Chapter 62

Reincarnated as a Sword Emperor in the Sword Art (62)

The name Jack Russell, the Chief Elder of the Atlantis Tower, truly carried immense weight.

Every mage who saw the necklace he gave as a symbol of a VIP would either step aside or cautiously approach him. It was hard to believe that he was a mage who was exclusive and domineering to those not affiliated with the tower.

When using the facilities inside the tower, there was no need to wait in line, and he could access almost everywhere except for a few personal spaces and highly important areas.

'Considering the tower’s closed nature, there can’t be many outsiders who know the tower better than I do.'

The tower classified external visitors into five levels, and the lowest level, general visitors, could only go to the first-floor lobby.

Even visitors classified as 3rd and 4th levels were closely monitored at every step, and only those classified as 2nd level, invited visitors, had a slightly easier time.

'But I’m registered as a 1st level, special visitor.'

This was a status that only the tower’s head and the chief elder were allowed to issue, and only two people could be registered. Naturally, the mages’ attitudes towards him had to be respectful.

If he were to offend Jack Russell, he would be cast into the abyss of the magic world on that very day.

Having also been seen with Esther, the former disciple of the chief elder, rumors about their relationship had started to spread.

“...Well, worrying about it won’t change anything.”

Leonard, who had just finished his qi cultivation in the mana concentration room as usual, shook off the杂念 in his mind.

It had been over a week since he started living and eating in this peculiar space. Francis, who had heard about his situation in Bermuda, was reportedly very surprised by the amount of work he had, but he hadn’t even come to see him once.

And today, he had finally managed to finish his work, and they had agreed to have dinner and a chat after his day was over.

Whoosh.

The door, sensing Leonard’s mana, opened automatically, and Russell and Esther, who had been waiting inside, greeted him.

“What took you so long?”

“I arrived exactly on time.”

“Arriving 5 or 10 minutes early to an appointment makes you look more reliable and is a good thing!”

That wasn’t something a mage who didn’t tolerate even a second of wasted time would say.

Leonard gave Russell a look, asking him to do something about it, but he ignored it, turning away.

In a way, he was silently agreeing with Esther.

It wasn’t that they had been waiting for him from the start, urging him to hurry because every second counted.

‘It started on the third day.’

The optimization of the magic formula using the Five Elements Dragon Ring was the root of all the problems. It wasn’t because of any failure or error, but because it was too effective.

“Let’s focus on optimizing this magic formula today. Improving something like [Fireball] will only kill more people. To explore the truth, studying higher concepts like [Stagnate], which affects space and time, is several times more efficient.”

Russell, looking unusually anxious, pushed a piece of parchment towards him.

It was the incantation for [Stagnate], a static magic of the 4th tier, known for its extreme difficulty. It causes a phenomenon different from physically stopping a target’s movement like [Hold Person] or [Bind].

Time Stagnation.

It slows down the time of the target. Not just physical movement, but even thoughts are slowed, making the target move like a snail and eventually be subdued.

‘The problem is that it doesn’t work even with a little resistance, and it consumes a lot of mana and has a long casting time.’

It was a spell with one strength and over ten weaknesses.

Before Leonard could respond, Esther interjected.

“Stop talking like an old, stuffy geezer! How many people have aged and died without any results from studying that a hundred years ago!”

“What?!”

Russell stiffened, stung by his disciple’s sharp words.

“Leonard, instead of working on a spell no one uses like [Stagnate], why don’t we improve my [Lightning Bolt]? I heard it doesn’t interfere with mana cultivation up to the 3rd circle. Wouldn’t it be better to invest time in a spell you can use later?”

It was a clever temptation.

Russell was rarely shocked by Esther’s eloquence.

“Then let’s work on [Lightning Bolt] today.”

“Yay!”

As Esther, chosen by Leonard, raised her arms enthusiastically, Russell, on the contrary, muttered.

“...I’ll have to cut the monthly decorum fee in half this month...”

“Hey! Don’t be so stingy!”

To mediate their bickering, Leonard said,

“Didn’t I tell you yesterday? I have a dinner appointment tonight, so I can’t work on 4th tier spells.”

The Five Elements Dragon Ring could optimize magic formulas, but its function had its limits.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot.”

“Meeting Francis, right?”

Leonard nodded at Esther’s question.

“Yes, it seems all his administrative work is finally done.”

“Bermuda is thorough in that regard. They prioritize blocking illegal immigration and smuggling.”

Russell cleared his throat and interjected a few words.

“The current Atlantis is very peaceful, but 20 years ago, pirates disguised as adventure parties often sneaked in. Catching and killing them was the main job of the ship inspection team.”

“Pirates? They existed too?”

“Where there’s money, thieves appear. They were wiped out without a trace by Atlantis’s power.”

Thinking about it, it made sense.

Pirates, no matter how strong, were usually just small-time bandits who preyed on merchant ships. Even a C-rank adventure party included experts like martial artists and 3rd tier mages.

One wrong move and they could be wiped out, and if a bounty was placed on them, adventure parties would hunt them down.

‘It’s similar to how the Green Forest Gang can’t operate around the Ten Thousand Great Mountains where the Heavenly Horse Sect is established.’

Adventure parties, while primarily focused on making money, could quickly eliminate any pirates who interfered with their business.

