Chapter 122 – Adventure’s Lightning Mage (8)

After defeating the 8 bullies, Orca and I searched the valley.

“There are rocks scattered around here, do I have to look around all of them?”

“You don’t have to. Look away.”

Orca waved her hand. I distanced myself from her without knowing why. After confirming that I was far away, Orca briefly chanted her spell. Blue lightning crackled beneath her feet and spread to the surroundings.

“Umm… Isn’t this place?”

The orca muttered, moved about 10m, and chanted her spell again. Likewise, blue lightning flashed.

After repeating the action throughout the valley, she came to a conclusion.

“It doesn’t look like this.”

“Is that so?”

“Uh. But what are you doing now?”

“We are burying the body in the ground.”

I buried the dead bodies of the bullies in the ground while she used unknown magic. She sighed as she looked at the dug-out ground and the corpse crammed into it.

“Just throw it in the creek. Because no one cares.”

“Yes? Anyway, wouldn’t it be strange to see eight corpses floating on top of the creek?”

“No one has seen it, and it is something that will flow down into the river anyway. Does anyone know?”

She said with confidence. Feeling anxious, I decided to just follow her words. Digging the ground without a shovel was quite difficult.

The three remaining corpses were thrown into the valley and moved to the next location.

I spent three days in Onyx Mountain.

During those three days, I encountered people similar to the bullies I met for the first time several times.

-This is our area. Doesn’t it go off?

-Pay 50 cooper toll to pass. No? Then off

-Ah, stop bothering me and turn it off. Don’t you understand? Turn off. Ji. Count. Yo. This.

…There were more arches in the mountains than I thought.

“Is this place really like this?”

He asked, throwing the corpse with a hole in her neck into the ravine.

Orca, who crossed her arms, replied in a tone that said it was nothing.

“Could there be one or two beggars with nothing to do on the continent? Everyone hears that onyx is expensive and flocks to it. Rather, how can you not like that expression?”

“Yes? You mean the expression?”

After wiping the blood from my hand with a handkerchief, I touched the corner of my mouth. It is an ordinary mouth that has not been twisted.

“What do you think about my expression?”

“Not now, but when I killed them earlier.”

Orca pointed to the bodies lying on the floor.

“Why are you laughing? Creepy.”

She frowned as if she didn’t like her.

I just remembered the past.

‘Did I laugh?’

I can’t remember exactly, but I think I was a little excited watching Karma rise. Kara also pointed it out once before. After that, she didn’t say anything, so I thought she was fixed, but it seems it wasn’t.

“Yes, I will be careful. But I don’t think Orca-sama’s words are creepy…”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“That, why? Did you do that in the wagon? Orca-sama stole Master’s research material, and the other classmates died instead. You just laughed at that time, and now you’re here…”

“Hey! Is that the same as this one? I thought it was funny thinking about the past, and you laughed while killing me.”

“I don’t know the difference. Well, let’s assume that’s the case for now. But this is it.”

I pointed at the valley with my index finger.

The clear water was stained with the thick blood that flowed from the corpse.

“Are you really okay?”

“…It will be fine.”

Maybe. She murmured her last words.

* * *

“It’s black… Mr. Yoosung…”

Seris hugged the blanket tightly and sobbed. Kara covered her ears. I tried to stop crying several times, but it was impossible. In the end, Kara had no choice but to give up and adapt.

“Yoosung, hey…”

Even though she covered her ears, the sound of crying continued.

Kara let out a small sigh.

How did it happen?

Obviously, it hasn’t been like this since the first day Yooseong left.

On the first day, Seris

-Now that it’s like this, I need to do what I can while Mr. Yooseong is gone!

She had borrowed a lot of her books from the library. All with nonsense. She read the book with a happy expression.

It lasted only three days.

After three days, he gradually started to get depressed, and he did not laugh while reading the narration. From the fifth day onwards, he started whimpering while calling Yooseong’s name every night.

“Kara, Yoosung, are you okay? You weren’t hurt or anything?”

“Sister, how many times do you ask that? You said I think you will be fine.”

Kara, the strongest and most reliable person she knew was Yoosung. I could never have imagined that I would be hurt or endangered by something like this.

“Yes? Yes, it will. Who is the man?”

Seris’ voice brightened. She didn’t even last a minute and she sagged again.

