Vol 6 Chapter 9

All the way to the cliff where he had created an ice bridge to cross, Kapros carefully recalled everything that had happened since meeting the dragon. He wanted to make sure he hadn't missed anything and to understand exactly what he had gained. However, the biggest question that came to mind was Superior's words when he had tried to refute the dragon's statement about "the dark energy growing stronger" and then became greatly flustered, saying he had "a frightening assumption."

"What were you trying to say with that frightening assumption you mentioned earlier?"

As Kapros quietly spoke up, Superior, who had been silent for a moment, answered a beat late.

[ What are you talking about? ]

"Don't pretend you don't know."

[ ...Ah, this isn't fun. You're scarily quick-witted only when it's unnecessary, you know. ]

"..."

Now that they were away from the dragon, what was there to be hesitant about? Kapros immediately took out the Superior stick from his waist, gripped it with both hands, and made a motion as if to break it. Superior's startled cry was heard.

[ Ah, no violence! No violence! Let's not do this, we're one body! ]

"One body?"

[ Yes, one body. Haha. Hahaha. ]

"Hahaha."

[ Oh, did you just laugh? But why is your expression still blank? What an interesting talent? ]

After laughing back, Kapros immediately gripped the stick with one hand. And before Superior's chattering words ended, he raised the stick like a hammer and began pounding it against the rough cave wall with all his might.

Bang bang bang!

[ Aaagh, what are you doing? Don't make dent marks on this perfect magic wood body that I put my heart and soul into creating! I'm getting dizzy! ]

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!

[ Okay, okay, I get it! I won't say that again. ]

Only after hearing Superior's voice of surrender did Kapros lower his hand, and the pattern on the stick glowed bright red as if in defiance. Of course, when he raised the stick as if to hit it again, it immediately subsided.

"Tell me. What was that frightening assumption?"

[ Phew, phew. You really... I used to be quite good at intimidation back in the day. As expected, to become one with me, you need to be at least this level... ]

Two acts of mercy weren't necessary. Only after being hammered against the wall once more did Superior reveal some of his true thoughts.

[ But it's not yet time to tell anyone. There's a higher chance that my assumption is wrong, and I hope it is. You wouldn't want to waste effort on false information, would you? When it becomes certain, this great me will surely tell you, so you just need to take me to Lumi. ]

"Hmm..."

As Kapros glared intently at the stick he was holding, a somewhat desperate voice echoed, [ I'm telling the truth. ] Only then could Kapros truly believe that Superior had no intention of telling him now. Superior spoke everything as if it were a joke, but not everything was actually a joke. Kapros had realized not long after being together that this guy was one who spoke jokes as if they were truths and truths as if they were jokes.

For him to refuse so seriously like this meant that, considering the timing of the entire quest, it was either not yet sufficient or too early for Kapros to obtain this information.

'I guess it can't be helped. But Ilumine... Am I really going to end up going there again?'

Although he had said in front of the dragon that he would quickly go to his destination, in reality, this sub-quest was undoubtedly a very annoying situation for Kapros. To be told to revisit a place he had already been to. Although RPG-style games had long been known for making users go back and forth to places they had already visited, the so-called "running in circles," he hadn't expected it to apply to MIST as well. To think he had to go back and forth repeatedly in a place more real than reality. Should he consider this quintessentially game-like...

Ilumine... Come to think of it, the memory of parting with her came back to him.

When giving him Superior's magic book, hadn't she said it would open when he mastered the 6th circle?

'That's right. Superior's magic book...!'

Even amidst the shock of the status effect and the noisy notification sounds earlier, what Kapros hadn't missed was the sound of Superior's magic book and Aiagas reacting. It seemed to have said they would react when the training level of all 6th circle magic being learned exceeded 80%, suggesting that from the 6th circle onwards, mastery was recognized when all the magic of the circle being learned reached a certain training level.

When he removed the brooch after opening the cape robe covering his chest, the red jewel that had reacted before now appeared calm as if it had never happened.

'Then what about the magic book?'

"Open item window."

When he opened the item window and took out Lord Superior's magic book that had been well-preserved in a corner, the book that looked like it might crumble at any moment came into his arms. As soon as he grasped it, Aiagas began to glow brightly with a red light.

'This is it.'

As he smiled and tried to open the magic book, suddenly a warning sound and a notification window appeared before his eyes.

Ding!

- This can only be opened when certain conditions are met.

"...What?"

When he applied force again, the same notification window appeared once more. He tried a few more times, but it was the same. Realizing he had overlooked something, Kapros thought about what he needed to do.

He had seen three conditions. The first was that Aiagas and Superior's magic book reacted simultaneously. The second was that Aiagas didn't react when taken out alone, but reacted when it was with Superior's magic book. And the third was that he couldn't just open Superior's magic book in this state.

'Ah...'

That's it. As he thought about the two items that kept overlapping in the three conditions, the answer suddenly came to him. Could it be that Aiagas was inevitably mixed into the conditions for opening this magic book? Otherwise, this wouldn't be happening.

Kapros gripped Aiagas tightly and spoke.

"Item information."

"Hmm..."

It was an impressive ability that was overwhelming no matter how many times he saw it. In fact, after admiring these special abilities, he had never used them even once.