Chapter 118
The Korokoro Tribe’s Village (1)
After that day, Flame started to subtly distance herself from me.
Naturally, some rumors began to follow.
‘Baek Yu-seol and Flame broke up.’
The two who always stuck together now seemed strangely distant, and it was even more peculiar that people hadn’t noticed.
Moreover, Flame’s expression was not good. She, who always radiated energy with a bright and lively face, now looked as if she had been hit hard in the chest with a hammer, wearing a depressed expression that worried everyone.
Even when asked what was wrong, Flame herself denied that anything was the matter, but with such dark circles under her eyes, how could it be nothing?
‘They broke up.’
‘They broke up.’
‘She got dumped.’
Flame, who had been happily in a relationship for the past few weeks, got dumped!
Such a picture was painted in the minds of the boys and girls.
‘What? They broke up?’
‘Wow. They acted like they were going to get married.’
‘What happened? Who broke up with whom?’
‘I heard Baek Yu-seol dumped her. That’s why Flame has been almost dead these past few days…’
Because they were a notably prominent couple, the sudden news of their breakup spread faster than expected.
Although both Flame and I vehemently denied it, denying it while not even hanging out and being awkward with each other was meaningless.
*Sigh.*
Well, since the contract relationship period was almost over, it was about time to break up anyway… I didn’t expect her to be so dramatic about it.
‘Is it that shocking that I’m from Earth?’
Judging by her reaction, she had certainly figured out my origin.
But why react so excessively?
I don’t get it.
Especially when it comes to a woman’s heart. If I understood women that well, I would have had a girlfriend long ago. Not a fake girlfriend like Flame, but a real one.
What’s the point of worrying?
Still, honestly, it doesn’t matter. Flame is someone I can trust. Knowing my origin, she won’t backstab me.
‘I’d rather just lay it all out.’
Where I lived on Earth, what I did, which school I attended, which singers and celebrities I liked… and so on.
Sharing common hometowns naturally builds rapport and there would be plenty to talk about while reminiscing.
Th i s w a s c op i e d f r o m k i n g mt l . or g
[The narrative is lacking.]
But that damn narrative wasn’t helping. Even if I wanted to open up, it forced me to keep my mouth shut.
I had even questioned why I couldn’t tell Flame about my origin, but there was no answer.
If not for that narrative constraint, I might have already called her out, had a drink, reminisced about Earth, and talked all night…
Anyway, that’s that.
Now it’s time to think about the next steps.
First, the Aslan Seminar.
Honestly, there was little chance for Dark Mages to intervene in what happens there, as it mainly involved disputes, so there was hardly anything to prepare for.
There might be some friction between the girls named Aiselle and Selien… whether I could step in to help was another issue.
More importantly, it seemed better to prepare keyword items related to the ‘Ruins of Ancient Carmenset.’
While Zeliel might stay quiet for about a month, after that, she would certainly try to trouble me in some way.
‘I remember a keyword drops from some dungeon…’
Searching through the ‘Dungeon’ folder of the Bulbul Glasses, I quickly found what I was looking for.
[The Korokoro Tribe’s Village]
The Korokoro Tribe, with their three-horned heads, were a unique race. At the end of their village, a map fragment leading to the Ruins of Ancient Carmenset was said to drop.
[The Korokoro Tribe’s Village]
* Estimated Difficulty: 4-Risk
* Recommended for players of 3rd Class level to form a party
* Three or four skilled players can clear it without issues!
* Don’t bring unskilled players. It’ll be really frustrating if they troll at the last boss.
攻略法
If I were to compare my current level to other mages, I’d say I’m at least a 3rd Class.
So, if I gather two or three more people, clearing that dungeon shouldn’t be too difficult.
Stella Academy cadets, like official magic warriors, can submit individual dungeon attack permit applications, so it’s possible to clear dungeons with fellow students.
Moreover, there are quite a few capable 3rd Class mages around me.
Dungeons are hard to find, but the rewards are great. Beyond monetary gains, dungeon attack rewards increase mana capacity or elemental affinity, providing essential stat boosts for mages.
So, if I give a little hint, it wouldn’t be hard to recruit someone.
‘Well then, the first person to recruit would be…
Ma Yuseong.
He was essential for the dungeon attack… a tank.
“Wanna go to a dungeon?”
“Yes. Do you have time?”
“Yeah. It sounds fun.”
It’s good that he’s always positive. He’s probably more excited about the fun rather than the dungeon rewards.
