42 – Goblin Hunt ~Sequel~
“At the level of children beneath the fairy tales, there are three main aspects. ‘Abundance’, ‘Harmony’, ‘Dismissal’.”
Quite by chance, while following the magician from the enemy tower, I heard more details about the levels from Pingvales. The levels beneath the fairy tales are not strictly divided, but rather judged based on how much they have achieved in three aspects.
Abundance. Does one possess a sufficient amount of magical power to fill their body?
“It’s only after achieving Abundance that the external release of magic becomes possible. A representative example would be the creation of a magic sword.”
Harmony. Does one have the ability to manipulate magical power above a certain standard?
“It’s about whether you can use magic to strengthen your body or not. If the manipulation ability is lacking, the joints might explode with just a flick.”
Dismissal. Has one developed the sense to read the flow of magical power?
“It’s about reading the signs of a spell being cast or tracking the trajectory of the opponent’s attack. It’s usually an ability that can be accumulated through real combat.”
“Regarding that and the mercenary grade… and the castle mentioned by the enemy mage, is there any connection?”
“If you achieve one out of the three, it’s 1st grade; two achievements make it 2nd grade. That’s how it goes.”
It seemed easy to memorize, as if attaching game grades.
“1st grade is a 4th-grade mercenary, 2nd grade is a 3rd-grade, and 3rd grade is a 2nd-grade mercenary.”
No, it wasn’t.
“…If I submit a petition to the Mercenary Association, can they change the grade name?”
“They say petitions have been flying in for 50 years. 1st grade is 4th-grade, in Bronze rank, 3rd grade is 2nd-grade, in Gold rank. Please, at least unify the units.”
I briefly thought that even if I printed a high-quality picture of Bunny Girl Centra and handed it to the 2nd Prince, the Mercenary Association might not unify the units. The future I saw was the 2nd Prince bringing an army to arrest me the moment he saw the Centra erotic image. Some thoughts are best left as thoughts.
“How powerful is the insane mage?”
“Above average.”
“In terms of level.”
“I’ll show you right now.”
First, ‘Abundance.’
Simply drawing up mana caused it to flow like streams over my palm. While at it, I tried coiling it into a rose shape and even transformed it into a dove before letting it fly.
It was worthwhile having a daily routine of sipping mana-enhancing drinks. Thanks to that, the mana meter seemed to have been pierced a long time ago.
“This… has achieved ‘Harmony’ too.”
“Body enhancement, you mean?”
“Where does a mage need body enhancement? I’ve heard that mages have a separate spell for ‘Harmony Achievement Measurement,’ but if that’s the case, it should be quite effortless.”
“Now, for the last one, ‘Crushing Blow.’ How does this look?”
“Shall I do it?”
“Let me try… Ouch!”
Before the words could finish, Pingbalrez’s fist grazed my forearm. It hurt. I blinked and stared at Pingbalrez.
“You asked for it. Looks like you couldn’t handle ‘Dabpa.’ Judging by your slow reaction.”
Without looking back, Pingchungrez fled. For the first time in my life, I enhanced my body with magic, raised a hundredfold hypnotic magic in both hands, and chased after Pingchungrez.
In the pursuit of burning anger, the magical sorcerer from the enemy tower watched with a disdainful expression.
————-
In the end, my level was below fairy tales, concluding at less than 3 stars.
Converted with a damn tangled mercenary-style grading system, it meant I was at the level of a second-rate mercenary like Tearpoint Guy.
Although I couldn’t read Pingbalrez’s punch, the flow of the magic sorcerer from the enemy tower was clear. It seems the flow and prelude of someone with a high level are not easy to see.
Pingbalrez himself said, “It’s not shameful not to read the attack of the strong.”
In the midst of the pursuit, we also finished scouting nearby. Despite checking every possible place where mercenaries could hide, there was no sign. There were traces of a few people passing by, but that was it.
Returning to the magic sorcerer from the enemy tower, the goblin enclave was right in front of us.
The magic sorcerer greeted us warmly.
“Why didn’t you just go ahead as it is… Why are you carrying him again?!”
“My lord cannot run for more than 10 minutes a day.”
What a shame.
