Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 101

Episode 101 Mithril Adventurer Party (2)

Fourteen hours have passed since we entered Sloan Forest.

By this point, even if you use flight, you won't be detected by the kingdom soldiers, but the main group is an adventurer party called Manha and the leader is Skald.

There was no need to move in a hurry as the contracted date was at least two days.

Although he took a break, eating light meals here and there, his body still felt hot even though it was winter. Skald, who had been watching Verden's movements from time to time, approached him and asked.

“Are you okay, Asher? You seemed okay, so I moved around for a while, but I guess it’s a bit too much for a wizard…….”

“No problem.”

Verden answered honestly.

He didn't have the stamina to get tired after marching for only half a day. Seeing his calm appearance, Vermin unconsciously clapped his hands.

“That’s amazing, Mr. Asher. If we were wizards, we would have laid out our sleeping bags and gone to sleep hours ago, because we couldn’t walk. Isn’t that right, Rubina?”

“Who said no?”

“Okay, let’s stop talking about Gelton’s backstory that broke our promise. There are more people than we expected, so we’ll be able to go deeper tomorrow. So let’s settle down and make camp in two hours.”

The adventure continued.

There were sounds of cries or presence of the Ainz or Demons along the way, but there was no conflict. They also had a hunch. They were going to hunt them and end up being hunted instead.

Eventually the sun set and we found a suitable open space.

Normally, Vermin and Rubina would prepare dinner while the rest of them pitched the tent or watched over the area, but this time, Verden was there.

Verden used his telekinesis to move five tents and place them on the ground in an instant.

This level of position calculation and manipulation was as easy as moving my hand. Then I snapped my fingers and lit the bonfire.

Vermin covered his mouth with his hand, as if he was moved.

“Is this a real wizard?”

It's so comfortable.

It was a completely different level of life from Gelton, who couldn't even light a fire and was only focused on cold and water magic. Dinner was made in that kind of different leisure.

Beef stew made with the highest quality ingredients, perhaps even mithril grade. Vermin served each person a bowl.

Verden placed the beef stew in front of him.

Suddenly, I remembered the stew I had eaten with Iris and her party when we went to the Biron Territory to subdue the undead. It was quite tasty.

Verden put a piece of meat into his mouth.

'This tastes better.'

While eating such a late dinner, a conversation naturally began. The small talk between adventurers. Although Verden was an outsider, he found it interesting to listen to.

Skald turned to Verden, pouring another bowl of stew as if there wasn't enough.

“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”

“It’s delicious.”

Burvin, who was in charge of cooking, shrugged.

“Haha, well then. I’ve been an adventurer for years and I can make a great stew.”

“You just prepared the ingredients, right?”

“That’s the secret to its taste.”

Vermin paid no attention to Rubina's glare.

“By the way, it seems a bit odd to see Asher eating alone in silence. So, is there anything you’re curious about for us? Even something simple is fine.”

Because I'm curious.

Verden was troubled and asked Kedian.

“Can a priest be an adventurer?”

“I can do this because I was granted the title of Cleric by the Luas Church. As a priest of the Luas Church, I am officially qualified to engage in external commercial activities.”

“Instead, I pay a commission to the Adventurer’s Guild at regular intervals and make ‘donations’ to the Church of Luas. Of course, I don’t regret it at all.”

The presence of a priest alone can change the party's survival rate.

The reason they were promoted to the Mithril rank in parties was not only because of their strength, but also because of their stability. The Adventurer's Guild prefers adventurers who can last this long, and gives them bonus points in rank evaluations. They also give them all sorts of conveniences.

No matter how much the world changed, it was a world where people died at any moment.

“A long and slender life. It’s not a word that suits adventurers at all, but that’s our dream. After we retire when our bodies start to creak, we can raise a family and live a carefree life with the money we’ve earned so far. Or we can live a life of luxury while receiving regular money from the guild.”

It's not a grand dream.

It was the ordinary future that adventurers always hope for.

“Dreams change from time to time, don’t they? When I didn’t know anything, I wanted to become a Black Dragon-rank adventurer and rule the world. But as I got older, I realized. Ah! If I continued like this, I would die soon. That’s why I gathered a party.”

In order, Vermin, Rubina, Gelton, and Kedian.

They don't fit together perfectly like a puzzle, but that's why they were able to grow. After accumulating performance for several years at the platinum level, they passed the examination and reached the mithril level.

Rubina said.

“I originally worked in that empire, but I moved here. Since the kingdom is so large, dangerous subhumans and alien species appear relatively frequently, just like now.”

“Well, honestly, the Kingdom of Estyria is a mess. It looks fine on the outside, but if you look closely, it’s rotten and decaying. They’re fighting over the throne and all, taking sides and fighting over land. Fortunately, once you reach the Mithril level, no one really bothers you. So you can operate relatively comfortably.”

The second highest rank in the Adventurer's Guild.

Even if they are a nobleman who is like a scoundrel, there is no one with a normal mithril grade or a sledgehammer unless their head is half-blown.

Even if you do that, you won't even be able to recover your principal.

Skald asked Verden.

“Asher, do you have a dream too? Since you are a wizard, is it to become a magician like Gelton?”

The wizard's dreams are simple and unpretentious. At least to Verden, that was the case.

His goal is to overcome the pinnacle of the Magic Tower, the 7th-tier magician. Of course, he had no intention of revealing this fact to others.

“Well, yes.”

“I see. Asher, you look much younger than Gelton, so you will live much longer. So you will definitely be able to reach him.”

Not just looking young, but actually being young.

He was only 26 years old, even after the sun set. There was no need to reveal his age to attract attention. What was important to Verden was not his superiority over his age, but his superiority as a wizard.

