Chapter 242: Crystal Peak Mountain Mission

After everything that had happened in the secret world, with so many acolytes dead and the number of survivors reduced to almost nothing, it seemed only natural that Arcangrove would remain closed off and withdrawn.

But I was wrong. Little by little, the influence of the outside world began to enter the tower.

And, obviously, President Charny was not at all pleased with these changes.

However, there was little he could do.

The will of the entire Lumentrix Association stood behind it.

The Lumentrix Association was not an organization that even a Level 3 Wizard could simply ignore.

When an existence of that level made a decision, even the president of Arcangrove Tower had to obey.

The mission board in the tower’s great hall was bombarded with endless missions.

There were extremely dangerous missions, such as hunting wild Wizard-level demons, which could only be undertaken by Pseudo-Mages or existences with equivalent strength.

But there were also much simpler tasks, such as gathering resources, driving magical creatures away from plantations, or investigating abnormal phenomena.

Practically any kind of problem that arose in the region could eventually be turned into a mission. And the most impressive thing was that the board was constantly updated.

Sometimes, a mission would have just appeared, only for another one to take its place shortly afterward.

Even in the part of the continent where they were located, hundreds of thousands of strange incidents could occur every day.

Whenever something like that happened, the Lumentrix Association would receive the information and quickly announce a time-limited mission for all the acolytes in the region.

It was an extremely efficient way to make use of that enormous amount of manpower. The acolytes gained experience, while the local problems were resolved.

I, on the other hand, could simply remain in my residence. I could spend my days studying, refining my techniques, and slowly strengthening my magical foundation.

Ruby and Raticati, however, did not have that same peace of mind. During that period, the two practically turned into desperate prisoners.

Every day, they remained in the Mission Hall, their eyes alert as they searched through the mission board for any task that interested them.

Ruby was especially enthusiastic. After all, she was following the Bloodline Wizard path. This path possessed a rather unique characteristic. Simply accumulating knowledge about spells would not be enough to guarantee her rapid growth.

For her, the blood of powerful creatures was an essential source of evolution. The more powerful the bloodline she could absorb, the greater her potential for growth.

Because of this, Ruby chose her missions much more carefully than an ordinary acolyte. In just one month, she managed to complete many missions and accumulated twenty merit points.

However, there was a problem. All the missions she had chosen were located within the territory near Arcangrove Tower. Unfortunately, there were no Pseudo-Mage-level magical creatures in the area.

She needed to search farther away. Then, finally, a suitable mission appeared.

In the Krut Domains, approximately eleven thousand kilometers away, a werewolf camp that had migrated from the depths of a jungle was suddenly discovered.

The local authorities immediately announced a recruitment mission. A Pseudo-Mage or a Consolidated Level 3 acolyte was required to participate in eliminating the camp.

When Ruby came to me with shining eyes and invited me to accompany her, my answer was immediate.

— No.

As an elemental acolyte who intended to follow a path focused on the Light Element, I needed to concentrate my efforts on strengthening my own foundation.

The last time I had the opportunity to immerse myself in that pool of sunlight in the Underground Cave region, I had received an enormous benefit.

My Light Body had improved considerably. Ever since then, I had been thinking about it. I needed to find another place with similar conditions.

If I found such a place, perhaps I could continue strengthening my Light Body. And I had an increasingly clear feeling that this technique would play a fundamental role in my future.

Therefore, I rejected Ruby’s invitation, and she left alone.

On the third day after her departure, Raticati finally appeared.

He practically ran toward me.

— George! I found it!

I looked at him.

— Found what?

Raticati’s eyes were filled with excitement.

— The perfect mission!

That aroused my curiosity. During those days, he had spent practically all his time in the Mission Hall.

— What mission?

It was a resource-gathering mission.

The risk was relatively low.

More importantly, the location was inside a solar-light mountain that erupted at fixed intervals. Crystal Peak Light Mountain. It was located near the border, east of the Sunshine region. It was an area extremely rich in premium-quality Light Crystals.

