Chapter 5
“That’s right. It has all the habits of a crow. If we’re lucky, there might even be an artifact. There should be more human belongings there than in other places.”
Whoosh!
While the two of them conversed, Sylaphe kicked off the ground and soared into the sky.
Despite its translucent body, Sylaphe rose with Jade riding it as comfortably as if he weighed nothing, then headed straight for the mountain where the Big Crows’ nest was.
Caw! Caw!
Before long, Jade spotted a Big Crow.
They looked like a strange mixture of magpies and crows, but true to their name, they were enormous.
Crows were already fairly large, but Big Crows were even larger.
With both wings spread, they easily exceeded five meters.
-It’s a Big Crow!
“Of all things, their leader is here, too.”
-The boss is even bigger! At that size, it could snatch a troll!
“If they fought, who would win?”
-They won’t fight each other. Big Crows don’t eat trolls. Their tastes are surprisingly refined.
Celestin said it with confidence.
He knew well that, unlike their appearance suggested, they were extremely picky eaters.
But just then, the Big Crows flying in a flock overhead all changed direction at once.
They had spotted Jade riding Sylaphe.
“They look like they’re licking their lips at me.”
-Like other predators, they like human flesh, too. Maybe because it comes pre-seasoned?
“That one’s practically half monster, anyway.”
Seeing murderous intent in their black eyes, Jade drew his bow.
It was completely different from the bow he had carried when first crossing the Great Forest; even at a glance, it looked exceptionally sturdy.
-Do you think they know it’s a bow made from an ogre’s bones and sinews?
“They’re too far away to smell it. Even if they noticed, they wouldn’t care.”
-After today, they’ll run away whenever they see Jade. They’re cunning, so they’ll remember him clearly.
“Then that’s fine by me. I’m planning to come visit from time to time.”
Fweeeing!
Refined iron was difficult to find in the Great Forest.
But there were plenty of things just as hard as iron, and Jade used them as arrowheads.
Boom!
Of course, he also infused the arrows with mana, but the most frightening thing about Jade’s archery was its accuracy.
Because the wind spirit adjusted his aim with even greater precision, not a single arrow missed.
Kieeeaagh!
Big Crows with their heads pierced fell limply to the ground.
Yet not one of them stopped charging.
They did not mourn the deaths of their kind, but neither did they become frightened.
Instead, they flew at him desperately, as if determined not to let him escape.
Pffhihing!
Sylaphe gave a derisive snort at the sight.
Since their nests were here, the Big Crows were indeed the rulers of these skies.
Even harpies generally stayed away from Big Crow territory.
But the moment Jade arrived, the ruler of the skies changed.
“Shall I stop practicing archery here?”
-This is enough!
“I’m out of arrows, too. Summon Sylph.”
Jade lowered his bow and spoke.
At once, dozens of Sylphs were summoned around him.
“Shape Transformation (形態變換).”
Sssheeeing!
At Jade’s next words, the forms of the Sylphs, which had looked like tiny fairies, changed.
Taking the shape of triangular cones like tiny drills, they began spinning at terrifying speed.
-Fire!
Celestin clapped and shouted at the sight.
He was excited because he knew exactly what was about to happen.
Ssshhhaaaak!
No sooner had Celestin finished speaking than dozens of Sylphs cleaved through the air.
They shot toward the Big Crows at a terrifying speed.
And the result was exactly as Celestin had predicted.
Thud-thud-thud.
All that remained in the sky after the Sylphs swept through it was Big Crow feathers and droplets of blood.
Not a single Big Crow managed to withstand the Sylphs’ attack.
“Nothing beats this for bullying the weak.”
-They’re hard to see, and incredibly fast. Of course, Big Crow feathers aren’t very tough, either.
Compared to other predators, Big Crows had relatively poor defenses.
That was another reason they were so helpless against the Sylphs’ attacks.
Boom-boom-boom!
Even as he talked with Celestin, the Big Crows continued to be slaughtered.
Jade controlled the Sylphs one by one even while conversing.
Because they were connected psychically, he could control each of them individually.
Cawww!
Then the leader flew in with a horrible shriek.
It had finally been unable to stand by as its subordinates were killed in droves.
-Are you going to kill that one, too?
“That way, I can make sure it remembers my existence. Even if it dies, another one will take its place.”
-Right! Since we’re doing this, let’s wipe them all out! Big Crows aren’t a group that has much impact on the Great Forest’s ecosystem anyway!
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Perhaps because it was more than twice the size of the others, the leader somehow managed to fend off the Sylphs’ attacks.
It was not pierced through and killed in a single blow.
But that was as far as it got.
It endured the Sylphs’ savage assault and came closer to Jade, bristling with killing intent, but Sylaphe stood before Jade.
Thwock!
Two wind arrows fired by Sylaphe, which held its head high with regal pride, tore open the leader’s wing root.
It was rendered helpless by just two wind arrows.
And the result was its fall.
Kuuung!
With a heavy thud, Jade saw the leader twitch.
But it was not twitching because it was alive; its body was trembling from the impact.
Cawww!
Seeing their leader brought down with such utter helplessness, the Big Crows scattered in every direction.
They realized that attacking would only get them killed and fled outright.
