All Web Novel
Chapter 98
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Chapter 98: Sage of the Stars (2)
“Training, you say?”
Bang! Bang!
Inside the intense heat of the workshop on the 13th floor, Hagor paused his hammering and asked again.
“Yes. I thought I’d inform you in advance since it might take some time.”
“Hm, well, I suppose so. You are a mage, after all.”
“…Excuse me?”
Hagor glanced at him, amused, as Oscar stared back in bafflement.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. Of course, I know mages and knights spend their lives training. But you—how do I put this—you don’t seem like someone who needs training. Thinking about it now, you’re just a level-three rookie. I’m not sure why I felt that way about you.”
“I’m almost offended, you know?”
It was likely because, for his age, he knew far too much.
Knowledge is like water in a transparent bottle; no matter how much you try to hide it, its ripples inevitably show.
“You’ll have grown by the next time you’re here.”
“Yes, and this one will have changed a lot too.”
Oscar muttered as he looked up at the massive framework of the airship.
Since the Wind Tribe’s triumphant success, the dwarves had begun working on the construction of an airship immediately.
This was because the White Night Festival was only a few months away.
‘Considering the time needed to complete the ship and run field tests, it’s going to be tight…’
If anyone could manage, it would be the dwarves.
They were the world’s finest craftsmen.
If they failed, it meant no one could succeed.
“Take care of yourself while you’re away.”
“Of course. Goodbye for now.”
Leaving the 13th floor, Oscar headed to the outdoor training grounds.
He’d heard the ones he was looking for were there.
“You’re too slow! Is that all you’ve got?”
“Shut up. It’s just… you’re ridiculously fast!”
Oscar nodded as he observed Killian and Veronica sparring.
‘They’re both improving rapidly.’
Killian’s attacks had become more precise compared to their time in Baran City.
Veronica’s magic was far more potent than what he’d seen back in Vince Manor.
‘When Killian tries to close the distance, Veronica counters with a barrage of spells.’
At a glance, it might seem like Veronica, capable of rapid incantation, had the upper hand.
However, the training ground was a confined space, limiting her freedom.
『Song of the Wolf.』
Killian’s silver claws shot out like a spring, tearing through Veronica’s magic quite literally.
Feeling the danger, Veronica instinctively stepped back, but—
“Ah?”
She stepped off the edge of the training ground into empty air and began to fall.
“Wind.”
Whoosh!
A gust of wind cushioned her fall, and Oscar approached her.
Her face turned bright red, perhaps embarrassed by the clumsy display.
“W-what? When did you get here?”
“Oscar, did you see that? I won.”
“Are you joking? If this were anywhere but the training grounds, I’d have won!”
“Hmm. Hard to say.”
Oscar had thought their relationship improved after their visit to Hendel, but their bickering was unchanged.
‘But this too must be part of how fledgling youth grow closer.’
When he smiled warmly at the two of them, he was met with appalled reactions.
“What’s with that creepy smile?”
“Oscar, you’re being gross.”
“…That’s harsh.”
Shrugging off their sudden criticism, Oscar began to speak.
“Killian, I know you have great reflexes and excel in close combat, but your fighting style leans too heavily on physical combat. Training should focus on your weaknesses, not just your strengths. Don’t neglect practicing magic.”
“Veronica, rapid casting is certainly a powerful weapon, but spamming spells thoughtlessly isn’t all that threatening to your opponent. Try diversifying your magic and gradually cornering your opponent by limiting their options.”
Wow, what a masterclass.
What kind of luck did these kids have to get such advice for free?
“I hate studying magic. It gives me a headache.”
“...Easy for you to say. What would someone weaker than me know?”
Ah, these problem children.
Still, Oscar knew they would train harder than anyone despite their words.
If not, they wouldn’t have grown as strong as they had.
“Anyway, I’ll be away for a while, so don’t cause any trouble.”
“That’s a strange thing to say. I’ve never caused trouble in my life.”
“You’re hilarious. You’re always the one who gets us into trouble. We just get dragged into it.”
Oscar stopped short, realizing they might be right.
If the same person was present at every incident, maybe it was true.
“Ahem.”
Unable to refute, Oscar left the White Tower with a sheepish expression.
* * *
The Sage of the Stars—countless rumors surrounded this enigmatic figure.
Some said it was a creation of the Four Great Towers, others that it was a mage of an ancient civilization, or even a dragon.
Those rumors faded after the Sage disappeared from the world.
‘What’s certain is that for centuries, the Sage has aided humans.’
Any mage who met the Sage would learn at least one spell.
This simple rule had endured for hundreds of years.
‘Even scouring the records of the White Tower’s prime reveals nothing about its true nature.’
Though discovered after the age of the Towers began, the Sage’s existence seemed to date back to a far more ancient time.
This made its identity even more obscure.
‘What kind of being teaches magic without asking for anything in return?’
Some revered the Sage as a god.
Indeed, the snowy mountains where the Sage resided, Tunggrim, had a considerable number of devoted followers.