“Yeah, but what if Yooseong is cheating on you?”

“Sister…”

“You said you were alone until late at night while working overtime every day… No matter how close you are, if the two of you go on a business trip, eat together, and sleep together… That could happen…”

“Sister, can’t you stop rubbing the blanket on her thighs?”

“It’s… That, but…”

Seris’s voice became small, probably embarrassed.

Kara let out a sigh and got up from her bed, grabbing her blanket and pillow.

“Where is Kara..?”

“I can’t sleep because it’s noisy because of my sister’s crying. I’ll sleep outside today.”

Before Seris could say anything, she closed the door and left. As she walked out of the room, she caught sight of Ariel, who was pulling the covers over her. She pulled her blanket down to her neck and glanced at Kara.

“You also?”

“…Huh.”

Kara sighed and spread a blanket next to Ariel.

-Sniffly… Yoosung…

Even after leaving her room, I could still hear Celis crying.

Kara plugged her ears with her pillow.

‘Brother come back soon…’

Please…

* * *

“Not even here…”

Orca added an X to the map. The map was already covered with X marks, so even if one more was added, it didn’t show. Among the many X marks, there was one place where the X mark was not drawn.

“This is the end.”

The place without the X was just below the summit of Mount Onyx. We started moving towards it.

“But what if it’s not even in the last place?”

“Somehow, I have to go around the river around Onyx Mountain.”

“…”

“Don’t make that face. Probably because this is for sure.”

“How do you determine that?”

“From the beginning, I thought this place was the most powerful. It wasn’t in all other places, so the possibility went up.”

“..? So, didn’t you wish you had gone there from the beginning? Why are you going round and round?”

At that, Orca looked at me with an expression asking me for something obvious.

“I went here at first, or what? Mac’s going crazy I’m worried about whether another place is right for me. On the other hand, if you go around the other places and confirm that they are not, the anticipation rises. That this is the right place.”

“Yes..?”

What…

I know how you feel. But isn’t that too inefficient?

It was shocking to see Orca, who always worked efficiently, like that.

“Ah done. Go fast.”

Orca threw her parchment into her bosom and started walking ahead. I sighed deeply, grabbed my backpack, and followed him.

After moving for several hours, we arrived at the final search site.

It was a straight valley running through a dense forest.

“Good.”

Orca pointed out several points. She used blue electricity the way she did before on that point.

I got tired of watching it and looked away.

Seeing the valley water flowing among the green trees makes me feel at ease.

Suddenly, I remembered the promise I made with Seris and Kara.

‘In the past, when it was summer, we decided to go to the valley together. When should I go… Huh?’

As I watched the valley, something strange came into my field of vision. I was able to confirm it when I focused on it.

‘Blue stone?’

I put down my backpack and walked over to pick up a blue stone. Even at first glance, the translucent blue stone was different from the stones scattered around.

‘Could this be onyx?’

…No, it can’t be. How many people down there are looking for an onyx? There’s no way you can’t find them so openly.

I shook my head and said it was a despondent thought, trying to let go of my expectations.

But my heart wasn’t going my way.

Perhaps? The thought came to my mind little by little.

Around that time, Orca walked over with a frown on her face.

“Shit! Where are you?”

Nervous as if he hadn’t found it yet, he moved to the next point and used lightning.

I was going to ask about the identity of this stone, but I don’t think I’ll get a good look if I ask now.

When Orca’s investigation was over and her irritation had subsided, I approached her and held out the blue stone.

“What is this?”

“I’m curious too.”

“Hmm…”

Orca picked up the blue stone and turned it around to examine it.

Soon after, she returned the stone with a sullen face.

“It’s an ordinary magic stone.”

“…A normal magic stone?”

“Okay.”

Orca put her index finger on the blue stone. Paper weave. A small bolt of lightning struck the blue stone. Then the stone began to glow brightly.

“Did you see it? It’s just a magic stone through which mana can pass.”

“Okay…”

I looked at the shining blue stone with a wry smile. I knew it wouldn’t be. However, the feeling of bitterness is unavoidable as the heightened expectations have collapsed.

She looked at me with an expression that Orca couldn’t understand.

“Why are you drooping all of a sudden?”

“There is such a thing.”

“Hmm… Okay, let’s go down. It wasn’t even here.”

As the orca mumbled, she descended the mountain. I also put her blue stone in her arms and moved after her.

