Only My Magic Levels Up - Chapter 194



Only Noblemtl

Episode 194 The King’s Tomb (5)

A sandy beach with tens of thousands of skeletons buried there, which can be said to be the first half of the ruins.

This place, which seemed to have been moved from the desert outside the ruins to the inside of the stone structure, was noticeably ‘lower in height’ than before.

What I mean is this.

This huge sandy beach was not part of the natural terrain, but was an artificial feature.

It’s similar to a very large bathtub or swimming pool, but instead of water, it’s filled to the brim with sand.

Just as opening a drain causes the water level in a bathtub to drop as it drains away, the level of the beach also drops as the sand drains away to other areas.

The stone wall that had been holding the sand, which was not visible when the sand was full, was revealed. The entrance passage connected to the ruins also went up and became like a hole in the cliff.

The expedition team was gathered together on the sandy beach.

The head of the Alaba family and two escorts, Ivan and two escorts, Deckard and two escorts, and Davia. Ten people excluding Theodore.

Click! Click! Click! Click!

The number of skeletons revealed as a significant portion of the sand, which had piled up much higher than a person’s height, disappeared was dizzying. The creaking and crunching sound of bones hitting each other, repeated thousands of times, was enough to drive one crazy.

But no one on the expedition looked scared.

It wasn’t just for the simple reason that there were only two jewels out of ten.

The skeletons wandering around never came closer than a certain distance, as if there was an invisible golden wire.

“I can’t wear this comfortable thing in front of Sir Theodore. It was so annoying earlier!”

The head of the family of Alaba lamented exaggeratedly.

Let’s exclude the six escorts, since they were only worth a hundred silver in terms of skill and were more like screens in terms of status.

He was originally the lowest ranking member of the expedition team.

They may be called a family that rules the desert, but in reality, they only have the power of a warrior family that you would find in any city, and the head of the family’s own military force is only meager.

If it was outside, he could have mobilized many subordinates, but in an expedition team of only ten people, there was nothing to boast about. It wasn’t that Galen or Lilia forgot his name and only remembered him as ‘Gajoo’.

However, rather than being intimidated, Gaju acted as if he were the leader of the expedition team.

Even Davia, the main culprit who had caused the conflict with the Alaba family, and the two jewels, Ivan and Deckard, for some reason did not point it out.

“Davia, what’s the situation?”

“Yes, well, as you can see.”

Dabia answered without looking back at Gaju’s call. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to talk, but because she didn’t have the energy to continue the conversation. The sweat dripping down her face was already making her excited.

Her magical power, which dug into the ground, pushed the sand beneath her feet ceaselessly. Towards the exit of the sandy beach leading to the deep, towards the passageway that splits into four.

The passage, which slopes slightly downwards to lead further underground than here, can be transformed into an excellent execution device by pushing sand into it and pushing back a little.

Of course, it would not be possible to push all that sand on the beach with just the power of the golden Dabia, but that could be done with the help of an outside force.

“Is the treasure any good?”

“Except that it is much more difficult to control than my own magic power.”

“It’s like increasing your total magical power by several times, so you have to accept that.”

“So I’m taking it… … .”

No matter how you look at it, the relationship between the two seems closer to that of a sly boss and a resigned subordinate than one of growling over ownership of a relic.

This appearance was also one that even the head of the family, who was a true member of the Alaba family, did not find strange at all.

“I guess this is what they meant by luring them to the ruins and then dealing with them.”

Deckard, who was watching the movement of the sand that seemed to be endlessly flowing in, shook his head.

“It’s as if the ruins inside were prepared to be used for burial. Gray, how did you find a place like this?”

“It’s been a while since we excavated it, and it was sealed and we’re just using it now.”

The head of the Alaba family, called Gray, said with a chuckle.

“Actually, once you know the origin of this relic, it’s not that unusual. It’s said that this was actually the tomb of a king in the distant past.”

“… Really? I thought it was a cemetery. There are so many bones.”

“They are poor people who were silenced because they had to hide the location of the tomb. They are poor laborers who built the tomb for the king but did not know that they would be buried there too.”

“Tsk.”

Deckard clicked his tongue. Of course, it wasn’t a sentiment he had in mind, as he was trying to bury Theodore in a similar way, but burying one person is not the same as burying tens of thousands of people, is it? Of course it is.

