Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 179

#179. Wilderness (6)

What was reflected in the boy’s eyes was a sandstorm of immense heights.

The thick clouds of dust that rose beneath the night sky sometimes looked like the ferocious breath of an angry giant.

Inside it.

────!

Flames and ice crystals were flying in the howling wind, and lightning was striking.

‘… When did that happen?’

It was a mana storm.

An abnormal phenomenon in which mana that has accumulated in space cannot withstand the pressure and suddenly becomes entangled.

It was a disaster called the Silent Death of the Wilderness, as there was no sign of sound or mana due to the action of a specific element.

I turned my head to check the other side.

… sky, horizon, earth.

Wherever I looked, there were clouds of sand.

It felt like I was already surrounded and in the center of the storm.

Ray, who made a quick decision, gave instructions to the fallen Guyol.

“Go, wake up people.”

“… … !”

Gaiole, who had been out of breath, grasped the situation and ran urgently towards the vehicles.

Judging by his body drenched in cold sweat and his unsteady steps, it seemed like he was taking effect from some unknown drug.

‘… It’s nothing to worry about.’

Ray quickly went to the other cars and knocked on the doors to wake the people.

In less than a minute, the entire group was gathered around the campfire.

“Wow, what the heck is that?”

“Oh, my God…!”

People who saw the storm were shocked and horrified.

Some people lost their strength in their legs and collapsed on the floor, while others froze with their faces completely blank.

Something I’ve never experienced before.

The violence wielded by the great nature instilled a suffocating fear.

Gaiole moved quickly among the shocked crew and pointed a finger at Ray.

“That guy! That guy tried to kill me! He tried to kill me!”

But no one took those words seriously.

“Yes, yes? What are you talking about all of a sudden… .”

“Have you been drinking alcohol?”

There were no visible wounds on Gaiol’s body.

Because the thing that needed immediate attention was the disaster unfolding before our eyes.

“What should I do, Gaio?”

“Please give instructions quickly!”

The light of hope and expectation flashed through the vessels of the agents gathered around Gaiole.

The leader of the expedition would have the knowledge to overcome the crisis.

“Captain…!”

“Give me instructions…!”

Surrounded by his men, Gaiole was extremely embarrassed.

He could only move his lips but could not utter a word, and his face was turning pale as if the effects of the medicine were spreading throughout his body.

“That, that phenomenon…!”

Ray could tell by looking at Gaeol’s stuttering speech.

That man with a different exterior and interior doesn’t know about the Mana Storm.

‘In some ways, that makes sense.’

Even Binjin, who devoted his entire life to exploring ruins, had only encountered a mana storm once.

Ray, who felt like more related memories were coming back, calmly concentrated his mind.

The fragments of my memories that were broken into small pieces came together to form a single picture.

… It was the sight of Binjin standing guard in the center of the storm.

It’s safer inside than trying to force your way through a storm.

The moment I came to that conclusion.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Ray met Gaiol’s gaze.

A competitive spirit burned with intense anger at the opponent’s bowl.

“This is a sandstorm that occurs frequently in the wilderness! We must quickly escape before we are trapped inside!”

The agents looked relieved as if they had been waiting for these words.

“Move! We have to get out before the storm gets worse!”

“Get organized! There’s no time to stop!”

The crew quickly dispersed to depart, following Gaius’s instructions.

In the meantime, Veronica and Jang approached Ray.

“Layya! Are you hurt?”

“Your Majesty, are you okay?”

Ray, who had been looking at the worries in the two people’s bowls for a moment, summarized the principle that it was safe to stay inside the storm.

“… So, the level of magic manifestation and power can be said to be at the lowest center.”

“I understand!”

“I don’t understand… but I understand that it’s better to stay here.”

The anxiety and fear of the two people who had been unresponsive to Gaioul’s words quickly subsided.

“Hurry up! Move quickly!”

The tent was folded, the cooking utensils were put away, and the vehicle was started.

