Chapter 66: Gotta Roll Without Mana (1)
It truly was an extraordinary concealment technique.
Even Ray, who was extremely sensitive to his surroundings, wouldnt have noticed unless he concentrated his mana.
Most people probably didnt even know they existed.
The woman who made eye contact with him shuddered.
Are you a great sorcerer, even at your young age?
She swallowed her saliva and moved away.
Thats strange. You look so young
If they were talking about youth, Ray, who could claim every youngest title, tilted his head in confusion.
Zik and Euclid also looked at Ray with puzzled expressions.
They didnt say anything, but their thoughts were the same.
What in the world is he talking about?
They were at a loss because they couldnt understand each other.
After finishing the initiation, he started the pilgrimage as soon as the day broke.
In front of everyone watching, he declared that he had become a saint, then rode a carriage around the village, marking the end of the pilgrimage.
He wasnt entirely without guilt for the lie he told. So when he started the pilgrimage, he felt a bit heavy.
But he was the kind of person who might not have known about others lies, but could generously forgive his own.
The guilt vanished before it could even reach his toes.
Ray went around the village, taking a look at the villagers and met with some of the main nobles.
These main nobles were all familiar faces he had seen before during the baptism ceremony and at the ballroom.
Of course, meeting them at the ballroom wasnt formal, but recognizing their faces wasnt a problem.
His devil-like memory helped him remember all their faces.
His act of remembering each one of them left a good impression on the nobles.
There might be no one who could have stopped him even if they had a bad impression, but gaining their favor with his heart rather than force would have been beneficial for future endeavors.
After successfully completing the pilgrimage, Euclid guided him to the mansion.
As soon as he arrived, Ray took a bath, lay on the bed, and took a deep breath.
It felt like fatigue dominated his body. Physical fatigue could be blown away with magic, but there was a limit to relieving mental fatigue.
However, he didnt even have time to relax as he had to start the ritual the next day.
He wasnt without expectations for the ritual.
During the ritual, gods bestowed divine power. Losing all mana and replacing it with divine power was the norm, but his mana road was special.
Since he didnt have a circle to begin with, there was no way to trap divine power, and since he didnt trap mana, there was no mana to be taken away.
What would happen to the remaining divine power then? The uncertain outcome excited Ray.
It was an opportunity to scorn the gods.
All that was left was to wait until the next day.
With an uncharacteristic fluttering heart, Ray tried to sleep.
The day of the ritual dawned.
Just when he thought Euclid would guide him, Iriel arrived dressed in ceremonial clothes.
Saint, I have come to serve you.
Ray looked at Euclid and said,
It seems the guide is different this time.
Iriel smiled her unique smile and replied,
The ritual is a bit special, so a prettier person has to guide you.
At Iriels words, Euclid didnt dare to glare at her and coughed instead.
Hmhm! Only adults are allowed to go to the place of the initiation ceremony except for special cases.
Ah, thats why Iriel came out to meet us today.
Yes. Please forgive me for not being able to accompany you.
Understood.
Additionally, I want to reiterate that appearance doesnt matter.
I said I understood.
Leaving Euclid, who continued to emphasize that appearance didnt matter, behind, Ray and Iriel started on their way.
Behind the castle, they passed through the garden and entered the forest. In front of the forest stood a fence, and guards strictly monitored the entrance.
The guards were not the typical castle guards. It was said that a knight order took turns standing guard.
Was this place that sacred? Ray swallowed.
It seemed more solemn than he had expected.
As they walked deeper into the forest, stone stairs began to appear.
The stone stairs were so long that it seemed impossible to see the end. It was hard to find a better staircase that could tear ones leg muscles.
Just as Ray was about to ask Iriel, Are we really going up here?
Just go straight up. But, you must not use mana.
Iriels answer, as if she had read his mind, reached him before he could even ask.
So, we really had to go up His legs felt wobbly even though they hadnt started climbing yet.
If I knew this was going to happen, I should have learned how to activate mana in my body first!
Regretting wouldnt change the fact that he had to climb the stone stairs.
Moreover, he had even brought a book that he would need to read during the initiation.
Therefore, the backpack he was carrying was quite heavy. He had to climb the dizzyingly high stone stairs with it on his back.
Ray took a step forward. His muscles felt like they were screaming, but it was probably just his imagination.
He could have taken care of it with the mana he had, but Iriel had just told him not to use mana.
So, Ray had to personally experience the countless stone stairs.
Iriel watched him amusingly.
Hohoho. Saint, I felt the same way back then.