“We’ve arrived.”
At the coachman’s words, Oscar alighted from the carriage.
He hadn’t ridden in the carriage to conserve energy but because the entire region consisted of unpaved roads.
“…Whew.”
As he exhaled, a white puff of breath rose like frost.
The snowy mountain region of Tunggrim, reachable after a five-day carriage ride from Sirin, was known for its mana abundance.
This place, also called the Starlight Mountain, exuded a unique energy that Oscar felt every time he visited.
“Ah, c-cold…”
The coachman, who had stepped off the carriage without much thought, shivered as he crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders.
The biting air of Starlight Mountain was so frigid that it immediately made one long to leave the area.
“M-Mage, do you really intend to climb that mountain in this weather? It’s at an altitude of 9,200 meters!”
About 5.7 miles, he calculated.
Oscar nodded as he gazed at the snowy, white mountain.
“I came here to climb it, so climb it I shall.”
“Please, take care of yourself. Should I return here every five days to check on you?”
“Yes, I’d appreciate it.”
“Then, having received the advance payment, I’ll come back a maximum of six times over 30 days.”
“See you then.”
No one knew when he would descend from the mountain.
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In his past life, it had taken him only two days, but there was no guarantee it would be the same this time.
‘Especially since… there might be problems just meeting him this time.’
Dressed in a coat enchanted with a warming spell, along with a mask and goggles, Oscar began his ascent.
After about two hours of climbing, snow and sleet began to scatter down.
‘…Definitely harder than before.’
In his past life, he had been a Level 6 mage when he came here.
Naturally, he had been far stronger and had flown up the mountain using a Flight spell.
“...”
After five more hours of climbing, his feet sank deep into the snow with every step.
Breaking through snow up to his calves as he climbed was no easy task.
Whoosh!
To make matters worse, the biting wind periodically tore through his tightly wrapped clothing, stealing away his body heat.
“...”
How long had he been walking since then?
He began to sense traces of mana nearby.
One, two, three... The number quickly grew to thirteen.
However, the blinding sleet obscured their figures.
‘...Devotees?’
The mages living on this mountain mostly worshiped the Sage of the Stars.
Of course, few among them had ever met the Sage in person.
‘Most of them linger here, clinging to a faint hope that the Sage might grant them an audience.’
However, there was a faster, albeit more ruthless, way to meet the Sage of the Stars.
‘Stealing someone else’s invitation.’
Rumors said that the trials for those who possessed such invitations began the moment they set foot on the mountain.
‘…This is different from my past life as well.’
Back then, there had been no attempts to attack him, nor anyone daring to approach.
At most, they had observed him from a distance with greedy eyes.
‘Ha.’
But now, he must have seemed laughably weak.
Every approaching individual made no effort to hide their hostility.
Their only desire was to kill him and claim the invitation as spoils of war.
‘Not that I can fight all of them.’
Drawing upon his mana, Oscar mimicked the sound of a gunshot.
Bang!
A sharp crack echoed through the snowy mountain as Oscar collapsed into the snow with a scream.
“Ugh… Gah...”
His heartbeat slowed to the faint rhythm of a dying man, and his body convulsed lightly.
The mountain remained eerily quiet, the only sound being the snow and sleet falling around him.
“Invitation... The invitation!”
Unable to endure the oppressive silence, one of them moved first.
As he reached for Oscar’s supposed corpse, an icy spear suddenly pierced his side.
“Guh... Guhh...”
That was the cue for the others to act.
The devotees began to stealthily hunt one another, their movements veiled by the storm.
“...”
Suppressing his presence, Oscar focused on the shifting mana energies around him.
‘Twelve, eleven... Oh, a love shot? Nine left.’n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
He kept his eyes on two figures in particular among the dwindling numbers.
‘Both are Level 4 mages.’
They were clearly a cut above the rest; the other devotees either fled or died trying to escape them.
“It’s just you and me now.”
“Ha, stating the obvious.”
Without hesitation, the two men completed their spells.
One hurled a spear of ice, while the other fired a silenced gun through magical means.
“Damn it…”
The victor was the ice mage.
Smiling magnanimously, he addressed his fallen rival.
“If you’re reborn, don’t rely on petty weapons like that. A mage should use magic, after all.”
Surveying the blood-stained snow, the ice mage approached the young mage’s body.
With each step closer, his heart pounded furiously in his chest.
‘I can’t believe I’m finally about to claim this invitation.’
It had been over four years since he had made this mountain his home, all for a chance to meet the Sage.
Few ever climbed this mountain, and those who did were no easy prey.
‘But now...’
The ultimate victory was his.
As he flipped over the body buried in the snow, the young mage’s voice rang out.
“Bang.”
A small hole appeared in the ice mage’s forehead.
His face flashed with disbelief before he collapsed lifelessly onto the snow.
Oscar stood up, brushing off the snow from his coat as though nothing had happened.
He resumed his ascent up the mountain without sparing a glance at the scene behind him.
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