Chapter 32

I decided to head straight home, as I wouldn’t be happy if more strange things appeared. I figured I could do the appraisal after leaving the cave.

Since it came from a mine, I also needed to tell Gainta. It wouldn’t be right to bring it back without telling him. I felt it would be improper to take it home without permission. On Earth, there were no artifacts, but if treasures were found underground, the landowner had certain rights, I believe.

I widened the hole I came through a bit and then jumped back into the tunnel. I had already gotten used to jumping onto the platform about 2 meters above. When I first arrived, I had to consciously think about jumping onto such a high platform, but now it felt natural.

The purpose of my coming here was not to find artifacts but to resolve the excess magic. What should I do? There’s no way to verify it. In places where excess magic was a problem, the MP limit had increased, so it might be visible in my status. I opened my status and looked at the MP section, trying to infer from the changes.

MP: 673,122 / 94,528,637

MP: 676,564 / 94,528,637

MP: 685,732 / 94,528,637

MP: 689,238 / 94,528,637

What the...?

The recovery rate is off. It used to recover gradually, but now it’s increasing irregularly and rapidly. The limit is also off, nearly a hundred million. The lower digits are impossible to track.

...Well, it is recovering, so the situation has changed from when it stopped. I wondered if it was due to a skill and checked my skills.

Skills: Information Manipulation Analysis (Hidden), Complete Mastery of Foreign Languages (Hidden), Magical Aptitude, Martial Arts Aptitude, Otherworldly Being (Hidden), All-Element Affinity (Hidden), Fire Magic 3, Earth Magic 3, Water Magic 3, Pressure Magic 1, Perception Magic 4, Healing Magic 2, Swordsmanship 2, Magic Essence Adaptation (Unknown)

There were no changes. I couldn’t tell if Magic Essence Adaptation had increased since it was unknown.

However, what does it mean for it to increase to nearly a hundred million? At the rate it was when I arrived, I didn’t think it would increase this much.

Could it be that the monsters I attacked with my bare hands weren’t destroyed but absorbed?

It felt like they were made of something gathered from the surroundings, and since the anomalies occurred in the same place and time, it’s likely that whatever it was had something to do with the MP limit and excess magic.

Was it really absorbed?

From the status, it doesn’t seem to have an immediate health impact, but it doesn’t feel good. I guess I should be happy that my MP increased.

The MP increase has stopped, and it’s still recovering, so I should report it.

However, being able to see MP is rare, and there’s no real need to tell them. I could just say something like, "The pressure that felt like excess magic is gone!" They’ll probably interpret it on their own.

After all, they’re not seeking my expert opinion.

While thinking about this, I climbed up the hill and returned to the entrance. It was already midnight.

I was grateful for the clear path; otherwise, I might have gotten lost in the mine.

From the outside, it looked like a forest rather than a building, so I might have been able to escape by modifying the tunnel ceiling a bit. However, digging a hole from the tunnel ceiling to the surface would cause various problems, and there’s a high risk of a cave-in.

Everyone had already gone home, so I decided to report it in the morning. I ate dinner and returned to my room.

It was time for appraisal and reading. First, the sword. It’s about 1.5 meters long, quite long, but not heavy. Compared to the sword made by Dovelerug, it’s about twice as heavy, but to me, it’s negligible.

The color is a mix of blue and black, with no decorations. The guard is there, but let’s appraise it.

Magic Sword - Artifact

Description: A sword that connects magically with the user and enhances itself with the magic power given by the user.

It’s indeed an artifact. From the way it was embedded, it’s likely a high-performance sword. I’m not sure how it performs as an artifact.

I want this. Should I take it without permission?

No, that wouldn’t be good. It would make me feel guilty, and I need to work with them as business partners.

Next, the light-like thing that came from the monster.

Magic Lamp - Artifact

Description: A processed magic stone that emits light from the stored magic power.

