Chapter 9

Digеul, whо intrоduсed himself аs а mаgе.

Нe was now соnfidently mаnifesting magiс аnd snееring dоwn аt Khan аs if looking dоwn оn him.

‘A bаstаrd likе уоu cаlls himself а mage?’

Digеul hаd соme herе todаy to takе оn Deilis’s escort missiоn.

Нe had heard that bесause there werе nо real mаges, аll thе fаkеs who had comе posing аs mаgеs so far hаd fаilеd to be sеlectеd for the mission.

But hе wаs confidеnt in his оwn abilitiеs.

Of cоurse, he wasn’t а reаl mаge either, but in his own estimаtion, hе соnsiderеd himself at lеаst а semi-magе.

‘When I first sаw him, I thоught hе wаs quitе skilled, but hе’s nоthing sрeсiаl.’

Honestly, Digeul had been a bit surprised when Byutek and Khan entered this place.

Although Grodek was a fairly large city in this vicinity, it was far from the center of the Sinsiniel territory.

For a knight and mage who looked capable to come to a rural city, it was only natural to be a little surprised.

‘That knight named Byutek seems quite strong, but that mage is clearly hollow inside.’

When he first saw Khan, he felt an indescribably immense aura from him.

But that was only for a very brief moment, and upon closer inspection, the mana inside his body was pitifully weak.

‘With that guy’s mana, there’s no way he can manifest magic.’

Thus convinced, Digeul stood confidently before Khan’s eyes, having manifested the ‘Arrow’ magic.

But something felt a bit off.

He had thought for sure that the knight who was this mage’s companion and this rookie mage would be gaping in surprise.

Yet both wore indifferent expressions.

‘What’s this?’

That, too, was only for a very brief moment.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

The rookie mage spoke as if it were nothing, and hearing his words, Digeul felt a surge of anger.

How dare this fake, posing as a mage, speak so arrogantly to him, who could actually manifest magic.

Digeul, about to retort to Khan, found himself unable to speak.

Whoom…!

Whoom…!

Whoom…!

The guy didn’t even chant an incantation.

Without even moving his lips, he suddenly manifested magic in an instant.

The ‘Arrow’ skill Digeul had created by chanting an incantation and using mana.

While there was one magic arrow around Digeul, around the guy he had thought was a rookie mage… now floated seven magic arrows.

“Wh-what…!”

“How can this be…!!”

Digeul couldn’t hide his astonishment, his mouth agape and eyes wide open.

Naturally, Deilis was the same.

And Byutek, standing beside Khan, was also somewhat surprised.

‘Last time, there were five magic arrows, but now there are even more… As expected, he wasn’t showing his full power.’

Byutek, confirming the increased number of arrows compared to before, was inwardly impressed.

The magic that creates magic arrows is called ‘Arrow.’

Even Byutek, who lacked knowledge of magic, knew that much.

It was the most basic skill used by those who called themselves mages.

‘He’s an incredible person. To think I was rude to such a person…’

Byutek looked at Khan and resolved to serve him better from now on.

Currently, there were quite a few mages in Kilpheon, to which he belonged, but for some reason, Byutek felt that Khan, now beside him, was a more outstanding mage than those mages.

Of course, he couldn’t say for certain since he hadn’t yet seen Khan’s true capabilities.

‘If I forge a deeper connection with Sir Khan here, I might be able to seek his help later.’

Meanwhile, Khan stood silently, having manifested his magic, and watched Deilis and Digeul, who were astonished.

“Now you know who should be selected for the escort mission.”

Khan glanced at Deilis and Digeul once each, then his gaze fixed on Deilis.

“Y-yes, of course! I failed to recognize a distinguished person and was rude. I’m truly sorry. May I ask your name?”

“Khan.”

Khan withdrew the manifested magic arrows.

Across from him, Digeul, still standing with wide eyes, quietly withdrew his mana as well.

Digeul had just shown his full capability.

But the real mage named Khan before him had manifested the ‘Arrow’ magic effortlessly, without even an incantation.

“Mr. Digeul, I apologize, but I will entrust my escort mission to Sir Khan.”

“…….”

