Great Ancient Mage. Found the secretâs fragment (5)
âThatâs too bad; I was supposed to train Lian.â
âWe canât do anything because weâve already arrived at the tower.â
When Evan confirmed the existence of the aptitude that he had only dreamed of so far, he became excited and set up a camp to train Lian, but the tower that the party was looking for came into view. Furthermore, the presence of a giant snake that engulfed the towerâs outer wall was so outstanding that they were hesitant to do anything.
âThatâs a dragon?â
âSee, I told you, it looks like a dragon. Or is that not a dragon?â
Evan was struck by a truly mysterious feeling when he saw it. He wondered about this since he heard there was a dragon in this world, but that wasnât a dragon. In terms of appearance, it was rather a large snake called Imugi.
âOf course, there is no way in this world that there can be a succession of the Imugi that becomes a dragon only after training for a thousand years, so it will only resemble its appearance. Anyway, letâs call that Imugi.â
However, the most important thing was that Evan had never seen that Imugi in the main game, DLC, or in the back settings on the website.
âOkay, thatâs how the Demon Realm should be. Well, itâs obviously stronger than a DragonâŠI havenât fought any strong enemies in a long time.â
âDid you catch a dragon before?â
âIâm actually wearing gear thatâs made from a dragon right now.â
âWhat about me? Whereâs mine?â
âAfter talking about it with Grandpa LeoâŠâ
âYou son of aâŠâ
Looking at the Imugi, they seemed to understand why Leo and Aria hadnât dared to attack the tower and decided to retreat. The monster wrapped in the scales formed by the condensation of black magic was stronger than any other monster Evan had ever met.
âItâs much stronger than the Demon KingâŠâ
âI already know that, so please give me another comparison, Master.â
âI havenât even met the Demon King yet, but why do I feel closer to himâŠâ
Evan decided to look at the Imugi a little more. Its head was biting the spire at the top of the black tower, with a thick, long body that ran below it wrapped around the tower, and it completely wrapped about half the height of the tower. They could only see the bottom of the tower, and the magic felt from the tower itself was very unusual. It felt as if it was designed to serve a special purpose.
âIsnât that building creating a Hell Ruby? And that Imugi is after the Hell Ruby.â
The setting was becoming more and more similar to the Imugi of the East. However, the fact that it was biting the tower greedily was a pretty convincing idea. How could the production team and users have prepared such a tacky and traditional dungeon that the users couldnât even see!
âThereâs plenty of possibilities. Besides, I can feel the energy moving in thereâŠâ
âHuh? Everyone, stay still.â
At that time, Aria made an invisible wall to separate the groupâs space and undermine their awareness. The reason was that the Demon Tribe appeared from far away and was walking straight toward the tower. Their whole bodies were covered in blood, so it was assumed that they had fought with someone else not long ago.
âManager?â
âI donât think soâŠâ
âTheyâre going in.â
âYeahâ
Surprisingly, they went inside the tower without giving any attention to the Black Dragon (Imugi) surrounding the tower. Their voices were interfered with by the many other powers operating in the tower and soon became imperceptible.
âUhâŠ?â
ââŠâ
Evan agonized alone while others tilted their heads, not knowing what was going on. The Demon Tribe already had a rough idea of the structure of the tower.
âDo we go inside or just break it from the outside?â
âIf weâre going to break it, Iâll lend you an arm. I developed a new unique techniqueâŠâ
âBut if we break it, we may not get the Hell Ruby.â
It became clear what they needed to do. Yes, breaking the outside tower may make it easier to catch the Imugi, but the Hell Ruby would be hard to get.
âThen, we can go inside the tower, clear it, get what we want, and then deal with the Imugi.â
âHow can we deal with this Imugi separately?â
âHeâs assimilating with the tower. Thatâs why the Demon Tribe didnât recognize him and went inside.â
âHuh?â
All the people here were at a high level, so they were naturally aware of the Imugi, but the Imugi was using a high-level technique and was assimilated with the tower. They couldnât touch him unless they do something about the tower. On the contrary, it was highly likely that the tower now had the same power as the Imugi.
âItâs like a dungeon in the Demon Realm.â
âYouâre going in, Master?â
âYes, thereâs definitely something in there thatâs enticing the demon families.â
It occurred to them that the final destination of the Demon Tribe that had been making a fuss outside was that tower. Then there was no time to hesitate. Evan pulled something out of his inventory with a stiff look on his face. It was todayâs lunch.
âLetâs eat first and finish talking about Lianâs training.â
âNo, why? We were going to do that after we attacked that tower.â
âIâm going to enter that tower alone.â
âWhat?â
Leo had a nasty look on his face, but Evan wasnât the type that would change his mind because of that.
âThat tower is just for the Demon Tribe. Thereâs a restriction on entering it.â
âWhy did you think so?â
âItâs a gut feeling, but Iâm sure that Iâm right. Itâs hard to withstand that pressure if the personâs body isnât made up of Dark Magic. You can tell when Grandpa Leo and Aria stepped out from that suspicious place.â
To put it bluntly, that tower would have a one-man entrance limit. That was why Evan decidedâŠthis was also a gamerâs intuition because the entire Demon Tribe that just entered the tower was covered with blood.
