My Magic Has No Upper Limit

Chapter 128: Chapter 127: Contrast

The two large hunting parties assembled separately.

Carriages, Adventurers, and young Mages formed a spectacular sight under the morning sun.

"Well then, Marvin."

Lena waved. "I’ll see you in the Hengduan Mountain Range. We’ll see who gets there first!"

"See you then." Marvin waved back, then turned and climbed into his carriage.

At Lena’s command, all the members on her side boarded their carriages as well.

The Third and Fourth Squads each took a carriage, the six Adventurers from the Escort Team shared another, and the last carriage was dedicated to carrying heavy equipment and supplies.

With a crisp crack of the whip, the wheels slowly began to turn, and the grand procession of carriages made its way onto the main road of Black Stone Town.

Inside the Fourth Squad’s carriage, where Zelir was, the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

He had chosen a window seat, but Yanni was sitting directly across from him.

To avoid the awkwardness, Zelir could only turn his head and pretend to watch the street scenes flashing by outside the window.

Yanni, meanwhile, was clinging tightly to Bev’s arm. She would occasionally lean in to whisper in Bev’s ear, her gaze inadvertently flicking over to Zelir.

Lante, participating in this kind of large-scale event for the first time, was suffering from his old habit of getting nervous. He sat next to Zelir, constantly fiddling with the hem of his Magic Robe.

Instructor Lena, one of the leaders, was also in this carriage.

She had her arms crossed, observing with great interest the little ones before her, each with a different personality.

"Zelir."

Instructor Lena broke the silence.

Zelir, who had been staring blankly out the window, snapped back to his senses and spoke respectfully.

"Instructor Lena."

"You’re a new face. I’ve never seen you at the Guild before."

Lena sized Zelir up without any attempt to hide it.

After they made eye contact, Zelir noticed that even Instructor Lena’s pupils were fiery red.

"That’s because I only just came to the Mage’s Guild the month before last," Zelir answered truthfully.

"Heh, you may have been here a short time, but you’ve certainly made a name for yourself."

Lena looked at Zelir and laughed.

"I only heard about your exploits after I finished my seclusion training a while ago. To think the Black Stone Town branch actually produced a young Mage who could rival Kane."

"They’re exaggerating," Zelir could only reply humbly.

"I don’t think so."

Lena said, "We need to show those arrogant folks in the Imperial Capital that other places can produce real geniuses too."

"Zelir really is amazing, Instructor Lena! I went on an adventure with him once, clearing out Kobolds in a cave."

Lante, who was sitting to the side, found an opportunity to chime in and spoke with great enthusiasm.

"Using just Arcane Missile, Zelir single-handedly took down the two most powerful Giant Beast Dogmen with ease!"

"Is that so?"

Lena’s eyebrows shot up, and the smile on her face grew wider. "That sounds even more interesting than I thought. Now I’m really looking forward to this."

The long procession of carriages moved slowly down the main street of Black Stone Town, drawing a crowd of onlookers who murmured in admiration.

"Look! The Mage’s Guild’s hunting party is setting out."

"What a huge procession! They even hired the elites from the Adventurer’s Association!"

"May the gods protect them and grant them a safe return, and may they clear out the threats in the forest for us!"

Meanwhile, the Adventurers who hadn’t managed to secure a spot on the Escort Team watched the carriages depart with expressions blending envy and frustration.

When the carriages reached the town’s exit, the great gates of Black Stone Town’s checkpoint were already wide open for them.

The guards on both sides of the road stood ramrod straight, raising their Long Halberds in a salute to the carriage procession.

After leaving Black Stone Town and traveling for some distance, the carriage procession began to split up.

Instructor Marvin’s carriages headed west, while Lena and Manlin’s group went east.

"Instructor Lena, why isn’t Instructor Marvin’s group traveling with us? Wouldn’t it be safer with more people?" Lante asked curiously.

"That’s exactly why. There are too many people."

Lena waved her hand dismissively. "A team of sixteen is already the limit for moving through the Gray Wood Forest."

"Any more than that, and the sound of our footsteps and our scent alone would scare off any Demon with half a brain for miles around. How would we hunt them then?"

"But... their team is short one Upper Level Mage. Won’t that be dangerous?" Lante asked, looking out the window at the carriages gradually disappearing into the distance.

"Don’t you underestimate your Instructor Marvin. He may look all scholarly and gentle on the surface, but he did his fair share of quests for the Adventurer’s Association back in his younger days," Lena laughed.

"Huh?" Lante said in surprise.

"You didn’t know, did you? Marvin is a bona fide Golden Level Adventurer. And back in the day, he was even teammates with Chairman Hogan of the Adventurer’s Association. They’re good friends."

"It’s precisely because of that connection that our Black Stone Town Mage’s Guild can collaborate with the Adventurer’s Association on the annual Demon Hunts. Most other regional branches don’t get that privilege."

Zelir was also a little astonished to hear this.

’I never would have thought that the gentle and refined Instructor Marvin had a past like that.’

"Instructor Lena, between you and Instructor Marvin, who’s stronger?" Lante asked.

’After all, they’re both combat-type Mages. I’m so curious.’

Lena was amused by the question. She waved her hand grandly.

"Do you even need to ask? It’s me, of course."

"That’s not true."

Bev retorted with a smile, "I heard from Instructor Manlin that you were at a disadvantage the last time you sparred with Instructor Marvin."

"You little rascal, trying to expose me, are you?" Lena laughed heartily and reached out to ruffle Bev’s hair.

Soon, the carriage reached the edge of the Gray Wood Forest, and the fresh scent of grass and trees filled the cabin.

The rest of the way through the forest would have to be traveled on foot.

Everyone climbed down from the carriages.

「The edge of the Gray Wood Forest.」

Tall, grayish-white trees stood silently before the party like giants.

The overly dense canopy blocked out most of the sunlight, creating a clear and distinct line where the shadows began.

The clamor of the town was completely cut off here, replaced by an unfamiliar silence.

Zelir, however, didn’t find it particularly special. In fact, he almost felt like he was coming home.

He turned his head, about to go get his bag from the carriage.

But Zelir suddenly noticed that the expressions on the faces of the Third Squad’s Mages, and on Yanni’s, seemed a little off.

They had grown much more rigid.

"Have you noticed the change in their mindset?"

Lena placed her hands on Zelir’s shoulders from behind.

"Instructor Lena..."

Zelir turned his head to see an inscrutable smile on Instructor Lena’s face.

"A little, I guess..."

"That’s because for them, stepping into this forest is like entering a completely different world."

The corners of Lena’s lips curved up in amusement.

"There are no class divisions here. No laws, no guards, and certainly no servants. One’s illustrious family background and wealth are not only useless, but might even attract the covetous eyes of others."

"All the preferential treatment they’re used to in town vanishes here... If you’re hungry, you have to find your own food. If you’re cold, you have to build your own fire for warmth. If you run into a powerful Demon, you just have to pray your companions are reliable."

Lena lifted her chin toward the group of nervous Mages.

"You probably don’t feel this way, but most Mages from noble backgrounds are actually very resistant to this deep down..."

"Oh..."

After hearing Lena’s words, Zelir finally understood where that sense of dissonance came from.

It was like a canary, accustomed to being raised in a cage, suddenly being released into the dangerous wild. Naturally, it would feel intensely uncomfortable.

"The contrast is interesting, isn’t it?"

Lena gave a sly smile, then walked toward the front of the party.