Chapter 53: A New Blooming Attribute, Sacred Power
Since when had Fenry become such a welcome sight?
No, to be precise, it wasn’t her—it was the jerky pouch that I was truly grateful for.
Who would have thought that a single piece of jerky could make me this happy?
“Why are you eating it?”
“Isn’t it mine?”
“You already ate plenty. Remember? When I was starving inside the Chimera’s stomach?”
She was still holding a grudge over that? What a terrifying woman.
Still, the jerky pouch, which I had filled with enough rations to last a week, was already half-empty.
As I muttered complaints about her gluttony, I realized that wasn’t the only issue.
“Two whole days have passed. Soon, it’ll be the third.”
“…Three days? Has it really been that long?”
It seemed more time had passed since I fell into the pit than I had anticipated.
‘By the third day, whether for better or worse, something should have happened.’
Two forces were headed toward the altar—Dorneth and Dominic.
If either of them had arrived, the altar should have shown some signs of change by now.
‘But it’s still quiet.’
I was growing curious about what was happening outside.
The scenario I wanted was for Dorneth’s army to arrive first. That way, the captured people could be saved, and they could stand against Dominic together when he showed up.
‘But if Dominic arrives first….’
Things would become much more complicated.
On the bright side, our safety would likely be guaranteed.
Fenry Chaser’s blooming attribute, Shadow Magic, was a powerful tool.
With her ability, she could easily get both Sharbadin and me out of here. Of course, that would mean sacrificing other things in the process.
‘The bigger issue is that we need to escape the altar before Dominic gets here.’
I wasn’t even sure if Fenry’s shadow magic would work within the confines of this barrier.
I decided to ask, just in case.
“Can you get us out of here?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Because of the magic circle?”
“Exactly.”
“What if you had more time?”
Fenry frowned and fell silent, lost in thought.
She had tried various methods to find an exit to the outside world but had yet to discover anything effective.
Her brows furrowed, and she seemed irritated.
“I can’t say for certain.”
“Is it that bad?”
“This isn’t a place created by someone like Dominic. It must have existed for a long time.”
“A barrier from the ancient era?”
“That’s right.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“There’s something here that disturbs my senses. It’s not something human knowledge could have created.”
She admitted that while she could detect the necklace’s location, something had been interfering with her ability to pinpoint its direction.
That was why it had taken her more than three days to find me.
In the end, it seemed like I would have to resolve things my way.
But first, I needed some insurance.
“What is it?”
When I extended my hand, Fenry looked at me with a sullen expression.
“Don’t you think you owe me something?”
“For what?”
“I brought Sharbadin here, alive and well, didn’t I?”
“...”
Conditional trade.
I had fulfilled my part of the deal perfectly, which meant I could confidently demand compensation.
Hand over the life mark!
In an unpredictable situation like this, I needed to secure it as soon as possible.
So, I boldly held out my hand.
“Huk!”
Fenry blew a puff of smoke into my face, then abruptly grabbed the dagger from my waist. The sharp glint of the blade made my vision swim.
“…W-What are you doing?!”
“Stay still, or I’ll stab you right now.”
What? Was she planning to kill me?
This jerky-thieving woman—don’t tell me she really would—!
“Eh?”
But I was mistaken.
Fenry used the dagger to slice her own thumb and then pressed the bleeding thumb against the center of my forehead.
She left her bloodstain like a stamp, then chanted something softly.
A cooling sensation spread as the blood quickly seeped into my skin.
“It’s a mark. You wanted a life mark, right?”
“You could have warned me first! I almost had a heart attack.”
“To activate the mark, just think of me and call my name.”
“And what happens then?”
“I might help you. Who knows?”
The Life Mark.
It was a one-time pact that allowed Fenry to assist in a life-threatening situation. The mark was tied to her shadow-based abilities, particularly the Shadow Mark, which she used for tracking and support.
“But for it to work, there needs to be a distinct shadow nearby.”
“You’ll travel through the shadow, regardless of the distance?”