Whatever the reason, it works for me.
Next, I needed someone who could unleash explosive firepower from a distance. The first person I thought of was Flame.
Although she didn’t have the overwhelming firepower of Hong Bi-yeon or the wide coverage of Aiselle, the utility of her Radiance Magic was unparalleled in this world.
But, that wasn’t an option.
I couldn’t coax her into a dungeon while she’s depressed and sulking alone.
So, I sought the next candidate, Aiselle.
“…A dungeon?”
“Yes, a dungeon.”
She was looking quite exhausted while writing something. A peek revealed she had been up all night organizing a thesis for the Aslan Seminar.
“It’s a bit difficult now. I have to prepare a lot for the thesis I wrote without much knowledge during the entrance ceremony…”
“…I can see that.”
Her desk was piled high with a tower of vast magical and major study books.
“Next time, next time…”
Having no choice, I gave up on Aiselle.
The next candidate was Hong Bi-yeon.
For some reason, she seemed in a good mood, but her appearance wasn’t too different from Aiselle’s.
“A dungeon?”
“Yes.”
T hi s w a s c o p i ed f r o m k ingmtl .o r g
Unlike Aiselle, who hadn’t even washed and looked messy, Hong Bi-yeon maintained her usual cleanliness despite studying all night, except for the slight dark circles under her eyes.
T h i s wa s c opi e d fr om ki n g mt l . or g
“…I can’t right now. My schedule is packed until the seminar.”
“I see. That can’t be helped.”
She glanced between her magic book and me, then spoke reluctantly.
T h i s wa s c op ie d f r o m k i n g m tl .o rg
“Not this time, but next time, we could go together…”
“Hmm? I’m not planning another trip next time.”
“…Then get lost.”
“Ah, okay… sure.”
Leaving the suddenly cold Hong Bi-yeon behind, Ma Yuseong and I wandered around. Although there were plenty of 3rd Class mages in S-Class, I wasn’t close to most of them.
“Hey, you have a lot of friends, right? Anyone you can bring along?”
“Yes.”
T hi s wa s c o p ie d f r om k i ngmtl .o rg
“Oh, really? As expected of a socialite.”
Ma Yuseong immediately headed somewhere.
The person he approached was Hae Wonryang, who was releasing magic at the training ground.
Boom, boom!
Unleashing intense magic, wiping his sweat, he looked somehow off.
‘…Is that really 3rd Class level?’
The Hae Wonryang I knew was the one who would reach 4th Class after Flame, Aiselle, and Hong Bi-yeon. They should barely be grasping the hints of 4th Class, but Hae Wonryang was already at this level.
T h i s w as c o p i ed f r o m ki n g m tl. org
‘Is it the result of overcoming the Dark Mana Erosion event?’
I wasn’t sure, but… if Hae Wonryang had indeed reached 4th Class, he would currently possess the strongest attack power among the first years.
T hi s wa s c o p i ed f rom k i n g m t l. o r g
“…A dungeon?”
“Yes.”
Ma Yuseong approached him quickly and proposed, Hae Wonryang glanced between Ma Yuseong and me. Then he casually said.
“Some people are suffering emotionally, while others are planning dungeon raids so casually?”
“I’m not exactly casual about it…”
Looking at him expectantly, Hae Wonryang hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“Alright. I wanted to test some magic in real combat anyway.”
Thus, a 3-person party for the dungeon raid was formed.
* * *
During the break between lectures.
Students usually returned to their classes to rest, but Stella has well-furnished cafes and gardens, which many students also prefer.
Hae Wonryang went to the far corner of Stella’s western garden to find Flame, who had curled up in seclusion.
True to her exemplary student nature, she was exuding a gloomy aura, with her already small body curled up like a shrimp, while holding an ancient rune dictionary and glaring at it.
“…Flame, are you alright?”
He gently sat beside Flame. She lifted her head to look at him, blinking her big eyes.
“Yes. What’s up?”
Unlike the past few days when she seemed frail, she looked to be doing quite well.
“You seem to have resolved your worries.”
“Yes, sort of.”
“Did something change?”
“Um, yes. You know, he’s trying so hard to maintain the relationship, and me distancing myself would be foolish. So I’ve decided to go back to how we were.”
She had thought a lot.
She felt guilty.
What if breaking the distance he had tried so hard to keep was my fault? Even the act of entering a ‘contract relationship’ might have gone against Baek Yu-seol’s beliefs and resolution.
