The Ancient People

Yuria mentioned that ancient people are occasionally found in relics.

Of course, they’re always discovered as corpses.

The general characteristics of these ancient people were that they appear in the form of various races, not just humans; that they all wore strange attire; and that they hadn’t decayed at all, as if they had just died.

“I’ve read about this in books… but they really exist. They really… haven’t decayed at all.”

Yuria reached her hand toward the ancient person’s corpse with a strangely moved expression.

I quickly grabbed her hand.

“Don’t touch it!”

“H-huh?”

I spoke to her surprised face.

“I don’t think touching it would do any good.”

Yuria couldn’t see it, but it was clear to my eyes.

These ancient people… they were strange.

Everything in the world possesses a mana pattern, and I’ve seen many mana patterns over time.

But I’d never seen such a complex pattern anywhere. Comparing it to Earth art, it was like combining pointillism, action painting, and Picasso’s abstract art. Countless tiny mana dots surrounded the ancient person like a fog. Each dot was inscribed with microscopic patterns. Between the dots, thick lines of mana were scattered, connecting with the pointillism to reveal a bizarre form. Very small patterns connected to increasingly larger patterns, adding layer upon layer… the design was so complex it was almost disgusting.

Normally, living people possess mana patterns in the shape of ginseng, with separate small, delicate mana patterns along the ginseng stem. Upon death, the detailed patterns disappear, and the overall shape transforms into simple straight lines.

But these ancient people were different.

Despite being dead, their mana patterns remained terrifyingly complex and bizarre. Were these complex mana patterns their own? Or did they belong to the equipment they wore?

Whichever it was… it felt ominous. Moreover, this was,

‘It’s… repelling magical power.’

I got goosebumps.

This was a first.

The world I’d observed until now was always filled with magical power. It was as fundamental as air being everywhere.

I’d seen many substances that magical power passed through without lingering. But I’d never even imagined a substance that magical power wouldn’t approach in the first place.

Near the corpses of these ancient people with their complex mana patterns, not a speck of magical power was visible. Even magical power that approached seemed to flinch back. It was as if the magical power itself was repulsed by the bizarrely complex mana.

“Ah… right. I heard that ancient people’s corpses are sometimes cursed…”

Yuria finally remembered and backed away, shuddering.

Cursed…

Seeing how the magical power avoided them, that seemed possible.

Countless years must have passed… yet the ancient people’s bodies still maintained their forms. Bodies that even time, let alone magical power, seemed to avoid. It wouldn’t be good to touch them carelessly.

“Let’s… explore the underground first. Don’t touch the ancient people.”

I turned away, shaking off the eerie feeling. What we needed now was food. And magical devices that might help us.

Although both my body and mind were exhausted, I felt we needed to explore this underground level completely before we could rest.

But the next moment, I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

…

Yuria asked, but I was too focused to answer. I concentrated all my senses on capturing the sound I was hearing.

It was muttering. Very faint and difficult to hear… but the magical powers were muttering again.

<When will the support…>

<Supply operation through $#^#$…>

<Recently, progress has stalled at $%@…>

<Due to damage to the Akashic Records, maintaining the organization has become…>

<When it’s over, let’s meet at our #$#%…>

Once I focused, I could hear all sorts of voices.

Supplies, support… were they talking about a war? What was the Akashic Record?

My thoughts grew complicated.

The abnormal behavior of magical powers.

Normally, magical powers would simply drift around, watch interesting people when they found them, and critique them among themselves.

That was the magical power I had known.

But recently, I had frequently witnessed abnormal behavior from magical powers.

In the Guardian’s Graveyard, magical powers repeated predetermined phrases like machines, and when I obtained <Saíl>, they conversed among themselves as if performing a play.

The way magical powers appeared now was similar. If I had to categorize it, it was closer to the theatrical performance like when I obtained <Saíl>, but… it was also different.

The conversations seemed disconnected, with each voice speaking about different things.

Some mutterings suggested urgent situations while others sounded quite mundane.

What did all this mean?

Were these strange utterances all primordial incantations, as Teacher Sena had suggested?

But unlike when I obtained <Saíl>, these words didn’t trigger any special magic when I repeated them.

‘Though there’s still so much unknown… this is an important clue.’

Forgetting my original purpose of quickly exploring this place, I began focusing more deeply on the magical powers’ mutterings.

“Yesterday, why…”

“…supplies are needed…”

“Until the Akashic Records are restored…”

As I concentrated, I unconsciously started imitating the magical powers’ mutterings.

It wasn’t human language, but somehow I could understand its meaning and imitate the sounds quite well.

But… was it my imagination?

The more I imitated the magical powers’ mutterings, the more vivid their whispers seemed to become.

“Approaching $#% must be excluded…”

<We should supply first.>

“We should supply first…”

<Otherwise, we might be identified by $#%…>

“Otherwise…”

It was becoming increasingly interesting. As I repeated what the magical powers said, at some point they began to respond with dialogue related to what I had echoed back. It felt like… we were conversing.

The mutterings between the magical powers and me intensified like verses of a song being exchanged between lead and chorus.

+ – + – +

“Hmm… Jun-woo?”

Yuria waved her hand in front of Jun-woo’s face. But Jun-woo, with his focus completely gone, just kept muttering incomprehensible words without any reaction.

“Y-Yuria? What’s happening? Is J-Jun-woo under some curse?”

Monggu asked, clearly terrified. Yuria shook her head.

“No… he gets like this sometimes. Once he starts concentrating on something, he doesn’t notice anything happening around him. If you try to wake him forcibly, he gets angry. Hmm…”

After staring intently at Jun-woo for a moment, Yuria reached a conclusion.

“This is going to take at least half a day. Can’t be helped. Let’s move on our own.”

