Chapter 30: Unveiling Mysteries: The Dungeon’s Secrets and Seris’s Enigma

The next destination was the blacksmith’s workshop.

The street lined with forges echoed with the relentless clanging of hammers.

The cold winter breeze was subdued by the warmth radiating from the forges, and I headed to the largest workshop in the area.

As I stepped inside, the rough sound of hammering greeted me, accompanied by a wave of warmth.

“Welcome!”

The one who greeted me was a man whose muscular frame was covered in soot.

Judging by his flushed skin, he had just finished a task inside the forge.

“Could you attach this mana stone to a sword for me?”

“A mana stone? On a sword?”

I nodded at his question and pulled out the mana stone from my pouch.

The stone, roughly the size of my fist, shimmered faintly with a soft blue glow as it absorbed the surrounding light.

“Just to confirm, are you a mage?”

“Who else would carry around a mana stone if not a mage?”

I infused the mana stone with my energy in response.

As it absorbed my mana, the stone scattered tiny starlike lights and released a refreshing breeze.

The magic cast through the mana stone activated faster and consumed significantly less energy than casting with bare hands.

That’s exactly why I wanted it fused with my sword.

“Interesting… Attaching it to a sword, huh?”

“I plan to use the sword like a staff. And if needed, I might have to use it as a weapon too.”

“Hmm… Fair enough. It’s doable. Let me see the sword.”

I unstrapped the sword from my back and handed it over.

“Ah, looks like this is made from the bone or horn of a monster,” he said, inspecting it closely with admiration.

He turned the blade over several times in his hands, testing its weight, before shaking his head.

“I don’t think it’s possible to attach the mana stone to this sword. Drilling a hole for the stone would throw off its balance.”

“Does that mean I’ll need a new sword?”

“That would be best.”

I glanced at my current sword, made from the Ice Horn. It seemed this was as far as it could go.

“Alright, I’ll have a new one made,” I said, nodding.

“A wise choice.”

The blacksmith nodded approvingly and headed deeper into the shop, presumably to fetch some ingots.

I followed him, voicing another thought.

“Do you have any special metals available?”

“Special metals?”

“Yes, hmm… How should I put it…”

“Ah, I think I know what you’re talking about.”

With a knowing nod, the blacksmith walked to a storage room and returned with a small ingot about the size of his palm.

“Is this what you mean?”

The ingot emitted a faint glow, its color shifting depending on the angle of view.

“It’s a mineral called Crodium. Strong and lightweight.

I don’t know if it matches what you’re looking for, but it’s the most special material we have in this shop,” the blacksmith explained.

“Sounds expensive,” I remarked.

“I heard mages don’t worry about money,” he replied with a sly grin.

As I gazed at the Crodium in contemplation, the man began highlighting its qualities.

“It’s harder than steel and lighter than any other metal known to exist. What’s there to hesitate about?”

“You’re not lying, are you?”

“Lying to a mage? Ha…” he chuckled softly before placing the Crodium ingot in my palm.

The moment the ingot touched my hand, I noticed how remarkably light it was.

“If you still don’t trust me, feel free to take it to another blacksmith for verification,” he said confidently.

Judging by his assured demeanor, he didn’t seem to be lying. I handed the ingot back to him and asked, “How much is it?”

“40 gold per kilogram. Crafting fee is an additional 20 gold.”

I rummaged through my pouch.

Although I still had some money left from selling the wagon and horses, this purchase would deplete my funds entirely.

“Can’t you lower the price a bit?”

“Hmm… how about this? The sword you’re carrying…”

“This one?”

“If you’re short on gold, sell me that sword. I’ll offer a fair price for it.”

“How much would you pay?”

“10 gold.”

“Is that a good price?”

“When have you ever seen a merchant overpay for goods?”

“Hmm…”

I stroked the blade of my sword, crafted from the horn of the Ice Horn monster.

It was the first weapon I had owned since stepping into this world.

But the chance to obtain a better sword wasn’t something I could pass up.

My hesitation didn’t last long.

“Alright. It’s a deal. I can hand over the sword when the new one is ready, right?”

“That’s fine with me,” the blacksmith replied with a nod.

The amount of Crodium needed to craft the new sword was roughly one kilogram.

I paid for the material on the spot, while we agreed to settle the crafting fee when the weapon was finished and I handed over my current sword.

“Let me borrow the mana stone for a moment.”

The blacksmith took the mana stone and pressed it into some clay to create a mold. Once the clay set, he carefully removed the mana stone and returned it to me.

“Come back in a week to pick it up,” he said.

With that, my business at the blacksmith’s shop was concluded.

I returned to the inn, carrying skewered chicken and some liquor I had picked up from a street vendor.

