episode_0066

First, let’s return to a little while ago.

I was taking lessons from Penguin Master and Naia.

“Have you ever fought against another magician?”

Hearing those words, I quickly looked back on my life over the past few months.

Thinking about it, it seemed I had never fought against a pure magician with my life on the line.

At most, it was only black magicians.

While I was pondering over my life story like that.

Suddenly, I realized one thing.

Hadn’t I just fought against a magician at the Magic Tower?

“Just a moment ago.”

“……?”

Penguin Master was half-stunned.

Naia quickly corrected him.

“He said he taught the Red Faction guys a good lesson.”

“Really?!! As expected of the Emperor Penguin!!!!”

“Right?”

The two looked at me with satisfaction.

Honey dripped from their eyes.

“Even before, when I was researching the Super Giant Penguin Magic, a guy from the Red Faction accidentally burned down the lab, and it came down to our floor.”

“We should have killed them all back then!”

It seems the conflict between the Blue and Red Factions is severe.

“What floor is the Red Faction on?”

“What? You want to go to the Red Faction? I absolutely won’t allow it!!!”

Seeing Penguin Master making a small ice penguin, I waved my hand in dismissal.

“No, it’s not that, I was just curious.”

Perhaps sensing my sincerity. Naia quietly crossed her arms and muttered.

“Those trashy Red Faction guys are right on the floor above us. It’s their daily routine to ignore us, saying the Magic Tower floors are a hierarchy.”

Feeling the anger in Naia’s voice, I decided not to ask any more questions.

“So, what were you going to talk about?”

“Ah!”

Only then did Penguin Master start explaining again.

“You know that casting magic is gathering mana scattered throughout the world and shaping it into a certain form, right?”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Well, itinerant magicians use magic instinctively, so you might not know.”

Rustle, rustle.

Master Penguin began drawing a magic circle.

“A magic circle is about gathering mana scattered throughout the world into the form of a magic circle to create magic, and regular magic is about momentarily gathering surrounding mana to use it.”

“…?”

Something about Penguin Master’s words was hard to understand.

It seemed he wasn’t the type to explain things easily, as befitting a magician.

“Isn’t there mana in the human body too?”

“That’s right. That’s why the more mana you have in your body, the more you can use magic regardless of the situation. But that’s not what’s important. It’s how magic is manifested.”

Penguin Master created an ice sphere that floated and rolled around in the air.

“Ultimately, whether you use mana from the body or mana from outside, the moment it’s manifested, it exists externally. And externally existing mana can be controlled by any magician.”

Penguin Master grinned and spread his sense.

A feeling of mana lightly brushing past my body.

As he wished, I also spread my sense.

Now, the sense spread by Penguin Master and my sense collided.

“If you push away my domain and blow away the mana in the magic formed in your hand, this magic will instantly disappear.”

I roughly understood the feeling.

Hadn’t I just blown away all the apostate’s divine power?

Moreover, just a moment ago, the Magic Tower Master had blown away countless manifesting magics.

“But last time I fought a black magician, after being subjected to something like a ‘backtrack’, I haven’t used it.”

“That’s why you need to practice more. If the opponent is spreading their domain, and you can’t use yours, how disadvantageous would that be?”

That was true.

Whether fighting the black magician on the 2nd floor or meeting on the 4th floor, I had struggled a bit by deliberately not spreading my sense.

But suddenly, one thing came to mind.

If that was the case, couldn’t the black magician I fought back then have nullified the magic I created?

But I didn’t remember that happening.

“Just try it once. Of course, even in the Blue Faction, you won’t be able to dispel my magic, a somewhat strong penguin!”

Penguin Master said that while making ice penguins one by one.

Without paying attention to what he was doing, I closed my eyes and continuously spread my sense, my domain.

Originally, I had awakened this power without knowing it.

But now that I roughly understood the principle and the flow.

I had a rough idea of how to handle this.

Like when I used power cards like Terrain Manipulation.

I sharpened the spread domain and thrust it at Penguin Master.

But it didn’t break through easily.

“…Hooob?!”

Whether I heard Penguin Master’s voice or not.

I kept changing my methods.

Those senses I had learned while using cards so far.