“It was originally designed to block intruders from entering the deepest tomb by collapsing them. It is separate from the ancient magic that moves the dead. I just used that.”

“It’s amazing that I can use the space that has become a relic as I wish.”

“Haha, it’s not me who’s the great one. It’s the person I serve. I also heard the story about the ruins from him.”

“Is there really nothing that the devil doesn’t know…?”

Decker looked complicated for a moment. Gray smirked and whispered quietly.

“Isn’t that much fairer than a god who favors only a few people to his liking and bestows stigmata on them?”

“Ahem, by the way.”

Even though they were holding hands, Deckard, who was still a bit awkward with that kind of conversation, cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“Surely Theodore isn’t down there? Then it’s like we just blew up one perfectly good relic.”

The reason the expedition was able to gather here was not through some grand scheme.

When the fork in the road appeared, they pretended to split up into factions and left Theodore alone, and they pretended to go in but didn’t and instead turned back.

Since there was no ability to check Theodore’s location in real time, there was always the possibility that something had gone wrong somewhere.

“Well, the excavation was already over. I wouldn’t say it was a loss. It’s a shame that one fatal trap that could have been used to bury anyone is gone… … .”

Gray, whose words had been trailing off, added with a snicker.

“Given the nature of Sir Theodore, there is no reason for him to suddenly turn back from there. He is the one who wanted to go to the depths of the ruins more than anyone else.”

“That’s true.”

“So you’re probably buried down there, unaware of anything. Except for one exception.”

“What else is there?”

“The passage is being filled with sand by our Davia, but the deepest chamber is a structure that automatically collapses. Once the ceiling collapses and all the sand is filled in, there will be a lot of empty space left. If Sir Theodore can hold out in the chamber until the end, he can escape through there. There is a secret passage left for the workers to use.”

“The tomb is collapsing, but you’re holding on until the end without even thinking about escaping?”

“That’s why I made an exception. Who would have thought that there would be a way out after everything collapsed? But… there is a chance. That’s why I invited you two.”

“So this is a last resort for when you’re really unlucky. Okay. I’ll check later.”

Decker nodded. Gray bowed slightly in gratitude.

“Hey, Gray.”

Then Ivan opened his mouth. Gray quickly turned around.

“Did you call?”

“Can’t I use that?”

The old man, who had been silently lost in thought since earlier, continued to gaze at Davia’s chest. Greed was reflected in his cloudy eyes.

To be exact, the object was not Davia, but a crystal ball the size of a baby’s head that she was holding tightly in her arms.

Gray called it Bogu, meaning ‘a precious tool like a treasure’, but in the world it was simply called Ma-Byeong.

“I’ve been watching it, and it seems like the function that assists magical power is much better than I thought.”

“Does someone like Prince Ivan ever lack magical power?”

“That’s because situations where you can squeeze out your magic power don’t come up often. The more you have, the better, of course. In reality and psychologically.”

“Well, if you are referring to the treasure itself, it already belongs to Lord Davia. Unfortunately.”

“Tsk.”

“There is nothing with a similar effect in stock right now. As you know, the Spirius family that was used as a storage facility disappeared a few months ago… … .”

“You guys are so stupid!”

Ivan became indignant as Gray scratched his head and spoke.

I had never met Atma in person, but the author, who was supposedly the strongest magician in the southeast, couldn’t even take care of his own family properly and caused such a huge accident. It was embarrassing to be grouped with the same jewel magician.

The reason I had to go through all the trouble of coming all the way to the desert at this age was because Gray, who felt a great sense of crisis when Spirits disintegrated, planned to counterattack by causing a major incident.

The reason Theodore was chosen as the target was because he was the jewel warrior with the highest reputation and was close to Julian, so killing him would have a big impact, but he was easy to lure because he traveled alone and had a simple personality.

It actually worked out well, didn’t it? It was a bit shaky before entering the ruins, but―

“… Now that I think about it, that guy Galen.”

Ivan asked in an unpleasant tone, recalling the cheeky, sassy brat who had suddenly appeared next to Theodore.

“Wasn’t that the guy who’s been ruining your plans lately?”

“Yes. It’s so tenacious that it’s hard to even aim for it. I even died once.”

Gray’s face, which always had a smiling expression, cracked slightly.

