Episode 28: Ghost Mansion (3)
“Dragon God…!”
Ruell’s expression hardened, as if it were no trivial name.
His expression was as dark as the light fading above their heads.
Sid frowned and stuck close to his side.
“Dragon God… what is that?”
“I heard about it from my mother. Twenty years ago. There was a mad dragon that waged war against the entire continent, including the kingdom.”
Reir answered in Ruell’s stead.
The boy, who had been composed the whole time, seemed tense at that name.
Reir swallowed and gripped his magic.
In one hand was a white protective magic circle; in the other, he had finished casting Magic Missile, and his eyes were sharp as they glared at Bein.
“They say several northern countries were actually destroyed, and the kingdom was on the verge of being conquered. But then a wizard appeared, and thanks to him, they succeeded in counterattacking and ended the war. Anyway, what was it… the dragon’s mana has a will of its own, so it corrupts everything it touches and steals away consciousness….”
“That’s enough talk. Let’s focus on the fight.”
Reir’s story ended with Ruell’s intervention.
Only a few steps remained to the mansion’s main gate, but cold sweat trickled down the three’s bodies.
In the meantime, Bein’s footsteps had reached the middle of the stairs.
Wraiths circled all around, and the light of magic was weakening.
The expressions of the three darkened together.
“I’ve been involved with a fragment of the Dragon God before. Even though it didn’t have a will back then, it was dangerous. If that introduction wasn’t a lie, this is too much for us. Let’s give up on rescuing Professor Bein and run away with these people.”
“But…!”
Sid knew his words were wrong.
But the reason this boy was being stubborn was because he hadn’t found Liz.
Even without knowing what a ‘fragment of the Dragon God’ was, Sid couldn’t back down.
Hadn’t he come inside just fine even after saying they should give up earlier?
Then Bein’s lips moved.
Goosebumps spread at his face twisting into an impossible shape.
[You won’t be able to escape easily. I need a vessel. I need a body. You are precious ingredients to me.]
Kugung… Kung!
Following the sinister voice, the entire mansion shook.
Soon, red mana flowed throughout the entire mansion, swallowing even the great gate behind them and distorting.
As the exit disappeared as if the space itself were severed, Ruell grew frantic.
“Magic Strike!”
Kwagwang!
Light mixed with stardust burst forth.
But what this beam of light destroyed was not Bein, but the door behind them.
The door struck by Magic Strike made a small hole amidst the flowing space.
But even the barely-made hole was slowly disappearing.
Ruell waved his hand and shouted.
“Get out! Hurry!”
“Yes! Magic Missile! Wind Slide!”
The moment the signal dropped, Reir’s magic exploded.
The pre-cast Magic Missile hit its mark, and in the instant the entrance revealed itself.
The fallen people escaped with the flowing wind.
Soon, Reir too rode the wind like a wave and escaped the mansion.
Having successfully escaped, Reir shouted toward the two.
“Hyung-nim! Professor! The entrance is closing, so hurry…!”
Squelch, groan….
But before he could finish speaking, the entrance closed like viscous lava flowing down.
Not even the shape of the door remained in the distorted space.
It was a hideous sight, as if the oil paints depicting the mansion had melted entirely.
“No…”
Ruell’s expression twisted.
Finally, even the scenery visible outside the window was mixed with dizzying colors.
It meant that dungeonification was complete and the space had been severed.
“Why didn’t you listen!”
“Why did you try to stay behind alone, Professor!”
“I was trying to get only you out…! If a spatial mutation occurs, the dungeon is completely isolated from the outside! Why… ha, seriously!”
The two priests, divided in opinion, clashed.
The curly-haired one who had tried to save everyone by throwing himself became tearful.
Only Reir and the hired hands had escaped in the sole opportunity.
But there was no leeway to even have such a conversation.
“Magic Strike!”
“Thunder Strike!”
Kwagwang! Kwang!
Putting aside their brief quarrel, the two’s magic burst forth.
But the mana surrounding Bein waved its tentacles and repelled them.
In fact, there was no chanting or casting to speak of; the crystal orb held in his arms moved the clumps of mana.