âIt was a sign of a battle from a while ago. Why? I think thatâs because thereâs only one person who can enter the tower at the same time.â
âWhy the hell do they need to do that?â
âThat tower is a dungeon for only one person.â
Evan also talked about the bloody battles between Demon Tribes that had been spreading around the area. Of course, the Demon Tribes were a crazy group, but if they were fighting like that every day, the Demon Realm couldnât be maintained. Then there must have been a reason that they had gone crazy. It was the tower.
âTo be honest, I canât believe that. But your gut feelings have never been wrong, so letâs just say I believe what youâve just said.â
âThank you.â
âBut there is a fatal problem: youâre not part of the Demon Tribe.â
âThatâs right, Master. Then, I should rather go in.â
Evan grinned.
âIt would be better if Maybell went in, but the Imugi would be a problem. Inside the tower, itâs like the stomach of the Imugi, so itâll be hard for you to cope perfectly with the sudden change.â
âNo way, so how are you going in?â
âGrandpa Leo, dungeons that are restricted like that always have a side road to get in.â
Evan had two things he could guess. If they didnât work, he decided to just break the tower from the outside.
âIs Master going to fight that snake?â
Lian stared blankly at the Imugi covering the tower, gnawing at the piece of bread Maybell had torn up. Evan realized something strange.
âLian, do you see that snake?â
âYep.â
As expected, this kid was special. Evan gradually began to look forward to Lianâs future. He threw the remaining piece of bread into his mouth and stood up from his seat, and spoke to Lian.
âOkay, if youâre done eating, shall we start training?â
âSo Iâm going to be as strong as you?â
âYou might be stronger than me.â
âWow!â
âNo, that canât be.â
âThatâs not true, Master. You shouldnât be lying to a kid.â
âZero, it looks like you like children a lot, too.â
ââŠâ
* * *
After successfully taking the leap, Elizabeth noticed that she had already entered the forest. It was also a forest with refreshing air that was qualitatively different from all the forests she had ever experienced before.
âOh, my gosh!â
In front of her eyes, a slightly edgy handsome guy appeared. It was none other than Bernard.
âWhat, where did you suddenlyâŠHuh? Are you Elizabeth? How did you grow so suddenly?â
âHi, Grandpa Bernard!â
There had been no contact between Bernard and Elizabeth, but Bernard was around when Elizabeth had almost died, so she was quite friendly to him.
âIâm here for Eir to find Evan Oppa!â
âElizabeth, first of all, how did you suddenly appear in front of my eyesââ
ââYouâre looking for Evan!?â
When Bernard was about to ask Elizabeth about her leap, Eir appeared like a ghost and clung to Elizabeth. Eir had grown quite well, but she was a complete child compared to Elizabeth, who had undergone a near cataclysmic change in the dungeon.
âLiz, why are you so big?â
âEir is still small!â
âWowâŠâ
Eir patted Elizabeth with a look of discontentment. Elizabeth giggled at her cute grumbling and hugged her tightly.
âDid grandma Illoin have a second child?â
âDon`t call Illoin that in front of her. And not yet.â
âThen just the two of us should go look for Oppa!â
Elizabeth was making an ambitious statement, and Bernard couldnât figure out where to tackle it.
What he wanted to know right now was, of course, the trick she used to show up right in front of him. Going to the ancient forests wasnât like a trip to the market, nor were they easy for unauthorized humans to sneak into.
âSo, tell me where Evan is, Grandpa Bernard!â
âHuh, well, I want to know where Evan is. Furthermore, knowing where he is one thing, and getting there is another problemâŠâ
âItâs not a big deal!â
Elizabeth smiled brightly and flicked two-morning stars in the air in her hand. The air was torn apart, and there was a howling scream in the air.
âI can go if I know where he is!â
ââŠâ
âEvan, you must have succeeded in raising your little sister like the monster you are.â
Bernard murmured with a real sense of misery. He wished that his daughter wasnât like that, but when he watched her shooting pistols these days, he could see that his innocent daughter was also lost. He became depressed.
âBer-Bernard!â
It was then. They heard Illoin shouting out loud in the cabin where Mr. and Mrs. Garcias lived.
âA message! Iâm getting a message from Aria!â
âWhat?â
Bernard rushed through the door of the cabin. Elizabeth and Eir followed without hesitation.
On the table inside the cabin, Illoin sat in a chair with her big stomach. Also, there was a crack in the middle of the cabin that was big enough for one person to jump in!
[Oh, Bernard and Illoin will come first. Um, is the signal okay? Evan, can you say something?]
The voice heard in the cabin is definitely Ariaâs, the priestess. Whatâs more, the message meantâŠall the people in the hut froze. However, there was one person who didnât hesitate, and it was Elizabeth. As soon as she heard the name Evan, she grabbed Eirâs hand.
âElizabeth, itâs not a warp gate. Itâs just communication magic.â
âI found the location!â
Elizabeth smiled and bent her knees, holding a Morning star in one hand and Eir in her other hand. She was on the verge of taking off.
âThen letâs go, Eir!â
âYes!â
Eir nodded even though she didnât know what was going on. Bernard and Illoin didnât know what they were going to do. They reached out to stop them, but they couldnât. Rose was the one who acted faster as she was lighter than the two. She flapped quickly and clung to Elizabethâs back.
âYou little girls are getting very naughtyâŠâ
Then, Elizabeth leaped into the crack. The three figures disappeared at once, and the energy of the crack was greatly weakened.
[Huh? Why all of a suddenâŠ]
Ariaâs surprised voice could be heard from across, but Bernard and Illoin were even more surprised. The two had been standing still for some time, but nothing changed.