Chapter 43

It was quite exciting to look at the distant ground from an airship flying in the sky.

What should I say?

Should I describe it as time melting away when you stare blankly at it when you have nothing to do?

It was perfect for killing time.

Today, after finishing my morning training and taking a break, I was idly admiring the scenery when a sudden question arose.

Where was this airship headed now? A very basic question.

If this were D&K, the next destination would be Stage 1-4.

This was commonly referred to as a boss stage.

One peculiar thing was that the boss stage was divided into 1-4a and 1-4b, and players could choose one according to their preference.

Stage 1-4a was convenient from the Alliance's perspective.

Ahinlab Fortress.

It was called one of the impregnable fortresses the kingdom boasted of.

Behind this lay a sad reality: the quality of the mana sources that could be obtained here, with very special exceptions, was not particularly good.

Therefore, high-ranking players had no reason to visit, which is why it bore the name 'impregnable fortress'.

In reality, if even one high-ranking player appeared, the impregnable fortress would turn into a straw house.

However, for players operating in Stage 1, Ahinlab Fortress was an unyielding wall that could never be overcome.

The Alliance's role was to hunker down in the fortress and shoot down invading White Hero soldiers.

It was a relatively simple task.

Conversely, Stage 1-4b was a place where the offense and defense were reversed.

Samuera, the Sky Island.

It was literally an island floating in the sky, and its principle... I didn't know.

I wasn't interested, so I didn't try to find out.

In the past, it was Alliance territory, but currently, White Hero occupied it, and the Alliance consistently attacked the place to retake the territory.

'I'd prefer Ahinlab Fortress if possible.'

As a swordsman, it was difficult for me to perform well in a fortress.

However, even if we went to Samuera, the Sky Island, it would be just as difficult to perform in my current physical condition.

In that case, waiting for my body to recover in the relatively safe Ahinlab Fortress before heading to Samuera would be the best option.

Sadly, I was not an Odin commander right now, so I had no authority to choose the stage.

All authority rested with Selina, the commander, and Selina herself would likely have to follow orders from above rather than her own will.

"Unit 917, assemble!"

The moment I had been waiting for finally arrived.

At Selina's call, all Unit 917 members, including myself, gathered on the deck.

The old man was still sending curious glances from that corner, but Selina neatly ignored him and did what she had to do.

"I will now brief you on the next mission. Our destination is Samuera, the Sky Island!"

"..."

I almost sighed.

I knew it, but it seemed nothing was going to be easy.

But what could I do?

I was a low-ranking soldier.

If the higher-ups ordered it, I had to obey.

"The goal is to retake Samuera, and a total of six units, including Unit 917, will participate in the operation simultaneously. Well... to be honest, although I said 'retake,' I think the possibility of succeeding with only six units is very low. Even the higher-ups instructed this mission with a 'good if it happens, but no big deal if it doesn't' attitude, so there's no need to overexert ourselves... Oh, wait a minute."

Selina paused her briefing.

Her rank insignia was flashing red repeatedly.

She lightly tapped the insignia with her finger, and a heavy middle-aged man's voice came through with a slight static.

[This is Ahinlab Fortress. I am Count Drman, the guardian of the fortress, and this communication is being sent to all Alliance airships flying in the kingdom's airspace. Currently, White Hero airships are gathering around the fortress.]

"…?"

I was puzzled.

White Hero airships appearing at the fortress was a common occurrence.

White Hero players weren't fools.

Knowing that attacking the fortress alone wouldn't achieve anything, they always found users with matching times, formed teams, and launched attacks.

This was known as party play.

After accumulating some achievements and recapturing mana sources to develop their units, they would finally graduate from the long Stage 1.

And move on to Stage 2.

Of course, even with party play, it only reduced risk factors; recapturing the fortress was out of the question.

It was an unthinkable dream.

And the Alliance, too, knew that their built-up fortress would firmly hold, so even if White Hero airships appeared, they wouldn't make a fuss and ask for support.

In other words, this communication itself was unusual.

"..."

Unlike the other members, Selina's expression stiffened as she recognized the problem.

The communication continued.

[The number currently identified is 9 ultra-small and 3 small. The number of enemy airships is increasing in real-time.]

"...W-Wait a minute. Twelve airships?!"

Selina finally couldn't hold back and shrieked.

I, too, was as surprised as I had ever been, even if I couldn't scream.

If I could use my authority, I would have used the Eye that Seeks Truth without hesitation to check the players' chat windows.

'It seems someone is seriously trying to capture the fortress. Novice players wouldn't attempt such a bold move, and other players wouldn't cooperate... Could it be someone from Stage 2 came down? Why would they do that?'

Stage 1 wasn't called Stage 1 for nothing.

Unless it was a very special situation, the mana sources that could be obtained were all similar in quality, so as one's level and unit size increased, efficiency decreased.

Therefore, players who were active in Stage 2 never came down to the lower stages.

Moving an airship alone cost a lot of money.

That meant that if no benefit was gained from moving the airship, it would result in a direct loss.

Yet, this situation had occurred, which meant...

"...It's a bus ride."

Either they received cash, or it was to help an acquaintance who had just started D&K.

It had to be one of the two.