“Honestly, I would have preferred to bury him in these ruins rather than Sir Theodore.”

“Shouldn’t you have done that? Since you came looking for me without me even looking for you, you should have buried me with you.”

“I haven’t fully grasped his abilities yet.”

“…still?”

“It is certain that it is a water-type gem, and it is also learning some magic from other types. The problem is that we do not know exactly what and how much it has learned. Is there a subtlety that seems to reveal it but is not?”

All of the opponents who had been directly hit were dead, and most of the people who had actually witnessed it were high-ranking members of the church, so Gray had no way of obtaining accurate information.

In fact, since Lilia was the only one who knew all of Galen’s magic, Gray had no reason to feel wronged.

Anyway, from Gray’s perspective, who prioritizes caution, he wanted to avoid the possibility of variables arising from the needless inclusion of the unknown Galen.

“Of course, the plans that have been ruined so far weren’t ruined because we weren’t careful… … .”

“Then just press it down with force before it goes wild any more.”

A bright blue light flashed from Ivan’s eyes.

“In the desert where the eyes of the church hardly reach, wouldn’t it be possible to isolate him for a while by using the power of the Alaba family? Just by taking advantage of the time it takes to move from village to village.”

“That’s true, but… … .”

“If Deckard will just take care of the Archbishop’s girl, I’ll take care of him.”

“You make me do such difficult things so casually?”

Suddenly, a spark flew and Deckard grumbled. Ivan snorted.

“What does it matter if you don’t have eyes to see? Those who find it difficult to deal with the Archbishop are good at holding hands with the devil.”

“… It’s not that I won’t do it.”

“Then we’re done talking.”

“I would be grateful if you two could step forward.”

Gray’s face brightened. It wasn’t a superior-subordinate relationship, but a cooperative one, so he couldn’t force them if they didn’t want to, but he was grateful that they came forward like this. It seemed that Galen was quite displeased.

“Then let’s discuss the detailed plan after we leave the ruins―”

“Hey, Gray.”

Davia, who had been watching the conversation between her boss and the jewels without being able to bear it anymore, said.

“I’m sorry, but I have something I need to tell you… … .”

“Tell me.”

“I had a feeling about it for a while, but now I think it’s certain.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It feels like some unknown magic is clashing with my magic.”

“yes?”

What on earth does this mean?

It took Gray some time to understand, as he was an expert in magic but not a magician, but Ivan, the jewel magician, understood immediately and his face hardened.

“Another wizard?! Why are you telling me that now?!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I thought it was the power flowing through the ruins… … .”

Davia also had an excuse.

She wasn’t controlling all the sand she had thrown into the passage, a feat that was beyond the reach of the gold.

All she did was continue to pump sand into the hole with golden-level magic, while continuing to receive magical power through her bogu, or magic bottle.

Even though there was a bit of residual magic mixed in with the sand she poured in like that, it was only a trace that had already escaped her control, so she couldn’t properly sense it.

I felt something a little strange, but since I thought that only Theodore was down there anyway, I thought it was a power that maintained the ancient magic of the ruins and didn’t think much of it.

The strangeness that had grown from a certain point onwards was now clearly piercing my senses.

It was the presence of another wizard.

Of course, even though he noticed it, he had no idea who it was. Not even Ivan, who had shouted at him.

“What kind of guy is that―”

Before Ivan could finish speaking.

Puhwaaaaak!

The sand that had been pouring into the passage exploded and surged upward. Davia, who was closest, was startled and stepped back.

“Oh my, it’s finally over.”

Galen came out of the sand tunnel that had been forcibly created by the crack.

As always, Lilia was by his side, and a huge shadow that covered the two of them followed right behind.

“What the heck? Everyone is gathered here?”

Even if I just stayed still, the muscles that seemed to be scary enough to appear in my dreams would twitch and twitch in a bizarre way.

Theodore glared at the expedition team, which had frozen in shock, with murderous eyes.

Immediately afterwards, a single line of question appeared in his glaring eyes.

“But, there’s someone I’ve never seen before here?”

Theodore growled, his gaze fixed on Gray.

“What are you, you punk?”

“Huh? That guy?”

Lilia’s eyes widened.

“At that time, in that village!”

“It was the same person after all.”

Galen chuckled.

“You little shit with crossed eyes.”