Chapter 336 – Write It Grandly (3)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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An advance party of 20 people.

It was a selection process that became known to the whole world, following a fair and strict procedure.

News about it was enough to excite players, naturally.

“Senior Bangrit, did you hear? That news!”

It was enough to excite the Arcanans who had fallen into reality as well.

In the floating garden of the Mage Tower, Senior of Fire Magic Studies, Bensh William, drew attention to himself.

“……What is going on for him to be like that?”

Due to the high position of a senior mage, skilled mages, apprentices, and players who didn’t know his true nature murmured, drawn to Bensh’s flamboyant, fire-like appearance. Thanks to that, the one getting embarrassed was the Senior of Pure Magic Studies, Bangrit Tom, who was sitting across from him.

A voice echoed low like a whisper.

“Of course I heard. You are talking about the advance party.”

“That is correct. The time has finally come. It might not be fitting to say this, but honestly, hasn’t it been itching? Perhaps because we only vaguely got a taste of mana, this heat in my heart……!”

It looked like the story was going to be long, obviously.

Bangrit took a breath first.

“Phew.”

Senior Bensh was truly a consistent person.

How come he prattled on without deviating even an inch from expectations?

Bangrit nodded his head soullessly.

“Yes. I can relate to that just a little bit. It would be different if leaving the tower was completely banned. Permission for defensive magic manifestation certainly feels like dipping your finger in seawater bit by bit, I’d say.”

Mages, especially mages who had reached the position of a senior in the Mage Tower, had an indescribable thirst for magic.

Just like the metaphor, ambiguous magic manifestation only served to provoke the temper they had painstakingly forgotten.

However, there was a limit.

‘But you go too far!’

Bensh went too far.

In the world, just because he wanted to have some fun.

“This time for sure, we can get our hands on it, can’t we?”

Magic tools.

And who in the world would reach for magic tools intended for decisive battles? Bangrit didn’t know much about Bensh’s private life, but he could be certain of this one thing.

“Senior Bensh. Um…… If it’s not a discourtesy, may I know what the family relations of the William family are like? My guess is that you, Senior Bensh, might be the youngest, maybe around the eighth son……”

“Why ask about family relations suddenly out of the blue? And calling me the eighth son and the youngest. I, Bensh William, am the eldest son of the William family.”

“……Excuse me?”

Senior Bensh was the eldest son?

I am deeply worried about the future, William family……!

Bangrit, who came from a commoner background, worried about the future of a noble family for the first time in his life. However, he soon shook his head. Still, he couldn’t say such words out loud.

Whether he knew such complex inner thoughts or not, Bensh swept a glance around the floating garden once.

Then he lowered his voice and whispered.

“What’s more important than that is not my family history, Senior Bangrit. An advance party of twenty people, no matter how you look at it, isn’t this an arrangement Chief Lee prepared for us!”

“Yes? An arrangement?”

“No, first of all, lower your voice.”

Not satisfied with lowering the decibels, the two seniors huddled together so closely their heads almost touched.

That appearance drew even more attention, but the people involved continued speaking without realizing it.

“Why exactly twenty people?”

“Well, because it’s an advance party. Not many people are needed……”

“No matter if it’s an advance party. According to Chief Lee’s words, the Arcana Continent is still chaotic. The more allies, the better, there’s nothing to lose. But why exactly twenty? That’s what I’m saying!”

“Hmm, there must be some unavoidable circumstances for that……”

“Ehei. Being so slow to catch on.”

Bensh clicked his tongue.

Then, he raised his head, looked around again and whispered.

“It matches perfectly, doesn’t it? With the number of senior mages!”

I, Bensh William.

I couldn’t say my relationship with Chief Lee Ho-yeol was close.

But there was a fact I came to know by exchanging more written conversations—thanks to the requests for leaving the tower and permission to use the Connector that were rejected day after day—with Chief Lee than any other mage in the Mage Tower.

“Chief Lee is straightforward but never reveals his inner thoughts. The reason he repeatedly gave failing grades to me, Bensh William. Don’t you also guess, Senior Bangrit, that it contains a deep meaning I don’t know?”

Bangrit closed his eyes gently.

Poor Senior Bensh.

You are already broken beyond repair.

In the end, your defense mechanism has revealed itself.

