The scroll tore apart and instantly transformed into light before vanishing.
Then, beneath the gathered monsters, a massive magic circle materialized.
“…Th-this can’t be! I’ve never seen a magic circle like that before.”
“The mana flow is in a form I’ve never witnessed in my life. That magic circle— it must be at least Circle 8 to use!”
“By the gods, could it be? The magic of a Grand Magician?”
Behind Evan, the priests murmured in shock.
Some expressed awe, while others stared, completely mesmerized.
‘It’s true that it was a scroll created by a Grand Magician.’
There was no lie in that.
And the magic about to unfold was just as formidable.
The air gradually grew colder.
Dark clouds drifted over the once-clear sky, casting shadows all around.
The atmosphere was tense, and the mana flow unsettling.
Evan recalled the Blizzard Velled had used before.
‘I experienced it briefly— is there really anyone who could endure even a minute of that?’
Back then, it had been extremely dangerous.
If the scroll hadn’t existed, he would have suffered significant damage.
Just the thought made his head spin, but now it was different— he was the one wielding that magic, and that gave him immeasurable confidence.
Rumble.
The swirling dark clouds gathered ominously.
The flickering spectacle was far from ordinary.
“What magic is this?”
“Better put up shields, just in case!”
“L-Lord Evan, when on earth did you prepare something like this?”
Celia asked timidly, shrinking back.
Alan glanced curiously from the side.
“Not sure.”
Evan gave a short reply and looked up at the sky.
Whoooooosh!
The sound of wind roared loudly as the clouds began swirling above the monsters.
The vortex grew larger and engulfed the entire sky.
It looked like a giant eye staring down, creating a chilling and overwhelming spectacle.
Moments later.
A biting cold swept violently toward the monsters, enough to freeze everything.
The monsters realized the situation late and tried to move.
[All entities within the Blizzard’s range are inflicted with frostbite.]
[Movement speed reduced by 150%.]
No one could easily escape the Blizzard’s reach once activated.
Their bodies froze, despair taking hold.
Breathing itself was perilous under this lethal chill.
The blizzard raged with hail and fierce winds, battering the ground.
Everything began to freeze solid.
Under the Blizzard’s cold, the monsters’ vitality rapidly drained.
One by one, they fell without enduring much longer.
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
…
A massive wave of experience surged in, and messages popped up relentlessly before Evan’s eyes.
His level skyrocketed explosively.
He gained more than twenty levels in one go— no sign of stopping anytime soon.
‘Magic really is broken.’
Evan clicked his tongue.
Powerful against single targets, swords were great, but magic dominated when it came to wide-range attacks.
‘Still, these situations don’t come up often.’
It was a bit disappointing, but magic came with its own severe limitations.
Even if you wanted to use it, opportunities rarely presented themselves.
‘This is when you use it. And thanks to that, I’ll rake in the experience.’
Evan leisurely enjoyed the unexpected ice age.
***
The priests were speechless at the brutal scene left by the Blizzard.
“By the heavens…”
Only chunks of ice remained where the Grand Magician’s spell had passed.
If those were all the monsters’ corpses…
Celia swallowed hard.
‘Evan Kerthen. What a terrifying man.’
The eldest son of the Count Kerthen Household.
He was infamous as an incorrigible, reckless heir.
But in truth, his personality and appearance couldn’t have been more different from the rumors.
Excellent swordsmanship. Commanding charisma that captivated everyone.
Not a single rumor matched reality.
The more you knew him, the more you were surprised.
But never before like now— the shock was unmatched.
‘A scroll given by a Grand Magician…!’
Meeting someone like a Grand Magician was rare, and their power was so immense that even kings dared not treat them lightly.
A Grand Magician could annihilate an entire legion with ease if they wished.
Of course, the kingdom had powerful individuals too, but the Grand Magician’s prowess was on a different level.
Their pride and eccentricities were legendary.
