The walls of the duchess' manor was adorned with rich tapestries and the decorative items on display range from elegant paintings to ancient weapons captivating the diverse crowd as they walked through the front door leading to the hall.
One would assume that the interior of this manor resembles a museum. Every object not displayed on the wall was put in glass boxes.
Shaun could recognize the quality of the weapons as he walked by them.
He heard that the late duke was a weapons enthusiast.
Is the auction taking place tonight meant to sell all the weapons from his collection?
'Oh man I hope I can find a dragonsteel weapon here!'
Even if he can't get raw dragonsteel minerals tonight, he can buy a weapon made from the mineral and smelt it to built himself a weapon.
He already had a spear but its pole wouldn't be able to handle the striking power of a dragonsteel blade, which could even strike through concrete.
Shaun arrived in the great hall. It was as large as a small theatre. There were rows upon rows of chairs neatly aligned. Dozens of servants stood idly next to the walls with beverages on top of silver platters, in hand.
There was a large platform standing in front of the stairs with a lot of tables next to each other. No one could see what items were on the tables since every table was covered with white cloths.
Shaun moved through the crowd to get to the front seats. People have already begun sitting down.
'I made it.' He sat down and stared intently at the stage.
"Are you an adventurer, buddy?"
The person sitting next to Shaun spoke to him. It was a young man who looked about the same age as Shaun.
"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?"
The young man pointed at his chest.
"That copper plate around your neck. I've seen adventurers wear them."
"I see."
"Are you strong?" the young man asked an unexpected question.
Why would someone ask an F-ranker that stupid question? Shouldn't his rank be an determiner of his strength? No, there are many exceptions. Not every adventurer starts off weak.
Shaun was about to lie through his teeth but decided to just be honest.
"…I'm not strong at all."
"Oh." The young man looked away as if he lost interest.
'What the hell? Asking me that sort of question then ignoring me!? Who do you think you are!?'
"S-So, what are you here for?" Shaun decided to struck up a conversation.
"Stuff."
"O-Oh, me too! I'm here for a mineral that will increase the durability and power of my weapon. I wanted to buy higher quality armour at first but prioritized my weapon instead."
"Is that so."
"I heard dragonsteel can easily cut through an ogre's tough hide. Obtaining dragonsteel will help me get stronger much faster. Becoming stronger means I get to rise in rank. I can't join Misteltein while still an F-rank adventurer. Well, they'll let me join either way but I don't want to stay weak. I want to make it to B-rank at least."
"Misteltein…?" The young man turned back to Shaun, "You're part of Nova's guild…?"
"Yeah, you know him?"
'Why the sudden change in attitude, you bastard?'
"I… I fought him actually… Haha… I lost miserably… Acting so arrogant in front of the strong really humbled me once we fought…"
"You fought him!?"
--PLEASE KEEP YOUR VOICES DOWN WHILE THE HOST IS GETTING READY!
The announcer's voice resounded again.
Shaun asked again in a smaller voice, "You fought him…?"
"Yeah. I thought that maybe it was just a fluke. The guy couldn't be that strong. Maybe I was just tired or something. But no…" the guy scratched his head, "When I heard how he could easily take down a Frost Giant, it made my throat clog up… He could've killed me just as easily. I know my limits when it comes to fighting monsters but people are different. Back in my village, I could take down people much stronger than me. I had this false sense of confidence that blinded me from the truth—I'm just a little stronger and more talented than others.
I proved my strength to everyone in my village to the point where they recommended I join amateur tournaments but my mother wouldn't let me enter them. She said that I had to attend a martial arts institution first and secure a good position for myself at one of them. I hated her for controlling my life like that. She wanted me to follow in the footsteps of my father, grandfather and his father before him. I told her that I didn't want to join the MMA. I want to fight strong warriors! But… She wouldn't listen… I really wanted to make her proud but I knew that I had to sacrifice my dreams for that to happen. I can learn any martial art if I see it for the first time. Aren't I a genius? My mother wanted me to use that talent to rise through the ranks of the MMA. I wasn't interested because I wanted to join every tournament there is to fight strong warriors. The last person in my family to have this much potential was my ancestor, Isshin."
'…He sure does talk a lot...'
Despite being nothing but strangers, the guy told Shaun his whole life story.
"I told her that if she didn't let me live out my dream, I'd leave the household and go on my own journey. I can't forget the sadness in my mother's eyes. Did she see my father when she looked at me? The man who she could not control? The man who leads the MMA today?"
"Your father is the leader of the Murim Martial Alliance…?"
"Yeah, so what?"
