Chapter 19

EP.19 Camping (1)

The casting of [Freezing Explosion] has ended.

Gargia, the recluse, was trapped in a massive ice collapse, riddled with wounds. Soon, as the freezing was released, the ice collapse turned into a powder of blue light and disappeared. Gargia's body turned into ash and scattered aimlessly.

“Did we defeat it?”

“We did.”

As soon as Kaya recited the enemy resurrection spell, the result was immediately confirmed and nullified.

[Congratulations! You have defeated [Gargia the Recluse (Lv 110)] and gained experience!]

[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 40!]

[You have gained 8 stats!]

The [Evil Slayer] trait has been deactivated, making my body suddenly feel much heavier. It was a sensation I couldn't get used to.

Thud.

At that moment, a dagger that Gargia had been carrying fell to the ground.

A dagger in its sheath.

I immediately picked up the dagger.

[You have obtained the loot [Sheath of Calamity]!]

[Sheath of Calamity]

:: If you engrave a magic circle that can be used and inject the required amount of mana for casting, you can use that magic from the position of the sheath.

Limit: 5-star magic

Cooldown: 10 minutes

Grade: 1-tier

‘Sheath of Calamity’. It's a very useful item. With this, the range of tactics can significantly expand.

Using the magic engraved on the sheath doesn't consume mana, as it's designed to be pre-charged and used when needed.

The blade in the sheath is for disguise. It's just an ordinary dagger.

“Sir Isaac, what is that?”

“A weapon the demon had. I'll recover it.”

This is mine now, hehe.

Suppressing the urge to whistle, I put the Sheath of Calamity into my magic pouch.

“Now...”

With Gargia the Recluse defeated, all the Calamity Ants, his minions, must be eliminated. However, due to my freezing them, they couldn't be released.

I extended my hand and released the freezing that covered the entire cave.

The ice that had frozen the cave turned into a powder of blue light and scattered like fireflies.

A large-scale release of freezing. It was a brief moment, like a fireworks show, but it was also a beautiful moment. Seeing Kaya's exclamation of admiration, it seemed she felt the same way.

Soon, the orderly Calamity Ants began to turn into ash and disappear.

At that moment, a system window appeared in front of me.

[Congratulations! You have defeated 300 [Calamity Ants (Lv 70)] and gained experience!]

[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 50!]

[You have gained 20 stats!]

[You have achieved the achievement [Genocide]! You have gained an additional 10 bonus stats!]

“...”

Wow, no, wait a minute.

In Chapter 4 of Act 2 of [The Mage Knight of Merhen], even if Gargia is defeated and all the Calamity Ants are eliminated, no experience is gained.

Experience is only given for the Calamity Ants you directly defeat.

Moreover, the Calamity Ants don't come all at once but pressure the player with various strategies and tactics, so it's impossible to face all of them.

However, by freezing the entire cave, I inadvertently touched all the Calamity Ants.

As a result, it was judged that I had faced all the Calamity Ants.

Thanks to this, an experience party was held, and I even achieved the [Genocide] achievement.

“Oh, oh...!”

Just as I was about to shout in the rush of accomplishment.

I cleared my throat and quickly composed myself, noticing Kaya's gaze.

No, no. I'll celebrate after I part ways with Kaya.

I'll hold onto this joy for now.

...Hehe.

“Sir Isaac?”

“Kaya, I have a favor to ask.”

“...! What is it?!”

Kaya's emerald eyes sparkled. They were bright and curious, like a child's.

[ Kaya Astraen ]

Level: 93

Race: Human

Attributes: Wind, Ice

Danger Level: X

Psychology: [I am pleased to hear that you have a favor to ask.]

It's nice that she's happy, but she might end up with a slave mentality...

Anyway, she also gained cooperative experience and leveled up.

Considering she was already in the 90s and had only recently leveled up, it's clear she gained a significant amount of experience.

It seems her performance was judged to be significant this time.

Well, I admit it. Without her, I might have had to return empty-handed. It's fortunate that things went well.

Now, there's only one thing left to do.

“I'm going to recover this now.”

I pointed to the yellowish-green magic stones, Jephrim, scattered on the ground.

“Can you help me with that?”

Honestly, I made you stronger, didn't I? You can do this much, right?

“Understood!”

Kaya readily accepted.

I handed her an empty magic pouch, and she went to the opposite corner to start collecting the Jephrim.

Before long, Kaya used a powerful wind spell to gather the Jephrim from every corner into one place. Thanks to this, we could easily collect the Jephrim.

“What are these magic stones for?”

While putting the Jephrim into the magic pouch, Kaya asked.

There's no need to lie, so I decided to answer honestly.

“Materials for forging weapons.”

“Are you planning to make weapons?”

“No, I'm going to sell them. I'm collecting them to earn gil.”

Kaya nodded in understanding.

“You must be short on gil because you're pretending to be weak. If you had told me, I would have helped you anytime.”

That's a hard pass...

Kaya is the second-year vice-chair of the Magic Department and a daughter of the Astraen family.

For example, if a student sees me, an E-class commoner, having a friendly meal with her, it's impossible to predict what kind of rumors would spread.

“I don't need it.”

I answered firmly.

...

On the way back.

Kaya and I were climbing a dark, steep path, relying on the light of a glowing lamp after escaping the underground maze.

The bag on my shoulder was quite heavy. It contained two magic pouches full of Jephrim and the Sheath of Calamity.