Dddddddd─

Dust danced messily between the vehicle’s headlights.

Amidst all the hustle and bustle, a member of the team noticed something strange and approached Ray and his group, speaking.

“Wow, wizard! You have to move! You have to prepare to leave!”

Ray stared at his opponent without answering.

And then.

“If you want to live, you’d better stay in this space. The storm will already be spreading without end, and the place where its power is weakest is the center.

He spoke using voice amplification magic.

The voice that rang out loud penetrated the ears of all the members and made them stop moving for a moment.

“Are you telling me to stay still?”

“I think you said that this is where the storm’s power is weakest….”

Soon, Gaius’s roar erupted.

“What are you doing! Don’t move! Do you want to get caught in the storm and die a dog’s death?”

Gaiole, who had come closer while grumbling, spoke to Ray in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Raygun, are you in your right mind to joke around in this urgent situation? Do you think people are funny just because they have a little bit of magical ability? I am the commander in chief, and I am the one giving orders.”

Gaiol’s face was pale, perhaps because of the medicine, and he looked like he might collapse at any moment.

However, it still seemed like normal thinking was possible.

Because of this, he was trying to gain authority as if he was obsessed.

Ray ignored him and spoke again.

“If you want to live, stay here, everyone.”

“Everyone, move! Hurry! If you don’t break through the storm now, there’s only death!”

The man’s bloodshot eyes met the boy’s dry gaze.

“… … .”

“… … .”

In fact, I wanted to get rid of Gaiole right away.

After all, he was a person who put his dark malice into action.

But the reason Ray isn’t doing anything is…

‘…If Gaiole dies, there will be great chaos in the expedition immediately.’

I judged that it would not be of much help in the current situation.

Then suddenly a thought occurred to me.

‘Do I want to save people now?’

The boy joined the expedition to borrow the strength and knowledge of others.

But I never saw any great benefit from it.

The emergence of sandworms.

Earthquakes, landslides, etc.

All the crises I’ve faced so far have been difficult, but they were all things I could overcome without the help of others.

Therefore, if we only consider efficiency, it was right to act alone.

In other words.

“… … .”

From the boy’s perspective, it didn’t really matter what happened to the other explorers.

But I started to feel some unconscious feelings towards them.

Perhaps, it seemed like a small amount of worry.

‘Is this starting to resemble Veronica and Philip’s accident?’

Mirror… Mirror… What was it called?

I thought I saw a term for this phenomenon in a psychology book, but I couldn’t quite remember it.

In any case, eliminating Gaiole right away wouldn’t help the situation.

As Ray didn’t make any significant attacks, Gaiole’s momentum grew.

“What on earth are you thinking? Are you planning to kill all these people?”

“I was just telling the truth.”

“That’s ridiculous. If we stay, we’ll definitely get caught in the storm and be torn to pieces.”

“Think whatever you want.”

Gaeol, who had been glaring at them with hostility, turned around and commanded his men.

“Start the engines and get in line!”

“All right!”

The agents, who had hesitated at first due to the influence of Ray’s shouted words, soon followed Gaiol’s instructions in unison.

‘Gaiol’s influence is bound to be greater than mine.’

I thought I had done enough.

Because I’ve already given the agents two chances.

Before long, the expedition team, ready to depart, looked back at Ray and his group and the bus at the center of the campsite.

“Are you really planning on staying here?”

One of the agents hesitated and then shouted loudly.

It was a look of regret and longing, as Ray and his group had been active all this time.

“You have to leave!”

“If you stay there, you will die!”

There were quite a few people like that.

A male and female wizards in their mid-twenties from Team A and B joined in, snorting.

“Let him be. Why should I persuade him when he is willing to give up his life?”

“That’s right. And even if that group isn’t here, the rest of the expedition won’t be affected at all. We have enough wizards.”

At that moment, Ray’s meaningful voice echoed through the space.

