Embracing Magic Chapter 231

Embrace the Magic (231)

Although Rodin was eager to explore the cave right away, he had to hold off. He was too hungry to move.

“I need to eat something first.”

“Let’s eat and practice magic.”

“That’s right. First, you need to get your body back to normal so you can feel at ease. Right now, I’m anxious and can’t do it.”

I took out food from the subspace and ate it. I washed myself with Undyne and checked on Jito and Undyne.

“Are you guys okay?”

-Kueeng!

-Hehehe!

“You’re fine.”

At Rodin’s words that she was fine, Undyne jumped up and put her hands on her waist. She stretched out her legs, asking if she was fine.

“Let’s not do anything weird. Why are you sticking your leg out?”

-joy.

“Zito has grown up, but when will this kid grow up?”

Rodin pushed Undyne’s head away and stood up. Then he examined Charis and Jenna’s bodies closely.

“We are fine.”

“Just stay still. I’ll check it properly.”

“I’m really okay. I’m not hurt anywhere.”

“Yes, Master. We’re fine. We didn’t even get hit.”

“If that’s the case, then that’s good.”

After confirming the safety of all party members, Rodin sat down again and began practicing his magical powers.

The battle with Peglu was fierce enough to put one’s life at risk, but surprisingly, it didn’t require much magic. It consumed less magic power than when subduing a group of black orcs.

Rodin regained all his magical power in just one cycle and opened his eyes. Karis and Jenna were staring at Rodin.

“why?”

“A five-colored energy rose from the Master’s body.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“When the Master was practicing magical power, five colored auras rose from the Master’s body.”

Rodin heard the explanation again, but at first he still didn’t understand.

It was possible to make others see the magical power. It was possible to do so by giving them a will and tangible form. If the battle doll saw the five-colored energy, it meant that the magical power had been tangible.

But Rodin had never categorized his magical power. He had no reason to show off his magical power to others, and he had no reason to give it a will to reveal its form.

“Did I have any other thoughts while practicing? I don’t think so.”

“But the Master had five colors.”

“Why is that?”

“Princess Elanerienne had four colors.”

The reason Charis and Jenna stared at Rodin so intently was because he had one more color. The pure white aura was an attribute that the Princess of Elanerien did not possess.

“It’s because of the divinity.”

“Is this the magic power used in the Divine Charge and Divine Explosion?”

“Yeah. It’s a bit different from the four major attributes. I named it Divine, but it has nothing to do with being a ‘god.’ It’s closer to something that condenses the energy of healing and purification.”

“Ah! I understand.”

There were six attributes that Rodin could handle. There was also magic that used black magic power, including the absolute veil.

The reason Charis and Jenna saw the five attributes was because they were inside a cave. If they had seen it in a bright place, they would have been able to see the black magic as well.

“Let’s take a look around.”

“Check over there first. There’s a magic lock there.”

“okay?”

The place Charis pointed to was a wooden board the size of an ordinary door with a single plank stuck in it. Charis’s power was enough to tear it off even without magic.

“I didn’t touch it because I thought it might cause problems.”

“Hmm, that wasn’t necessary. It’s a really simple magic device. It’s so simple that you can tear it apart with force without any problems.”

Rodin immediately unlocked the magic lock. It was only a 1st circle level, so there was no difficulty to speak of.

Squeak!

I pulled the door and it opened slightly. It was difficult to see inside because there was no light coming in.

“Light.”

“ah!”

“Hmm.”

Inside was evidence of someone’s death. The body had already decomposed to the point where only bones remained.

“I think I stayed here.”

“The writing is on the wall.”

“Hmm, an adventurer… … . So that’s how you ended up trapped.”

Many people entered Masurim. Even after the failure of the Ingram Empire’s punitive expedition, many adventurers or people looking to make a quick fortune entered Masurim.

Of course, most of them did not achieve anything. After entering Masurim, there were more who lost contact.

But very occasionally, there would be those who would come out with something. Some would bring artifacts dropped by the Ingram Empire’s punitive force, and others would bring relics left behind by someone from ancient times.

Such things are sold at exorbitant prices in the market. Those who hear the prices become greedy and desire the forest.

The person who came to this cave was an adventurer. He hid and avoided the black orcs and gray trolls, and luckily, he did not seem to be affected by Harta and Peglu’s senses.

“I guess I was really lucky.”

“Yeah. It seems like he was away when this adventurer moved.”

The records do not say that Harta and Peglu were ‘avoided’; they are not even mentioned at all. In other words, they arrived here without even seeing them.

“I know what kind of demon is coming next.”

“Yeah. Stroop.”

The adventurer encountered a beast that resembled an insect and had one of his arms ripped off. He ran away in a hurry and barely managed to arrive at this cave.

Stroop was a giant scarab beetle that was ten meters long. It was impossible to follow it into this cave with its narrow entrance.

“The content is nothing special.”

“Yeah. He just got lucky and got hurt and died.”

The adventurer was a wizard. He wasn’t a particularly great wizard. Judging from the magic he left on the lock, he was only a 4th circle wizard at best.

Rodin also suffered serious injuries on his way here. Although he was now fully healed, there was no denying that he was on the verge of death.

But the opponent passed this area without any major injuries. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a stroke of luck.

“I think it’s amazing that I got here just by luck and without any skills.”

“But that luck ended when I met Stroop.”

Rodin came back out and closed the door.

I wasn’t interested in the adventurer’s story. The only important information I had was that if you go west from here, you’ll find Stroop.

“I need to find some herbs.”

“Are you talking about Casselon?”

“Yeah. If Stroop is nearby, Casselon shouldn’t be far away either.”

Cassellon gives off a scent that Stroop hates the most. That’s why even in the Magic Empire, when passing through Stroop’s habitat, they would crush Cassellon and leave the smell.

