In a dim room lit only by a single torch:
“…But what if a monster appears from inside the castle? Was it really necessary to destroy the drawbridge?”
“The moat is already filling with snow. The drawbridge is pointless now. And I do plan to leave the smallest gate intact. It’s narrow but passable.”
“Hmm… Understood. Have any players been acting foolishly? I noticed there were won among the otherworlders…”
“None. Fortunately, no one is up to mischief when they could be facing death at any mont.”
“Well then…”
I relaxed my shoulders and cracked my neck a couple of tis.
The reason I made ti to co here was simple.
“I want to learn how to manipulate mana.”
I decided to start learning this from Baron Jorge today.
“Hmm… where should we start?”
Baron Jorge stroked his beard gently.
“First, let’s start here. Can you feel the magic or mana?”
“…Yes.”
In the past, a noble on the second floor had guided the mana in my body. With his help, I was barely able to activate ‘Flash Steps’ and subdue the city’s master.
Since then, I’ve felt sothing fuzzy inside . I can’t control it, but I can feel it.
“Hmm.”
Baron Jorge nods, walks behind , and places his hand slowly on my back.
“Hmm…”
Sothing flows into from the direction of my back, touching the magic inside.
“…”
There’s a ticklish sensation in my body. It’s slightly irritating yet refreshingly cool, like peeling off a scab. It’s an unfamiliar sensation, but not unpleasant.
“Phew, that’s done.”
After focusing, Baron Jorge wipes the sweat beading on his forehead and steps back.
“...What exactly happened?”
I didn’t feel any change in myself. My physical condition was the sa, and the mana inside didn’t seem inclined to move.
“I’ve identified the problem. But first, let ask you sothing. You people, you handle abilities called ‘traits,’ don’t you?”
“...Yes?”
“Those fundantally use mana as well. However, ‘players’ use their traits without any issues. How do they do that?”
“...Thanks to the status window.”
I briefly explained what the status window is and what functions it performs.
“So, the traits registered in the status window can be used sowhat instinctively… Then why are you trying to manipulate mana?”
“I have a rather unique trait.”
The ‘Flash Steps’ and the ‘Heart of Thunder’ had sohow imprinted themselves in my mind, unlike other people’s traits which could be freely activated. Being S-class traits, they might be special, or perhaps all traits that are acquired rather than inherent function in this way.
“Good. That explains it. The phenonon you’re experiencing is common among the nouveau riche in our world.”
Baron Jorge begins his explanation, stroking his beard.
Whether it’s due to the imnse rise in the value of their land or a successful business venture. Regardless of the world, overnight wealth is a universal concept.
“When a commoner suddenly becos wealthy... they initially indulge in luxury. They buy expensive hos, squander money in casinos, and indulge in alcohol and won.”
But such luxury eventually becos tedious, or so simply aren’t suited to a life of reckless enjoynt. For such people, the next obvious step is clear.
“They seek to buy their way into a higher status.”
They might buy a remote domain, but purchasing land doesn’t make one a baron or a viscount, rely a ‘knight of honor’ at the very bottom of noble society. It’s rely a title, a false nobility.
However, there definitely is a way to beco a true noble. If one achieves great deeds in battle and catches the eye of the nobility, it’s possible.
“After that... they often spend all they have, giving their children elixirs.”
The child of a newly rich individual inherits the dream of becoming a ‘true noble,’ and from a young age, they consu various elixirs. It’s not uncommon for a six-year-old to possess more magical power than a knight who has spent his life on battlefields.
“So, what does this have to do with ?”
“Magic is, after all, a part of the body. It’s difficult to accumulate mana through combat or deep mana cultivation. Once you have the magical power, learning to control it... it becos natural.”
However, if one artificially acquires too much mana, they lose control over the mana itself. It simply exists within the body, and the ability to manipulate it is lost.
The fact that Earthlings originally never had mana also plays a role.
“The ideal thod would be to gradually increase your mana while maintaining control over it... but it’s already too late for you.”
“...”
Having raised my magical power through stats, I’ve already lost control over my mana.
“So, what’s the solution?”
Given his confident deanor, there was clearly a solution. He didn’t have the look of a doctor facing an incurable disease.
“It’s simple. Just keep being aware of the mana. If you hadn’t been able to feel the mana, you would have needed my help, but you said you could feel it, didn’t you?”
