NOVEL WEB Chapter 27: The League Headquarters
At the moment, Evva, Luca, and I were waiting at the Dungeon exit.
As Kazuya had said, a portal had indeed opened up in the vicinity of the defeated Boss, though it was located in quite a well-hidden spot. Kazuya instructed us to wait at its location while he went to fetch the detained Elf.
‘Man, I can’t believe how natural a liar you are. You lied to that kid with such a straight face, even I was convinced.’ Deus kept ridiculing me, bombarding my head with criticism.
‘Is this some side effect of being stuck in a strange cocoon for so long?’ I was seriously rethinking my decision to free him. I looked to my side, where the sun-coloured snake had curled up around the dichromatic Egg.
‘Well, because of him I was able to keep the Egg without Kazuya finding out about it, so let’s just bear his comments for now.’
I remembered what a close call it had been, back during the fight between Kazuya and the two Beastmen.
*****
The glowing crimson petals were still fluttering around, slowly covering up the entire swamp.
I couldn’t even understand how he could use magic, despite the Spirit Field in effect.
‘Appraisal!’
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Yin Yang Spirit Field Magical Law in Effect: "In the balance of yin and yang lies the power to create, to transform, and to achieve true harmony." The Law enforces the balance of yin and yang energy within its area of control. Since the swamp is abundant in Yin energy (Water and Earth), Yang energy (Fire and Air elements) is needed to balance it out. No other form of mana can be used. Caution: The Law would prevent further disruptions from taking place, so unless the exerted mana is able to balance out the energy completely in a region, no spell would activate. |
‘Hmm. Why didn’t I get this information before?’
The way to bypass the Law placed was to analyse the mana quality in the region and release an exact amount of your mana to neutralise it. Doing this not only required having excellent Mana Perception but also Fine Mana Control and a tremendous mana pool.
It was something only possible for a High Ranker like Kazuya.
But what I found weird was the fact that although having that information might not have helped me in any way, as I didn’t have the particular skill set, why didn’t Appraisal give me the information before? And if it didn’t, why did it give me the information now?
But before I could dwell on it more, a loud howl pierced my ears. No, rather than my ears, the scream was directly transmitted into my head. I immediately understood who it was.
‘DEUS!’
I quickly began to look for my kidnapped pet. Soon, I found his weird cocoon lying lodged in the mud, magical fire burning it from one side. Kazuya’s incandescent storm must have flung it away.
‘Master! Help me. It's hot!’ Deus sobbed in my mind.
I tried to stomp out the fire, but probably because its fuel was Kazuya’s huge mana reserves and not oxygen, but it didn’t seem to work. Thankfully, the fire had started to burn through the cocoon threads, so I just tore them off.
With its prison now gone, Deus wrapped his wings around me, sobbing. “Whimper! I thought you were going to leave with those scary Beastmen.”
“It’s all right. I will never leave you.” I patted Deus on his head, comforting him.
This could have been a pretty emotional moment, but while I was trying to reassure my crying Spirit, I completely forgot about the Spirit beside me.
The Taijutsu Egg had been on high alert due to the presence of so many strong individuals near it. Suddenly finding the presence of fellow kin nearby seemed to have calmed it down. Like a crying baby, who falls asleep on seeing its mother, the Spirit Egg let down its guard and the Spirit Field that was enforced on the entire swamp slowly lifted.
Annoyingly for Kazuya, this nullification of the Magical Law brought along unpleasant consequences. The Beastmen, sensitive to the fluctuations of mana around them, quickly realised that the ban on their mana had been lifted and took an offensive stance.
To counter Kazuya’s flower storm, Nyra blew up one of hers.
But unfortunately for the Butterfly Princess, Kazuya, no longer constrained by the limits of the Spirit’s Field, boosted his mana reserves, quickly overwhelming her attack.
Understanding that any further attacks would be futile, Max took the best next option.
'Sacrificial Buff!'
Abstaining his sense of smell and touch, a power burst went up to his limbs. He quickly scooped up his companion before fleeing from the scene, barely being able to collect his rewards from the Boss.
Kazuya tried to follow him, but Max punched him aside.
Despite how powerful Kazuya was as a mage, his physical capabilities were inferior when compared to a strength-based Beastman like Max. Receiving the powerful blow, Kazuya was flung far away. By the time he came to his senses, the two had already disappeared.