It was a concentration that looked far thicker and more powerful than the mana that had surrounded Roy.
[Transaction] Withdrawal
[Amount Withdrawn] *3,741 (Thunder Strike)
[Amount Deposited]
[Balance] *12,362 (Arena Estate)
‘Haah, what do I do now.’
Sid’s expression hardened.
He had already consumed nearly half his mana.
Of course, Ruell, who remained with him, was unharmed, but against an unidentified enemy like the ‘Dragon God’, the remaining mana was meaningless.
The moment he glared at Bein with a pounding heart, mana was displayed above his head.
[921,741]
[1,374,861]
‘Huh?’
It was at that moment that he discovered something strange.
Wasn’t there not one but two manas floating above the head of the one clutching the crystal orb?
The ‘921,741 Mana Coins’ floating above the head belonged to the alchemist Bein.
But the number floating below it was not Bein’s, but the mana of the crystal orb in his embrace.
[1,374,861]
[1,374,993]
[1,375,237]
…
Numbers steadily rising even as he thought.
Sid’s eyes were drawn to this number.
Conversely, the mana inside Bein’s body was steadily being absorbed into the crystal orb.
Thanks to that, the boy’s eyes, having grasped the situation, narrowed.
“Noonim. Does that magic artifact perhaps possess its own mana?”
[Confirmed. Excluding the crystal and some materials used as components, this crystal orb is composed of 99% mana. It is judged to be an entity vulnerable to Mana Burn.]
Sid’s heart pounded.
That meant this crystal orb was a sort of ‘water balloon’ made of pure mana.
No matter how massive and powerful its size, if it were actually punctured, only an empty shell would remain.
Its ability to recover mana on its own was a different matter, but at this thread of a counterattack, Sid’s mouth opened.
“Professor. Can you perhaps use Mana Burn?”
“What?”
Ruell turned his head at the out-of-the-blue question.
Things were complicated enough as it was, and now Mana Burn?
His brow furrowed at the sudden talk.
“Looking at it, that crystal orb seems to be made of pure mana. If we slam your mana into it, I think we can destroy it easily.”
“Slam into it?”
It was a crude proposal, but there was a possibility.
He wanted to use Mana Burn himself if he could, but hadn’t it been sealed previously?
Moreover, Sid’s remaining mana couldn’t produce enough power to destroy the crystal orb.
But perhaps misunderstanding his words, Ruell’s sharp rebuke flew at him.
Even in the urgent situation, the teacher’s lesson did not stop.
“Even if it’s a fragment of the Dragon God, you’re telling me to use Mana Burn on a magic artifact? On something without even a circle or magic circuit? You’ve been thinking of Mana Burn as some kind of cure-all since the last battle, but that’s dangerous thinking. Setting aside whether it would even work, the moment you fail a Mana Burn, there’s no next move!”
“No, that’s not what I mean….”
“Shh!”
In truth, Ruell wasn’t wrong either.
If he used Mana Burn, which consumed all his mana, there would be no next opportunity.
Therefore, without a guarantee that it could unconditionally defeat the opponent, it was a gamble.
Unless, like Sid, one could clearly know the difference in mana between themselves and their opponent.
“Ah, no, that’s not it, I’m saying you’d win right now, Professor!”
“No! No matter how difficult the situation, you mustn’t lose your reason! We’re definitely getting out alive!”
‘Uraaah!!!’
Sid’s frustrated heart exploded.
Ruell, who had no way of knowing it was a reasonable proposal, dismissed it.
Indeed, what professor who tries to give up first when danger approaches would ever use a Mana Burn with no way out?
Pusshh….
“Huhahaha…!”
While the two priests were arguing, Bein drew closer.
The lump of light emitting weak light also lost its power, and as the light illuminating the mansion disappeared, the surroundings were filled with the red light of the crystal orb.
Amidst this anxiety, the wraiths’ eye lights and sobs also drew near.
“Tatipu!”
“Tatipu!”
The protective magic of the two burst.
The wraiths smacked their lips in regret and scattered.
“Huu….”
And the expressions of the two also grew anxious.