“What? Move on our own? Leaving Jun-woo behind?”

“Yes. We don’t have time, so you explore this area. I’ll go that way. Walking at a quick pace… let’s see… walk 20,000 steps and then come back!”

“Th-that’s crazy! What if we split up and m-monsters appear?!”

Monggu was panicking. But Yuria was calm.

“They won’t. First… since we’re inside a relic, there shouldn’t be any monsters. And… we’re the only things moving in here.”

Somehow, Yuria was certain of this.

“How do you know that?!”

“Just shut up. I’m right.”

It was difficult to explain with words. But Yuria was confident.

Even when straining her ears, even when feeling the touch of air against her skin, there was nothing moving.

‘Strange, isn’t it? I feel like I can sense everything within several kilometers clearly. Is it just my imagination? But… it’s too vivid.’

Yuria’s newly awakened Gift was granting her extraordinary hyper-perception. But Yuria still hadn’t realized she had become a Mana User.

She simply thought it was one of those rare moments of peak condition that comes once or twice in a lifetime, and became increasingly self-assured.

“Stop arguing and let’s go.”

“But what if there are traps!”

Monggu tried to protest until the end. Without Yuria’s hyper-perception, this lowest level of the relic was just a dark and dangerous place to him. They had just narrowly escaped being killed by monsters. With corpses everywhere, it was natural to feel anxious about exploring separately.

But Yuria dismissed Monggu’s concerns.

“Did you hear what was said earlier? We’re ‘supply type 10,’ right? It’s not exactly a flattering term, but we’re part of this base. Would traps activate for us? Stop worrying and move! We both need to pull our weight!”

“But still…”

“Hey. Are you scared?”

Yuria stared directly at Monggu. “Are you scared?” These words were like a magical phrase in the wilderness. When asked “Are you scared?”, answering “Yes, I’m scared” brought great shame. Even if you were truly terrified to death… you had to pretend otherwise.

The children of the wilderness learned and were trained this way.

It was ingrained in their bones and flesh, to the point that even the timid Monggu couldn’t deny this rule.

Monggu gulped and forced a smile.

“O-of course not.”

“Right?”

Yuria smiled meaningfully.

“Good. Then walk 20,000 steps and come back, okay? At maximum marching speed!”

“Okay…”

“Alright! I’ll be back. Jun-woo~”

Yuria waved her hand at the still-muttering Jun-woo and quickly left. Monggu, who had been blankly watching her, eventually gritted his teeth and walked in the opposite direction at the same speed as Yuria.

Shortly after.

Left alone, Jun-woo continued standing there, muttering. In a strange language that he understood but others couldn’t.

“Due to damage to the Akashic Records, part of the defense system…”

+ – + – +

How long had I been in this trance, imitating the magical powers’ mutterings?

At some point, the dialogue became increasingly clear.

What began as lifeless muttering had now transformed into desperate cries. The magical powers were shouting.

Even the magical powers that had been floating hazily now lined up to form silhouettes. It felt like watching a ghost play.

<We must escape!>

<No.>

<You can’t! Leave it to us!>

<With so many brothers and sisters who need supplies… if I, the person in charge of Arsenal 7, run away, I might as well be killing them myself.>

<But there’s already no chance of…!>

<Even without a chance of winning, if supplies continue, they could at least retreat.>

<We’ll stay and handle the supplies…>

<Are you and I the same? Enough. It’s an order. You escape right now.>

<We cannot do that!>

<I said it’s an order.>

<@^$# sir… what are you planning to do?>

<What else? I need to keep supplying until the very end. With all my heart and all my strength!>

The increasingly vivid dialogue of the magical powers gradually reached a climax. And finally, a particularly clear and intense voice shook my entire body.

<Transportation!>

I was certain as soon as I heard it.

‘It’s a primordial incantation! It’s real!’

Among the countless simple mutterings, I had finally found a genuine primordial incantation.

I immediately repeated it.

“Transportation!”

My voice echoed loudly through my lips. Transportation. Moving people or objects from one place to another.

Compared to <Saíl> that I had obtained earlier, this incantation had a much more modest meaning, but… a primordial incantation was still a primordial incantation!

The magical powers that had been standing rigidly performing their play all suddenly focused on me, as if awakening from sleep. They cried out in astonished voices.

<That’s it.>

<That’s right!>

<We have to go back.>

<It must be!>

<Let’s go back!>

Suddenly, an immense amount of magical power was drawn into me. For some reason, it was even more than when I obtained <Saíl>.

Since the magical power I already possessed was reaching the late stages of 1st Circle for Circle magic and late 1-Star for Ki-blood magic, the newly absorbed magical power far exceeded what I could accommodate.

A burning forehead. Dizziness making it hard to stand.

Magical fever had struck again so soon after the last one. It was time to advance to the next level as my magical power reached saturation.

‘Ah… this…’

But perhaps I had pushed myself too hard trying to find the primordial incantation? As the magical fever hit, my vision immediately blurred and consciousness faded.

Without realizing it, my body tilted and collapsed flat on the floor.

My eyelids gradually closed.

But still, I smiled deeply.

‘In the end… I figured it out.’

The magical powers had spoken. About Arsenal 7, about supplies…

Hearing this made it clear.

It was an actual event that had happened here.

The magical powers’ conversation clearly depicted the final moments of Arsenal 7.

In other words,

In the distant past… the magical powers were constantly, continuously… imitating an event experienced by some unknown person.

Until my last moment before fainting, I desperately etched this new knowledge about magical power into my mind.

‘Magical power has the property of reenacting events from the distant past.’

‘…And when I repeat exactly what they said back then… they become excited.’

And so, I fainted quite pleasantly.