Of course, preparations were already made toward Elric’s expedition.
“Just wait a little longer, and the legacy of the Demonic Magic Gate will be in my hands, won’t it? Hahaha!”
Professor Brooks calmed down after laughing cheerfully for a while.
As soon as Elric and Sean arrived at the Karagul Cave, their expressions soured.
“Why are you guys here?”
There were already guests there.
There weren’t just one or two people; there were more than twenty of them.
“Why are we here? Naturally, when we heard the two of you were in trouble, we all rushed to help.”
Then, the leader of the group stepped forward, adjusting his glasses and chuckling.
Long, flowing red hair and sinisterly gleaming green eyes. A face that Elric was very familiar with.
Riben.
Though it was brief, he was once friendly with Elric and Sean. But after learning about Elric’s condition, he blatantly turned his back on him…
Now, he is the chief researcher at the ‘Magic Astronomy Research Institute’ led by Professor Brooks.
And the other three people around him were the same.
They were his classmates from their first year, and now they were researchers under Professor Brooks.
They couldn’t muster the courage to meet Elric’s gaze, nor turn their heads or offering a timid “Hello?” as a greeting.
Anyone could easily guess why they were here.
“You guys…!”
Sean glared at them with a face full of annoyance.
Riben flinched for a moment. While he could face Elric confidently, Sean was someone even he was wary of.
Their backgrounds aside, there was a difference in their ranks.
Still, this mission was a special directive from Professor Brooks.
He had to complete it at any cost.
‘After all, isn’t this guy also on Professor Brooks’s side? All I am doing now is disgracing the Melvinger family. Let’s not worry about Sean.’
Riben gritted his teeth with determination.
“As you can see, we’ve even invited experts to help with the exploration. The Dean trusts and supports you guys this much, so take it as a compliment.”
Elric looked at the experts Riben had brought.
Surely, the tools they had were essential for the expedition.
Infrared binoculars, multifunctional pickaxes, and compasses that would alert them about the appearance of monsters, and guide them the way.
However, Elric didn’t miss the sinister look in their eyes.
‘Are they mercenaries that specialize in such tasks? They seem to have a faint magic aura… They might intend to snatch whatever comes out of the cave.’
Elric narrowed his eyes.
‘Dean, if you’re going to act this way till the end, it can’t be helped.’
He had only planned to sabotage the election… But with them being so blatant, he wasn’t going to just stand by and do nothing.
‘For now, let’s focus on the exploration.’
He would deal with them later.
‘But I can’t let them just walk over me…’
For a moment, Elric smirked.
“Indeed. I never thought the Dean would support us this much. Moreover, even selecting and sending our classmates.”
“Right? So, let’s all head to the cave together…”
“That’s the thing, Riben.”
While smiling cynically, Elric gestured around them.
“I think we need to study the ecosystem around the cave before starting the exploration. Can you help with organizing the herbs within a 1-kilometer radius?”
“Me, all of it…?”
“Yes. Everything. By yourself. Can you?”
Almost as soon as he finished saying those words, Riben’s complexion paled.
It was obvious.
Before exploring a Mana Spot, a preliminary investigation and research of the surrounding area were of utmost importance.
Usually, this process would take from several weeks to several months and require a team of about tens of people.
And he was supposed to do it all alone?
In such steep mountainous terrain, it would be inevitable for him to suffer.
From Riben’s perspective, it was a valid concern.
“I’m the exploration leader here… Well, if you don’t want to listen, you can just leave.”
“……”
Elric’s casual words made Riben shut his mouth tightly.
The words of the exploration leader were absolute. If one didn’t comply, expulsion was certain.
‘I knew this guy wasn’t to be trifled with.’
Sean felt a brief moment of sympathy for Riben.
For some reason, since arriving here, he has felt that Elric’s character has greatly intensified.
“【Mana’s Whisper】“
With Sean’s incantation, the crystal sphere in his hand burst into a bright cluster of light, scattering all over the mountainside.
‘To think I’d use the magic detection sphere in a place like this…’
Sean smirked bitterly.
The magic detection sphere was originally a very expensive tactical magical tool used to detect hidden magicians during wars.
It seemed that Elric had skillfully extorted money from Professor Brooks.
‘He must be really angry by now.’
As the bitterness on Sean’s lips deepened,
Boom!
——————
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Sean felt a sudden, massive shock, as if his head were splitting.
In the distance, a massive golden pillar soared from the middle of the mountainside.
“Sean!”
“Could it be…?”
“Th-that’s a massive magical field! Oh, wait. No, no, it’s a barrier…!”
Horror spread over the eyes of Riben and the others who were watching Sean.
The color of the magic detector changes according to the grade of mana. Among them, gold represented the highest grade, equivalent to a grand magician.
And with that size and scale…!
“Is there really a dragon’s nest there?”
“Everyone, quiet! Let’s go now.”