'So… what…? How can you say that with nothing but pride!? He's one of the only pure martial arts users in the world!!'
Pure martial artists are considered the apex warriors in the martial world. It's said in legends that a warrior is reborn once they learn the secrets of a pure martial art. They inherit the potential, strength and wisdom of the martial art's previous masters.
It's unknown exactly how many pure martial masters exist today. It's speculated that the MMA's Leader, his brother and another "unknown" woman affiliated with Serz are the only pure martial masters alive today.
'Holy hell, no wonder this guy calls himself a genius… He inherited his dad's potential… I'm so jealous.' Shaun wanted to cry.
He couldn't even use beginner martial arts. He can only use three spearmanship skills.
"Oh, right. My name is Leonard. Nice to meet you."
"Uhm, I'm Shaun."
'Are you seriously changing the subject after dropping that massive bomb!?'
"No surname? Did you also abandon your family name like I did?"
"I… Yeah…"
"How did you end up joining Misteltein?" Leonard had a serious expression on his face as he asked.
"I'm not actually an official member yet. I still have to do the tests in the Newbie Program."
"Ah, that… I also tried to join the party by doing that program but I was kicked out. The Vice Guild Master said that I don't have the heart or spirit to become an adventurer."
"Why do you want to join Misteltein…?"
"To copy Nova's martial art." he said as a matter of fact.
"….."
"Joining his party will bring me closer to him. They say Nova isn't actually a martial art practitioner, only a regular swordsman but I disagree. His movements back when we fought didn't feel like that of a swordsman but a warrior."
"How can you tell?"
"His footwork. Knights learn stances first when they begin their training, but warriors learn footwork. Dodging, parrying or diverting the trajectory of weapons by hand, grappling enemies… that sort of thing. Knights usually suck at hand-to-hand combat, even the veterans have some faults in their moves. Nova can use a sword quite well but not to the level of a master or as good as me. He's just much stronger and faster than I am, but not as skilled in swordsmanship, you know? I've been watching him from afar and noticed that his swordsmanship is above an amateur but lower than a master. It's like he's only using an altered version of the elementary Imperial Swordstyle. The only reason even masters would fail to win against him is his incredible agility, powerful defence and ferocious striking power. His hand-to-hand combat is top notch. Even I couldn't read any of his moves. It didn't feel organic or repetitive but expansive and confusing, if that makes sense. It's like he was taught to never show his opponent his next move before attacking. He must've had a great master."
Shaun barely listened to what Leonard was talking about. It was all gibberish to him.
Why would there be that big of a difference in training between warriors and swordsmen/knights?
"You want to join a party yet you lack the qualities to become an adventurer." Shaun absentmindedly said that.
"Haha, indeed. I've never really cared about helping people, though. All I want is to learn martial arts, even if it's through copying from other people. I've copied only two. The rest are trash."
'…This guy is both shallow and interesting at the same time.'
"Tell you what, you can join my and Idalia's team on one condition."
"Eh? Why would I do that?"
"Just listen…" Shaun cleared his throat, "You're strong, right? Well, get this: Misteltein is planning on going on an S-rank mission. Won't that be the perfect opportunity to see what Nova can do? Surely he won't hold back when the mission is ranked S?"
There was a curious glint in his eyes.
"When will the mission start?"
"Even if I had that information, you really think I'd give it to some outsider?"
Leonard frowned for a second.
"…Do you know or not?"
Shaun merely shrugged with a smirk.
The reason he suggested Leonard join is due to how easy it would be to grind for levels with someone strong to aggro monsters while Shaun deals the finishing blow. It's a common thing in today's world that you can only level up if you're the one who kills the monsters.
It's possible to hire strong adventurers from B to S class parties but they are usually very expensive and charge by the hour. Shaun and Idalia doesn't have that kind of money to afford them.
"Idalia is going with them despite being a newbie like me. Why do you think that is? She's likeable," Shaun lied through his teeth, "All you have to do is gain the vice leader's approval while working for our party. Complete quests with us, help us rise in rank and make us popular with the higher ranked parties."
"Can't I just do it on my own…?"
"A guild doesn't accept lone adventurers. You're required to be in a party even if you're likeable. Then again, you wouldn't need to search far and hard if everyone likes you. They'll practically fall at your knees begging for you to join them. You're a genius, after all. Someone who doesn't appear often."
"Hooh, I never thought of it that way." Leonard crossed his arms.
He sat in silence for almost a minute with his eyes closed.
After a while…
"Alright, I'll join your little band."
"Great choice." Shaun patted his shoulder with an unusually wide grin, "But there is a condition before I let you join..."
