[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 23

    Dungeon Core

    The dungeon core, which had brought about a completely different era compared to Kaylen''s time, floated in mid-air in the shape of a hexagonal, red glowing crystal.

    In some ways, it resembled a mana stone.

    It was quite large, about 2 meters in size.

    "This is the dungeon core..."

    "Is this your first time seeing it?"

    "Yes. Even during the academy''s practical training, I never got this far."

    In the present age, knights were only tasked with clearing the path to the dungeon. Unlike mages, they didn''t have the right to see the dungeon core.

    ‘It''s a pity I''m not a Gold Star knight.’ The reason they even came to this dungeon was originally because of the Gold Star.

    No matter how much Kaylen examined it, this dungeon core seemed completely unrelated to the Infinity.

    ‘I can''t expect to be full after just one try.’ Swallowing his disappointment, Kaylen continued to carefully examine the dungeon core.

    The dungeon core emitted a strong aura of dark magic.

    On the left corner of the core, small characters were inscribed.

    "It’s in the language of the demon realm."

    It was the same language Kaylen had seen many times during his battles against the Demon Lord.

    The human world believed that reading the demon realm''s language would corrupt a person, so knowledge of the demon tongue was strictly controlled by the Holy Kingdom...

    But Kaylen had been at the forefront of the battle against the Demon Lord. He could read the demon language to some extent.

    ‘Colonies...?’

    The characters read "colonies."

    Upon seeing it, Kaylen felt an uncomfortable sensation.

    The demon realm referred to regions they had fully dominated as "colonies." Kaylen had heard it mentioned several times during the Great Demon War.

    ‘A region completely subdued by the demon realm, where humans were exterminated by monsters emerging from the dungeon... they referred to it as a "colony."

    That had been the case back then, but the current situation in the kingdom was completely different.

    Why was such a word written here?

    Kaylen felt uneasy, but this was not the place to figure it out.

    ‘I’ll have to look into this later.’

    Kaylen shifted his focus from the writing and looked directly at the dungeon core itself.

    The dungeon core emitted immense magical power.

    Essentially, it resembled a mana stone, but unlike a mana stone, it was filled with dark magic.

    ‘It’s impossible to absorb that.’

    The dark magical energy was far too vast for him to consume.

    Unlike other types of mana, dark magic had the property of corrupting and transforming the human body, turning it into that of a demon.

    In his previous state, Kaylen would have been able to purify and absorb it easily, but with his current body, accepting this dark magic was beyond his capabilities.

    ‘However, if I break it apart and absorb it in pieces... it might be possible.’

    While it was too large to consume in one go, breaking it into smaller pieces might make absorption feasible.

    "Alkas, the sword."No?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Yes."

    Kaylen received the sword from Alkas and immediately raised the Aura Sword.

    The dungeon core, which could only be destroyed through the use of a mana suit, was about to be tested for its resilience. To begin with, Kaylen lightly struck it with his sword.

    "Oooh..."

    Alkas let out an exclamation as he watched Kaylen''s sword.

    Though it appeared to be a casual swing, the trajectory of the sword was perfect, like witnessing a masterpiece in motion.

    With the intent to split the dungeon core in one swift strike, Kaylen brought his sword down.

    Clang!

    Crackling...

    Dark red sparks flew, and the Aura Sword clashed with the dungeon core.

    Tiny cracks began to appear on the dungeon core... but...

    Whoooosh.

    Red mana flared up, and the cracks in the dungeon core started to close and heal themselves.

    "This isn’t enough," Kaylen muttered, as he raised the Aura Sword''s power even further.

    Crack. Crackle. Crack—!

    Flames scattered in all directions, and the golden aura within the sword began to shine even more brilliantly.

    At the same time, six swords materialized behind Kaylen.

    ‘The six swords I saw last time!’

    The swords of fire and ice.

    The swords of earth and wind.

    The swords of light and darkness.

    The dagger-sized blades shimmered brightly, and among them, the white sword flew toward Kaylen''s Aura Sword and fused with it.

    As a result, the golden aura now held a tinge of white and took on the property of light.

    The dark magic began to be devoured aggressively.

    Alkas, catching the sword Kaylen threw, immediately began his training.

    Thirty minutes into his fervent practice with the sword...

