Ch.51Ruins of Another World

“Hey, your arm…!”

“Transmigrator!”

The two mages who arrived late immediately sprang into action. They cast their spells the moment they assessed the situation.

Sheive’s magic quickly flew over and wrapped around Seorin’s left hand. The wound was compressed, stopping the bleeding. It was a spell with the effect of simple first aid.

Envy’s magic bestowed something special upon Seorin’s sword. The magic approached like scattered starlight and enveloped her blade.

For a swordsman, a sword is like an extension of their body. This meant she couldn’t fail to notice the change that had occurred to her own body.

‘The blade has become sharper…’

The sword’s edge had become keener and was pushing away the flow of mana around it. When she experimentally moved the sword slightly, the mana spread throughout nature naturally split along the blade’s edge.

She could now cut mana. This meant she could also slice through magic with her sword. But would this be meaningful? Her opponent was a swordsman who used sword techniques, not magic.

While Seorin was lost in thought, the transmigrator waved his hand through the air. It was a simple movement with nothing special about it, yet everyone present could hear it.

Keeeeeng-!

The strange noise that suddenly erupted.

It was a sound like something spinning at high speed. Seorin had heard similar noises before. When a small component of a large machine for kneading bread rotated at high speed, it made a similar sound.

As Seorin emerged from her thoughts, a blue magic circle appeared behind the transmigrator’s back. At the same time, Sheive’s warning rang out.

“Sir Knight! Be careful!”

She didn’t need to be told—she had already noticed. Even without broadly extending her senses, she could detect the anomaly happening right in front of her without delay. Seorin reacted immediately.

Her left foot stepped forward as her body rotated slightly. A sharp sword strike imbued with rotational force cut through the air, with star-like mana trailing behind it like a tail.

Pakang-!

The flow of magic was cut off before it could be completed. The mana that had been gathering according to the caster’s will dispersed into blue mist.

“W-what is this…!”

“Before the spell was completed…?”

Both mages, except for Seorin, were simultaneously astonished. The flow of magic had been interrupted before completion. She had anticipated where the spell would form and cut through its core.

It was a technique impossible without exceptional talent, keen senses, and overwhelming confidence in oneself.

‘If she hadn’t become a knight, she would have been a mage…’

Sheive immediately prepared his next spell. The knight accompanying them had just proven her outstanding skill. This also meant they could safely use magic with peace of mind.

Hesitation and fear disappeared. Magic is ultimately mental discipline. The power of magic varies depending on one’s mindset and condition. Magic cast without fear and hesitation naturally possessed greater power.

“I’ll open a path!”

No incantation was needed to use the magic, and the preparation time was short. Rather than implementing special and powerful mysteries, Sheive cast a spell to assist Seorin’s movements.

Paaaah-!

The mystery that extended in a straight line revealed itself, tinged with blue light. Without any particular pattern, mana platforms scattered in the air like traces of shattered stars, extending all the way to the transmigrator’s vicinity.

It didn’t take long to understand Sheive’s intention. Seorin immediately sprinted forward. She ran in a straight line and stepped onto the platforms Sheive had created. Changing direction in mid-air was no problem either.

The surroundings were filled with platforms for Seorin. Since they were scattered without any pattern, her movement paths became diverse.

The transmigrator wasn’t idle either. Identifying Seorin rushing toward him as the highest priority, he used various spells.

Light exploded, and sometimes biting cold swept in to block her movement. Each time, Envy’s support followed. Magic bombardment was countered with magic bombardment.

Envy selected attack spells with extremely short preparation times, responding with counter-fire as soon as he recognized the magic being used by the opponent.

Bang-! Kwaboom-!

Numerous explosions followed in just a few seconds. Even amidst this, Seorin’s charge continued unhindered. Her straight-line rush bent diagonally, then dropped vertically.

As the distance closed instantly, the transmigrator chose to flee. He turned and began running toward the dense forest.

‘Strange…’

While pursuing the transmigrator, Seorin felt an odd sense of dissonance. Transmigrators were different from ordinary people. They possessed something special, whether in a good or bad sense.

He was someone who wielded magic while using expert-level swordsmanship. This could be called special, but Seorin focused on something else.