“If I could, do you think people would leave me alone? Of course, there are restrictions.”
“Restrictions? What are they?”
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you. Want to hear it anyway?”
“Is that something you should be saying to the person you just gave the mark to?!”
“Then don’t ask.”
“What if I call for you but the restriction prevents you from coming? Then what?”
“Then you die.”
“You call this a life mark?!”
“What, do you think I’m some genie that pops out of a lamp when you call? Just come find me yourself if you need help. You know where I am, don’t you?”
I decided to drop the argument before her dagger decided to make a second appearance.
In truth, just receiving the Life Mark was enough. As for the restrictions she didn’t mention—
‘I already know what they are.’
Of course, she had to keep it a secret. The restrictions were her greatest weakness.
“Chew slowly and savor it.”
“…Thank you.”
I realized something new—elves eat meat too.
Sharbadin was eating quite happily, and her condition was visibly improving.
What stood out the most was the necklace around her neck.
It was the one Fenry had given me, enchanted with magic. It seemed to be helping her recover quickly.
Apparently, the effect only applied to elves. If I’d known that earlier, it would have been useful.
As Sharbadin slowly ate to regain her strength, I shared a brief summary of recent events with Fenry.
Before that, I took a quick look down the corridor.
“You didn’t fight the Mimic?”
“Mimic? Can you even call that thing a Mimic? It seems like it’s evolved far beyond its species.”
“It’s just undergone a long process of mutation. At its core, it’s still the same creature.”
“Spare me the lecture. What do you want to know?”
“How many times have you encountered it?”
“Three.”
“And you couldn’t kill it?”
“You’re quick on the uptake, huh?”
“It’s alive, isn’t it?”
“That damned thing is cunning. It retreats the moment it feels like it’s at a disadvantage. Catching it is nearly impossible.”
She’d fought the Mimic three times, but each time it had fled. Its steel-like durability and incredible speed made it hard to kill.
Well, I knew how fast it was.
Time to get to the point.
“Actually, I know how to escape the altar.”
“Escape? How would you know that?”
In response to her question, I held up Dominic’s research journal.
Fenry glanced at the book and then stared at me with a curious expression.
“That thing’s locked up tighter than a noble’s vault. How did you open it?”
“The red stones were the key. I stumbled upon the solution while rolling around here.”
“Hmph. So, what’s the method?”
“Kill the Crystal Mimic.”
“Crystal Mimic?”
“That’s the name of the monster, apparently.”
I explained everything I knew about the Crystal Mimic and the altar.
I needed Fenry’s help to execute the plan.
Thud—!
“...!”
The creature wasn’t exactly subtle.
Before I could finish speaking, the Mimic appeared from one of the corridors.
It splashed into a corner of the blood pool and began repeating its usual actions.
Blood dripped from its mouth—evidence of yet another successful hunt.
A question suddenly struck me.
“Have you seen any survivors?”
“Quite a few. Don’t know if they’re still alive, though.”
“Did you consider teaming up with them?”
“That monster charges with its mouth wide open. Protecting others is pointless—it’s all I can do to counterattack before it retreats into the maze.”
“This place must be huge.”
“It’s bigger than you think. And it’s a damn labyrinth. Don’t bother trying to map it out.”
Fenry’s gaze was fixed on the Crystal Mimic.
She puffed on her smoking pipe, arms crossed, observing the creature as if she were evaluating the information I’d given her.
“Are you scared and just pretending not to see it?”
“...Of course not.”
Her expression grew thoughtful as she watched the Mimic, which, once again, didn’t seem to notice her presence. Eventually, it disappeared down another corridor.
“It’s true. It really can’t sense us,” Fenry murmured, her tone laced with intrigue.
“So, what do you think? Are you okay?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I mean, have you noticed any side effects? Red fingernails? An uncontrollable urge to kill someone? You know, symptoms like that.”
“I do feel like killing you. Does that count as a side effect?”
“…Probably not.”