"I can handle anything. Just tell me what to do, Leader." Leonard harrumphed.
'Kukuku, this guy is so stupid.' Shaun tried to hide his devilish smirk. Why is this guy so easy to deceive? He didn't even ask what the condition was. Oh well, if he's not interested in the condition then it means he doesn't mind beating monsters to the brink of death so that Shaun can finish them off.
'I suppose he's just that innocent and not a people-person. Well, in return for his contribution to the party, I'll help him with his social life.'
"By the way, you never said why you came here today."
"I'm looking for the books that my great-great grandfather Isshin left behind for future generations of leaders at the MMA. My father disposed of those books by selling it to auctions for a lot of money. I'm not sure yet which auction organization it was so I'm just going around to every auction that I end up hearing about."
"Oh, I see."
"The auction is starting."
At the same time that Leonard spoke, a single person walked out from behind the white curtains. The three headlights above the audience illuminated the young woman.
She tapped the floating echo crystal next to her to test if it was on.
-Uhm, hello everyone. My name is Ersa. I'm a former assistant of Madam Melissa Frin. Thank you for coming today. I know some of you must've come a long way when you heard about the items on auction tonight. I'd like to make a demonstration of one of these items. But first I would like to call an important guest tonight on the hologram screen behind me. He is the same man who nurtured and taught the current Archmage everything she knows. Please welcome Rubeus, the Grand Warden governing all Magic Towers.
The screen behind Ersa lit up.
--Hoho, what a great introduction to the auction, Miss Ersa.
An old man appeared on screen. He laughed heartily as he waved at the guests.
"I-Is that really the Grand Warden, Rubeus…?"
"I've only seen him one in the Holy Kingdom during a congress with the Pope."
"I can't believe I'm actually looking at the man who raised the Archmage…"
"He's still alive? Isn't this guy more than 200 years old then?"
--I see some familiar faces in the auction tonight, Miss Ersa, most of whom have lots of influence in the empire and the surrounding nations. It seems your hard work will turn out to be worth it. I'm glad.
Ersa momentarily smiled but maintained her composure.
-"I'd like to point out first that I am not working with Duchess Isolde in any way so I have no reason to speak untruths about the crystals tonight in order to manipulate the public. I will only interject if necessary. As you all know, magic crystals serve as catalysts or batteries in magic research. Mages typically don't delve into this kind of research unless they are employed by an institution like a Tower or if they enrol in a wizardry class. Why bring up my previous point? Well, mages only see crystals as tools while us wizards see them as something else entirely. They're the power of our research, the main component that allows us to study magic and reveal its secrets. I abandoned my profession as an Elite Mage two decades ago in order to study arcane theory. Only wizards use magic crystals to their fullest potential, while mages do not. This is exactly why we contribute so much to magic technology. Without us society wouldn't have discovered that dungeon cores and colossal-class crystals can be used to power up a kingdom's lights and industries. Now, you might ask how did wizardry become such a well-recognized profession?
It all started when Miss Ersa's grandfather's father, one of the founding fathers of wizardry, brought his idea forward to the Magic Towers—what if we could extract the mana imbedded inside magic crystals to power up our nations but reduce the impact our fuels have on the world? It was ludicrous to hear something like that at the time so his idea was shut down. However, he didn't give up even until his dying breath. A few shorts years after his death, other innovators and inventors put his idea into practice. His name was never brought up again.
His son inherited his love for innovation, furthering the invention known as Night Poles that illuminate our cities at night. His great-granddaughter before you inherited the passion to continue his son's research, and prove to the world that magic is not out of the reach of anyone in this world."
"What did he just say…? The girl is trying to let people, who don't have mana, cast magic?"
"What kind of stupid idea is that?"
"I want to believe that he means making Magic Sheets accessible to anyone but it doesn't seem like that's what he meant…"
There was a vocal minority amongst the auctioneers. Some even lost interest and left.
Shaun could see visible concern on the girl's face.
Rubeus' expression turned stern when he heard what people were saying about Ersa's idea.
-' Believing something to be false or impossible to achieve without any proof is truly the act of fools. No wonder most citizens fall for targeted propaganda easily—you question nothing. Humans were born to innovate and make things, that seem impossible to achieve at first glance, become possible. Humans who lack this sense of adventure and curiosity are boring."
"Lord Rubeus, if I may interject," Ersa spoke up.
-"Please do. I fear my voice won't be enough."
"Thank you." Ersa took something out of her pocket and held it up, "Do any of you know what I hold in my hand?"
