Chapter 87 : Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Western Noble Coalition (5)

After parting with Rodos, I returned to Ostrum.

Throughout the journey to Ostrum, and even in this moment, my mind was consumed by a single question.

‘What should I do? What must I do to achieve a feat that will make my name known?’

The pondering continued endlessly, but answers didn’t come easily.

A feat that would spread my fame—one that would resonate with the people of the Empire.

I had accomplished no small number of deeds.

Within my circles, I had received recognition plenty of times.

But I had never caught the attention of the broader public, those unconnected to me.

That made it all the more difficult.

The clearer and tougher the problem, the more my thoughts wandered down side paths.

‘Should I grab someone and ask for advice?’

Fortunately, I had no shortage of people I could turn to for counsel.

From Labella, the princess and head of the magic research division who knew the Empire’s affairs well, to my first mentor Nofen, to Eidon of the Frost Magic Tower and the heads of other magic towers.

Or perhaps Keldric, Siriel, Kiyot, Blaze, or Soler—people who, like me, had ventured into the world under similar circumstances.

The elders of the Adjak family came to mind too, like Milias, a branch of the noble Lupandel family and head of the Third Autonomous Region, or Ims Adjak of the Ninth Autonomous Region, part of the Fremont merchant consortium.

Countless names flooded my thoughts.

But I decided to be stubborn.

I needed to achieve a feat that would make my name resound before the masses.

I wanted to prove that I could decide what would bring me fame without asking others—and that I could achieve it.

I wanted to show my allies that their faith in me wasn’t misplaced.

Above all, I wanted to prove it to myself.

“Phew…”

Looking out the window, I saw Ostrum’s cityscape at a glance.

It was quite late at night, but even now, many rooms in the magic towers glowed with lightning-powered magical devices.

Inside, mages were likely wrestling with their own intense dilemmas.

From my time as an intelligence agent with Tello and my studies of mana in the magic research division, I had learned something.

There was a commonality between the research mages conducted and the way intelligence agents gathered and handled information.

It was about not accepting a single mana phenomenon, spell, or piece of information at face value, but examining it from my own perspective and proving my hypothesis.

What did I want to prove?

That’s where I needed to start.

‘To etch my name into the minds of many, it shouldn’t be too difficult. And to dive into it, it’s better if it’s a topic I enjoy.’

I organized my thoughts, making them concrete.

Just as I had taken on missions for Tello to track demons because of my interest in conquering Myeolji, and studied mana in Ostrum to understand demonic energy, it would be best to start with a topic I cared about.

Suddenly, my mind cleared.

Instead of thinking about what feat would impress the masses, why not do what I wanted and let my name spread naturally?

‘I’ve decided on my next destination.’

The night grew deeper.

As time passed, the lights in the magic towers’ windows mostly went out, making the moon feel even brighter.

Like the moon in the sky, I would etch my name, Polarin Adjak, into people’s minds.

With that resolve, I lay down to rest.

* * *

The next morning,

I had breakfast with Labella and told her I’d be leaving Ostrum today.

She was reluctant but respected my decision.

We briefly talked about Nit, a mage agent from the Imperial Intelligence Agency, and I explained the path I wanted to take.

Afterward, Labella gathered the mages of the research division.

“Today, Polarin Adjak has announced he will leave Ostrum. As a member of our research division, Polarin has worked diligently with us and helped realize the magic of our dreams. He will always be part of our research division. Isn’t that right?”

The mages’ eyes turned to me.

Despite the time we’d spent together, many still seemed distant—eccentric types.

But I understand now.

Just as not all demons were the same, like Derix or Rodos, not all mages were mere eccentrics—each was a unique individual.

“That’s right. I’ll always be part of the magic research division.”

Some mages chuckled, others clapped. Many kept their eyes on me.

“Thank you for your warm welcome. I came here knowing nothing about magic, but I’ve learned so much. You treated me like I was practically a grand mage, and I’m truly grateful.”

My half-joking remark made the mages lose their restraint, and they started shouting.

“What’s this guy talking about!”

“He can’t even draw a basic magic circle!”

It started with one or two, but soon the entire research division was clamoring.

“Haha! But thanks to him, we made a big splash at the exchange!”

“Exactly. Because of Polarin, my hometown friend at the Flame Magic Tower kept buying me meals, begging to meet him!”

“Did you let them meet?”

“With my research schedule? Who has time for that?”

“Hahaha, you could’ve just sent Polarin!”