She had also climbed this place when she had her initiation.
She had taken breaks and massaged her legs in between as old memories flooded back to her.
Phew
Ray let out a big sigh.
Iriel had told him that he would have to go alone from this point on.
For some reason, all the common people and nobles waited until the adult initiation was over.
Iriel was no exception, and she had no intention of budging from the bottom of the stone stairs.
It seemed that the only answer was to diligently climb up and finish the initiation.
He shouldered his heavy backpack and climbed up the seemingly endless stairs.
Two hours passed since he started climbing the stairs. The end of the stone stairs was still not in sight.
Who in the world built these crazy stairs?
He felt a surge of respect for the people who had built the stairs.
Humans definitely made the Pyramids.
Seeing that humans could create such crazy stone stairs proved it.
Huff huff I should have brought some water
Since he couldnt use mana, he couldnt use magic either.
So, it was unavoidable that he couldnt drink water.
Ignoring his thirst, he walked for another two hours.
The end of the stairs, which had seemed endless, was finally in sight.
As he stepped onto the last stair and reached the summit, a magnificent waterfall, a hill surrounded by flowers, and a small hut nestled within appeared before his eyes.
Walking a bit further, the open sky was the first thing he saw.
The cool wind that blew under the shade cooled the sweat on his forehead.
It was all very beautiful.
To what extent was it beautiful? He could answer that when he turned around, the absurdly numerous stone stairs looked cute.
Was this what paradise would be like?
All that came out of his mouth was admiration.
I thought there would only be trees I didnt know there would be a place like this at the summit
To be honest, he didnt expect anything. He climbed the stairs simply because he was determined, not thinking there would be anything at the summit.
Thats how overwhelming the stairs felt.
But the sight at the summit was a spectacle in itself.
Before climbing the stairs, he had hoped to finish the rite quickly and leave, but now, he felt like taking his time to leave.
Ray looked around and walked toward the cabin.
Creak-
The old-fashioned cabin door opened.
Inside, there was a table, chairs, and what might have once been a flower pot, now just trash lying around.
It could be said it was clean, albeit a bit excessively so.
He pushed aside the broken flower pot, put down his backpack, and felt extremely thirsty.
He felt an urge to jump into the valley in front of him and drink water.
After leaving the cabin, Ray went straight to the valley and quenched his thirst.
The thirst that had been pricking his throat while he climbed the stairs disappeared in an instant.
The water tastes good.
Feeling refreshed after his thirst was quenched, he looked around again.
On the hill, there were trees with scarlet fruits.
Seeing that there were quite a few fish in the valley, he thought he wouldnt have to worry about food.
I dont have to do anything for a week That doesnt sound too bad?
Rite to show devotion to the god. When he asked Ariel how to show devotion, she said she had just eaten and slept for a week.
Then, he could also spend a few days reading books.
He felt as if he was on vacation, doing nothing and just resting.
With that thought, his mood brightened.
Ray took a book from the cabin and lay down haphazardly to read it.
Since it was a medical-related book, his concentration was impressive.
Once he started reading, he was immersed in it in no time.
He kept reading until the letters became illegible as the sun set.
As evening came, the temperature dropped sharply.
It seemed to be because of the high terrain. While he could have driven away the cold using mana, it was impossible now that he couldnt use mana.
Ray had no choice but to put on more clothes from his backpack. It was still cold, but it helped lessen the cold a bit.
Im hungry now.
Rubbing his growling stomach, he picked the fruits from the tree he saw earlier in the day.
When he bit into the peach-like fruit, sweet juice filled his mouth.
Could fruits be this delicious? He ate five decent-sized fruits before he stopped himself.
Returning to the cabin, Ray shivered with a chill.
If it continued like this, he was going to catch a cold. A cold was the source of all diseases! Plus, given the situation, he couldnt afford to catch a cold.
He collected dry branches from outside. He gathered large branches from the back, skillfully peeled off the bark, and scraped it with a sturdy branch. Thin branches peeled off like paper.
Ive got the tinder.
Ray brought straight, long branches and a crude wooden block from around.
He scraped the block with the branch to make a groove, then placed the tinder he made.
He then set up the branch perpendicular to the block and started to rub it frantically.
Swish- Swish-
The sound was overwhelming, but there was no fire.
To reach the temperature needed for ignition, he required a bit more friction.
Argh!
With a scream-like kihap, he turned the branch.
Swish- Swish-
The sound seemed like it would summon hellfire rather than fire, but there was neither fire nor even a spark.
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