[T/L: RevengerScans1]
[Read More Chapters Here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]
"So, there must be a solution this time too. Let's find the answer."
If this was not a test as he had expected, they should have died without any resistance long ago.
Sean had already determined that the owner of this nest was of the level of a Dragon kingl. In other words, it meant that the power he possessed in his lifetime surpassed that of a deity.
Naturally, if he was indeed such a being, he could easily wipe out intruders with just a breath.
However, the owner of the nest couldn't bring himself to do so. Even when awake, all he knew was to rampage like a starving beast.
Already devoid of reason, he moved solely based on instinct.
So, Elric focused on his senses.
He felt that to gain any clues, he needed to examine the magical structures surrounding the nest.
Affinity.
Sensitivity.
He was born with the talent to sense and manipulate mana.
Not long after his unconscious horizon expanded, the subtle residue left in his body heightened the sensitivity of all his senses to an extreme level.
Moreover, amidst the extreme concentration in a situation where death could strike at any moment, his focus reached an unprecedented level. In that instant, one side of his brain experienced a strong impact, a loud thud.
Thanks to it, he didn't notice.
Paaa!
At that moment, the pendant - the Magical Amulet - hanging around his neck was radiantly shining.
And,
Kwachik!
It sounded as if something solid had broken on one side of his head.
He even felt a refreshing sensation.
Simultaneously, Elric could sense the world around him undergoing a drastic transformation.
It was as if the outer layer that composed the world was forcibly stripped away, revealing the contents within.
"…!"
All shades and colors disappeared, leaving only thick and thin lines outlining the objects.
Clarity.
The original form hidden beneath the surface of the world, perceivable by ordinary living beings, had revealed itself!
It was the moment when the inner eye opened.
'Ah!'
The inner eye provided Elric with an extrasensory insight into an overwhelming amount of information.
It not only bestowed upon him a catharsis that couldn't be expressed in words but also threatened to give him a scorching headache to the point of fearing his brain might explode if he continued in this state.
Amidst the dizziness that felt like he might faint at any moment, Elric desperately searched for a way to endure.
And,
"To the left, 13 steps! Straight ahead, 7 steps!"
Elric accurately pinpointed the points where the magics intertwined, the intersections where the threads of spells entangled.
To him, those were the 'paths.'
Ways to exit.
"Follow Elric's instructions! Hurry!"
Though Sean couldn't comprehend what Elric was seeing, he expected another solution this time and swiftly issued orders.
The soldiers, having witnessed Elric's genius several times before, started moving without any hesitation.
"To the right, 8 steps!"
"Straight ahead!"
"Stop, 4 seconds!"
"To the left, at a 15-degree angle, 12 steps!"
Every time Elric shouted, the escorting soldiers moved swiftly.
Each time, they narrowly passed through the encirclement of dragon guards, with the breath of dragons brushing past overhead.
At any moment, if a step faltered, they could all be swept away in this dangerous tightrope walk.
Soldiers who had been diverting the dragon's attention from the other side also gathered diligently. Together, the group managed to reach the vicinity of the stone gate.
"We, we made it alive!"
As if hit by an invisible barrier the moment the group all passed through the stone gate, the dragon and their riders were obstructed in their movement.
However, sensing that they could soon break free, Sean hurriedly aimed to exit the cave.
"We don't know when they might come out! Keep running, quickly!"
The magicians cast spells like 'Haste' or 'Agility Enhancement,' enhancing their agility, and without looking back, started sprinting towards the cave entrance.
It was only then that Sean realized a familiar face among the survivors was missing.
"Elric...? Elric! What the hell are you doing!"
Sean looked around frantically, and seeing Elric still lingering near the stone gate, it felt like his heart sank.
But Elric, without turning back, just said, glancing over his shoulder, "I've got this."
Far. Away.
His voice was drowned out by the roar.
But without a doubt, Elric's lips were forming those words. His gaze was determined, as if he had made up his mind about something.
It was reminiscent of when he declared he would continue studying magic despite everyone pointing fingers at him, as if he had received a failing grade.
With those words, Elric entered the inner part of the cave.
Thud!
As if waiting, the stone gate closed.
"What a crazy bastard!"
Only Sean's scream remained, echoing loudly.
* * *
"Well, at least one well-placed curse."
Hearing Sean's faint echo beyond the stone gate, Elric chuckled.
He knew Sean would worry, but as Elric, there was really nothing he could do.
Through his inner eye, he could sense that the transparent barrier of the stone gate wouldn't hold up as long as one might hope.
