Chapter 368

Words : 2469 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Early morning came. Rudger and Arpa finished their breakfast provided by the Landriver Hotel and checked out. “There are a lot of people walking around even though it’s still early.” Arpa muttered while looking at the early morning cityscape. Being close to the mountain basin, the city was quite cool. Because of that, a faint mist enveloped the entire city, and through it, many people could be seen walking around. “That’s because today is the ‘Night of Mystery.'” “Then, are all these people moving about magicians?” “Not all of them. But most of them are magicians.” Rudger observed the people hurrying through the streets with the monocle on one eye. Eight out of ten passersby were imbued with magical power, which meant they were all magicians. Of course, among them, there were different levels of magicians, and within those, there were those with different purposes. However, they all had one thing in common: they were heading to the Kasar Basin where the Night of Mystery was being held. “At this rate, there might not be any carriages left for us to ride.” “No need to worry.” Just as those words ended, a carriage arrived in front of Arpa and Rudger. This time too, it was a carriage pulled by horses made of magical power, and when Arpa saw the person driving the carriage, his eyes widened in surprise. “Ah. The person who gave us a ride yesterday.” “Good morning, Magician and assistant.” “Yes. Good morning.” Rudger exchanged brief greetings with the coachman and got into the carriage. Arpa also climbed into the carriage, still somewhat dazed. “When did you call for this?” “When we got off the carriage yesterday, I gave extra money and asked them to come at this time. It was clear that reservations would be overwhelmed today.” “Ah. I didn’t know that was possible.” The carriage started moving. After leaving the city, the carriage climbed the slope leading to the Kasar Basin. Despite being a slope, there was no particular discomfort in traveling. Like a small village that developed into a city, well-paved roads had been built wherever people needed to travel. As time passed and the sun rose quite high, the surroundings actually became darker. This was because the fog grew thicker as they got closer to the Kasar Basin. “We’ve arrived.” The coachman said that as he stopped the carriage. Arpa looked around and confirmed that this wasn’t the Kasar Basin. “Isn’t there still some distance left?” “This is as far as coachmen like us can go. If we go any further, the carriage won’t move due to the excessive mana in the air.” As if to prove those words weren’t lies, passengers were getting off from all the carriages around them. “Arpa. Let’s go.” “Yes.” After giving the coachman an extra tip for his trouble, he showed his delight by taking off his hat and giving a polite farewell greeting. “If you happen to visit again, please look for me. I will serve you even more diligently.” The coachman left, and Rudger and Arpa walked along the paved path. The fog grew thicker as they headed toward the basin, but there was no chance of getting lost. Not only was the road well-paved, but there were also many people moving in line, enough to make even the hazy fog insignificant. If you weren’t sure where to go, you could definitely arrive by just following the person in front of you. “That must be it.” Rudger lifted his head and looked beyond the crowd. While there was plenty of fog around, what he was looking at now far exceeded that. As if someone had brought down a cumulonimbus cloud from the sky, a pure white barrier spread out in the shape of a dome. This was one of nature’s mysterious phenomena caused by the oversaturation of magical power. And inside that white barrier was the Kasar Basin. ‘Quite a number of formidable magicians have gathered.’ The magical power of the magicians visible through the monocle looked quite impressive. Just as Rudger was observing others, the magicians gathered here were also trying to assess each other while pretending not to look around. ‘Who’s that person?’ ‘A familiar face.’ ‘That’s the teacher who lectured at the Arcane Chamber.’ Among them, quite a few magicians recognized Rudger’s face and their eyes lit up. Rudger felt many gazes flying his way but didn’t particularly show it. “Leader. People around seem to be staring at us?” “They probably recognized me. But they won’t bother us right now.” “Why not?” “Because going ahead is more important right now.” At that moment, a small commotion arose from the magicians lined up in front. Shock, admiration, or something else. That noise spread like waves through the fog and echoed in everyone’s ears at the scene. “Leader. Can you see it? Up ahead.” Arpa’s excellent eyesight caught what was happening up front. “The gate has opened.” Arpa’s explanation was somewhat abstract and vague, but anyone who actually witnessed the scene wouldn’t be able to deny those words. One wall of the pure white fog covering the Kasar Basin rotated like a whirlpool, creating a huge hole. It was not a path that someone had created, but a naturally opened path. The entrance to the Kasar Basin, which only opens for 3 days a year, has opened. “It’s the Kasar Basin!” “The gate has opened!” “Let’s hurry in! We need to secure spots first!” The magicians rushed through the opened passage without even thinking about maintaining their dignity. Although there were quite a number of people gathered, the passage was much larger than that. It was as if a castle gate had opened wide to welcome envoys from another country. Rudger and Arpa also walked following the crowd. The inside of the passage was surprisingly quiet. “Why does such a path open?” “They say it happens when excessive mana flows collide at certain points.” “Collisions?” “Yes. Occasionally, different flows that deviate from the normal flow collide. Usually, even when they collide, a greater force swallows them up, but perhaps due to nature’s mystery, the forces become equal and cancel each other out.” “Ah. So a void is created in the place where those magical powers cancel each other out.” “And that’s how this hole is created. This space itself is a vacuum state of magical power. It’s not something you can easily see anywhere.” Since it exists in such an uncommon state from the entrance, naturally magicians’ eyes would be turned. After passing through quite a long passage, the view opened up and a vast landscape came into view. “Ohhh.” “This is truly a spectacular view.” Magicians visiting the Kasar Basin for the first time let out exclamations. While one might think such behavior lacks dignity, no one pointed that out. That’s because the scenery of the Kasar Basin was that beautiful. While from the outside it looked like just a dome covered in pure white fog, the interior was a completely different sight. Small forests were scattered across the open fields, and clear streams flowed here and there. While that alone made it seem like a piece of deep mountain nature had been brought here. The uniqueness of the Kasar Basin didn’t stop there. What caught the eye first was the subtle coloring. A bluish, emerald-like glow, as if one had entered a coral reef sea, hung over the entire Kasar Basin. Moreover, small yellow, light pink, and magenta-colored lights mixed like watercolors, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. It was like dreaming with both eyes open. ‘Beautiful.’ Even though Rudger had traveled around the world and seen magnificent natural scenery, and by now wasn’t greatly moved by ordinary sights. The Kasar Basin stirred great emotion even in such a Rudger. “Let’s move quickly!” “We have 3 days! Everyone stay sharp!” The magicians who came as groups didn’t forget their tasks and moved quickly. Some magicians were sightseeing, while others were moving busily. From here, it became clearly evident what different purposes they were moving for. “Where are those people heading?” “The outpost.” Rudger observed the magicians moving in groups. As if to prove they were from the same school, they wore pure white robes with the same pattern. “And it’s also the banquet hall where the magicians’ festival begins.” Arpa was able to see what that meant before long. Deeper inside the Kasar Basin, there were temporary tents set up by magicians. The clustered triangular tents, rising tall and emitting various lights from magical lamps, created a strange harmony with the unique atmosphere of the Kasar Basin. A quite large stream flowed through the middle, and there was even a wooden bridge to make crossing easier. It was clearly evident that preparations had been made for quite some time. On the wooden bridge, Arpa looked down at the stream with curiosity. Even the flowing water glowed faintly with an emerald color, perhaps because it too was imbued with enormous magical power. “There are fish living there too?” “They’re not ordinary fish. They’ve either evolved to match the given environment, or mutated from excessive magical power...if we had to classify them, they could be considered primitive spirit beasts.” “Those small fish?” “Not all of them. Just as not everyone with a lot of magical power is called a magician, not all beasts become spirit beasts just because they contain such power.” Rudger said this while turning his gaze to one side. Beyond the outpost in the center of the basin, a dense forest was visible. “But in this place, there should be real spirit beasts that have