Noble Soul (9)

Ledertrix VI Black Thunderstorm No. 7.

This was the nickname of the airship favored by Aryumun Blusun, the chairman of the Magical Society.

The cost of a single airship was astronomical, and the maintenance expenses were so high that it seemed impossible for an individual to own one. However, this did not apply to the upper echelon. Although Aryumun did not enjoy accumulating wealth, he was quite passionate about his airship collection.

Whirr...!!

The loud noise of the mana engine, loaded with tuning, echoed throughout the dock of the third World Tree, Namuhwaran.

Psssh-!

Thanks to the elves who recognized Aryumun's arrival through the airship's signal and reported it in advance, the elder of Namuhwaran, Suhaksan, was able to greet him in time.

"Hoho, Aryumun. It's been a while."

"Old man Suhaksan, you still look robust."

"Although I'm glad you visited so suddenly, to be honest, I'm more surprised."

"Ah, I apologize for not giving you a heads-up."

Aryumun approached him with a tired expression and offered a handshake. Suhaksan's eyebrows twitched.

'Still an unpleasant fellow.'

A handshake was a typical human custom spread by humans. It was customary for the visitor to follow the elf's culture, but Aryumun, as always, did not respect the other's culture.

Great Mage Aryumun Blusun firmly believed in human superiority.

Of course, his belief in superiority had its reasons.

Humans had the highest proportion of existing 8-class mages, and historically, more than half of the mages who reached the divine realm of the 9-class were humans. It was also presumed that the First Mage was a human.

Moreover, Aryumun himself was one of the less than ten 9-class mages on the continent, so Suhaksan had no choice but to accept his handshake without complaint.

"What brings you here?"

However, if Aryumun had come after hearing about the World Tree's pollution, Suhaksan had no intention of requesting his cooperation.

No way would he involve humans in matters related to the sacred World Tree.

Fortunately, Aryumun seemed to have come for a different reason.

He handed Suhaksan a 'Black Mage Countermeasure Magic Search Cooperation Request.'

"Hmm!"

Suhaksan, looking at the unexpected request, made a low groan.

Showing that document in such a public place meant openly stating, 'It seems there are black mages around, so we are going to search your area.'

If there was clear evidence, the Magic Department had absolute power in the search for black mages, making refusal impossible.

This was a provision all races had agreed to, so no matter how much Suhaksan was the elder of Namuhwaran, he could not refuse... but.

There were still limits to consider.

He could not allow the sacred World Tree to be disturbed just to catch a single fly.

"I will review this carefully."

Suhaksan accepted the document and slowly went over its contents.

...Not long after, his eyes widened in shock.

"Is this... really true?"

"Yes. We know it's very rude of us to ask, but please, we need your cooperation. It's a very troublesome situation right now."

Black Mage Cherliban.

Before he disappeared decades ago, he was the legendary black mage responsible for tens of thousands of casualties.

'No, it's not certain yet. This is just circumstantial evidence. But...!'

If the contents of the document were true, Cherliban was highly likely to have headed to Namuhwaran's orchard.

By now, he could already be hiding somewhere here.

'This is...'

The risk level was much higher than he thought.

This was not a matter to refuse out of pride.

"...Can we move somewhere else to discuss this?"

When Suhaksan spoke in a heavy voice, Aryumun nodded willingly. Given the urgent situation, it was fortunate that the conversation was progressing well.

Quiet.

Cold glass shards floated in the air, constantly pricking my skin.

I sat cross-legged in front of Leafanel, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths. To be precise, I was carefully operating the [Tae Ryeong Breathing Technique].

I had long since removed my gas mask.

If asked if it wasn't dangerous, I could definitely say it was. It might have shortened my lifespan, and I might collapse before long.

But there was a reason why I had to do this.

[Analyzing mana concentration in the air...]

The bulbul glasses are not all-powerful.

When attempting something new, 'I' must make contact with it.

The reason I could analyze magic by just looking at it until now was because the source of the magic was 'magic circles' and 'runes.' These could be interpreted just by looking at them.

However, some advanced magic required not just visual analysis but also mana contact. The high-density mana scattered in Leafanel's garden was of such a type.

It was impossible to analyze just by looking at it with a gas mask on.

Breathing it in directly was also risky...

'With the Tae Ryeong Breathing Technique, it might be possible.'

Accepting mana into the body and then expelling it again. If I could use my body like a waterwheel, without absorbing the toxic mana into my body, I could breathe as much as I wanted.

"Hoo..."

The Tae Ryeong Breathing Technique required at least a few dozen seconds to activate, and if attempted while moving, it could take minutes.

Was it easy to maintain?

Not at all.

The moment I had stray thoughts, the Tae Ryeong Breathing Technique would dissipate, requiring extreme concentration.

After receiving the blessing of the Scarlet Spring(yeonhung chunsamwol), this had been somewhat alleviated.

Even during the chaotic battle with the witch last time, not once did the Tae Ryeong Breathing Technique break.

But now...

'What is this feeling?'