Isn't this a bit too much?

“Sir Isaac.”

While walking quietly, Kaya suddenly broke the silence.

“What was that black ice just now?”

As expected. I knew she would ask eventually.

[Black Ice] is a magic that combines ice and darkness attributes. While no one can definitively say it's a demon's magic just because it's black, in this situation, it's natural to be suspicious.

If I avoid this question, Kaya might start imagining things.

Should I make something up? There's no need to.

I decided to answer honestly.

“Is it something like a magic tool that changes the color, or something similar?”

“A demon's magic.”

“...!”

Kaya's eyes widened.

Whoosh!

She immediately wrapped herself in a wind spell and retreated to the opposite side, showing a tense defensive stance.

[ Kaya Astraen ]

Psychology: [I am suspicious of whether you are a demon.]

See, I told you.

I stopped and calmly continued.

“...I obtained an item from a demon I defeated in the past.”

“An item?”

“‘Remnant of Darkness’. A 1-tier item that combines dark mana with my existing elemental mana to learn a new magic. Thanks to this, I can use black ice.”

The item 'tier' indicates rarity. The lower the number, the rarer and more valuable it is. Among them, 1-tier is the highest grade.

Did I answer like an explainer? I feel like I might look like a fraud...

“...”

Three seconds. A quiet three seconds passed as if time had stopped.

Kaya looked down and nodded. It seemed she had reached her own conclusion.

[ Kaya Astraen ]

Psychology: [I trust you.]

I have defeated demons and shown her that. This alone proves that I am not on the side of demons.

Kaya probably thinks the same.

“I apologize for doubting you.”

Kaya relaxed her defensive stance and returned to my side.

20 minutes later.

We emerged from the Tantak underground cave. The star-studded night sky, the gorge, the nearby forest, and the unpaved road greeted us.

Perhaps because my heart is content, the scenery looks particularly beautiful.

“Finally, we're out... Thank you, Sir Isaac.”

“Yeah.”

“But how will you return to the dormitory?”

“...?”

“...?”

...Ah, right.

How did you plan to return?

“Are you going to camp?”

“...?”

...?

No way?

It's about an hour's walk from here to the carriage stop. The carriage service has probably ended by now, and there are no accommodations nearby.

Moreover, Kaya's ability to fly using wind magic has its limits.

Condensing and continuously emitting wind to lift a human body is a behavior that consumes a massive amount of mana if not used for a short time.

At Kaya's level, no matter how much mana she has, she would run out in about 3 minutes.

“Did you come here without a plan?”

Kaya bowed her head in silence.

Her face turned bright red.

[ Kaya Astraen ]

Psychology: [I am embarrassed by my clumsy appearance.]

...It's understandable.

She probably followed without knowing I planned to camp. She wouldn't have known.

“...Follow me. I'll let you stay.”

“Huh?”

Kaya's expression showed strong suspicion. It was as if a question mark appeared above her head.

...

Between the gorges.

The crescent moon reflected in the gently flowing stream, lost in self-admiration.

It was quiet and the ground was flat. In short, it was the perfect spot for camping.

I took out various camping equipment from my magic pouch. The tent was easily set up, and with a blanket laid inside and a glowing lamp placed, it looked cozy.

Next, I took out two folding chairs. It was fortunate that I had brought extras just in case.

Kaya just stood there, seemingly amazed by my preparations for camping.

“You came prepared...”

Of course. Just sleeping anywhere would make you catch a cold.

Of course, I also tended to over-consume. I thought I could make a fortune by selling the Jephrim.

In the end, it turned out to be the best choice.

“Kaya, can you gather some firewood?”

“Ah, are you going to make a campfire?”

I nodded.

“I'll be right back!”

Kaya wrapped herself in a wind spell and flew into the forest above the gorge.

Her wind magic would make it easy to gather firewood. It also helped her rapidly improve, and since I decided to provide Isaac's camping, it's reasonable to ask for this much.

I sat in the folding chair and placed a glowing lamp in front of me.

‘Should I take a look?’

I took out the Sheath of Calamity from my magic pouch and began to examine it.

The black sheath was covered in fine scratches. When I touched it, I felt a rough texture amidst the smoothness.

It looks old and ordinary. This makes it a good item for making the opponent let their guard down.

Swish.

I pulled out the dagger from the sheath.

A well-sharpened dagger. It's a real, ordinary weapon. Still, it has its own functions, so it can be useful in various ways.

I put the blade down and turned my gaze back to the Sheath of Calamity.

I plan to engrave the [Freezing Explosion] magic circle on this sheath.

Then, I can use [Freezing Explosion] without consuming mana from the position of the sheath.

I don't even need to emit mana or pretend to cast a spell. It seems very suitable for hitting the opponent from behind.

However, the cooldown is 10 minutes. And each time I use it, I need to store the amount of mana required for [Freezing Explosion] in the sheath. In most cases, it will be a one-time use per battle, but that one use will give me the upper hand.

Of course, it only works with magic I can use. Since I reached level 50 today, I will soon be able to learn [Freezing Explosion]. I want to learn it before the human combat performance evaluation.

“Sir Isaac, I'm back.”

Kaya had already returned. Firewood was rotating in a small whirlwind beside her.

She's really efficient, isn't she?

After all, life in the Astraen family mansion was probably like being in the military.

“Good job.”

“...!”

[ Kaya Astraen ]

Psych