Chapter 62 – Grave Robbery and Theft (5)

To read over 260 fully translated episodes, patreon.com/Denji02

The mages of Argyron gritted their teeth.

The agent who had surely come from Blasphemia had set the Silver Thread Worm against them and disappeared leisurely. It was clear that he was now collecting evidence of the deal with Torres Tower scattered throughout the middle level.

At least one of them had to leave to stop him.

But the Silver Thread Worm was a problem.

Just as mages absorb mana and convert it into magical power, the Silver Thread Worm converts magical power back into mana. The more mana it absorbs, the more its body swells.

The released Silver Thread Worm had already absorbed considerable magical power and had grown more than ten times its original size.

The mages of Argyron cast high-level spells repeatedly, spells that would usually leave them staggering just by attempting to cast them.

These attacks were made possible by the "blessing of the cause." Pillars of flame shot up, melting the ceiling and floor.

The intense flames were effective against the Silver Thread Worm, instantly incinerating about 20% of its mass.

But that didn't mean the Silver Thread Worm's movement was halted. Although it was called a worm for convenience, it wasn't truly a living creature in the biological sense.

It wasn't even really a creature. It was more accurate to think of it as a machine with the function of consuming magical power.

The Silver Thread Worm tore off the parts of its body engulfed in flames and continued advancing towards the two mages with high-quality mana.

At the same time, it extended silver threads to the mana circuits throughout the middle level to regenerate its lost body. Being the control center of the ruins, there were plenty of mana circuits.

The lights in the middle level flickered.

It was a sign that the systems in the ruins were malfunctioning due to the Silver Thread Worm absorbing mana.

However, neither Argyron nor the few remaining Torres Tower mages could afford to pay attention to that.

They had to focus on the battle with the otherworldly beast before them to survive.

***

In the deepest, darkest part of the Cretera Island ruins, mages were yelling.

"Aren't you supposed to be expert explorers of ruins! You slugs!"

Dozens of troubleshooters and mercenaries were clinging to the door, but the final barrier was steadfast. They regretted the absence of Utis.

"Damn it. If that visor guy were here, he would've opened this door in an instant!"

"The protective magic is too strong! We need the Torres mages' help to even attempt to dismantle it!"

The mages of Torres Tower didn't trust the troubleshooters. Fundamentally, they were thugs. What if they turned on them the moment the door was opened after lending them their magic?

"We haven't even exhausted our magic yet! Just shut up and—"

Then it happened. With a grinding sound, cracks appeared in the protective magic surrounding the door.

"It's opening!"

It was an incredible coincidence. The mana supply maintaining the protective magic was disrupted by the Silver Thread Worm spreading its roots in the middle level. Although there was a separate mana source for maintaining the protective magic in the deepest chamber, it took a moment for it to activate.

The troubleshooters' efforts to break the protective magic over time seized that moment, causing the spell to collapse.

"Pour all your magic into it before it recovers! Overload the spell matrix and break it down!"

The protective magic on the door blocking the deepest part of the ancient ruins was of extremely high quality. Although the techniques were ancient, its durability was beyond imagination.

But even the most resilient magic couldn't withstand the assault of dozens of troubleshooters. As the protective magic reached its limit, the door was bathed in a blue glow.

To be precise, it was the protective magic encasing the door that turned blue.

The residual magic from the spells overwhelmed the protective magic. With one final attack, the entire blue barrier shattered like glass.

A deafening roar echoed through the entire deep level, and the magical storm from the shattered protective magic pressured the troubleshooters to their knees. They had exhausted nearly all their magic breaking through the protective magic.

In contrast, the mages of Torres Tower were relatively unscathed by the magical storm. They had conserved their strength and were prepared for the backlash from breaking the protective magic.

They glanced at the fallen troubleshooters. They were no longer a threat.

"Wait. We've broken the protective magic, but there are still other spells like alarms—"

One of the fallen troubleshooters warned them, staggering to his feet. But the mages of Torres Tower ignored him.

The anxiety of possibly losing the spirit human to Utis, and the backlash against the ominous prophecy, along with the habit of having faced no accidents so far, clouded their judgment.

Furthermore, they were confident in their lofty goal of reaching the Ten Commandments, unlike those ignorant troubleshooters.

'Isn't that an ancient spirit whose ego has faded over a millennium? The fact that it maintains its existence proves its high status, but in this isolated chamber, it wouldn't have been able to absorb enough mana…'

They were well-prepared to subdue the weakened spirit human. Equipped with artifacts to weaken lightning spirits, the mages stepped into the chamber with confident smiles.

