Chapter 93: Undercurrents 2

Darkya rolled her eyes at Kent.

“Do you think every mage is as abnormal as you are?”

She answered with obvious irritation.

“Of course there are mages in the Dark Region.”

“But most of them won’t even attempt a trial until they reach the sixth rank.”

“And even then, they usually take part in team trials.”

“They’re nothing like warriors or archers.”

Darkya glanced around at the crowd.

“And don’t be fooled by what you see now.”

“Right now, it looks like most of the people here are warriors.”

“But once the trial begins tomorrow, you’ll suddenly find yourself surrounded by thieves and assassins.”

Kent blinked.

Darkya continued,

“Most of those thieves and assassins are dressed like ordinary warriors right now.”

“But when the trial starts, they’ll reveal what they really are.”

“In an underground environment like this, thieves and assassins are practically in their natural element.”

“So when you enter the trial, be careful.”

“Don’t let yourself be fooled just because someone looks like a swordsman.”

Kent chuckled.

“I’ll remember that.”

“I’ll try to find an archer to form a team with.”

Darkya’s sideways glance had nearly made him stumble.

She really was dangerously beautiful.

Even something as simple as rolling her eyes somehow carried a charm of its own.

Still, Kent took her warning seriously.

Whatever else could be said about Darkya, her heart was not bad.

By now, Kent had developed a rather favorable impression of her.

Darkya was carrying the Purple-Gold Rat King in her arms.

The little creature had already become extremely attached to her.

The main reason was simple.

After the First Elder arrived, he had given Darkya a large number of dark-element magic crystals and magical beast cores.

Darkya had then begun feeding the Purple-Gold Rat King fourth- and fifth-rank dark-element cores.

With treatment like that, how could the little creature possibly dislike her?

Kent could only watch with envy.

He was, after all, an all-element mage.

No matter what kind of magic crystal or beast core it was, he could absorb the energy within it.

Seeing so many valuable resources being fed to the Rat King almost made his mouth water.

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—the little creature spent most of its time sleeping.

It was obviously digesting and absorbing all the magical energy it had consumed.

Darkya gently stroked its purple fur.

Then she smiled at Kent.

“Actually, you don’t even need to participate in the trial.”

“You could still obtain the badge without going through it.”

Kent laughed.

“Cultivation is supposed to involve hardship.”

“If I want to become stronger, I need to temper myself.”

“So I’m not afraid.”

As he spoke, Kent glanced at the Purple-Gold Rat King.

A small bow had been tied around its neck.

It was also wearing a tiny outfit made from soft beast hide.

Every time Kent looked at it, he wanted to laugh.

The outfit had been entirely his idea.

The little Rat King had developed a habit of baring its teeth at him whenever they met.

So Kent had jokingly suggested dressing it up.

To his surprise, Darkya had taken the suggestion seriously.

She had immediately prepared an entire little outfit for the creature.

As for Kent’s claim that he wanted to participate in the trial for the sake of tempering himself...

that was only half true.

The other half of his reason was much more practical.

The trial would take place in unexplored territory.

And unexplored territory meant opportunity.

Kent hoped he might find undiscovered magical metals.

Rare magical plants.

Or perhaps something even more valuable.

Darkya, however, had no idea what he was really thinking.

When she heard his answer, her expression softened.

“That’s the right attitude.”

“Strength has to be tempered.”

“When I was only first-rank, I often went out alone to hunt magical beasts.”

She lifted her chin slightly.

“People call me a genius now.”

“But no one ever sees how much effort lies behind that word.”

Her opinion of Kent improved a little more.

The two continued wandering through the city while talking.

Kent, however, still felt somewhat depressed.

Originally, he had planned to sell the fruits of the Breadfruit Tree.

Unfortunately, the dark elf elders had refused.

Their reasoning had been brutally simple.

The minority obeyed the majority.

And since Kent was now an Honorary Elder of the dark elves, he was expected to abide by the decisions of the Elder Council.

At first, Kent had hoped to make use of the disagreements between several elders and the First Elder.

Perhaps he could stir up enough opposition to push his own plan through.

But when it came to the Breadfruit Tree, the elders had displayed an astonishing degree of unity.

Their decision had been unanimous.

Kent had no choice but to abandon that particular road to wealth and search for another.

Eventually, he and Darkya arrived at the city square.

The entire place had transformed.

Stalls filled almost every available space.

Some sold food.

Others sold clothing.

Still others displayed weapons, materials, herbs, tools, and all kinds of strange goods.

Whenever the Grand Trial was held, the nearest city would inevitably become the center of an enormous temporary market.

Merchants, adventurers, craftsmen, and travelers from other cities would gather there.

For several days, the city would become one of the busiest trading centers in the entire region.

And as Kent looked across the crowded square, his eyes slowly began to brighten.

Where there were crowds...

there was business.

“Hmph. Listen carefully.”

While Kent and Darkya were wandering through the square, a very different conversation was taking place inside a large mansion on the western side of Muan City.

A human stood before a group of subordinates, speaking in a commanding voice.

“During this trial, I want you to capture that human and bring him back to me.”

