Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 101 (Part 2)
He resumed chanting the rune spells, his fingers moving even more diligently.
Time passed. Though he couldn’t tell exactly how long, it felt like hundreds of years had gone by.
“Phew…”
Rodin let out a deep breath, releasing stale air. His tightly shut eyes slowly opened.
“It’s finally over.”
It had been a tough experience. That made the accomplishment feel all the more rewarding, though it wasn’t something he wanted to go through twice.
“Ugh, what a mess.”
He stood up and looked around. Pieces of his old self were scattered around like trash.
“What a strange situation. I’m still at the 6th Circle, but my body has been reconstructed.”
The number of circles hadn’t increased. Though they were spinning with more power, there were still only six.
Yet his body had been reconstructed. His physical form had become nearly perfect.
Moreover, the density of the magical power within each circle had increased significantly, and the quantity had grown as well. Though he had only six circles, the power within each circle was on par with that of a grand mage.
“It’s not a bad thing, but I’ll have to be more careful with controlling my power. Undine?”
–Hee.
“What kind of reaction is that? Anyway, Undine, how long has it been?”
Undine, made of water, extended her hand forward and began adding fingers one by one.
Undine proudly held up a strange hand with twelve fingers, grinning as if she were satisfied with her creation.
“Twelve days, huh? And with the two days before that, it’s been fourteen days.”
Rumble!
At that moment, the walls shook, and dust began falling in clumps.
There was already quite a bit of dust piled up at the bottom of the wall. It seemed the shaking had started long before the training was over.
“This won’t last much longer.”
When the walls collapsed, the lava on the other side would flood in. Even as a 6th Circle mage, Rodin wouldn’t survive falling into lava.
Still, it wouldn’t collapse immediately. He pressed on the wall lightly, and it remained firm.
He had only deactivated the magic circle that stored mana; the one that absorbed mana was still functioning. If it continued channeling absorbed mana into the defense mechanisms, the wall could hold back the lava for a few more months.
“My face hasn’t changed too much, has it?”
Rodin muttered to himself. His voice sounded unfamiliar. His body had been restructured, and his voice had changed as a result.
“Mirror Image.”
He cast a spell to check his appearance. His face had grown slightly more masculine. While he still had a face that could be mistaken for a woman, it now carried a hint more masculinity.
“I’m satisfied with my face. Now that the task here is done, I need to leave.”
The people waiting outside were the problem. Somehow, he had a feeling they would still be there. Clashing with a prepared group wasn’t a good option.
“It won’t be just one person. It’s definitely a group. But where are they? And how many?”
Just in case, he examined the walls more closely. He was looking for another way out, but unfortunately, there was no escape route.
“I’ll have to go out the same way I came in.”
He couldn’t stay here forever. He had to think about his siblings waiting for him. The food Margaret had packed wouldn’t last forever, so even though it was dangerous, he had no choice but to leave.
“Let’s eat something first. I need to fill up before I go.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Elder Fenail was requesting assistance from the tower master of Slavon. But he wasn’t asking for men—he was asking for the tower master himself to come.
Baynus, the tower master of Slavon, was officially known as the master of the Ekrot Magic Tower. His abilities were said to be at the 6th Circle, which was impressive for a small regional tower but unremarkable on a continental scale.
However, Baynus’s true power was that of an 8th Circle mage. He was a figure who shattered the common belief that no mage could surpass the 7th Circle.
That very person had now responded.
“This is Elder Fenail. Where are you now?”
—Elder Fenail. You don’t look well. Is something wrong?
The tower master, Baynus, appeared much younger than Elder Fenail, and indeed he was. In both appearance and actual age, there was a considerable difference between them.
Elder Fenail was 66 years old, about the average age for an elder.
But Baynus, the tower master of Slavon, was only 47. Considering he was an 8th Circle mage and not a 7th, it was remarkably young.
“I was attacked while trying to force open the door. My recovery is slow… but I’m gradually improving.”
—Oh dear. The attacks from the Magic Empire are indeed terrifying. Take care of yourself. Ah! As for my arrival, I should be there before midnight.
“Ah! I see. I’ll be prepared and waiting.”
Elder Fenail’s tone was respectful, almost servile. It seemed age meant nothing in this case, and he didn’t mind appearing humble.
—Make sure the path is clear so I can enter without any trouble. You know how much I hate getting dirty.
“I understand. Everything will be perfectly clean.”
Baynus’s only flaw was his obsessive cleanliness. He couldn’t stand even the slightest bit of dirt on his body.
If he happened to get dirt on himself while walking, he would clean himself as soon as possible. And on that same day, he would kill the person responsible for dirtying him.
—I already know Elder Fenail’s attention to detail. I’ll see you soon.
“Yes, Master.”
After cutting off the magic communication, Elder Fenail slumped in his chair. Just that brief conversation seemed to have drained all his energy.
“Phew, it’s exhausting. But once the tower master arrives, opening the door should be easy.”
Baynus, the tower master, was an 8th Circle mage. His power was on a completely different level from a 7th Circle mage, both in terms of attack strength and speed. He was far superior to Elder Fenail.
But Elder Fenail hadn’t summoned the tower master just for his powerful 8th Circle magic. Judging by the reactions from the metal door, it was clear that even an 8th Circle mage would have difficulty opening such an artifact.
Even so, the reason Elder Fenail had called for the tower master was that Baynus was a descendant of the Imperial Magic Empire’s royal family. This connection allowed the tower master to naturally deactivate artifacts and ruins related to the Magic Empire.
“I’m sure of it. This place is definitely connected to the Imperial Magic Empire.”
Booom!
At that moment, a deafening sound, loud enough to incapacitate his hearing, echoed in Elder Fenail’s ears. The ringing in his ears was so intense that it caused his head to spin.