Chapter 1
PEGASUS SOARED LEISURELY over a small mountain range in the western skies of Alcait. With her silver hair blowing in the breeze, Mira straddled his back and gazed down at the lush green forest below.
“It’s like it goes on forever…” Mira mused, admiring the sheer size of the forest as she looked into the distance. Then she felt a light shudder below. It was followed by the sound of something shattering. “Oh, no! Not again!”
It had sounded like when Garrett’s carriage rolled over zombies or wayward summoned carbuncles…but Mira was in the sky. The only things she could collide with were birds, and birds would be too terrified to come near Pegasus in all its majesty. In fact, Mira had seen flocks of birds part like the Red Sea so they could pass.
So, what could the sound have been?
Mira commanded Pegasus to stop and looked below. There, she saw a bird tumbling toward the forest; its wings were snow white, and its beak was blood red. It seemed familiar.
Is that a blizzard eagle?
Blizzard eagles were technically monsters. This particular specimen’s wings were dark crimson, which seemed unusual, since blizzard eagles were usually white. Unless…
Mira checked Pegasus’s hoof and found it covered in monster blood. It seemed Pegasus had struck the blizzard eagle with only a slight bump for her to notice.
Relieved, Mira watched the eagle spiral down until it disappeared into the hazy treetops. She put a finger to her chin and cocked her head in wonder.
Hrmm. Strange to see blizzard eagles this far south. Is that another effect of the world becoming reality?
Mira stared down at the forest suspiciously. To her recollection, blizzard eagles only appeared in the forests and mountains of the continent’s far northern reaches. Their white wings were camouflage for living in a world of snow. It seemed preposterous to find one flying around the southern lands—it would have seemed preposterous in the game, anyway.
Then again, thirty years had passed without Mira in this very real world, and there were many things she didn’t know. That also gave her lots of opportunities to savor the changes to the world. She decided that monsters changing spawn locations was probably common and directed Pegasus to resume their flight.
Mira’s destination was the Forest of the Devout, where she would hopefully find traces of the Elder of the Tower of Necromancy, Soul Howl. She would also collect Primordial Pips for Solomon in the nearby Primal Forest.
Inexperienced at riding, Mira soon found that long hours on horseback caused discomfort in delicate areas. She decided that taking a break would be a wise thing to do.
Hrmm. Besides, we won’t arrive until nighttime, even at this rate.
The young mage soon found herself recovering inside a small restaurant she’d spotted from above. Lunchtime had already passed, so diners were sparse.
Mira had thought that she looked like any other patron, but she was attracting the crowd’s curiosity. Her attire was too well put together, too uncommon for a small, no-name town outside the capital. Normally, the only people who came through were wandering adventurers, and it was rare to see such a beautiful young adventurer traveling alone.
Moreover, it was extremely unusual for an adventurer to visit a place with no famous dungeons, hunting grounds, or even Adventurers’ Guild Union branches. A few people in the restaurant wanted to get to know Mira better, but the User’s Bangle on her left wrist—proof of her status as a veteran adventurer—sapped them of the courage to introduce themselves. Her admirers simply watched from afar.
Mira did not notice the onlookers’ eyes as she opened her map, compared how far she’d come with how far she had left, and calculated the time it would take to reach her destination. It seemed she wouldn’t be there until after ten o’clock at night. She pondered that for a moment—in a dark forest, she wouldn’t be able to see much at all, so she might overlook clues.
She also wasn’t in the mood to work overtime on one of Solomon’s errands.
Nursing a berry au lait, she searched the map for adequate lodgings near the forest.
Ah. This village is perfect. The village she chose was about two hours by Pegasus from her current location, making it an ideal place for an overnight stay. That should be a reasonable day’s journey.
She was lucky to have found such a village just before the forest. The Forest of the Devout was vast, and the Elder Tree was deep within. Even if she’d flown straight there, she wouldn’t have made it until after midnight.
After relaxing for a half hour, Mira took the opportunity to use the bathroom before leaving town.
***
Astride Pegasus once more, Mira looked off into the sunset. Its brilliant red light dyed the trees and plains below—save for one part of the forest that was blanketed in fog.
