Chapter 58

Flap.

It was a pure white coat. Despite the bloody battle, not a single drop of blood or speck of dust had stained it. The bonfire light rippled across the white coat like sunset.

The feeling was simple. Since I could try various methods in various situations within [Simulation], it was easy.

“Escape Coat.”

A magical device that uses charged mana.

It can store 5 shine of mana and use <Escape> five times a day. Whether it’s handcuffs, ropes, traps, or any restraint, one can break free and quickly move 5 meters in any direction—up, down, left, right, forward, or backward.

One use costs 1 shine, or about 100,000 Korean won, so while it’s expensive, when you consider it’s your life at stake, it’s well worth the price.

“Hmm… Yuria would be better off using this.”

Currently, the most defensively vulnerable person on our team was Yuria. Monggu’s body was only enhanced to level 2, but since his 10th class equipment synchronization rate exceeded 80%, his full-body suit’s efficiency had greatly improved. Though Yuria had level 3 body enhancement and a mage’s physique (which isn’t much different from a mana user’s body), her defense was still lower than Monggu’s because she wasn’t wearing a full-body suit.

Besides, I couldn’t give it to Monggu anyway. As long as he wore the full-body suit, he couldn’t use magical items at all.

And I already had 3-star Ki-blood magic, so I could achieve similar effects without <Escape>.

Yuria having it would be the best option.

“And if I wore it, we’d be too matchy.”

I tugged at a strand of my hair. Pure white. Both my mom and dad have black hair, yet for some reason, mine is white.

“Anyway, next.”

Clink!

Next to it was a rounded red crystal about the size of an egg. The center of the crystal was uniquely blue like an eyeball, and it had a thin, sturdy metal chain attached for securing to clothing.

The words <Eye of the Observer> were inscribed on the chain’s clasp.

“This was it…”

I couldn’t help but exclaim.

The reason Han Se-hoon could explore the relic site.

I thought it might be expensive equipment issued by his superiors specifically for relic exploration.

It was completely different from typical magical devices. The basic principle of totem magic is to fix magical power in special materials to create specific forms.

But <Eye of the Observer> showed no such traces of totem magic. With no magical power but only complex mana patterns intertwined, it resembled equipment found in relic sites more than a magical device.

‘Could this be a relic too?’

Even its usage differed from magical devices. Instead of consuming mana, you infuse magical power. When magical power is infused, it circulates through predetermined pathways similar to how magical power flows through blood channels, activating the <Eye of the Observer>. The surroundings become clear for 300 meters in all directions, and at the same time, any search magic in the area is destroyed.

This was the power of <Eye of the Observer> that allowed Han Se-hoon to find us hiding in Barracks #1 and to destroy the sensors at Arsenal #7.

If we explore another relic site, nothing would be more valuable than this.

“I’ll use this one.”

The magical power required for one activation wasn’t insignificant. While I could handle it, the amount would be somewhat burdensome for Yuria with her 1st Circle.

“And… whew~ there’s so much.”

Eight mage protection talismans, twenty-one mana user protection talismans, pouches full of mana bills… we’d thoroughly cleaned them out. A sweet harvest.

Of these, I took Han Se-hoon’s 3rd Circle protection talisman, and gave 2nd Circle protection talismans to Yuria and Monggu.

Monggu normally didn’t attract the calamity’s attention because he lacked magical power, but according to my [Simulation] results, when he used the 10th class combat equipment, he immediately attracted the calamity’s attention. Strongly, at that.

Of course… ancient warriors would have been enemies of the calamities too… so it makes sense they would detect him. That’s why I boldly assigned him a 2nd Circle mage protection talisman.

The remaining five 1st Circle protection talismans and twenty-one mana user protection talismans were set aside as reserve assets. They’re worth at least 1,900 Morning (1.9 billion won).

And the mana bills we recovered amounted to 500 Morning. Since they were all significant figures in the wilderness, the total from their emergency funds added up to this scale.

