Chapter 136

Meanwhile, while Noa was feeling flustered…

Ulan quietly gazed at the swirling ashen remains. Unlike when he fought the Frost Dragon, his expression was surprisingly calm.

And why wouldn’t it be?

Back then, he faced the Frost Dragon alone; this time, he fought alongside his comrades. Therefore, the fatigue was still manageable.

Just then…

“What is this…?”

He spotted something shimmering at his feet.

A split sphere. Containing all the power and essence held by the Swamp Ruler.

This was the very source of the swamp.

He then gathered the broken sources in one spot.

After bringing together the ones Ian and Ivella had shattered, a total of six pieces were collected.

“Perfect timing.”

Ulan smiled. After all, there were six of them who fought the Swamp Ruler together, himself included. So he called everyone to distribute the broken sources.

“Take one each.”

Noa, Ivella, Delia.

And Ian alongside Laurea.

The five comrades accepted the fragments of the source Ulan handed over. They all had puzzled expressions and replied in unison.

“Huh? This is definitely…?”

“Isn’t this the monster’s weakness?”

“Why are you giving us this?”

It was only natural they were confused.

Ulan promptly answered.

“In our tribe, every member participating in the hunt shares the prey’s body.”

It was a response lacking clarity.

They understood the concept of sharing the body of the prey, but the next part was the problem.

“Um, I get what that means…”

“But what are we supposed to do with this?”

It was a fair question to ask.

After all, other than the glimmering aspect, the broken source didn’t seem particularly useful.

As soon as their questions had ended…

Ulan responded without hesitation.

“Eat it.”

“…Huh?”

Laurea wore a dazed expression.

She wasn’t the only one surprised.

Not just Ian and Ivella, but even the uniquely picky Delia’s eyes widened.

“W-You want us to eat this…?”

“No matter how I look at it, that’s not food!”

“Why on earth?!”

As their incomprehensible reactions filled the air, Ulan explained the reason they needed to eat the source.

“It’s good for you.”

“……”

Everyone was left speechless.

No matter how good it was for them, eating byproducts from an Abyssal Monster? It was beyond their understanding.

Perhaps because of that, even Ivella, who usually accepted Ulan’s words without doubt, looked flustered and countered.

“But there are countless foods that are good for you without having to eat this.”

“Like what?”

“Hmm, for example, eel, or octopus, or maybe chives.”

Those are all quite unbalanced in terms of nutrients.

Noa narrowed her eyes. On the contrary, Ulan shook his head and said,

“It’s different from those.”

“How is it different?”

“Eating this will make you stronger.”

Ulan firmly realized this through the event.

To take down the Lord of the Abyss completely would be impossible with just his strength alone.

Sure, he took down the Frost Dragon by himself, but this time, even Ulan would have struggled without everyone’s help.

‘So we must grow stronger together.’

That’s why he shared the fragments of the source.

All seven warriors needed to become stronger to surpass the failures of their past lives. However, contrary to Ulan’s thoughts, his comrades reacted negatively.

“Ugh, but this is a bit…”

“I feel like this will do more harm than good.”

It seemed they felt uneasy because it came from the Lord of the Abyss.

In that case, there was no choice.

Ulan decided to show them through action instead of words.

Resolutely, he popped a piece of the source into his mouth.

“……!”

“W-Wait, are you really eating it?!”

“You’ll get a stomach ache!”

The comrades were in shock.

Meanwhile, Ulan paid no mind as he chewed the piece of the source. He swallowed it down, closed his eyes, and focused his mind.

The immense magic power of the source.

He intended to transform the magic power that entered his body into his own. A short while later, Ulan opened his eyes after absorbing the magic.

‘About half?’

Previously, before defeating the Swamp Ruler, Ulan had a total of three completed Spirits. Now, he added approximately another half to that. He had jumped forward in time that would normally take at least five years through typical methods.

At that moment, someone poked him in the waist.

“U-Ulan.”

“Just now, what was that…?”

Noa and Delia were staring at him.

They could see the magic with their own eyes, so they were the first to notice Ulan’s change.

“Did you see the change in magic?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“What the heck did you do?”

They asked with surprised faces.

Ulan simply replied,

“Just what you saw.”

He ate the fragment of the source and absorbed the magic within it to become stronger than before.

That was all Ulan did.

Meanwhile, noticing Noa and Delia were flustered, one of them stepped forward.

The girl with turquoise eyes.

“Then I’ll eat it too.”

“I-Ivella?!”

“You showed us how, Ulan. And if it means getting stronger, I’ll do anything.”

Determined to stand proudly by Ulan’s side.

Ivella slightly opened her mouth and shoved the piece of the source Ulan handed her in. The hard texture that touched her tongue felt almost like an apple.

It didn’t seem to have any flavor at all, did it?

Just as she was thinking that,

“Uugh!”

She instinctively felt nauseous.

The taste was so terrible it shattered her expectations entirely.

She felt utterly compelled to spit it out right there.

But seeing Ulan, she couldn’t bring herself to do it, so she tried her best to swallow the source.