“This is your last chance.”

There was silence.

“If you want to live, come over here.”

A terrible silence.

A silent storm.

The agents looked at each other in a scenery that seemed as if someone had stripped away the noise of the world.

And I could sense it.

The fact that I wasn’t the only one whose heart skipped a beat.

The first to react were Mrs. Greene and her disciples.

“I thought about it a lot, but I think that’s the right way. Come here.”

The lady and her disciples left the expedition and headed towards Ray’s group.

Then, Damper also looked at Gaio with complicated and confused eyes.

“…shit.”

He walked forward with a swear word full of emotion.

Gaiole shouted, greatly shocked by his long-time colleague’s sudden actions.

“Damn, Damper! Damper! Where are you going! Where are you going! Do you plan on throwing your life away!”

The forced cries became more like pleas as they went on, but Damper never looked back.

As if he knew that at that moment he would be returning to the expedition.

Could it be because of the tense atmosphere afterwards?

No one came forward.

However, the emotions contained in Gaeol’s vessel were just swirling around like a storm.

The light of growing confusion and conflict.

At the end of it.

“Me, me too─”

The moment when Gaiole, who had been hesitating without stopping, was about to take a step towards this side.

Dismissed!

A cool current brushed my cheek.

Gulp─! Bam!

Drops of bright red blood dripped down the torn skin and soaked the ground.

“You can’t come over.”

Ray’s cool voice rang out.

“I know you’re lucky. I’d rather have you torn to pieces by the storm than die by my hand.”

Gaiole’s body froze in the moment, unable to say anything due to the murderous intent that was released.

After barely pulling away from his convulsing body, he turned around.

“… Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.”

We left the camp with confused-looking members.

The bowl contained only extreme fear of Ray.

Boooo …

Veronica found herself muttering in a worried voice as she watched the cars disappear into the storm.

“Those people… will they be able to survive…?”

“No. It’s almost certain that you’ll die.”

The answer came from the other side.

When I turned my head, I could see Mrs. Greene with her characteristically calm face.

“People are beings who make choices and live their lives. Following Mr. Gaioll was their choice and their responsibility. So you don’t have to feel guilty about not being able to save people, little lady.”

“… … .”

Veronica nodded slightly as she listened to the story.

Meanwhile, Ray spoke to Damper, who was still standing there with a blank expression on his face.

“I didn’t know you would come over.”

“… You guys have to come here to survive.”

“that’s right.”

“How did you know?”

Damper looked this way with teary eyes and asked.

Ray could tell it was a question about Gaeol.

“I just had a feeling.”

“You’re so quick-witted. It took me years to realize this.”

“Complicated?”

“It would be a lie if I said that wasn’t the case. But we were comrades who had been together for quite some time.”

Damper sat down on the ground with a look of despair.

Comrade.

The boy tried to understand the man’s feelings.

What if Veronica or Philip get involved in something bad and can no longer accompany you?

“… … .”

I couldn’t quite imagine it, but it didn’t seem like it would be a very pleasant feeling.

I felt like I wanted to comfort the man’s feelings in some way, but no suitable method came to mind.

First, he said while patting Temper’s head.

“It’s okay. If you had stayed by Gaiol’s side anyway, you would have been used and killed sooner or later.”

Ray’s hands kept caressing the peeling parts.

Is this comfort or mockery?

Damper was momentarily confused as to whether he should be grateful or angry.

Anyway, it seemed like my complicated thoughts had been reduced a little.

“Touch moderately.”

Ray took his hand away with a slightly regretful expression and looked around.

The mana storm was growing stronger and wider, narrowing the safe zone in the center.

The situation is not over.

This is just the beginning.

‘There may be a limit to how much Veronica and I can hold out with our defense alone.’

After making his decision, Ray approached Mrs. Greene and her disciples.

And he handed a pack of beef jerky with a very high meat content to his disciple, Yeran, not his wife.

“I wish you could help me.”