Feeling pity, he even nodded his head for him.

“That inner thought is also contained in the number twenty. Selecting the senior mages of the Mage Tower, who would be more reliable than anyone else including myself, as the advance party……!”

Bangrit finally seemed to understand why Bensh whispered secretly.

The advance party was already confirmed as the senior mages. Senior Bensh seemed to believe that the evaluation was just a formality so that others wouldn’t be disappointed.

The guess was truly very Senior Bensh-like.

“Um…… Senior Bensh, I’m sorry to interrupt, but.”

“Yes, tell me!”

“If all the senior mages are selected for the advance party, does that mean the Chief, I mean Chief Marcelo, is not included in the twenty-person advance party?”

“……Yes?”

He had completely forgotten, Chief Marcelo!

Bensh realized Chief Marcelo’s greatness every day through Theoretical Magic Studies. Since he couldn’t deny Bangrit’s words, Bensh awkwardly changed his words.

“I see. It’s a pity, but one person will have to be left out……”

“And would Elder Yugweed stay still?”

“E-Elder Yugweed?”

“It would be sad to leave out the Tower Master too. In terms of magical achievement alone, they are in a far-off position that cannot even be compared to us seniors.”

“…….”

One, two, three.

Bensh, who was folding his fingers, asked just in case.

“Then if three people are left out……?”

“We must not forget the pure-blood magic race, the Descendant of Twilight, Lady Mary. Because she wields magic in a realm we cannot even witness. Additionally, the adventurer called the Great Mage, Jesse Heinness……”

“Th-Then five?”

Somehow, it was too different from expectations.

Cold sweat began to gather on Bensh’s hands and feet.

However, Bangrit did not stop.

“Considering exchanges with the Empire, Sir Harkon of the Lionheart Knights cannot be left out either. Ah, adventurers couldn’t be left out either, could they? Why, what we can’t see from our perspective might look different from an adventurer’s perspective.”

“Heugh.”

Thanks to that, Bensh’s face became increasingly distorted.

The anxiety he had gradually forgotten started to rise again.

An ominous premonition that there would be no place for me this time either……

Spring up!

Eventually, Bensh kicked his seat and stood up.

“I’m sorry, Senior Bangrit. An urgent matter came to mind.”

“Yes? Suddenly?”

“Anyway, that’s how it is!”

Bangrit was no exception.

From now on, everyone was a competitor.

I, Bensh William, will do my best to be among the twenty fingers.

Bensh immediately left the floating garden and headed to his office.

Swish─

Then he picked up a quill pen and wrote on parchment.

“To the pride of our Mage Tower, Dear Chief Lee Ho-yeol……”

Somehow, it felt like the first button was buttoned incorrectly this time too, but.

──────

Near the top floor of the Zero Mountain Range.

I looked at Jesse and Mary.

I was grateful for the time difference between the Arcana Continent and reality, but it also gave me goosebumps.

In the end, he faithfully followed that goddamn procedure again this time?

‘Even I think it’s amazing, truly amazing.’

For it wasn’t self-praise.

I wanted to relax my shoulders a bit, but my neck stood upright as always.

Thanks to that, Jesse and Mary came into view at a glance.

[Frost-tooth Hog: Lv.700]

Not just one, but a pack.

For Jesse, who hadn’t reached level 600, it was a monster she couldn’t handle. Even putting forward the unique skill of a [Great Mage], she couldn’t overcome that gap common-sensically.

However, Jesse was growing.

Swish─

Faint purple light from Jesse’s body.

Twilight magic particles were scattering.

At most, about the level of dandelion seeds scattering in the wind.

Compared to me, let alone Mary, it was exceedingly faint.

‘……It’s no joke, though?’

But I genuinely admired it.

Without embarrassing settings, without resorting to tricks, being able to handle twilight mana. As expected, a legitimate lineage was a legitimate lineage for a reason. Of course, the snout was incredibly hypocritical.

“You are also advancing steadily.”

In this place, I was just an interpreter, an observer at best.

Please don’t evaluate as if you’re something great, Granfel.

‘Anyway.’

If twilight magic was added, even if Jesse was alone, she should be able to handle five or six level 700 monsters. Indeed, my estimate was not wrong.

Whoosh─!

Did the twilight magic particles act as a catalyst?

