To enter the seal of Rutilus Akron, a few preparations are necessary.
Karuns mentioned that the seal was hastily established with many sacrifices made, barely managing to achieve it.
Because of this, a barrier has been placed around the seal, making it completely inaccessible.
Additionally, numerous traps are laid out, so if someone approaches, those traps will activate immediately, flooding the entire area of the seal.
“I’ll deactivate all the traps. However, my authority only extends to outside the seal, so you’ll have to rely on your own strength to navigate through inside.”
Be careful, as I don’t even know what’s deep inside the seal.
“That sounds a bit irresponsible.”
“This much should fulfill the price you mentioned, right?”
Karuns chuckled while I nodded.
Surely, this is enough.
Just as I was about to head towards the place Redberry had shown me, he suddenly stopped me.
“But… I don’t know if it’s coincidence or fate, but did you come together on purpose?”
“Pardon?”
“You two, I mean.”
Redberry and I exchanged glances.
Blue hair and red hair.
This combination perfectly matches the situation here.
Moreover, since Redberry is a fire-using mage, her abilities are almost identical to those of Rutilus.
[That’s true]
[Oh]
[?]
[Wait, did you just realize that now?]
[Didn’t you purposely match it?]
[Red and blue are indeed fundamental]
I shook my head.
“I didn’t really have that thought.”
“Is that so?”
He nodded and waved his hand.
A gust of moist wind blew, and a gate of blue light appeared beneath our feet.
“Well then. Have a good trip.”
My vision shifted.
■
The ancient war.
As a result, most of the memories of the past were buried, leaving only a blue light in this land.
The only places to see red light are a minuscule part of the Blue-Red Stone and the top of the volcanic island.
Even those are gradually fading away.
However, upon arriving near the seal, it was distinctly different.
Red and blue.
A forest composed of these two colors welcomed us, and since it’s Rutilus’s seal, it seems like there’s even more red.
[This feels kind of eerie]
[Can’t we just smash our way in?]
[Let’s finish quickly and get the entrance exam “done.”]
“We should finish quickly. Don’t worry.”
I was planning to trade and return within a few hours anyway.
That way, I could quickly proceed with preparations for the Academy and also enter the Space of Despair.
Thud.
We stepped into the area of the seal.
As Karuns said, all the traps laid on the ground were indeed deactivated.
I was in a released state.
I arrived at a place that looked like the entrance to a labyrinth after passing through traps.
It seemed neglected, with gray bricks entangled by stems growing chaotically.
“I’m already feeling uneasy.”
I wonder what’s going to happen inside.
■
Piiing!
An arrow flies toward me.
I lightly deflect the arrow, but this time thorns shoot up from beneath my feet.
Crash!
I smashed the thorns without a care and went deeper inside.
This time, arrows came from both sides and below.
“There sure are a lot of them.”
As expected, I either deflected or smashed them.
[This is easy]
[The traps don’t seem like much]
[Shouldn’t have fallen for it in the first place lol]
[Just typical ranker basics]
I’m quite familiar with traps like these in dungeons.
In the past, there were many ancient beasts, and various races, including humans, built dungeons to worship or seal them.
So during my travels around the world, I saw and disarmed such traps quite a bit.
It wasn’t like I was wandering around just to break seals, though.
Hoping for a little peace in the world, it was rather beneficial if seals remained intact.
The very reason they were all tossed into the Space of Despair was to prevent them from causing trouble.
The problem is that as the seal has lasted so long, it seems it might break for various reasons.
“Or maybe due to the aftermath of war.”
During that time, the world was in chaos, and it wasn’t uncommon for entire areas to be obliterated without a trace due to the conflict between Celestials and the Demon Race.
It’s only natural for seals to be shaken and broken due to the war’s impact.
I kept dismantling traps while glancing to the side.
Redberry was also skillfully using fire magic to neutralize the traps.
“You seem familiar with this.”
“Oh, I’ve visited dungeons like these often. I’m a bit used to it.”
Saying that, Redberry extended her staff.
Whoosh! Flames shot up in a straight line, destroying the magical circuits that maintained the traps.
It seemed like magic slightly altered from her original skill.
She turned to me with a look that said, “Is this how you do it?”
“Excellent.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve been working hard on improving it.”
“Looks like there’s been some development since class.”
“Yes. My overall prowess has increased, and the consumption of magical power has reduced significantly. Oh! My rank has also gone up. 97th place.”
“Oh.”
You’ve entered the top 100.
[Oh]
[Leveling up, lol]
[Being in the top 100 means only the really skilled people are there.]