“If you complete the task successfully, I’ll reward you handsomely when you return.”

“Young Master, you can rest assured.”

A tall, thin man standing nearby immediately stepped forward with a flattering smile.

“There are twenty of us.”

“We’ll split into five teams.”

“Each team will consist of one warrior, one archer, one thief, and one assassin.”

“And every single one of them is fourth-rank.”

He gave a dismissive laugh.

“That fellow is only a second-rank mage.”

“Taking part in the trial at his level was a mistake from the beginning.”

The Young Master frowned.

“Don’t underestimate him.”

“You’ve all heard about what happened with the kobolds, haven’t you?”

The tall man did not seem particularly concerned.

“Young Master, that battle against the kobolds only succeeded because he had prepared an ambush in advance.”

“As long as we keep a close eye on him and don’t give him the opportunity to set up another trap, there won’t be much he can do.”

The Young Master glanced at him.

After thinking it over, he had to admit that the explanation made some sense.

He waved a hand.

“Fine.”

“Give everyone a copy of this portrait.”

“I don’t want any of you grabbing the wrong person when the time comes.”

One of the attendants beside him immediately stepped forward with a stack of scrolls.

Each scroll contained a magical portrait.

The person depicted was none other than Kent.

At the same time, on one side of the square, two humans stood beside the window of a three-story building.

One appeared to be in his fifties.

The other looked to be in his thirties.

From where they stood, they could clearly see Kent and Darkya chatting and laughing as they wandered between the market stalls.

The younger man watched for a while before speaking.

“Teacher, do you think we should use this trial as an opportunity to invite Kent to the Second Layer?”

“That place needs an alchemist like him far more than the First Layer does.”

He paused, his gaze still fixed on Kent.

“Just look at the alchemical creation he used to wipe out the kobolds.”

“The principle behind it was so simple.”

“And yet no one had ever thought of it before.”

“I think he’s a genuine talent.”

The older man did not answer immediately.

He considered the suggestion for a moment before waving his hand.

“Go ahead and make the arrangements.”

“But if no suitable opportunity presents itself, don’t force the matter.”

“And whatever you do, don’t hurt him.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

The younger man immediately brightened.

“I’ll make the arrangements right away.”

With that, he turned and hurried away.

Elsewhere in Muan City, another group was making preparations of its own.

“Listen up, you brats.”

A dwarf whose beard nearly dragged along the ground stood before several dozen younger dwarves.

“No matter what happens during this trial, you are to ensure Kent’s safety.”

His expression was stern.

“He is a hero of Muan City.”

Kobi was among the dwarves standing before him.

Every one of them wore armor and carried a battle axe.

Judging from the intricate patterns etched across their weapons and armor, the equipment was clearly of exceptional quality and had been forged by dwarven craftsmen themselves.

Kobi hesitated for a moment before stepping forward.

“Great-Grandfather, should we bring a few heavy crossbows with us?”

“We dwarves may not be very good with bows, but crossbows are another matter.”

Dwarven heavy crossbows were specially designed for dwarven use.

Their effective range exceeded five hundred meters, and their destructive power was considerable.

More importantly, they could be operated even by ordinary fighters without specialized archery training.

In terms of ranged firepower alone, a dwarven heavy crossbow could almost rival a mid-rank Magic Archer.

The old dwarf did not even need to think.

“Good.”

“Take two heavy crossbows.”

He continued immediately,

“And bring twenty Bone-Piercing Bolts.”

“Thirty Armor-Piercing Bolts as well.”

Kobi nodded.

“Yes, Great-Grandfather.”

“Bone-Piercing Bolts and Armor-Piercing Bolts?”

Kobi’s eyes lit up.

“Good stuff.”

“I’ll go get them right away.”

With that, he grabbed one of his companions and hurried off excitedly.

The so-called Bone-Piercing Bolts were among the dwarves’ more vicious weapons.

Once such a bolt struck its target, the arrowhead would shatter inside the bone.

Trying to pull it out was pointless.

The only way to remove the fragments was to cut open the flesh around the wound and dig them out piece by piece.

These bolts had been designed specifically for dealing with parties that included healing mages.

In the underground world, a large proportion of mages specialized in the water element, and many of them served primarily as healers.

A normal wound might quickly be treated.

But a shattered arrowhead buried deep inside the bone was another matter entirely.

For that reason, Bone-Piercing Bolts were considered one of the dwarves’ secret weapons.

Unfortunately, they were extremely difficult to forge, so only a limited number could be produced.

Armor-Piercing Bolts were different.

Their arrowheads were forged from refined steel and designed purely for penetration.

Ordinary armor offered little protection against them.

Even the heavy armor worn by dwarves themselves could be pierced.

And if an Armor-Piercing Bolt was fired from a dwarven heavy crossbow...

then at a distance of less than fifty meters, it could punch straight through an armored warrior.

Armor, flesh, and bone alike.

“First Elder.”

Elsewhere in Muan City, a dark elf stood respectfully before a window.

He bowed toward the figure standing there.

“I’ve taken care of everything you instructed.”

“Do you have any further orders?”