The conversation continued.

Verden also joined the conversation and chimed in.

As time passed, the night shadows grew.

* * *

“Asher, start the night watch.”

“Is that okay?”

“Of course. To be honest, we can stay up for several nights without any problems. And since wizards tend to be more swayed by their condition than warriors, the night watch times are always fixed to the first or last.”

concession.

Maybe that's what keeps the party balanced.

"All right."

“Then I will trust you and leave it to you.”

As soon as Manha's party members lay down, they fell asleep immediately. Being able to sleep anytime, anywhere is one of the abilities of an adventurer.

However, if they feel even a moment of life, they will immediately rise up and enter combat mode. They keep watch only in case of an emergency, and even if everyone is asleep, it is difficult to fool their senses.

Knock knock.

Verden sat in front of the campfire.

I felt the warm heat and thought back to my conversation with Skald.

'It's a dream.'

Verden's dream is revenge.

It was the same in the past and now. Even if I died along the way, even if my body was crushed alive, I never thought of giving up.

But then suddenly this thought occurred to me.

'After I get my revenge… …what should I do?'

The bonfire before my eyes is burning brightly.

But if there is no firewood to burn, it will die down before morning. Afterwards, only a trace will remain.

And the same would be true for Verden.

… … Then Verden shook his head.

'I don't have the right to think about that distant future.'

It hasn't even been a year since the reversal.

Some may consider him a genius, but he is far from being worthy of Verden. He is only in the 4th rank. The road ahead is long and arduous.

It was too early to turn my attention to anything else.

Let's think about it.

The hellish times I experienced at the rooftop.

At that time, I was addicted to several experimental drugs and was living a limited life.

A life that was robbed of its freedom and treated like an object.

A past in which all dignity as a wizard and as a human being was trampled.

The first time I engraved hatred and anger in my heart at the crossroads of life and death.

The pain and the helplessness and the despair.

Sensations that I had momentarily forgotten enveloped my entire body.

Verden's eyes became bloodshot as he clenched his teeth hard.

His fingernails dug into his palms and blood flowed out. He was barely holding back his life, so no one else woke up.

An excitement mixed with hatred and anger.

Yes, this is the feeling that Verden should have. He has no time to think about the distant future. He may not show it on the outside, but he must always maintain the present state of mind inside.

Because this is the only driving force that moves Verden.

“Phew…….”

As I exhaled deeply, the strength slowly left my body.

The distorted expression returned to normal. He took out the highest-grade potion from his space bag and dropped a few drops on his palm. It was combined with the effect of the recovery bracelet and he soon recovered.

After completely washing away the blood, he quietly continued his night watch.

At that time.

[… … crack.]

A strange sound was heard from somewhere in the forest.

Verden reacted immediately and spread his magical power senses inside him. He aroused all his senses and raised his alertness to the max.

'… … disappeared in the meantime?'

Verden's reaction was swift.

But nothing was caught. All I could hear was the sound of grass rustling and insects chirping. Maybe Verden was overreacting.

But that doesn't mean I intend to ignore it.

It was time to wake up the next guard. I approached Skald and tapped him on the shoulder, and he straightened up.

“Ahem, you slept well. You must have had a hard time, Asher. What, everything was fine?”

“I heard a strange sound.”

"sound?"

Skald's expression turned serious.

Skald nodded as Verden told him about the sounds he had heard.

“Most of the time, it’s just a mistake, and it usually turns out to be a mistake, but there are cases where it becomes a problem. And in those cases, there’s a very high chance that the party will be wiped out. I’ll keep watch and make sure to convey it clearly.”

The skald stroked his double-edged axe.

For him, who had been an adventurer for a long time, there was nothing he could do lightly. That was one of the secrets to his long life without any serious injuries.

The night deepens.

Something lurking in the darkness was still watching them.

Until the next day.

[Crack. Crack.]

* * *

The next day at noon, we finally entered the deep forest of Sloan.

The trees grew taller and the gaps between them became wider. It was a good environment for large demons and Ainzoid species to live in.

“It’s a good environment for an attack.”

The formation was formed with Vermin and Skald at the front, with Verden and Kedian at the rear. Rubina, who was in charge of exploration, searched for traces of the target with agile movements.

I climbed up to the top of the tree without any help.

A broken tree branch. Sharp, large claw marks were clearly engraved on the tree trunk.

“It’s a forest wyvern. Judging by the fact that its thinnest claws are thicker than a skald’s thigh, it’s quite large even for a leader.”

“You won. Everyone, prepare for battle.”

Forest wyverns are very strict about managing their territory, so they always leave traces near their habitat.

Once you get past this, forest wyverns will come running at you, showing their teeth, after smelling the scent of an intruder.

Body odor can be erased with Verden's magic.

But Skald didn't do that. It was better to fight them together than to hit them in the back of the head while they were scattered. This wasn't arrogance, but confidence based on thorough experience.

Soon a shadow appeared in front of me.

[Kirrrrrrrr… …!]

Forest Wyvern.

A total of 10, including the leader. It may seem like a lot, but it's within the margin of error. The drool-dripping guys bared their teeth and charged at me from the front.

Everyone, including Verden, stood in their place and maintained their formation.

Rubina, who had moved the tree without realizing it, pulled the bowstring.

A red aura swirled and seeped into the arrow.

“Just one.”

Ping──── Quasi-sik!

The wyvern's head was pierced, and its corpse and the wyverns were entangled. The forest was a mess. Skald grabbed the axe with both hands and put strength into his legs.

The pressure caused some of the ground to crack.

“Now is the time!”

Boom!

His charge signaled the start of the expedition.