Chapter 63: The Situation in Idea (2)

Roar!

As a monster raised its massive forelimb to strike a soldier, green vines shot up at terrifying speed, binding and ripping the limb from its shoulder.

Splatter! Hot blood sprayed the soldier as the monster howled in pain. Ion summoned a flame sword and drove it into the back of its skull. Crunch! With a bone-crushing sound, the massive body collapsed with a thud.

“What…!”

“A magic swordsman…?”

“Reinforcements are here!”

Only then did they notice Ion, cheering. But…

“Just… one?”

“Hey! You alone? Where’s Semir? Zieg?”

Realizing it was only one hooded mage, despair crept back.

“Doesn’t matter how many! Kill the monsters! Protect Somind’s relics!” the middle-aged knight commander, facing the leader alone, shouted. He seemed an Aura Expert, B-rank equivalent.

Semir… Semir Zion? Zieg… Zieg Frizen?

Ion had questions but needed to end the fight first.

Gathering ambient mana, he formed a floating orb above his head. Mana tendrils shot out like arrows, piercing the monsters. With no need to conserve mana, he used it freely—monsters didn’t just get pierced; they turned to dust.

Roar!

“Argh!”

Enraged by its minions’ deaths, the Level 3 leader struck the knight commander and leaped, shattering Ion’s weakened orb with its sword. Boom! Landing, it roared and charged Ion.

But…

The leader froze mid-charge, sword raised.

Ion manipulated mana density, locking it in an invisible vice. It couldn’t move a finger.

Creak. Gurgle. Its eyes rolled desperately.

Ion smiled under his hood.

Mana Condensation Explosion.

Mana Jet.

Mana Emission.

Mana Cyclone.

So many spells he wanted to try.

For now…

Condensing mana inside the monster and detonating it.

BOOM!

The leader exploded from within, blood and flesh splattering everywhere. Ion shielded himself with a mana barrier.

Drip, drip.

The human soldiers stared blankly at Ion amidst the raining debris. It took him under three minutes to annihilate the monsters.

The spells required high mana mastery—Aura Master level.

Someone muttered, dazed, “Great… Mage?”

After the battle:

“Zensi, Chase, tend to the wounded. The rest, collect the bodies. Signalman, cancel the reinforcement request and report we’ll regroup soon.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Mages, move the library’s relics and books to safety. Check remaining Tower items after the relics are secured.”

“Yes, sir.”

The knight commander approached Ion, who was showing Sanse around like a tourist couple marveling at a new place.

“Plants are the same here. Cool, right?” Ion said to Sanse.

“Hey, mage,” the commander called.

Ion looked up at the bearded middle-aged man. Without his hood, his youthful face made the commander hesitate.

“…Thanks for saving us. I’m Minwi Helen, Somind Royal Knights’ commander. Where are you from? You don’t look like a Tower mage.”

“…”

“Are you an aura user?”

Aura users were Idea’s equivalent of Earth’s ‘hunters.’ ‘Heroes’ came later, after stopping SS-rank dungeons.

Hoping his Idea accent wasn’t off, Ion said, “Mage and aura user. Name’s Ion.”

“Aha… an aura mage.”

A term from the novel—‘aura mage,’ meaning a mage with aura awakening. Swordsmen, archers, or knights with aura became aura swordsmen, archers, or knights. Ion didn’t love the term.

“Affiliation? Someone of your skill must have a party.”

In Idea, unlike Earth where civilians like soldiers or ecologists could enter dungeons, non-awakened were strictly barred from fields. Entry required noble family permission, granted the land by the crown.

Nobles paid aura user parties based on field rank. Parties ranged from five to ten members—more raised noble suspicion. High-rank fields required multiple parties or mercenaries.

Royal aura knights had no such limits, though.

This was before Idea’s class system faded with Earth’s egalitarian exchange.

“I’m a lone mercenary. Heard the noise and came. Looks like the field near the Tower had its seal broken.”

“Exactly. It appeared in the capital, and with most Tower mages away supporting other fields, this mess happened.”

“They knew about the field but gave up clearing it?”

“Yes. You know fields are sprouting everywhere, stretching our forces thin. Lord Kuka ordered moving relics and books, then sweeping the area with wide-range magic after the seal broke.”

Idea’s class system varied by nation but generally followed: royalty at the top, then lords, nobles (counts, viscounts), commoners, merchants, and slaves at the bottom.

Lords were unique, attainable purely by ability, regardless of origin—scholars, high priests, great mages, or swordmasters could all become lords.

Somind’s Lord Kuka, an aura mage from the novel, fit the bill.

“I don’t get it… Even with fields everywhere, abandoning the Mage’s Tower?”

“With the capital half-destroyed, we can’t sacrifice soldiers for an old building. Relics and books are vital for the war, but buildings can be rebuilt. It was a painful call for Lord Kuka.”

“The capital… collapsed?”

“Yes, parts of it. You didn’t know?”

Idea comprised a windmill-shaped continent and smaller islands, divided into North, South, West, and East Continents. Each hosted rival nations. Currently, the North’s top kingdom was Deand, South’s Somind, West’s Zamind, and East’s Villund, all serving the central Iliand Empire—Sarah Harundas and Teacher’s possessed body’s homeland.

This was Somind’s Mage’s Tower, South Continent’s top kingdom. A capital’s collapse signaled dire straits.

“I’ve been training in isolation for over a year. What’s going on? Explain.”

“How long in isolation?”

“Little over a year.”

“Then you don’t know about the Giant crisis.”

Rubbing his beard, Commander Minwi explained in a low voice.

“Since mid-year, Giants appeared in fields, initially killing heroes and stealing byproducts, then setting foot in our world.”

“…”

“They set up strongholds, demanding tribute that grew excessive. Deand’s royal family resisted fiercely and was wiped out, their bloodline ended.”

“Iliand wouldn’t stand for that.”

“Of course. Iliand’s Imperial Aura Knights raided a Giant stronghold and succeeded. You know Lord Sarah Harundas, the Aura Lord? She killed twelve Giants alone.”

Twelve Giants alone. Truly Protagonist 2.

“After, the Empire coordinated with nations for full resistance. But field outbreaks spiked, leaving us too busy to deal with Giant strongholds.”

Minwi’s voice carried deep worry.

“The Giants can trigger fields. While we’re distracted clearing them, they prepare for war…”

They were forced into a losing game, with too few awakened like Earth.

The Giant war isn’t the real issue.

Idea had mages and swordsmen; Earth had powerful science-based weapons. If the worlds allied in two months, Giants would cease to be a threat—if Idea held out.

“And…?”

“Giants won’t start a war yet. They’re already fighting Demonkin.”

“Huh? You know that too? Guess I explained for nothing.”

“Have Demonkin appeared?”

“Not yet, but Lord Killia predicted something worse than Giants. Said we’d need dragons, not just humans and elves.”

“What are the dragons doing?”

Minwi shook his head.

“Except one who warned Lord Killia about Demonkin, they’re silent. Maybe they’ll show when Iliand’s half-destroyed.”

In the novel, dragons were mentioned often but appeared late, saving the protagonists with overwhelming power. One joined the party, greatly aiding the Demonkin fight.

“Ion, Master.”

“Call me Master Ion.”

“Right, mercenary leader? Join our knights.”

“Sorry, I’m heading to meet Lord Sarah. I’m interested in Giant stronghold raids.”

Specifically, the dragon who warned Lord Killia about Demonkin—possibly a Breeder or their disciple. Ion’s mission in Idea was to confirm if a Breeder existed here, or still does.