“Even if Casselon is present, you must not show any hostility.”

“I know. I just don’t like something.”

Even if you apply Casselon, if you attack Stroop, he will fight back. It is better to endure the unpleasant smell than to be attacked unilaterally.

“Let’s rest here today and leave tomorrow.”

“Yes, Master.”

After almost dying once, I found peace of mind.

If you rush things too much, the risk will only increase. I decided to rest and move around when I can.

* * *

The next day, after breakfast, I left the cave. It was drizzling.

“It’s the first time it’s raining since I came to Masurim.”

“It feels good and cool.”

“Okay. Undyne, block out the moisture a bit better.”

-Hehehe!

Coolness was good, but high humidity was not so good. In times like these, Undyne’s presence was a great help.

“Do you know what Casselon looks like?”

“Of course. We have participated in the conquest of Rostria dozens of times.”

Rostria is a place where demons gathered during the time of the Magic Empire. It is similar to the current Masurim, but it was located in the north of the empire.

“But what is the current state of Rostria?”

“We are doing well too.”

“Unable to verify.”

More than 5,000 years had passed since the collapse of the Magic Empire. No one knew what state Rostria was in now.

Rostria is a place that is located far north of the Magic Empire, even in Masurim, but no one has ever been there.

“It’s clear that this isn’t Rostria. What do you think? Are there any geographical similarities?”

“Half of Rostria was covered in snow and ice. There is no visible resemblance.”

“If the snow in Rostria melts, will it be similar to this place?”

“No. Rostria doesn’t have that much land area.”

Masurim itself was a place where space was distorted. It was a state where some place was superimposed on the original place.

“Let’s first go west and look for Casselon.”

“Yes, Master.”

I moved slowly westward, turning my head left and right as I searched the ground.

“Master, I found it.”

Charis was the first to find the Casselon. It was an ordinary-looking plant with red flowers.

Rodin tilted his head as he looked at the herbs that Charis had found.

“It doesn’t smell? Do I have to tear it and rub it to get the smell?”

“It’s true that you have to tear it and rub it, but humans can’t smell it. Only Stroop has a strange aversion to this herb, while other demons walk around on Casselon without any problem.”

“okay?”

I tore open the Casselon and put my nose to it. It had a very faint sour smell, but it wasn’t too bad. As Charis said, it wasn’t exactly a bad smell for humans.

“Even if you smell the scent of Casselon, you must not go near the nest.”

“I know. Even if the stench is bad, it’s hard to overcome the instinct to protect your young.”

The stench is just a stench. It doesn’t make Stroop particularly weak or cause any problems.

It was a smell that Stroop really hated, but he was able to endure it and attack for the sake of his pup.

“Then, we will go in with the necklace.”

“Okay. I’ll call you again and report the situation.”

“Yes, Master.”

Karis and Jenna entered the necklace storage space.

Rodin rubbed the Casselon into a fine paste and squeezed a generous amount into his palm. This was enough. There was no need to apply it all over his body.

“Shall we go? Fly.”

Rodin flew west across the high sky. After about 30 minutes of flight, Stroop came into view.

“Oh my god.”

There were hundreds of visible stroopwaxes.

The Stroops were independent creatures, so they did not fly in groups. They hunted separately and raised their young separately.

However, they created habitats nearby and fought together when in danger. In particular, when a giant demon attacked, hundreds or thousands of them rushed in and sucked its blood.

Rodin resembled a beetle, but he continued to fly past blood-sucking creatures like mosquitoes. If he saw a nest, he would turn around slightly and fly.

Stroop didn’t come close to Rodin even though he saw him. He just turned his head away after seeing him from a distance.

“The habitat is wide.”

The migration did not end in one day. After almost five days of repeated flights and rests, they were finally able to cross the Stroop’s habitat.

“ah!”

The first thing I saw as I left the Stroop habitat was a demon of overwhelming size. A demon often mistaken for a ‘dragon’ in the Central Continent and Eastern Continent. It was a Droyan.

thud!

The big guy stomped his front paw hard right in front of Rodin. The ground dented and then shook violently.

‘I said I don’t see people as food.’

Rodin squared his shoulders in front of Droyan. He looked at Droyan confidently with an expression that seemed to say, ‘I’m not scared.’

“What are you looking at?”

-Krrrr!

After making a weak sound, the creature popped its head out and hit Rodin on the forehead.

“hey!”

WHEEK!

When Rodin shouted, Droyan pulled his head away and looked at Rodin with a strange expression.

“Is this your first time seeing a human?”

-Krrrr.

Bam!

The guy who had been grumbling for a while shaved his head. Rodin was pushed by the force and fell to the floor with a thud.

“Oh my god, really!”

WHEEK!

“Don’t stop me. I’m busy.”

As soon as Rodin got up from his seat, he started to move briskly.

Droyan was surprised by Rodin’s sudden approach and quickly backed away. It seemed as if their positions had been switched.

Power? Or momentum?

As Rodin confidently came out, the flustered Droyan dodged to the side.

Rodin confidently walked into the spot left by Droyan.

“hmm?”

As I passed by Droian, I could faintly smell blood. It was the smell coming from Droian’s body.

“You’re hurt.”

-Krrrr.

“Let me see.”

Rodin strode towards Droyan. But Droyan stepped back instead.

“Oh, really. Are you a coward? Just stay still. I’m not trying to harm you.”

slap!

The creature flapped its wings, as if it was angry at being called a coward. Then it poked its head out and pushed Rodin away again.

“You! You understand what I’m saying. No, you don’t understand what I’m saying. Are you reading my thoughts?”

Rodin thought to himself, “Let’s take a look at the wound.” Then he approached Droyan again.