Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 123 (Part 2)

During the Magic Empire’s era, their dominion was vast. What is now known as the Western, Central, and Eastern continents collectively comprised the eastern region in that era.

“What about this place?”

“I’ve mentioned this before, too. The Beast Forest. I’ve never been there myself. It’s extremely dangerous, full of beasts.”

Rodin had previously explained the continent’s geography to Karis and Jena, touching on the location of the old imperial capital.

But back then, they hadn’t used a map during the conversation. It was just a brief explanation.

“Is the Hedenes region around here?”

“Yes, that’s what this area is called.”

Karis examined the maps again, separating out four pages that showed the Hedenes region and its vicinity, including the Paroma Mountain Range.

“Is this the Paroma Mountain Range?”

“Yes.”

“Oh! I understand what this place is now.”

Karis pointed to the Paroma Mountain Range, which stretched north to south, marking the boundary between the Central and Western continents.

“Paroma Mountain Range. It’s a place shrouded in mystery.”

“Is that so?”

The Paroma Mountain Range was mysterious and dangerous. No one knew what lay within because everyone who ventured in disappeared.

The Beast Forest was dangerous but not without survivors. Expeditions had been formed, maps were drawn of the outskirts, and guides existed.

But the Paroma Mountains were different. Adventurers, knights, mages, even spirit summoners—all had vanished without a word.

Survivors: none.

It was feared for reasons different from the Beast Forest.

“What was it used for?”

“A training ground. Exclusively for the imperial family.”

“The entire vast area?”

The Paroma Mountain Range stretched over 2,000 km from north to south, with an estimated width exceeding 100 km.

The idea of the imperial family monopolizing such a vast area was staggering. A training ground for mages didn’t need so much space.

“Yes, the imperial family of the empire managed it specially. Certain terrains in the range accelerated the growth of mana and aura. But no one knew why growth accelerated only in that place.”

“Oh! It must be mana, then.”

“Yes. The late master, Princess Elanerien, discovered the reason.”

“Of course. She could sense mana, so she would have recognized the uniqueness of the Paroma Mountains and pinpointed the spots where mana gathered.”

Now it made sense why the imperial family of the Magic Empire monopolized the entire range.

The empire likely designated the whole mountain range as their domain because they didn’t know precisely which terrains boosted mana or aura growth.

Princess Elanerien later pinpointed the exact spots and reasons for the accelerated growth.

“Yes. The late master called those places ‘Mana Concentration Points.’”

“‘Mana Concentration Points.’ Makes sense. Just how potent were these points to warrant that name?”

“Princess Elanerien described them as thousands of times more potent.”

“Unbelievable. Thousands of times? That’s impossible.”

Rodin could sense not only magical power but mana as well. His perception was sharper than that of Princess Elanerien.

Across the Western Continent and even in the Central Continent, he always sensed mana and magical power. He didn’t need to make an effort; being near was enough.

The ambient mana density in the world was generally uniform. Some areas had higher concentrations, but even then, it was only two to three times greater.

The only exception was underground ruins, which were artificial and over 5,000 years old.

Underground ruins were constantly under siege by external forces.

After a volcano formed, they had to withstand pressure and heat; before that, they withstood the weight of the earth for ages. The passage of time itself was another formidable challenge.

Such ruins had magical circles engraved to absorb and store mana to survive those challenges.

The remaining power that survived all this was stored in the walls of the ruins. The mana concentration there was incomparable to anything in the world.

Rodin had broken through those forces and absorbed an immense amount of magic.

“I don’t know the details either. The late master said so.”

“Mana density thousands of times higher… How fast would one’s growth be?”

The denser the mana, the more magical power or aura one could convert. However, even if mana density increased tenfold, growth speed wouldn’t increase by tenfold.

During the conversion process from mana to magical power or aura, a significant portion returned to its original state. It couldn’t be easily contained or forced into retention.

So even if mana density was tenfold, the actual growth rate would only double. For those with extraordinary talent, it might be slightly higher, but surpassing threefold was rare.

If the mana density were a hundred times, growth might be five to six times faster.

‘At a density of thousands of times, growth would be tenfold at least.’

It was more suited for Larry and Bianca than Rodin.

Rodin had already hit a growth cap. Without enlightenment leading to the seventh circle, accumulating magical power further was meaningless.

“Could that be one of the secrets of the Magic Empire?”

“Perhaps. But the Magic Empire wasn’t just special for its magical power. The very knowledge of magic far surpassed anything today.”

“That’s true.”

“Thousands of times… I should see it for myself. It’s daunting, though.”

The Paroma Mountains had consumed countless lives. No one who entered had ever returned, making it daunting to venture in.

“Has it become a dangerous place?”

“I don’t know. No one knows. No one has ever come back from the Paroma Mountains.”

“Oh! I think I spoke out of turn. There’s no need for you to go somewhere so dangerous.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s better to be informed than caught off guard. And I’ll start by investigating the outskirts of the mountains. I’ll decide whether to enter afterward.”

Rodin’s curiosity about the Paroma Mountains grew. He felt an inexplicable pull, as if something was drawing him in.

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