Fenry tapped her smoking pipe against her palm, letting the ashes fall away, and then picked up a mana stone from the pile. She studied her surroundings before biting down lightly on the pipe and nodding.
“There’s something strange about this place. It’s unsettling, like I’m being subtly affected. It’s not a full-blown problem, but it’s definitely noticeable.”
“Does that mean even you’ll be at risk if you stay here too long?”
“Yeah.”
“How long can you hold out?”
“Not long enough for it to matter. I’ll probably starve to death first.”
Fenry shook her empty jerky pouch for emphasis.
It seemed she wasn’t in immediate danger of succumbing to the mana stone’s influence, but her empty stomach was a different story. Her mental fortitude, fortified by a 5-star level mental barrier, was impressive.
Still, when did she eat all that jerky?
I glanced at Sharbadin, who was awkwardly chewing the last bit of jerky. She gave me a sheepish smile.
What could I even say at this point?
One thing was clear—time was on the Mimic’s side, not ours.
No matter how strong we were, hunger would eventually catch up to us.
“So, we have to kill that box monster to open the exit?”
“That’s correct.”
“So, it comes down to eliminating it in the end.”
“Do you think a surprise attack could work? It feels like this place would give us the advantage.”
“That thing’s built like a solid lump of steel. I can’t take it down quickly with my weapons. If someone could hold it in place, I might be able to take it out.”
“How long would you need?”
“About half a day.”
Half a day? Was this elf insane?
Fenry gave me a pointed look, and I quickly shook my head.
Forget half a day—holding the Mimic down for even a minute sounded impossible.
Instead—
“I’ve actually already started preparing something.”
“Preparing? What are you talking about?”
Fenry’s curiosity was piqued.
I smirked and held up a mana stone, ignoring her question for a moment. Then, closing my eyes, I focused on the energy within me and let it flow outward.
Vwooom—
A faint vibration spread through the air as a bright white light began to envelop the mana stone.
Sharbadin’s eyes widened as she recognized the glow. She had been watching me ever since I started experimenting with the mana stones while reading the journal.
‘Just looking at it makes me feel at peace,’ she thought.
Whenever I summoned the light, she often stuck close to me, gazing at it in awe.
Fenry narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the light surrounding the mana stone.
“Is that… an attribute?”
Her sharp intuition had immediately picked up on it. The light carried an elemental attribute, and such attributes always had distinct properties.
Unlike her own faintly chaotic and adaptable shadow magic, the light radiating from the stone was solid, resolute, and unyielding.
‘And its stability… it’s incredible.’
It felt as though she was staring at an indestructible wall. The light was the polar opposite of the chaotic energy of mana stones.
“What is this?” she finally asked.
“It’s my attribute.”
“Your blooming attribute?”
I nodded slightly.
At the third level, or “blooming” stage, a mana user’s abilities diverge into either attributed or non-attributed paths.
Only a select few are “attribute bloomers,” awakening unique abilities.
Karel’s danger-sense, Elton’s blazing sword, Fenry’s shadow magic—all of these were examples of blooming attributes.
And now, as an enchanter, I had awakened my own attribute and gained the ability to imbue it into objects.
“I’ve embedded my attribute into the mana stones. I’ve adjusted it so the Mimic won’t notice, but the energy will slowly corrode it from the inside.”
“Corrode it? What exactly is your attribute?”
If my power could harm the Mimic, it couldn’t be one of the common elemental attributes.
I exhaled deeply and focused on channeling more of my energy into the mana stone.
Vwooom—!
The light around the stone intensified, glowing brilliantly.
“...!”
The crimson color of the mana stone began to fade, its surface trembling as if it were screaming in agony.
When the stone finally turned into an ordinary gray rock, Fenry frowned and looked at me with a hint of surprise.
“What the hell did you just do?”
“I simply corrected the disorderly energy within the stone.”
“Corrected it?”
“Yes.”
My ability, born from a moment of epiphany, allowed me to bring order to chaos.
I had come to define my attribute with one term:
Sacred Power.