Chapter 123 (1/2)

Chapter 123: A Challenge from the Drifting Magician (Part 1)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Cypher Scrolls – these were the common means of communication used by the Dark Elves. They often appeared in the game in Link’s previous life, but these were just worthless gray items because the messages on the scrolls were undecipherable, rendering them useless.

Link inspected the Cypher Scroll in detail. What he could deduce from it was the fact that it contained about a thousand words written in Dark Elven letters, although their meaning remained impenetrable to him.

With the help of the gaming system, Link could understand the meaning of each individual word, but a string of words was still incomprehensible. For example, there was a sentence that went the banana peel is bigger than the banana fruit. Link was at a loss as to what these words could actually mean.

This looks like a command letter, Link thought, too bad I don’t have the key to unlock this code!

Link then tried to decipher the scroll word by word. But after more than 10 minutes of fruitless efforts, he finally gave up.

Forget it. Maybe I’ll have better luck next time, thought Link in frustration. He then put the scroll in his storage pendant.

“We’ll stop our investigations into the Cliff of Howling Winds here,” said Link, “But you must still pay close attention to any movements in Girvent Forest. If there’s any sign of the Dark Elves or if you notice anything out of the ordinary at all, inform Lucy immediately and she’ll write to me.”

Felidia was a cunning elf. He must’ve been jolted into action by the mercenaries that Link had hired to investigate him earlier. It wasn’t hard for a clever fox like him to come to a conclusion that his identity had been revealed by the raiding of the Syndicate’s lair—that must’ve caused him to hastily retreat.

Link wasn’t too worried about the fact that he escaped, though. What he must prevent from ever happening was Felidia’s freeing of the demon Tarviss in Girvent forest.

As soon as Link came to that conclusion, a message popped up on the interface regarding the mission to investigate the Cliff of Howling Winds. The dialog box turned red, indicating a failed mission, which meant that the rewards were gone too.

Link could do nothing but concede. He saw no point in beating himself up over it. If he devoted all his time and effort to pursue the rewards from the gaming system, there would be no time to focus on his own progress. Besides, he had no intention of becoming a mere puppet of the gaming system.

Moreover, he was in no shortage of Omni Points. He’d obtained 50 Omni Points from capturing Bale, 20 Omni Points from creating three Supreme Magical Skills, and 60 Omni Points for having truly mastered Flame Blast and becoming a Level-4 Magician – all totaling to 130 Omni Points, which was already an ample amount for him at present.

Jacker noted Link’s orders and was ready to obey them unquestioningly. Then, one of the mercenaries came over and was waiting to report something to Jacker.

“Go ahead,” said Link, “I won’t disturb you anymore. Oh, by the way, tell Rylai to come see me, won’t you?” Since he was here now, naturally he’d want to check on his disciple’s progress.

“Yes, my lord,” answered Jacker.

He had expanded the Flamingo Mercenary Troop and strengthened them so that they would become his powerful ally. But a truly powerful mercenary troop shouldn’t just have strong Warriors, it needed a Magician as well. Magicians tended to be proud, though, and most of them would not deign to serve alongside a troop of mercenaries, so Link decided to train one himself.

And that was why he had to pay special attention to Rylai.

Jacker had now left the hall. A while later, Rylai came in. Her overall countenance seemed to have improved since last week. Her cheeks had grown fuller and the water element aura around her body had become more pronounced now—it seemed as if she was glowing. Her eyes were especially bright, but at the same time they still projected her shyness and timidity as well, so anyone looking at her couldn’t help but adore her.

But this was only her outward appearance. The moment Rylai appeared, Link could sense that her Mana was much stronger than when he last met her. Only a week earlier, her Mana had only just been awakened. In fact, he had to touch her to perceive its existence then. But now, her progress was so obvious that he only needed to be in the same room with her to perceive it.

“Very good.” Link nodded, visibly pleased.

“Tutor,” said Rylai meekly, though she was elated by the sign of her tutor’s approval, “I’ve also managed to learn a spell.”

“Oh, what spell is it?” asked Link, pleasantly surprised.

“It’s Dewdrops,” she answered.

Dewdrops

Level-0 Spell

Effect: Condense the water elements in the air into beads of dew.

“Show me, then,” urged Link. Although it was just a Level-0 spell, Link was still impressed that the girl could master it in seven days without any guidance or supervision. This was undeniable proof of her talents and potential.