To have a scroll left behind by such a figure— what kind of relationship could one have to receive that?
‘…What’s truly scary is that, despite having such power and backing, those false rumors about him persisted.’
A trinity of power, insight, and support.
And he had crossed paths with such a fearsome person.
“Phew…”
Jena sighed deeply and quietly approached Evan.
Celia, Alan, and Reynold were nearby, so there was no hesitation in getting close.
‘Where is she going?’
Jena cautiously listened to their conversation and naturally joined them.
“With this much magic crystal, it must be worth a pretty penny.”
Celia touched the ice-encased monsters and commented.
Alan looked at certain monsters and added, “Yes, and since they’re frozen, preservation is excellent. There won’t be a single wound left. Their hides and horns will sell for a high price.”
They casually chatted with these kinds of observations.
“I’ve never seen magic in real life before!”
Reynold, distracted by the spectacle, chimed in from the side.
Watching them all, Jena’s gaze settled on Evan.
He silently continued searching for something.
‘What was he doing?’
Unlike the excited others, Evan’s expression was not good.
Without a word, he suddenly began to hurry away alone.
Jena followed closely behind.
“Is it this?”
Evan stopped and crouched, placing his hand on the ground.
“What is this?”
Just as Jena tried to step closer, Kwah!
A powerful energy surged over Evan.
A gloomy, unpleasant sensation.
It was magia.
“T-This is bad, Lord Evan!”
With so much magia, an ordinary person would have died instantly.
Startled by the unexpected, Jena rushed to Evan’s side.
***
[Monster Summoning Magic Circle detected.]
[All clues have been collected.]
[Main Quest “Count Kerthen Household Crisis” completed.]
[Seek the Mediator of the World to receive your reward.]
When Evan touched the control magic circle, magia overwhelmed him.
As expected, a curse activated.
[The curse has been lifted.]
Most curses were no trouble for Evan, but the magia from the magic circle continued to squeeze his breath.
‘If I don’t deactivate this magic circle, it won’t end.’
While Evan studied the magic circle carefully, “Hmm…? Something’s off.”
The structure of the magic circle.
The flow of mana was visible.
No, more precisely, Evan understood how the magic circle was activating.
“What’s going on?”
A fascinating experience for a first timer.
Evan slowly breathed mana into the magic circle.
It wasn’t out of knowledge but a natural, instinctive act.
A strong confidence began to grow that he could deactivate this magic circle.
Soon, the power of his soul started to control the mana naturally.
[Mana Seeker proficiency increased.]
“Mana Seeker?”
Only then did Evan realize the change happening within himself.
A perfect understanding of mana.
That was the Mana Seeker skill.
‘Right, I remember now— I was told I have a perfect grasp of mana.’
He hadn’t expected it to manifest like this.
Evan’s eyes shone brightly.
‘Could this be a way to break magic?’
That was only a guess for now, but if true, it could turn the tide of battle.
Evan continued countering the mana flow, trying to halt the magic circle’s activation.
After a long struggle, [Monster Summoning Magic Circle destroyed.]
[Mana Seeker skill level increased.]
As the magic circle vanished, the strangling magia disappeared.
“Lord Evan?”
Jena appeared right in front of him, exhausted.
Her body was scorched from the magia.
“H-How…?”
***
Once all the chaos had settled, Evan quickly organized the situation.
The knights waiting in the canyon handled the monsters.
The church’s support forces were sent back.
Currently, Evan was traveling again across the plains.
The group now included Celia, Alan, Reynold, and Jena.
‘How is it possible they all survived in such condition?’
Jena couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Humans without holy power exposed to magia suffer fatal injuries.
Moreover, the magia had been thick and plentiful.
Normally, they would have died on the spot.
Even if they survived, they’d be crippled and tormented for life before being consumed by the magia.
They could even become a demon.
But Evan was perfectly fine, without even a scratch.
