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[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 183 - Stepping Out into the World (5)
How far did Ketal's strength go?
Where was his limit?
Ketal is strong.
Without wielding any mystical powers, he easily subdued formidable opponents with his sheer physical strength alone.
It was an established truth and common sense across the continent that one without mystic powers could never defeat one who possessed them.
Ketal was an existence shattering that common sense.
So, where was his limit?
Baker swallowed hard.
"...The monster we faced was strong."
The white beast is strong.
Baker, who had encountered numerous powerful beings at the Magic Tower, knew this.
It could easily be said that it was at the pinnacle of the superhuman class.
And yet, Ketal overwhelmed it.
No, he went beyond simply overwhelming it; he utterly crushed it.
The difference in power was so staggering that it was pitiful to witness.
What level of power does Ketal possess, to toy with a pinnacle-level superhuman as if twisting a child's wrist?
"The emperor... said that there is an existence more dangerous than the monsters of the White Snowfield. That existence is the Ashen Barbarian."
Some researchers thought it was the emperor's delusion. Even if a mere barbarian was strong, it was inconceivable that he could defeat a serpent connecting the sky and the earth.
There were quite a few who believed the emperor had gone mad from the dreadful environment of the White Snowfield, and this was considered a fairly plausible hypothesis.
But in front of their eyes stood the Ashen Barbarian.
They could find the answer.
Even Aquaz, curious about him, quietly waited for Ketal to speak.
"...As you guessed, I am not weak."
"...Compared to the legendary monsters?"
Ketal said he had occasionally clashed with them while holding his territory.
Ketal frowned.
"They're bothersome. They're big and strong, so when we clash, everything around gets devastated. They're not something I want to fight."
"...Huh."
Baker let out a deflated sound.
From Ketal's words, he realized.
This barbarian had fought and won against legendary monsters.
'What is he?'
He defeated a serpent connecting the sky and the earth with a mere human body?
Even for them, superhumans, it was incomprehensible.
Naturally, one possibility came to mind.
"A hero class?"
"Even if you call me that, I wouldn't know. I've never seen the true power of those called heroes."
He had met the Master of the Magic Tower and witnessed his magic.
The magic the Master of the Magic Tower showed then was extraordinary.
With just a flick of his finger, he created a massive barrier encompassing the entire royal castle.
It didn't break even under his gust of power.
And he cast a spell to put everyone in the capital to sleep very easily.
From that alone, one could glimpse a fraction of his power, but since he hadn't actually fought him, he couldn't know his full strength.
"What if that white beast fought a hero class warrior?"
"It'd be similar to you."
Baker said calmly.
The white beast was undoubtedly strong.
But between the pinnacle of the superhuman class and a hero, there was an unbridgeable gap.
"Well, that's probably true."
Ketal agreed.
In the past, four pinnacle-level superhuman demons had descended.
And the Master of the Magic Tower, who happened to be passing by, dealt with all of them on the spot.
It meant there was a definite difference in level.
"Those called heroes can twist and utilize the laws of the world. It's not an exaggeration to say they've transcended the concept of life."
"...But in the past, hero-class warriors followed the emperor into the White Snowfield."
And none of them returned.
Of course, the heroes who followed the emperor were said to be, so to speak, of a lower tier among heroes.
A pinnacle-level superhuman could easily handle two or three ordinary superhumans.
As with superhumans, there were significant differences in power among heroes as well. The disparity was far greater.
Originally, heroes are the strongest beings.
Even the emperor who ruled the continent couldn't handle them easily.
Conversely, the heroes who followed the emperor were at a level he could control.
Though they were called heroes and possessed incomprehensible powers, there was a clear difference in level.
"Hmm."
Ketal stroked his chin after hearing the explanation.
"I don't know what happened to them either. I met someone who seemed to be the emperor, but he was alone."
He had met a deranged man in the snowfield a long time ago.
Whether that man was the emperor or not was unknown, but when Ketal met him, he was alone.
The White Snowfield was vast, so he couldn't grasp everything that happened there.
If he was indeed the emperor, it meant everything had ended before they met.
'He might not have been just a madman.'
He had dismissed his shouts and ramblings as a madman's nonsense, but perhaps he should have listened more.
"Oh, huh?"
Baker's eyes widened at Ketal's words.
Ketal was now saying he had met someone who seemed to be the emperor.
"...Are you sure it's not a mistake? It's a legend. A very old story."
"I don't know. The concept of day and night is vague in there. I don't know how long I stayed."
"Still, you probably didn't meet the emperor."
Baker dismissed the idea as nonsense.
“It’s a legend. A legend. It happened way too long ago. It’s from a time long before the Master of the Magic Tower even created the tower. Are you saying you’re older than the Master of the Magic Tower?”
“Perhaps it was a misunderstanding.”
Aquaz agreed.
There couldn’t possibly be someone who had met a figure from legends, not history.
Ketal didn’t argue but instead changed the subject.
“Well, I get the gist. So what do you think?”
“Not sure.”
Baker trailed off.
“As far as I can tell, that seems to be the case, but we’re only at the superhuman level. We’re far too inadequate to evaluate anything beyond that.”
No one had directly witnessed the clash between a hero and the monsters of the White Snowfield.
From Baker’s perspective, Ketal undoubtedly possessed strength beyond that, but to be sure, Ketal would have to make the comparison himself.
Ketal stroked his chin.
‘Hero class.’
The strongest beings in the world.
‘...I’m starting to want a fight.’
Ketal narrowed his eyes.
Aquaz and Baker shivered momentarily.