I was caught in my own failure of not knowing that strengthening the body through magic puts a significant strain on muscles. I thought it would be fine if I controlled the magic properly, but with a body condition slightly better than anchovies, I couldn’t withstand an intense pursuit and scouting.
So, despite being a bit embarrassing, I was being carried by Pingbalrez.
The goblin enclave was on a plain next to the forest.
The buildings of the goblin stronghold were constructed with simple wood and animal hide, adorned with their own primitive decorations, like patterns made with primitive dyes.
The appearance was exactly what one would expect upon hearing the three-letter name. Green-skinned, pointy-nosed dwarves. Their weapons were nothing to write home about either. Pointy sticks or large rocks.
Truly unremarkable monsters.
If their number hadn’t exceeded a hundred, the village youth might have been able to drive them away.
“⋯⋯So that’s why the village youth couldn’t get rid of them?”
If there were around ten, they could have probably been dispelled with a burst of rage, but with over a hundred, they had no choice but to hire mercenaries. I discreetly glanced at the chief magician. How could he confidently stride in knowing all this?
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“Seems a little nervous, huh?”
“A bit nervous, yes.”
“Not nervous at all?!”
As if a switch had been flipped, he abruptly aimed his staff at the center of the goblin stronghold, ready to unleash a spell. Didn’t he have to follow the traditional hunting order of dealing with the ranged attackers first?
“It’s time for the illusionist to shine.”
I also wanted to conduct a practical test. The weaknesses of illusion magic are as follows:
1) It lacks direct lethality, so it’s rarely fatal.
2) Like when a blinded ogre hit a blind spot and caused a variable.
3) When the magic is blocked, there’s nothing to be done, just like the bitter defeat by a cleaning golem.
“However, it exerts great restraint if it passes through, doesn’t it?”
“You’re not talking about losing to a cleaning golem⋯⋯.”
I hadn’t thought of a way to address the weakness of (1) yet. Ideas like giving the sensation of the moment of my death or inducing cardiac arrest with extreme fear are rough, and border on “please, just die.”
But (2) and (3) have been addressed.
Fantasy magic aims to penetrate the psychic barrier of Pixielectron. The psychic barrier fundamentally operates like an antivirus program, excluding anything ‘harmful to oneself’…
Think of the longstanding conflict between viruses and vaccines. Drawing inspiration from that ancient war, I crafted magic.
“『Trojan Horse』, 『Dispersed Incantation』, 『Resonating Echo』, 『Reassembly』.”
I cover the malicious information of fantasy magic to make it appear harmless. Then, I break it into pieces. The part of reading the opponent’s movements and embedding it in the mind is changed to an area-wide spell, given the situation. Malicious information reflected from landmarks is made to split.
The fragmented and disguised magic loses its meaning. The moment it hits the target, the divided information is reassembled. Despite going through a somewhat tedious process, the penetrative power of magic increases several times over.
Those who didn’t prepare for fantasy magic or have weak minds are in for a surprise.
Moreover, the variables of fantasy magic adapt actively. Controlling players who cause unexpected actions seems to be the GM’s specialty.
“『Trembling Heart』, 『Ominous Omen』, 『Mind Control』, 『Marionette』.”
Weaving the story. Goblin A suddenly realized one day that he had a very plausible idea. To change goblin society into a new structure, he gathered other goblins and began the story…
Goblin B was mourning for Goblin A. To fulfill her long-standing love, she planned a surprise event. It was to gather as many goblins as possible and then publicly confess her feelings…
“They are gathering.”
“Yes, they are gathering well.”
“W-What did you just do?!”
The tower mage opened his eyes wide and looked at me. It was hard to pinpoint exactly where he was surprised. Was it the efficiency of fantasy magic that required casting eight spells to gather goblins neatly?
“No, just now, I split the magic and stopped… It’s not like a person has ten heads, how…”
It seemed like pure admiration. Unconsciously, I shrugged my shoulders. And generously conceded the most delicious part, the finishing blow.
“Goblins are gathered. Blow them away with one shot.”
“…Sure, whatever your identity is, we need to capture the goblins first. 『Fiery Breath of the Fire Elemental』!”
Snap.
