Ch.104Dirt Mage (2)

“Hmm… what should I do about this?”

“Even if you ask us… we’re just ordinary people now…”

“Ah, I wasn’t asking for an answer. Without removing the vessel… I don’t think it would have helped you anyway.”

It was less about seeking an answer and more like lamenting my brief thought.

In this world, magic was fundamentally a discipline that only the chosen ones could learn.

One needed both the talent to acquire magic and magical power, as well as the abundant capital to learn such knowledge.

‘There are academies in this world, but… ultimately it’s something that applies only to a limited number of people.’

Even though this world had swords and magic, not everyone could receive education like in modern South Korea.

So I thought everyone who joined the Black Pillar had made their own choice.

I believed they had chosen black magic of their own will for their desires and goals, despite knowing it was clearly wrong.

Thinking that way allowed me to make more resolute and cold-hearted decisions.

But that wasn’t the case.

The earth mages’ entry into the Black Pillar couldn’t be called their own choice.

On the surface, it might have seemed like their choice, but beneath that, someone else had cleverly left them with only one option.

‘How should I put it… the more I think about it, there’s not much difference between these people and the apostles.’

The similarities were striking—both had actions forced upon them under the guise of choice, and in the end, only the innocent and powerless suffered.

And the root cause of all this was, once again, the Evil God.

‘Indeed, that Evil God deserves to be torn apart.’

The difference from the apostles’ case was that these people’s choices could be reversed, and it was within my power to help them.

All I needed to do was completely destroy the Black Pillar and treat those who had mistakenly learned black magic.

‘And I should help these earth mages here too.’

[Unlike Luna, they’ll essentially be burdens. Will that be okay?]

‘It’s still within a manageable range.’

I was neither omniscient nor omnipotent.

There was no way I could achieve a happy ending where everyone is saved and no one gets hurt.

But that didn’t mean I wanted to become a murderer who kills anyone for the sake of purpose and efficiency.

‘If it’s within a manageable range, I should try. If I don’t, I feel like I’ll truly become a monster.’

[If that’s your choice, I’ll support you wholeheartedly.]

Now that I had decided on a course of action, there was no need to waste time.

“I’m just asking in case, but are there more people like you among the black mages who have entered the immaterial realm?”

“Ah, no, there aren’t. Those employed for this job must at least know how to use magical power…”

“Indeed, people who can immediately master cultivation techniques are quite rare. Still, it’s fortunate there aren’t many.”

As one ages, more waste accumulates in the body.

So it was natural that ordinary people’s ability to learn cultivation techniques decreases with age.

These earth mages before me could be said to have learned relatively quickly.

[I think I’ve heard about that too.]

[How they always said learning is better the earlier you start.]

[Looking back now, those are such fond memories.]

‘….’

At my explanation, Lumia briefly reminisced about the past.

I knew those memories well too, so I just quietly listened without saying anything.

Afterward, Lumia asked me a question as if nothing had happened.

[But if that’s true for ordinary people, are there exceptions?]

‘Yes, there are always exceptions. For example, geniuses like me?’

[Hmm… it’s not my place to say, but you’re quite full of yourself.]

‘Heh, I was just trying it out. And it’s not entirely untrue.’

Although I had Lilly’s help, I was someone who mastered a cultivation technique in just one attempt.

Moreover, the technique I mastered wasn’t ordinary, which proved my talent reached the heavens.

There were many other things that could prove my talent, but due to time constraints, I decided to move on.

“Well then, Luna, please gather those elixirs first. Don’t drink them right away since we need to move.”

“Woof!”

“And the rest of you, grab those tools and follow me. There are people we need to help.”

“We’re not sure how helpful we’ll be… but we’ll follow with all our might!”

Luca responded to my words with great enthusiasm.

Whether it was due to my high charm or because I spared their lives, they seemed to show loyalty.

It was a bit burdensome, but better than being uncooperative.

“Well… you’ll be helpful. After all, I don’t know much about architecture. Let’s move.”

I smiled briefly at Luca as I spoke.

That smile foretold another path of hardship for the earth mages.

* * *

Currently, we were in the middle of an encirclement deployed by the black mages.

Although the encirclement wasn’t targeting us specifically, it was only a matter of time before we were detected as long as they were using detection magic.

In fact, the two black mages we encountered while moving to get the elixir were met in this way.

What would happen if we encountered black mages?

Would strangers in a foreign land chat happily and throw a drinking party?

Of course not.

What followed immediately after an encounter was nothing but combat.

As if following some manual, the black mages initiated hostilities by attacking first rather than talking.

The earth mages, who had no proper combat abilities, didn’t seem to have such a manual.

“In this situation, we have two main options.”

“What are they…?”

“One is a frontal breakthrough. Breaking through the encirclement with force. It’s the quickest and simplest method, but also the most difficult.”

If I could fight for 24 hours, I would have chosen this method.

I had the power to do so.

But unfortunately, I could only move for 15 minutes, and Luna wasn’t strong enough to face all the black mages.

So for now, it was nearly impossible.

“What’s the other option?”

“The other is to hole up somewhere and hold out. What people call the ‘endurance strategy.'”

Find a suitable hiding place and defend it against the black mages.

A simple strategy, but nothing better in the current situation.

For the first few days, we’d be less likely to be detected since we wouldn’t be moving around, and we’d have time to prepare defenses.

Once defenses were adequately prepared, we could withstand the black mages’ attacks to some extent.

This was thanks to the fact that while black magic included curses and necromancy, it lacked powerful one-hit techniques.

‘Of course, someone skilled enough could create such techniques.’

[But someone that skilled wouldn’t be here doing such menial tasks.]

All things considered, the wisest choice was to hold out against the black mages as long as possible until Lilly’s side came looking for us.

“That’s why I need you all. I’ll handle the reinforcement work using magical power, so please build it sturdy.”

“We’ll do our best…!”

The hiding place I chose was backed against a cliff on a mountain.

Positionally, it was inside a mountain range, making it less likely to be discovered, and thanks to the cliff, we didn’t have to worry about our backs.

There was also a waterfall nearby, alleviating concerns about water shortages.

[We’ve packed plenty of food supplies anyway.]

‘Still, it’s always important to be prepared for the unexpected.’

With the hiding place decided, the earth mages led by Luca began creating fortifications with just shovels.

They were surprisingly fast for ordinary people—after all, they had dug all the way to the room where the elixir was hidden with just shovels.

‘Hmm… perhaps because they’ve used magical power once, their physical enhancement is progressing steadily.’

It was quite ironic that they succeeded in physical enhancement first, despite learning cultivation techniques for magic.

Then again, considering they had been doing physical labor all their lives, perhaps it wasn’t so strange.

‘Since we’ll have time to spare anyway, teaching them proper cultivation techniques wouldn’t be a bad idea.’

[I don’t think we’ll have time to spare, considering all the defenses we need to prepare…]

‘Hmm… I think we will? Alchemy can be quite boring…’

To be honest, I wasn’t certain if we’d have time either.

Still, since cultivation techniques don’t take much time to teach, I thought we could be flexible depending on the situation.

“We’ll think about that when the time comes… Luna, come here. I’ll help you absorb the elixir.”

“Kwang!”

I decided to focus on what needed to be done now.