Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Azaris and Hwasang
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Havel was crossing the ocean with these two in tow.
Having somehow acquired a straightforward way to clear the Tower,
he was now dead set on gathering the keys as quickly as possible.
'The 6th hierarchy hasn't seen any progress in ages.'
Breaking through to the next hierarchy from here would naturally draw massive attention.
And that spotlight would inevitably shine back on Banpellyon.
So Havel picked up the pace, speeding across the waves.
Thanks to that, Hwasang and Azaris—who were maintaining their spells—were suffering terribly.
They had to pour extra effort into their magic just to keep up with his speed.
Havel's Agility had broken into the four digits, making it tough to endure even with magic.
"Hahaha! I've still got plenty of gas left!"
"Me too, plenty to spare!"
Yet for some reason, Azaris and Hwasang were competing with each other.
Both were crimson sorcerers specializing in fire magic.
That rivalry sparked a competitive fire between them,
and as crimson sorcerers, they were burning with enthusiasm.
'Childish as hell.'
Havel ignored them and kept charging ahead.
Before long, he reached a new island.
This one was overgrown with swamps and jungles—a swamp-dominated isle.
No family controlled it.
With all the swamps and Calamity beasts, there weren't many valuable byproducts to harvest.
That meant he could snag the key without clashing with any families.
And the ones tasked with finding these keys? These two.
"I touched down on the island first!"
"What're you talking about? I got here first!"
Havel raised his fist.
Then he swung it straight down, smacking both their heads.
"Gahk!"
"Kek!"
The two clutched their heads and crumpled.
He hadn't cared if they bickered on the way here.
But now that he needed their help, he wasn't about to let them squabble.
"Straighten up."
They snapped their backs straight.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind: Are all crimson sorcerers idiots?
But Havel brushed it off and pointed toward the forest.
"Whichever of you finds the key first gets bumped up in the pecking order."
He'd led the Three Great Families back to their golden age, reviving Banpellyon to its peak.
He'd handled types like these countless times.
Manipulating people was one of his specialties.
And sure enough,
his words hit the mark perfectly.
Hwasang and Azaris's eyes sharpened.
"Start your search spells the moment we head in."
For this kind of hunt, magic was the way to go.
So as Havel gave the order and stepped forward, the two followed right behind.
In raw power, Hwasang actually edged out slightly.
As a member of Moebius's team—the Whisperer's apostle candidate—he was a formidable sorcerer.
Azaris, on the other hand, shone with Ignor direct-line talent.
To Havel's eyes, Azaris was the real genius.
In just days on Selentia, he'd mastered a wide array of spells.
His aptitude for learning magic was on another level.
Give him time, and he might even earn the title of grand sorcerer.
But talent aside, he was still young.
Especially in mental maturity—Azaris was specialized in magic at the expense of wisdom.
It was like most of his brain was dedicated to spells.
And that inexperience was his Achilles' heel.
'To me, their mental ages aren't that different.'
For sorcerers, experience made a huge gap.
They drew on life lessons and accumulated knowledge to wield their magic.
But then an unexpected twist occurred.
Azaris was even more extreme than Havel had figured.
And that extreme streak shone in bets like this.
A few minutes into the swamp,
ironically, Azaris spoke up first.
"Havel, over here!"
He pointed in one direction with his shout.
Hwasang whipped around, stunned.
He'd been casting his own spell but had come up empty on the search.
He had years more training under his belt.
How had Azaris beaten him to it?
The moment their eyes met,
Hwasang realized something.
Blood was dripping from Azaris's nose.
His eyes were bloodshot red.
Detection spells smoothed info gathering,
but overload the intake, and you couldn't expand far.
Most capped at around 500 meters.
Not Azaris.
He'd blanketed a full kilometer radius.
Even as the flood of data scorched his brain,
he'd pinpointed the key.
Push like that, and you risked frying your mind.
Yet seeing Azaris pull it off, nosebleed and all, Hwasang conceded.
It wasn't human.
Havel smirked at Azaris.
Whatever else, the kid's willpower was top-tier.
"Can you guide us there?"
"Right in front of us!"
Azaris wiped his nose with his sleeve and grinned brightly.
Havel glanced at Hwasang's dazed face.
"Azaris takes priority until the next island."
Hwasang just scratched his scar, speechless.
With that, they reached the spot Azaris indicated.
A vast jungle swamp stretching out.
The key was deep inside, he'd said.
No wonder no families claimed it.
The muck was meters deep.
Toxic gas bubbled up constantly,
making it hard to even breathe.