Despite exposure to such powerful magia.
‘He must have something special… or enough holy power to endure the magia.’
Of course, none of that was something to overlook lightly.
Questions about Evan only deepened.
In the end, they had no choice but to follow him.
Fortunately, Evan said nothing, so they trailed him cautiously.
“Where are you headed?”
Celia asked on behalf of the group.
Beyond here was the border.
Unless you were a skilled adventurer, mercenary, or part of a trade caravan, crossing the border was difficult.
For a novice without experience, wandering there was suicide.
Evan pointed to the map he held.
“I’m heading to the Abila Ruins. I got a confession from the ones who attacked the knights. Their leader left something important there.”
The Abila Ruins.
Located adjacent to the Talin Border, Velled had frequented that place often.
Evan was certain.
‘There will be an archive there.’
It smelled like a hidden piece.
While in Talin, he had intended to visit the Abila Ruins once.
Now that he was out on the plains, he would take the chance to stop by.
Celia frowned and spoke to Evan disapprovingly.
“There’s nothing left in those ruins. Looters and adventurers would’ve picked it clean by now. It’s not a hidden place…”
“You won’t know until you check.”
Evan ignored her words and turned his gaze forward.
Beyond the horizon, the ruins slowly came into view.
***
A collapsed temple.
Moss covered the remnants of the buildings.
The marks of long years remained intact.
The ruins were desolate, with no sign of human footsteps.
“There’s nothing here.”
Celia crossed her arms, looking at Evan.
Alan and Reynold examined the surroundings, searching for anything unusual.
Jena quietly stood by Evan without a word.
Evan glanced around at them all before answering Celia.
“It’d be strange if it was easy to find. Let me know if you see anything odd. I’m sure something’s hidden here.”
Everyone dispersed to investigate.
Evan slowly walked into the ruins.
“By the way, what was this place before?”
Though it sounded like a mutter, he said it loud enough for Jena to hear as she followed him.
“This is probably a remnant from the Dark Age.”
“The Dark Age?”
Evan stopped walking and turned his head.
His blue eyes fixed on Jena.
Jena flinched at his gaze but continued.
“You don’t know much about history, do you?”
Evan smirked and answered, “I was quite rebellious as a kid. Only now am I paying for it…”
Jena gave him a surprised look.
Everyone has those phases— Lord Evan, me, and… humanity.
The dark age was a horrific time when human survival was at stake.
Most ruins are evidence of those brutal times.
Though of course, it can’t be said for certain that these ruins are from that era.”
She was confident in her explanation.
“But judging by the overall shape, it looks like a solid fortress. It was built for survival. People back then were focused only on living.”
Her tone held a hint of sorrow.
After a brief pause, she spoke slowly.
“A time without. No hope. Endless despair. The records left from that time all paint the same picture. The age when the sun fell. The Dark Age…”
Upon hearing this, Evan’s eyes flashed sharply.
‘I didn’t expect to hear that here.’
It reminded him of something he had forgotten.
Records often found in ancient dungeon ruins spoke of the sun falling to the earth.
He’d come across those while clearing ruins in the previous world.
It was a common trait among certain dungeons.
In the form of murals or runes carved into walls.
Records left behind in many forms.
What exactly it meant was unknown, but clues from those remnants allowed for speculation.
‘It probably symbolizes some experiment, research, or major incident.’
And ruins related to this always ended badly.
Evan frowned and snapped out of his thoughts.
‘Anyway, this might be a ruin connected to that.’
If so, something would be hidden here.
“Thanks, that was helpful. I appreciate the hint.”
“H-Hold on a moment!”
Suddenly, Evan moved quickly without a word.
Jena was startled and tried to follow but couldn’t keep up with his speed.
He left her behind as he hurriedly searched the ruins.
Then he suddenly stopped, having found something.
A large stone tower, old and cracked.
‘Just as I thought.’
A smile spread across Evan’s lips.