The flaming radiation, heating the air intensely, struck right in the middle of the swirling goblin crowd. The smell of searing protein wafted as the burning goblins screamed and scattered in all directions.
“I tried my best to suppress my control.”
“…Flame magic is just a scam.”
“Aren’t you just gathering goblins like me using extraordinary methods…?!”
Even while capturing the remaining goblins one by one, the mercenaries were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps, with their keen insight, they knew that we were stronger than them and ran away.
It was rather fortunate.
————-
From Noble mtl dot com
Selvia. Hailing from Sanjevi Village. 19 years old. Virgin. Affiliated with the Crimson Matap. Level 2. Accepted into the Academy.
It was a series of glorious titles. To enter the Matap at a young age meant that she possessed exceptional talent. This marked a turning point upon her final acceptance into the Academy.
The reason the Academy was run, even at the risk of gathering individuals of noble status, was to guarantee unconditional growth. Even if a talentless person were to enroll, it promised at least one level of improvement.
Selvia had already achieved “Harmony” and “Dismissal.” The Academy would find the missing piece of “Abundance” for her.
With Level 3 in sight, becoming an elite magician of the Crimson Matap was already certain. If luck was on her side, she could even reach the realm of legends… she could become a disciple of the Scarlet Tower Master.
Visiting her hometown before enrolling was to shed any remaining attachments.
She was tired of potato farming. She disliked the villagers who looked down on her. Since entering the Matap, she hadn’t even glanced back at her hometown. However, there was one thing, if there were any lingering attachments… it was her childhood friend.
The only person in this village who accepted her and supported her dream of becoming a magician, a boy.
At some point, the boy became untraceable in the village.
When asking the village adults, they said he had been sold to a Matap.
For some reason, when she recalled the boy’s face, his features were blurry, and she couldn’t remember his name… but somewhere in the past, he had undoubtedly left behind precious memories.
Maybe.
Just maybe, by some chance. Hadn’t that boy visited the land of her hometown? Perhaps he had exceptional talent, grew up receiving beauty in the sold Matap, became a wonderful magician, and didn
As expected, there was no such thing.
I hate the village. But what had angered the mercenaries trying to pocket the village’s money was the thought that, someday, when a childhood friend returned to the village, at least the form of the village should remain.
Encountering the peculiar duo with strange heads was unexpected.
On the way back after dealing with the goblins, the illusionist with a slightly odd demeanor walked ahead, heading back to the village. The beautifully dressed lady who claimed to be a noble walked beside him.
Even with a sidelong glance, nothing could be discerned about the noble lady. At least, she was someone who had reached a level higher than oneself. There was no reason for someone to set foot in a rural village.
Selvier asked directly.
“Who are you people? Both of you.”
“As I mentioned, we are Sir Duke and his maid.”
“If you’re going to impersonate nobility next time… at least show the decency to dye your hair, okay?”
The noble lady, as if she had no intention of deceiving, pulled the corners of her mouth, smiling. It was irritating to think, “Then what can you do?”
It was a momentary deception by her shamelessness.
The pink-haired one was shameless too, but how could a magician with jet-black hair shamelessly pretend to be a noble? When she spoke formally in the middle, she even inadvertently believed her deception.
Realizing that the mediocre noble was in disguise, was when she witnessed the illusionist’s magic. Breaking, twisting, and using magic consecutively to control the goblin horde.
It was like throwing multiple puzzle pieces onto different tracks and assembling them 100 meters ahead. Despite having erected a mental barrier, there was a reason why she fell victim to the ‘overflow’ magic.
“Red Witch Master is always dissatisfied. To the point of itching ears. Saying she lost the masterpiece of the Archmage to self-destruction… You know her, right?”
“Well…”
“The world is vast. I’m someone envied as a genius too.”
It didn’t seem like she could win. Even before the difference in status, there was an enormous gap in calculation speed. Perhaps, the magician didn’t know that he could drive a wedge into someone who had surpassed him in status.
Something beyond status.
“…Calling that the talent of an Archmage.”
“Has the young master developed any rational interest?”
“Absolutely not!”
————-
While wandering around the village, it seemed like I had finally found my father.