If at least one person had to stay behind to divert attention, then it had to be him.
So,
Elric made the decision to sacrifice himself.
The lives of Rivern and the others weren't Elric's concern, but Sean was different. Sean was an elite like himself, and he had the potential to make significant contributions to the world in the future.
Above all, he was the only friend who had truly accepted him.
‘I can't just let that guy die, right?’
Moreover,
Elric was curious.
He wanted to know the end.
The end of this test, left by someone unknown.
"What's the final part?"
While saying so,
Tadak!
In the opposite direction of what he had done so far, Elric rushed towards where the dragon was.
* * *
"What is this guy trying to do...!"
Sean's hands seemed to tremble violently.
Far away, the tightly closed stone gate felt like a heavy weight pressing on his chest.
"Sean! What are you doing! Hurry!"
"If we stay like this, we'll really all die!"
But the other comrades tried to forcefully push Sean, who had suddenly stopped walking.
"But!"
"If we go looking for Elric now, everyone here will be wiped out, just like him!"
Rivern shouted with an urgent tone, his desperate gaze filled with madness, as if he was determined to escape this place.
The moment Sean saw those wandering eyes, it felt like a splash of cold water on his head, snapping him back to his senses.
Yes.
These guys were the problem all along.
If they hadn't forcibly joined the exploration team in the first place, Elric wouldn't have stayed there.
Sean felt a strong desire to push them aside and run towards the stone gate.
But he couldn't. The trembling pupils of other members of the exploration team beside them caught his eye.
‘What could be wrong with them .’
Elric wanted to save them somehow. If that was his wish, Sean couldn't ignore it.
"Hey, dragon guards are coming down!"
At that moment, someone discovered the dragon guards emerging bit by bit through a hole in the ceiling and screamed.
Sean bit his lower lip tightly. In Elric's absence, he was the leader of this exploration team.
All eyes of the team were anxiously focused on him.
"Let's go."
Swallowing the curse building up, Sean took the lead and began to run.
Rivern and the others followed desperately.
‘Elric! Just a bit. Please wait a bit...! We'll bring the elders of the family. Please!’
Various emotions were swirling intensely in Sean's eyes.
* * *
"【Activate】."
Elric ran towards the dragon and took out a red bead he had hidden in his pocket.
Gehenna's Breath.
‘Johanna Schmidt’, the second dean of the academy after Usdun Melvinger, personally visited the Netherworld through a contract with demons and sealed the hellfire in this sulfur-sealed bead.
After reciting the activation words, the seal on the bead opened, and the sulfuric flames inside poured out.
Once attached, it would burn fiercely until the target turned into ashes, and ordinary water couldn't extinguish it.
Ping-
Elric experienced a momentary dizziness as if the world were spinning.
Gehenna's Breath required the absorption of Elric's life force to activate.
To others, it may have seemed like a suicidal act, but Elric, fortunately, had sacrificed only about five years of his lifespan through careful calculation.
Roar!
The inner part of the cave was instantly filled with intense flames.
The firepower was so formidable that the dragon guards had to be forcibly ejected in the middle of the fiery waves.
Kroooooo!
While the dragon could hold its ground better than its riders, it too screamed from its position firmly trapped in the sea of flames.
Kroo, kroo, krooooo!
In agony, it thrashed its body, slamming its head on the ground and striking the wall with its tail.
Fwroooosh!
And through those flames, Elric ran.
Even though the sulfuric flames attempted to consume the caster, Elric.
"【Unleash】."
Elric activated another 4th-grade magical item.
Shoo, shoo, shoo!
A burst of white light expanded, gradually forming a solid armor along his arms and legs, radiating a milky glow.
Azure Sky Lord Armor.
A replica modeled after a holy relic said to have been given by the Heavens' Deity to a saint who traveled on behalf of the gospel in the distant past, a time even those with memories now might not recall well.
With strong resistance against physical attacks and most elemental magic, the sulfuric flames couldn't touch Elric, not even a single hair.
‘This is a trial. A test created by someone to evaluate the virtues and abilities of challengers.’
If that's the case, one must quickly grasp the creator's intention and provide the solution.
"They wouldn't want challengers to die in vain. If they are magicians, they might survive, but if they are ordinary people, they would just die helplessly. Even so, if they have talent, they must have designed it so they can survive."
What kind of content would that be?
It was very simple.
‘A spear.’
Swish!
As soon as Elric reached the dragon, he slammed the ground forcefully. Instantly, some of the enchantments inscribed within the Azure Sky Lord Armor activated, making his body agile.
