ALL NOVEL Chapter 264
Chapter 264. Island of Death (2)
Yoo Ji-han looked up at the darkened night sky.
Right after the signs of destruction had vanished.
The three full moons, which had been too bright to remain in the night sky, were slowly diminishing in size.
—Ji-han. The magical power is decreasing.
The Sylph commented on the dwindling magical energy in the atmosphere.
Compared to when all the moons had turned full and the magical energy peaked, the actual concentration and amount of magic had dropped significantly.
—I liked it so much!
For a spirit, the dense and rich magical power was akin to paradise.
The Sylph felt a bit disheartened by the changing environment of Kallem.
“It’s about time for the anomaly to end.”
—Gyaaaak! So regrettable, so regrettable!
“You can’t just think of your own comfort.”
If the atmospheric magic became too dense, several side effects could occur.
Excessive nutrients could ruin crops, causing them to die off.
The frequency of monster appearances would also increase far beyond normal.
It meant that what was a good environment for spirits might not be good for all.
‘We need to leave before the magic decreases any further.’
Now was the best condition for using dimensional magic.
As the atmospheric magic decreased, the difficulty of casting magic would increase.
Therefore, the sooner they left Kallem, the better.
—Oh! Someone is coming.
The Sylph noticed someone approaching from a distance and flickered their green light more intensely.
The person drawn towards that bright light was a middle-aged dwarf.
It was Gadan Fager, Fran Fager’s father.
“I’m sorry for being a bit late.”
“It’s fine. And you can speak to me casually like before.”
“…Um, is that really okay?”
Gadan Fager scratched his neck awkwardly.
Ever since Kruba ascended to the position of the only ruler in Maz and spent time with him, an impression had been planted in Gadan’s mind that Yoo Ji-han was a very important person.
“Then speak freely.”
“Yes. That’s more comfortable for me too.”
“First… thank you.”
Gadan deeply bowed his head towards Yoo Ji-han.
He knew that the recent improvement in the treatment of dwarves working in the mine was entirely thanks to Yoo Ji-han’s intervention.
Even though he was an outsider, he expressed his respect for someone who had brought hope to the dwarves.
“Do you remember Grun?”
“He’s the dwarf who guided us to the mine. I even released his dollification myself.”
“Thanks to Grun and all the other children returned to warm homes. They are no longer forced into labor. There are no dwarves starving from lack of food, and everyone can dream of a brighter future now. Can you imagine how significant this change is…!”
“Please thank Kim Si-hu instead of me.”
Had it not been for Kim Si-hu’s request, he likely wouldn’t have cared this much for the other races.
Thus, the dwarves regaining their vitality was all thanks to the half-elf named Kim Si-hu.
“By the way… are you leaving soon?”
“That’s correct. I’m not from here, after all.”
“…”
Gadan fell silent at the mention of his departure from the unexplored continent.
Was he worried about how Kruba’s attitude would change when the heroes were gone?
However, Yoo Ji-han felt no particular concern.
He had already asked the King of Kabuum to keep an eye on Kruba.
“Don’t worry. The system in Maz will remain as it is.”
“No, it’s not that. I was just thinking for a moment.”
“…?”
“Could you follow me for a moment?”
Yoo Ji-han followed Gadan as he walked down the nighttime road.
And after about twenty minutes of exchanging only brief conversations, the two arrived at Gadan’s home.
“I once lived here with Fran.”
“Looking at the appearance of the building, it feels like a blacksmith’s forge.”
“It was indeed a blacksmith’s forge. My father, Fran’s grandfather, operated the workshop.”
“Really…?”
“I’m not skilled enough to follow in my father’s footsteps as a blacksmith… but being the foreman of the mining crew was thanks to my father’s background.”
Gadan guided Yoo Ji-han into his modest home.
It was surprisingly clean for a middle-aged man living alone.
On the walls hung old shields and weapons showing signs of the passage of time.
—It smells like alcohol! A middle-aged man’s house smells of alcohol!!
“…Is there any way to quiet that down?”
—Uhehe! Bartender! Bring me a bottle of makgeolli!
The Sylph darted around playfully, teasing Gadan about the smell of alcohol.
Gadan, looking up at it with a sulky face, eventually stepped inside the house.
He rummaged through a storage area filled with stacked items like a warehouse.
Clatter! Clatter!
As Gadan noisily dug through the stuff, he soon found what he was looking for and paused.
“Here, catch.”
“Excuse me?”
“Be careful, it’s heavy.”
Yoo Ji-han caught the object thrown to him.
‘That’s pretty heavy.’
What he held, surprisingly heavy for its size, was wrapped tightly in a paper similar to aluminum foil.
“What is this?”
“It’s ore that my father kept over his lifetime. No matter which guest visited the workshop, this item was always hidden away. You could say it’s a family treasure, with a bit of embellishment.”
“I’m not sure what it is, but is it okay to give me such an important item?”
“Like that round fellow said, it’s better to entrust it to you than to leave it in a house with a smell of alcohol.”
—Uhehe! That’s generous!
“Consider it a reward for changing Maz.”
Gadan was passing down a treasure his grandfather had cherished.
Seeing his serious expression made Yoo Ji-han recall the time he first visited the Sky Shelter when Fran gifted him the Magic Crystal.
‘Like father, like son.’
Despite being treasures that money couldn’t buy, they selflessly gave them to those who had helped them.
It seemed that Fran and Gadan were indeed connected by blood.
“Can I open it?”
“Do as you wish.”
Yoo Ji-han carefully unwrapped the present Gadan had given him.
Layer after layer, the thin aluminum foil quickly slipped away.
‘How thick did he wrap this?’