Not an issue for Havel.
He slashed down with his hand blade.
Whoosh!
The swamp exploded from the wind pressure, hurled away.
It rained down over the jungle like a storm.
Hwasang watched, face paling again.
A real monster.
Havel strolled through the cleared path to the bottom,
spotting the key embedded in a rock.
It looked sturdy, but one kick shattered it.
Key in hand, he climbed back up.
"On to the next island."
Was grabbing keys always this easy?
Hwasang followed quietly, lost in thought.
He was at the bottom of the hierarchy now.
The same rivalry played out on the other islands.
"I flew faster this time."
"Doesn't my fire magic prove I'm superior?"
Hard to tell if these two got along or hated each other.
Havel counted his keys.
Their competition was boosting efficiency.
At this rate, he'd collect them all in no time.
He was about to head to the next when his subspace ring vibrated.
It doubled as a communicator.
Havel activated the magic link.
[Havel.]
The voice belonged to none other than Penbola August.
The Golden Generation's current leader.
His tone sounded oddly subdued, raising Havel's brow.
"What's up?"
[Baria's been kidnapped, I think.]
Havel's eyes narrowed.
Baria, with Moebius.
Why the sudden abduction?
As Havel stayed silent, Penbola continued.
[My fault. August made their move.]
The culprits? The Five Great Families' August.
News that Moebius and Baria's group had been captured by August.
Havel pondered it after hearing from August direct-line Penbola.
[I'm sorry. It's on me.]
Havel stroked his chin slowly.
There were too many loose ends.
[My brother's not thrilled with my actions, it seems. They pulled some strings.]
Penbola explained August's motive.
But it didn't add up.
'Moebius isn't the type to get caught like that.'
Moebius was a powerhouse.
A top-tier fighter the Whisperer eyed as an apostle.
A pup before Havel, sure.
But he could dominate the Tower.
Why let August snag him and Baria?
Havel had it in a flash.
'He targeted their keys.'
August held tons of islands, as befitted a Five Great Family.
Moebius got captured on purpose, planning to raid their keys once inside.
Tied to the alliance he'd proposed earlier.
'Talk about loyalty to his boss.'
Moebius reminded him of Dante for some reason.
A bold play.
'But August is still a Five Great Family.'
Havel had met their direct lines.
Mostly youngest scions.
So he didn't know their true depth.
It piqued his curiosity.
Just how strong were the Five Great Families ruling this era?
'From what I see, their patriarchs probably host Calamities too.'
Havel thought of Baomet, rubbing his chin.
August weren't idiots; they knew about Calamities.
And their leaders likely harbored them.
'Explains why they dawdle in the Tower.'
The puzzle clicked.
They hyped the Tower endlessly,
yet never climbed aggressively themselves.
'To keep eyes off other Calamities.'
Absorbing one makes you its host.
No new powers rising on their watch.
So they buried other Calamity intel among themselves
and packaged the Tower as the world's core.
That way, people wasted time climbing it.
'Scheming bastards.'
Even across eras, ruling families played the same game.
Wishing their power eternal.
'Hence August cracking down on the Golden Generation.'
Let them climb, risk a new Tower lord—headache city.
They wanted no pointless risks.
[I'll confront my brother and get them back.]
Penbola's voice hardened in the meantime.
Made sense; it was his mess.
Havel tapped his crossed arms.
Moebius threw a strong hand,
but Havel wasn't conceding keys.
"Penbola, what do you want to do about August?"
Penbola despised the stagnant Five Great Families.
Sitting under petrified power? Pointless illusion.
He was ambitious.
Craved a throne he'd built himself.
Penbola fell silent at Havel's piercing question.
[I want to reshape this era, worthy of the Golden Generation name.]
Soon, his resolve came clear.
Havel grinned.
"Alright. Then I'm heading to August's island too."
[What?]
A clatter echoed suddenly.
Penbola hadn't seen that coming.
[Havel, what do you plan to do there? Let me negotiate and bring them ba—]
"You wanna change the era? Nothing says victory like crushing a Five Great Family."
Penbola realized his slip.
Havel would wreck August for real.
"Might as well go big. Hwasang, Azaris—next stop, August."
"Whoa! Tangling with a Five Great Family!"
"Guess I'll finally get to do something."
Azaris and Hwasang lit up with excitement.
True to their crimson sorcerer blood, they welcomed the fight.
[Havel, wait, Havel—!]
Havel cut the link.
Standing atop the island cliff, he gazed toward August territory.
Time to check the Five Great Families' elites in action.