Digeul, seemingly greatly resentful, left Deilis’s room in a hurry without even replying.

“Haha…”

Deilis watched Digeul leave and let out a hollow laugh.

* * *

[Quest cleared.]

[Acquired a minuscule amount of Experience Points as a reward.]

[Acquired the achievement ‘Path of the Mage’ as a reward.]

As soon as Digeul left, a quest clear message appeared before Khan’s eyes.

[Achievement: Path of the Mage]

• Mana +10

Since he already knew about achievements, he glanced at it briefly and moved on.

In <Geo Arc>, 10 Mana Stat points were quite valuable.

Just the Mana +1 attached to the achievement made him feel the mana inside his body increase slightly.

‘Now the real beginning starts.’

From now on, the real quest begins.

Everything up to this point could be considered the tutorial of <Geo Arc>.

‘Still, I’ve prepared quite a bit, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.’

By the way, that magic apprentice named Digeul was more talented than expected.

Basically, within the worldview of <Geo Arc>, everyone has a predetermined talent for mana.

‘He was much more talented than me.’

A mage’s talent is determined by the quality and quantity of mana.

But Khan’s magical talent—no, all users of <Geo Arc> who chose the mage class had almost no talent for magic.

An ambiguous talent—no, not even ambiguous—they start with only the slightest possibility of becoming a mage.

‘Moreover, his level was higher than mine.’

Khan’s current level is 3.

Even if he reached level 5, he wouldn’t be able to manifest magic with pure mana.

Even at level 5, the amount of mana would only increase very slightly.

“Please, come this way and have a seat. I’ll explain the mission. Since both of you are from outside, I’ll also explain the current situation in our Grodek.”

Following Deilis’s guidance, Khan and Byutek sat facing him.

“First, the reason I’m seeking someone to escort me is… because of an assassination group that appeared in Grodek a few months ago.”

“An assassination group?”

Khan listened quietly to Deilis’s words, and Byutek responded to him.

“Yes, nothing is known about what kind of assassination group it is. But it’s certain they are extremely vicious and secretive. They announce in advance who they will kill once a month. Several people related to our trading company have already been killed, and this time, their target is probably me…. To be precise, they are likely targeting my entire trading company.”

“Hmm, an assassination group, you say…”

Byutek, hearing Deilis’s words, pondered the term ‘assassination group’ and fell into thought.

Khan, who had been listening, spoke up.

“So, you’ve just been sitting idle for those few months without doing anything?”

“No. With support from the Baron of the Grodek House, I always had soldiers escort me, but… they were all killed by those bastards. The soldiers died without even putting up a fight. So my wife also… died a month ago……”

Suddenly, Deilis began to wear a gloomy expression.

“Every 14th of the month, those bastards announce who the next target is. Until now, a piece of paper would always appear posted inside my mansion.”

“What’s today’s date?”

“Today is exactly the 14th.”

“So, what do you think we should do for you?”

“Please protect me. And though it may be an impertinent request, may I ask one more thing?”

Deilis looked at Khan with earnest eyes.

“Speak.”

“Along with escorting me, please identify those assassination group bastards and capture them all. Originally, I planned to request support from the Baron of Grodek and other cities, but since Sir Khan and Sir Byutek are such extraordinary individuals, I make this impertinent request.”

Khan had already known it would come to this.

To fully clear the quest in Grodek, he had to completely exterminate the assassination group anyway.

Of course, the quests in Grodek aren’t limited to just that; there are a few more, but first, he needed to clear this quest.

[Assassination Group Extermination]

• Will you accept the quest?

• If refused, further quest progression will be impossible.

• Reward: Minuscule amount of Experience Points, progression to the next quest

Coincidentally, the next quest message also appeared before Khan’s eyes.

“Fine. Let’s do that.”

“R-really?! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Ahem… Well, if Sir Khan says so, I’ll also join in exterminating those assassination group bastards.”

“Sir Byutek, thank you as well.”

Somehow, he ended up doing the quest with Byutek, but it wasn’t a big problem.

It felt like he gained some baggage, but he could use him as a meat shield.

‘They’ll appear soon.’