    "Definitely, I can feel the mana filling up faster."

    "Yes. After the dungeon core was shattered, this phenomenon occurred."

    "Ah, so the dungeon core had that kind of function?"

    "Yes. My guess is that the dungeon core had been absorbing the surrounding mana."

    Once the dungeon collapsed, mana exploded outward, and since it was the fresh, clear mana of the mountain''s midsection, this hypothesis seemed plausible.

    "Ah... I see."

    Alkas blinked in surprise, as if he''d never heard such a thing before.

    Kaylen, noticing his reaction, felt a strange sense of amusement.

    ‘This is something that should be obvious once the dungeon core is broken.’

    No matter how good Alkas was at sensing mana, with his skills as a swordsman, any other mage would have been able to notice the surge of mana after the dungeon core shattered.

    Even if they''d learned it in the academy, such facts weren’t often taught.

    ‘And there''s something else strange.’ In the capital or nearby areas, dungeons are usually cleared as soon as they appear.

    Why was the mana in that area so thin?

    ‘Maybe it’s because there are so many dungeons in the area. I’ll need to observe it for another day.’

    How long would this dense mana last?

    With the Superior Mage Tournament coming soon, there was still time for observation—just one more day would suffice.

    "Let''s stay here for the night. I need to train too."

    "Understood, my lord."

    As the sun slowly set and the moon began to rise, Kaylen absorbed the dungeon core fragments while observing the atmosphere.

    ‘No significant changes yet.’

    Although it wasn’t as intense as when the dungeon core first shattered, the mana in the atmosphere was still rich and abundant.

    "Ha!"

    Alkas, seemingly too focused to rest, continued training passionately, while Kaylen kept absorbing the core fragments.

    ‘I should be able to go for 30 minutes now.’

    The mana in the dungeon core fragments had sharply decreased since the core first broke, and their efficiency had dropped significantly.

    After absorbing 80% of the shards, he managed to extend his power activation time by 5 more minutes.

    "Alkas, you said the dungeon core fragments can be sold, right?"

    "Yes. I heard they''re used for mana stone charging."

    "I think I heard something about that in class. After purifying the dark magic, they''re charged, right?"

    "That''s what I’ve heard. The efficiency is lower, but it’s safe. However, since the mana will dissipate over time, I’ve been told they need to be sold quickly."

    Kaylen nodded at Alkas'' words.

    Mana was still leaking out of the dungeon core fragments.

    ‘The remaining pieces should be taken as evidence to the guild.’

    There was little point in absorbing more—most of the mana left was negligible.

    Kaylen thought to himself that it would be better to sell the rest. Taking a deep breath, he focused on his training.

    ‘Time to train.’

    The freshness of the mana, similar to that of 1,000 years ago, filled him with satisfaction. The feeling of stacking dense mana layer by layer was a welcome one.

    Back at the academy, he never felt this sensation of growing through his breath, accumulating mana. It was clear—this was the true way, the proper path.

    As he stacked mana steadily in his mana body through breathing, he suddenly felt the flow of mana shift.

    "Alkas, do you feel it?"

    "Yes..."

    "Until just a moment ago, the abundant mana had been circulating between the heavens and the earth, but now all the mana from the earth is rushing up into the sky."

    In an instant, the mana began to thin, just like it had before the dungeon core was destroyed.

    ‘What’s causing this...?’

    Kaylen’s gaze shifted toward the sky, following the rising mana. He infused his eyes with mana, increasing his perception, but...

    There was nothing in the sky.

    Naturally, there was no dungeon core to absorb mana. No monsters, no demons.

    Not even a single cloud.

    Except for one thing.

    The full moon.

    "Alkas... Has the moon always emitted red light?"

    "Red light...?"

    In the center of the full moon, a red glow had appeared like a small spot.

    Alkas seemed unaware, not able to see what Kaylen was referring to.

    Suddenly, the red light in the moon flashed twice, spreading outward...

    As it did, the mana in the atmosphere disappeared, and in the blink of an eye, the amount of mana had returned to the levels it had been at when the dungeon was still intact.

    "What is this...?"

    For the first time, Kaylen’s eyes, which had always remained calm and focused, wavered.

    The word "colony" briefly flickered through his mind.

    ‘Could it be...?’

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]