Seeing that the fight was coming to an end, I quickly told Deus to hide and handed him the Egg. He activated ‘Fade’, disappearing before Kazuya could sense him.
“Kazuya!” I hollered, making him aware of my location. Hearing my cries, he soon came to me.
“You look horrible!” He smirked at my appearance.
My clothes had been damaged beyond repair, with several large holes in them.
Confronting Max had put a lot of strain on my body, but the majority of my wounds consisted of burns that were caused by Kazuya's wild use of mana.
“Thanks to you!” I retorted to his comment.
“You are lucky that’s the extent of your injuries.” He grinned as he helped me back to my feet.
Shivers went down my spine, as I knew how serious his remark was.
Kazuya’s mana was said to be hotter than lightning, and the fact that the only thing I suffered was some second-degree burns was no short of a miracle.
His mana-produced crimson petals were slowly dissipating around the swamp.
Despite all the water here, the fact that a forest fire hadn’t started was surprising.
“Shouldn’t you be following them? What if the Beastmen went after Evva and Luca?” I asked him, seeing how relaxed he was.
“Nah. They are heading in the complete opposite direction, probably to find their friends and leave.”
“You are letting them leave on purpose, aren’t you?”
“Do you know about the hierarchy of the Beastmen, Ray?”
“Hierarchy of the Beastmen?”
“Yes! Among the Beastmen, there is an unspoken rule that the fiercer the animal nature of a Beastman, the higher their position in society. But didn’t you find it weird that a Lion was humbling himself to a mere Butterfly?”
“If you put it that way, then it is weird.”
“I believe that the Butterfly Beastwoman must be someone of quite a high social rank, or at least has very strong backing. Especially considering that they were reckless enough to infiltrate the Human Continent, ignoring the punishments that may befall them for breaking the Treaty.” Kazuya explained. “That’s why it is for the best to let them go.”
As a Reader and a person, I was speechless.
Most of the story took place on the Human Continent, so although there were some characters from the Woodland Tribes, nothing much had been discussed about their society. I was amazed at how much information Kazuya was able to extract, just by observing the enemies’ interactions.
But it also hit me again.
The fact that this world was a real place.
It wasn’t a figment of my friend’s imagination or ink on paper, but a real world with actual people living in it, who don’t move according to the will of a pen.
“Let us leave now.
The two of us met up with Evva and Luca, before heading to the location of the Dinosaur corpse.
I quickly changed into some spare clothes, while Kazuya headed back into the forest.
After about half an hour, he returned, with a Moonlit Elf towing behind. Her hands were cuffed. The cuffs were marked with different Runes for enchantments. I didn't have much knowledge about Enchantments, but the Runes probably translated to anti-magic and strengthening, to prevent the escape of prisoners.
Her brows were furrowed, showing how much she hated her current situation. Even her bright white hair had darkened to a night black colour, due to her inability to access her mana. But despite that, she obediently followed Kazuya, probably scared of his terrifying Aura.
“We should start heading back now.” I spoke up once everyone had gathered.
“Before that, Mr. Ray. I need you to come with us to the League HQ.” Kazuya informed me.
“Sure!” I agreed.
The five of us stepped into the portal one by one.
The exit destination was surprisingly close to the city’s barrier.
Before we began to head towards the Capital, Kazuya instructed the Elf, whose name we learned was Amara, to hide her ears with her hood. If an Elf was seen in the heart of the Human Continent, it would cause quite an uproar, so we decided to proceed with caution.
Thankfully we didn’t see anyone on our way to the Barrier. Once we crossed the invisible mana wall, we found a black SUV waiting. As soon as it saw us come closer, the driver’s door opened up and a man in a suit came up to us.
“My greetings, Sir Kazuya.” He curtsied to his superior.
“Everyone, get in the car.” Kazuya instructed us. “Kei, we will be heading to the League HQ.”
Soon, all of us had mounted the SUV and the car was smoothly navigating the bustling roads of the Capital.
Since the League had many members with very high Perception, I told Deus to head back home. I couldn't have anyone at the League noticing that I own a Spirit.
‘Keep the Spirit Egg safe in my bedroom till I get there.’ I instructed him.
Soon, we found ourselves in the League underground parking lot. Despite coming here recently, I was still quite astonished at the Hero League’s grandeur.