“For whose benefit!”

The atmosphere quickly grew chaotic.

Even Mumbel, known for his stern demeanor, didn’t yell at the mages to quiet down.

Instead, he wiped tears from his eyes with his sleeve, only to be teased by the others.

“Then let’s send Polarin off in our own way!”

“Yes!”

The mages followed Labella’s words faithfully.

I hadn’t heard about their farewell custom.

But as they parted to form a path, I realized I was meant to walk through the crowd.

“Thank you all. I’ll visit again. I promise.”

I walked forward, bowing. But no one responded.

Soon, I sensed something was off.

Some raised their staves, others began casting with magic circles.

Thud!

A sharp pain hit my back.

I hadn’t had time to activate [Intangible Armor].

Startled, I turned to see a shimmering purple [Etherial] embedded in my back.

“Labella?”

Labella was grinning and Mumbel, tears streaming, cast another spell.

I felt the pull of gravity intensify beneath my feet—not as strong as [Gravity Manipulation], but enough to make moving difficult.

Then the spells came pouring in.

Projectiles flew with telekinetic force, and all sorts of manipulation magic rained down on me.

“Wait, hold on!”

I deployed [Intangible Armor] to block the onslaught.

But with so many mages casting at once, my armor was torn apart in real-time.

“Farewell, Polarin!”

“Get out of here!”

This was their farewell?

Were they sending me to hell?

Panicked, I unleashed a three-dimensional magic circle, activating [Termination].

Most spells could no longer reach me.

Though there were mages of higher ranks, the power of the incoming spells weakened.

“Hey, kid! That’s cheating!”

I didn’t respond.

Taking advantage of the lull, I darted out of the research division.

“Safe travels!”

The mages’ laughter echoed loudly behind me.

* * *

My next destination was Kipaso.

The land of elves and fairies, home to the World Tree.

Since arriving in this world, I've had a peculiar connection to Kipaso.

Tayon had gifted me the Branch of the World Tree, which had served me well as my trusted weapon.

I likely wouldn’t need to worry about a sword in the future either.

Once the Branch of the World Tree fully bloomed, it would be sharper than any blade.

‘…Unless it’s a dwarven masterwork.’

Moreover, Arandir had headed to the World Tree to recover his spirit powers.

I’d also heard Narima’s brother was in Kipaso.

The World Tree and Kipaso.

There were plenty of reasons to go. It could be mere coincidence that I was so tied to the place, but with this much repetition, it felt like fate.

‘My destiny is intertwined with the World Tree. Then I must confirm its will.’

I gripped the still-dormant Branch of the World Tree tightly.

I’d think about what feat to accomplish in Kipaso once I got there, but even aside from fame, I could already picture a busy future awaiting me.

Besides, Kipaso was a place I loved even in the Tune World game.

Its visuals were breathtaking, with an extraordinary attention to detail in the background.

In this real world, the sights often surpassed what I’d seen on a screen.

How beautiful would Kipaso be, then?

I was eager to witness its lush, natural splendor with my own eyes.

I spread [Wings of Ainsitel] and flew swiftly toward Kipaso.

The continental map I’d seen in Rodos’s study—Kipaso was on the opposite side from the regions I’d mostly stayed in.

For fifteen years, I’d lived in Gullok, and even afterward, I’d roamed only human territories like the Empire.

My main stage would likely remain human lands, but I needed to set foot in non-human territories more often now.

Adjak wasn’t just a hero of humans but a hero of the entire continent, uniting all races.

I would follow that path.

Elves, fairies, and beastmen.

In Tune World, these three races were called the blessed races of nature.

They were fundamentally different from races like humans and dwarves, who altered nature.

I’d eventually meet all races, but while in Kipaso, I wanted to meet elves and fairies.

Beings who roamed Kipaso’s vast nature, renowned for their beauty.

Then I recalled another reason for going to Kipaso.

‘I felt the need for a ranged dealer when fighting Ainsitel.’

Each race had its own ranged specialists.

But to recruit a companion with exceptional agility, keen eyesight, and true ranged prowess, an elf or fairy would be ideal.

‘They’re hard to win over, so I’d better meet them early.’

This journey held multiple purposes.

Though driven by goals, my excitement was genuine.

…But my expectations were soon shattered.

“What the—why is everything burning?”

Shortly after entering Kipaso, I saw an ominous blaze consuming the forest.

Instead of the lush, beautiful Kipaso I’d anticipated, all I saw were trees engulfed in flames.

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