The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 167

130. The Elf’s Report (2)

[Amazing. That this still remains. This is from even before the Magic Era.]

The one who broke the silence was the Flame Tyrant, Raminu.

He looked at the old fountain inside the report and spoke with a sense of nostalgia.

Unlike the other artifacts that were miraculously well-preserved as if time had stopped, the fountain’s patterns were uniquely worn, as if time had passed.

‘No, it’s a little different…? It’s not worn, but more like a husk that has exhausted its power.’

Kahlil thought as he looked at the fountain.

Whoosh…!!

The Ein Trigger embedded in the back of his hand glowed slightly, and small flames flickered around it.

Kahlil was a little surprised that he, who had not shown himself until now, was being so active, and he looked at the flames.

Fortunately, people thought of Raminu’s flames as simply a fire created by Kahlil and didn’t pay much attention to it.

‘What is a Soul Spring?’

[It is a kind of dimensional gate.]

‘A dimensional gate…?’

Kahlil was reminded of Pharel at his words.

He, too, was a kind of dimensional gate that poured out the monsters of another dimension called Corruption.

[It is a gate that leads to the Spirit Realm. I told you before that the Spirit Realm was almost lost, right? That is because the gate connecting the Human Realm and the Spirit Realm has disappeared.]

‘What about Spiritism?’

[For now, the only way to open the gate to the Spirit Realm is that method. But with the gate disappearing, how much power can Spiritists exert in the Human Realm, where there is almost no Spirit Power left? The gate through Spirit Contracts is temporary and its power is weak.]

Kahlil nodded at Raminu’s words.

Indeed, the fact that it was not easy to find a Spiritist on the continent was due to that.

[I can feel a strong Spirit energy in the essence inside. It’s not like someone is sealed with me… but with that level of concentration, it seems like it would be enough to open the Spirit Realm once.]

‘So, you’re saying that if we open this, we can go to the Spirit Realm? Raminu, didn’t you say that there are still Spirit Kings left in the Spirit Realm?’

At Kahlil’s words, Raminu circled around him a few times, indicating no.

[Impossible. Not everyone can open a dimensional gate just because there is essence. You need enough Spirit Power to activate the Soul Spring.]

‘Hmm… Even with your power?’

[Even with my power, you can’t fully exert the power of the Two Great Wilds with your Arcane Power, can you? I am the same as Jarkah Hoch. You can’t fully use my power. It’s just that I am more favorable to you than him, so I am helping you.]

‘Harsh.’

[You should know the reality at your level. Because you can become stronger than you are now.]

Kahlil smiled bitterly at Raminu’s words.

This was the moment when his plan to increase his Spirit Power by crossing over to the Spirit Realm and making contracts with the remaining Spirit Kings fell through.

[I’m kind of expecting something from you. Even though you made a contract with me in a pretty brutal way.]

Raminu circled around the Ice Claw that Kahlil was wearing on his waist a few times before disappearing.

[Besides, that is too old to be used. You will have to find another Soul Spring. That’s why the Elves left the essence behind.]

Kahlil was disappointed by Raminu’s words because he had been expecting something.

[If you rebuild the Soul Spring… who knows? The entire Spirit Realm might thank you.]

His voice lingered in Kahlil’s ear.

Click-

Kahlil carefully took out the glass bottle containing the essence of the Soul Spring placed on the fountain.

“…….”

Then, as if thinking about something, he stared at the liquid inside and carefully put it in his arms.

“Kahlil, you’re not telling me to eat this now, are you?”

Gordon’s voice, breaking the reverie, was heard.

He pointed to the sap of the giant tree that had grown next to the fountain.

Bubble… Bubble…

The pool of sticky sap was bubbling, emitting a foul odor.

“It’s Kruah’s sap. It’s a precious thing that you can’t buy even with money. Aidan, you should keep it too. We’ll have a use for it later.”

“Yes? Me too?”

Aidan asked with a reluctant expression at Kahlil’s command.

“Kruah? Isn’t that the name of a Green Dragon? The one that has a lair in the Northwest.”

Miliana asked back after hearing Kahlil’s words.

“That’s right. The leaves that the Green Dragon likes the most are the leaves of that giant tree. I heard that the Elves used to manage it in the past.”

“Huh? Then… does that mean Kruah is a dragon that has lived for 1,000 years?”

“I don’t think so. Among the dragons that have lairs now, the only dragon that has lived for more than 1,000 years is the Platinum Dragon. He is the only one who experienced the Magic Era.”

“Really?”

“The current Kruah is just a fledgling who hasn’t even lived for 200 years. I don’t know for sure… but maybe Kruah is like a family name?”

Miliana couldn’t help but admire Kahlil’s knowledge.

“How do you know all that?”

“It’s nothing. I was just close to a guy who liked these trivial stories.”

“Dragon stories are useless? I want to meet whoever that is.”

Kahlil chuckled at her words.

‘You’d be surprised if you met him. Because he is a dragon.’

Nar Di Maugh, who used to share even these trivial stories, is now someone he suspects.

Kahlil couldn’t hide his bitter feelings.

“Oh, right.”

Then, as if he had remembered something, he snapped his fingers and said.

“Miliana, do you know what the other name for this sap is?”

“Hey, don’t do it.”

At that moment, Gordon preemptively struck, as if sensing an ominous feeling even without being told.

“Kruah’s excrement.”

“…….”

His face contorted at Kahlil’s words.

“Gordon, if you don’t like it, use the method we talked about before. If you don’t drink alcohol for about 10 years, your oxidized blood syndrome will be cured. Oh, of course, you have to abstain from meat too. You also have to circulate your magic power at a set time every day.”

