Chapter 120

"Is the conversation over?"

At the sudden voice, Ian turned his head.

Pyra and the others were waiting.

"You seemed to be having such a serious conversation that I couldn't interrupt... but it looks like everything went well."

Pyra had noticed that Ian was in contact with a mystery.

But to ensure Ian's smooth conversation, he had deliberately held back.

Normally, conversations should be one-on-one; if someone suddenly intervenes, even a well-going conversation can get messed up.

"You must have been surprised."

"A little?"

"Sorry I couldn't explain in advance."

Pyra looked at Ian with a curious smile.

Northern shamans avoid direct contact with mysteries.

In their rugged land, there were many rough spirits.

But this young wizard from the Empire didn't fear talking to mysteries at all.

Whether it was his personality or a trait of imperial wizards, Pyra didn't know.

But he didn't dislike seeing Ian converse with a mystery.

It was bold and free-spirited, something one wouldn't see in a shaman.

"No. You're not a child. I can't oversee every single action you take."

As the phoenix's spirit disappeared, the surroundings became much quieter.

Pyra smiled broadly and gathered the Tears of Hrundal.

"With this amount, both of us can have a share."

Ian examined the elixir Pyra handed over.

It looked like milky liquid.

It didn't have any noticeable smell.

He tasted it slightly, and it felt like plain water.

'Isn't this just hard water?'

Ian looked at the elixir skeptically.

In the Empire, it was common to find water mixed with lime because of the limestone layers underground.

Ian had often seen spring water in mountain valleys that was milky.

[Drink it! Ian!]

Winnie chirped.

[I'm sure it will be effective!]

Hmm. If the phoenix vouched for its quality...

Ian drank the elixir without hesitation.

[You have consumed the Tears of Hrundal.]

[Your spiritual defense has greatly increased.]

The status window kindly displayed a message.

It seemed to be a beneficial elixir for his health.

Ian opened his eyes wide and looked around.

The world's colors seemed a bit more vivid.

His enhanced ability to accept mystery made it so.

Now, Ian could safely accept stronger mysteries than before.

"Don't I need to do something like qi circulation?"

[Huh? Qi... what?]

Ah.

Being a western fantasy creature, she doesn't know about Chinese characters!

"It's like qi brunch."

[I don't know what that is, but... you won't need to do it.]

In martial arts novels, after consuming an elixir, one needs to circulate qi to absorb its energy properly.

But in this world without the concept of qi circulation, just drinking it seemed effective.

"...?"

At that moment, Ian felt a gentle, mysterious energy emanating in his stomach.

Slowly, it spread through his veins and throughout his body.

Especially as it traveled up his spine and through the nape of his neck, Ian felt a tingling sensation.

Although Ian didn't know, the pineal gland located inside the brain plays a crucial role in humans becoming aware of mystery.

This was already proven by the master of horror fiction, Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

It was a sensation of the pineal gland's function being enhanced by the elixir.

'This is good.'

Ian had lower resistance to mystery compared to his magical prowess.

The reason was simple: Ian was a munchkin player who had raised his stats through cheats.

A typical case of [raising one's level without enlightenment]!

Because of this, even though Ian could handle magic with his skills, his body often experienced strain.

But the elixir he just consumed would prevent such situations.

Of course, it wouldn't allow him to face off openly against dark mysteries or anything like that.

"Shall we head back now?"

At Ian's suggestion, Pyra nodded.

They had secured the Tears of Hrundal, so it was time to return.

"Ian... are you sure it's okay?"

On the way back to the camp, Takarion whined beside him.

"But... but I didn't do anything?"

Takarion seemed to firmly believe he had a role to play.

Ian had indeed created some smoke and mirrors.

He had insisted that Takarion was very important and must be brought along.

But that was a lie.

"Takarion, seriously. Do you really think you were invited by Hrundal?"

"...Wasn't I?"

Maybe Ian had overdone it with the MSG.

The fake information he spread to deceive the Red Bear tribe must have also convinced Takarion.

Ian had talked so much about Takarion's importance that Takarion started to think, 'Maybe... am I really that important?'

Typical nerd: imagines awakening hidden powers.

"Actually, I am the hero chosen by the Northern God…"

"Really?"

Takarion was like a totem.

A 'bring him along and you'll get lucky~' kind of totem.

In reality, Ian had found the Tears of Hrundal safely, and when he returned and said, 'I found it thanks to Takarion~,' he could then take Takarion back to the Empire.

"What if I meet the Northern God and awaken my powers…"

"Takarion."

Despite being a monk, he casually talked about pagan gods.

Well, nerds usually don't care about such distinctions.

Ian tapped Takarion on the shoulder.

"Why don't you use that rich imagination to write the next gospel?"

"..."

"I'm really looking forward to it."

It wasn't just a figure of speech.

In a world with few entertainment options, Takarion's gospel was a subtly entertaining read.

Ian seriously intended to read Takarion's next work.

"Ugh...!"

Takarion was genuinely upset.

Ian couldn't believe it.

Just a few days ago, Takarion was worried about losing his heart. Had he already forgotten those memories?

Anyway, he was a friend with a very rich imagination.

When Ian returned with the elixir, the northerners gathered around to inspect it.

It was busy and noisy, but Ian let it slide.

Think about it like someone finding ginseng on a mountain.

How could anyone resist checking out the ginseng?

"Ooh! This is it!"

"Miraculous! Truly miraculous!"

Pyra shooed away the warriors like birds and immediately spoke to Ragnar.

"Look. Ian found the elixir."

"Hmm..."

"For the record, I knew Ian would succeed."

Pyra said proudly.

Ragnar found Pyra annoying but couldn't say anything.

After all, they had results!