“We’ve become rich in an instant…”

With this kind of wealth, even a mana beginner without any special talents could obtain citizenship in a city.

And that wasn’t even all of it.

There were over thirty horses they had ridden. We only took six of the sturdiest ones.

We each chose one to ride, and the remaining three were hitched to pull the small teleportation barrier carriage they had brought. Though small, it was a D+ class teleportation barrier, two grades higher than Sena School Nomad’s barrier (D- class).

A high-value barrier that would cost at least 3,500 Morning.

In the end, excluding the special treasures, the value of items we obtained approached 6,000 Morning. The total assets of an average nomad of ten households would be about 2,000 Morning… to gain such wealth from a single battle…

“Is this why people become bandits?”

It’s so sweet that even bad thoughts cross my mind.

But the most precious treasure was something else.

Rustle.

I picked up a long, white stone that fit perfectly in my hand. Its surface had ripple-like patterns, and it was surprisingly light and smooth.

“Stone of Wind.”

I named it myself.

What explanation is needed? With this, I can use <Wind’s Protection> and <Wind’s Beast>. Han Se-hoon’s secret technique that drove me to despair countless times.

Just the Stone of Wind alone would clearly increase my combat power by at least 1.5 times.

I checked each item we’d acquired one by one, recording their functions and values in my notebook, then reorganizing them. I kept out what we’d use immediately and transported the rest to my subspace storage using Transportation.

As I sorted through everything, one final item remained.

A rather troublesome item.

‘I just took this with me…’

The nameplate of Trimacos City.

Found on Han Se-hoon’s person.

I remember Teacher Sena once instructing me: if anyone comes with such a nameplate asking for a favor, grant it unconditionally. It guarantees the city’s full support, equivalent to a request from the mayor, and would certainly be repaid several times over.

‘This feels uncomfortable…’

I hastily transported the nameplate to my subspace storage and dusted off my hands.

I recalled our conversation from earlier today.

“Where will we go now?”

When Yuria asked this, I replied:

“Well, if our goal is the Tower of Covenant… we should head to a city, right? Since the entrance to the Tower of Covenant only exists in cities.”

“Oh, I’ve al-always wanted to visit a city at least once!”

Monggu’s eyes sparkled. Yuria’s cheeks also flushed slightly.

Entering a city is the dream of everyone born and raised in the wilderness. With our skills now, we could easily pass the city entrance exam… it’s only natural to feel excited. However, there was one major problem.

“…but the issue is that we found Trimacos City’s nameplate on Han Se-hoon’s body.”

“Haah…”

“Huuu…”

Everyone sighed at my observation. There was some kind of relationship between Han Se-hoon and Trimacos City. Going there now would be nothing short of suicidal.

“Th-then we should find another city? A-anyway, we need to go through some city.”

Monggu was right. If our goal was the Tower of Covenant, we’d eventually need to pass through a city.

But which city should we choose…? Even another city would be problematic if it had good relations with Trimacos City. So where would be best?

I recalled stories my mother told me when I was young.

My mother’s name, Baek Song-i. That name is actually quite famous in the wilderness. One of the few explorers who crossed the 7th Continent.

Because of who my mother was, I grew up hearing many stories about the surrounding geography. Among those, I now needed some of that knowledge.

“Let’s go to Lanciel City.”

“Lanciel City?”

“Yes. If we cross the Saharan Plains and traverse the Sand Plateau, we’ll reach the Sky Bridge. Beyond that, on a floating island, is Lanciel City. From what my mother told me, Lanciel City differs from Trimacos City in many ways.”

“F-floating island… I think I’ve heard of that. A-an island floating in the air, th-though it’s not a star! Is it real?”

I shrugged.

“We’ll find out when we get there.”

“Ah… somehow I feel excited. To think we can go wherever we want to go.”

Yuria seemed genuinely happy.

I felt a bit of that too.

Having always lived according to the strict rules set by adults, now we could go anywhere we wanted.

‘Is this what it feels like to be an adult?’