When we reached the location, four guards were already present there, ready to transport the prisoner.
The guards were wearing black uniforms, and although they weren’t carrying any visible weapons, their Auras were far from gentle. All of them were of B Ranks and according to Appraisal, seemed to be quite the weapon masters.
‘Isn’t this a bit overkill? Kazuya is already looking after the Elf!’ Though, I guess from the League’s perspective, a breach of the Treaty is a very serious issue and had to be proceeded with caution.
We were transported to the hundredth floor of the building, the topmost floor suitable for holding the most important meetings with the top executives of the League.
When we stepped out of the lift, my breath was taken away. The floor was stunning, designed to show the majesty of the League. The walls were made of mirrored glass, overlooking the entire Capital City. The lift opened up in a hallway, with the meeting room at the very end of it.
As we walked across the long corridor, the students' eyes darted around, clearly uncomfortable with their location.
As we stepped in front of the meeting room, the doors automatically opened up.
But unlike the outside, the inside of the meeting room was quite simple. A long white marble table stood in the centre, with comfortable office chairs surrounding it. On the periphery of the room stood multiple holographic boards, with different articles displayed on them.
As we entered the room, the attention of the occupants of the meeting table turned toward us.
The sudden pressure of receiving the gazes of multiple SS Rank individuals at once was enough to make me pass out on the spot. Thankfully, our discomfort was noticed and soon the burden was released.
Though being the bearer of so many gazes was still heavy.
As I scanned the individuals with my ‘Appraisal’, I recognised many characters from the novel.
One of them stuck out to me the most. A tall and handsome man stood at the head of the table. He had shimmering silver hair and emerald-green eyes. He had the appearance of the CEO of some big company, probably in his 40s. Even without Appraisal, I recognised him at once.
Rufus Briar.
The President of the Hero League. When The Catastrophe occurred, he was among the first generation of humans to have Awakened. Having gone through several Dungeon Rampages, and gone through Spartan-level of training, he was currently the Strongest Hero in the Human Continent.
His skill was ‘Herald of Cataclysm’, a SS Ranked Skill that allowed him to bring forth natural disasters.
His absurdly powerful skill, coupled with his almost never-ending mana pool, it was said that if he wanted, he could have easily destroyed the pre-Catastrophe Earth in only a matter of seconds.
'Appraisal!'
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Name: Rufus Briar Rank: SS+ SS Rank Title: Nature’s Sovereign Stats:
Abilities:
Skills:
Suitable Class: Mage Mana Compatibility:
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‘Wow! SS as well as S Rank Skills. What an OP guy.’
There was also a new addition I had never seen before - SS Rank Title.
All Awakened, regardless of being a Hero or Fallen, receive a Title upon ascending to the SS Rank.
The title is usually based on one’s skill set or something they are well-known for, and automatically gets displayed on their status screen.
Receiving the Title acknowledges the fact that the person is someone who has transcended the mortal plane of existence. Among Humanity, such figures receive power and fame equivalent to an Emperor in the Roman Empire. Out of the billion humans living on Earth and the ten million Awakened walking among them, the chance of reaching this Rank was only one in a million Awakened.
‘When the main character Rhian reached the SS Rank, I believe he received the Title Blood Monarch.’
Kazuya and the rest bowed down to the League President. I followed suit.
“We greet the Nature’s Sovereign!” All four of us spoke in unison. Amara, beside us, scoffed, but she too bowed her head. She may not view humans in a positive light, but she can never ignore someone whose reached the SS Rank.
“That’s enough. Kazuya, give your report.” Rufus’ voice was heavy with the authority it carried. I could feel the pressure, despite not being the recipient of his order.
“Yes! As instructed, I entered the C Rank Dungeon, The Snow Forest, along with the newly appointed interns, Luca Wagner and Evva Pavlov. Our instructions were to find the culprit responsible for attacking the mercenaries and Heroes out of the Dungeon, and to apprehend them if possible…”
Kazuya briefly recounted his experiences in the Dungeons. When I was mentioned, I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room fall on me.
Except for the students, nobody here was oblivious to the Laxon Family’s current circumstances. I could feel their stares, as they were wondering why I was at the location of the Woodland Folks.
Once Kazuya ended his report, chaos erupted at the meeting table.
