! Turan! That felt so good! So much!]
Bije, who was making such a fuss, had also achieved several stages of growth in an instant. She now possessed mana equivalent to a top-tier high noble, similar to the heirs of the Great Families—the same level Turan had been at just before this fight. If a magical beast with this much power appeared, it would surely cause an uproar, with people claiming a mythic-class beast had emerged. Ordinary nobles would have no way to oppose it and would have to call for the armies of the Great Families.
At this level… I might even be able to fight Arabion.
He wasn't yet certain he could win against that mighty Thunder Lord, but he had reached a level where he could treat an ordinary noble, who wasn't a god’s vessel, as a mere foot soldier.
While savoring that joy, Turan noticed the changes that had occurred within the two of them and watched intently.
“Why are you looking at us like that?”
“Both of your symbols have changed.”
“What?”
“Did you hear any sounds from your bodies?”
“A sound of something opening… or should I say? I heard a crack, like a piece of wood breaking.”
“For me, it was the sound of glass shattering.”
Beside the symbols of the glowing white hand and the fireball that Solif originally had, a single shield had been added. That was unmistakably the symbol of the Guardian bloodline he had seen on his martial arts teacher, Haram.
And as for Meisa, beside the thundercloud, a white anvil and a black hammer—the symbols of the Enchanter bloodline—had been added. If that clenched hand were to grasp and swing those tools, she would surely display power equal to that of the Arabion Family Head he had seen in the past.
When he told them this, both looked shocked.
“Enchanter…? Me?”
“I have no connection to the Guardian bloodline.”
“It is one of the four bloodlines of the Silver Sun. Maybe it’s some secret of your birth.”
“You punk, don't go talking nonsense about other people’s parents.”
Solif grumbled, but he didn't say it was impossible. Unlike Meisa, who was the child of a Family Head, the birth process of someone born to an ordinary noble couple would have been relatively easy to manipulate.
While Meisa used magic to check the functions of her magic tools and Solif pounded his chest to see if he had become sturdier, Turan lightly gestured toward the sky, which was now cloudless due to the disappearance of the storm spirit.
Krak-boom!
A bolt of lightning struck the sea, and a thunderous roar echoed.
It’s complete. The Storm bloodline…
Normally, drawing a powerful lightning bolt from such a clear sky would require a significant amount of power, but the mana consumption Turan felt now was similar to that of a stormy day. He could even precisely strike a location down to the centimeter. It was clear that the last remaining lightning bloodline magic had finally manifested.
After practicing various applications, such as surrounding his body with a defensive barrier of sparks or moving lightning in the shape of a snake, Meisa noticed and asked:
“You can use lightning properly now too?”
“Yeah. It’s definitely convenient. I think I understand why Arabion mages don’t practice many other attack spells.”
Compared to wind magic, which was difficult to use for offense, it was an absurdly powerful and simple force. Its only drawback was that, like fire magic, it was vulnerable to defenses using earth manipulation magic. Not being able to easily attack someone submerged in water was an added bonus.
“So, did everyone check their abilities?”
“Yeah. I can use enchantment magic now. It’s a field I’ve never touched, so I’ll have to practice to use it properly.”
“We can contact Asiz later and ask him for some tips. Solif, what about you?”
“For starters, I’ve become incredibly strong. Want to see?”
The moment he grabbed Solif’s hand and pulled, Turan’s body was helplessly dragged toward him.
“Wow.”
“Amazing, right?”
Solif originally had a small but sturdy build and strong mana, so he had been a bit stronger than Turan. But it certainly hadn't been such an overwhelming gap.
“I’ll have to test my defensive abilities more… but well, they’ve definitely gone up.”
Solif, who already had excellent offensive power with the Sun bloodline, had now gained the Guardian bloodline, giving him defensive and physical combat capabilities. His pure offensive and defensive power could now be considered the strongest in the group. The downside was that his mobility and support abilities were almost non-existent. In this battle, he had been forced to focus on rear support after Bije got hurt because he was the only one who couldn't fly.
“I wish I had something like that instead of being an Enchanter.”
Meisa, who had been muttering that, quickly shut her mouth. She seemed to think her grumbling was disrespectful to her mother, who had passed down that bloodline.
While they were discussing their new gains, they felt the presence of several Merfolk in the sea. A moment later, the Merfolk King and his entourage swarmed up.
“Kind Demon! You’re safe!”
“Yeah, I’m safe.”
Turan greeted the brightly smiling Armani and glanced over the Merfolk royals. The absence of several dead royals, including the king’s eldest son, the octopus Makun, was glaringly obvious.
Of course, he didn't feel much regret about that. When he had barely made it onto the island, exhausted, the look the Merfolk King had given him was clearly one of sizing him up. If their forces had been intact, and if Turan hadn't planted the suspicion that he was a vessel for some god, the entire group might have been killed right then and there.
The stoic Merfolk King pressed down on Armani’s head and spoke.
“So, is the harvest finished?”
“Mostly.”
“Then we shall now take our share.”
Turan quietly weighed the strength of the Merfolk King and the royals against his own group’s abilities. None of them were in perfect condition, but they were much stronger than before, while the Merfolk had been weakened. If they fought here, victory was certain.
But—
“As promised, I’ll yield the corpse.”
“Hmm, fair enough.”
The Merfolk King had shown signs of testing them, but since he hadn't attacked, the promise remained unbroken. There was also a high possibility that the Merfolk gaining the Great Sea Serpent’s power would be beneficial to them in the long run.
Led by a giant whale, the Merfolk royals, who had transformed into various large sea creatures, dragged the Great Sea Serpent’s corpse from the beach. Finally, the young shark Armani waved a fin in farewell and disappeared into the sea.
“Whew, it’s finally over…”
“More importantly, how do we get off this island? The boat was smashed during the fight, and Bije’s wings aren't in great shape. Should we have asked them to take us to a nearby island?”
“Bije isn't seriously hurt, so she’ll recover quickly if she keeps taking the recovery potions.”
As if telling him not to worry, Bije flapped her wings, but then let out a cheep of pain as the broken part throbbed. While he was stroking the whimpering bird, Meisa, who had been watching, spoke up.
“By the way, what happened to it? The relic.”
“Right! I completely forgot. I hope it was worth sharing the mana we were supposed to eat.”
At his companions’ urging, Turan immediately pulled out the relic hanging from his chest. Since there was no outward change, he immediately pressed the protrusion to open the lid—
“Oh.”
“What is it?”
“The interior... it’s changed.”