Gulp!

Even after it slid down her throat, the horrendous taste lingered in her mouth. Ivella let out a harsh breath.

“Hah, hah!”

It was so terrible it brought tears to her eyes.

Meanwhile, seeing Ivella’s reaction, Laurea asked with a slightly scared face.

“So, how is it?”

“……It’s disgustingly horrible.”

“How does it compare to spiders?”

“I’d rather eat spiders for a whole month.”

Goodness, is it really that bad?!

Laurea’s face turned ghastly pale.

However, the pain from the taste was only temporary, and as she calmed her breathing, Ivella suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“……!”

When the source slid down her throat…

A massive surge of magic began to tear through her body. It felt as though every drop of blood was boiling.

Just then, someone placed a palm on her back.

“Focus, Ivella.”

It was none other than Ulan’s voice.

He immediately sent out a Spirit.

To help Ivella absorb the magic that entered her body more effectively.

“Don’t miss a single bit and absorb it.”

With Ulan’s help, Ivella calmly absorbed the magic. She then successfully absorbed all the magic.

“Hoo.”

She let out a heavy sigh.

Having barely managed to absorb all the magic, she wiped the beads of sweat gathering on her forehead.

“Was there a change?”

“Uh-huh. I feel like I have a lot more power.”

Like a balloon that had been inflated, her whole body felt packed with magic. Nodding her head, Ivella soon broke into a bright smile.

“I can’t wait to swing my sword!”

The fatigue that weighed her down had completely vanished.

Meanwhile, Noa and Delia, watching Ivella’s transformation, widened their eyes again.

‘Whoa, what magic power…!’

Just a moment ago, she barely had the magic of a mid-ranking knight, but now she was nearing the level of an Expert.

It was an unbelievable increase.

The moment they confirmed Ivella’s transformation, a determined resolve filled the faces of the other companions.

“Uugh! What kind of taste is this…!”

“I-I feel like throwing up.”

After each overcoming a moment of crisis, the four men and women successfully absorbed the magic from the source with Ulan’s help.

A little while later, the first to notice a change was Delia.

“The container for magic has expanded.”

“How interesting. Even if we consider the magic aspect, I didn’t foresee that the vessel for the divine would expand too.”

Ian showed a similar response.

If anything, it felt like reaching the end of the Expert level in one bound. Even Laurea, who wore a face about to vomit, felt similarly.

Watching the three in awe, Noa nodded.

‘Well, of course.’

Magic and divine power, while different in nature, are fundamentally equal forms of energy.

‘Besides, in the original work, both magic and divine power were labeled MP.’

Meaning it didn’t differ greatly.

The different labeling was only for jutsu.

Based on the original work, the Sorcerer’s main powers were not marked by MP, but by AP.

‘I don’t know the detailed reason behind it, but…’

It probably wasn’t overly important.

Thus, shaking off those thoughts, he carefully observed the changes happening to him.

‘Feels like it’s up by about half.’

This was enough to be called an elixir.

At the same time, it felt fascinating.

The fact absorbing the Lord’s source had such effects wasn’t something one could find even if they searched all the strategy boards for the original work.

‘That isn’t the only difference from the original.’

Noa looked at Ulan.

More precisely, at the white axe he held. The same axe he pulled out from the Swamp Ruler.

That was something she never saw in the original work.

After all, the Swamp Ruler never possessed a weapon.

‘And one more thing.’

There was a difference.

The position given as the “Eighth Hero” due to defeating the Swamp Ruler.

‘If anything, the number of heroes should have decreased, never increased.’

Why did such a thing happen?

Noa appeared puzzled.

However, even after contemplating, no answer emerged, so she shook her head and brushed off her thoughts.

‘Lastly, there’s something annoying.’

What bothered her was the last words of the Swamp Ruler before meeting his end. He claimed to have been deceived and frantically cried out a name.

Noa recalled that name.

‘…Rakus.’

Rakus Clanman Duratus.

One of the Lords of the Abyss, holding the sixth rank among them, known as the “Wailing Eyeball’s True Name.”

She couldn’t stop wondering why that name had come up, or why he had screamed about being deceived by Rakus.

Yet, her contemplation didn’t last long.

There weren’t nearly enough clues to resolve her questions. So, just as she reluctantly moved out of her thoughts, Ian murmured with a sense of relief.

“Well, at least this is all over.”

Upon hearing that, the party nodded in agreement.

Having eliminated the monster and closed the Abyssal Rift.

As they breathed a collective sigh of relief…

“No, it’s not over yet.”

Ulan shook his head.

With a fiery gaze that brimming with determination.

Upon his unexpected words, Ian and the rest of the group tilted their heads in confusion.

“Huh? What do you mean it’s not over?”

“Are you saying there’s still an enemy left?”

Laurea asked, shocked.

Ulan nodded sharply.

“There’s a hidden rat.”

“A rat…? ”

“The root of this incident.”

With fierce, glaring red eyes.

At the mention of the word “root,” a name vividly engraved itself in everyone’s minds.