As the conversation wrapped up, the merfolk who had gone into the depths of the sea returned.
All of them had shocked expressions.
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[Translator - Night]
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Kukulitan stammered.
“Th-the, the….”
“You’ve seen it then.”
“The corpses of the monkeys.”
About a thousand monkeys.
If they had all come ashore, not a single survivor would have remained.
The merfolk city would have perished without a sound.
They were truly horrified.
Realizing they had avoided the worst-case scenario, the merfolk felt relieved.
And they felt all the more grateful to Ketal and his group.
“If it weren’t for you, even if we had somehow driven away the monkeys, we would have been killed by the white beast. We are sincerely grateful.”
As the city’s restoration was nearly complete and the blocked paths were cleared, Kukulitan prepared rewards for them for saving the city.
“Please accept this.”
Kukulitan handed each of them a blue necklace.
“When we built this city, the kingdom gave us this merfolk artifact to present to our benefactors. With this, you can move freely underwater even without our blessing.”
“Oh, can we try them on?”
“By all means.”
Ketal put on the necklace and released the false space that enveloped his body.
Then, he could breathe and speak underwater without any problem.
“It works.”
The necklace operated by synchronizing with the wearer’s body.
Therefore, Ketal could use it without any issues.
Ketal smiled in satisfaction.
He could use divine power to move underwater, but it consumed energy, requiring him to occasionally disengage and recharge.
It was a hassle, but now, with this necklace, he could move freely underwater.
It was a good artifact for Ketal.
He could now travel freely under the sea.
Aquaz and Baker also looked satisfied.
That wasn’t the end of it.
Kukulitan cautiously presented a blue gemstone.
“And please accept this.”
“…What is it?”
Baker looked at the gemstone in astonishment.
A strong mana presence emanated from within the gemstone.
“In the deepest part of the ocean, these gemstones are formed by rock condensing over hundreds of years in extreme conditions. And if the gemstone remains in the deep sea for another few hundred years, it naturally absorbs mana. After a further few hundred years, it becomes a catalyst like this.”
It was a naturally formed catalyst that took a thousand years to create in the deep sea. Baker swallowed hard.
“That’s... amazing.”
He had seen numerous catalysts at the Magic Tower.
As a place where all magicians gathered, they handled very expensive and hard-to-get catalysts.
But the blue gemstone before him now made him feel as if all the catalysts he had seen were fake, such was the intensity of the mana it contained.
Its value was immeasurable.
Kukulitan’s hand, holding out the gemstone, was also trembling.
It was an extremely rare and treasured gem in the merfolk kingdom.
Selling this gemstone alone would be enough to rebuild the city and even expand it twice over.
Such a gemstone was now being given to their benefactors.
“There’s only one...”
“Then it’s simple.”
“Ketal, you should take it.”
Aquaz spoke calmly.
If any of the three were to receive the gemstone, it had to be Ketal.
Baker looked longingly at the gemstone but did not let his greed show.
“Thank you. I’ll accept it.”
Ketal smiled as he took the gemstone.
The intense mana it exuded was palpable even to him.
‘Could this allow me to wield mystic powers?’
Though Ketal had succeeded in acquiring mystic powers, he still couldn’t wield them due to the uniqueness of his body.
Arkamis had said that obtaining a large amount of mystic energy would solve the issue, so this gemstone might help.
He planned to use it later.
They had received their reward for saving the city.
As time passed and the city's restoration neared completion, Aquaz and Baker prepared to leave.
“Are you going back now?”
“It seems so. The pilgrimage ends here.”
“I should return to the Magic Tower too.”
The white snowfield monster was emerging outside.
It was necessary to convey this information to their group.
There was no time for a pilgrimage.
It was urgent to return even one day sooner.
Aquaz spoke carefully.
“Well... if you wish, I can keep Ketal a secret for you.”
“That would be best. I don’t want unnecessary attention.”
What he desired was a journey of fantasy.
If it got out, various interferences might occur.
That would certainly be an unpleasant experience for Ketal.
“Then what will you do now, Mr. Ketal?”
“I intend to stay here a bit longer.”
He had yet to fully enjoy the mermaid city.
He planned to roam freely under the sea and observe the life of mermaids.
“Then this is farewell. Mr. Baker, how about traveling together until our paths diverge?”
Aquaz said to Baker.
She had dedicated herself to the gods.
She didn’t desire worldly love or marriage.
But she could afford to be a little kinder to the person who risked his life to protect her.
“Huh, uh? I’m okay with that.”
Baker, surprised that Aquaz would say such a thing, nodded in surprise.
“It was a pleasant journey.”
“Yes. If we get the chance, let’s meet again.”
“Come find me if you ever visit the Magic Tower!”
The two left.
Ketal, left alone, stared blankly at the rippling waves.
‘Was it really a pleasant journey?’
It was ambiguous.
At the beginning, it was enjoyable.
He conversed with the magician of the Magic Tower, met pirates, sailed the fantasy seas, and even encountered mermaids.
It was certainly a journey he should have been satisfied with.
But Ketal was not entirely pleased.
“Disgusting.”
Ketal muttered.
The white one.
The white snowfield monster.
It appeared before him.
In that moment, Ketal felt intense disgust.
How dare it.
How dare a being from there set foot in the fantasy.
How dare it taint his world.
He couldn’t accept it.
This was his world.
The fact that the white one appeared meant that other monsters could also appear.
Although, for now, it seemed there was some restriction and not all monsters showed themselves, they could appear one by one.
“It’s best if you stay out of here.”
Ketal muttered softly.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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