Even the pirates operating in the Second Sea knew how to protect themselves, and from the Third Sea onwards, the organizations were composed of genuine adventurers. They weren’t easy targets for pirates.

Leonard, convinced by the story, closed his eyes.

Whoosh.

The Five Elements Dragon Ring, though bored by the repetitive task, finally began to refine the magic formula as Leonard wished.

The incantation, several times more complex than a 1st tier spell, unraveled, revealing the formulas that made up [Lightning Bolt].

The formula to summon lightning in the air.

The formula to gather lightning into a single strand.

The formula to designate the target point for the lightning.

The formulas, numbering in the double digits, looked like a tangled ball of yarn.

‘Indeed.’

Removing unnecessary formulas, shortening overly long ones, and adding new symbols and shapes, he reconstructed the formula.

There was a reason even a 7th tier archmage like Jack Russell found it maddening.

In the optimized magic formula, there were principles that Leonard’s knowledge couldn’t fully grasp. Fully understanding them would promise a step, or even more, forward. It could even provide a clue to reaching the 8th tier.

‘At least two more hours.’

Watching the work speed of the five-colored beads, Leonard sank deeper into his consciousness and entered the qi circulation of the One Element Five Elements Art.

From the outside, it would seem he was fully focused on refining the magic formula, but in reality, he had delegated the task to the Five Elements Dragon Ring and entered his own cultivation.

Jack Russell and Esther, always amazed by his focus, thought to themselves.

“...He seems to be more suited to being a mage than a swordsman.”

“Shouldn’t a chief elder have at least two disciples?”

A sinister plot began to brew beneath the surface.

* * *

It took longer than expected, but if he hurried a bit, he wouldn’t be late. He started running at a moderate pace, and the scenery of Atlantis passed by behind him.

Arriving at the restaurant, ‘Dream of the Whale,’ where he had dinner plans, Leonard opened the door.

“Welcome. Just one person?”

The waiter, waiting at the door, asked politely.

“I made a reservation for this time.”

“May I have your name, please?”

“Under the name Francis.”

The waiter, satisfied with his answer, led him inside.

“Please go up to the third floor. Your party is already here.”

Following the directions, he climbed two flights of stairs and arrived at a room with a view of the horizon, where Francis and Marian were waiting.

They waved at Leonard with tired faces.

“It’s been a week. How have you been?”

To Francis’s question, Leonard replied sincerely.

“Thanks to Francis’s introduction, I’ve been doing well.”

If he hadn’t met Esther, he wouldn’t have learned much about magic, nor would he have formed a connection with a figure like Jack Russell.

And the person who introduced him to Esther was Francis.

Fate was truly intricate.

A job that started with just one day had made Leonard a VIP of the tower and even formed a friendship with the chief elder.

When Francis heard this, he couldn’t believe it, but he had to wait until this appointment to hear the story, as he couldn’t leave Marian alone.

“Now! Let’s hear the details!”

Her eyes, filled with both anticipation and doubt, shone like the midday sea surface.

Leonard, inwardly smiling at her consistent demeanor, began to tell them what had happened.

“After parting ways with Francis—.”

About his talent for improving magic, teaching one of his visions to Esther, which helped her reach the 5th tier, and how he met the archmage Jack Russell.

Being offered the choice to become his direct disciple or receive a vision as payment, and choosing the latter.

Since then, he had been treated as a VIP of the tower and worked on refining magic formulas with the two of them.

“...”

“...”

As expected, Leonard barely managed a bitter smile.

Francis and Marian’s faces had changed, just like Esther’s when she first saw the improved [Magic Missile].

“Even if Esther reached the 5th tier, that’s one thing... but Jack Russell? He’s the chief elder of the tower, one of the most influential neutral figures. To form a close connection in just a week...”

“Direct disciple...! To reject that and still maintain a good relationship? How much favor have you won?!”

Their reactions were explosive.

It was understandable.

The Atlantis Tower, along with the United Council and Bermuda, was one of the three major organizations of the Maritime Alliance. Russell, as the chief elder, was the de facto second-in-command, and his strength was said to be on par with the tower’s head.

If the current head ever returned to the mainland, he would immediately fill the vacant position.

To form a close connection with a top-tier figure of one of the three major organizations and talk about it as if it were nothing?

To Francis and Marian, it felt like seeing someone use an orichalcum spoon to eat soup at a cheap inn.

“...But Esther reaching the 5th tier is good news. She’s always been hard to talk to because of her guilt.”

Leonard didn’t know the story.

Tilting his head at the tension, Marian interjected, as if to cut off Francis’s words.

“Miss.”

“It’s fine. I trust Leonard. I’ll tell you everything about why the ‘Aquamarine’ adventure party fell so far and what our goal is to rise again.”

Francis’s clear, transparent eyes, which could look darker than anything when the light didn’t reflect, stared straight at him.

Aquamarine.

The adventure party led by Njord Ler von Oceano, the strongest and most prestigious in the Atlantis Maritime Alliance. Why did its glorious past fade away, and why were only Francis and Marian left, struggling desperately to rise again?

It was time to face the darkest and most significant secret of the sea.

“Will you listen, Leonard?”

Leonard replied calmly.

“Please tell me.”