Sean, with a pale face, gritted his teeth and shouted.
Elric noticed that Sean had suffered considerable internal injuries but immediately moved the exploration team.
“Exploration team, move to the destination before the light pillar disappears.”
Even if he wanted to check on Sean’s condition, dawdling now would certainly lead to complaints later.
Swish.
Elric managed to reach the destination while being carried on the back of one of the explorers.
However, there was a flat plateau where the light pillar stood.
Unlike the dense forest-filled surroundings, it was a wasteland where not even a single tree, blade of grass, or common stone could be found.
“What is this…?”
The exploration members momentarily looked bewildered, expecting to see a chasm or cave.
“It’s here.”
Elric quickly scanned the area and pointed to a spot.
“【Flare】”
When Sean released a fireball precisely on that spot, the ground sank with a massive explosion, as if there were a landslide.
Then a huge cave entrance was revealed.
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
It seemed so vast and deep that dozens of people could fit inside at once.
And at the same time, the overwhelming surge of magical energy made the magicians dizzy in an instant.
They managed to keep their balance, but couldn’t help but stare at Elric in astonishment.
‘How can he pinpoint the exact location with just one look?’
‘Is he really the same dropout I know?’
The magic detection tool could only provide an approximate location, not the exact spot.
This wasn’t any different for regular professors or assistants.
That’s why they needed prior investigation and assistance from other specialists… But all of that became pointless.
His classmates, who had only seen Elric as someone who just studied well, even if he was from the esteemed magic family, felt their hearts pounding.
Sean smirked as if telling them…
‘Now you see?’
…while holding his head high as if it were his achievement.
“We’re going inside.”
Elric, seemingly unfazed, stepped into the cave.
“Wasn’t this where the ancient dragons used to roam?”
“It’s deep. Really deep.”
“Ah. It’s eerily cold. Even circulating magic doesn’t drive the chill away.”
The cave was vast.
Even bigger than it appeared from the outside.
The exploration team was completely awestruck by its majestic size.
Even though the ancient dragon species disappeared over a thousand years ago, the deep magical energy residue in the cave nearly took the magicians’ breath away.
It felt as if a dragon had just been there yesterday.
‘Everyone here already believes this is a dragon’s nest.’
As Sean walked ahead with Elric, he glanced at the team’s reactions and chuckled.
Professor Brooks must have ordered them to hinder Elric, but they seemed to have forgotten their purpose.
Sean thought it was inevitable.
‘They are magicians, after all.’
Magicians were pioneers who dissected the unknown, explored knowledge, and sought the truth.
Any magician would naturally be fascinated by the mystery that dragons bring. Politics becomes useless in front of that.
‘But it’s so cold. Can the magical barriers spread throughout this nest be this strong? What kind of creature lived here?’
Sean rubbed his arms vigorously, but couldn’t shake off the cold. His breath formed a mist with every exhale.
Other magicians also tried circulating their magic circles or manifesting fire-elemental magic, but the bone-chilling cold persisted.
Diamond Dragon.
The Jeweled Dragon.
Its existence had been doubted for a long time in the academic world, and it was classified only recently.
It must have had incredible magic power during its lifetime.
‘Maybe it can even compare to the light-controlling Gold Dragon or the largest Red Dragon.’
Sean intended to carefully inspect everything in sight.
Then,
‘What is he doing now?’
Elric quickly scribbled something in his notebook.
Seeing that, Sean looked baffled.
The contents were entirely composed of Rune characters, which was an ancient language that even magical scholars hesitated to use due to its complexity.
It looked like some kind of structural diagram…
“What is that?”
Sean asked.
“It’s the unraveling of a spell formula. I’m looking for the solution.”
With a thought flashing across his mind, Sean whispered,
“You’re trying to figure out the structure of the barrier, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“…!”
Such a straightforward response, and Sean couldn’t help but shiver.
Analyzing magic manifested by a dragon?
He felt like screaming.
But the world Elric was exploring was even grander.
‘This… is a goldmine.’
Ever since they entered the lair, he had been thinking this. Their mere presence here made their eyes go wide.
The fractal structures that made up the barrier.
The elemental spells that circulated in the air.
The jewel magic that emanated from the various gems embedded in the stone walls.
The various traps to repel intruders, and the mystic energy-rich symbols and inscriptions in weird shapes.
Even the connection model that made all these diverse magics move organically…
Thanks to the unique acute senses of his family lineage, Elric could see, feel, and sense all these things.
The image of different kinds of magic, each with a different source and method, interlocking and moving together like cogwheels in a massive system.
It was enough to immerse him, much like the first time one realizes the structure of the universe.
‘This is the legendary Draconian magic.’
All the things he had studied and learned seemed to disintegrate in front of the vast universe presented by Draconian magic and reassemble in a new form.
Euphoria.
Or self-transcendence.
Without even realizing it, he was experiencing a moment every magician would long for.