As if wings had sprouted on his back, he soared upward in one swift motion. The dragon's massive, pain-twisted eyes were right in front of him.
It roared loudly, pulling its head back.
As if it wanted to bite and kill Elric, the one who caused it so much pain.
‘This spear penetrates through the dragon's skull, reaching all the way to the spine. That means there must be some mechanism here...!’
Of course, Elric was well aware that if his assumption was wrong, he would die here.
Perhaps this could be a test with some intention different from his expectations, or just a toy left behind as a mere amusement.
However,
Elric chose to firmly trust his judgment.
In any case, even if he returned to the academy like this, his fate was as clear as fire.
He might as well become a troublemaker at first, soon quiet down, and eventually be forgotten.
In the end, if he couldn't use magic himself, becoming a researcher or a well-known scholar in some rural area was the best Elric could hope for as a magician.
But what Elric desired was not just that.
He had to rebuild the fallen family.
Even if they praised him as a hero on the surface, he had to confidently show himself to those who had coldly laughed and turned away, those who had supported and orchestrated the downfall of his family.
Even if hailed as a hero, he needed to expose those who secretly caused the ruin of his family, including the royal family.
The Magic Tower was busy stealing the family's legacy.
The powerful central nobility acting like a pack.
The once-loyal vassal families that turned away without hesitation as the family fell.
And the siblings - Gashin, Mudo, and Sahye - who were entwined in the same fate...
To them, he had to shout.
Your choices were wrong.
We, and I, stand proudly here!
'This is undoubtedly a trial left by the dragon. I don't know what the reward will be... but one thing is for sure.'
The golden sunlight spread out, and in the midst of Elric's intense gaze, the tip of the spear emitted a brilliant flash.
Along with it, a sharp and piercing sound resonated.
The light was so blinding that it seemed like the world itself was being reborn.
In that moment, Elric's eyes widened as he tried to comprehend the unfolding spectacle before him.
Thud!
A sound as if the dragon were losing strength and falling.
With a tingling sensation on the back of his hand.
Elick's consciousness also faded away.
* * *
When Elick regained consciousness,
"...Where is this?"
He found himself in a white world.
As he looked around, the scenery suddenly flipped, and multiple images unfolded like a panorama.
[T/L: RevengerScans1]
[Read More Chapters Here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]
"So, there must be a solution this time too. Let's find the answer."
If this was not a test as he had expected, they should have died without any resistance long ago.
Sean had already determined that the owner of this nest was of the level of a Dragon kingl. In other words, it meant that the power he possessed in his lifetime surpassed that of a deity.
Naturally, if he was indeed such a being, he could easily wipe out intruders with just a breath.
However, the owner of the nest couldn't bring himself to do so. Even when awake, all he knew was to rampage like a starving beast.
Already devoid of reason, he moved solely based on instinct.
So, Elric focused on his senses.
He felt that to gain any clues, he needed to examine the magical structures surrounding the nest.
Affinity.
Sensitivity.
He was born with the talent to sense and manipulate mana.
Not long after his unconscious horizon expanded, the subtle residue left in his body heightened the sensitivity of all his senses to an extreme level.
Moreover, amidst the extreme concentration in a situation where death could strike at any moment, his focus reached an unprecedented level. In that instant, one side of his brain experienced a strong impact, a loud thud.
Thanks to it, he didn't notice.
Paaa!
At that moment, the pendant - the Magical Amulet - hanging around his neck was radiantly shining.
And,
Kwachik!
It sounded as if something solid had broken on one side of his head.
He even felt a refreshing sensation.
Simultaneously, Elric could sense the world around him undergoing a drastic transformation.
It was as if the outer layer that composed the world was forcibly stripped away, revealing the contents within.
"…!"
All shades and colors disappeared, leaving only thick and thin lines outlining the objects.
Clarity.
The original form hidden beneath the surface of the world, perceivable by ordinary living beings, had revealed itself!
It was the moment when the inner eye opened.
'Ah!'
The inner eye provided Elric with an extrasensory insight into an overwhelming amount of information.
It not only bestowed upon him a catharsis that couldn't be expressed in words but also threatened to give him a scorching headache to the point of fearing his brain might explode if he continued in this state.
Amidst the dizziness that felt like he might faint at any moment, Elric desperately searched for a way to endure.
And,
"To the left, 13 steps! Straight ahead, 7 steps!"
Elric accurately pinpointed the points where the magics intertwined, the intersections where the threads of spells entangled.
To him, those were the 'paths.'