Applying them well, I spread my domain, retracted it, and strongly pushed it.

I rotated it strongly like when using Vortex, and thrust it strongly like when using Lightning.

Twitch, twitch.

It was slightly affecting Penguin Master’s domain, but it was still far off.

I concentrated a little more.

” ”

The surrounding sounds were blocked, and I entered my own world.

Standing alone here in a black world.

Shwaaaaa.

It felt like wind was blowing.

The mana filling this area touched my skin one by one.

Mana naturally gathered in my right hand which I had unconsciously raised.

I knew how to use this.

The answer that immediately came to mind.

It was Crushing Blow.

‘No, what the hell, Crushing Blow?’

This didn’t seem right.

I immediately looked for another answer.

I manipulated the domain in the form of all the magic I had used, scraping from the bottom up, but it didn’t work.

It doesn’t seem right.

Surely such a trashy basic card couldn’t be the answer.

But now, the only remaining method was Crushing Blow.

I immediately gathered the domain in my hand and thrust it strongly.

Just like using Crushing Blow.

쿵!!

The domain momentarily detached and exploded within Penguin Master’s domain.

And it instantly scattered the gathered mana that was there.

Everything proceeded smoothly.

I opened my eyes.

The ice penguins that had been floating around Penguin Master had all disappeared, melting into the world.

“Did I succeed?!”

I shouted happily and looked around, but something was wrong.

Naia’s mouth was wide open, frozen.

“……Uh, uh.”

Thud.

Because Penguin Master had lost consciousness and collapsed.

“A-are you okay?!!”

I immediately ran towards Penguin Master.

Fortunately, Penguin Master was just exhausted.

He didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

Because his expression was so good.

Just as I felt relieved looking at his expression, the door opened and the Blue Faction Head entered.

This was the story until just before.

“I will take him!”

Naia, with a voice full of military discipline, took Penguin Master and left the classroom.

Even if the atmosphere was free, it seemed they couldn’t act completely unrestrained towards the Faction Head.

Now, only I and the Blue Faction Head remained in the classroom.

“It seems you learned faster than I expected.”

“It’s thanks to you. If not, I might never have known.”

“Haha, it’s enough that it was helpful to you.”

The Blue Faction Head smiled kindly like that, then instantly erased the smile and spoke to me.

“Do you know what the purest magic is?”

“……”

“The Magic Tower Master must have heard too. If you want to know the meaning of these words, become a member of the Magic Tower. Or when you want to learn about magic.”

On the way back to the guild after leaving the Magic Tower.

It felt like I had only stayed at the Magic Tower for about 2 hours.

But all my energy was drained.

Nevertheless, it was a meaningful 2 hours.

Though I had learned magic lightly, like having a sample taste of boiled meat.

The result was on a different dimension.

A feeling similar to having a third eye opened.

This power will surely help me later.

Of course, I would need some training.

“The Magic Tower……”

I pondered, looking at the Magic Tower visible outside the carriage.

The Magic Tower Master and the Blue Faction Head had invited me in, but they didn’t give a time limit for the duration.

I didn’t know if they wanted to give me enough time or if they had other intentions.

Lost in thought, I arrived back at the guild before I knew it.

There was no way party members would have been found already, but I went in just in case.

“This is the amount for now.”

Even though only a few hours had passed, a stack of documents had already piled up.

“Would you like to take them?”

“Sure.”

“Here you go.”

I immediately received the copies from Rain and returned to the clan building.

Noah was the only one inside.

“Grace? She said she’s going gambling.”

If Grace heard that, she would correct it to ‘card game’, but to someone who doesn’t know, it’s the same thing.

“Kayrek must have gone for training, of course.”

“You know well.”

“You……”

Noah was reading a book with a blank expression, munching on snacks.

He was a complete freeloader, nothing less.

“Do you just stay home all day?”

“No? I sometimes go out for a walk at night?”

“You just play.”

“I’m young and rich.”

팅!!

Noah put the gold coin taken from the spatial pocket back into the spatial pocket and focused on reading again.

Watching him, I sat down nearby and started reading the documents Rain had given me.

All sorts of explorers had already applied.

As Rain said, our fame had already spread quite widely.