In fact, those crystals were one of the main sources of income for the Wizard family that controlled the region.

But the mountain was no ordinary place. It was an active and extremely powerful solar-light mountain. For nine out of the twelve months of the year, it remained in a dangerous period of activity.

During those nine months, even Official Wizards avoided casually entering it. Only during the three months of dormancy did the mountain finally calm down.

It was during this period that the local family took advantage of the opportunity to harvest the Light Diamonds found deep within the mountain.

Even during the dormant period, however, the internal temperature remained frighteningly high.

An ordinary human simply could not enter. Only Level 3 acolytes with sufficiently strong elemental resistance could complete that mission. And that was precisely why the local family announced the task publicly.

During the dormant period, in addition to sending their own members to harvest the Light Crystals, they recruited external acolytes.

The rules were simple.

Those who entered the mountain could keep most of the resources they collected and only had to hand over a fixed quantity of Light Crystals to the family in charge.

For the acolytes, it was an opportunity to obtain extremely valuable resources. For the Wizard family, it meant increasing the productivity of the harvest without putting all of their own members at risk.

I did not hesitate and ran directly to the Mission Hall. As soon as I confirmed the details, I accepted the Light Crystal collection mission. The mission required me to arrive at the designated location in the Sunshine region within fifteen days.

The time was relatively tight, so I immediately began organizing everything I needed.

The first matter was Raticati. He had a timid and cautious personality. He was simply unsuited for the position of a combatant. On the other hand, he had demonstrated a much greater talent and interest in commerce.

Therefore, I made a decision. Raticati would remain in Arcangrove Tower, and I handed over to him all the resources I did not intend to use at that moment.

The magic stones I had brought back from the Underground Cave, the magical equipment taken from the corpses of the outlaw acolytes, and the four Mana Potions I still had with me.

None of these items truly fit the path I was following at that time.

But for Raticati... they were the perfect capital to start his business.

— Use these to open your shop.

Raticati stared at the items as if he had just received a legendary treasure.

Perhaps, to him, they really were.

In fact, those things could be considered extremely high-quality treasures within Arcangrove Tower. After the Total Massacre, there were many acolytes starving for mana and desperate for any resource capable of increasing their level.

Thus, when the Rat Shop finally opened, the results were almost immediate.

— What is this?

— Potions capable of increasing mana?

— How much do they increase?

— Can a single bottle really provide an increase of 0.5? Or even 0.7?

The acolytes practically went crazy.

Within Arcangrove Tower, most acolytes needed to spend months meditating just to achieve a small increase in their attributes.

For many of them, an increase of 0.5 in mana could represent several months or even years of concentrated training.

As for the side effects... For acolytes desperate to increase their strength, they simply did not seem important.

The real problem was the price. Most Level 2 acolytes could not even consider buying one. But that did not stop them from staring at them.

In the end, one of Kalikol’s henchmen appeared and bought all four Mana Potions at once.

The magical equipment being sold was not of the highest quality. But it was suitable for Level 2 acolytes. More importantly, the prices were within their reach.

Before long, Raticati had become a well-known figure within Arcangrove Tower.

A Rat capable of possessing such a great fortune would inevitably arouse envy. But any rational person would quickly realize one thing. Behind that little Rat stood a Pseudo-Mage. And there was also a Level 3 acolyte.

Thus, after finishing my preparations and arranging everything, I finally packed my belongings.

I did not inform practically anyone and quietly left Arcangrove Tower.

If I traveled the thousands of kilometers to my destination on foot or using ordinary land transportation, I would be lucky to arrive before the mission expired. Therefore, after leaving Arcangrove Tower, I headed to the nearest airport.

The vehicle could not be compared to the ships used by the Mage Association.

It was several times inferior in speed, stability, and comfort. Even so, it was still one of the most common and convenient means of transportation within the region.

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