“…Shut up.”

Gordon Fabian, who hated quitting alcohol more than dying, spat out curses but eventually filled his canteen with the sap from the old tree next to the Soul Spring.

“But isn’t something missing? I know that fountain is a great relic… but isn’t it a bit too bland for an Elf’s report?”

“The artifacts inside the report are not ordinary. Don’t covet them. I’m going to take them all.”

Gordon scoffed at Kahlil’s words.

“Geez, are you going to take all those things and start a war or something?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

Gordon pursed his lips at Kahlil’s confident appearance and said.

“I know that those are all A-grade weapons. But what I want to say is, if Jarkah Hoch was a proud member of the Bladers [elite swordsmen], would he have been satisfied with storing those weapons in his report?”

“Hmm…”

“Well… Elves themselves are not great at making things. But still, if he was a Blader…”

Kahlil stared at Gordon.

“Hmm.”

“That insignia. It’s the symbol of the Blader who made the Five Great Weapons. So, I was expecting something.”

That wasn’t wrong.

A plausible story.

The Soul Spring is an Elven legacy, but it was not made by a Blader. If so, it was possible that the Blader’s legacy still remained.

“Master, perhaps Sir Gordon’s words are not wrong.”

Aidan, who was filling the sap, took his hand off his nose and pointed to the inside of the Soul Spring.

“…Hmm?”

Everyone’s eyes were on where he was pointing.

“Can I have the insignia for a moment?”

Aidan put down the canteen and approached the fountain of the Soul Spring. The inside of the fountain was dry, but the lower part of the outside was not visible because it was filled with the sap of the old tree.

But a moment ago, Aidan and Gordon moved the sap, revealing the lower pillar of the fountain that had been hidden.

“I was lucky.”

At his words, Gordon shrugged his shoulders lightly.

“I wonder if the sealing lock on the Bone Dragon’s box was related to the Blader, not because the Eastern Country was related to black magic?”

Surprisingly, there was something similar to the sealing lock of the box that contained the insignia on the lower part of the fountain that Aidan was pointing to.

“Did we find the secret thanks to that big guy? Old life is helpful sometimes.”

At Miliana’s words, Kahlil nudged her side and said.

“Don’t you know the saying ‘All life is equal’?”

“I know. But it doesn’t seem to apply to you, at least.”

“Why me?”

“Don’t you know? That’s why I’m trying not to be your enemy.”

Kahlil chuckled at those words.

Click-

Aidan received the round insignia from Kahlil and inserted it into a small gap inside the Soul Spring.

It was a very small gap that you would never find unless you had a good eye.

Coo-goo-goo-goo…

Surprisingly, as the small disc filled the gap between the bricks, the fountain split in two, revealing a small box inside.

The same pattern as the tower pattern drawn on the insignia was stamped on the box.

“I guess all the Bladers like to hide things somewhere.”

Kahlil recalled the time when he obtained the Ice Claw as he watched Aidan take out the box.

“Did you find it easily this time?”

Miliana looked at the box.

“The insignia itself must have been the key. Or maybe what’s inside the box is so amazing that it doesn’t need to be sealed.”

“If it’s amazing, shouldn’t it be sealed instead?”

Miliana asked back at Aidan’s words.

“If you open it recklessly, you might end up in a very bad situation. Coming in here without the owner’s permission means two things. Either you came in secretly, or you killed the owner and came in.”

“…You open it.”

At those words, Miliana handed the box to Kahlil.

“Huh?”

Everyone’s eyes were focused as he opened the box. Gordon, who was pretending to be nonchalant, also looked over Miliana’s shoulder, wondering what was inside.

“There’s something surprisingly ordinary inside.”

“Yeah.”

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, there was an old pair of gauntlets inside the box.

“Hmm.”

It was emitting a faint jade light, and Kahlil had never seen a mineral that emitted such a mysterious color.

Whoa…!!

It was then.

The moment he tried to take out the gauntlets in the box, Kahlil’s vision turned white, and light covered him.

“…Huh?”

When his vision returned, Kahlil realized that everyone around him had disappeared and he was left alone.

“What kind of trick is this again? Hmm… I need to check if this is a trap first.”

Kahlil smiled bitterly as he recalled Aidan’s words.

Fortunately, even though everyone had disappeared, the gauntlets he had taken out of the box were neatly placed in his hands.

“I won’t give it to you easily… is that what this is?”

For some reason, Kahlil didn’t seem very surprised or embarrassed, even though he was alone in the subspace.

“…….”

In the pure white space, there was a huge mountain that was alien and isolated.

Kahlil slowly raised his head and looked up at it.

Coo-roo-roo-roo…

The mountain moved as if it were alive, with its peaks rising and falling repeatedly.

“I never imagined I would meet you in a place like this…”

He looked back and forth between the gauntlets and the mountain in front of him and said in a low voice.

[Krrr…]

As if responding to Kahlil’s voice,

The trembling of the moving mountain stopped, and a low growl was heard. Golden eyes flashed from the large hole at the bottom of the mountain, which looked like a cave.

Kahlil felt a chill down his spine from the cold energy.

Upon closer inspection, what looked like a tall mountain was a huge carapace [protective shell], and inside the hole that looked like a cave was a head hidden.

“Ha…”

Kahlil let out a low exclamation as he looked at the enormous blue turtle sleeping in front of him.

One of the Three Phases [legendary creatures], the divine beast of the Magic Era that was said to be extinct and disappeared.

Squeeze-

Kahlil stared at the gauntlets in his hand and muttered in a low voice.

“Azure Turtle, Kalduan.”