Chapter 42: 041 Really won’t die?
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In the camp at the foot of the mountain, the bonfire was extinguished during the dim dawn.
While Shane was still sound asleep, Vivian entered his tent and dragged him out.
“Now is exactly when the nocturnal demons are returning to their nests, while most diurnal demons won’t emerge until after daylight. This is the best time for us to enter the mountain.”
Vivian gathered everyone together with this reasoning.
However, the group of young girls seemed to have long been prepared for this or perhaps just used to this lifestyle. Hence, they all appeared energetic, showing no signs of grogginess.
Only Shane kept yawning amidst the lively young girls, looking as if he might collapse at any moment.
“Honestly, you’re so unkempt! Go wash your face and freshen up properly.”
Vivian, like a concerned elder sister, shooed Shane to wash up, leaving him with a wry smile.
“I thought I had gotten used to waking up early after coming to this world, but I guess I still can’t compare to traditional adventurers?”
As an adventurer, not only did you have to keep watch for several hours in the middle of the night, but you also had to get up early to head into the mountains and complete commissions. It was truly tough.
Moreover, once in the mountains, you’d encounter all sorts of dangerous demons, leaving no room for carelessness. So, even with insufficient sleep, you had to force yourself to stay alert without any relaxation. This aspect was equally stringent.
“Don’t they ever think about getting some beauty sleep or something?”
Shane thought wildly while absentmindedly washing up. Until he splashed cold water on his face and scrubbed it hard several times, finally he felt a bit refreshed.
Then, Shane returned to the group of young girls, ready to enter the Mangar Mountain Range.
“Everyone, come over here.”
Vivian called out to everyone and pulled out a map from her luggage, spreading it out in front of them.
Naturally, it was a map of the Mangar Mountain Range.
On the map, there were not only detailed path markings but also quite a few special symbols.
There were symbols marked with a red “×,” symbols resembling pools, and some other miscellaneous symbols. This map was drawn with great attention to detail.
“First, let’s confirm our goals for this trip.”
Vivian’s gaze swept across everyone.
“Now, we’ve already cleared out the Bloodsucking Vines. Our remaining tasks are to collect spring water from a medium-sized Magic Power Source and obtain Fire Lizard skins.”
Vivian confirmed this first and then continued.
“There are a total of seventeen Magic Sources in the Mangar Mountain Range. One is large, three are medium-sized, and the remaining thirteen are all small. So, we’ll exclude all small Magic Sources first.”
Saying this, Vivian took out a feather pen and marked a “×” over the thirteen pool symbols on the map.
Only then did Shane realize that those pool symbols indicated all the Magic Sources in the Mangar Mountain Range.
“Next, we also won’t go to the large Magic Power Source,” Vivian said. “Although bringing back water from a large Magic Power Source would undoubtedly delight our client and earn us extra rewards, large Magic Sources typically attract the highest-level dangerous demons in the area. It’s said that the Mangar Mountain Range’s large Magic Power Source is home to a powerful Level 80 demon. For safety, we can’t approach there.”
Vivian crossed out a pool symbol colored with a brilliant gold hue on the map, and also crossed out a nearby pool symbol.
Perhaps because that Magic Source was too close to the large Magic Source, Vivian directly crossed it out too.
“In this way, there are only two Magic Sources left. One is relatively close to us, while the other is in the opposite direction of the mountain range. It’s obvious which one we should go to.”
Vivian decisively crossed out the other pool symbol, leaving only one pool symbol remaining.
Next, Vivian traced the path from where everyone was currently located to the remaining pool symbol with a feather pen, marking that route on the map.
“This is the closest route to the target Magic Source. We’ll go from here,” Vivian said, tapping the path with the pen’s tip, “Follow this path. If all goes well, by the time we reach our destination, it should be when the demons begin to become active. We aim to collect the spring water before then and then stand guard near that Magic Source. Once we spot a Fire Lizard group, we hunt immediately.”
With this, the tasks could be perfectly accomplished.
“This is the battle plan. If you have any questions, you can raise them now.”
Vivian addressed the group for any inquiries.
Tielle, Lu Muya, and Merica all remained silent, so it seemed there were no questions.
Shane raised his hand with a serious face and asked a question.
“What exactly is a Magic Power Source?”
Shane had wanted to ask this question for a long time.
Until now, Shane still didn’t know what a Magic Power Source was.
However, upon hearing Shane’s question, Lu Muya and Merica nearly tilted over, almost falling to the ground. Even Tielle gave off an indescribable atmosphere, leaving Vivian speechless.
“It seems you’re severely lacking in common sense, Shane.”
Vivian said this with some helplessness.
However, Vivian no longer looked at Shane with a questioning gaze as she had before.
“You know that everyone’s body contains magic power, right?”
“… Sorry, I didn’t know that.”
Vivian began looking at Shane with a gaze full of sympathy, if not pity.
Even the other girls somewhat helplessly made Tielle stay silent, Lu Muya at a loss and Merica with a peculiar expression, making Shane feel as if a primary school teacher had labeled him a poor student, causing him to grin awkwardly.
“Then I’ll explain it to you from the beginning.”
Vivian chuckled softly and then patiently began explaining.
“Everything in the world has the potential to carry magic power, especially life itself. From the moment life is born, it possesses magic power because magic power, in essence, is life force.”
“After life force is converted, it can generate magic power. So even common people have magic power within them, though it’s very weak. Only when you elevate yourself to a certain level can you possess considerable magic power to use for magic and Skills.”
“And the world, as the cradle of all life and existence, holds an immensely vast amount of life force operating within it.”
“Therefore, whether it’s the atmosphere or the earth, the world’s magic power flows through them. When this magic power gathers in large quantities in one place and becomes substantial, it forms a source.”
“That’s what a Magic Power Source is.”
Vivian’s explanation was very straightforward, allowing Shane to instantly understand the nature of a Magic Power Source.
However, there was one thing Shane had also wanted to ask for a long time.
“Magic power is converted from life force, right?”
Shane spoke in a tone as if trying to make a point.
“This setting is quite common, but I’ve always wanted to ask, with so much magic power consumption, consuming life force, do people really not die?”
This was a question that had puzzled Shane for quite some time.