“How can the Elves and Beastmen break the Treaty so brazenly? They must be belittling the authority of Humans.” One executive raised his voice
“I agree. The other Races have always looked down on us just because we received the blessing of mana much later than them.” A second executive backed him.
“We should send an envoy to the Fae Forest and ask them for compensation.” Said a third.
“Even if the Beastmen infiltrated one of our Dungeons, there is nothing we can do. We can’t call them out when our hostage is one measly Elf.” Reasoned a fourth.
‘Wow, I am glad Kazuya let Nyra leave.’
That was the only thought that came to my mind as I saw the greed of some of the executives leaking out.
If she was truly a high-ranking person like Kazuya had speculated, then it was a good thing we hadn’t captured her. These executives would have surely asked for some ridiculous compensation in return for sending back the hostage.
Despite all the compensation that could have been received in return for capturing her, it was not worth the destruction that could have possibly been brought by the Beastman and Human Races clashing.
All while this happened, Rufus remained silent. After ten minutes of pointless discussion, he finally spoke up.
“Silence!” All that he spoke was a single word, but the entire room fell so silent that you could even hear the heartbeat of the person next to you.
“Since we don’t have any actual proof or significant hostages, there is nothing we can do to negotiate with Fae Forest. As any further discussion over this matter would not yield any significant result I forbid bringing up the matter. Especially since we have company with us.”
The executives finally looked back at us, realising that we were still there.
“Guards, take the Elf to the underground prison and interrogate her for any information you can get.” Rufus commanded the guards who had escorted us here.
Amara was taken out of the room.
I had never seen or even read of the League’s prisons, but I doubt they would have been pleasant. Beside me, I could hear Kazuya let out a quiet sigh. I could understand his feelings.
I didn't view the Elves and the Beastman in a positive light. After all, they had tried to kill me.
The only reasons why I refrained from killing them were that I feared the retaliation of their stronger comrades and the fact that I needed a scapegoat to pin the blame on for the missing Artifact.
But it was still hard to look at her without sympathy, considering this is what Ray’s future is supposed to be in the novel.
I bit my bottom lip as my heart ached over my uncertain future.
Rufus then turned to a secretary that was standing beside him. “Byron, hand them the contracts.”
A distinguished-looking man in a suit came toward them and handed a document to Evva, Luca, and me. I could feel a small amount of mana in it.
Non-Disclosure AgreementThis contract states that the concerned party will not reveal the discovery of Elves to any third party not approved by the Hero League… |
‘A Magic Contract?’
Magic Contracts were developed with the industrialisation of mana.
They bound a party’s mana to it upon signing. If any of the rules on the contract are broken by the party, then the person’s mana recoils back violently, causing them immense pain.
These contracts were Ranked as well and varied depending on how much pain was inflicted upon breaching the contract.
The contract in my hand was to keep the Elves’ trespassing a secret from others. The secretary must be quite capable, seeing how he was able to draft the contract so quickly.
“I hope the three of you sign the given contract so that we can keep this information confidential. It would only cause unnecessary panic among people if it is leaked. Especially since there is already tension brewing between Guilds.” I could feel Rufus’ stare on me as he spoke out the last line.
“Don’t worry, I won't tell anyone about this.” I quickly signed the contract and handed it back to the secretary. As the ink stained the paper, I could feel a small amount of mana leaving my body, officially establishing the contract.
Once Evva and Luca had signed their contracts too, Kazuya escorted us out of the room, and back to the parking lot. Two cars were waiting for us there.
“Evva! Luca! You two get back safely. Your parents have already been informed about everything, so rest assured.” The two quickly said their farewells to their mentor and drove off in their car.
Kazuya then turned to me.
“Sir Ray, I would like to offer you my thanks for the assistance you provided us in the Dungeon.”
“Don't mention it. You saved my life plenty of times as well.”
“I heard from Misa that she has been training you nowadays so that you can get to the next stage of your Sword Art. You have gotten much stronger compared to how the rumours used to portray you.”
“Thank you for the praise. But I am still lacking in strength compared to you.”
“Haha, don’t be humble. Just keep up with your training. I am sure you will pass your brother in no time.” Kazuya praised me. “And while I am not able to thank you in any way right now, if you ever require my help in the future, don’t hesitate to contact me.”
“I will be sure to keep that in mind.”
We exchanged goodbyes before I got in the car. The driver quickly took off, taking me to Cobalt Road.