And at that moment, Ulan maximized all his Spirits.

He then positioned himself to calmly gaze at the sky towards Zone 4. With all his might, he hurled his axe.

Whooosh—!

The white axe flew rapidly through the air.

As the Demon-slaying axe, Oseda.

Cutting through the air with tremendous velocity and swiftly circling the sky, Oseda returned to Ulan like a boomerang.

Just as he reached out to grab Oseda again,

Out of nowhere, a black object plummeted from the empty air towards the ground.

“Kyaa!”

A young girl with a youthful face dropped with a shriek.

In that moment, everyone’s expressions turned tense.

Because this girl was the true root of this incident that Ulan had mentioned, none other than Diplyn Cernio.

5.

Before the Swamp Ruler was defeated.

Diplyn, observing the battle from a distance, wore a look of utter shock.

‘I’ve seen fights before, but…’

It was always terrifying to behold.

No, it was more accurate to call it mindless.

Focusing solely on annihilating the enemy, disregarding any harm that might come to themselves.

What was even more astonishing was that despite getting injured, they healed almost instantaneously with unprecedented recovery abilities.

‘That must be magic.’

Unless she was depicted as a legendary Giant Tribe member, there was no way anyone could heal wounds that quickly.

In other words, Ulan continued to fight while magically healing his injuries.

Just then, suddenly, the magic in Zone 3 trembled. Simultaneously, Diplyn’s gaze turned skyward.

‘Is that…?’

The Strategic Magic only usable by those chosen.

The 7-star Stellar Magic, “Meteor Shower.”

‘Already using Meteor Shower?!’

Diplyn’s eyes widened.

It was understandable.

Using 7-star magic meant they had reached the level of a Mage. To reach the realm of the Mage at just seventeen years old?

Even she, once known as the greatest genius in the Magic Tower, never reached that level this quickly.

At that moment of self-realization, a mere flicker of emotion crossed Diplyn’s eyes. It was jealousy.

Yet, that feeling was fleeting.

A new sight drew her attention.

‘……!’

Ulan, gracefully dodging the shower of meteoric light. No, more accurately, it would be correct to say the Meteor Shower was evading Ulan.

How was that possible?

Her curiosity peaked.

‘Could he be shrouded in a protective barrier?’

The current theory was that he had wrapped himself in a protective barrier capable of repelling even the Meteor Shower.

But that didn’t add up.

Repelling a 7-star Stellar Magic was something even a High Mage like Diplyn couldn’t do.

‘Is it possible he has two vessels?’

If so, it might indeed be possible.

If Diplyn had two vessels herself, it could theoretically be achievable. Finishing her speculation, she pouted her lips.

‘Ugh, what a waste.’

She really wanted to study why he could remain unharmed while having two vessels.

But now, that would no longer be possible.

Ulan had become an enormous figure.

‘If I had known, I’d have hurried.’

Feeling like she had squandered an opportunity.

Diplyn made a sour face.

Meanwhile, from far away, a tearing scream echoed.

The colossal Swamp Monster crumbled into ashes, reduced to powerless remnants.

‘They defeated it faster than I thought.’

But it was to be expected.

Since Ulan had prior experience similar to this.

Even though she had mistakenly come to that conclusion, she gazed at the ash cloud staining Zone 3 with sparkling eyes.

‘The ashen remains of minions.’

That’s a resource that would help in my experiments.

Since it contains potent thoughts.

So, if I combine that with the dragon’s ashen remains I obtained previously, I might artificially create Abyssal creatures.

‘I’ll collect it later…’

But first, I need to take care of my original purpose.

To find the Grand Marquis Dermore, who leads the Imperial Investigation Team. Just as she turned to make her exit…

‘Huh?’

In an instant, she caught sight of something.

Ulan’s eyes locked with hers.

‘No way.’

It had to be a mistake.

They were far apart, after all.

Moreover, Diplyn was currently hidden using a concealment spell. So she thought she would be utterly undetectable.

That was until the axe flew through the air.

“……!?”

Surprised, Diplyn hurriedly cast a Flight Magic. But just as her body started to lift…

Suddenly, an anomaly occurred.

Crackle! Boom!

The spell of her Flight Magic shattered.

Not only that, but the concealed spell cloaking her was also destroyed in an instant.

‘W-What is happening…?!’

In the face of such unexpected chaos, Diplyn, floating in the air, fell straight down.

“Kyaa!”

She felt considerable shock upon hitting the ground.

Naturally, a short scream slipped out.

“Ugh, my butt…!”

Diplyn sulked.

However, her pout couldn’t last long.

She quickly noticed Ulan striding toward her with a menacing aura.

Trying to force a smile, she waved awkwardly.

“Ahaha, hello there!”

“……”

No answer came back.

Ulan merely advanced with an imposing presence, and sensing the unusual atmosphere, she hesitated and stepped back.

“What a coincidence to see you here, in a place like this…”

Despite her valiant attempt at greeting, she had no choice but to suddenly close her mouth when the axe hurled toward her.

Chapter 32. There’s no need to prove it.

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