Chapter 67

◈ Chapter 67: Relic

Rudger traveled across the continent in search of the artifact.

More precisely, the original of the 'fragments' he was collecting.

It was for the purpose of creating it.

He encountered various cities, countries, and ethnic groups.

In doing so, he sometimes came across relics unrelated to the fragments unintentionally.

Even a typical mage would rarely, if ever, encounter a relic in their lifetime.

In contrast, Rudger had seen multiple relics up to this point.

In terms of relics, Rudger could be considered a person with more experience than anyone else.

"Stay still."

He chanted as if giving an order, and his mana began to rise.

The <Stone of Omnipotence> resisted by fiercely raising its own mana, but Rudger was not surprised.

Occasionally, peculiar relics possess such a 'will.'

A small mystery caused by the bizarrely powerful force the relic possesses.

The Stone of Omnipotence exists to grant the desires of others.

The fact that the relic spreads waves of desire around it, and that its 'desire to grant' has become a blind purpose, manifesting as a will that influences its surroundings.

In a sense, the relic could also be considered a cursed object.

That's why it resisted Rudger, but Rudger mocked the will of such a relic.

"You can't fulfill my 'real' wish anyway. Not in any way."

Even in front of the Stone of Omnipotence, Rudger did not believe in it.

Grant a wish?

It will certainly grant it, but only within the limits of the stone's power.

How can that be called granting a wish?

A wish with limits is ultimately not a wish.

It's just a fake.

"If you're a fake, then act like one and do as I say."

The Stone of Omnipotence did not give up.

Instead of spreading powerful mana waves around, it focused on Rudger.

Green mana enveloped Rudger's body.

Rudger frowned at the mana seeping into his mind.

"Useless struggle."

However, he did not push back or block the stone's mana.

Instead, he defiantly increased the mana in his hand holding the stone, performing a bold act.

Rumble!

The Stone of Omnipotence was the one who panicked.

What is this human trying to do? Accepting mana instead of defending?

The Stone of Omnipotence, puzzled by Rudger's actions, did not stop trying to invade his mind.

Thinking it was a good thing, it entered Rudger's inner self at that moment.

Click!

The mana released by the Stone of Omnipotence hit a wall and was blocked.

What is it blocked by?

The purpose of the Stone of Omnipotence is to respond to the inner desires of humans, but it was puzzled by the situation where it could not enter further into Rudger's inner self.

Did he pretend to be someone else and block it? For no reason?

He soon realized that it was not Rudger's mana that blocked the Stone of Omnipotence.

It was a completely different, alien force. The Stone of Omnipotence was blocked by a mysterious force that could not even be categorized.

An incomprehensible force. It could not be analyzed.

Mana? No, this alien energy was different.

Something higher. As if something else was watching over and protecting him.

"It's best to stop there."

Rudger warned the 'will' of the Stone of Omnipotence.

"Going any further won't be good for either of us."

Rudger's warning was not just a show of bravado.

It was a sincere piece of advice.

A certainty that something worse would happen if it went any further.

If the Stone of Omnipotence had emotions, it might have been moved by the statement.

But the will of the Stone of Omnipotence is only to fulfill its role to the best of its ability. It does not have emotional elements.

The Stone of Omnipotence accepted Rudger's proposal.

If it went any further, it would be so damaged that it would never see the light of day again.

If that happened, it would not be able to fulfill its role in the future.

Sssss.

"Good choice."

The Stone of Omnipotence gave up its will.

It was more like it hit a wall and stopped, but the decision was made by the will of the stone.

Rudger infused his power into the Stone of Omnipotence and forcibly input one 'wish.'

"The fragment of this relic I possess."

With his other hand, he took a fragment from his inner pocket.

"Tell me where the remaining four fragments are."

At that moment, a dazzling green light burst from the Stone of Omnipotence.

A bright and strong light that could be clearly seen even from a great distance if it were in an open field.

However, in the enclosed space where the mana waves were completely blocked, the light only illuminated the inside.

When the light completely faded.