When I infused it with magic, it emitted a light that surpassed the LED lights in my room in Japan. It’s clearly brighter than the magic lamps I’ve seen in inns.

Strangely, it’s not blinding even when looked at directly. It’s a mysterious light.

How do I turn it off? There’s no button or switch, just a ball.

I checked it thoroughly, but it’s just a perfect sphere. I’ll put it on hold and store it in my item box.

Next is the black ball.

Wisp Core

Description: The core of a Wisp, with extremely high magic conduction and retention.

Magic stones are called magic stones, not cores.

So this is probably not a magic stone but the core of the creature, likely a Wisp.

I’m not an expert, but the description suggests it’s highly useful.

As a monster defeated during my work as an adventurer, it should be mine. I’ll report it, of course.

The magic lamp also came from the Wisp, but as an artifact, it’s likely something that already existed.

It might be like a tsukumogami. I should consult about it. If a monster steals something and is defeated, it’s treated as the adventurer’s property.

For thieves, it’s generally the adventurer’s property, but this time it was a request from Gainta.

I’ll negotiate that later.

Finally, the notebook. Since it came with the artifact, it might contain information from that era.

If it’s a diary, it would be a laughing matter.

The first page looks like a cover. The words "Report" are faintly visible, though faded. I carefully turned the pages, as they might be deteriorated. Ideally, I should use tweezers, but I don’t have any here.

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August 4 - Rain

Failed to slay the dragon. The betrayal must have affected us, and we lacked magic power. The mages couldn’t be secured in time.

We managed to guide its appearance and deploy the ritual, but the dragon is likely already healed from the minor damage we inflicted.

I informed the mages who couldn’t participate and dispersed them to various locations to escape. I propose concentrating as many mages as possible for a second attempt. Time is running out.

I will start moving to return home.

August 15 - Clear

The Palmen continent has perished, completely burned by the dragon’s flames. It’s unlikely that any survivors remain.

This likely resulted in the death of about 60% of the mages. It’s now impossible to secure enough mages for a normal dragon slaying.

We must defeat it even at the cost of mages. We should have done this earlier.

I expect to reach the capital in about two days.

This ability to only gather information is frustrating. My departure from the capital was due to the lack of mages. The quality has also severely declined due to the magic essence disorder.

A dragon every two years, perhaps this world is reaching its limit.

August 16 - Weather Unknown

The capital was destroyed the day before my arrival.

The dragon’s flames stopped somewhere between here and the capital. I’m in a shelter now, but it’s no comfort.

It’s over.

August 17 - Weather Unknown

The magic essence disorder is severe. I’m in the same state.

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It’s written in something like ink. The language seems different from the one used in this country now.

It’s called a report, but there are only words on the first page, and the writing style doesn’t seem like a report.

There are some ominous things written, but let me summarize the information.

First, the dragon. It seems to be something that mages try to slay.

From the writing, it seems a large number of mages are needed.

I’m not sure what "appearance guidance" and "ritual deployment" mean, but from the words, it seems to limit the dragon’s appearance location?

Does the dragon appear suddenly one day? It’s mentioned every two years, but I’m not sure.

The ritual deployment is likely an attack ritual.

If the slaying fails, the country or continent is destroyed in a few days. How big is it?

Next, the magic essence disorder. I’m not sure what the symptoms are, but it might be related to the excess magic from the cave I explored. The new skill I gained, Magic Essence Adaptation, might also be related.

From the writing, the magic essence disorder seems to lower the quality of mages.

The capital and the Palmen continent were likely the continent and country of that era. Now, this information is useless.

The shelter is probably the building I saw. The walls seemed slightly blue, a color not commonly seen here.

The person who wrote this was likely a mage, but the weapon left was a sword. The details are not mentioned.

Well, I haven’t heard of dragons or magic essence disorders spreading, so it’s not my problem.

I’ll dispose of the remains here. The relatives are likely dead.