As he watched the Big Crows flee, Jade examined the nests built throughout the cliff.
-Is it breeding season? There are chicks, too. Some have eggs. Doesn’t Jade like egg dishes? Fried eggs? He especially likes those.
Celestin spoke as it watched the Big Crow chicks screeching for food, unaware that their parents had fled.
There were Big Crow eggs in some of the nests as well.
They were several times larger than ordinary eggs, matching the birds’ size, and one seemed like it would make a suitable side dish for Jade.
“I don’t know. I have no idea how they taste. It’s not as if I have any reason to eat Big Crow eggs.”
Jade inspected the nests without paying the slightest attention to the Big Crow chicks screaming frantically.
He was checking whether there was anything worth taking.
Unexpectedly, there were a great many jewels and ornaments.
As expected, they had mainly collected shiny things.
-Pretty!
“An artifact containing spatial magic would be perfect.”
-We can have our little ones carry it!
“That would work, but it consumes a lot of mana. If there were an artifact imbued with spatial magic, I could just put everything in it.”
Jade clicked his tongue.
The more he thought about it, the more regrettable it seemed.
But he had no way to create what he did not have, so Jade selected the best items he could and took them with him.
-We’re rich now!
“Money is money, but I wish there were something Master used. But there are hardly any weapons or armor.”
Apparently uninterested in weapons or armor, the Big Crows did not have so much as a single dagger, no matter how many nests he searched.
Almost everything was shiny, with the occasional well-maintained round shield.
-It doesn’t look like there’s anything Jade wants...
Since they would eventually leave the Great Forest, he did take the gems that looked particularly expensive, but when none of the items Jade had hoped for appeared, Celestin studied his expression.
He thought Jade would be all the more disappointed because his expectations had been so high.
“It’s fine. It wasn’t a total waste. And even if we found an artifact, we wouldn’t know what magic was on it. You all know a lot, but you’re clueless when it comes to magic.”
-We can still sense its power. Magic is processed mana, so we can tell at a glance.
“It’s not as if today is my only chance. Besides, I haven’t even fully digested the mana cultivation method and swordsmanship I’m learning now.”
-That’s the spirit! What a positive attitude!
Celestin patted Jade’s cheeks with its adorable little hands.
It was trying to encourage him in its own way.
“Let’s go back.”
Jade said as he patted Sylaphe’s neck.
Unlike earlier, his bag was now bulging.
It was around the time the sun was beginning to lighten the sky.
Jade sat cross-legged in the small yard he had made in front of the cabin.
He could assume any posture he wanted, but strangely, he found sitting cross-legged comfortable.
Perhaps because it felt as though mana accumulated more readily that way.
‘I need to improve it further using the knowledge I possess. If I can’t find a better mana cultivation method, I’ll have to develop this one.’
The mana cultivation method Jade was currently learning was the advanced mana cultivation method of the Imperial Knights.
He was also learning advanced swordsmanship through the weapons he had picked up during his explorations.
But Jade was not satisfied with this.
The memories left in the objects had shown him that his power was by no means weak, but this was still not enough.
Since he might have to meet a dragon, he needed to be at least strong enough to survive an encounter with one.
Of course, he knew all too well that this was practically impossible, but he still intended to do everything he could.
‘If I can fully summon the Spirit King, I might be able to get away somehow. If I summon two, wouldn’t I even have a chance of standing up to it?’
Jade was not merely a spirit mage.
Since he had not neglected physical training either, he had enough skill to be called a spirit swordsman.
He was also constantly looking for ways to grow stronger in his own way.
Among his efforts, he had achieved quite a few significant results.
‘For now, efficiency comes first. I need to make full use of what I already have.’
Jade pondered, and pondered again.
How could he become stronger than he was now?
As he did so, he tried to incorporate modern knowledge as much as possible.
Because he thought that was precisely his advantage.
‘This may be as far as I can go. The Imperial Family probably only allowed a select few to learn anything higher. That’s why I need Master’s relics...’
This was precisely why Jade was searching for Master’s belongings.
There had definitely been people who reached the Master realm using the Imperial Knights’ mana cultivation method and swordsmanship.
But he wanted to shorten the time as much as possible.
He was already twenty-four, and since the human body began to decline after thirty, he had to somehow reach the Master realm before then.
‘To stop my body from aging, that is.’
Being a Master did not mean that one’s body stopped aging.
It merely meant that aging progressed far more slowly than in ordinary people.
‘Couldn’t I just stumble across a spiritual elixir or herb somewhere?’
Jade clicked his tongue.
During his explorations, he was always on the lookout for spiritual elixirs and herbs.
Spiritual elixirs and herbs were one of the ways to grow stronger quickly.
Moreover, since he was a spirit mage who could wield greater power the more mana he accumulated, he was even more desperate to find spiritual elixirs and herbs.
Kkwaaa-boom!
But then a tremendous explosion echoed from far away.
At the same time, the ground trembled faintly.
The earth shook as if an earthquake had struck, rocked by the clash of terrifying power.
-Someone’s fighting!
“What on earth is fighting out there?”
Jade’s eyes flew open, and he let out a hollow laugh.
The enormous explosion that had erupted from deep within the Great Forest had left him awestruck.