Rudger removed his hand from the Stone of Omnipotence.

"Two, huh."

Two.

That was the number of fragments the Stone of Omnipotence showed in response to Rudger's 'wish.'

Rudger wanted to know the locations of all four fragments, but the stone's limit was only two.

And one of those two was already roughly known to him.

'In the end, the only gain is the location of one fragment.'

It was a rather disappointing effect for a stone that claims to grant wishes, but Rudger decided to look at it positively.

Finding one more fragment whose whereabouts were unknown saved him years of potentially wasted time.

'Even so, I didn't expect it to be so close.'

The location of the fragment he inadvertently discovered.

It was already inside the large city of Leiderbalk.

"At least it's a relief to know one."

Rumble.

The Stone of Omnipotence vibrated finely as if protesting to Rudger.

If it helped, it asked to be taken outside.

But Rudger easily dismissed its will.

"You are a dangerous object. You will continue to destroy humans within your influence. You will stay inside here."

Rumble!

The Stone of Omnipotence tried to protest roughly, but Rudger had already wrapped his body in shadows and melted into the darkness.

Alone, the Stone of Omnipotence blinked green light as if protesting but soon became quiet.

There was no one to listen to it.

* * *

Returning to my room, I sat on the sofa for a while to rest due to the mana I had expended.

Indeed, transcending space is not something to be done multiple times.

It's dizzying, nauseating, and above all, consumes a lot of mana.

In addition to the effort spent using the Stone of Omnipotence.

It's impressive that I didn't collapse from exhaustion.

[───]

Noise seeping into my brain.

I frowned and roughly poured a pill into my mouth.

The mana in the pill spread through my body, replenishing the spent mana, but it was insufficient.

This time, I consumed a lot of mana, so it would take more time.

"It's over."

To avoid hearing this noise, I always carry pills with me.

Of course, this time, I benefited from the annoying noise.

The Stone of Omnipotence invaded my mind, but thanks to it, I managed to get through without major damage.

Still, it's annoying.

I'm lucky it's only at 'Stage 1'; if it got worse, recovery would be a hassle.

I lightly pressed my throbbing forehead with my fingers.

After about 30 minutes of sitting still, the noise in my head disappeared.

It's over.

I sighed in relief and got up. Now that I know the location of the fragment, I plan to do some inquiries.

Holding the communication crystal ball and sending mana, I immediately received a response.

"Brother. Did you call?"

"Yeah."

Hans responded immediately, as if he had been waiting. It's late, past midnight, but he responded so promptly.

He must have been waiting for my call.

"Calling you now means the matter you were trying to resolve is finished?"

"It finished faster than expected. Now I have some leeway."

"That's a relief."

"We can move the meeting time up. If so, the weekend would be better."

"I was thinking the same thing. It seems you have something else to say besides this."

Indeed, Hans.

He's quick to notice such things, probably because we've worked together for a long time.

"I found the location of another fragment."

"Where?"

"In Leiderbalk. Focus on the auction house."

"The auction house in Leiderbalk. There's only one, right?"

"Right."

In Leiderbalk, there is only one auction house.

The unique auction house in Leiderbalk, <Kunst>.

One of the auction houses operated by 'Luke Co.,' the largest auction company in the Exillion Empire, and the branch in Leiderbalk is one of the largest in the continent.

The influence of the Kunst auction house is not limited to just Leiderbalk or the Exillion Empire.

The Kunst auction house has a very high participation rate because it attracts all kinds of wealthy people from across the continent to purchase items.

Money attracts more money.

High-quality antiques, historically significant items, and outstanding artifacts.

Good items attract wealthy people.

And they invest huge sums of money to show off their wealth.

This auction house is a place where even I, who earn a huge salary in Seorun, would be amazed at the amount of money changing hands.

When such overwhelming auction prices are set, rumors spread and attract attention from people in other countries.

The virtuous cycle of money.

That's what created the current Kunst auction house.

If my guess is correct, the 'fragment' I'm looking for will be in this Kunst auction house.

'The timing is not bad, as they