With each moment, the color of the earth and sky changed. Once night covered the sky, a sea of stars spread their twinkling ripples through the heavens. Mira was entranced by the sight of the dark forest swaying in the wind. She spotted countless manmade lights not far in the distance. They looked like bonfires in a small village.
She used the lights as her guide and eventually landed in the tall grass on the outskirts of town.
“A job well done,” she said to Pegasus. “I hope you’ll help me again.”
The beast spread its white wings and neighed, as if to say it was no big deal. After dismissing Pegasus in a flash of light, Mira began her short trek with light steps, excited to see what sort of settlement lay ahead. The location was called Hunters’ Village; it was slightly too big to be a proper village, yet still too small to be called a town.
Mira walked on a well-trodden dirt path through a rickety gate framed by wildflowers. The place seemed almost too rural at first glance, but it was surprisingly well traveled. One stone building stood out conspicuously among the lumber homes and shops—it bore the sign of the Adventurers’ Guild Union.
She began to notice that the village was full of fellow adventurers. After exploring the unexpectedly bustling place a bit, she located an inn and opened the door. The light chime of the doorbell was quickly followed by a young man’s jovial greeting.
“Welcome!”
It was an average inn with a restaurant attached. Based on the brisk atmosphere and the clothing of the clientele, the inn was very popular with the adventurer set. With Mira’s arrival, several customers stopped eating and reflexively turned toward the door to size up the newcomer. She rushed to the counter, aware of the unwelcome stares.
“Well, aren’t you adorable?” the inn’s proprietor said with a soft smile, continuing to cook. Despite his booming welcome, he appeared to be a delicate family man. “How many in your party? Just here for dinner, or spending the night?”
“Just one. I’d like to stay the night. A meal too.”
“Alone, eh?” A young man sitting next to the proprietor observed her, interest and envy sparkling in his eyes. “Miss, I’m surprised you could reach such a remote place all by yourself. So, you’re…a mage? Mages really are something.”
A behemoth of a greatsword was propped against the counter next to the young man, and the muscles under his black leather coat indicated that he had the strength to wield it. His chestnut-brown hair was in desperate need of a comb.
“Uh, sorry for barging into your conversation,” he said quickly, then plastered a smile on his well-groomed face. “The name’s Alfail. As you can see, I’m a swordsman. I’ve always admired mages. Mind if I ask what kind of mage you are?”
The smile remained on his face. Mira was initially put off by his overfamiliarity with her, but at the same time, he seemed genuinely friendly.
Deciding that she liked the man, she proudly puffed out her chest and declared, “I am a summoner!”
The surrounding conversations went silent, and patrons looked at the girl with pity and compassion. Mira shrank back dejectedly and sighed. It seemed that her planned summoner’s renaissance hadn’t reached Hunters’ Village yet.
But Alfail had a different reaction than the other customers.
“And that let you come all this way alone? Summoners are awesome!” The admiration in his eyes intensified. This wasn’t a place where newbie adventurers could arrive solo.
His words prompted a similar realization from the other adventurers, and murmurs of surprise rippled through the crowd.
“Alfail,” the proprietor cut in, having picked up on the swordsman’s boundless curiosity. “How about you let me take her order first? She must be hungry.”
“Whoops—yeah. Sorry about that.”
The proprietor offered Mira a menu, which she gladly accepted. Within moments, she ordered herb-grilled chicken and honey au lait.
While waiting for her food, Mira learned that Alfail seemed to truly love mages. He talked on and on about how convenient the Ethereal Arts were to daily life, how he wished he could feel what it was like to be a mage, how he’d gathered several items that could substitute for spells, and more.
Items that contained spells were commonly known as magical tools. Shops sold them in limited quantities, and since people without mana could use them, they were treasured among adventurers.
Advanced magic couldn’t be easily replicated, but many lesser spells had equivalent magical tools. Unfortunately, there were no magical tools for evocation, divination, or necromancy. That was a major source of frustration for Alfail.