mastered how to handle their power.” “Weren’t there no actual sightings of spirit beasts?” “There have been occasional stories of someone encountering mysterious beasts, but nothing that could count as evidence. Still, the fact that rumors never cease probably means there’s a reason for it.” Arpa’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Wow. Spirit beasts. I’m very curious. They’re beings that have only been known through records until now.” “Indeed. I haven’t actually seen spirit beasts either.” “Leader. I just thought of something curious. What would happen if Hans used a spirit beast’s tooth?” Suddenly? But now that he mentioned it, he was curious too. If they really encountered a spirit beast, and if it didn’t have hostile feelings toward humans, would they be able to get some tooth or claw fragments? Of course, if Hans received that as a gift, he would probably show a complicated expression. Perhaps because of that, it might be worth trying to get some. Thinking such thoughts, they arrived at the outpost and were suddenly hit by a loud noise. Stalls overflowed at tents and canopies set up here and there, and there were several magicians displaying and selling items. Scarlet magical lamps and bustling sounds, magicians showing off small magic here and there, it was truly a magicians’ night market. ‘Though this world entered the industrial revolution era quite a while ago, this place alone seems to remain in the past.’ Rudger and Arpa arrived at their reserved tent. Being invited guests, a tent had been prepared for them in advance. ‘Having connections is certainly convenient.’ The inside of the tent was wider than expected. Inside, all necessities were provided, including carpets and sofas. It was not just a simple tent for two people to crouch in, but a large tent that could easily accommodate ten people. Not all tents would be like this, and this one was probably particularly large and expensive compared to others. “Leader. I’ll go look around nearby and familiarize myself with the geography.” “Alright.” After sending Arpa out, Rudger plopped down on the sofa. ‘We’ve finally arrived at the Kasar Basin. Now I need to find Leslie here.’ Additionally, he needed to enter the library in that secret mansion and verify the contents of the book written as an ancient text. Considering that, 3 days was quite tight. ‘But there are over a thousand magicians gathered here. Will it be easy to find Leslie who’s hiding their identity among them?’ Rather, forcibly trying to make contact would be perfect for raising suspicion so he decided to just observe for now. Though he wasn’t sure exactly what Leslie was trying to do, just judging by the scale, it definitely wasn’t something ordinary. There would need to be things to prepare in advance for that. If he could catch those clues, finding Leslie shouldn’t be impossible. As Rudger was thinking this, he saw a black shadow moving inside the tent. “Arpa?” If it was Arpa who had just left, he would certainly have said something. Then was it an intruder? Rudger’s gaze sharpened as his presence changed. Rudger naturally drew a dagger from his waist, hiding it in his sleeve, and slowly moved his steps toward where the shadow had been seen earlier. The fact that someone entered without permission meant they had some scheme. So before being ambushed, strike first. With that thought, Rudger looked beyond the drawer where the shadow had hidden. And after confirming the presence crouching beyond it, he completely relaxed the strength in his eyes. “...A child?” What was hiding behind the drawer was a girl who looked about 6 years old. ‘Why is a child here?’ It couldn’t be said there were no children. Among those who visit the Kasar Basin, there were also those who came for tourism. Perhaps they came as a family and the child got lost and hid here. Rudger slowly bent down and approached the child. “Little one. Are you lost?” The child looked at Rudger and nodded slightly with a frightened face. “Your parents?” The child shook her head. It was hard to understand whether that meant she had no parents, or if she got separated from them here. Then the child spoke in a tiny voice. “I’m looking.” What could she be looking for? Just as Rudger was about to ask that, Arpa arrived. “Leader! I’m back. There were even brochures here. Although limited to the outpost, there are maps too.” “Welcome back. Arpa. More importantly, there’s something to say about this little child. It seems she’s lost her parents, could you help find them?” “What?” Arpa tilted his head slightly to the side as if he didn’t understand Rudger’s words. “Leader, what are you talking about? There’s no one here.”

Chapter 368

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