Chapter 60 : Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Erosion (2)

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Frost Magic Tower Master Glefild.

He could be said to have risen to the highest position among ice mages, but his appearance was vastly different from what one typically imagined of an ice mage.

Generally, an ice mage would evoke the image of a cold, unyielding personality—someone who wouldn’t shed a drop of blood if pricked—a slender frame, and a complexion so pale it was almost ghostly.

There was no need to look far; Eidon was the very archetype of such an ice mage.

But the figure of the Frost Magic Tower Master standing before me was entirely different.

His skin looked healthy, as if tanned, and his eyes were bold and striking.

His muscular build was closer to that of a knight than a mage.

Even from a distance, his fiery red hair and eyebrows stood out unmistakably.

It was said that he learned ice magic to suppress his inherently fiery nature.

If Eidon hadn’t warned me beforehand, I might have inadvertently been rude.

“Nice to meet you. I pestered Eidon to meet you, but I didn’t expect it would happen this soon.”

Despite his explosive appearance, Glefild’s voice was calm and rational.

“Yes, it’s a pleasure. I’m Polarin Adjak.”

At the guild, I hid my family name, but there was no need to do so within the magic tower.

It was already known among the mages that I came from the same place as Eidon.

But, like most mages, Glefild seemed completely uninterested in my background.

Though he was a noble from the southern part of the Empire, mages were the sort who valued the pursuit of truth over loyalty to the imperial family.

“I’m glad Eidon is close to you. It allowed me to meet the most elusive figure in Ostrum so soon.”

Glefild said this with a gentle smile.

“Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you from Eidon as well. He said you taught him a great deal.”

“Eidon is an excellent mage. I, too, have learned much from him.”

That was enough mutual flattery.

I didn’t drag the conversation further and got straight to the point.

If this meeting wasn’t just for a casual introduction, the purpose was likely to recruit me to the Frost Magic Tower.

But in my current situation, that was difficult.

“I know why you wanted to meet me today. However, I’m afraid I can’t comply at this time.”

“Hm, may I ask why?”

In an instant, the air turned icy.

But that coldness wasn’t directed at me threateningly.

It was merely Glefild’s emotions affecting the mana in the atmosphere.

“Currently, Lady Labella, the head of the magic research department, is studying my abilities. That research is helping me further develop my powers.”

Through her research, I had realized that, despite possessing a Dragon Heart, I hadn’t been utilizing its abilities properly.

For that reason, switching affiliations now felt premature to me.

“I’d like to ask Lady Labella to continue her research first. She also mentioned that if she finds any shortcomings while examining me, she’ll seek help from other tower masters.”

Hahaha.

Glefild’s hearty laughter echoed through the office.

The chilling cold that had seemed to freeze my bones gradually dissipated.

“Your words, and Lady Labella’s, are both reasonable. I was being greedy.”

Glefild didn’t argue further and immediately backed off.

Then, with a smile that suggested he was enjoying himself, he asked,

“So, will you be attending the exchange meeting?”

“I’m more of a magic researcher than a mage. I haven’t discussed it with Lady Labella yet, so I’ll have to see how things go.”

“I’m jealous of Lady Labella. Alright. If you ever need my help, just let me know. Even if you’re with the magic research department, I’ll help you study the Frost Magic Tower’s magic if you wish.”

I expressed my gratitude to Glefild.

But what I needed now wasn’t to study the Frost Magic Tower’s magic.

“In that case, I have a request.”

“Tell me.”

“Would it be alright if I went on a mission with Eidon?”

I then explained the details of the mission I had accepted, making sure to mention its considerable difficulty.

“The Frost Magic Tower has its rules, but they don’t take precedence over a mage’s personal decisions. What do you say, Eidon? Will you go?”

“Yes, I’ll go.”

It was a sudden proposal, but Eidon answered without hesitation.

“Then, could you give us a moment to talk?”

I thanked both the Frost Magic Tower Master and Eidon before stepping out.

I waited by the door for a while, but Eidon and Glefild’s conversation showed no sign of ending.

So, I decided to leave the Frost Magic Tower and head outside.

As I exited, a few mages watched me with curiosity, but none approached.

They likely respected the tower master’s decisions, whatever the situation.

Though it was an unexpected visit, I left with a favorable impression of the Frost Magic Tower.

* * *

I explained the details of today’s mission to Eidon.

Despite hearing it could be dangerous, he nodded and followed me.

“Erosion, huh. Interesting, but I’m not thrilled about taking on an imperial mission.”