After Mira’s order came, Alfail changed the subject to evocation. After all, it had neither magical tools nor many practitioners, so he seemed very interested in seeing a truly skilled summoner at work.
“Please, you gotta show me what you can do. I’m begging here!” The man pleaded and bowed before the little girl.
The proprietor muttered that it wasn’t the first time he’d seen this. Alfail always implored the mages he met similarly. Most of the adventurers who were already in the inn chuckled at the sight, but a few eyes narrowed in disapproval.
After Mira finished her dinner, she and Alfail headed to a training ground within Hunters’ Village. They were followed by a handful of people from the inn who came along to gawk.
Alfail held a magical tool to light the darkness of night, grinning as he explained that this spot had been set up for self-guided adventurer and hunter training. It was the perfect place for Mira to demonstrate her summoning magic.
“Hrmm. If you insist, I suppose I could show you,” Mira replied, trying to play it cool for the crowd. However, she was secretly elated that she would have an opportunity to show off her summoning prowess.
An instant later, a Dark Knight appeared from a magic circle floating before her.
“Oooh! So, this is summoning! He’s very…black! Looks strong too!” Alfail shivered in joy as he inspected the knight.
The rowdy crowd of onlookers fell silent, however. Most of them were already aware that Mira had been strong enough to make it to Hunters’ Village on her own, but whatever the little girl had just summoned from the ether was truly terrifying.
“Can I duel with him?!” Alfail fidgeted with the restless excitement of a child and looked at Mira with puppy-dog eyes.
Mira could imagine just how disappointed he would be if she refused. “F-fine. You may,” she answered.
Alfail literally jumped with joy. A cheer went up from the nearby crowd, which only served to draw a larger audience.
Mira sized up Alfail to ascertain his strength. Like all former players, she could Inspect a target. Unsurprisingly, she found that Alfail’s stat values were perfect in terms of swordsmanship, but below average for magic. His resistance to magic was especially worrying. Still, what mattered most was whether he had the skills to make use of his stats.
Alfail took ten or so paces from the Dark Knight and unsheathed his sword. It shone silver, and a fog of cool air enveloped it.
Mira detected a spirit’s power inside the sword. Oho! An ice spirit blade, eh?
As Alfail held his sword, the air around him grew heavy with tension. It was clear to Mira that he was shifting into battle mode. His raw, intimidating aura now made Mira reconsider the stat values she had seen before.
“It seems there’s more to you than meets the eye,” she mused.
“I should say the same to you, miss. If this didn’t make you budge, then I can only imagine your strength.”
They grinned at each other. With that, Mira left the battle area and leaned against a wall to spectate. Alfail took a few deep breaths and clenched his sword in both hands.
“Now, shall we begin?” Mira called, and her Dark Knight lobbed its greatsword high into the air. Almost immediately, it reached into a magic circle that appeared next to it and drew a new sword. The Dark Knight brandished the blade and pointed the tip toward Alfail.
The greatsword in flight slowed as it reached the apex of its arc. The crowd, now numbering in the dozens, looked up in silence and heard the quiet sound of the blade slicing through the air.
At once, the onlookers caught sight of the blade falling from the dark sky, and a murmur spread through the group. The sword left a black contrail behind as it stabbed directly into the ground.
Combat had begun.
Alfail bent his knees and charged. He closed the distance to the Dark Knight in an instant, swinging his icy sword upward as he came. The silver blade traced a sharp angle toward the knight’s stomach.
The young man’s speed was first class. His sudden initiative forced the Dark Knight to defend itself, but its own black sword easily fended off the adventurer’s attack.
His power is true. He must be stronger than Emella. He’s fast too. Perhaps faster than my Dark Knight? Mira gauged Alfail’s abilities, trying to determine just how much of the Dark Knight’s power she should display.
The knight, still fending Alfail off, swung its sword forcefully. The swordsman was unable to withstand its strength and reeled back. The spectators chattered.
“Dang! Now, that’s a strong one!” Alfail cried, utterly elated. He dug into the ground to stop his momentum and stared his foe down, overt aggression and absolute joy in his eyes.
