Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 49
"The mana of wind is accumulating in my body."
The guardian clad in the mana suit of water.
After using Assimilation and recharging mana, the mana of wind began to gather within the body.
Swish...
Kaylen, who finished the Assimilation, restored the mana suit to its original form.
Even after inspecting the mana body again, the wind mana lingered aimlessly within the body.
"Even after ending Assimilation, it's still the same."
"Right. It's not ideal for a Meister, but for a Sword Master, it shouldn't matter... Now it makes sense."
"Indeed. From the Meister's perspective, this wind mana must be slightly bothersome."
For a Meister of water, who must focus solely on water mana, the accumulation of wind mana in the body was not particularly welcome.
"Since the amount of wind mana is small, it won't cause significant harm..."
"But if it's used continuously, it could certainly hinder the Meister's development."
"Yes. While I can collect and remove this mana, for a Meister of water, it will hinder the progression of their circle."
"True. But it's not a fatal issue, just a nuisance. Besides, most Meisters who can manage guardians usually stop at the 4th Circle. Reaching the 5th Circle is something only Tower Masters achieve."
Realistically, even the most exceptional Meisters often found their growth halted at the 4th Circle.
The 5th Circle was an ultimate realm attainable only by an extraordinarily gifted few in any era.
"It's rare for guardians to even be lent out like this... Normally, when recruiting a 4th Circle Meister, the Fairy Tower explains that a small amount of wind mana may enter."
"Wouldn't 4th Circle Meisters still aspire to reach the 5th Circle? Do they accept this?"
"They only make the offer to those with no further growth potential. Additionally... I've heard elves have a way to remove the wind mana accumulated in their bodies. By pairing them with an opposite-sex elf, through, well... 'a nightly method,' they say."
Myorn trembled, shaking her body in shock, her fur standing on end as if punctuated by question marks and exclamation points everywhere.
Kaylen, watching this, chuckled in disbelief.
"Removing wind mana through something like that?"
"'A nightly method,' huh. So that's why all the Meisters in the Fairy Tower end up with elf partners..."
"That's enough. I don't know anything more than that."
"…I see. Well, I get the gist of it. But why does this happen? Do other A-grade mana suits behave like this?"
"No. This is because the Guardian is, after all, an elf's mana suit."
An A-grade mana suit: Guardian.
This mana suit, infused with the Fairy Tower's secrets, was originally developed exclusively for elves.
"Do you know the side effects elves experience when wearing mana suits?"
"Yes. I heard it causes rapid aging."
"Researchers at the Fairy Tower attribute that to over-Assimilation."
"Over-Assimilation?"
"Right. Compared to humans, elves are much more suited for Assimilation. They actually handle spirits, and their affinity with elemental mana is exceptional."
"Elves are aligned with water and wind attributes, right?"
"Correct. When operating mana suits of those two attributes, elves would excessively activate Assimilation. This occurred even in B-grade or lower mana suits that didn't originally have Assimilation functions."
Over-Assimilation.
Elf researchers hypothesized that the excessive activation of Assimilation caused the elves' physical bodies to age rapidly.
"The Guardian was designed to overcome this limitation."
"So it wasn't just about aiming for an S-grade."
"Right. Elves can summon only one type of spirit, water or wind, but... their bodies always host both types of mana. The problem arises when over-Assimilation disrupts the balance of mana, leading to rapid aging. The Guardian supplements the wind mana during the Assimilation process to maintain balance."
For an elf who could command the spirit of water, using the Guardian resulted in over-Assimilation…
The wind mana in the body is rapidly consumed, completely converting into water mana.
Elf researchers, believing that this abrupt shift in mana balance accelerates physical aging, added a function to the Guardian to replenish wind mana.
After all, it was crucial to avoid the misfortune of elves being unable to use the ultimate mana suit, Guardian.
"However, the Guardian is still incomplete. Only Eldir, the leader of the Elven Guard, managed to resist aging and use it... The other elves who wore the Guardian all faced aging afterward. Well, even Eldir wasn’t without consequences."
