Vol 2 Chapter 48

Kapros had intended to refuse, of course, but when he came to his senses, he and Yu-wan had somehow already been ushered into their guild hideout. He had many things he wanted to say to Yu-wan, whom he had finally met again after a long time, but due to this unexpected situation, he felt his original purpose gradually fading. Kapros felt a little anxious, but he tried not to show it outwardly.

'But... is this really a guild hideout?'

The guild hideout of Palton's guild where they had been staying was a fairly large two-story building. However, this place was so small and shabby that it would be full if just a few people came in and sat down, which surprised Kapros. He thought it might be better to put up a fence outdoors rather than use a place like this as a hideout. Moreover, when he looked up, there was even a hole in one side of the roof, adding to its miserable appearance.

Arcana explained this with an unconcerned expression.

"Ah, that happened during magic practice. We should fix it, but since it hasn't rained in MIST yet, we just left it."

Arcana didn't waste time and soon got to the point. It seemed she had something clear she wanted to say to them from the beginning.

"Actually, the reason I insisted on bringing you two here... was because I wanted to receive guidance from Kapros-nim."

Guidance? Kapros slightly frowned at the unfamiliar word, and Arcana asked with a serious face.

"Kapros-nim. You are a 5th circle master-level mage, right?"

"Why do you keep asking that?"

Even though they had cleared up the misunderstanding, it was unpleasant how she kept digging into others' information so directly. Kapros looked at her suspiciously, wondering what her intention was, and Arcana pressed her lips together before speaking again more cautiously.

"Do you know about the guild war held in Zagreb?"

Of course he knew. It was also where Kion-hyung had asked him to go together tomorrow.

As Kapros nodded, she began to explain enthusiastically.

"The reason I created this guild was because I wanted to show everyone how much power mages can have when they unite. Others say it's a profession only perverts who like difficult things do, or that it's a failed job, but I really love being a mage. I also wanted to help people who are just starting as mages, as someone who has already become a 4th circle master."

Kapros had never thought learning magic was that difficult, but had its image deteriorated to that extent?

"But the guild we had just managed to create and unite was shattered by just one person not long ago. That was Caesar, the guild master of Pale Knights."

Arcana said, her crimson eyes blazing with anger.

"We weren't defeated in an official guild war. We were attacked for no reason other than running into him while passing by. And by just one person..."

Arcana's carefully nurtured guild rapidly declined after that incident. It was because users who lost interest in the mage profession either gave up their job or left the guild.

"Because of that incident, we couldn't maintain our original guild hideout and moved here. It's uncertain whether we can even participate in tomorrow's guild war with our current guild size of less than 20 people."

She exhaled as if trying to calm herself, then lowered her head and uttered her final words.

"But even so... we can't just give up, can we?"

Although Kapros couldn't see her expression, he could guess her feelings from the emotion in her voice. Her small back trembled with a sigh.

Suddenly, Kapros felt his heart waver. Was it because of her words about wanting to prove that mages could be strong too?

"I'm currently at the state where I've mastered the 4th circle but haven't made any progress in the 5th circle. I never thought I'd meet a mage user more skilled than me, but since I've met you, Kapros-nim... if possible, I'd like to get even a small piece of advice. Of course, you probably won't like this request..."

As her words continued to flow out hesitantly, the faces of the guild members standing behind her gradually darkened. Kapros didn't like seeing Arcana's deflated appearance either, when she had been confidently commanding her guild members just a moment ago.

"Well..."

As Kapros, who had been listening for a while, opened his mouth, Arcana's shoulders flinched. Honestly, at first, he thought it was absurd to talk about giving guidance to someone he had just met today. But.

"We have things to do too..."

The shoulders of Arcana and the guild members, who had been showing a glimmer of hope, slumped again.

"...It might be difficult to call it guidance, but I think it would be okay to show you the image of 5th circle magic to some extent."

"What?"

Arcana suddenly raised her head and asked in a trembling voice.

"You'll... show us the casting of 5th circle magic?"

"Kap."

Kapros knew he had made a radical proposal. Even Yu-wan called his name with a concerned voice.

In MIST, if you can't create the magic image you want to implement in the beginning, it's over. Therefore, seeing the casting of someone who has already mastered that magic would make it much easier to learn, but in the current situation where there were significantly fewer mage users and high-ranking NPC mages rarely showed themselves, it was difficult to do so. Control, circles, and incantations were secondary issues.

So, being able to see the casting of high-level magic was like an incredible stroke of luck for lower-level mages.

'Well, it's true that I liked Arcana's stated goal.'

Once he showed it, learning would be Arcana's responsibility, so it seemed better than unnecessarily adding words and giving advice that didn't suit him.

"Just once."

At Kapros's look that said the rest was up to her, Arcana nodded repeatedly as if she couldn't believe it.

"Um... By the way, why are you wearing that hood even indoors?"

In the atmosphere that had brightened again with excitement, Arcana suddenly asked an unexpected question. Wondering what her intention was again, Kapros stared at her, and she shook her head.

"No, I was just curious because we've been talking without seeing your face. I'm sorry if you had a reason."

Well, she could be curious. Since he had been wearing it habitually without any particular meaning, Kapros silently pushed back his hood.

"..."

Suddenly, the surroundings went quiet. Kapros looked around, but Arcana and the guild members were just staring at him in surprise without saying anything. Wondering if there was a problem, he turned to look at Yu-wan, whose face was expressionless.