One of the students in magician robes raised their hand, "It's a magic item that can determine abnormal or normal mana purification levels. Magicians in the medical field use them to see if their patients have normal purification levels."
It was a cube-shaped object with six magic crystals imbedded into every one of its sides.
"Correct. But you could also say that this item can identify who has the potential to become a mage."
-'Hoh.'
Rubeus lifted his eyebrows, seemingly realising why Ersa was showing the magic item.
"It can detect your purification levels. How much of the world's raw mana is your magic core purifying? Is your core healthy? Is it bound to your channels which allow you to cast magic? This simple item answers all three of those questions. It can only activate if a person infuses their mana into it. Allow me to demonstrate."
Nothing happened.
What's the point of showing us this, wondered Shaun.
-'As you can see, Miss Ersa is unable to activate the artifact.'
That was quite obvious. Still, what's—
A magic circle surrounded Ersa's right hand(the hand that wasn't holding the magic item).
Shocked whispers and gasps spread amongst the crowd. Some even jumped from their seats.
"H-How i-is t-that possible!?" an old woman, who wore a magician robe with the Second Magic Tower insignia, took off her glasses with trembling lips.
A magic circle was rotating around Ersa's hand despite the fact that the magic item wasn't activated.
-'Cast a spell, Miss Ersa. Show our guests that this is no mere trick.'
"Yes! 3rd Rank Magic – Cocoon Mass Heal!"
Golden particles shot out of the magic circle and flew over everyone's heads. Sparkling dust fell on everyone.
Shaun could feel most of his tiredness fade away like it wasn't there in the first place.
He looked up. A small spirit-like worm thing was shaking its body above him, seemingly breaking free from some shell.
It finally broke free!
A beautiful butterfly flew over Shaun—and everyone else's—head.
"Third-Rank Magic without an incantation or reduction of spell effects…" The old woman from before ran up to Ersa, "You must tell me the secret behind what you showed us!"
Ersa put the magic item down and opened the top of her shirt. Much to the disappointment of some, she only showed the top of her chest.
There was something in the middle of her chest.
"T-T-That's the… Larantheus Great Rune!" the old woman looked like she was about to faint.
On Ersa's almost bare chest was a marking that looked as if it was burnt into her flesh with a hot iron rod. One might even mistake it for a tattoo.
"Yes, it is as you said," Ersa turned around to make sure everyone can see the rune, "This rune allows me to connect my spiritual being to a soul of the past who was once a mage. Their potential was granted to me and this rune allows me to purify the mana of the world and cast magic. I do not need mana channels for this rune is all that is needed to connect my body to a spiritual core to allow me to cast magic."
"H-How is this possible…? I-I've read every single book in the towers pertaining to magic cores but none described creating a spiritual one that is bound between the living and dead, or shared across realms. Not only that, no records mention the Larantheus being capable of making such a thing possible. Then again… we lack a lot information pertaining to the great rune. All we have is a rough sketch of its internal formations."
"The Larantheus Rune's medallion—or known as Creation Rune in our tongue—has been in my family for several generations. My grandfather could never decipher the pieces on his own so he tried to find other ways to create a working artificial core, which claimed the lives of the few volunteers who believed in his dream."
The magic circle vanished, along with the golden butterflies.
"I was able to decipher the final pieces with the help of the people who made this auction possible." She stared at one of the guests amongst the crowd. It was a tall lady who wore all black and had white hair with half her face hidden under a veil. She smiled at Ersa.
-'Ahem, please tell everyone what relation the magic crystals share with the Great Rune.'
"Ah, I was getting too carried away. A Great Rune is a powerful blessing that requires certain conditions to be right before they can work. Some require the hatred of the gods, others the blood of innocents and few the sacrifice of a user's loved one. But this one," She ran her finger across the marking, "It requires lifeforce."
Shaun could hear several gasps.
'This is no small issue, I take it.'
"Then why…?"
-'To use the extraordinary powers of creation, one must sacrifice a great deal. Use the wrong catalyst then you'll die, trick another person into trading their lifeforce for your benefits then you'll be cursed by the Great Rune. Oh, it seems some of you are surprised. Yes, even a rune can curse you for misusing them.'
Ersa followed up on what Rubeus said:
"The powers of creation is a power that no normal catalyst can contain. Unless we possess the means to containing a power that was only meant to be wielded by gods." Ersa pulled off the white cloth from one of the tables.
A crimson light reflected from the chandeliers hanging overhead, onto the guests.
"Glorious… Powerful… Beautiful…" the old woman looked at the crimson crystals in a daze.
"May I present to you the crystals that will change the modern world as we know it!"