"The Elven Guard?"
"It’s the elves’ direct combat unit. Eldir was the strongest Spirit Swordsman among the elves."
"I’ve heard of him... But isn’t that no longer the case?"
"Right. Eldir used too much of his power. When the interspecies Tower located in the human kingdom was established, the settlement wasn’t smooth, and there were numerous threats. If he hadn’t worn the Guardian and defended the Tower, the Fairy Tower wouldn’t have the standing it enjoys today."
Kaylen recalled Eldir—a one-eyed elf leaning on a staff, dozing off like a drunken vagrant.
Yet, the power he possessed was far from ordinary, and it seemed his past achievements were just as remarkable.
No wonder his siblings held positions among the seven leaders.
"After Eldir became a shell of his former self, he insisted that the Guardian needed further development. He claimed it hadn’t yet matured properly..."
"Matured? Can a mana suit grow?"
"Yes. Though the reason hasn’t been clarified, it’s empirically known that destroying dungeon cores with a mana suit enhances its performance—especially those capable of Assimilation."
A mana suit that grows? Is that why the Guardian was lent out?
"If they wanted to grow it anyway, wouldn’t it be better to keep it within their circle and rotate it among Meisters instead of lending it out?"
"Who knows? Really. Why they went out of their way to lend it, I’m not sure either. It’s just something I picked up from Eldir’s drunken ramblings."
"Well, I understand. I’ll figure it out as we go."
"So... What’s your decision? Will you keep using the Guardian?"
"Of course."
Kaylen smiled confidently.
"I’ll use the wind mana to refine my Wind Sword."
The wind mana, useless to a Meister, was instead a valuable elemental mana for him as a Sword Master, crucial for rebalancing his Physical Sword.
"I’ll push the Guardian to its limits."
And the ideal place for that was none other than a dungeon.
Dungeon Guild, Alzas Branch.
"Ah, Kaylen! What a pleasant surprise!"
Branch Chief Krundal greeted Kaylen warmly, his expression filled with delight.
After all, Kaylen’s reputation had soared to unprecedented heights compared to before.
Kaylen, the individual who had stirred the capital of Alzas over the past month.
Though he lost to Princess Violet, his astounding magic had drawn the attention of all the Towers.
Moreover, during the award ceremony, his impromptu measurement on the Meister Meter scored a shocking 129 points, prompting every Water Tower to clamor for his recruitment.
Krundal, who had witnessed both events firsthand, was well aware of this.
‘I heard he ultimately joined the Fairy Tower... What brings him here?’
Once affiliated with a Tower, activities like monster suppression typically happen within its framework.
It didn’t seem likely that Kaylen would have any reason to visit the Dungeon Guild.
Setting aside his curiosity, Krundal greeted Kaylen with a bright smile.
"I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Superior Mage Selection Tournament. Your performance was truly remarkable. Congratulations on achieving second place."
"Thank you, Branch Chief."
"What brings you here today?"
"I'm here about the rank of the Civil Squad, Meier."
F-rank Civil Squad, Meier.
Krundal had promised to promote them to D-rank if they acquired a mana suit.
"Ah, but... aren’t you affiliated with the Fairy Tower now?"
"I’ve been granted independence in my actions. There are various circumstances involved."
Various circumstances?
Krundal vaguely recalled the "higher-ups" that were hinted at back then. He decided it was best not to pry further.
Some things are better left ignored.
"Understood. If it’s about Meier’s rank, have you secured a mana suit?"
"Yes. It’s the A-rank mana suit, Guardian, from the Fairy Tower."
"A-An A-rank mana suit...! Would you mind demonstrating some Assimilation?"
At Krundal’s request, Kaylen gestured to his feet.
Starting from his toes, his lower body transformed into water, a clear display of Assimilation. Krundal couldn’t help but nod repeatedly in amazement.