The room was silent, thanks to the excellent soundproofing of this upscale inn.

As I bit into the chicken, I retrieved the book I had stuffed into my bag earlier.

It was an item I hadn’t examined closely due to my focus on the mana stone.

“Hmm…”

The book’s cover looked pristine, wrapped in sturdy iron chains.

In the dungeon, where the passage of time had left its mark on everything, this book had an oddly new appearance—aside from the eerie skull it had been with.

Clink-clink—
I tugged at the chains, hoping they might come loose, but they held firm.

This left me with only one option.

Drawing my sword, I infused its blade with starlight mana.

The fine edge of the mana-infused blade was more than enough to cut through ordinary iron.

Targeting the chains around the book, I swung down.

Clang!

Sparks flew on impact, and then—

Clatter!

The chains rattled as the book rose into the air.

“Gah!”

Startled, I stumbled back.

Floating midair, the book broke free from the chains and began flipping its pages on its own.

Flap-flap-flap!

For a while, the pages turned furiously before the book changed direction and floated toward me.

Purple mana, dark and ominous, radiated from the floating book.

“What the…?”

The book approached steadily but made no other movements.

It felt as though it was reacting to my mana.

I reached out cautiously and grabbed the book, flipping through its pages.

“Hmm…”

The text, written in a wriggling, worm-like script, should have been incomprehensible.

Yet, it felt oddly familiar, as if I had known it for a long time.

“Sca… Scasha…?”

The moment I whispered the strange word inscribed on one of the pages, the purple mana swirling above the book began to spiral.

It formed into an unsettling shape, a warped figure resembling a half-formed beast attempting to imitate a human.

[It has been a long time since I was summoned to the human realm.]

“Who… Who are you?” I asked, startled.

[Do you desire power?]

The voice made my heart leap.

I slammed the book shut, and the ominous mana dissipated along with the beast-like figure.

Grasping my chest as it pounded wildly, I tried to steady myself.

Thanks to my broad knowledge from exploring many worlds, I quickly understood the situation.

This was no ordinary book; it was a grimmoire, connected to something sinister.

The word I had spoken was likely the name of that entity.

A cursed book emerging from the dungeon of a dark necromancer—what else could it be but a vessel of dark magic?

Grabbing the chains scattered nearby, I wrapped them tightly around the ominous book to seal it.

Isolin later returned to the Mage Tower, submitting the dungeon core she had recovered and preparing her report.

Dungeon Core Retrieval Mission Report

Fire Tower Affiliate: Isolin

Mission Overview

The mission to retrieve the dungeon core has been successfully completed.

Additionally, it has been reported that several adventurers went missing within the dungeon.

Cooperation and Assistance

Collaboration with Seris, a mage affiliated with Terra, greatly contributed to the success of this mission.

During the operation, we engaged in combat with a Death Knight, which was successfully subdued with Seris’s assistance.

Dungeon Master

During the process of retrieving the dungeon core, clues regarding an ancient necromancer, presumed to be the dungeon’s master, were discovered.

Further investigation and analysis are deemed necessary.

Conclusion and Future Preparedness

While the mission was successfully accomplished, the risks associated with similar operations in the future suggest that physical training for mages should be prioritized.

Having completed her report, Isolin busied herself preparing a gift for Seris, waiting for her arrival.

However, a week later, the person who showed up wasn’t Seris—it was someone else entirely.

“You’re the one who wrote this report, correct?”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

The mage standing before Isolin was Leonis, an Imperial mage.

His sharp gaze pierced through her as he scrutinized her work.

Leonis’s visit was prompted by one particular name in the report: Seris.

As a specialist in dealing with fraudsters pretending to be mages and rogue necromancers, Leonis had grown suspicious after reviewing the document.

“I noticed a mage named Seris was mentioned in your report. I’m sorry to inform you, but no mage by that name exists in our faction.”

“She said she was on a secret mission.

It’s probably an alias,” Isolin replied, her voice tinged with urgency.

“Are you certain?”

“Absolutely. She’s the real deal. She even used Mana Bolt, the signature spell of a battle mage!”

Leonis sighed, rubbing his temples as he pulled out a notebook.

“What did this Seris look like?”

“She’s… a small girl. Wait, am I allowed to share this information?”

“A small girl, you say… If she’s truly on a secret mission, I’ll suspend my investigation.

But I still need her description.”

Reluctantly, Isolin described Seris’s appearance while Leonis jotted down the details:

• Alias: Seris
• Height: Approximately 140 cm
• Features: Green eyes, light brown hair
• Peculiarities: Carries a sword instead of traditional magical tools like a staff or wand
• Last Seen: Capital of the Karma Empire

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

Tucking his notebook into his pocket, Leonis rose from his seat and left without another word.