It feels so liberating…

But even more than that, I felt the burden of responsibility. We could go where we wanted… but we also had to bear the consequences ourselves.

The dilemma troubling me now was exactly that.

“But… I’m not sure if heading straight to a city is the best idea.”

Once we enter the Tower of Covenant, we’ll likely conflict with Han Se-hoon’s backers. I won’t feel secure unless we become even stronger than we are now.

“Ideally, I’d like to find more relic sites before entering a city…”

After exploring Arsenal #7, I realized how much potential relic sites held. If we could find another relic site, we could become yet another level stronger.

We’ve acquired Han Se-hoon’s equipment,

We have Arsenal #7’s authentication code,

How wonderful would it be if we could find another relic site?

But since things don’t always go as planned, I reluctantly set aside this thought. Should we first enter a city, gather information, and then decide?

While pondering these concerns, Monggu spoke:

“I-I know one.”

“Huh?”

“I know a r-relic site.”

What was he saying? How would he know?

“Re-remember those drawings we saw on the first floor of Arsenal #7?”

I remembered. Those curving lines and hieroglyphic-like symbols that looked drawn with chalk. Likely records left by some surviving species from a later era.

“Among th-them were white fortress-like symbols.”

“That’s right.”

“At first I d-didn’t realize, but thinking about it… th-their positions matched known cities and some crossroads. Es-especially Arsenal #7’s location was specially m-marked.”

This caught my interest. What we now call cities and crossroads are all safe zones built by establishing barriers on the foundations of ancient relic sites.

If those symbols matched the positions of cities and crossroads, then that drawing could be interpreted as a map marking relic sites.

Belatedly trying to reconstruct the map in my mind, it did seem plausible.

However, one thing puzzled me…

“You remember all that? After just seeing it once in passing?”

Memory was one of my strengths. But Monggu too?

“Y-yes. I never forget what I’ve seen once.”

Yuria looked surprised at his response. So did I.

Why hadn’t I known? That Monggu had such a talent…

Thinking about it, it made sense. Exceptional memory wouldn’t be useful in mana user training. Maybe for becoming a mage, but not for mana users. Mana user training was brutally straightforward.

Anyway… I saw Monggu in a new light. Not just good memory, but impressive deductive skills too.

“B-but all the marked relic sites are n-now developed into crossroads or cities. I d-don’t know about distant ones, but th-that’s true for this region.”

“Hmm… you’re right. And it wouldn’t make sense to travel far on uncertain information.”

“Y-yeah. But… there were also black symbols marked separately from the white relic symbols.”

“Right, there were… what could those be?”

“I th-think they’re calamity relics.”

Calamity relics… it felt like lightning struck my head.

“If g-gods split into factions and fought as you said… th-then relics from the opposing side of Arsenal #7 must exist too.”

Monggu seemed a bit unsure as he averted his gaze while speaking. But… I found his words highly convincing. If my theory about gods fighting gods was correct… then calamity relics must indeed exist. And those places would also hold secrets from the mythical era.

“O-of course I could be wrong. I just th-thought I’d mention it. And even if I’m right, calamity relics would be too dangerous…”

“No, it makes sense. Are there any calamity relic sites near us?”

While I rarely forget things I’ve seen, I couldn’t recall the details clearly since I hadn’t examined it carefully.

Monggu continued:

“A-actually, on the way to Lanciel… near the Sky Bridge. There was a s-small black symbol. If the symbol size indicates its scale… it might be relatively s-safer.”

With those words, our destination was set.

Lanciel City.

And on the way, we’d explore a calamity relic.

We decided to just check it out without taking unnecessary risks.

Finishing my recollection, I felt my heart racing and looked up at the sky. The shattered continent fragments twinkled like stars.

“Somehow… I have a good feeling about this.”

Why did the world become like this?

What were the ancient gods, and why did they fight?

How did they fight?

And… what is the significance of the Tower of Covenant, said to exist at the center of all stars?

All the answers lay within the relics before us.

I felt a sense of destiny within them.