‘They said he uses an independent magic system…’

According to information from the Magic Tower, the transmigrator had established his own independent magic system. However, the magic he had shown so far had nothing special about it. Neither the casting speed nor the power was exceptional in any way.

It was similar to the magic used by the Magic Tower mages who had come with her.

But her thoughts didn’t continue for long. She kicked off the final platform. With intense force behind her final charge, the small girl’s body flew faster.

At that moment, the transmigrator suddenly turned around. His face was revealed through the tattered robe. Illuminated by the swirling light of mana, the transmigrator’s face wore a deep smile.

[You lack caution, but that’s fine. With that temperament and talent, you’ll surely be able to forge a path.]

It was an unintelligible language. The transmigrators they encountered occasionally spoke words from their own worlds like this. This opponent was no different.

As her retracted sword was recovered, rotational force was applied to Seorin’s body. With star-like afterimages trailing like a tail, Seorin swung her sword.

That was the moment.

Keeeeeng-!

The same noise as before echoed. Simultaneously, a wide magic circle spread across the ground with Seorin at its center.

“This…!”

[My spatial magic never fails! You will arrive safely!]

As the magic circle glowed, an enormous amount of mana began to gather. Before she could react, the rapidly activated mana implemented a single mystery.

Flash-!

Light flickered and her vision distorted. Just as her bodily sensations seemed to jumble chaotically, Seorin found herself in an unidentified space.

“Hah…”

Upon landing, she immediately surveyed her surroundings. She perceived the space through touch, smell, hearing, and sight.

Everything around was covered in solid stone bricks. The elongated corridor seemed endless, with torches hanging here and there providing the only illumination.

The air was lukewarm and stuffy. When she touched the stone floor, black dust came off on her hand. It meant there had been no human traffic for a long time.

Seorin stood up and pointed her sword. She sensed no particular presence. There was no warning from her animal instincts either.

For now, at least, it meant she was safe.

“This is maddening…”

Her senses were vividly alive. This was no hallucination. She had clearly been transported to another space by some unknown magic.

This was the identity of the dissonance that had been warning her all along.

“Seiran.”

Seorin called out to her younger sister, just in case. But again, there was no answer. It seemed she would have to handle the situation alone.

The first thing Seorin checked was the hardness and thickness of the walls. When she tapped the wall with her White Dragon Sword, a dull noise sounded.

Kang-!

The sound was muffled and didn’t travel beyond the wall. It meant she couldn’t break through the wall. Even if she destroyed the stone bricks, there would surely be another wall or thick ground behind it.

If it had been a forest thick with grass and trees, a vast plain, or a snowfield covered in white snow, it wouldn’t have felt so stifling.

Seorin remained in place for a long time. She thought the two mages left behind might come here too, but no one arrived no matter how long she waited.

Eventually, Seorin had to set out.

Forward or backward? There was no predetermined correct answer. One must find their own path. The small girl chose to move forward.

Her small feet in walkers made light tap-tap sounds.

***

[Stop right there! I must kill you and extract your heart to regain my past realm!]

“Hieeeek! Master Sheive! What is that guy saying?!”

“I-I don’t know either! Just keep running!”

After Seorin disappeared due to the unknown magic, the two mages had to run without stopping. It was the return of a legendary magic swordsman. Without the knight to protect them, the two couldn’t properly cast spells.

The moment they stopped to cast a spell, magic and a sharp blade would fly in and take their heads.

Physical enhancement using mana and magic that accelerated internal time were used in layers. It was an act that put tremendous strain on the untrained bodies of mages, but the two had no choice.

“Hi-hiyaaak!”

“Keep going! Keep running! We must not stop! To find Sir Knight…!”

Despite their physical enhancement, the distance between the two mages and the transmigrator rapidly closed. That’s when Sheive, who was running ahead, spotted an artificial structure covered in tree vines.

Though old, it was clearly the entrance to a structure made by human hands. Without hesitation, Sheive dashed toward it.

“Th-this way! Escape this way!”

Just as Sheive and Envy quickly ran and threw themselves into the dark hole, a massive bombardment flew in from behind and destroyed the entrance.

Kwaaang-!