As the amount of packaging was quite considerable, the size of the ore shrank more than he had expected.
Thud!
Yoo Ji-han felt a strange magical power emanating from within.
The Sylph, which had been floating in the air, had now settled beside him.
“What is this…?”
Finally, revealing itself from the wrapping was a very transparent ore.
Unrefined, it had a rough appearance.
At first glance, it resembled ordinary glass.
‘Drimium?!’
Yoo Ji-han sensed a magical aura remarkably akin to the fantastic metal, Drimium, emanating from it.
There were many differences, from its exterior to its weight, which was greater than an ordinary stone of the same size.
But the magic emanating from the ore resembled that of Qudi in an astonishing manner.
“How is it?”
“…It certainly isn’t an ordinary item.”
“I thought so.”
“Does it have a name?”
“My father called it Lumiium. You won’t find such an item anywhere else.”
Gadan displayed confidence regarding the Lumiium, which was akin to a family treasure.
Yoo Ji-han looked down at the aluminum foil he had unwrapped.
It seemed that the wrapping had a magical barrier effect.
So, it seemed that Gadan had thoroughly hidden it because he knew Lumiium was anything but ordinary.
Vroom!
Just then, Yoo Ji-han felt a vibration at his waist.
Frowning, he quickly drew Qudi from its sheath.
“What’s going on with this?”
The black blade, which still felt alive even without meticulous care, trembled so much that its edge appeared layered.
“Lumiium?!”
The Lumiium that Gadan pointed at also vibrated in response.
Two different ores were resonating together.
‘Got it.’
Understanding something, Yoo Ji-han brought the tip of Qudi closer to Lumiium.
At that moment, the vibrations that had been felt from Qudi and Lumiium suddenly stopped.
Crunch!
The endlessly transparent form of Lumiium shattered into pieces.
Gadan gaped in shock as the Lumiium broke apart into tiny particles so small that they were hard to see, sticking to Qudi’s blade.
‘Can Drimium absorb Lumiium?’
Qudi absorbed everything from Lumiium without leaving a single small fragment behind.
Though Lumiium felt reasonably heavy in ore form, there was no significant change in weight on Qudi.
It was likely due to Drimium’s unique property of being able to adjust its weight up to a certain point.
—Here, I think it can fit in.
“What?”
—Whoosh!
While Yoo Ji-han looked at Qudi, which absorbed Lumiium with curious eyes.
The Sylph, which had been close to the ore, leaped towards Qudi.
Swoosh!
Then, the round body of the Sylph was sucked into Qudi’s interior.
As it did so, the white dot that had sparkled like a star on the black blade, resembling the night sky, emitted a brilliant green light.
‘It has a structure like Florun!’
Before contracting with Yoo Ji-han, the Sylph had spent years residing in Kim Si-hu’s staff.
By absorbing Lumiium, Qudi had transformed into a structure capable of harboring spirits, similar to that of Kim Si-hu’s staff.
—Oh! This is quite cozy!
“What, what’s going on? Is this really okay?!”
Unlike the Sylph, who seemed pleased to merge with Qudi, Gadan appeared quite flustered.
“Not at all. Thanks to you, I’ve obtained a wonderful item.”
“If that’s the case, I’m glad, but…”
Gadan, who had been genuinely worried, let out a sigh of relief.
After a moment, he cautiously looked at Yoo Ji-han and spoke.
“Um, was it a recording device? The voice of my son you played for me a while ago.”
“Yes.”
“Could you give that to me?”
“Do you want to hear Fran’s voice?”
“…”
Gadan, whose son Fran Fager had left Kallem behind, became silent, pursing his lips tightly.
One of the reasons he prepared Lumiium today was precisely that recording device.
“If you miss Fran, why not join us to the unexplored continent?”
“Thank you, but I’ll decline. I lack the courage to leave here.”
Gadan couldn’t bring himself to leave Kallem, the place where he was born.
It wasn’t an easy choice to leave a region where one had lived a lifetime even into middle age.
Yoo Ji-han shook his head and replied.
“You don’t need the recording device. You can talk directly.”
“What do you mean…?”
“I’ll leave the Dimension Phone in Kallem. Once I return to my hometown, I’ll connect you with Fran.”
“R-really?!”
Gadan brightened up at the prospect of being able to talk to Fran in real-time.
‘I should repay the favor.’
Having received something that couldn’t be purchased even with money for free, arranging a phone call between father and son was the least he could do.
*
“Chirp! This fish stew is like an oasis in the desert!”
“That’s mine, you naughty mouse.”
“There’s no such thing as mine or yours on the table! Chirp!”
“Then this meat is mine.”
“Chirp! Chirp!! That’s not allowed—!”
Lee Mi-a enjoyed her meal across the round table from Chilla.
Their dining experience was anything but peaceful; it was a combat-like feast!
The amount of food sucked into their black hole-like stomachs was enough to feed nearly a hundred people comfortably.
Because of this, the chefs hired to prepare the food hadn’t been able to leave the kitchen for several days.
“Chirp! The last dessert is ice cream!”
“Wipe your mouth before saying anything. You gluttonous mouse.”
“Stop calling me a mouse! Chirp!!”
Yoo Ji-han approached them as they enjoyed their last meal in Maz.
“It’s time to depart for Kabuum.”
“Chirp?! Captain! There’s still ice cream left!”
“Forget it. You’ve eaten plenty already.”
“Chirp…!”
Kuhng!
Chilla could only collapse from his chair in despair, unable to protest further.
Lee Mi-a neatly wiped her mouth with a tablecloth and stood up.
“Are we really leaving?”
“Yeah.”
It was time to shatter the ominous rumors circulating about the island of Kallem, where everyone approaching had supposedly perished.