“...Yes.”
“Sit down, take slow deep breaths, and ditate. Feel the pulsating flow of mana with each breath in and out. Over ti, you will begin to move the mana.”
“...”
Baron Jorge’s solution was simple. Just keep feeling the mana, and it will naturally begin to move.
“...It does sound simple.”
I finally understood why the baron had hesitated to share this advice. It was such a trivial tip that it must have pricked his conscience.
“Nevertheless, I have no intention of breaking my promise.”
“...Thank you.”
But the answers to complex problems are often unexpectedly simple. Imagining my future, freely wielding magical power, I smiled faintly.
**
The second day dawned.
“Was there anything during the night?”
“No. Not even a wild animal passed by.”
Despite having set up a guard duty, nothing had happened.
The snow continued to fall heavily, the sky remained blue, and the mountains stood tall.
“...We’ll proceed with the sa routine as yesterday. However, let’s just assign about ten guards to the wall construction. You never know what might pop out today.”
The castle was peaceful, but to , this calm felt more ominous. Yet, the daily routine remained unchanged.
“Move the stones!”
The work of filling in the castle gate continued.
“We found a secret room on the first floor. There are a few books inside... Mr. Kyung Nam is translating them.”
We explored the castle.
“Watch out! The stone is falling!”
We were demolishing the fourth floor.
Everything flowed just as it had the day before. There were no threats to survival, and the atmosphere among the people gradually relaxed.
“...Are we sure sothing’s supposed to happen?”
“We slacked off on the second floor too... Isn’t the fourth floor a slack-off as well? So far, the only real threat has been the otherworldly beings.”
“...What if the otherworldly beings are just biding their ti?”
With no imdiate crises, people’s imaginations ran wild in negative directions. For now, the discussions remained rely speculative, but what would happen in the future was uncertain.
“No, where has Liu Huang or that guy gone?”
“Right...”
Additionally, after spending more than a day on the fourth floor, we could really feel the issues with the castle.
The passageways were narrow, there were many small rooms, and the corridors twisted and tangled like a maze.
In short, communication between people was extrely difficult. Finding one person required a great deal of effort, and swift exchanges of opinions were impossible.
“Ah, seriously...”
We had tried to check if all 100 players were alright, but it wasn’t easy. The only place large enough to gather all 100 was the courtyard in front of the castle.
Amid my frustration, kicking the frozen ground hard…
“Hmm, hmm.”
Hearing a clearing of the throat, I turned to see Baron Jorge, with Sir Thomas in tow, standing there.
“...I have sothing to show you. Can you co along for a mont?”
“Of course.”
There was much to be done, but I followed without a second word.
Baron Jorge’s expression was colder and more serious than ever before.
**
“You knew we were demolishing the fourth floor?”
Baron Jorge spoke as we climbed the stairs. He had been overseeing the complete dismantling of the fourth floor to use its materials to fortify the castle gates.
“...I have lived in castles all my life, and visited many other nobles’ castles. This isn’t just a castle; it’s more like a fortress.”
There were no windows. The passages were extrely narrow. Naturally, there was no ventilation, and the interior was terribly damp. It was hard to imagine anyone living in such a place.
“That was still fine...”
Baron Jorge led to a remote corner of the fourth floor. The ceiling had already been torn away, letting in the snowflakes.
Click.
Baron Jorge pointed to sothing with the tip of his finger.
“But look here.”
What Baron Jorge pointed at was an old wall. It looked like soone had attempted to demolish it with a hamr, leaving several torn patches.
“...This.”
But it wouldn’t make sense for Baron Jorge to show a plain wall. Behind the old wall was another wall. There was a narrow gap between them.
If it were just a gap, it wouldn’t be an issue...
“...”
At first glance, the narrow gap seed ordinary. However, within that small space, a familiar blue portal swirled.
Ding!
A ssage window suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Impossible Achievent Alert! - You have discovered a hidden escape route.
- Passing through the portal in front of you will clear the fourth floor. (5 people remaining)
I murmured softly, almost to myself.
“...Let’s keep this hidden.”
“I was thinking the sa.”
Baron Jorge nodded in agreent.
...Putting aside the various conflicts this portal could cause, I felt a twinge of fear.
Four days left. What is coming that such a thing needs to be here?
-93:12:15
– – – End of Chapter – – -
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