Soon, the sound of clashing swords rang out again as the Dark Knight advanced and swung his weapon down upon Alfail. The young man had rarely experienced a blow with such a strong impact, causing him to groan under the weight of the attack. Still, a grin crept onto his face.
An instant later, Alfail parried and sliced through the Dark Knight’s defenseless stomach. The two-handed swing cut deeply, and the blow’s powerful impact launched the knight back.
“Now that’s Alfail for you!” an onlooker cheered. It seemed the young man was famous here in Hunters’ Village.
A taut smirk formed on Mira’s face. This was an ideal opportunity to show off her magical power.
“I doubt that’s all you’ve got, miss. Don’t hold back!” Alfail called without turning, standing ready for the next attack with a titan’s resolve.
“Hrmm… How long has it been since you’ve put your all into a fight and lost?” Mira asked before making her final decision. Alfail was right about one thing: that wasn’t the Dark Knight’s full power. Now that the game was real life, however, Mira had to pull some punches for fear of killing a sparring partner.
Alfail shook his head and answered, “Hasn’t happened recently. I’d say it’s been…five years?”
Mira understood one thing as she watched Alfail from behind: the man was starved for powerful foes. Based on his conduct, he must have challenged many people just like this. She assumed he had won each time, yet kept searching for stronger sparring partners, remaining unsatisfied until he found a true opponent. That reminded her of Meilin, Elder of the Tower of Immortality.
“I apologize for taking it easy on you earlier,” Mira exclaimed. “In exchange, I hope you’ll savor this experience—even if it is five years overdue.”
“Heh… I can’t wait!” Alfail grinned at Mira’s words. Icy fog covered his sword again, as if matching his determination.
The onlookers held their breath as they sensed something similar within Mira, although she still leaned arrogantly against the nearby wall.
Magic billowed from within the Dark Knight facing Alfail, healing the damage the young man’s strike had done. Then Mira held her hand out toward the knight, manifesting a magic circle at its feet. The magic circle extended upward and swallowed every bit of the evocation.
A spell prepared, Mira finally let it loose.
[Mutated Evocation: Dark Lord]
The change was…abrupt.
Spirits commonly resided in weapons and armor made by human hands. How those weapons and armor had been used essentially determined the spirits’ abilities. Dark Knights were born of armor worn by fallen warriors who died in pitched battle.
For the Dark Knight, combat was instinctual, and years of service with Mira had only honed it into an even deadlier form.
But Mira’s spell of transformation had changed the Dark Knight even further. In the dim light, its samurai-like armor was as black as the void. Blades now covered its helmet, cuirass, gauntlets, and even leg guards. It was a being designed purely to usher enemies to their doom.
The abomination held a greatsword in either hand, but a single strike of its arm or leg would do the job just as well. Ironically, it was less protected now that it was optimized for offense, but the sheer horror of its appearance would frighten any enemy that might consider attacking it.
Indeed, the boisterous crowd was now lost for words. Even Alfail looked at the transformed Dark Knight in shock. He almost regretted his decision to ask for more.
But this was what he wanted—Mira’s full power.
So he shuddered. All his body hair stood on end, and he thanked the heavens for this day. This was the summit—a new personal goal.
Alfail swallowed his feelings and charged. He didn’t need a signal to start the match; why should he give something as oppressively powerful as the Dark Lord any advantage?
He faced the enemy head-on, putting all his strength into one blow and slicing down diagonally. A shrill clang rang out as his sword scraped across one of the many blades on the Dark Lord’s armor.
The spirit looked almost entirely unfazed by the attack. It began to move as it went on the offensive. The mighty hands that wielded those greatswords manifested only annihilation, never retreat.
Alfail visualized the arc the Dark Lord’s sword would take and raised his own blade. As the Dark Lord’s blow struck, its powerful impact assaulted his entire body, seeming almost ready to tear his arms off. Still, Alfail forced his numb hands to fight and put the last of his energy into hanging on to his sword.
The Dark Lord’s armor moved again, and Alfail grimaced as he pulled his sword back. He had to last as long as possible.
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