Flames swirled even more fiercely.

That was the power of the class walking the royal road.

To think it had that much destructive power even without opening a circle yet.

That was what a late-bloomer character was, what else could it be?

Watching it made me want to take back the loose tongue that babbled about Demon Hunter being a late-bloomer character.

‘No, this is not the time for this.’

Seeing Jesse growing frighteningly with a tailwind brought me to my senses. I also had to become stronger in my own way, so as not to sink. It meant whatever could be used must be used desperately, just as I’d always done.

Swish─

The place my gaze headed was none other than the Dawn’s jacket fixed on my shoulders. Accurately, it was the [Neutral Parasitic Organism Envy] quietly attached to the chest.

Blackening.

Suitable Magic Power that flowed out as if to swallow the continent.

Envy, which had absorbed that darkness to the fullest at my command.

I checked Envy’s state.

[Envy’s current satiety – 100%]

[Envy digests the absorbed ‘Suitable Magic Power’.]

[Digesting – 99.1/100% until a new unique effect is generated]

Let’s see.

Calculating roughly, it seemed digestion would be finished around the time today’s Great Mage class ended. It was said that after digestion, Envy would awaken a unique effect depending on the absorbed target……

‘If so, it would be a unique effect related to black magic.’

Whatever it was, it was worth anticipating.

Whether the Suitable Magic Power flowing out from Granfel’s past was infinitely dark or whatever, Envy was also a legendary grade item. This time for sure, I could expect it to live up to its grade.

‘Should I just wait quietly now?’

Of course, with the thoroughness of not letting even 1 second of flowing time pass in vain, what I pulled out with that was a smartphone.

The justification was to not neglect exploring the bizarre, but……

‘I was secretly curious inwardly.’

The advance party of twenty.

The public’s reaction, including players, to the specific number was extraordinary. More than anything, me and Raymond Sean, and they seemed even more excited than me about the confrontation structure with World Unification.

-No;; What is this for real? Weren’t there originally 10 Connectors?
-Wasn’t it Lee Ho-yeol found one and World Unification got seven?
-What did I tell you? lololol Connectors aren’t the answer
-If you don’t know, just shout Homen ㄷㄷㄷㄷ

Players who realized that the Connectors were merely Raymond Sean’s deception. On top of that, my advance party declaration this time was the decisive blow.

It was reasonable for the suppressed dissatisfaction to burst out.

-World Unification, these bastards got what they deserved lololololol
-For real, looks like karma is finally hitting?
-I heard they failed clearing a cave too? lololol

The reaction toward World Unification, which had committed atrocities not inferior to that, was also sharp. The real-time updating posts were being updated so fast it was hard to even read them easily.

“Indeed, it is not easy. The bizarre.”

As always, it was the moment I was making grand excuses.

I flinched.

-Isn’t it obvious? Being given true education by Lee Ho-yeol
-For real lol
-No, that’s not the end there
-??? What’s not the end
-A player who beats World Unification as juicily as Ho-yeol-nim appeared

Oho.

If it was true, it was news that tempted even me.

An enemy of an enemy was an ally, so there was nothing bad about keeping a good relationship, was there?

However, at the comment that followed, my mind ended up going blank.

-You players, have you heard of Romeo?

……Wait a minute.

J-J-J-Just now, did you say Romeo?!

[Granfel Claudi Arpheus Romeo]

Of all things, the most embarrassing shameful part.

Why was it popping out there?!!

──────

Arcana Continent Chronicles Auction House.

To ensure anonymity, seller and buyer only had a part of each other’s ID shared.

That was right.

The cause of the situation was the presence of an ID that could not be hidden by anonymity.

Accurately, it was the number of characters in the ID.

Affiliated with the Explorer Alliance, NetTuber player Park Hwi-gang rubbed his eyes, unable to believe it.

[High-grade Vitality Elixir]

[Winning Bid: 709,999,999 Won]

[Seller: Hwi]

“T-This was bought with Buy It Now?!”

Who on earth……

No, who are you?

What kind of noble person bought it at this price!!

Park Hwi-gang immediately checked the buyer’s ID.

And tilted his head.

Because even though it was only a part, that strong name came to mind.

[Buyer: Romeo]

“Romeo……? Is this naming sense for real?”