A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special

The fact that the Starling Party was planning to clear a Level 3 Shadow World with just four party members shocked many people.

Wherever they went, people gossiped in hushed voices.

“I can’t believe that a party that was established less than a year ago is already trying to face a Level 3 Shadow World.”

“And with barely four people on top of that. Wouldn’t that be too difficult?”

“If they pull this off, doesn’t this mean we may see a second Hebrion Academy party knighted?”

If a group were to single-handedly clear a Level 3 Shadow World, their power and teamwork would be officially acknowledged by the empire, and they would be empowered with the same authority as a knight of the empire. This was common knowledge amongst the citizens of the Hebrion Empire.

A party of students being no different from a real party meant that this rule naturally applied to parties with the Hebrion Academy.

An added bonus was that any party that gained this qualification did not need to worry about completing their schooling and could accept work outside of the academy. In other words, they would immediately become independent.

Currently, the only party that had this privilege was the Blue Moon Party. Thanks to that, they were able to freely take on various jobs not available to the other students.

Desir highly valued this authority.

‘The future is constantly changing. Unless I know with certainty what is about to happen, the power to go independent will be a vital tool.’

If they could successfully clear a Level 3 Shadow World this time and obtain the opportunity to work without any restrictions, they would finally be able to move forward with several projects that he had painstakingly planned.

This was why defeating a Level 3 Shadow World was his highest priority on the to-do list for this year.

The Shadow World that they were about to enter was one that dealt with a historic event in the Ethena Region.

Desir had already pieced together some basic intel on this Shadow World, based on what he remembered of his previous life.

‘They said it would be rather easy to clear.”

He didn’t remember all the details but unlike last year’s Shadow World, this year’s would be more straightforward and basic.

Although a Level 3 Shadow World would be a cause of alarm for Desir, he was confident his party would have the power to clear it at their current level.

‘Although it would have been much better if there was an artifact or two in this Shadow World… ’

From what he remembered, there was only one other Shadow World in this batch or the last that had the potential to drop an artifact on a perfect clear.

Desir actually had experience with the artifact in his previous life. Both Kelt and himself had experimented with it and used it while sparring with each other. It had the ability to apply spiritual magic to an area as large as a city. Depending on how well it was used, it had power equal to tactical-level magic, making it one of the main sources of power in future raids on Shadow Worlds.

‘If things are proceeding like the original timeline, then Kelt should have it by now. And if my past life is anything to go by, he will be able to use it effectively.’

In his previous life too, Desir felt that it would be better for Kelt to use the artifact than himself.

Shadow Labyrinths weren’t something that Desir could take on single-handedly, which was why he always needed to consider the most effective way of clearing them while taking steps to minimize the risks involved. He also had to think long-term and consider the best approach to allow for the parties to continue growing and reach their maximum potential for future Shadow Worlds.

“For real. I never dreamed that I would be standing here like this.”

While Desir was consumed in his thoughts, Romantica mumbled as she stared at the Gate 1 which had already arrived, unbeknownst to them.

Gate 1 was only used by those who were targeting Level 3 Shadow Worlds. In other words, those that used this gate were pitting themselves against Shadow Worlds of the highest occurring difficulty level.

For that reason, Romantica’s reaction was to be expected, and Pram’s nervousness was apparent.

“Desir Arman, Pram Schneider, Romantica Eru, and Adjest Kingscrown. These are the members that will attempt clearing the Level 3 Shadow World that has opened up in the Ethena Region. Is this correct?”

“That is correct.”

“Do you agree to all the clauses related to the participation of Shadow Worlds?”

“I agree.”

“Then I will now open the Shadow Gate. The connected destination is Ethena Region. Please note that you may experience momentary dizziness after the teleportation.”

The gate opened. And the blinding light encompassed them.

* * *

[You’ve entered the Shadow World]

When Desir re-opened his eyes, he was standing on the deck of a ship with a cool breeze blowing across the bow.

As he attempted to make out the rough noises around him, he studied his surroundings closely. Looking around, he saw some old-fashioned engines powered by magic stones on either side.

On closer inspection, what could be first mistaken as a ship clearly wasn’t. Of this, Desir could be certain. There was no mast, and above all else, they were not at sea.

Desir headed towards the railing and looked down.

It was a vast desert. Desir guessed that it was the Padunsa Desert that spanned the Ethena Region. The occasional villages that they sailed past looked like miniature models on a table; they had to be incredibly high up..

That’s right. The thing that he was riding on was floating midair.