It was time to try to get out of the valley.

“Ugh?!”

She was caught

To be precise, she couldn’t cross the border between the valley and the forest, as if she was caught by something.

“What is it?”

The orca in front of me looked back at me. I struggled to get out of the valley without answering.

Can not be done.

It doesn’t go over like something caught on the body side. I gave up trying to get out and reached out where I felt stuck.

I grabbed the blue stone I had put in my bosom earlier.

‘Why is this?’

Just in case, I threw a stone towards the outside of the valley.

The stone that was flying hard lost its power and fell at the border of the valley.

“Uh?!”

Orca’s eyes widened as she watched the scene. She rushed over and picked up the fallen blue stone.

“No matter how you look at it, it’s an ordinary magic stone… Huh..? Is it covered with magic…?”

Orca looked at the blue stone in her hand as if in shock.

Looking back at me, she said.

“Han Yuseong! Search the valley here to see if there are more of these blue stones!”

As soon as she said that, she rummaged through the stones on the floor.

What the hell is that?

I decided to listen to the explanation later, and I also moved to find the blue stone. We only searched within the space where the blue stones could move, and by the time it got dark, we were able to find 23 blue stones.

“It is as I thought. There are two magics engraved inside this magic stone. The first one, as we saw earlier, is not being able to get out of a certain place. Second is…”

Orca put her mana into her blue stone. The blue stone began to glow brightly and stretched a solid white line towards the other stone. The stones with solid lines shone brightly as if the lines were connected with mana.

“Connecting the core of the magic stone like this. The question is, why did you engrave these magic stones into these magic stones…”

Orca was troubled as she looked at the blue stones spread on her floor. The brow furrowed slightly, as if nothing came to mind.

‘…I need to make dinner.’

Leaving Orca wrestling with the magic stone, I took out pots and ingredients from my backpack. Put water from the valley in a pot, put it on the bonfire, and prepare the ingredients. Put the trimmed ingredients into the pot and cover the lid.

Now all you have to do is wait.

I lay down on the pebbles and looked up at the sky.

Unlike the night sky in Korea, numerous starlights embroidered the sky. It’s one of the few things I like about this world.

I looked at the stars and found a constellation.

It’s different from the constellations on Earth, but it’s just a mood.

“Is that the North Star? That’s Cassiopeia, and that’s…”

“What’re you doing?”

A sharp voice hit the back of my ear.

Orca was staring at me like he didn’t like it.

“I’m wrapping my hair right now, what are you doing?”

“…I was looking at the constellations…”

“What? Constellation? When I look at it now… Wait. Constellation…?”

Orca realized something of hers and looked at the blue stone with her open eyes.

“The embodiment of the water goddess… The straight valley… Enchanted blue stones and constellations…”

After muttering something, she looked around and hurriedly stood up with a blue stone.

“Mr. Orca? What are you doing?”

“Constellation! That was it! I just need to make a constellation!”

She moved around the straight-flowing valley. She looked at something and calculated, then she began to lay down the blue stones one by one.

“A constellation? What do you mean by that?”

“Julius, the incarnation of the god of lightning, is an elf, not a human, who existed 500 years ago. Several ancient texts prove his existence. On the other hand, there are few records of incarnations of water goddesses. At most, it appears only a few times in Julius’ records.”

Orca diligently put down the blue stone while explaining. Around the valley water flowing in a straight line, something like a stringed limb was born.

“That’s why there are a lot of rumors about her actions, especially about her end. In her Julius record, it only says that she broke up with her, but the reason for the breakup is not recorded. The most promising hypothesis is that the constellation originated from the ancient elven constellation Moon. The theory is that she died for some reason, and that the water goddess, taking pity on her incarnation, made her her constellation…”

Having completed her limbs, she clutched the blue stone and entered the valley water. She stood in what looked like her head, pouring mana into the stone she held in her hand.

The blue stone shines.

The light that started from Orca’s stone flowed into the valley water. She saw that the valley water in a straight line distance from her and her began to glow, and the light continued with the valley water and the connected blue stones.

When the lights were completely connected, all she could see was a virgin girl with her hands on her stomach.

Coogu palace.

A loud roar was heard from beneath the stream, and the floor began to crack.

“That hypothesis was correct…”

Orca laughed.

The floor cracked and appeared to be the stairs going down.