Until now, he could criticize Pyra for failures, but after such a dignified success, he couldn't say much.

"Imperial priest Takarion also did his part, so I hope you will let him go."

"I will speak to the chieftain."

One way or another.

From Ragnar's perspective, he gained an upgraded elixir by just sitting around, so there was nothing to complain about.

The chieftain wasn't greedy enough to refuse the good elixir and still harm Hrundal's guest.

"Let's head back to the village."

The warriors prepared to leave.

Pyra asked Ian.

"Ian, do you have any more business in the holy mountain?"

"Well... I'd like to stay for about two more days."

It was to keep his promise to the phoenix.

While lightly enjoying the scenery, Ian planned to check if there was anything that might concern the phoenix's spirit.

"I want to investigate the mysteries of the holy mountain."

Ian roughly explained.

It wasn't entirely untrue. If he got lucky, he might encounter something that could help him in his magical pursuits.

"Then I'll help you."

Ragnar and the warriors decided to descend the mountain first. They couldn't dawdle with such a precious elixir.

Since the warriors left most of the supplies behind, there was no inconvenience in staying.

"Wow. Camping in the snowy mountains..."

Ian muttered as he looked at the snow piling up.

The view was amazing.

But the sharp, icy wind howling through the valleys gave Ian a slight chill.

The next day.

At dawn, Ian set out to explore the snowy mountains.

Of course, he called it an investigation, but it was more like a light hike.

"Hmm! The weather is great!"

Belenka and Kira accompanied Ian with light steps.

Belenka, who was used to seeing snow, was calm, but Kira was especially fascinated by it.

"Winnie, is there anything you want me to do?"

[No. I'm just happy to be with you, Ian.]

The investigation of the snowy mountains was what the phoenix's spirit wanted, not Winnie.

So Ian made the goal of their investigation enjoying the breathtaking snowy scenery with Winnie.

"It's certainly quiet."

Pyra muttered as they climbed the mountain.

"Does the Mountain King have something urgent? It's strange not to see any Grendels."

They had explored quite a bit of the Mountain King's territory.

When they were searching for the elixir, Pyra thought they had just missed the Mountain King's followers.

But now, after camping and hiking, it was odd that none of the Mountain King's followers had appeared.

Were they just ignoring them because it was bothersome?

But knowing the Mountain King's personality, Pyra thought he would have sent at least one follower to check on them.

"Hmm..."

"What's wrong, Pyra?"

"Nothing. Let's keep going."

Ian continued up the mountain.

As they passed the mid-mountain, their feet sank into the thick snow.

The snow on the mountain, which repeatedly froze and thawed, stung their skin with cold.

"Huff. Huff..."

"Are you okay, Takarion?"

"I... can still manage..."

That's good.

Human determination is often shallow and rarely lasts beyond a few days. Countless discarded New Year's resolution lists prove that.

But Takarion's determination seemed to last longer than expected.

If Takarion kept up, it would make things easier for Ian.

"Caw! Master!"

Oberon flew over and perched on Ian's shoulder.

"What is it, Oberon?"

[I spotted humans in the distance! They were almost frozen!]

"...Humans?"

Ian tilted his head.

Humans in the middle of the holy mountain?

This was the Mountain King's territory. Humans couldn't just intrude here.

'Are they shamans?'

If they weren't suicidal, they were probably shamans.

Like Pyra, they could ascend and descend the holy mountain with the Mountain King's permission.

Ian whispered with Oberon and then spoke to Pyra.

"Pyra, we need to change direction for a bit."

Pyra looked at Ian with a curious expression.

To someone who dealt with mysteries like Pyra, Ian's ability to converse with a raven was indeed fascinating.

Of course, it was due to the differences between the Maronius language and Arcana cards.

Pyra had a skill similar to talking with animals.

He would lay out cards in front of the raven and indirectly communicate by asking it to pick a card.

A much more primitive and abstract method compared to the Maronius language.

It was a much safer method since there was no risk of making a verbal mistake that could anger the other party.

"Did you find something?"

"Yes. Let's go that way."

Ian led the group to the place Oberon had pointed out.

"That's..."

"Aren't those the people from a northern village?"

There, they found humans frozen to death.

To be precise, they were frozen to death after being bitten.

They looked less like corpses and more like chunks of meat left in a freezer.

Ian felt nauseous for the first time in a long while.

"...Looks like the work of Grendels."

Pyra's voice changed.

"It's certain. These are the shamans of the Sgonu tribal coalition."

Pyra poked the snowdrifts with his staff.

At that moment, an arm suddenly shot up from the snow.

"Oh my god!"

Kira exclaimed in surprise.

Belenka quickly drew her sword and stepped forward.

But Pyra stopped her.

"Hold on! They're not enemies!"

The frozen corpse twisted its joints and rose from the snow.

Crack... crack...

Forcing its frozen body to move, chunks of icy flesh flew off like shards.

Even with only a few movements, the corpse became tattered.

Ian calmly observed the frozen corpse.

"They deferred their death."

"Right. It seems they asked the mystery of ice for help."

Ian noticed the presence of mystery within the corpse.

Just before dying, the shaman must have asked the mystery of ice to hold onto their soul.

It was the work of a skilled shaman.

"[Y-You... You're from Okaha...]"

"Yes. Shaman from Sgonu."

Pyra understood the secret of the frozen corpse.

Just before meeting death, the shaman had asked the mountain's mystery for help, making themselves an undead.

"[P-Please... deliver my message to my homeland...]"

"I swear by Hrundal, I will deliver your message to your people."

The shaman had deferred their death to leave a final message.

"[We climbed the holy mountain to seek wisdom from the Mountain King...]"

"Wisdom?"

"[We wanted to know the reason for the Great Hunt's failure...]"