If so, then the thing that Desir was standing on was obvious.

‘An airship, huh?’

An airship.

Using an engine powered by the magic of these stones, it was a method of transportation fit to represent the technological level of a civilized society. In terms of status, it was comparable to that of trains in modern society.

The biggest advantages of airships were that unlike trains, they were able to pass over mountains, and they weren’t restricted by railways.

However, due to the large amount of investment that was needed to produce engines that could float, they were impossible to mass-produce, and each country only produced them for military purposes.

In modern times where the number of wars had decreased significantly, they were merely seen as relics of an age long past.

‘It wasn’t too long ago when airships were still being used actively.’

Using the airship as evidence, Desir was sure that the time period he was in wasn’t too different from what he had recalled.

The airship itself wasn’t very big, but that didn’t mean it was shabby. The size was small, but the interior seemed rather modern for its time.

Just as Desir was examining the airship, people in military uniforms roamed around the deck.

“Check the coordinates!”

“Damn it! I told you to keep an eye on the fourth engine as it’s running low on power! If we had left it any later, we would have had a problem!”

“The route to the capital Alteia is clear!”

The quest hadn’t been activated. This meant that there was a condition he hadn’t met yet.

As Desir was pondering about the quest that wasn’t activating, someone spoke to him.

“Desir?”

When he turned around, Romantica was standing in front of him.

Once she confirmed that it was indeed Desir, her face lit up.

“Haah, I’m so glad! You don’t know how nervous I was, thinking that we might’ve been completely separated like last time.”

As if she’d recalled a bad memory, Romantica shook her head in distress.

Desir responded to her in a solemn but serious tone.

“Did you pick up any information?”

“No, nothing in particular. What about you?”

“First of all, the time period of this Shadow World is roughly 120 to 140 years in the past.”

“Really? How’d you already figure that out?”

“The airship we’re on is heading towards the capital Alteia.”

“Isn’t Alteia the city-state where the Magic Tower is?”

“It is.”

As if receiving some inspiration, Romantica sorted through her memories in search of anything relevant. After a short moment, she exclaimed in surprise.

“Oh, there was a time when Alteia was the capital, right?”

It was as she said.

In modern times, Alteia was a city-state so it wasn’t referred to as the capital of anything, but at the height of its prosperity, there was a time where it was an important part of a magic empire.

“Right. This Shadow World is based on an event from 120 years ago, before the collapse of Kuma Merilson, the Magic Empire. Considering that the airship was invented 140 years ago, we should be somewhere in between those two dates.”

“A Shadow World intertwined with a Magic Empire… ”

“We’ll have to wait and see what other details we can uncover.”

In less than ten minutes, Desir had managed to gather information on their surroundings.

To Romantica, that was an admirable feat.

“So here you were, mercenaries.”

A man clothed in what seemed to be an officer’s uniform headed towards them.

Like his attire, his gait was extremely disciplined, but his expression was pleasant like that of a traveler exploring the azure sky.

Desir naturally responded to him.

“The view from here is quite spectacular.”

“The view that we see from the sky is truly marvelous. Even more so with a beautiful woman.”

Despite his mischievous joke, he still addressed Desir and Romantica in a respectful manner.

Through this exchange, Des1r had confirmed that they had taken the identity of mercenaries, and his polite attitude was evidence that they held power that couldn’t be discounted.

“Unfortunately I’ll have to ask you to save the view for later on. The Major is looking for you.”

The room that the officer led them to was organized neatly, and the big windows allowed them to enjoy the outside scenery.

As Romantica was looking around the room, she stopped in surprise. Pram and Adjest were inside, waving softly.

Who knew that the four of them would be able to meet up this quickly? They were off to a good start.

“Major, I’ve brought in the rest of the mercenaries.”

Inside the room, there were two other people beside Adjest and Pram.

One was an old man sitting on a hammock and blankly staring off into space, eyes out of focus, as he muttered unintelligibly. The other was a very handsome young man. His clear-cut features resembled a sculpture and his excitement was palpable.

The young man wore a white uniform, and a long sword was sheathed on his waist.

[You’ve encountered the unique hero, Grand Master Kei Hazmaryoon]

[He is one of your ‘most powerful’ helpers in this quest line and he is one of the important characters in your scenario. Make sure to maintain a good relationship with him. If you are unable to receive his help, the difficulty level of your quests will increase.]

—-

Chapter brought to you by the Patrons.

ED2: Purplemen101

TLC: N/A