Of course, I couldn’t judge based only on the people who came on the first day.

There might be cases where people were still in the labyrinth and couldn’t apply.

We decided to take a long time to select clan members.

At least a month?

Anyway, to enter the labyrinth, I needed to recover physically and mentally.

Spending time at ease for a while didn’t seem bad.

But the world did not want me to be comfortable.

콰아아앙!!!

Kayrek burst in, opening the door forcefully.

“Magician!! Did you hear the news?!!!”

The fierce voice typical of a barbarian spread around.

Noah and I quickly covered our ears as soon as we saw Kayrek enter, so we protected our hearing.

“What news?”

“The beastkin village has sent troops here…!!”

Kayrek’s pupils disappeared.

쿵!

Kayrek collapsed, and behind him, someone was already standing.

It was a beastkin woman with a long tail and tiger ears.

Her clothing had many open spaces, showing she was a martial artist.

Her muscular body visible inside was impressive.

Her height was short compared to Kayrek, but still quite tall for a woman.

“Who, who are you?”

Hearing my words, the tiger beastkin’s tail swayed.

“I’ve already received permission from the guild and the knights.”

“For what?”

Frowning, she slowly walked inside.

Only then did I spot Grace in her hand.

“Ueee……”

Grace, collapsed and bubbling foam at her mouth, was dragged along.

Seeing the card game cards still in her hand.

It seemed she was caught at the place she usually played.

She had instantly subdued Grace and Kayrek.

I felt she was not an easy opponent.

But why wasn’t the status window popping up?

Is she not an enemy?

Anyway, this damn status window does as it pleases.

I took out the cards I had prepared separately from my pocket.

Noah raised his black mana.

But the tiger beastkin was already out of our sight.

“All of you, you’ll have to come to our beastkin village.”

The tiger beastkin, who had appeared behind us, struck Noah’s neck, and he immediately collapsed limply.

Fortunately, my defense golem blocked the attack.

But the barrier was immediately broken.

“Cute, aren’t they?”

The tiger beastkin lightly flicked the golem with her finger, and the golem flew far away, embedded in the corner.

Not missing the time the golem bought, I used a card.

[Rupture (4)] – Infuses mana into the enemy’s interior and churns it.

The mana escaping from my body instantly reached the tiger beastkin’s body.

But.

It didn’t work at all.

What in the world could be the reason?

I spread my senses and expanded my domain, and then I knew.

The fact that this tiger beastkin was currently covered in an enormous amount of mana.

‘Is she a Body Reinforcement type?’

퍽!!!!

Before I could make my next move.

My vision went black, as if I was hit by something.

The back of my neck hurt so much.

*

When I came to my senses, I was somewhere I didn’t know.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a prison or solitary confinement.

It didn’t seem I was kidnapped by a criminal group or captured by the imperial family.

A small private room with a soft bedding.

A well-folded robe.

My belongings were neatly arranged next to it.

‘No matter how I look at it, it seems like a guest room.’

As if my intuition was right.

Suddenly, the sliding door opened and a small beastkin entered.

“Are you awake?”

A canine beastkin politely greeted me.

And then brought me food.

Bread and soup. And butter.

It felt not bad for breakfast.

“What time is it now?”

“It is 7 AM.”

I had definitely met the tiger beastkin around 8 PM, so how many hours had I been out?

“Where is this?”

“Ah, this is the beastkin village. It’s located a little outside the Labyrinth City.”

“I see.”

Beastkin village.

Luka was so quiet that I didn’t hear much, but I knew it was where beastkin gathered and lived.

Why did they look for our party in such a place?

Was it because of Luka’s arm being severed?

But if that were the case, they should have killed us when we were in danger of dying.

There were many things I didn’t understand.

“I’m finished eating. By any chance, where are my companions?”

“They should be in rooms nearby.”

“Thank you.”

Watching the small dog beastkin leave, I changed clothes and went outside.

“…Eum.”

I had expected something natural and grassy, like a beastkin village.

But as if places where people live aren’t different.

It felt like looking at a small village from the Middle Ages.

The only difference was that beastkin statues were occasionally visible.

“No matter how I look at it, that’s…”

Isn’t that Kaman?