Ways to exit.
"Follow Elric's instructions! Hurry!"
Though Sean couldn't comprehend what Elric was seeing, he expected another solution this time and swiftly issued orders.
The soldiers, having witnessed Elric's genius several times before, started moving without any hesitation.
"To the right, 8 steps!"
"Straight ahead!"
"Stop, 4 seconds!"
"To the left, at a 15-degree angle, 12 steps!"
Every time Elric shouted, the escorting soldiers moved swiftly.
Each time, they narrowly passed through the encirclement of dragon guards, with the breath of dragons brushing past overhead.
At any moment, if a step faltered, they could all be swept away in this dangerous tightrope walk.
Soldiers who had been diverting the dragon's attention from the other side also gathered diligently. Together, the group managed to reach the vicinity of the stone gate.
"We, we made it alive!"
As if hit by an invisible barrier the moment the group all passed through the stone gate, the dragon and their riders were obstructed in their movement.
However, sensing that they could soon break free, Sean hurriedly aimed to exit the cave.
"We don't know when they might come out! Keep running, quickly!"
The magicians cast spells like 'Haste' or 'Agility Enhancement,' enhancing their agility, and without looking back, started sprinting towards the cave entrance.
It was only then that Sean realized a familiar face among the survivors was missing.
"Elric...? Elric! What the hell are you doing!"
Sean looked around frantically, and seeing Elric still lingering near the stone gate, it felt like his heart sank.
But Elric, without turning back, just said, glancing over his shoulder, "I've got this."
Far. Away.
His voice was drowned out by the roar.
But without a doubt, Elric's lips were forming those words. His gaze was determined, as if he had made up his mind about something.
It was reminiscent of when he declared he would continue studying magic despite everyone pointing fingers at him, as if he had received a failing grade.
With those words, Elric entered the inner part of the cave.
Thud!
As if waiting, the stone gate closed.
"What a crazy bastard!"
Only Sean's scream remained, echoing loudly.
* * *
"Well, at least one well-placed curse."
Hearing Sean's faint echo beyond the stone gate, Elric chuckled.
He knew Sean would worry, but as Elric, there was really nothing he could do.
Through his inner eye, he could sense that the transparent barrier of the stone gate wouldn't hold up as long as one might hope.
If at least one person had to stay behind to divert attention, then it had to be him.
So,
Elric made the decision to sacrifice himself.
The lives of Rivern and the others weren't Elric's concern, but Sean was different. Sean was an elite like himself, and he had the potential to make significant contributions to the world in the future.
Above all, he was the only friend who had truly accepted him.
‘I can't just let that guy die, right?’
Moreover,
Elric was curious.
He wanted to know the end.
The end of this test, left by someone unknown.
"What's the final part?"
While saying so,
Tadak!
In the opposite direction of what he had done so far, Elric rushed towards where the dragon was.
* * *
"What is this guy trying to do...!"
Sean's hands seemed to tremble violently.
Far away, the tightly closed stone gate felt like a heavy weight pressing on his chest.
"Sean! What are you doing! Hurry!"
"If we stay like this, we'll really all die!"
But the other comrades tried to forcefully push Sean, who had suddenly stopped walking.
"But!"
"If we go looking for Elric now, everyone here will be wiped out, just like him!"
Rivern shouted with an urgent tone, his desperate gaze filled with madness, as if he was determined to escape this place.
The moment Sean saw those wandering eyes, it felt like a splash of cold water on his head, snapping him back to his senses.
Yes.
These guys were the problem all along.
If they hadn't forcibly joined the exploration team in the first place, Elric wouldn't have stayed there.
Sean felt a strong desire to push them aside and run towards the stone gate.
But he couldn't. The trembling pupils of other members of the exploration team beside them caught his eye.
‘What could be wrong with them .’
Elric wanted to save them somehow. If that was his wish, Sean couldn't ignore it.
"Hey, dragon guards are coming down!"
At that moment, someone discovered the dragon guards emerging bit by bit through a hole in the ceiling and screamed.
Sean bit his lower lip tightly. In Elric's absence, he was the leader of this exploration team.
All eyes of the team were anxiously focused on him.
"Let's go."
Swallowing the curse building up, Sean took the lead and began to run.
Rivern and the others followed desperately.
‘Elric! Just a bit. Please wait a bit...! We'll bring the elders of the family. Please!’
Various emotions were swirling intensely in Sean's eyes.
* * *
"【Activate】."
Elric ran towards the dragon and took out a red bead he had hidden in his pocket.