And since they had already incurred a loss by coming down to Stage 1, they probably intended to make a spectacular show rather than just providing simple help.

[Royal permission has already been granted. We request emergency support from all aviation and infantry units without special missions. I repeat. Royal permission has been granted. If you are not a unit currently engaged in a critical mission, assemble at Ahinlab Fortress.]

With that, the communication ended.

Selina silently stared at her rank insignia for a long time.

A small sigh followed.

And the briefing resumed.

"Please forget what I said a moment ago. We are changing our mission. Unit 917's next mission is to defend Ahinlab Fortress from White Hero's invasion."

Sighs erupted from various places.

And.

"…?"

Sergel, who was so calm that he would be offended to be second, was looking unusually anxious.

* * *

Selina looked incredibly busy.

It was natural for her to be busy, as she had to assess the situation at Ahinlab Fortress, investigate the surrounding terrain, communicate with the commanders of allied units participating in the fortress battle, and devise new strategies.

Her arduous work, which began early in the morning, only ended after midnight.

When I knocked on her office door, a dying voice answered.

"Yes... come in..."

"..."

The moment I opened the door and entered the office, I involuntarily flinched and stepped back.

Selina, who had been smiling brightly when I encountered her that morning, now had a haggard face, looking like an evil spirit consumed by resentment towards the world.

Her hair was so disheveled, perhaps from repeatedly running her hands through it when things didn't go well, that it was hard to look at, and her half-closed eyes were full of stress.

"...Should I come later?"

"No."

Selina grabbed both of her cheeks and stretched them out.

Closing her eyes tightly, she stood up, released her cheeks, rubbed them once, and then tidied her hair in front of the mirror.

That took about a minute.

The person in front of me was so different, her gaze completely changed, that it was hard to believe she was the same person I had just seen.

It was the Selina I knew.

"What is it, Rian?"

"I have a favor to ask."

"Is it important? I actually still have some things to deal with..."

"It is important."

I held out the item I had prepared beforehand.

A black, modest yet elegant-looking gem.

It was the item contained in the box Lupel had given me as a gift when he visited me in the infirmary.

"This is... a gem containing magic."

Even without explanation, Selina, who was staring intently at the gem, stated the correct answer.

"Lupel gave it to me as a gift."

"As I've said repeatedly, the title... No, that's not important right now, so let's move on."

Selina, who understood what my request was without me having to express it in words, took the gem.

Then she held out an empty hand towards me.

I also extended my hand.

Through our joined hands, the magic contained within the gem flowed into me.

Although it would only restore a fraction of the magic I had accumulated before, it would still be better than zero.

"..."

"..."

Something was off.

Quite a bit of time seemed to have passed, but the ritual simply wouldn't end.

"This... it seems Rian has captured Lupel's attention. The magic contained in it is considerable. He must have paid a significant price for this..."

"Is it that much?"

"Yes. If I had known, I would have granted Rian 1 magic, confirmed the information with the Eye that Seeks Truth, and then granted more magic. Unlike Rian's eye, the growth system we use doesn't provide detailed information about mana sources."

"Indeed."

In fact, it wasn't that I hadn't thought that far.

The first reason was that I didn't have high expectations for what Lupel had hastily prepared, and I didn't want to bother Selina.

The second reason was that with a major battle approaching, I felt bad asking for a favor that would consume magic.

For a mage, magic was the most valuable asset.

One might think it's just 1 magic, but that 1 unit could decide whether one could use an additional spell or not, and that could be the difference between life and death on the battlefield.

"Ah, it's finally over."

The magic infusion was complete.

The gem in her hand showed no significant external changes, but its subtle luster had completely vanished.

As the infused magic fully settled, the Eye that Seeks Truth activated as if it had been waiting.

Name: Rian Kaltz

Level: 2

Attribute: None

Strength: 17

Agility: 16

Spirit: 22

Endurance: 16

Reflexes: 15

Resistance: 8

Magic: 35+0

Potential: Unknown

Cultivation possible

Details

Possessed Authorities: Eye that Seeks Truth, High-Speed Regeneration, Poison Resistance Lv1.

"…?"

I had no idea what this was.

Selina, too, stared at me with a bewildered expression, as if she had confirmed my stats through the growth system.

"Is it a bug? Or a system error due to its incompleteness..."

That was the only explanation she could offer.

A whopping 35 increase in magic... let's just accept that.

Once you enter Stage 3, it becomes possible to acquire mana sources with over 30 magic, so it's not that rare.

My only thought was that Lupel had spent an enormous amount of money and power.

The problem was that the magic stat was displayed as '35+0' instead of '0+35'.

While it still meant a total increase of 35 magic, whether the number appeared in front or behind made a huge difference.

An increase in the number on the right indicated how much magic had been externally granted.

And the number on the left.

It signified the individual's inherent magic.

And in this world, only mages could possess inherent magic.

"Rian. You, just what..."

Selina's voice trembled.

It was then that I realized I had been making a huge mistake.

Selina wasn't looking at the words displayed by the growth system.

Her eyes and fingertips were directed at my pupils.

I looked at the mirror placed in the corner of the office.

My left pupil was emanating black magic, as if it were engulfed in black flames.

"What in the world is that?"

Selina's trembling voice seemed to cut through me with its coldness.