Alarms blared and chaotic mana pulses were felt as the warning spells, which hadn't been dismantled, activated.

But the entity meant to hear the warning had fallen asleep a millennium ago. The mages' smiles widened.

At the end of a narrow passage was a chamber with a dome-shaped ceiling.

Inside was a human figure sitting cross-legged. Charred black, it looked like a burnt corpse.

That was the former master of the ancient Cretera Island Tower, a spirit human created through the ancient art of spirit transformation.

"What about the mana?"

If it was just a corpse that had failed to become a spirit, it would be the worst comedy. A mage using an artifact in the form of glasses to analyze the artificial spirit nodded.

"I sense a very faint lightning mana inside. It seems to be in a dormant state due to a lack of mana."

The perfect moment to use the forced contract scroll. The lead mage of Torres Tower began to infuse the scroll with magic.

Rumble!

The sound of thunder echoed. The mages of Torres Tower hastily tried to activate the spirit-binding scroll, but the spirit human was no longer where they had seen it.

Crackle…

The sound of burning air was heard. They turned towards the source of the sound. The charred human figure was there, emitting golden lightning from within.

In the next moment, they saw the spirit human's hand pierce the abdomen of the lead mage holding the forced contract scroll.

"Gah…?!"

The lead mage felt the mana draining from his body in an instant. His body, struck by lightning inside and out, was quickly charred to ashes.

Seeing this, one mage aimed the spirit-binding scroll. In that instant, the spirit human's body disintegrated into countless lightning fragments, then reassembled around the mage.

It wasn't in front of him. It surrounded him.

"What?"

The mage holding the spirit-binding scroll saw his vision turn golden. And that was his last memory.

The spirit human, who had trapped the mage within itself and discharged lightning, quickly absorbed the lightning-tinged mana from the mage.

Only then did the remaining mages of Torres Tower understand the situation and began to flee.

The spirit human, whose ego had weathered over centuries and was left with only a faint obsession, had no intention of forgiving those who had trespassed into the tower master's study.

Especially if they were filled with desirable mana.

The spirit human, once known as the Thunder Lord, looked up.

He sensed mana above as well.

He had been starving for mana for a very long time.

The spirit awakened by the alarm spell did not refuse the urge to feed.

***

'Something's wrong…?'

I found a few artifacts and stored them well, but I couldn't find the Talisman of Thunder.

'Could it be in another ruin?'

That would be a problem. If this commotion reaches the main tower of Torres Tower, security will be multiplied.

Or if this incident can't be concealed and the Ten Towers discover the collusion with Argyron, Torres Tower could be crushed entirely.

Either way, getting the Talisman of Thunder would become exceedingly difficult. I felt a growing headache.

'Staying here any longer is not a good choice. I should try to get out…'

Thud!

A strange rumble filled the middle level. It was a sound like leather being forcibly torn apart. I turned my eyes toward the source.

The mages of Argyron seemed to have realized that they couldn't fight the Silver Thread clump in an environment where it could continuously absorb mana. They were pulling it out of the middle level with strong telekinesis magic, like uprooting weeds.

The massive body, stretching tens of meters, was being dragged out. The sight of countless silver threads writhing was reminiscent of a giant centipede.

Other mages in the middle level, while the two agents of Argyron were holding the Silver Thread clump, moved towards the passage. They weren't abandoning them; they were expanding the entrance with explosive spells.

'Are they planning to drag the Silver Thread clump to the surface?'

It was a reasonable choice since fighting here would only lead to a prolonged battle unless they could incinerate the entire clump at once with high-output spells.

I moved only after they had dragged the Silver Thread clump to the surface.

'There was no Talisman of Thunder in the middle level either. I should see how the Silver Thread clump is dealt with and then decide whether to leave.'

***

Meanwhile, on the surface.

Troubleshooters were fleeing from the depths. A giant of lightning and storm clouds was chasing them, consuming people along the way.

Oddly enough, the giant was targeting the mages of Torres Tower,

allowing the troubleshooters to barely escape.

They ran straight to the morning assembly point. They could catch their breath here. Now they could find a boat or something to escape the island.

"Look over there!"

Panting troubleshooters looked up.

They saw the writhing Silver Thread Worm. The giant worm, large enough to stretch several dozen people lengthwise, was scattering silver threads, searching for prey.

The assembly point was an ideal place to fight the Silver Thread Worm, having no magical power. The mages of Argyron had lured it to the assembly point.

"What the hell…"

Boom!

A sound of thunder came from behind the stunned troubleshooters. It was the cry of a starving giant.

Orthes was heading towards that place.

To read over 260 fully translated episodes, patreon.com/Denji02