Gehenna's Breath.
‘Johanna Schmidt’, the second dean of the academy after Usdun Melvinger, personally visited the Netherworld through a contract with demons and sealed the hellfire in this sulfur-sealed bead.
After reciting the activation words, the seal on the bead opened, and the sulfuric flames inside poured out.
Once attached, it would burn fiercely until the target turned into ashes, and ordinary water couldn't extinguish it.
Ping-
Elric experienced a momentary dizziness as if the world were spinning.
Gehenna's Breath required the absorption of Elric's life force to activate.
To others, it may have seemed like a suicidal act, but Elric, fortunately, had sacrificed only about five years of his lifespan through careful calculation.
Roar!
The inner part of the cave was instantly filled with intense flames.
The firepower was so formidable that the dragon guards had to be forcibly ejected in the middle of the fiery waves.
Kroooooo!
While the dragon could hold its ground better than its riders, it too screamed from its position firmly trapped in the sea of flames.
Kroo, kroo, krooooo!
In agony, it thrashed its body, slamming its head on the ground and striking the wall with its tail.
Fwroooosh!
And through those flames, Elric ran.
Even though the sulfuric flames attempted to consume the caster, Elric.
"【Unleash】."
Elric activated another 4th-grade magical item.
Shoo, shoo, shoo!
A burst of white light expanded, gradually forming a solid armor along his arms and legs, radiating a milky glow.
Azure Sky Lord Armor.
A replica modeled after a holy relic said to have been given by the Heavens' Deity to a saint who traveled on behalf of the gospel in the distant past, a time even those with memories now might not recall well.
With strong resistance against physical attacks and most elemental magic, the sulfuric flames couldn't touch Elric, not even a single hair.
‘This is a trial. A test created by someone to evaluate the virtues and abilities of challengers.’
If that's the case, one must quickly grasp the creator's intention and provide the solution.
"They wouldn't want challengers to die in vain. If they are magicians, they might survive, but if they are ordinary people, they would just die helplessly. Even so, if they have talent, they must have designed it so they can survive."
What kind of content would that be?
It was very simple.
‘A spear.’
Swish!
As soon as Elric reached the dragon, he slammed the ground forcefully. Instantly, some of the enchantments inscribed within the Azure Sky Lord Armor activated, making his body agile.
As if wings had sprouted on his back, he soared upward in one swift motion. The dragon's massive, pain-twisted eyes were right in front of him.
It roared loudly, pulling its head back.
As if it wanted to bite and kill Elric, the one who caused it so much pain.
‘This spear penetrates through the dragon's skull, reaching all the way to the spine. That means there must be some mechanism here...!’
Of course, Elric was well aware that if his assumption was wrong, he would die here.
Perhaps this could be a test with some intention different from his expectations, or just a toy left behind as a mere amusement.
However,
Elric chose to firmly trust his judgment.
In any case, even if he returned to the academy like this, his fate was as clear as fire.
He might as well become a troublemaker at first, soon quiet down, and eventually be forgotten.
In the end, if he couldn't use magic himself, becoming a researcher or a well-known scholar in some rural area was the best Elric could hope for as a magician.
But what Elric desired was not just that.
He had to rebuild the fallen family.
Even if they praised him as a hero on the surface, he had to confidently show himself to those who had coldly laughed and turned away, those who had supported and orchestrated the downfall of his family.
Even if hailed as a hero, he needed to expose those who secretly caused the ruin of his family, including the royal family.
The Magic Tower was busy stealing the family's legacy.
The powerful central nobility acting like a pack.
The once-loyal vassal families that turned away without hesitation as the family fell.
And the siblings - Gashin, Mudo, and Sahye - who were entwined in the same fate...
To them, he had to shout.
Your choices were wrong.
We, and I, stand proudly here!
'This is undoubtedly a trial left by the dragon. I don't know what the reward will be... but one thing is for sure.'
The golden sunlight spread out, and in the midst of Elric's intense gaze, the tip of the spear emitted a brilliant flash.
Along with it, a sharp and piercing sound resonated.
The light was so blinding that it seemed like the world itself was being reborn.
In that moment, Elric's eyes widened as he tried to comprehend the unfolding spectacle before him.
Thud!
A sound as if the dragon were losing strength and falling.
With a tingling sensation on the back of his hand.
Elick's consciousness also faded away.
* * *
When Elick regained consciousness,
"...Where is this?"
He found himself in a white world.
As he looked around, the scenery suddenly flipped, and multiple images unfolded like a panorama.