But, thinking back now.
Though it was just acting as lovers, at that moment… Baek Yu-seol seemed to have enjoyed himself too.
He laughed even at the smallest things.
Perhaps Baek Yu-seol at that time… wasn’t thinking of me, but ‘another me.’
But that wasn’t me but another person. I cannot have the same feelings as her.
So.
Back to how it was.
As Baek Yu-seol has done so far.
Returning to how things were before the contract relationship forced by Jeremie, and just being friends again.
He tried to make it that way, so I would too.
…That’s all.
Despite thinking that, why did I feel so suffocated and confused?
She couldn’t understand why.
“Going back to how it was…”
“Hmm?”
Hae Wonryang watched her cautiously, then spoke.
“Does that mean breaking up with him and becoming friends again…?”
“Huh? Oh, yes, I guess so.”
“I see…”
“Well, let’s not be too serious. Wanna grab something to eat?”
As Flame got up energetically and led the way, Hae Wonryang followed her.
Although she might think she had accepted the situation, to Hae Wonryang watching her from the side…
It seemed like she was forcibly erasing lingering feelings of love.
* * *
Since we had a free afternoon, I had some time to go out. Recently, I frequently visited Leafanel’s Garden.
More accurately, Ha Taeryeong’s cave connected to Leafanel’s Garden.
T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i n g mt l . or g
There was a peculiar magic circle… more precisely, a kind of array installed here, which was highly effective for training Magic Leakage Syndrome.
Underneath this cave flowed a dragon vein. Unlike the ‘mana veins’ that mages referred to, this was a different phenomenon.
Dragon veins are places where the celestial flow reaches, where the earth breathes, and serves as the root of all life’s beginnings.
Thus, for someone with Magic Leakage Syndrome, this was a heavenly training ground.
Look closely at the ground.
A special array has been drawn to gather the energy of the dragon vein into one place.
T h i s wa s c op i e d f r o m k i ngm t l . o r g
Here, you can feel a part of the celestial energy and delve deeper into nature.
But be cautious.
If you delve too deep… you will become one with nature.
Which means death.
Thanks to an excellent partner assisting me, I didn’t face such a fate, but it’s uncertain if you will have the same opportunity. Be careful not to lose yourself.
T h i s w as c o p i ed f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
Ha Taeryeong kindly wrote a manual and caution for using the array.
Honestly, the idea of becoming one with nature and dying was frightening, so I hadn’t tried it until now. I didn’t think I was like a protagonist in a martial arts novel who could instantly achieve enlightenment and find myself.
But as Ha Taeryeong wrote, if there’s an ‘excellent partner,’ there would be no problem.
-Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen this!
Thus, with Leafanel’s help, it would be fine to try.
-I liked this too~
“Why?”
-Whenever we did this, I also got stronger!
“Really? That’s peculiar.”
Is there an impact of dragon veins on spirits? Since only Ha Taeryeong could control the array related to dragon veins, there was no information even with the Bulbul Glasses.
Since we planned to go to the dungeon this weekend, I intended to train hard until then, so I could activate the Taeryeong Divine Art whenever needed.
Even now, to activate Taeryeong Divine Art, I had to stand still and concentrate for at least 10 seconds, and even then, it would deactivate with any intense movement like swinging a sword.
It was practically useless in real combat situations.
Thus, even if it was somewhat risky, I needed to use the dragon vein to get stronger as quickly as possible.
As I was about to step onto the dragon vein, I glanced at a peculiar sword lodged in the center of the storage.
‘Ha Taeryeong’s swordsmanship? It’s also in that storage.’
‘What? There was no swordsmanship manual?’
‘There is! Ha Taeryeong said he sealed all his swordsmanship into the sword!’
‘Sealed into the sword?’
‘Yes. But only those who are qualified can wield it.’
A peculiar barrier surrounded the sword with an unusual aura.
It was so unique and mysterious that even the Bulbul Glasses couldn’t decipher it.
It wasn’t magic.
In the current era, things not classified as magic were called ‘non-magic’ or ‘mystery,’ and those terms fit perfectly.
But someday, if I become qualified.
I could learn the ‘Great Magic Swordsmanship’ created by Ha Taeryeong, the progenitor swordsman. By then… I would be able to grow stronger even faster than the character ‘Baek Yu-seol’ in the game.
Anticipating that day, I threw myself into the dragon vein.
End of Chapter