Eidon grumbled as he spoke.

“Thank you for helping me anyway.”

“It’s nothing.”

Eidon must have enjoyed his time at the Frost Magic Tower, so I was grateful he followed me without complaint.

Eidon and I agreed that if the mission became too dangerous, we wouldn’t push ourselves.

It was, after all, a mission that only required “investigation.”

But most who approached missions with that mindset ended up in trouble.

I resolved not to let my guard down.

“The Empire probably delegated this to the guild while thinking they’d handle it themselves if things got worse.”

“I think so too.”

Regardless of the Empire’s intentions, investigating eroded land was meaningful for Tello as well.

“By the way, that’s a bracelet I haven’t seen before.”

“Oh, this is a gift lent to me by the tower master…”

It seemed that after I left, Glefild and Eidon had a good conversation.

I glanced at Eidon’s bracelet.

Artifacts that boosted elemental attributes were rare, and it was clear how much Glefild valued Eidon.

With that, we headed toward the erosion.

* * *

We arrived near the forest where the erosion had occurred.

From a certain point, I didn’t even need the map from the guild to find it.

The dense demonic energy was visible to the naked eye.

Standing at the forest’s entrance, I asked Eidon,

“Have you ever been to Myeolji, Eidon?”

“No, never. I’ve been in Ostrum since my Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and even after joining Tello, I mostly monitored the Empire.”

I, too, had only visited Myeolji in the game, not in reality.

But even from a distance, I could tell.

This forest had become a literal hell.

Despite the absence of wind, the blackened branches swayed on their own.

Each time, rotting leaves and fruit fell, emitting a foul stench.

In the dark forest, eerie shadows flickered.

Though I had steeled myself, an inexplicable unease crept up.

“The Crows are impressive, aren’t they?”

“Yeah. Myeolji must be far worse than this.”

Eidon and I stared at the forest in silence for a while.

From within, the growls of demonic beasts echoed.

“We’ve come this far. Let’s go in.”

“Alright.”

In some stories, heroes strode fearlessly into hellish landscapes.

Perhaps because we weren’t heroes, hiding our fear was difficult.

The erosion site looked far more ominous than I had imagined.

Still, we entered.

Even if we weren’t heroes, we had a job to do.

* * *

The forest’s interior was shrouded in thick darkness.

Mushrooms growing on tree trunks emitted a faint glow, but brighter light was needed to secure visibility.

I drew mana from my body, using its light as a lantern to move forward slowly.

Grotesquely twisted trees.

Some trees blinked at us with eyes.

When Eidon shot ice shards to shatter those eyes, the trees screamed.

Vines suddenly shot toward our ankles.

I cut them down with the Branch of World Tree.

There was none of the usual moisture felt when cutting wood.

The severed vines crumbled with a dry, crackling sound.

Eidon collected the vines and other samples in a pouch he had brought.

Soon, various types of demonic beasts began to swarm.

Some were familiar foes, but their overall strength was higher than when we faced them outside.

“These things couldn’t have appeared naturally.”

“You’re right. Someone must have intentionally eroded this land using demonic energy.”

“Who would do something like this? Demons?”

“Figuring that out seems to be the key to this investigation.”

Before coming to the erosion site, I had explained Luphtel’s theories to Eidon, so he had some understanding of erosion.

Most of our conversation took place during combat.

There was no time to rest after entering the eroded land.

We had to keep fighting the endless waves of demonic beasts.

“We haven’t found any clues yet. Should we go deeper?”

“…”

Eidon didn’t respond immediately.

His usually neatly slicked-back hair was long disheveled.

He spoke with difficulty.

“…Is it possible for just the two of us to investigate further? Be honest.”

Truthfully, Eidon looked more exhausted than I was.

He was likely far more fatigued than he appeared.

Mages couldn’t exert their full power in Myeolji.

The great mages of the Adjak expedition, except for Luphtel, had been wiped out due to Myeolji’s environment.

It was probably because the demonic energy saturating Myeolji interfered with the mana released outward.

Eidon, being of a higher rank than me, had made it this far, but going further seemed too difficult.

“I understand. Let’s retreat for now.”

We had already completed the primary goal of investigating the eroded land.

We had also found the bodies of a few guild members who had come before us, so it was best not to push further.

As Eidon and I turned to leave the erosion site, we heard it.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoing through the forest.

With a bad feeling, we aimed our weapons toward the sound.

And then, someone emerged, cutting through the hellish landscape.

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