"Without a doubt, it’s A-rank."
"Will this suffice for the rank upgrade?"
"Yes. If you can bring in one more Meister and another mana suit, you could even reach C-rank."
A C-rank Civil Squad.
Normally, the requirements were extremely stringent, but with an A-rank mana suit, Krundal was willing to make exceptions for Kaylen.
However, Kaylen waved his hand dismissively.
"D-rank is sufficient for now."
After all, the Guardian was just a borrowed mana suit. He had no intention of preemptively advancing to C-rank with it.
"Understood. I’ll proceed with the rank upgrade to D-rank immediately."
"Thank you. Can I start taking requests now?"
"Yes, but since you’ve just reached D-rank and have no track record yet, it’ll be hard to get good assignments."
"That makes sense."
Dungeon suppression requests from cities and villages were a matter of life and death. Choosing the right Civil Squad was an extremely cautious process.
As a newly formed squad with only two members, including one Meister, Meier’s reputation was too nascent to inspire confidence.
No matter how much buzz Kaylen had generated in the capital, few would entrust their money and safety to them.
"Still, are there any clients willing to hire a squad like ours?"
"There are, but most offer low advance payments."
"Then please recommend any requests along the way with F-rank dungeons, preferably as many as possible."
"Understood."
Krundal nodded and began sorting through the requests.
‘This isn’t even my job...’
He briefly lamented while organizing the documents.
"The dungeon core deal we discussed is still valid, right?"
"Of course."
When Kaylen subtly mentioned the dungeon core, Krundal eagerly lent his assistance, treating the matter as his own responsibility.
Eventually, Kaylen received a list of potential assignments.
The area included one E-rank dungeon and five F-rank dungeons.
However, just reaching the location would take over five days.
"Then I'll head out right away. Please prepare the next request for me."
Kaylen spoke casually, as if he were merely going for a neighborhood stroll.
Five days later, he returned.
"I'm back, Branch Manager."
With a bright smile, Kaylen handed over large fragments of dungeon cores to Krundal.
"Is the next request ready?"
In one of the offices of the Oblaine Ducal Estate...
"He’s affiliated with the Fairy Tower, yet he’s independently running a Civil Squad...?"
Tap, tap.
Lioness tapped his desk rhythmically, lost in thought.
A stack of papers lay before him, all related to Kaylen.
"Zaik, doesn’t this seem strange to you?"
"...That guy’s always been a lunatic, hasn’t he?"
"You brat. Let go of that grudge already. He might end up part of the family."
"Ugh..."
Standing beside the picturesque Lioness was Zaik Baldur, his body heavily bandaged.
Zaik bit his lip at Lioness’s words, then reluctantly nodded.
"Understood..."
"Good. Let me ask you again. Doesn’t this seem strange?"
"Yes, it does. Acting independently while supposedly tied to the tower? I’ve never heard of such a case. Perhaps his ties to the tower aren’t that strong yet."
Regaining his composure, Zaik’s words prompted Lioness to rub his chin thoughtfully.
"Still, this Civil Squad, 'Meier.' The Dungeon Guild certified them with an A-rank mana suit, right? Would the tower lend out an A-rank suit to someone they have no real connection with?"
"That... is unusual."
"I think we need to make contact with him."
Lioness pulled out a sheet of paper from the stack.
"Send this request to the Civil Squad, 'Meier.'"
"This is..."
Zaik’s eyes widened as he read the contents of the paper.
It was a dungeon suppression request for an E-rank dungeon located in Kaylen Starn’s hometown—the Barony of Starn.
"And add an extra zero to the payment amount."
"That much?"
"I’ll take it out of my allowance. Don’t worry, just send it to Meier."
Taking it out of his allowance? Adding an extra zero?
Even with an abundance of wealth, this level of extravagance was shocking.
Zaik, though baffled by the scale of the Oblaine Ducal Estate, followed Lioness’s instructions and added the extra zero.
"...Understood."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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