[97, wow.]
[But still, Lily is on another level.]
[What’s the Sword Saint up to these days?]
‘97th place, huh…’
For sure, Deoen is loaded with rankers.
If a mere 97th-ranked mage like Redberry had existed in the past, they’d have been called a living sage.
They would have been referred to as a savior or ruler of an entire continent, surpassing even kingdom-level status.
Leo would nearly have been called a god.
‘If they had existed, the world might have been a bit more peaceful.’
Feeling a tinge of bitterness, I quickened my steps.
How deep had I gone anyway?
“This is the lowest floor.”
“…It’s creepy, isn’t it?”
We’ve arrived at the lowest floor of the seal.
The immense stone door reveals the overwhelming red mana.
A different kind of intense heat from Wenetus touches my skin.
Celestials usually don’t feel much temperature difference, but it’s quite hot right now.
“Could it be submerged or something?”
“Just a moment.”
I halted Redberry, who was hesitating.
It’d be a shame to just walk in like this…
[Let’s open the door.]
[Let’s smash it with a hammer, lol.]
[It’s been a while since I used a “key.”]
[Lololololololol.]
[Key (Physical).]
“By the way, aren’t you using the red hammer anymore?”
At least a millennium’s worth of accumulated mana.
Mana with this kind of heat is a high-concentration energy source.
While it might be considered extremely toxic to Wenetus, it’s a valuable resource for those who wield ‘fire.’
“Miss Redberry.”
And here’s a fire-wielding mage.
“Yes.”
“Do you think you’d like to get stronger?”
“Huh? Of course.”
“Well then, that’s settled.”
“What do you mean?” Redberry questioned.
Ignoring her, I approached her from behind.
Then I gathered a portion of the red mana and drew a magic circle.
“I’ll give you a quick lesson. Care to kneel and sit inside this circle for a moment?”
“Uh… sure!”
[Lily: Kneel!]
[Oh my!]
[This might be a bit precious.]
[Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.]
[Lily loves S…]
[Yena, emergency!]
[Lolololololololololol.]
“…It’s a lesson. A lesson.”
What weird thoughts is she having?
As I glared at the camera for a moment, the chat window flooded with lololols.
“I’m kneeling.”
“Good. Originally, this was going to be an academy class, but I’ll let you know in advance. You know about breathing techniques, right?”
“It’s about accumulating mana in the body, right?”
“Exactly. By breathing, you accumulate the mana dispersed in the air into your body.”
Mana is present everywhere in nature.
Mana has a cyclical nature, repeatedly entering and exiting through the breathing of living beings or through certain parts of the body.
Suction in and out through specific body parts, repeat.
But as it literally means “circulation,” it doesn’t stay in one place for long.
If the amount of mana entering the body is 100, then only about 1 remains, and 99 exits again.
Therefore, most mages acquire the mana dispersed in nature through tools like staffs, or by inscribing their bodies, or with mysterious relics.
However, it’s close to being a one-time deal, making it no easy task to permanently increase mana.
“Mages have a skill called ‘Mana Breathing.’ I think it’s a really good technique.”
In the past, mages struggled to accumulate as much mana as possible.
Now, there’s just a convenient technique like “if you stay in a place with a certain amount of mana for a certain time, your mana permanently increases by 1.”
“But as convenient as it is, the amount isn’t very high.”
Ultimately, to accumulate mana properly, one needs certain methods.
“Breathe deeply. At this time, the mana needs to move along as well. You’ve already learned how to move mana, right?”
Redberry nods, closes her eyes, and inhales.
The mana from the heat spread across the lower level gets sucked into Redberry’s body.
Huff… During the long breathing period, most of the mana exits.
She’s still not breathing properly.
“Focus more. Draw circles in your body. Apply the circulating flow to your body.”
“…Circle…”
Soooop…
Once again, she sucks in mana.
At the same time, she places her palm near her spine.
Then she slightly twists to help the circulation.
Twitch!
In an instant, her slightly hunched back straightens up, and a circle forms before it collapses again.
“Concentrate.”
“Uh… yeah…”
[LOL]
[How can you concentrate like that, professor?]
[I’m jealous]
[Teach me the breathing method! Teach me the breathing method! Teach me the breathing method!]
[Don’t you teach the mouth breathing method?]
[Is this crazy academy going to provide all that once you enroll?]
[???]
[Starting today, I’m going to meditate in the Elbrite Kingdom]
Soooop…
Perhaps due to the heat, the red-faced Redberry sucks in mana again.
A red circle imprints on her body…
“Ugh?!”
Flames soared from her!
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