It's not just that it's easier to maintain. Come to think of it, have I ever seriously trained the Tae Ryeong Breathing Technique after receiving the blessing of the Scarlet Spring?

Of course, I had been training steadily, but that was just repetitive daily practice, not research for improvement.

But today, as I desperately squeezed out the Tae Ryeong Breathing Technique to control the concentration of tainted mana, I began to sense something gradually.

Even with my eyes closed, I could almost see the flow of mana, and I was able to mix my will into it a bit.

When I came to my senses, I found myself standing up without realizing it.

I reached out into the air.

Where did I put my sword?

I couldn't remember, so I merely mimed holding a sword with my bare hands.

I don't have a special swordsmanship.

Just simple slashing, thrusting, and striking.

That's the only swordsmanship I possess.

However, that alone isn't enough to face a mage. Ha Tae-ryeong, who taught me the breathing techniques long ago, said this:

'The key to magical combat is distance control.'

The essence of magical combat is to move out of the magic's range and then back in to strike the vital points.

I don't have swordsmanship, but I have tactics.

In the past, Ha Tae-ryeong practiced his steps to the extreme by honing the delay of magic leakage to execute the above method. However, how swift can an ordinary human's steps be?

It was much slower than the leaps used by knight-type mages and had less instantaneous output than power jumps.

Ha Tae-ryeong had no choice but to overcome this through constant battles and experience... but I don't need to do that.

I have a unique magic that no other mage possesses.

'As long as I can activate the Tae Ryeong Breathing Technique at will.'

Until now, the long preparation time meant I would inevitably be at a disadvantage at the start of the battle.

But with the help of YeonHong chun's blessing, if I can delve into the mental realm without restriction, that's not impossible.

'Maybe... I might be able to maintain the Tae Ryeong Breathing Technique all the time.'

If I could imprint the Tae Ryeong Breathing Technique in a corner of my mind and make it my normal breathing.

Not only could I move freely in this mana-filled space... Ha Tae-ryeong's dream of 'immortality' might also become possible.

Of course, I don't particularly want to live a long life...

'Ugh!'

Perhaps because I was too focused, I passed through the mental realm... into a deeper, more profound mental world.

It was like being in the deep sea at midnight, where I couldn't see anything and couldn't discern directions.

'This is... dangerous.'

I felt as if I would never be able to return if I sank any further, so I desperately swam towards the surface.

'I need to wake up.'

With only that thought in mind, I frantically moved towards the sky.

Suddenly!

Someone grabbed my collar.

It wasn't a strong grip. It was a weak hand that I could easily shake off.

But something bothered me, so I looked down at the deep sea in the mental realm.

'...Leafanel?'

There was a spirit in the form of a young girl. She opened her lips with an ambiguous expression that was hard to read, but her voice was inaudible.

But more than that, I had a question.

'Why is Leafanel here?'

Wasn't this my mental realm? Then, I remembered that she and I were connected by soul.

'If it's here...!'

I could ask why Leafanel ended up like this.

I grabbed her shoulders and shouted loudly.

'Leafanel! Answer me! Who did this to you?'

But as if she couldn't hear my voice, Leafanel tilted her head and moved her lips.

I couldn't hear her.

'Damn it. Do I need to go deeper?'

I quickly dismissed that thought.

Leafanel seemed to have come up from somewhere deep in the abyss, and if I went any deeper, I felt like I would lose my way back.

'That is...'

At the edge of the endless abyss, something like a small purple butterfly was flickering. That place was... Leafanel's mental realm. If I swam towards that butterfly, I could enter her mind.

'...I can't do that.'

I slowly let go of Leafanel's hand. Although I wanted to take her out immediately, forcibly waking her up now that she was tainted by black magic would be extremely dangerous.

'I'll come for you soon.'

I mouthed these words to Leafanel. She seemed to understand, as she rarely smiled faintly.

Then she fell away into the deep abyss, waving her hand like an innocent child seeing someone off, which tugged at my heart.

Bubbles!

Leaving Leafanel behind, I struggled out of the deep sea in the mental realm and surfaced, and at that moment, my eyes flew open and I came to my senses.

"Hoo...!"

My whole body felt refreshed.

After sitting in meditation for so long, my legs should have been numb, but I felt as refreshed as if I had just woken up.

[Analysis complete]

[Reporting the results.]

Just as the bulbul glasses' analysis finished and I was about to read the contents, another message caught my attention even more.

"Huh?"

A system message not from the bulbul glasses, but purely granted to me.

Notifications were flooding in.

[Skill 'Magic Leakage Delay' level has increased!]

[Your overall stats have greatly increased.]

[You can handle your strength more delicately, your body becomes more agile, and your mind becomes clearer.]

[Your vision becomes clearer, allowing you to see objects more distinctly.]

[Your senses sharpen, allowing you to perceive things you couldn't before.]

Seeing a type of message I had never seen before, I was left feeling bewildered.

"What the heck is going on..."

It seems that until now... I haven't been using even 1% of the blessing of the Twelve Gods