Dealing with Bein alone was hard enough; having to think about the wraiths too was truly exhausting.
[Offer your bodies and mana. Become nourishment for my complete recovery.]
A gaunt figure and an awkward smile were intertwined.
Moreover, whenever unnatural muscles twitched following the crystal orb’s control, his face contorted in terrible terror.
It was a sorry thing to say about Bein, but he was terrifying enough to appear in nightmares.
“Ranged attacks are blocked, so aim for the crystal orb with a Magic Sword! If it’s dangerous, get back!”
“Yes!”
Ruell gripped a different magic than the one Sid had recommended.
It was regrettable, but in this situation, a straightforward method was certainly better than a gamble.
“Sacred Holy Light!”
Pa-ang!
Following his signal, tremendous light erupted.
The swarm of wraiths scattered, and the red mana of the crystal orb shook.
Thanks to the opposing nature of light and darkness, it showed decent efficiency, but it was hard to keep holding out like this.
Tap-tap!
Sid seized the opportunity in an instant and ran toward the crystal orb.
The moment the blade tip reached, cutting through the mana with Ruell’s magic.
Thick tentacles snatched the boy.
“Kkuk!”
“Sid!”
Ruell, who had been keeping the wraiths in check and covering Sid.
Such a teacher’s expression hardened.
Seeing the student grabbed by the legs and lifted in an instant, the teacher grew frantic.
“Holy Light!”
Pa-ang!
“Kkieeeek!”
“Kkeeeek!”
Even at Ruell’s powerful light, the wraiths did not retreat.
There was plenty of will to be burned to death by his light rather than yield the path.
And something strange entered the eyes of Sid, caught by the red mana.
It was mana being sucked away under the name ‘Withdrawal’.
[Transaction] Withdrawal
[Amount Withdrawn] *736 (Mana Drain)
[Amount Deposited]
[Balance] *11,271 (Arena Estate)
[You are currently having your mana absorbed. You must begin defense.]
“Tatipu!”
Protective magic burst around Sid.
However, as if a drop of blood had fallen into white milk, the boy’s protective magic was eroded and vanished by the red mana.
“Kkuh!”
The boy, grabbed by both arms and legs, twisted his body.
Still, the mana holding the boy firmly didn’t budge.
On the contrary, it only voraciously devoured Sid’s mana.
The boy’s expression twisted.
[Goo…]
“…Ah! What fine mana!”
Bein’s laughter burst out as he devoured Sid’s mana.
Awkwardly twitching cheekbones and crescent-shaped eyes.
Though it was an expression dominated by the crystal orb, it was a sight that would leave trauma.
In an instant, a sum of 9,000 coins was absorbed by the crystal orb.
Crack!
‘Huh?’
But something strange happened.
Hadn’t a crack appeared in the crystal orb that had reached ‘1.38 million mana coins’ by absorbing mana?
Though it was a scratch the size of a pinky finger.
But starting from there, the surface was splitting open.
Crack, cr-crack!
Even black-red mana was seeping out from those cracks.
Sid’s gaze turned to the mana wriggling up.
“Oh dear, it’s reached its limit. I must hurry and erode a body.”
‘The limit!’
The villain foolishly revealed his weakness.
Sid focused his gaze on the crystal orb’s mana.
The mana was falling again after hitting 1.38 million.
‘1.38 million… 1.37 million! It’s falling again!’
He guessed that ‘1.38 million coins’ was the durability limit of the crystal orb.
With this brief hint, Sid thought of a way to destroy the crystal orb.
‘I don’t know how much time is left before it erodes a body, but the crystal orb’s durability is at its limit. Isn’t there a way?’
If he destroyed the crystal orb before it transferred bodies, there was a possibility.
What if instead of slamming ‘Mana Burn’, he just slammed ‘mana’?
If he slammed an enormous amount of mana into that wriggling crack?
“Noonim!”
A smile rose to the corners of his mouth as he finished his thought.
And as the boy opened his mouth, the bankbook responded as if it had been waiting.
Perhaps she had been waiting only for this moment during the two months since meeting Sid.
[Yes. Do you require a loan?]
- To be continued in Episode 29 -