The person the assassination group designates to kill in this quest is not Deilis.

Khan, who had cleared this quest before, knew that very well.

And just then.

Click!

Without even knocking, a mercenary hurriedly opened the door and entered Deilis’s room.

Deilis, being the owner of a large trading company, employed mercenaries with money.

Of course, the mercenaries were all low-rank mercenaries.

The levels visible above their heads indicated as much.

“Mr. Deilis!”

“What is it? I’m with distinguished guests right now, so unless it’s urgent, discuss it later!”

Deilis frowned and shouted as the soldier barged into the room without permission.

“It’s an important matter! The assassination group bastards have just designated their target.”

“Wh-what?! Who is it?!”

“It’s…”

The mercenary hesitated, unable to speak easily.

And then, from behind the mercenary, someone walked into the room.

“What’s all this commotion? I’ll kill all those assassination group bastards, so don’t worry.”

“Lady Sharin…”

A woman with graceful features and long, straight blonde hair that shone brightly.

Khan looked at her.

[LV.5 Magic Apprentice Sharin]

The key figure of this quest.

And an NPC who, like Khan, dreams of becoming a mage.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Let me see that.”

Snatch.

Sharin snatched the paper the soldier was holding.

The red letters written on the paper.

[Gloria Sharin]

The assassination group’s target this time was not Gloria Deilis, but his daughter, Gloria Sharin.

She seemed momentarily flustered but soon regained her composure.

“Hmph, that’s even better. If they come for me, I’ll just kill them.”

“What are you saying, my child?”

Deilis, hearing Sharin’s words, quickly approached her.

And upon confirming the name written on the paper, Deilis wore an expression of disbelief.

Deilis trembled, unable to continue speaking.

“Those bastards, they should have chosen me as their target. Why… my daughter…!!”

“Dad! I’m fine, okay?! Those bastards who killed Mom… I’ll kill them all with my own hands. I don’t need escorts like these. I’m a proper mage now, too.”

Sharin suddenly glared at Khan and Byutek.

“I don’t need escorts, so please leave.”

Sharin spoke with cold eyes.

“What is this little bean sprout saying…”

Byutek, hearing her words, rose from his seat to say something but stopped completely.

Because Khan, sitting beside him, had already stood up and was approaching her.

Thud. Thud.

“Wh-what is it?”

Khan, now standing before Sharin, looked at her and spoke.

“I will escort you.”

If he failed to provide escort here, the quest might automatically fail.

“What, you seem like one of those people pretending to be a mage. I don’t believe in mages. Most of the guys pretending to be mages were worse than me, you know?”

“I am not.”

Khan’s brief reply.

But Sharin didn’t believe him.

Deilis, standing beside her, also spoke urgently.

“Child, show proper respect to Sir Khan. He is a truly great mage.”

“Hmph, even so, this person is probably a fake too. Dad, I can see mana, you know? I only sense a bean-sized amount of mana from him.”

“That can’t be! This father saw his abilities with his own eyes!”

Deilis had witnessed Khan’s abilities with his own eyes just moments ago.

But he also knew that Sharin could see others’ mana, so he was somewhat puzzled.

“Hey, you. Then show me your mana. It seems like you have even less than me.”

Saying that, Sharin suddenly drew out her mana.

She intended to overwhelm Khan’s aura with her dominant mana.

In her eyes, the mana flowing through Khan’s body was far less than hers.

Whoom…!!

A blue haze of mana began to rise from her body.

But that was as far as it went.

The mana that had emerged instantly retreated entirely back into Sharin’s body.

“What, why is this happening? It’s like something is blocking it…”

She strained, trying to continue drawing out her mana, but it didn’t go as she wished.

“Stop. I blocked it.”

“What…?”

“I enveloped your body with my mana. So no matter how hard you try, your mana won’t come out.”

Khan had just used the ‘Barrier’ skill on Sharin’s body.

As a result, an invisible, transparent mana shield had spread over her body.

“What is this…”

Belatedly realizing the mana shield covering her body, Sharin began to be astonished.

“The mana, how is there so much…”

The mana covering Sharin’s body seemed at least several times greater than her own mana.